Page 9 of Chasing Xander
“Honestly, we should probably go back to our room and finish unpacking,” Kylie said, shooting Celeste a look that warned her not to argue.
“We can walk you back to your res hall,” Finn offered.
“And I’m more than happy to help you put away all that underwear.” Xander bumped her leg with his knee, and a thrill shot through her.
And that is exactly why she needed distance from him. He wasn’t ever going to let her forget that, and every time she thought about him kneeling on the ground, twirling her sexiest pair of underwear around his finger, her stomach knotted and heat erupted on her face. “Sorry, but your days of playing with my panties are over.”
“Hmm, we’ll see about that.” Before she could open her mouth to say anything, Xander picked up his tray and headed toward the trash cans. Finn followed. Then Celeste. Kylie stood and followed, too, then dumped her uneaten food into the garbage.
“You really don’t mind walking us home?” Celeste gazed up at Finn.
“It’s no problem at all.” Finn held out his arm, and Celeste took it. They disappeared out the exit.
Kylie turned to Xander. “You don’t have to walk me home if you don’t want to.” She shifted on her feet and dropped her gaze to the floor.Please say you will.
“And miss the opportunity to spend more time with you?”
Her head jerked up. “This isn’t some sort of prank you play on the clueless freshman, is it?”
“No. It’s not a prank.” He smiled. “You’re cool. And you make me laugh.”
Cool?Not exactly the reaction she wanted—sexy or hot or interesting would have been better—but at least he wasn’t dining and ditching. And she didn’t have any reason to believe he wasn’t being sincere.
Xander held the door open for her, and she stepped outside. Finn and Celeste were waiting, and when they noticed them, Celeste took the lead and headed back toward their residence hall. Finn was in step beside her, deep in their own private conversation.
Kylie followed with Xander next to her, neither of them speaking. She really didn’t know what else to say to him. She tucked her hands into her pockets and looked around. There were quite a few people out and about, but they all seemed to be rushing around like they had somewhere important to be. There were still a lot of parents lingering, too.
“It’s a nice night. Warm.” She rolled her eyes and mentally smacked herself.Talking about the weather? Really?
He simply nodded.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks, by the way, for your help earlier.” Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “Sorry I rushed off like I did, but it’s not every day a guy I don’t know fondles my underwear.”
A hint of a smile played on his face. “Yeah, well, it probably didn’t help that I was teasing you. I’m sorry. But in my defense, you have some really…unique underwear.”
Oh my God!She never should’ve brought it up. Her face felt like it was going to explode in a fiery burst.
Xander turned slightly toward her and let his gaze rake slowly over her body like he was memorizing her, caressing her. She held her breath. “I bet they all look damn good on you, too.”
Her ears rang, and her steps faltered, her toe catching the heel of her other foot.Oh shit. She lurched forward and flailed her arms to gain her balance.
He grabbed her upper arms to steady her and hauled her against his hard, chiseled chest. His hands were so warm, she swore they could melt the clothing from her body.
Heart hammering, she looked up at his face and was once again awestruck by how handsome he was. He was so tall that the top of her head barely reached his chin. Why hadn’t she noticed that before?
“You always this graceful?” he teased, his eyes sparkling.
“Only when you’re around,” she said before she could stop herself.
His chest rumbled with laughter and vibrated through her in the most delicious way. “Well, this is the first time a girl has ever tripped over herself trying to get to me.”
“I wasn’t trying to get to you,” she said, even though that wasn’t completely truthful.
“Can’t say I don’t like it.” He stared down at her, his already dark eyes darkening even more.
Desire pulsed through her veins and pooled between her legs. It wasn’t until then she noticed he hadn’t let go of her arms. Not that she had any reason to complain. Xander dragged his hands down the length of her arms, his fingers teasing her hands as if he wanted to hold them. A shiver worked through her body, and goose bumps broke out in the wake of his touch. She leaned into him, pressing closer to his chest, and she swore she heard him groan.
“Hey! What the hell is taking you two so long? Everything okay?” Finn shouted.
