Page 81 of Crossing the Line
He just hoped to God whatever Robert wanted to talk about wasn’t how Xavier had made love to his daughter and refused to find her another security team.
Mid-crisis of conscience, Xavier turned back to Waverly and Sylvia. “Behave ladies,” he said in mock sternness.
Sylvia giggled, but Waverly looked a little sick, and he wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was.
“We’ll do our best. Come on, Mom. Let’s see what kind of snacks we can find,” Waverly said, steering her mother toward the doors.
Xavier followed Robert up the stairs and onto an open deck with a small pool, a hot tub, and yet another lounging area. The area surrounding the hot tub was a series of pads, turning the entire space into one large bed. Huge colorful pillows were stowed in a cabinet built into the deck.
Robert took a seat on a white lounger while Xavier positioned himself at the rail facing the stairway.
“I understand the investigation is proceeding,” Robert remarked, his expression unreadable.
Xavier had checked in with Micah when they’d landed in Santorini at the ungodly hour of three a.m. in L.A.
“It’s proceeding, but we’re not seeing the results that we need yet.”
Robert nodded and stared into his glass. “When we hired you, I was mostly doing it to keep my wife happy,” Robert said.
He didn’t seem to require an answer, so Xavier stayed silent.
“I didn’t really grasp the physical danger Waverly was in until Friday night. When I heard those explosions and knew my daughter was still on the carpet, my heart stopped.” He shook his head.
Again, Xavier stayed silent.
“I haven’t done the best job protecting her,” Robert admitted. “It’s par for the course in this industry. There will always be someone who has unhealthy feelings toward you. And when you’re used to something, it’s not as scary as maybe it should be. But you identified a threat the rest of us would have ignored. Without you, Waverly could have been snatched off that carpet.” The man’s shoulders slumped. “I could be looking for my missing daughter right now instead of enjoying a few days on the Mediterranean with her. I owe you for that.”
Xavier’s guilt wouldn’t allow for compliments. “It’s all part of my job. I’m not going to rest until we find Ganim and neutralize him.”
“You’ll do what you need to do when the time comes,” Robert said. Xavier knew what the man was saying, just as he knew how far he was willing to go to keep Waverly safe.
“I will.”
Robert gave him a nod. “I’m counting on you. Waverly is lucky to have you.”
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Dinner was a candlelit affair on deck with the lights of Santorini twinkling off the port side. Tonight they would weigh anchor and start their leisurely tour of the islands. Waverly hoped she could survive it. Paradise just wasn’t paradise when her parents were involved.
She thought about her good-bye with the Saints. It had been surprisingly emotional for her. In a way, she felt like she was leaving her own family rather than Xavier’s. And she wasn’t ready to let go. She told herself it was because they’d been so welcoming, so blissfully normal and kind. Carol had given her one last hug on the airport’s tarmac. “I know I’ll be seeing you again,” she’d whispered in Waverly’s ear. And Waverly fervently hoped that Carol was right.
She glanced over at her mother as Sylvia hefted her second martini. She forced herself not to worry about it. Her father was aboard. He could deal with a drunken Sylvia for once. She speared a delicate piece of roasted eggplant and glanced across the table at Xavier. Her mother had insisted he join them for dinner. She had also insisted that their first dinner aboard be formal attire.
So it was out of the sexy summer shorts and back into a sexy suit for Xavier. Waverly had donned a backless black halter dress with plenty of sparkle and not a lot of skirt. She knew her mother would approve, and Xavier would squirm. It was the perfect choice.
He’d barely taken his gaze off of her all evening. They’d had no chance to speak privately though. She was dying to know what her father had cornered him about. For just a split-second, Xavier’s face had betrayed him, revealing the guilt he felt most likely over their “transgression”.
She’d tried to see it his way. Xavier was a Boy Scout. Rules didn’t just exist to be occasionally observed. They provided a code to live by. By slipping and sleeping with her—a client—he’d broken a rule and an important one.
But damn it, when something felt that life altering, she was having trouble seeing it as a negative. It had been something they both wanted, and, sure, it made being around her parents a little more awkward, but it wasn’t as if Xavier had taken advantage of her or had a serious breach of ethics… as both her parents continued to have.
But Xavier held himself to a higher standard. And if she were being honest, it was one of the things she found most attractive about him. She’d never known anyone like him, so committed to integrity, so determined to do the right thing.
“How’s your sea bass, Xavier?” Sylvia asked, preening as if she had steamed the fish herself.
“Delicious, Sylvia. Thank you again for the invitation.”
Waverly met his gaze across the linen topped table. Yesterday they had dined on bacon from a paper towel, drinking coffee out of mismatched mugs. Tonight they dined with china and crystal on a five-star “red carpet-friendly” meal prepared by a private chef, and she knew without a doubt they both were wishing they were crowded around that kitchen table in Idle Lake.
