Page 25 of Xactly What She Needs

“Fine, but can we at least get some good coffee that’s covered in a ton of whipped cream?” The moment the words leave my mouth, I’m immediately brought back to when I asked my ex for Starbucks and promptly got slapped across the face for wanting to waste so much money on‘a stupid drink’.

“You okay, Darlin’?” Xander asks from his spot by the door. His eyes are watching me cautiously. I’m not sure what he saw on my face, but he doesn’t seem to like it, if the tightness around his eyes and mouth are anything to go by.

I nod my head and immediately regret that decision. I grab my head and groan. “Yeah, I’m fine, nothing that some coffee and painkillers won’t fix.” I gingerly get out of the bed and make my way over to the bathroom. His eyes are still sharp, but he doesn’t question me.

“Alright, you go on in while I get my shoes on. We can stop for a latte on the way to your house,”hesays easily, making my heart squeeze in happiness that he doesn’t seem to mind getting an overpriced coffee.

Sometimes, it’s truly the little things inlife thatcan make you really see someone.

7

“I swear to Christ, I’m never doin’ any work for this picky fucker ever again,” I angrily mutter to myself as I change the color on my design yet a-fuckin-again. If this asshole wasn’t paying out the ass to get this car restored, I would’ve dropped his ass as a client three changes ago. But seventy grand is seventy grand. I’m willing to be a grunt for money like that. My bank account appreciates my patience.

“You hit that screen any harder and it’s goin’ to crack,” Jax drawls as he walks into my office and takes a seat.

“Maybe if it cracks, I won’t have to change the fucking color again,” I growl in annoyance.

He leans back in the chair, well, as best as someone mammoth sized can, and gives me an evil grin. “Good ole Mr. Clayton makin’ some changes again?”hechuckles like the asshole he is.

I grit my teeth and bare them at him for good measure. “Yep.” I put my tablet down on my desk, because he’s right, this thing is my pride and joy, and I don’t want to run the risk of breaking it. I ignore his victorious look and sigh. “Is it closin’ time yet?”

“Ya, know,” he drawls lazily, “it’s normally the employees who ask that, not the boss.”

“It’s Friday man, no one wants to work on a Friday.” I chew on my lip debating whether or not to mention this next part to him. Not like he’ll tell anyone, but he’s still my brother and likes to give me shit if he can. “Plus, I may have a date with Bri this weekend.”

His eyes narrow before giving me a slow blink. “What do you mean‘may have a date’? You either do or don’t.”

I scratch the side of my cheek. “Remember how I took her home Sunday mornin’?” I ask and receive a nod. “So, I got her some frou-frou coffee fromThe Sweet Grind, which is actually pretty good by the way, (I ignore the look he throwsat me) and then took her out to lunch since it was so late by that point.”

“Are you goin’ anywhere with this or just tryin’ to tell me your schedule?”the douche asks.

My eyes go squinty. “If you would shut up like you do for everyone else and wait, I was getting’ there.”

“Molasses moves faster.” This mother….

“Anyway, when I dropped her off at her place, I told her that we would be goin’ out to dinner this weekend.”

His lips purse before he runs his tongue over his teeth. “You told her that you two weregoing’ to go out to dinner?”

I tug on my ear and nod. “Yeah, I didn’t want to give her a chance to say no by askin’.”

“Right.” He nods his head slowly. “I’m all for stackin’ the deck and shit, but, ah, this doesn’t seem like one of those times.”

I give him an annoyed look. “Like I said,” I growl, “I didn’t want to give her a chance to say no.” What’s not to understand about that?

“Nah, I got that part.” He tilts his head and looks at me like a puzzle piece. “Did it occur to you that after whatever she’s been through, that maybe, just maybe, takin’ away her choice is a bad idea?”

I throw my hands up in the air. “You were the one who told me to shit or get off the pot!”

“Yeah, but not by being a psychopath.” He eyes me warily. “Is that why she’s been actin’ so squirrely this week?”

I think about it for a second before I shake my head and chuckle. “Nah, that has to do with all the guys setting their phones up to playParty in the USAevery time she walks by.” I laugh even more remembering how red she gets every time they do it.

Jax gives a low chuckle. “That was some shit to watch. I’m still surprised none of them died with all that spinning and jumping around they were doin’.”

“I know.” I nod my head in agreement. “How none of them broke their necks dancing, (I use that term very loosely) up on those tables is a stroke of pure luck.”

I hear a noise at the door and smile when I look up. “Well, if it isn’t the dancin’ queen herself.”

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