Page 51 of Xactly What She Needs

He did, she predicted that right, but he was also distraught.

“Christ, Dani. This was supposed to be relaxing, not an exhibition.” He hisses like a feral cat, making me smirk.

Xander quickly found arobeand threw it over my shoulders, covering me up so that I didn’t have to endure the horrors of being on display in front of his brother.

“Okay. Now that’s over with, let’s go relax. They expect you to be naked under the towels anyway, so they won’t say anything about Dani’s outfit choice. Though I’m beginning to understand why that stylist was giving you so much shit, Dani.”

Xander and Dani bicker between themselves, and I pull therobetighter around myself. I trust Jax not to stare, but I don’t want to display myself like a flayed pig.

“Is your sister always like this?” he asks.

“Yes. And Xander?”

“Yeah. He loves bickering with people. And Dani seems to have already established herself as a little sister.”

“Anannoyinglittle sister,” I amend. “It’s a role that comes naturally to her.”

We enter the massage rooms and are instructed to lay down on our fronts. They pull a curtain between all of the beds, so I’m afforded a little privacy. I lay down on the bed and use the towel they’d indicated towards to cover my bare ass. Even with the protection, I still feel so naked.

“God, I feel exposed,” Dani complains.

“Oh, so now it’s a problem to have more flesh than you’re comfortable with on show?” I challenge.

“Um, yes? It’s fully hilarious when it’s you, but I don’t appreciate it much.”

“At least she’s honest,” Jax chimes in.

Well, I could never accuse Dani of being anything but forthright with her thoughts.

****

By the time we’ve finished up at the spa, I’m boneless with relaxation. I can’t believe how easy it was for me to melt into the table.

Knowing thatJackwas spotted in the area has set me on edge. The man is eight hours from his home, and there’s no reason for him to be near here unless it was to find me. And once again, I don’t feel as safe as I’d like to, and once again, that’s all on him.

FuckJackand the mess he’s brought into my life. I hate him. I hate everything about him. But Xander, Jax, Dani and I have just spent a wonderful day together to get away from all of those worries, and I’m not about to ruin all of that time and money by reminding myself of what we were escaping.

“Alright, see you guysatwork tomorrow,” Jax waves.

He swings his legs over the bike and then helps Dani to clamber on behind him. They speed away in a cloud of dust, and suddenly, I’m tasting Xander again.

“What’s this for?”

“Just wanted to kiss you. Is that illegal?”

I press into him harder just to let him know howokayI am with him. Having him close hasn’t failed to make me feel safe yet, and right now,I'mhanging onto a sense of safety with every ounce of strength I have.

Back on the road again, I let the rush of air steal away any doubts I might still be holding onto.Jackcan’t touch me. I won’t let him.

15

Welcoming in the Monday morning is painful after the most perfect weekend. Bri and I spent Saturday doing everything we could think of under the covers, and Sunday we went to the spa.Which wasn’t as bad as I imagined it to be when Dani suggested it. I mean, weird as hell being fuckin’ naked and getting a massgae from some stranger, but still a pretty decent time.

I could tell that she was still suffering through some lingering worries about her ex, but she was doing well to get rid of it. I could see how hard she was working at calming herself down.

At the shop today, we have a car coming in for an interior job. Not our usual work, but the customer’s fatheris a long-timer, and they said they’d pay extra. So, Jax and I are stepping out of ourcomfortzones for a bit. The extra is a hell of a lot of money. We’ve been ordering in from shops across the country all month in preparation for this job. The client has been patient, I’ll give her that. But customer loyalty is a great thing.

“I can’t wait to see what you do with the thing,” the girl croons.

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