One Night Stand
Page 51
“Xander.” I groaned and pushed his hand away. “Not now.”
“Okay.” He laughed and played with my breasts instead. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I did? You?”
“Great.” He nodded. “I figured out the secret.”
“What secret?”
“The secret to making sure you’re not gone in the morning.”
“What’s the secret?”
“Have sex with you in your apartment.” He grinned and I laughed.
“You’re an idiot.” I ran my fingers down his chest lightly and played with his nipples.
“A sexy idiot.”
“I guess.” I leaned forward and kissed his chest lightly and he rubbed my back. “So what do we do now?” I asked softly and he froze. I looked up at him with a slight frown and studied his face. “Everything okay?”
“Yes of course.” He nodded.
“So what do we do now then?” I asked again.
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Liv.” He kissed the top of my forehead and leaned back.
“Whatever I want you to do?” My heart thudded, those weren’t the words I wanted to hear.
“Yes, if you don’t want me to go through with the engagement, I’ll end it.” He nodded.
“What do you want to do?” I cocked my head and studied his face. Didn’t he want to end the engagement? I could feel my body growing warm. I should have been happy that he was willing to do what I wanted, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to do what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to do what he wanted to do. I wanted him to be the one to decide to call off the engagement. I wanted him to be the one that made the decision because there was no other option in his mind.
“I don’t care.” He shrugged, his face indifferent. “Whatever will make you happy.”
“Why do you like me, Xander?” I asked him softly. “I mean asides from me leaving you in the hotel room. Why do you like me?”
“I was intrigued by you the moment I saw you at the church.” He stroked my hair. “And I thought you were beautiful and sexy as hell. And sassy too. And then you called me Mr. Tongue and I thought that any girl that has the confidence to hook up at a wedding and then give me a nickname had to be a girl I wanted to get to know better.”
“I see.” I said and sighed. I didn’t know what I was hoping he would say.
“And I’m still intrigued by you. I’m more intrigued by you now, than I was before.” He kissed me. “So tell me, Liv. What do you want me to do?”
“You said that you met up with Luke and Gabby and Henry that day?” I said and decided to ask him the questions that had been puzzling me. “How do you know Luke?”
“His grandfather and mine grew up together.” He said right away. “I’ve known him since we were young.”
“How come we never heard about you or met you when he dated Alice?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“How does Luke know Gabby?” I said softly. “And why do either of you care what happens to her and the baby.”
“It’s complicated,” Xander made a face. “I don’t think it’s important.”
“I just want to be able to understand.” I sighed.
“Look, I have to go and meet Henry now.” He sat up and pulled me up as well. He kissed me hard over and over again and then pulled back. “Henry and I need to meet up with Luke to discuss something this morning.”
“Oh okay.” I frowned and he kissed my cheek.
“Don’t be mad at me, okay.” He gazed into my eyes. “This whole thing will work out. You just tell me what you want.”
“I want you to do what you want to do.” I said softly. “I want you to make the decision.”
“Okay.” He nodded and got out of the bed. “I have to go now. Can I see you later tonight?”
“Yeah, call me.” I said trying not to have an attitude.
“I’ll see you later, Liv.” He jumped out of bed and I watched as he pulled his clothes on and left the room. I lay back with a sigh and closed my eyes. Maybe one day we’d be able to get it right.
***
“So you think Luke might be the father of the baby?” Alice’s jaw dropped as we sat in a booth at our local diner and ate mozzarella sticks.
“Yes, it’s the only thing that makes any sort of sense.” I nodded. “Every time I bring Luke’s name up, he acts funny.” I sat back. “Crazy right?”
“I can’t believe it.” She shook her head. “I knew he was a dog, but damn.”
“I know, but we know he’s shady because he cheated on you with Joanna.”
“I wonder if he hooked up with Gabby while he was dating me as well?” She shuddered. “He’s fucking gross.”
“Tell me about it.” I sipped on my coke. “She’s such a slut.”
“And now she’s marrying my man.” I made a face.
“Why is Xander marrying her again?” Alice made a face. “It’s not like it’s his baby.”
“I guess he and Luke are good friends. And well it helps him out as well.”
“They can’t be that good friends.” Alice said. “I never even heard his name before.”
“I know, I was thinking about that as well.” I said with a sigh. “So many things don’t make sense.”
“Okay.” He laughed and played with my breasts instead. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I did? You?”
“Great.” He nodded. “I figured out the secret.”
“What secret?”
“The secret to making sure you’re not gone in the morning.”
“What’s the secret?”
“Have sex with you in your apartment.” He grinned and I laughed.
“You’re an idiot.” I ran my fingers down his chest lightly and played with his nipples.
“A sexy idiot.”
“I guess.” I leaned forward and kissed his chest lightly and he rubbed my back. “So what do we do now?” I asked softly and he froze. I looked up at him with a slight frown and studied his face. “Everything okay?”
“Yes of course.” He nodded.
“So what do we do now then?” I asked again.
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Liv.” He kissed the top of my forehead and leaned back.
“Whatever I want you to do?” My heart thudded, those weren’t the words I wanted to hear.
“Yes, if you don’t want me to go through with the engagement, I’ll end it.” He nodded.
“What do you want to do?” I cocked my head and studied his face. Didn’t he want to end the engagement? I could feel my body growing warm. I should have been happy that he was willing to do what I wanted, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to do what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to do what he wanted to do. I wanted him to be the one to decide to call off the engagement. I wanted him to be the one that made the decision because there was no other option in his mind.
“I don’t care.” He shrugged, his face indifferent. “Whatever will make you happy.”
“Why do you like me, Xander?” I asked him softly. “I mean asides from me leaving you in the hotel room. Why do you like me?”
“I was intrigued by you the moment I saw you at the church.” He stroked my hair. “And I thought you were beautiful and sexy as hell. And sassy too. And then you called me Mr. Tongue and I thought that any girl that has the confidence to hook up at a wedding and then give me a nickname had to be a girl I wanted to get to know better.”
“I see.” I said and sighed. I didn’t know what I was hoping he would say.
“And I’m still intrigued by you. I’m more intrigued by you now, than I was before.” He kissed me. “So tell me, Liv. What do you want me to do?”
“You said that you met up with Luke and Gabby and Henry that day?” I said and decided to ask him the questions that had been puzzling me. “How do you know Luke?”
“His grandfather and mine grew up together.” He said right away. “I’ve known him since we were young.”
“How come we never heard about you or met you when he dated Alice?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“How does Luke know Gabby?” I said softly. “And why do either of you care what happens to her and the baby.”
“It’s complicated,” Xander made a face. “I don’t think it’s important.”
“I just want to be able to understand.” I sighed.
“Look, I have to go and meet Henry now.” He sat up and pulled me up as well. He kissed me hard over and over again and then pulled back. “Henry and I need to meet up with Luke to discuss something this morning.”
“Oh okay.” I frowned and he kissed my cheek.
“Don’t be mad at me, okay.” He gazed into my eyes. “This whole thing will work out. You just tell me what you want.”
“I want you to do what you want to do.” I said softly. “I want you to make the decision.”
“Okay.” He nodded and got out of the bed. “I have to go now. Can I see you later tonight?”
“Yeah, call me.” I said trying not to have an attitude.
“I’ll see you later, Liv.” He jumped out of bed and I watched as he pulled his clothes on and left the room. I lay back with a sigh and closed my eyes. Maybe one day we’d be able to get it right.
***
“So you think Luke might be the father of the baby?” Alice’s jaw dropped as we sat in a booth at our local diner and ate mozzarella sticks.
“Yes, it’s the only thing that makes any sort of sense.” I nodded. “Every time I bring Luke’s name up, he acts funny.” I sat back. “Crazy right?”
“I can’t believe it.” She shook her head. “I knew he was a dog, but damn.”
“I know, but we know he’s shady because he cheated on you with Joanna.”
“I wonder if he hooked up with Gabby while he was dating me as well?” She shuddered. “He’s fucking gross.”
“Tell me about it.” I sipped on my coke. “She’s such a slut.”
“And now she’s marrying my man.” I made a face.
“Why is Xander marrying her again?” Alice made a face. “It’s not like it’s his baby.”
“I guess he and Luke are good friends. And well it helps him out as well.”
“They can’t be that good friends.” Alice said. “I never even heard his name before.”
“I know, I was thinking about that as well.” I said with a sigh. “So many things don’t make sense.”
