Page 39 of Falling for Her Protector

“What?” his question is barely a whisper as he straightens and steps forward again.

“There’s no place for me here anymore. I need to leave and start fresh somewhere new,” I tell him, my lip quivering with each word. His large palm lifts to cover my cheek and my eyes lock with his.

“Will you come inside with me so we can talk? It’s too cold out here and I have a few things I need to say,” he requests.

“I don’t think we should,” I try.

“Please,” he pleads and I give easily. I am freezing, so going inside will give me a chance to thaw out while I request a ride and wait for my Uber.

I watch as he unlocks the door before holding it open so I can step inside. I breathe in the strong scent of pine as X. quickly goes to work, building a small fire. I stand off to the side, rubbing my hands together as I wait. He steps away and the heat from the glowing flames kisses my skin softly.

“Come sit down and warm up,” X. suggests.

I move forward and find a familiar spot on the couch. Xavier sits beside me and his hands reach out to cover mine, holding me in their warmth.

“Shit, you really are cold. How long were you out there?” his concerned question echoes in my ears, but I can't bring myself to answer. My eyes continue to stare down at his hands, gently holding mine. “I actually stopped here twice earlier, thinking you might be here. I was headed to make one more stop when I saw the motion light through the trees. I figured it was a raccoon or something, but I couldn’t go by without checking again,” he shares.

“I haven’t been here long. It just got cold fast once the sun went down,” I explain.

“So, where’d you run off to?” he questions.

“I don’t really want to talk about it. Can you just say whatever it is you want to say? Then I can leave and you won’t have to be bothered anymore,” my words come out more rudely than I intend.

“Is that really what you want, sweetheart?” he replies sweeter than he should.

“Isn’t that what you want?” I push back.

“Not even fucking close,” he breathes out roughly. “I know how I acted and I know what I said, but I honestly didn’t mean any of it. You have to know, somewhere inside that busy brain of yours, that all our time together has meant something to me,” he reveals.

“But you were with her...with Jess. And on my birthday. How could you?” my voice cuts out before I can finish.

“I’m sure it looked really shitty,” he starts.

“Yeah, it did,” I cut him off. “The way she was smiling and bouncing out of your room, it sure seemed like she was pretty proud of herself,” I tell him, as the vivid image of her in my brain causes the bile to rise in my throat.

“Will you let me explain?” he asks and I offer a nod.

“Fuck. How do I even start?” he mutters to himself before lifting his eyes back to mine. “I was in town, picking up one of your birthday presents and I just bumped into her. She mentioned that she left something in my room, months ago, and she wanted it back. I know I should have handled it differently; I just didn’t think. But honestly, that’s all it was,” he explains. I have no response. I drop my eyes to my lap and take a breath, letting his words sink in.

“Obviously, you saw her leaving and took that to mean that something had happened between us. And getting trashed with Lacey must’ve seemed like the best solution,” he adds and I look up to find a small smirk pulling at his lips.

“Do you think this is funny?” I snap back, feeling the sting of my building tears.

“No...no... I was just remembering your feisty little attitude, and how fucking turned on I would’ve been if we hadn’t been in a room full of our friends,” he tries but I’m not buying it.

“If I recall correctly, that’s exactly why you told me to leave. I don’t think you liked my attitude at all. You didn’t want to be questioned inYOURhouse,” I remind him.

“You’re right. I acted like a complete dick. I can’t change what I did, but I’m hoping that maybe you’ll forgive me and let me make it up to you. If not, well, then I guess I don’t have much of a choice, other than to let you go,” his eyes drop as he pushes something small and cold into my palm.

It’s a key.

I’m able to determine it easily from the feel and the shape. I flip my hand over and peel back my fingers to reveal the small object.

“What’s this?” my head tips in question.

“The key to your new car. It’s back at the clubhouse. It was supposed to be a birthday present,” he tells me and the pooled tears begin to spill, rolling down my cheeks.

“You bought me a car?” my lip trembles.

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