Page 41 of Tempt Me

“Don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m alone. As you can see.” Shit. The cut on my knuckles stings as the skin stretches. I relax my fingers to ease the pain. When I was focused on Bella, I didn’t even notice the injury. Now, my skin is taut and swollen. Work is going to be impossible for a few days.

I roll my shoulders. No, I’ll work through the pain. It’s my fault. Not my clients’ fault. And it was worth every second of it. Even though Bella doesn’t have feelings for me, getting rid ofBrock once and for all was worth it. I’d risk anything to protect her.

“Yes, you are. And if you acted like this earlier, I see why you’re alone.” He shoves off the wall and marches to the refrigerator, slinging the door open. “Drink?”

“Yes,” I grunt as I rotate my neck, letting it pop to relieve some of the stress that’s built since Bella’s father walked into the kitchen.

I snatch the bottle from his hand, twist it open while blocking out the pain shooting through my hand and up my arm, and guzzle half the contents in one endless swallow. My night was ruined. I might as well get trashed and have a horrible day tomorrow, too.

“Strike out?”

“Kiss my ass.” I finish the beer and lower the glass container on the counter with a thud.

“Dude….” His eyes widen as he swipes the back of his hand over his mouth. “I’ve not seen you this pissed….” He frowns as if he’s thinking. “Ever.” His eyes sweep over me, taking in my disheveled appearance and the cuts on my hand. “Looks like you had a hell of a night.”

“Yeah.” I jerk open the refrigerator, grab another beer, and slump against the white counter. “It was a mess.”

He arches an eyebrow. “I saw you following Brock. I assume that’s who has the matching cuts to your knuckles?”

“He was following Bella, so I knocked the shit out of him, and that was the good part of the night.” I should’ve knocked him out.

I stare into the darkened living room and swallow over the lump in my throat. That’s not true. Being with Bella was perfect. It was the afterward that has me reeling.

Xavier studies me as he drinks his beer. “So….” He drops his arm to his side with the bottle dangling between his fingers. “Let me take a wild stab into the dark to explain your melancholy expression and your winning attitude. You saved Bella from the bad guy, beat him up, she thanked you with amazing sex, and you somehow screwed it up.”

“I didn’t screw anything up.” Fuck. My eyes flutter shut. I just screwed up. If I was going to deny I had sex with Bella, I shouldn’t have walked face-first into the trap.

“Bro….” He smacks me on the shoulder. “You had sex with Bella.”

My eyes snap open, and I fist his T-shirt, drawing him closer. “Keep your mouth shut.”

“Shit.” His eyes are wide as he stares at me in disbelief. “I was joking.” He clears his throat as I release him and steps back. If I punch him, I’ll have to explain to everyone in the house what happened, and I’m not doing that. It’s bad enough that Xavier knows.

I chug my second beer, stomp to the trashcan, and drop it inside. “It was a mistake.”

“Bullshit. I’ve seen your drawings of her. There was no mistake about it.”

“How?” Heat floods every inch of my skin. Son of a bitch. I always kept my room locked and my artwork of Bella hidden away so no one would see them or suspect anything.

“You’re in love with her, and you have been for years,” he says without waiting for my response. “It wasn’t a mistake.” He drops his empty beer bottle on top of mine with a loud thump. If we aren’t careful, the entire house will wake up, and I’ll have the joy of gettingmyface smashed into a bloody pulp.

I shake my head and exhale. “Those were her words, not mine.”

“Shit.” He cringes. “That’s harsh. But if you need pointers on how to please a–”

“Don’t.” My head pounds with each heartbeat like it’s going to explode and shoot out chunks of my brain in all directions. I step toward the dining room. I’m done drinking because spending all day throwing up is not going to help the situation.

She enjoyed it, didn’t she? The way her body responded. Her desire. Her whimpers. Her orgasms. Yeah, those weren’t fake.

“Then what happened? Because I know she feels the same way about you. It’s impossible for that not to be true.”

“Well, you’re mistaken.” My shoulders are tense as I drag my feet across the floor. It’s too much effort to move. “She thanked me for helping her out, and that’s it.”

“Bella thanked you by letting you fuck her? That’s bullshit. She doesn’t go around screwing everybody that holds the door open for her. If you care about her, then respect her enough for that. She’s not some easy lay.”

“Shut the fuck up.” I spin around, ready to beat the fuck out of him when he raises his hands in defense.

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