Page 10 of Midnight Legacy

“And you?”

A smile made his lips twitch. “I have my fingers in a few pies.”

I knew he knew his way around a boardroom and his property and business empire kept growing from beyond the shadow of his father’s influence. He was more than anyone ever saw and there were times that I wasn’t sure if that excited or terrified me.

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Chapter Four

Cassandra

“He’s being a dick,” Megan announced while she hunted through dresses. “That man is head-over-heels besotted with you. He probably has an ice pack down his pants.”

The assistant stared at us, turned, and marched out of the room.

“Meg,” I implored her before anyone else knew all the gory details of my love life.

“What?” She stopped and stared at me. “You need to up your game and start parading around in barely-there underwear and floaty silk kimonos that just about cover your ass. Then you need to keep bending over until you get his attention. Right now, he’s winning and that is unacceptable.”

“It is?” I queried, a red dress hanging from my hand. Xavier always chose red for me. Maybe I should rebel and pick a different colour?

Megan plucked the red dress from my grip and replaced it with a black dress that was lace except in the areas required to cover my modesty.

“I’m pregnant!” I protested.

“You’re barely showing, but your breasts have definitely gotten bigger. You need to show him who’s in charge of your relationship.” Megan stood with her hands on her hips as she ran a critical eye over me.

“And what about your relationship?”

The emotional shutters came down over her eyes. “I’m just staying with Jay until this is over. He’s made it clear that we’re only friends with benefits.”

“Do you not deserve more than that?”

She slumped into a chair beside the changing cubicle. “I used to think that, but I can’t resist him. If this is all I can have, then I’ll take it until it’s over.”

“And then?” I queried, crouching in front of her and grasping her hands.

“Then I’ll lie in bed all day and eat ice-cream.” The wobbly smile she gave me nearly broke my heart.

I opened my mouth to protest, but she wearily shook her head. All I could do was be here for my oldest friend when she needed me, and maybe get my husband to knock some sense into his friend.

We spent nearly three hours shopping and gossiping. I’d missed girl time and it rejuvenated me more than anything else. When Xavier arrived to pick us up, he stared at the bags for a good ten seconds before his gaze moved to our security patrol that had been lurking around, trying to ignore our girlie talk.

“Your car is bigger than mine. All that shit isn’t fitting in my boot. It probably won’t fit in my wardrobe, either,” he grumbled, but the look he gave me said he didn’t care. “Have a good day, baby?”

“I might have spent a bit too much.” I grinned and held my hand up with my finger and thumb close together.

“That’s what I gave you the card for,” he replied and tugged me against him. “It’s good to see you smiling again.”

“I bought shoes.”

His grin told me he approved. “I’ll admire them later on you.”

Megan slipped into the backseat of the car and I took my normal place beside Xavier in the front. “How did your meetings go?” I asked.

His eyes darted to the side to watch me for a moment. “All good, no need for you to worry.”

When he said something like that, it tended to mean the opposite. The set of his shoulders and the way his hair was sticking up at the top meant he’d been stressed. My hand covered his on the gear stick, squeezing it in reassurance. His thumb looped over the edge of my hand to caress me.

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