Page 27 of Chasing Xander
“Oh God.” She covered her scalding-hot face with her hands and shook her head. Although she wasn’t sure why she cared so much. So what if she wasn’t wearing a bra? Her boobs were firm and perky, and honestly, she was quite proud of them. “Seriously, what is with you and picking up my undergarments? Is this some sort of fetish I should know about?”
Xander smirked, then closed the door. “If you didn’t keep dropping them all over the place, I wouldn’t have to pick them up.” He flung his arm around her shoulders. “I’m starting to think you’re doing it on purpose.”
She playfully elbowed him.
He placed a kiss to her temple, his lips hot against her chilled, damp skin. “C’mon, let’s go get a drink.”
Of course he wanted to drink. She blew out a shaky breath. One drink wouldn’t hurt, she thought as she walked downstairs with him.
Chapter Nine
By the time they were downstairs, Xander had dropped his arm from her shoulders, but then he took her hand and wove through the party. His large, warm hand completely enveloped hers, and all she could think about was how his hands would feel elsewhere on her body. Would his touch be as self-assured and firm as it was right now?
I need to get a damn grip.
He stopped abruptly, and she almost slammed into his back. She shook her head, cursing herself for being so clumsy around him.
“Xander!” The guy behind the bar gave him a high-five. “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
“Had a few things to take care of.” He glanced at her over his shoulder, and her face once again flushed. “I’m here now, though. What’re you mixing?” Xander pulled out two barstools. He sat on one and motioned for her to sit on the other.
“Whatever you want.” The guy grinned.
Kylie glanced around, confused. Since when did any frat house have a fully stocked and operational bar complete with a bartender? Didn’t they normally have kegs and random bottles of liquor scattered around?
Xander looked at her. “What’re you drinking?”
“Um…” She had no idea. The only thing she’d ever had to drink was that wicked-cheap, horrible-tasting beer a few months ago. “I don’t know. What do you suggest?”
“I got just the thing for you.” The guy behind the bar grinned and then turned his back to them.
“That’s Eric,” Xander said. “He works part-time at the sports bar off campus as a waiter. Now that he’s of legal age, he was promoted to work the bar, so this whole setup”—he waved his arm around—“was his brainchild. He wanted to be able to practice whenever he could.”
“Great. So, we’re all his guinea pigs?” What if his drinks tasted awful?
Xander laughed. “Trust me, he’s good at what he does.”
That did very little to calm her nerves, but she nodded, not wanting to ruin her time with Xander. Before either of them could say anything else, her phone rang. Kylie’s eyes widened as she reached into her pocket. Her wet pocket. “My phone!” She yanked it out to see Celeste’s name on the waterlogged screen. How the hell had she forgotten about her phone? Panic gripped her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
“Shit. Your phone was in your pocket when they threw you in the pool?”
“Where else would it be?” she snapped. She didn’t know what she’d do if her phone quit working, because she couldn’t afford to go buy a new one. Tears burned her throat. What was she going to do now?
“Stay put.” He stood and disappeared into the crowd.
She frantically tried to respond to Celeste’s text, which simply read:Made it home. Have fun. Be safe.But every time Kylie touched the screen, the phone went wonky. She pressed the button for her messages but was taken to her call log instead. Then, out of the blue, the phone shut itself off.
“No, no, no!” She punched at the power button, holding it longer and harder than necessary.
Xander returned with a large plastic bowl filled with uncooked rice. He plucked her cell phone from her hands, removed the battery and SIM card, and then dropped it all into the rice. After taking a moment to make sure everything was fully covered, he smiled, proud of his handiwork.
She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Saving your phone. The water will be absorbed by the rice. In a day or two, your phone will be back to normal.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And if it isn’t, I’ll buy you a new one.”
