Page 34 of Chasing Xander
“You’re arrogant.” She was mesmerized by his hands, his fingers, his featherlight touch. Suppressing a shudder, she glanced up at him. His dark hair was ruffled, and she had the urge to run her fingers through it like she had at the party right before she’d licked his neck.
“I’m self-assured.” He smirked and moved his fingers down her wrist, lingering on her rapid pulse.
“You’re cocky.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss to her palm. “More like hopeful.”
For the first time all night, she didn’t have a witty comeback. Thankfully, she didn’t need to think of one because the waitress returned with their drinks. She pulled her hands from his, rubbing her palms on her legs in a weak attempt to stop the tingling. She took a deep breath.
“Are you ready to order?” Mandy had her pad and pen out.
Kylie hadn’t even opened the menu. She grabbed it and skimmed the choices while Xander ordered.
“I’ll have the breakfast platter. Scrambled eggs, white toast, and can I substitute the sausage for an extra side of bacon?”
Mandy nodded, then turned to Kylie. “What’ll you have?”
“Um, I think I’ll have the same.” She closed the menu and handed it to Mandy, who smiled and walked away. “So, tell me, who is Xander?” She grinned.
“I’m just an upperclassman having breakfast with a freshman.”
“Funny.” She took a sip of her coffee, making a face at how strong it was. She added a couple packets of sugar and two creams, making a mental note to ask for a glass of water when the waitress returned. “Now tell me something about you that I don’t know.”
“All right.” He extended his arm along the back of the booth. “I have two older brothers. Tanner and Ryder. Tanner graduated last semester and is now in medical school with his girlfriend, Juliana. Ryder’s in law school and will be taking the bar exam in a few months.”
“Wow. Impressive. And what about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I’m majoring in business and finance. I always thought it would be fun to work with my dad on Wall Street, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
She tilted her head. “Why not?”
He shrugged. “Because I went into this to make a crap ton of money.”
“That explains the flashy car.”
“I’m a trust-fund baby and proud of it.” He laughed and shook his head. “I’m just not sure I want to be that guy in the business suit, doing the nine-to-five every day for the rest of my life. I mean, money is nice, but it’s not everything.”
She wouldn’t know. She’d never had more than a hundred dollars in her bank account at any given time. His money was one more thing that separated them. Clearly he was from a wealthy, upper-class family. He, his brothers, his father—they all sounded smart and ambitious and were probably just as gorgeous as Xander. She, on the other hand, was from a broken, dysfunctional family. Her father’s only accomplishment was out-drinking the former town drunk—a title her dad was proud to claim.
When Xander found out about her humble upbringing, he’d probably take off and never look back. She sighed and averted her gaze. Well, if nothing else, she had tonight with him, and she was going to enjoy it. “You mentioned your dad works on Wall Street. I assume that means you’re from New York?”
“Born and raised in East Hampton.”
Her eyebrows shot up. Christ. He was literally the epitome of a rich, spoiled, privileged kid. No wonder he was so damn confident that they’d end up having sex. He was probably used to always getting his way.
“My mother refused to raise kids in the city, so every day my dad would drive two and a half hours each way to get to work. Now he works from home more, which makes Mom happy.”
She smiled warmly. He even had the perfect family. “Why did you pick a college so far away?”
“Freedom. It’s nice being away from my parents. Plus, I really like that it doesn’t snow in Florida.”
She nodded in agreement. “That’s one of the reasons I left Ohio. The weather sucks.”
Mandy arrived with their food, and they were silent for a while as they ate. As the minutes ticked by, Kylie’s mood dropped. There were no lingering doubts in her mind—as soon as Xander learned the truth about her and her past, he’d walk away. Or worse, he’d think she was only interested in him for his money. She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth and frowned.
“What’s wrong? Is the food bad?” he asked.
“No,” she said quickly. “I was thinking… If your buddy Finn is still in my room, I’m not going to have any place to sleep tonight.”
