Page 61 of Chasing Xander
“You are not seriously pulling over, are you?”
“Nope. Just wanted to see how you’d react.” She laughed, then sped up.
“You’re something else.”
“That I am. Seriously. Get some sleep. You look exhausted.”
He yawned and reclined his seat again.
Chapter Nineteen
The sound of Kylie singing along to the radio pulled him from his deep sleep. He kept his eyes closed and didn’t move so he could listen to her. She sang softly, probably so she wouldn’t wake him, and lightly drummed her hands on the steering wheel as she bopped her head to the music. Her voice was sultry, whispering over him like a warm breeze on chilled flesh. She appeared to be oblivious to him, lost in her own world, happy and carefree. Her features were highlighted by the dashboard lights, giving her an ethereal look. Damn, she was a vision. Regardless of what happened to him or his trust fund or his position in RAT, it would all be worth it for this moment right now.
Xander rubbed his sore neck. It was still dark outside, and the clock on the dash read 4:39 a.m. He’d slept a little over five hours. He sat up and rolled his shoulders to ease some of the stiffness from them. “Are you seriously listening to country music?”
“What’s wrong with country music?”
He shook his head.
“It’s Jake Owen’s ‘Alone With You.’” She reached over and turned up the volume. “This is a really good song.” She sang along a little louder this time.
He listened to the lyrics for a moment, mildly shocked by the content, but also able to relate. He could feel the guy’s pain, wanting a woman but knowing he didn’t have the strength to be alone with her. The song ended and another came on. “Oh, I love this song!” She turned up the volume a little more.
He yawned and rubbed his hand across his stomach. “We’ve got to be close, right?” He turned down the volume so he could hear her response.
“Yeah, about another hour and a half or so, if we stop again. If not, we’ll get there sooner. Do you want me to stop?”
He shrugged. “If you want.” He didn’t need to, but he wouldn’t mind taking over behind the wheel. Not that she was a bad driver or anything, but he hated riding. He needed to be doing something.
“Okay, I’ll pull over at the next rest stop. Feel better now that you slept?”
“A little. Although every muscle in my body is sore.”
“I was thinking. You don’t have to get a hotel. The house has three bedrooms. You can stay in one. I mean, there’s no need to spend money on a hotel when there’s plenty of room at the house. If you want to, that is.”
“I’m not worried about the money.” Did she forget he was loaded? Or did she really not care? A hotel meant separate rooms and distance. Staying at her house meant too much proximity. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. But if he said no, he’d upset her. She’d said more than once that she wanted to pay him back for this trip. Maybe this was her way of doing that. Or maybe she didn’t want to be alone.
“I didn’t figure you were, but as someone who’s going into business and finance, it seems like you’d be the first person to be money conscious.” She glanced at him and grinned.
“I’ll stay with you at your place,” he said.
Her face brightened. “Thank you.”
“So, the plan is to go to the funeral today and leave early tomorrow morning?” That would put them back on campus sometime late Thursday night. He still hadn’t made up his mind if he should, or would, ask her to go to his parents’ house with him. The idea of dropping her at campus and then taking off for the weekend twisted his insides. Granted, she wouldn’t be alone—she’d have Celeste—but it seemed like a dick thing to do.
“Yeah. There are a few things at the house I want to bring back with me, but I’ll gather those today.”
“Okay.” He stretched again and then settled back in the seat.
…
Almost two hours later, Xander pulled up in front of a faded yellow, two-story house. There was a one-car garage attached. The door was wide open and a beat-up Chevy pickup truck was parked inside. She’d mentioned that the house was hers and was currently empty. But by the looks of it, someone was living there.
“Is this the right place?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “Wait here a minute.” Kylie was out of the car and halfway to the front porch before he got the keys out of the ignition.
He climbed out of the car but didn’t go toward the house. Instead, he rested his arms on the roof and watched as she barged inside. He’d never seen her move like that. She was downright pissed. He waited almost five minutes before following her. When he reached the front door, he heard the shouts. His steps faltered for a moment, and he listened.
