Page 67 of Crossing the Line
Meanwhile, the TV played the video footage from Simon’s live coverage of the carpet on a loop. There was the glittery before of smiling faces and beautiful gowns and then there was the after of terror and tears. It took an hour before one of the entertainment news anchors had finally speculated that perhaps the explosions were somehow linked to Waverly Sinner’s stalker and the story took off from there. Twenty minutes later the police released photos of Ganim labeled only as “a person of interest.”
The news program ran the steady stream of pictures and video clips that came pouring in from those who witnessed the chaotic scene. On the third replay of Xavier tackling Waverly to the ground, Xavier took the remote back.
“Enough,” he said when she began to protest.
They shared a moment thick with tension, and she saw it then, the heated gaze, the tightness in his jaw. Xavier was angry. At what she could only guess. Ganim. Her. Himself. The fact that there was a maniac on the loose, and he was holed up in his apartment babysitting her. Waverly wanted to reach out, to touch him. Thank him. But the moment had passed, and his phone was signaling another incoming call.
He took it into the kitchen, and Waverly flopped back against the couch cushion. He’d certainly been there for her tonight. Not only had he saved her life, but he’d also dragged her out of a panic attack. It shamed her to know that he’d seen her at her worst. At her most vulnerable. Xavier hadn’t used it against her, hadn’t even mentioned it. He hadn’t judged her.Yet.
Everything had changed tonight. The premiere that was supposed to set her career for the next five years hadn’t even happened. The stalker who terrified her had gotten closer than she ever expected. And Xavier. Well, Xavier had happened. She’d given up all her need for control and let him rule her body.
Just thinking about it made her breasts feel heavier, her core hotter. They had succumbed to the growing attraction, and it was going to complicate things whether it was the first or last time.
Xavier had been in touch with his team, with Micah, with the cops, but he still hadn’t left her side. She wondered how much of that was duty and how much of it was his heart. The way he held her in the car, the soothing words he’d whispered to her when he cradled her in his own bed. That wasn’t an obligation of the job. Xavier Saint had feelings for her.
But having feelings for someone doesn’t mean you don’t eventually screw them over, she reminded herself. She had far too much personal experience to dismiss that as a possibility.
“So was it really Ganim?” Kate asked, dragging Waverly back to the present.
She nodded, suppressing a shudder at the image of Ganim smiling at her just feet away. That odd, gleeful wave as if to say, “Look how close I can get to you.”
“Yeah, it was him. He just stood there, smiling. But he didn’t try to come any closer.” Waverly frowned. There’d been something odd about the way he came so close and then just stopped. He could have grabbed her in the chaos and tried to drag her off. Wasn’t that his end goal? But instead he’d just stood and stared.Why?
“Did you get any messages from him on Waverly’s social media?” Xavier asked, coming back to the living room and his abandoned plate of food.
“To be honest I didn’t think to look. Let me log in,” she said digging through the food containers in search of her phone.
“Why don’t you use my desktop in the guest room?” Xavier suggested. “It’s secure, and you can stow your things in there too since you’ll be staying the night.”
It wasn’t an offer. It was an order. “Thanks for the invite, X Factor,” Kate smirked, and then winked at Waverly. She picked up her purple duffle and bounced off down the hallway.
Alone with Waverly, Xavier muttered something about coffee and abandoned her on the couch. Avoidance, she recognized. Well, she was the only one allowed to play that game. He didn’t get that luxury. She corralled Xavier in the kitchen, a galley layout outfitted with dark cabinets, sleek appliances, and quartz countertops. He stared out the window while his coffee maker burbled to life.
“Are you mad that you’re stuck here with me when you want to be out hunting for Ganim?” she asked.
He turned to face her, leaning against the curved edge of the counter, arms crossed. He looked sexier than anyone had a right to in sweatpants and a t-shirt.
“Waverly, there is nothing that could tear me away from you right now.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, and she could see the tension vibrating off of him. “There is no one else I would trust here with you. It needs to be me.”
She took a deep breath and plunged. “Am I just a job?” The words tumbled out of her mouth. She didn’t want an answer, not really. Because she already knew, just as she knew it wouldn’t change anything.
“You were never just a job.” Those brown eyes warmed as they stared into her.
“But?”
“But I have a job to do.”
“And?”
He gave her a sexy half smile. “Angel, nothing has changed.”
“That’s funny,” Waverly said with a sad smile. “I feel like everything changed tonight.”
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After a confirmation that there were no messages from Ganim and then an emergency feel-good viewing ofDirty Dancing, Xavier sent both women off to bed, insisting that Waverly take the master. He’d sleep on the couch. It wasn’t just chivalry. He wanted to put himself between her and anyone foolish enough to try to get through the door. And, a dark part of him admitted that he wanted her sprawled across his bed, cuddled under his covers and dreaming about him.
Xavier lay on his back, staring up at the dull white ceiling. He fought the pull in his body that wanted him to slide under the covers of his bed and pull Waverly against him. Hold her, stroke her, brand her.
