Page 37 of Crossing the Line
He gave her a shove and she landed on her hip in the sand. “You’re such a smart ass. First off, that wasnotjust a kiss. And I’m less concerned with my desire to kiss you again than my desire to throttle you.”
She snorted and wiggled her ass into the sand to sit cross-legged. Behind her, the toddler wandered over to the bulldog and sat on him.
“Don’t you get tired of always being on alert?” she asked him, licking sauce from her thumb.
“You get used to it,” he said, finally glancing in the direction of the ocean. “For the most part.”
“Is there anywhere you can just relax?” Waverly wondered.
He crumpled up an empty taco wrapper and shoved it in the plastic bag. He shrugged. “My parents’ house, I guess.”
“Do they still live where you grew up?”
He nodded.
“My parents’ house isn’t very relaxing.”
“No it isn’t,” he said, thinking back to his conversation with the Sinners. “You looked pretty happy on the bike, though.”
“That was freedom,” she explained with a wry half smile. “I’m not sure what happy looks like.” The surf rolled in on a rumble. It threw a tangy mist heavenward. Seagulls swooped and cackled near the trashcan on the way to the parking lot. The sky was fading to washed out water colors, and Waverly turned her face toward the glow of the sinking sun.
His golden girl, he thought.No, not his,he corrected himself.The world’s.
He was building a business. For the first time, he called the shots in his life, not some commander behind a fancy desk with a luncheon or a golf game to get to. He had things to do, a reputation to build, money to make. He wasn’t ready to add someone into that mix. Especially if that someone was Waverly Sinner.
Xavier’s phone burst into Katy Perry’sCalifornia Gurls.
“Fuck.” He frantically dug through his pants pockets.
“That’s an interesting ring tone you’ve got there, Xavier,” Waverly said, opening the nachos.
“It’s my sister,” he said, fumbling with the phone. “She thought it would be hilarious.” And now he was going to have to kill her.
“She was right,” Waverly snickered.
When his thumb hovered over Ignore, she slapped at his hand. “It might be important,” she warned him.
He swore under his breath and answered the call.
“Chelsea.”
The irritation he’d let seep into his tone had no effect on his sister. “Oh, my God,” Chelsea hissed in his ear. “Xavier, Mom is driving me insane. She won’t listen to me.” Her voice echoed on the line.
“Why do you sound like you’re in a canyon? And why are you whispering?”
“I’m in the bathroom at Mom and Dad’s.”
He felt his eye twitch again. “Why are you calling me from their bathroom?” he sighed.
“Mom’s got one of those pop-ups on her laptop telling her she has a virus and to call this number for tech support.”
“Christ. Just tell her it’s a scam.”
Xavier yanked the phone away from his ear so his sister’s indignant screech didn’t puncture his eardrum. “I take it you already tried that.”
“She won’t listen to me. She wants to hear it from the prodigal.”
“Mom doesn’t need to hear it from me. Try reminding her of your college education in computer crap that they paid for.”
