Page 24 of Loup Garou
Gina’s eyes widened. “Lindsay!”
“What? It’s true.”
“Exavier,” Jay said, tilting his head a bit. “You want to go grab a beer or something? They can talk about us all the way through their next class. If one isn’t dancing on a pole, the other is beating the shit out of someone under the guise of self-defense classes. I need that kind of life.”
I beamed. “Aww, thank you. Even if he says no, thank you, Jay.”
He growled. “Don’t give me that ‘what a good job’ look, because I fall for it every time and then you have me running around being a better person. I hate that. So, Exavier, what do you say?”
Exavier took so long to answer that I thought for sure he’d say no. “Yeah, I could go for a beer. My truck is at the center. I’ll walk Lindsay back and meet up with you there. Gina could catch a ride with you then.”
A knowing look passed between Gina and Exavier. She nodded. “That is a great idea. Come on, stud, I want a ride.”
Chapter Five
“So,wanna tell me about your relationship with Jay?”
Putting my hands in my front pockets, I walked along next to him and shrugged. “There’s nothing really to tell. He’s a close friend.”
“That’s all?” he asked, tipping his head just enough that the sun caught the highlights in his hair, making them look almost purple.
Puzzled, I stared at him. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you come to me for help with something I don’t even do anymore? Or was I mistaken? Did you come to ask me non-stop questions about my personal life?”
“I’m sorry. I was under the impression that we were bonding.”
I snickered and rolled my eyes. “That would mean that you’ve shared things about yourself too. You’ve shared nothing. Who are you currently fucking?”
He came to a grinding halt. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, I could have sworn you were trying to find out if I was sleeping with Jay, so I thought turnabout was fair play.”
His brows drew together as he cleared his throat. “I’ve been in and out of situations with women that can’t possibly qualify as a relationship. Currently, I’m not seeing anyone—yet,” he added, locking gazes with me. “I’m pushing thirty-one, have been into music since I was kid. My closest friends are my band mates. Growing up, I had the biggest crush on this girl who had such a lust for life it was infectious. That’s about it for me.” He pointed at me. “Your turn.”
“I’m not sleeping with Jay. Technically I am if you count him staying over, but he only does that on rare occasions and he’s normally in the guest room. But as far as actual intercourse goes, we’ve not been using one another for sex for quite some time now.” His eyes widened. I was on a roll so I went with it. “I have had a relationship that certainly counts as one. Any other males who have entered my life have been ‘just browsing’ without the option to buy. There, now we’ve bonded.” I winked.
For a second he looked so serious, so deep in thought that I found myself instinctively going to him. I put my hand out to him. “Xavs, how much do you really want to bond?”
“You have no idea.”
“Want to see my grown-up version of dolls, or kind of see them, anyways?”
He laced his hand in mine and heat flared between us. “Yes, Linds. I’d like that very much.”
Exavier shifted awkwardlyin the rocking chair and swallowed hard. “Linds,” he whispered. “I’ve never held one before.”
Smiling, I placed the newborn baby on his chest. The yellow gown they’d given him should have made him look ridiculous, but it didn’t. His large hand came up and engulfed the premature baby’s entire body. Exavier stiffened. I nodded. “You’re doing great.”
“It’s so tiny.”
“She is one month old today and she’s doing really well now.” I slid around to his side and bent down. Our faces almost touched. It didn’t feel out of place to be that close to him. It should have. “Do you want me to take her?”
“No,” he said, his voice low. “I mean, I don’t mind holding her longer.” He glanced at the machinery next to him. The baby was hooked to various cords, all of which had concerned Exavier when we’d first arrived.
“Then I’m going to go get her brother.”
“Brother?” Exavier cast me a worried glance.
Running the back of my hand over his cheek, I held his gaze. The connection I felt to the man before me was so intense, I found myself blinking back tears of sheer joy. Seeing him holding a child felt so right, so natural to me that before I even realized it, I was leaning into him, kissing his cheek and brushing his hair back from the side of his face. “She was a triplet.”
