My eyes finally connect with Xavier. He’s laughing as he talks to a pregnant woman, who’s laughing with him and holding her belly. The blonde man that we saw earlier chasing the little boy walks up next to them, the crashed out boy in his arms. He leans down and kisses the pregnant lady’s cheek.
“Oh poo. I guess he isn’t a single dad.” Evie pouts beside me.
A snort leaves me as I side eye her, “I actually think those are Xavier’s best friends. Monty and Josie. They’ve been together forever.”
“How unfortunate for me.” She grumbles, “Well, let's go say hello shall we?”
She hooks her arm in mine again and begins to lead me to the group. As we approach, I see the moment Xavier notices us coming toward him.
He stands up a bit straighter, and a small smile forms on his mouth. He looks at Evie and nods in her direction before returning his gaze to me.
Josie looks at me and a smile spreads over her face. She gives me a little wave, and then her eyes look over to Evie. I see the way she takes Evie in.There’s slight interest in her eyes, and then her arm comes around her husband's bicep, squeezing it. Monty was looking down at his son but moves his eyes over to us. His eyes roam over Evie’s body, and when he locks eyes with me, a slight flush creeps on his cheeks as he realizes I was watching.
“Hey,” I lean forward and offer my hand. “I’m Harper, you must be Josie and Monty. This is my best friend, Evie.” We take turns shaking everyone’s hands. I walk over to Xavier and stand by his side, looking up to him. He offers me a small smile.
I lean up on my tip toes, and bring my hand to the back of his neck, pulling him down to me. I plant my lips against his for a light kiss. When we pull apart, I thank him for bringing Evie and Winnie up for the holidays.
His eyes soften. “It’s the least I could do.”
“You guys are fucking adorable.”
I turn my head and glare at my best friend. She just smiles back at me with a shit eating grin. “So,” she continues, “what does this party entail?”
“Nothing too crazy. It’s a bit of socializing, and there will be finger food coming around in the next bit.”
Monty and Xavier begin reminiscing of previous Christmas Eve parties they went to when they were teenagers and what they used to get up to. Xavier’s arm has been around my waist the entire time we’ve been talking, rubbing slow circles on my back. After a while, Monty goes off with his parents to get Shiloh, their son, off to bed. Evie and Josie are chatting about anything and everything. They seem to hit it off, and even though Josie is married, it doesn’t stop Evie from harmlessly flirting.
I lean over to Xavier to whisper in his ear. “Do you think Monty is going to be pissed when he comes back to see Evie flirting with his pregnant wife.”
A smirk forms on his lips. “Nah, believe it or not, they’re quite the adventurous couple. They’ve had people join their relationship before. They haven’t brought anyone in since Shiloh, though.”
My mouth opens and closes a couple of times. That wasn’t the answer I was expecting from him. He chuckles low at my reaction. “Yeah, I know it isn’t something you’d think of looking at them.” He brings me in closer to his side. “I’m sorry I’ve been an ass lately.”
I look up at him and I see the sincerity in his eyes. “It’s okay.” I bring my hand up to his face, letting my thumb run along his cheek. I watch his blue eyes dance with emotion as they bounce back and forth between mine. A smile spreads on my face before I bring his lips to mine in a kiss.
He eagerly accepts the kiss, his hand on my hip tightens in his grip. When his tongue grazes the seam of my lips, I eagerly open for him. Our tongues tangle together, and when we break apart, our breathing is heavy. The tension between us is drawn so tight, but I won’t be the one to take the next step. He’s clearly struggling with something, and I don’t want to push him too far.
“You look tired. Let’s head upstairs.” The statement is anything but true, but the underlying message is saying so much more. I don’t think I can speak at this moment, so I just nod.
He breaks eye contact. and looks at our friends. “It’s getting late, and we’re going to call it a night.”
His hand moving to my back as he leads me away from the group before anyone responds. We quickly exit the party, forgoing goodbyes. Xavier tugs me up the stairs, anticipation thrumming between us with every step. We don’t make it to the door before my body is whipped around, his tattooed hand wrapping around my neck as I’m pinned to the wall and pinned to the wall. A gasp leaves my lips, as I note the hesitancy in his eyes.
“We don’t have to–” I don’t get to finish my sentence as his lips are crashing into mine. My hands shoot up, grabbing at the front of his shirt and pulling him closer. My tongue pokes out and grazes his lips. A growl comes from him as he opens up. The hand on my neck tightens briefly before he tears his mouth away.
His forehead rests against mine as his eyes close. We both are panting, and my hands begin to roam up and down his chest. “I haven’t been ableto stop thinking about you.” Xavier’s voice is gravelly. “I know– IknowI have been distancing myself the last couple days. I just– I got scared.” His thumb runs aimlessly over my jaw. “When I realized my feelings for you were more than our agreement, it hit me with such force, I forgot how to breathe. I didn’t think I could feel like this, Ihaven’tfelt like this in a long time.” Leaning down, his lips ghost over mine before he places a gentle kiss on my lips.
“I thought breathing was a natural instinct.” My brows furrow at his words, and he chuckles. “Something my body does without thinking. When you came into my life, I realized that I haven’t taken arealbreath before. Everything else was just the bare minimum for survival.”
My mouth parts at his words, the wheels turning to understand what exactly it is that he just said.
“Are you saying,” I lick my lips, trying to form the words in my head. “You like me?” I internally groan at the juvenile response.Of course, that’s what he means you dumbass.My hands leave his chest as I cover my face in embarrassment. “Ohmygod. Ignore that.”
His hands cover mine as he removes them from my face. He’s got that sexy smirk going on, there’s this lightness to his eyes.
“Yes, babydoll, that’s exactly what I mean.” With that declaration, he leans down and hooks his arms under my knees, lifting me. A squeak leaves my lips as I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his. Stumbling our way back to our room, we make our way toward the bed. Before he can drop me, something cold and wet grazes my leg. I yelp, tearing lips from Xavier as I look down and am greeted with the beady eyes of my American bulldog.
“Oh Winnie. I forgot I left you in here to nap,” I climb out of Xavier’s grasp and scratch behind my dog's ears as his tail thumps against the bedding. Xavier hasn’t stopped touching me, his hands roaming over my sides. He leans down and begins kissing my neck. Moving southward, he gently grazes his teeth along the column of my neck. My whole body shivers. I am pushed up against the bed as he gets to the bottom of my dress, slipping it over my curves.
