Off Her Rockers (Loving All Wrong #3.5) (6 page)

“Does you getting ready mean you’ll do it?”

“I’m gonna quit modeling not because
you
want me to,” I lied, “But because I’m moving Jacob here and I’m going to need to be a full-time parent for him because I don’t want a bunch of strangers—”

Xavier ate the rest of the lie when he bodily whipped me around and plunged his tongue in my mouth. Tongues dancing the victory tango, he drove me through the rack with my dresses until he slammed me against the wall, crowding me in, firing up my entire body with his own self-conducted heat.

Nipping my bottom lip, he smiled against them and mumbled, “You’re doing this for
me
, Chino. For once, just tell the damn truth.”

Too soon. He was beginning to read me too well
too freaking soon
.

His big hand moved between us, and strong, determined fingers dipped into my shorts, delving rudely and unapologetically into my slick folds.

Moaning into his mouth, I sagged against the wall, causing a few dresses to slide off their hangers. They represented how helplessly I was sliding off my high horse and into this man. And I had absolutely no problem sliding.

So, for once, I told the truth. “For you. I’m doing it for you.”

Suffice it to say, Lion was not pleased. Before we left for his office, I phoned him behind Xavier’s back and told him what
I
wanted to happen, not what Xavier wanted. During the meeting, he would tell Xavier that if I wanted out of the contract, no big deal, he would let me out. This would prevent Xavier from spending his money frivolously on me. Afterward, I would buy myself out of the contract.

Lion had bitched about this decision for a bit, but eventually agreed that this was a good time to take a break what with all the negative buzz surrounding me now with the baby daddy and broken engagement drama.

Therefore, our meeting with Lion was short and hostile free, which left Xavier looking mildly puzzled, sliding me suspicious glances from time to time.

I pretended not to notice. Last thing I wanted was for him to start asking questions, because I found the more time I spent with Xavier, the harder it was for me to lie to him.

“So, what now?” I asked after climbing into the Xavier’s Hummer, buckling my seatbelt.

He was still wearing a deep frown from our short, pointless meeting with my manager. “Got strict orders to take you to Beach Rock.

Without even having to ask, I knew those orders were from Xena. I groaned. “Do we have to?”

“Yep. Sis is our PR. Needs all the deets to do her job properly. Doesn’t do too well with surprises.”

As he rolled out of the parking lot, I huffed out, “How come everyone’s mad at me and you’re off the hook when
you’re
the one who started this mess?”

Eyes on the road, one corner of his mouth tipped up, and then his tongue darted out and wet his lips as he raised one hand to free the man-bun on top of his head. All that wavy blond hair cascaded past his shoulders, the scent of fresh coconuts wafting on the cool air from the air-conditioner.

Breathing in deep the lush scent of his hair, I bit down on my bottom lip.

His hand went up again to ruffle his waves, and his other hand on the steering wheel flexed at the same. Deliberately.

As my hungry stare remained glued to his deliciousness, enraptured, I realized all his movements were careful and precise. He was doing it to prove a point, and I had fallen right into the trap.

“Cocky bastard,” I grumbled under my breath, fighting my eyes away from him.

Xavier burst out laughing. “You asked a question. Got my own way of answering. Don’t always gotta use words.”

“I don’t think Xena is affected by your, um, physical attributes.”

“Her only living sibling. She never stays mad at me for more than five minutes.” He shrugged. “Can do no wrong in her eyes.”

“Then talk to her for me. Get her off my back.”

Head shake. “Think she’s just mad she didn’t figure it all out from the beginning. Sis never misses a beat. She
always
knows what’s underground. This just caught her off guard. She’s probably madder at herself than at you, wondering if she’s losing her touch.”

I nodded. He was very right. Xena knew everything, so for her to have been so close to me and never figured it out, never see this coming…yep, if I were her I’d be mad, too.

“She needs a friend, Chino. A
real
friend. Not someone who’s tryna use her. Not everyone can handle her…colorful personality. You’re one of the first chicks I’ve seen her hold in high esteem. You can handle her. Be her friend, alright?”

“I
am
her friend,” I told him. “We might’ve had a rocky start, but I hold her in high esteem, too. Our relationship is just weird, raw and hostile, is all. But I do consider your sister as a real friend.”

He nodded. “Good.

Xavier dropped me off at Beach Rock and ordered me to tell Tex he had two minutes to be out or he was leaving him behind, as the band was scheduled to make an appearance at some car race charity event.

Grabbing his face, I gave him a long, air-depleting kiss, before hopping happily out of the jeep and bounding up the steps to Beach Rock.

“Tex!” I yelled once I entered the house and skipped up the stairs, heading to his bedroom. “Xavi says you have two minutes before he leaves your skinny ass.” I no longer cared that he hated me; I was in a happy place, and not even his moody, broody, eyeliner-wearing self could ruin it.

I was halfway down the hall when Tex burst out of his room and breezed past me, almost knocking me over, muttering something including the word “cockblocker” under his breath while tugging a black T-shirt over his head.

Yep, still hated me.

As he bolted down the stairs, I skipped past his room, heading towards the spiral stairs that led up to Xena’s space, when I heard a whispered “Hey!”

Halting, I turned slightly and narrowed my eyes down the hall. A hand poked out through Tex’s door and beckoned me.

Doing a one-eighty, I cautiously ambled to Tex’s room and peered inside. It was rock star messy, dark like its owner and stunk of cigarettes and stale sex. Despite the hand I
thought
I saw, no one was in the room. Was I going crazy? Were there ghosts at Beach R—

With a sorority sister squeal, I nearly jumped out of my skin when Xena popped her head from behind the door that was swung back against the wall. “Are they gone?”

“I—uh…” Backtracking into the hall, I whipped my head from left to right, tiptoed into the room again like an idiot, and then stared, taken aback. “I guess… Xavi was in a rush. Xena, what…”

She stepped out from behind the door, wearing one of Tex’s T-shirts, her clothes from the night before clutched to her chest, her long blond hair like a rat’s nest, gray eyes swollen. She looked terrified and blissful at the same time. A rather alarming combination that left me concerned.

For the longest while, we just stared at each other. Xena broke first. Walking over to Tex’s bed, she dumped her clothes and began pacing the length of the room.

“After you left last night, everyone was just really…tense. Xavi chased after you like two minutes after you ran out, then Ice Steam and Benny left, then Leo went to Guest Rest, and Mark went to see this woman he’s secretly been dating, and then it was just me…and him. So I was freaking out about the shitstorm and how everyone had been lying to me and he was trying calm me down and I wouldn’t calm and then…he kissed me.”

To refrain from commenting, I clasped my hands and pressed them to my lips.

“And so I kissed him back,” she continued firing at bullet speed. “And he didn’t stop kissing me and I didn’t stop kissing him and before I knew it we were naked and…
oh god
.”

Completely befuddled by her reaction, I removed my clasped hands and asked, “So, why exactly are you freaking out about this? Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?”

“I don’t freaking know why I’m freaking out!” she freaked out. “Shouldn’t I be freaking out? I mean, what if it’s just a one-time thing for him—well, we did go all night—but what if the spell wears off by the time he gets back and he decides I’m not worth the risk?”

Walking up to her, I placed my hands on her shoulders to keep her still. “Xena,
relax
.”

Nodding, she closed her eyes, breathed in deep, and then slowly exhaled.

“That’s better,” I soothed. “Now, stop giving Tex all the power. You give him all the power in this, you’re gonna get used, you’re gonna get dumped. What you
are
going to do is get out of this stunk-as-all-hell room, grab a shower, and glamor up. When he returns later, don’t bombard him with any ‘what happens now’ questions.

“Just pretend like
nothing happened
. Act casual, as if nothing’s changed. Then sleep out tonight. Somewhere. Anywhere but here. If he calls you, don’t answer. That will leave him wondering. Mad, even. Let him feel like
he
was used. And if he asks where you were and why you haven’t been answering your phone the next time you see him, tell him, with your signature sass, that it’s none of his business. He
will
be pissed at this response, and this will be your opportunity to initiate sex with him and shut him up.

“This will leave him confused. And from here on out,
you
will have the power. Never let him into your thoughts; never reveal how you
really
feel during pillow talk. Play it out until he breaks, until
he
is on his knees in front of you begging you to let him in. You’ve pined long enough. Time to have some fun with him.”

Xena blinked at me, once, twice, then shrieked, “I can’t do all of
that
! I’m not like you, Alina.
I’ll
break the second I fall into his bed again.”

I slapped her lightly on the cheek, waking her up. “Hey, do you want to be used or kept?”

“The answer to that is obvious.”

“Well, then, toughen up and stop whining like the white trash that pass in and out of this room.” I walked over to the bed and picked up her clothes. “And the next time you ‘fall into his bed’, tell him if he wants you in it again he needs to change his goddamn mattress. Only God knows how many skanks’ STD infected secretions are in that thing.” I started out the door, expecting her to follow. “Now come on, I’m tired of holding my breath in here. Dude needs a broom and like twenty bottles of Febreze.”

While Xena showered, I stretched out on her bed and Skyped Saskia to gaagaa chat with Jacob. Though,
I
was mostly doing all the talking, as Jacob was demolishing a giant Tetris robot that JK bought him, completely ignoring me.

I was still trying to get my son’s attention when Xena emerged from the bathroom. Her gaze landed on me and her eyebrows drew together, but she said nothing and disappeared into her closet.

“…and oh, I forgot to tell you,” Saskia was saying, “he started calling JK ‘daddy’ as of yesterday morning. Not the usual daaadaaa, but flat out
Daddy
.”

Groaning, I slapped a palm over my face. “Oh, God. Why’d he have to start doing that
now
when he’s about to leave?”