“They’re on the table by the door.” I spin around and get back to work, uneasy about the fact I enjoy him baiting me entirely too much.
Breakfast goes off without a hitch, with both of us fully clothed. It turns out Xander is more than sex on a stick. He’s funny and thoughtful and capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation without the slightest hesitance.
“How old are you?” he asks.
It’s late in the afternoon, and we’re sitting on the porch in a pair of rockers, drinking hot cocoa. The sun is slinking toward the horizon, and he dragged me out here to enjoy the sky as it lights up in shades of purple and orange through the trees.
“I turned twenty-two in October,” I say, sipping the chocolatey goodness. “You?”
He eyes me as if he’s calculating whether or not he should respond. “Twenty-six,” he finally says, looking away. “I feel a lot older, though.”
That comment makes me curious, but I decide not to dig into it … yet, anyway. “What do you do for a living?”
An abrupt laugh echoes across the snowy expanse. “You don’t want to know.”
“Are you a trust fund brat?” I say, only half-joking. “Living off the family fortune and flirting your way through life one woman at a time?”
“Oh, Ivy,” he says, sighing as he looks out over the trees. “I have a feeling you’re not going to approve.”
“Try me.”
“I’m a porn star.” His eyes come back to mine, and they’re dark and stormy. “At least I was until last week.”
CHAPTER FIVE
He’s right.
I don’t approve, and it really bums me out. All my fantasies of something happening between us this week dissipate before my eyes. Of course he’s a porn star. It wouldn’t be fair to the world to not share a cock like that.
A giggle slips past my lips, and then another. Before long, I’m holding my stomach as I dissolve into a fit. I don’t know why I’m laughing. It’s not funny in the least, but this is my luck. Get screwed over and end up snowed in with a mega hot guy packing a huge cock, only to find out he’s fucked half of Hollywood.
My laughter turns to tears, and before I know it, I’m bawling my eyes out. Everything I’ve been avoiding hits me like a ton of bricks, and the reason I’m here plays like a reel over and over behind my lids. The break was inevitable, and apparently, finding out my new “maybe” was a porn star is simply too much.
“Shhh.” I’m pulled into a pair of strong arms and maneuvered around so that the body belonging to that sexy, soothing voice is in my seat, and I’m perched in his lap. “Let it out.” He brushes his hand over my hair and down my back. “Let it all go, Ivy. Send it out into the universe.” He rubs my back and stays quiet for a little longer. “I’m not cocky enough to think this is about me, but I’m pissed enough to want to kick some imaginary dude’s ass for making you cry.”
I sniffle, wiping my hand down my face. “I’d let you, too.”
“Progress,” he jokes, brushing my hair off my face and pinning me with a serious set of baby blues. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
“I barely know you,” I say, drawing in a shaky breath. “It’s not your place to apologize to me for your life choices.” I take stock of my position, perched in his lap, and realize it feels natural, almost like I’ve been here a thousand times before. “I’m sorry for the meltdown.”
“I’m not.” He gives me a cheeky smile. “Imagine if you were here alone.” He brushes my cheek, wiping away my remaining tears. “I came here to get away from my fucked-up life, and I feel like I’ve found a kindred spirit.” He tucks my head beneath his chin, and his voice rumbles against my ear. “I can’t believe our luck.”
I weigh his words and find them incredibly relevant. “Maybe this pair of misfits can be good for each other.”
“Never in a million years would I believe you to be a misfit,” he says, shaking his head adamantly. I can’t see it, but I feel his chin brushing against the top of my hair. “I see a woman who’s been hurt badly.” He pauses and hums. “If Annabelle sent you here, does that mean you came all the way from Seattle?”
“Yep.” I take a deep breath and lift my head, looking into his clear blue gaze. “I was dead tired after the nine-hour drive, but I still can’t believe I crawled into bed beside a man I’d never met.”
He smirks and leans forward as if to share a secret. “A naked man you’d never met.”
I laugh. Of course he was. “I’m not surprised in the least.”
He tilts his head. “I promise to wear something tonight.”
My forehead wrinkles as I work through his implication. When it hits me, I shake my head. “No way. I’m not jumping into that can of worms.”
He holds up his hands. “I promise to keep my worm to myself.”
Worm my ass.
It’s more like an anaconda.
“What if I don’t want you to?”
His posture softens and he pulls my head back against his chest. “You only have to ask, Ivy.”
CHAPTER SIX
His hands go to my waist, gripping tightly. “You’re going be the death of me, Ivy.”
I chuckle huskily, placing my palms on his shoulders as I press against him. “I want to be the life of you.”
“Oh, baby,” he sighs, moving his hands to my butt and pulling me tightly against him. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
I hum at the warmth from behind me, scooting back to bring our bodies flush. The memories bombard me, images from our happiest moments flashing by, and I’m unable to bury the melancholy that’s clawing its way to the surface.
Sweaty and breathless, Evan collapses with a hum of satisfaction. I’m too blissed out to care that he’s making it harder to draw each panting breath.
He lifts his head, smiling wide. “That was fucking hot, baby. Where did you learn that tongue thing?”
My cheeks heat, even in my overly warm state, and I pry open my eyes. “Rebecca has been really helpful. I’m glad I finally opened up to my friends.”
He gives me his usual boyish smile. “Me too, baby. Me too.”
Something long, thick, and hard settles against my ass, and wandering fingers anchor beneath my side as a strong arm encircles my waist.
I push open the door. Annabelle and I are talking without a care in the world. The first thing that hits me are the moans. Low and throaty, they override our conversation, bringing it to a halt. My eyes follow the sound and my jaw drops, but no words come.
My fiancé is drilling into Rebecca Hart from behind. His hands are anchored to her tits as she rocks back onto his cock. Numbness blankets me like a fog, and I feel as if it’s an illusion meant to drive me mad.
It isn’t until Annabelle grabs my arm and pulls me from the room when reality crashes over me in wave after wave. Hot tears flow like rivers from my eyes, and my chest constricts.
Life as I know it is over.
My eyes pop open, and it’s pitch black in the room. The weight of Xander surrounding me is the only thing tethering me to reality. His arm is making me feel secure, and his grip is tight. The feel of him pressed close is a familiar yet strikingly new sensation at the same time.