Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

I ’m going to go mad. I’ve been holed up in Xavier’s penthouse all week. He’s been working from home, out of his home office. Not that I imagine he’s getting a lot done with the number of times he comes to check on me.

Today he had a court hearing he couldn’t reschedule. Which I’m thankful for. Because, frankly, I could use the peace. It’s odd being here without him though. I should just go back to my apartment. I feel so out of place. I’m sitting in bed, flicking through Netflix, trying to find something to watch. I’m bored. I need to go back to work.

I hear the ping of the elevator doors opening. And frown. I could have sworn Xavier said he’d be a few hours. He’s only been out for thirty minutes. The housekeepers have been and gone this morning, which cleared up the mystery of how his place always magically cleaned itself every day.

Getting up out of bed, I pad down the hallway and am greeted by the smile of my best friend. “Lucy? What are you doing here?” I ask, wrapping my arms around her.

“I came to hang out. Figured it was about time we caught up on some girl talk. My brother’s been hogging you all bloody week.” She pouts.

“I’m sorry,” I apologise. I’ve been slacking in the friend department. Lucy and I usually catch up at least twice during the week and then again on weekends. I’ve been so lost in everything that is Xavier lately that I haven’t been putting in the effort I should.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s fine,” she says, walking in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” I follow after her.

“First, I’m raiding Xavier’s hidden snack drawer, then I’m raiding his champagne and we’re making mimosas,” she says.

“Wait… he has a hidden snack drawer?” I ask. Why haven’t I discovered this yet?

“Yep, come on, I’ll show you. He thinks no one knows about it. But the real reason my brother works out so much is because he eats so much shit food.” Lucy walks into the butler’s pantry and pulls open a bottom drawer. Sure enough, it’s choc-a-block full of different chocolate bars, packets of chips, and lollies.

“Holy shit, that’s a lot of chocolate,” I exclaim, digging in and grabbing a Mars bar.

“Yep.” Lucy looks around the pantry. Pulling a basket down from a shelf, she fills it with snacks. “Okay, mimosas!”

“I’ll grab the glasses,” I say, because I do know where those are kept. Placing two champagne flutes on the counter, I pull the orange juice out of the fridge just as Lucy walks back in with a bottle of champagne. I don’t know what kind it is. I’ve never seen the label on the bottle before. But I’m not one to ever turn down a mimosa.

Lucy pops the cork and fills the flutes, while I add orange juice to top them off. “Bring the juice and snacks. I’ll bring the drinks and bottle,” she sings.

“Where do you want to sit?” I ask her.

“Where were you before I came in?”

“In bed, trying to find something on Netflix.” I laugh.

“Okay, that’s where we’re going,” she says, leading the way into Xavier’s bedroom.

She pauses at the bed. “Please, for the love of God, tell me the sheets are clean.” She eyes the mattress suspiciously.

“I promise they’re clean. No hanky-panky has happened on this bed all week.” I pout.

“Thank God.” Lucy places the two glasses down on the bedside table, then removes the bottle of champagne from the crook of her elbow and places it next to them.

I drop the basket of snacks on the bed. Before I deposit the orange juice on the counter, I walk into the bathroom and grab a hand towel. I don’t want to ruin Xavier’s furniture by placing the bottle directly on the wood. “I’ll get a towel to put under the champagne bottle too,” I tell Lucy.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” she dismisses my concern.

Ignoring her, I grab another hand towel and place it under the bottle. “I don’t want to ruin Xavier’s furniture,” I tell her.

“He can just buy more.” She shrugs.

“You sound like a spoilt brat. Remind me why we’re friends again?” I laugh.

“Because you loooove me,” she hums.

“I do,” I admit.

“Okay, what are we going to watch?” I pick up the remote and snuggle under the covers.

“ 365 Days ,” Lucy says. “I need me some hot mafia men.”

“When don’t you.” I laugh. My best friend is obsessed with the idea of being kidnapped by a mafia boss and falling in love. She reads way too many smutty romance books.

I find the movie and turn it on.

Two hours later, we’re just starting the second movie in the series. Lucy took another bottle of champagne from wherever it is she’s finding them. We’ve laughed so much, and I realized I really did need this.

“Admit it… Xavier called you and told you to come babysit me, didn’t he?” I ask her.

“He called and said you were home alone, and I took my chance to get you to myself.” She waggles her eyebrows. “You know, I’m the far better-looking Christianson anyway. We should just become lesbians.” She giggles into her glass.

“Lucy, sister or not, I will kill you if you try to steal my girl.” Xavier’s voice from the doorway has both of us screaming and jumping six feet in the air.

Where the hell did he come from? Ninja School?

“She was my girl first.” Lucy pokes her tongue out at him.

Ignoring her, Xavier walks right up to me. He grabs my face in the palms of his hands right before he slams his mouth down on mine. His tongue pushes through the seam of my lips. Not that I put up any fight. I open for him, greedily taking his tongue. He kisses me like this is his first and last kiss. This is a demonstration to Lucy that I’m his and only his. I know what he’s doing, but I do nothing to stop it. Because once Xavier has his hands on me, all I want is more.

I can never get enough.

Xavier pulls away, leaving my body falling forward in its attempt to stay connected to him. He smirks down at me, knowing exactly what I want. “How are you feeling?”

“Good—really, really good,” I answer.

“Would that have anything to do with the three empty bottles of champagne?” he asks.

“Three? No, we only drank two? Right?”

I turn to Lucy, who shrugs and turns to look at the bottles. Pointing to each, she counts, “One, two, three.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll replace them,” I tell Xavier.

“No, you won’t,” he says. “But she will.” He aims a finger at Lucy.

“Nope. Call it a thank you gift.” She laughs.

“What am I thanking you for?”

“Ah, for finding the best girl in the world, duh. If it wasn’t for me being so awesome, you wouldn’t know Shar,” she’s quick to remind him.

“Well, fuck, drink the whole cellar out then, because that I am thankful for.” Xavier winks down at me. “I’m going to have a shower and then call in dinner. What do you feel like having?”

“Ummmm, pizza,” Lucy answers.

Xavier dismisses her and looks to me. “Shardonnay, what do you feel like having?” he repeats. My eyes trail down his body. All I feel like eating is him.

“Ah, yeah, I just remembered I have a date. I’ll catch you two kids later.” Lucy stands, stumbling towards the door.

“What date? With who?” Xavier suddenly turns his full attention on his sister.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Dom. And I’m late. Love to stay and chitchat, bro, but I gotta run,” she says.

“Hold up, Lucy Lu. Are you sure this Dominic is someone you want to be around? He doesn’t seem right in the head,” Xavier asks her.

Lucy smiles. “Oh, he most definitely isn’t right in the head, but I like him anyway.”

“I’ll walk you down. Make sure Tim is there to pick you up,” Xavier says, following his sister out of the bedroom.

I don’t hear what they’re talking about as they move farther down the hall. Pushing to my feet, I head into the bathroom. I know Xavier wanted a shower, but I’m hoping I can convince him into taking a bath with me. I turn the taps on and make quick work of peeing and flushing the toilet before I strip off my clothes and wrap a towel around myself. I’m tipsy, but not wasted. I guess Lucy drank more of those bottles than I did.

When Xavier enters the bathroom a few moments later, I’m sitting on the edge of the tub. “Want to take a bath with me?” I ask.

“Always.” He smirks, undoing the top button of his shirt. He strips out of his clothes slowly, then removes his watch, placing it on the bathroom counter.

“How many watches do you have? You always seem to be wearing a different one.” I ask him.

“A few. I don’t know how many,” he responds with a shrug.

“If you don’t know, then you have too many.” I laugh.

“Probably.”

The bath is half full. Xavier lowers himself down and I climb in after him, leaning my back against his chest. I’ve never felt more cherished than when I’m wrapped in his arms.

“I want this feeling to last forever,” I say.

“What feeling?” he asks.

“Cherished, loved.” My eyes widen when I realise the word I just used.

“It will last forever, because I will always cherish you, Shardonnay, and I do love you,” he says.

I turn my head around to look into his eyes. “I love you too.” My lips claim his. Turning my whole body round, I straddle him.

“I love you more.” He smiles into my kiss.

“It’s not a competition, Xavier.” I grin against his mouth. His hands travel down my back, then cup my ass, pulling me into him. His hard cock slides between the lips of my pussy. “Mmm, as much as I want to keep this going, we need to stop. At least for two more days,” I tell him.

“Why? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He pulls back to look at me.

“I’m fine, but I still have my period,” I tell him, my cheeks heating up.

“Is that all?” he asks.

“Um, yes.” What else was he expecting?

“Babe, a little bit of blood is not going to stop me from fucking you. If you’re sure you’re feeling all right, then this is happening.”

I nod my head. I don’t even get the words out before he lifts my hips up and slides me down onto his shaft. “Oh god, I’ve missed you,” I tell him.

“I was only gone for a few hours.” He kisses up the side of my neck.

“I was talking to your cock.” I laugh.

“Well, he fucking missed you a lot more, trust me. This week has been fucking hard. Pun intended,” he says, lifting my ass and slamming me back down on him again.

“Fuck,” I yell.

“You need to come, babe. Give it to me. Give me everything.” He bites down on my shoulder and slams up into me. The combination of pain and pleasure has me soaring, way quicker than I wanted to be. Xavier continues to pump in and out of me, fucking me into another blinding orgasm.

“Oh god. Yes!” I can hear my screams echoing off the tile walls.

“Fuck yes, you feel so fucking good. This is mine, all fucking mine,” he says as his body stills. I feel warm squirts inside me before his shoulders relax. My lips capture his until he pulls away. “Stand up,” he says, lifting my body out of the water.

Before I can ask him why, or what he’s doing, he shoves a finger inside my pussy. My mouth opens in shock as I look down. I can feel his finger slide across one wall of my vagina, writing the letter X; he then twists his finger around and repeats the motion on the other side.

“You’re twisted, you know that, right?” I smirk down at him.

“It makes me extremely happy to know you’re marked as mine.” He withdraws his finger and stands. Xavier reaches down and removes the plug from the drain. “Come on, let’s shower.” He picks me up, lifting me out of the bath, and carries me into the shower. “I think you should get rid of your apartment, and move your stuff in here,” he says suddenly.

“Ah, what?” I ask.

“I want you to move in with me.”

“Um, I don’t know what to say.” What am I meant to say?

It’s too fast. It’s way too soon , that’s what I should be saying.

“Say yes.” His eyes are pleading with mine, begging me to agree.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I spend just about every night here. But my apartment, it’s the last place I lived with my mum. I’m not ready to give up those memories,” I tell him honestly.

“I understand that. How about I just clear some closet space for you, and you can start leaving some of your things here?”

“I can do that, but do you really think you can live with less closet space?” I ask. Xavier has more clothes than a men’s department store.

“I will live without anything as long as I have you.”