26. Xander

Imove across the room lightning fast until I’m standing in front of Katerina.

My mother has been here for over an hour. At first I was content to let her drone on and on about how tiring her trip was. I even provided her with some refreshments. I was perfectly polite, until she mentioned staying in my home. Which is where I had to draw the line. I lost my cool when she started acting like she had a right to demand to stay here. Nate barely even knows her. He’s aware he has another grandmother, has seen pictures of her and might remember meeting her once or twice, but in his mind, the only grandmother he’s ever known is Isabella. And I intend on keeping it that way.

I feel Katerina’s arm on my shirt, her touch searing.

“Xander, it’s okay,” she tells me before moving to stand at my side. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Steele.”

My mother rolls her eyes. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, child. I definitely don’t think it is nice to meet you. In fact all I can think right now as I look at you is how much I dislike you for ruining my son’s life.”

Katerina flinches at that and my jaw clenches.

“That’s enough. Get out.”

Her gaze lands on me, brown eyes roaming my face, taking in the situation.

“You’re protecting her?” my mother asks on a laugh. “Are you really this dense, Alexander? You’re going to just forget all she did to you? I thought you were smart enough not to throw your life away all for a pretty face.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

She doesn’t reply instead turning to face Katerina again.

“I understand people in your line of work tend to be cruel, but if you feel even a modicum of anything for your son and my son, you’ll get out of their lives for good.”

Katerina opens her mouth to speak, but I cut in.

“She’ll do no such thing. You’re the one that needs to get out of our lives for good, mother.”

After a couple more tense seconds of her glaring at us both, she walks out of the penthouse, entering the elevator. I let out a breath of relief once she’s gone. When I look to my side, Katerina’s wearing a disapproving frown.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Xander,” she states.

“Actually, princess. My mother is my battle and mine only.”

“And what did you mean when you said you would lose the company to Graham or Mikayla? What happened?”

She wasn’t supposed to hear that.

“Oh. Well my father and I had a bit of a falling out. I walked out on him after telling him I had no interest in the company ever again.”

Katerina gasps. “You did what?”

“No need to get your panties in a twist, princess,” I say lightly.

“Are you kidding me? That company’s your entire life. It’s all you’ve ever known. I know without a doubt that you worked hard to get to your position and now that you’re so close you’re going to let it go? Because of me?” she asks, her voice cracking slightly.

“Hey, hey, no,” I say, placing my hand on her chin. I incline her head up so she’s looking right into my eyes. “It’s not because of you. It’s because of me. I think I need to do this, princess. Maybe it’s time for me to find something else to do, venture out on my own.”

“So you’re just going to let Graham take over?” she asks still frowning. “Don’t think I don’t know he was responsible for leaking our picture to the press in the first place. I’m just letting him go because he’s your brother.”

I chuckle. “Graham has always wanted to be CEO. He’s always had more of a passion for it than I did. That being said, he won’t be able to get the position if he doesn’t grow up. Recent problems aside, I know without a doubt that he can rise to the occasion. He may be an asshole, but he would actually do well in the position.”

“That’s… incredibly mature of you,” Katerina murmurs.

“Whoever takes over my father’s company is his problem from now,” I tell her. “All I want to do is take care of my family. Of Nate, you,” I add gently.

Her eyes grow soft and glassy. She looks away from me, clearing her throat.

“Okay, issues with your company aside, what did you mother want? Why is she back?”

“She’s here to find me a wife.”

Katerina’s eyes widen. “She’s what?”

“Here to find me a wife, Katerina,” I repeat. “She seems to have gotten it into her head that if I get married to a respectable woman that my father finds acceptable, then all my problems will disappear.”

“She might be right.”

“She’s wrong,” I counter firmly. “I’m not getting married, Katerina. I already have so much shit going on and my mother’s meddling is an unwelcome addition to all that.”

“Well, she certainly seems like an interesting woman,” Katerina mutters.

“Jessica Steele is an incredibly selfish woman who only cares about two things. Money and herself. She abandoned her son for years without a care in the world.”

Katerina’s face falls at that and I realize too late how that sounds.

“Princess...”

“I guess I’m a little similar to your mother,” she says sadly, a far off expression in her face.

“No,” I retort vehemently. “There’s one glaring difference. You know what you did was wrong. You were in pain every year that you were away from Nate. I know that with certainty. My mother on the other has yet to realize her mistakes and still believes she did nothing wrong by abandoning me. You’re not like her, princess. I promise.”

She still looks a little uncertain but manages a small nod. When I pull her into my arms, she sighs before wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Where’s Nate?” she mumbles against my chest.

“I asked Mikayla to go pick him up and distract him for a couple of hours,” I inform her. “I didn’t want him seeing my mother.”

“Okay.”

She falls quiet but doesn’t let go of me. I don’t mind, holding her in my arms feels like a blessing I have no plans of being ungrateful for. Eventually, I have to break the silence.

“What’s going on, Katerina?”

“I just back from seeing Sophia,” she says softly. “It went well. Or at least as well as it could have gone. She hasn’t forgiven me completely but at least I know my sister doesn’t hate me.”

“That’s good. But why do you still seem so sad?” I ask.

“I guess I’m just thinking about how none of this would have ever happened if I hadn’t made so many mistakes.” She finally looks up at me. “I wanted to tell Sophia the truth. But by the time I worked up the nerve to, a month had passed, then two, before I knew it, years had flown by and I had no idea how to bring it up. I’m a horrible person.”

“No, you’re not,” I insist. “You’re human. You’re allowed to fuck up every once in a while.”

She sucks in a deep breath, eyes fixed on my face. “I’m starting to believe you’re a saint, Xan. How can you even bear to look at me after everything I’ve done?”

“Are you kidding? You’re so beautiful, I never want to look away,” I say, my voice light and teasing.

“Xander,” she says, slapping my chest gently.

I chuckle gently. “But seriously, I’m not a saint. I was angry too. But I got over it because I care about you, more than anything. And I could see you were willing to make things work.”

“I am,” she promises.

“Now can we end the hug session here and head up to the bedroom? Make the most of our time before Nate comes home?” I ask suggestively.

Her eyes simmer with heat. “We could but first I need to talk about something else.”

A groan escapes my lips, causing her to frown.

“Rico told me he had you hack into some confidential records.”

“Oh yeah. How’d that go? Did it help?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point. You don’t have to do illegal things for me.”

“Please, what use are my skills if I can’t use them for illegal things?”

“Xander,” she warns.

“Princess, I’m a great hacker. And also currently in a relationship with you,” I say carefully, her expression doesn’t change at the inclination so I forge on. “If I can provide you with any help, I will.”

“You don’t care that you would be helping the bad guys in the process?”

“There are no bad guys or good guys. Life isn’t black or white. And even if it was, the shades don’t matter. I’m on your side.”

Her face softens. She runs her hand across her face. “You know you tend to say the sweetest things that almost make me cry, don’t you?”

“I do and I honestly revel in it,” I grin. “Its fun watching the big bad Don get all soft.”

“Only for you,” she mutters and my heart swells at that. Then her expression turns serious. “So what’s your plan? If you’re not going back to your father’s company, then what do you want to do? Because being my family’s hacker is not a viable career choice.”

“Obviously not,” I tell her, moving towards the couch. I sit down in front of the open laptop on the table and gesture for her to come sit beside me.

Once she does, I switch on the laptop. “I’ve actually been working on something the past couple days. A business plan. I think I want to establish my own company. A tech start up to be exact.”

Katerina’s eyes widen. She’s the first person I’m telling this to. I’ve been toying with the idea, wondering if it would be the right move.

“To be honest, princess, I’ve always had this burning desire to create something of my own, bring my own ideas to life. Working at my family’s company felt like I was following someone else’s vision. But if I started my own company, I’d get the freedom and creative control I’ve always wanted.”

“That sounds amazing, Xander,” Katerina says, eyes gleaming. “But it’s also a bold move. Where would you get funding? Investment? Your father will probably never agree to this.”

“I have some money saved up and my father’s agreement doesn’t matter to me. Plus I happen to be dating a woman I’m sure would happily invest in my company,” I say, shooing her a sly wink.

She rolls her eyes. “We’ll see. Keep going though, I want to hear all your ideas.”

She listens attentively as I drone on and all about all my plans, interjecting at all the right moments and even providing some ideas of her own. By the time we’re done talking about it thirty minutes later, my plan is practically air tight and I’m more confident.

Katerina places a kiss on my cheek. “I am so proud of you.”

“Thanks I’m proud of me, too,” I state and she laughs. “Would be nice if I got that kiss somewhere else though.”

She smiles before wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me, soft and slow. Her lips gliding over mine. Too slow for me however and she lets out a breathless laugh as I push her onto her back on the couch, before straddling her. She lands with a soft thud and then I’m pressing my lips to hers, tasting her the way I wished I could all those years we were apart. She has no idea. How I searched for her in every woman that I was with. How I would lie awake at night, wishing she was right beside me. Maybe one day I’ll tell her.

My heart thunders in my chest as I deepen the kiss, sensations coursing through my body. All I can taste is her, all I feel is her. Her hips cant into mine, her hands pulling me closer as I feast on her mouth. My hands reach up into her hair, fisting blonde locks.

“We should probably head up to my room, baby,” I tell her, lifting my head so my lips graze hers with each word.

She nods and then I’m climbing off her, intertwining our fingers as I lead her up the stairs. She’s never been inside my room before. But I doubt I let her catch even a glimpse because once we’re inside, I’m on her again, pulling her closer by the waist. I place a soft kiss on her mouth as I walk us backwards towards the bed, Katerina climbs onto it without complaint. I can see in her expression that she wants this, she’s ready.

Once I climb on top of her, a voice whispers in my ear to go slow. To enjoy this, enjoy her. The last time we had sex, I was impatient, a starving man, denied of what he wanted for so long. But now, I get to savor this. Savor her. I slowly unzip her dress. The silk material slackens and I gently lift her so I could ease off the rest of her clothes. I let my touch linger on every curve and dip, mapping her body with my mouth and caressing her breasts through her bra. It’s slow and tortuous and soon Katerina is whimpering in frustration.

“Xander, please,’ she breathes, her skin flushed with pleasure.

My groan vibrates against her skin but with one word from her, my wishes come undone. I manage to lose her underwear to the side leaving her completely naked. Then I’m fumbling to take my clothes off as well. Once I’m done, I stare down at her, marveling at how perfect she is. She might not see herself as perfect, but she is, to me.

“You’re a blessing I promise never to take for granted, Katerina.”

She moans loudly as I slowly slide into her. Another groan climbs up my throat at how tight and wet she is. Her body fits mine effortlessly, naturally. I hold still, kissing my way up her neck and capturing her mouth in a kiss before I start moving. This isn’t just sex, it’s what I imagine people to mean when they talk about making love.

Her sighs of pleasure vibrate through my body as I glide in and out of her in a slow, sensual rhythm. It takes all my willpower to maintain the pace but I want to savor every single second I get to spend inside of her. When her nails scrape against my back, I feel my control start to slip. She lets out a soft cry.

“Xander, I need you to go faster,” she pleads, voice breathy with desire.

I grit my teeth as my muscles strain before gripping her hips and giving her exactly what she asked for. If fuck her harder and faster, sure that her nails are making indents on my back. Her eyes are half closed, her lips parted as she continues to moan.

My gaze lingers on her face, trying to imprint every detail of it to memory before I kiss her again. She breaks the kiss after a second to cry out as she comes, her pussy gripping onto my cock, tight as a vise. I hold on for only a moment or so before my control finally snaps as well and my orgasm washes through me, blinding me for a second.

My heart pounds, my head swims as I wonder at the incredible feeling. I roll onto my side next to her and Katerina turns to look at me.

“I really don’t deserve you,” she says sweetly.

“That was just one orgasm, princess. No need to get all sappy.”

She slaps my shoulder. “You’re an idiot.”

The both of us fall silent, breathing heavily as we try to recover. When a few minutes place, Katerina taps my shoulder.

“We need to get dressed before Nate comes back,” she tells me, placing a kiss on my cheek.

I groan softly before sitting up on the bed. Katerina sits up as well and my gaze slides down to her perky breasts. My cock twitches and she notices. Her eyes narrow.

“No. We’re going downstairs and being responsible parents,” she warns.

I chuckle. “You want know something I absolutely love?” I ask, leaning over to steal one last kiss.

“Sure,” she tells me, smiling up at me happily.

“That I’m the only one that gets to hear you beg like that.

“Shut up, Xan,” she mumbles, rolling her eyes.

We both get dressed and make it downstairs in the nick of time. Because almost as soon as we get there, Nate arrives with Mikayla in tow. And I really, really hate my sister’s perceptiveness because she only has to take one look at us before her eyebrows climb.

I shake my head, fighting back a groan. While Katerina goes to greet them both, I’m stopped by the sound of a text entering my phone. I pick it up and open it, finding one from my father.

You and I need to have a talk, son. Tomorrow, 5pm. Bring her along as well.

There’s no mistaking the “her” he’s talking about. I run my hand through my hair, letting out a soft breath.

Fucking great.