Chapter 37 - Xavier

Xavier

A ll the color drained from Victoria’s face.

I jerked my head toward the bar. Atomic levels of rage tore me apart.

“Maddox, wait.” Cade jumped up when I took off.

My long strides ate up the distance to where Jordan stood. He pursed his lips, discarding my presence with a glance.

“Leave. Now.” I kept my voice low and threatening.

“It’s a public venue. I can be here.”

I saw Cade approaching out of the corner of my eye.

“The fuck you can. Leave while you still have the ability to walk.”

Jordan’s chastising laugh scraped at my insides. “Want to know the most annoying thing about you? Your threats are always hollow.”

Grabbing his shirt collar, I yanked him toward the exit.

“This fucked up game of yours is over,” I growled in his ear, releasing him when we got outside. The sidewalk wasn’t empty. Several people stopped and stared.

Two footballers and an aristocrat storm out of a bar .

Reeling in a fraction of my aggression, I adopted a more civil level of speaking. “You should have left England when you had the chance.”

He snorted. “Took you long enough to figure it out. The day I saw Logan’s people tailing me, I knew I had you where I wanted you. Arrogant prick.”

“What is this about?” Cade stepped between us.

“Gallagher,” I spoke low. “Go back inside.”

“How precious,” Jordan taunted. “Protecting your boyfriend?”

I flexed my hand into a fist.

“Gentlemen,” Bennet’s authoritative voice carried on the night air as he approached. “Shall we take this discussion somewhere more discreet?”

I stared at my friend. “Where did you come from?”

No answer. Just a small smile.

The door burst open. Victoria rushed out, sweeping her eyes from me to Cade to Bennet to Jordan.

Not two seconds later, Alex and Marcus appeared.

“The media darling.” Distain dripped from Jordan’s words. “You think you’re so clever. You won’t win.”

“I told you not to underestimate me.” Confidence and determination radiated from Victoria. Her cheeks glowed red.

“I do think it’s best if we go somewhere quiet to continue this.” Bennet’s regal stare pressed into Jordan. “The cars are this way.”

Cars?

“I’m not going anywhere with any of you,” Jordan snapped. “Logan, if you want a meeting, let’s plan one for next—”

“Get in the car.” I didn’t recognize the sound of my own voice. “This ends tonight.”

Half an hour later we gathered in the library at Logan Estate. Cade waited by the doors with Alex and Marcus.

Bennet took his place by the mantel. “This is a private matter between the three of you. We’ll give you the room. Figure it out and end it. Stay in here as long as you need.”

Without saying another word, he escorted Cade, Marcus, and Alex out. The doors clicked shut behind them.

An irritated-looking Jordan paced like a trapped animal before sitting on the couch. Satisfaction crept through me seeing him so out of sorts.

Regaining some bravado, he glared at us. “The keeper and his American tart. To what do I owe the pleasure of this gathering?”

A snarl rumbled in my throat. “Do not speak to her like that.”

Victoria’s hand curled around my arm. Her eyes said everything when I looked at her. Calm. Strategic.

Swallowing down my urge to beat the shit out of Jordan, I nodded. This was her moment.

Victoria sat on the couch across from him, emulating authority. Possessive pride rushed through me.

“For someone who’s spent the better part of his life bullying and intimidating people, you sure do suck at blackmail.” Rebuking him with a smile, she continued. “Is shaming me in public the best you can do?”

Silence.

They stared one another down before Jordan’s laughter filled the library.

“You’re just as arrogant as him,” he said. “I didn’t underestimate you. I assumed you’d have more bite.” Shaking his head, his body vibrated with another laugh. “All those photos are nothing.” He glared at me. “But the videos of you assaulting me at a club and chasing me down an alley will certainly make a bigger splash. I’ll make sure your career ends in disgrace.”

Victoria smiled, not rattled by Jordan’s threat. I stepped toward him, ready to break every bone in his body.

“See? He can’t wait to start a fight. It’s too fucking easy.” Jordan’s chest puffed with overconfidence.

“More bite?” Victoria crossed her legs, her posture flawless and elegant.

We shared a glance.

Do you want to continue?

Green.

“You should really work on your methods of coercion,” Victoria said. “Especially when you don’t have that cushy title to shield you from any consequences. How’s that for bite?”

Color leached from Jordan’s face. The pompous self-satisfaction drained from his eyes. “My family and my title will—”

“Your family and your title are nonexistent. You are not of noble birth. You’re just as common as we are.” Her words detonated a silent explosion. Jordan recoiled from the impact, shrinking into the couch. This damage was much more satisfying to see than any bloody nose or broken jaw I could give him.

“Lies,” he hissed.

“Does the name Daniel Southgate ring a bell?” I asked.

I didn’t think a person’s face could turn this shade of white or a body could cave in on itself in defeat. I swear if Jordan could have buried himself under the cushion, he would have.

“Looks like you know exactly who I’m talking about.” I stood in front of him, relishing the obvious flinch when he moved away. “I told you, you can’t hide behind your family name and your money forever.”

Sitting next to Victoria, I watched him struggle with the realization that he had no move to make. No counterstrike.

A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Nobody will believe you.”

“They will.” Victoria’s steady, calming tone accentuated her words. “Controlling the narrative is my job. I might be a jersey chaser but I know the media. I know what they salivate over. Imagine having all those reporters and all those cameras trained on you; the bitter, desperate man dragging a woman through the mud to save his ass and cover up the fact that he’s nothing more than a rapist.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t underestimate me , Victoria.”

My hands flexed into fists. “Threaten her again, McKennie. I fucking dare you.”

The most dangerous people are the ones with nothing left to lose. Jordan scowled, shooting daggers at me. “Is the sex really that good?”

I flew off the couch, slamming my fist into his face before anyone could react. Blood poured from his nose. I was wrong. That was rather satisfying.

Grabbing him by the shirt, I snarled, “Say something about her again and what’s left of you leaves here in a bag.”

Shoving him into the couch, I returned to Victoria. Concern seeped from her but she remained poised and in control. Feeling her hand on my thigh helped quiet the urge to dismantle him. I exhaled a harsh breath, forcing myself to relax.

“Fuck,” Jordan muttered, using his tie to wipe away the blood. “I had all the proof destroyed after my parents died. You have nothing.”

Victoria felt the muscles in my thigh tighten. She slid her hand higher, her touch warm and reassuring.

“Xavier?”

“Yes, love.”

“Did you bring it?”

I nodded, reaching into my pocket. Pulling out a folded copy of the birth certificate, I waved it in Jordan’s face. “You mean this?” I smirked, tossing it on the coffee table.

Jordan’s skin color morphed from translucent to bright red. His eyes ping-ponged from me to Victoria, and back. Snatching the certificate, he read it, his face turning chalk white again. “This was a secret file. How did you get it?”

Victoria shrugged. “Some secrets never stay buried. I know that better than anyone.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“No. I’m not that vile.”

“What do you want?” He choked on his words.

For the first time tonight, a slight tremble rattled Victoria’s body. I laced my fingers through hers and squeezed.

“Admit what you did to my sister. Admit what you did to Xavier. I don’t need to know why, I just need to hear you say it.”

“And if I don’t?”

Fierce determination swathed her beautiful face. “It would be a shame to wake up to news that you’re not actually a high-ranking British aristocrat. It would be even more devastating to see excerpts from Charlotte’s diary detailing the night you raped her.”

I could tell he wanted to unleash his wrath. He wiped his nose with the tie instead.

“You are blackmailing me.”

“I’m giving you the opportunity to come clean about what you did.”

“You would do that to the memory of your sister? To your family? Put them through all that scrutiny just to get me to admit to something that never took place.”

“We both know it happened.”

The onyx pools in Jordan’s eyes hardened. “If you do that, I’ll expose Xavier. I’ll release the CCTV footage. He’ll have no choice but to retire from the league in shame.”

“I’m retiring anyway,” I blurted.

My words hung frozen in the air.

Victoria turned to me, shocked. So much for having this discussion with her in a more private setting.

I swept my thumb along her jaw.

“This will be my last season at Royal City. Next summer’s tournament will be my final appearance with the national team.” I glared at Jordan. “Admit what you did to her sister.”

All the power rested with me and Victoria. Our united show of strength wiped out any leverage Jordan thought he had. She was willing to put her family’s pain on display for the whole world to see. I’m willing to walk away from my career.

We both risked everything.

And he fucking knew it.

If he refused, he’d be exposed as a fraud and a rapist.

If he caved, he’d walk away bruised and battered, with no hope of retaliation.

One step ahead. How he hated that.

The steady ticking of Bennet’s grandfather clock was the only sound in the library. The passing seconds and minutes lasted an eternity. This might be more nerve-wracking than a penalty shoot out.

When Jordan’s shoulders slumped, the thrill of victory darted through me. Nothing pleased me more than defeating a rival in competition.

“Fine,” he acquiesced through clenched teeth. “I knew your sister didn’t want to have sex, even though she pretended to be you and said otherwise. She cried the whole time. Happy now?”

Victoria’s hand flew to her mouth, muffling a pained gasp.

Undeterred, Jordan leveled an angry stare at me. “You pissed me off acting all heroic like you didn’t use and discard girls on a whim. Thought you needed a lesson.”

The only reason I didn’t get up and end his life was Victoria. She shook with rage beside me. I held her chin, turning her head to face me.

Jade-colored flames burned in the depths of her eyes.

“Strength,” I whispered. “For Charlotte.”

After a few seconds, Victoria stood and went toward Jordan. Her curvy, petite frame cast a large shadow over his seated form. “If you do anything to Xavier, anything , I will give the green light to not one, but every major news outlet in England run with the story.” He scooted back an inch when she leaned closer. “That is not blackmail. That is a fucking promise.”

She turned on a heel and strode toward the French doors.

I stared at Jordan. At his defeated posture, his sullen expression. After all the years of being at one another’s throats, I finally saw him for what and who he really is.

Standing up, I shoved my hands in my pockets and approached him. An icy stare greeted me.

“Here to gloat?”

“No.”

“Then what the fuck do you want?”

The overwhelming urge to slam a fist into his face dissipated. “Thought you should know one more thing before I leave.”

A trickle of blood slid from a nostril and pooled on his lip.

“When Victoria told me what she’d learned, she said you were just as common us. I’ll probably be in trouble for saying this, but she’s wrong. You’re not common.” A slow, patronizing smile curled my lips. “You’re nothing.”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. The harshness of his new reality took hold.

Approaching Victoria, I pulled her into a tight embrace. “Well played, city princess.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you, country prince.”

We walked out of the library, leaving Jordan behind for good.

“Everything alright?” Cade rushed over. “Bennet filled me in.”

Victoria reached for Cade, and hugged him. Then she hugged Bennet. The sight of the three most important people in my life all in one place filled me with yet another unrecognizable emotion.

“Thought maybe one of you’d be coming out on a stretcher,” Bennet said, nodding his head at the door. “Does he need medical attention?”

“No,” I chuckled. “Maybe a new tie.”

Holding Victoria’s hand, I led her to the front door. We rode in silence back to my flat. The second we walked inside, I captured her mouth in a deep, tender kiss.

“What was that for?”

I lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. “Felt like it.”

A thoughtful expression appeared. “Come here.”

She led me to the bossy chair and sat. Tapping the ottoman with her foot, she grinned up at me. “Sit there, Mr. Maddox.”

Intrigued, I did as she instructed and asked, “Feeling okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You were absolutely brilliant, you know.” I reached for her hand. Her soft palm nestled perfectly in mine. “Charlotte would be so proud of you.”

“I know.” A wistful smile touched her lips when she placed her hand over her heart. “I still feel her sometimes. It’s like a peaceful warmth.” Astute emerald eyes studied me. “Are you really retiring at the end of the season?”

A year ago, walking away from football was the furthest thought from my mind. Hell, six months ago it wasn’t even a possibility. But that was before I pulled off the road to help what I’d thought was a stranded motorist.

“I am.” I rested my fingers on her lips. “Let me explain.” Inhaling slow, I spoke. “For the majority of my life, football filled a need. It still does to a certain extent. When Bennet threatened to take my livelihood away from me all those years ago, it opened my eyes. Nobody will dictate how I end my career. I love this sport. I love competing. There is nothing quite like the roar of a crowd and the adoration of millions.”

I paused when Victoria knelt between my legs and reclined her forearm on my thigh. The movement was so graceful and natural and perfect. Finding my next breath, let alone my train of thought, was a struggle.

She’d done this only once before. I will marry this woman. The exact same thought I’d had at the time echoed through me.

I gazed into her eyes. “All of that pales in comparison to how I feel when I’m with you.”

She sat up straight. “Don’t tell me you’re retiring because of me. That’s ridiculous and I won’t allow it.”

I arched an eyebrow. “That’s presumptuous.”

“Really?” The fiery edge to her tone clued me in on what she was doing. “What about my policy? I only date British goalkeepers with dirty mouths and tattoos.”

“I’m breaking it.”

“I see.” A sly grin pulled at her glossy lips. “Does that mean I have to go find another goalkeeper? How about a striker?”

Lowering my tone to the one that drives her mad, I leaned closer. “There are no other goalkeepers or strikers or anyone you classify as the product .” I fisted her hair. “There’s only me, and you’re mine. Do I make myself clear?”

She cast her eyes down, parting her lips to suck in a breath. When she looked up at me again through her lashes, her pupils were so dilated I could barely see any green.

“Maybe.”

Dark flames erupted into a ball of white hot desire in my chest.

“We can do this one of two ways.” A raspy moan passed her lips when I pulled on her hair. “I can finish telling you what I have to say with my cock stuffed down your throat.” The dusting of pink spreading across her cheeks was so fucking hot. “Or you can kneel at my feet like the dirty princess you are, listen to me talk while I stroke myself, and then clean the cum off me with your Ivy League mouth.”

“And if I can’t choose?”

I loosened my hold on her. “Then I’ll choose for us.” Standing up, I pulled her to her feet and tossed her over my shoulder.

“ Xavier, ” she squealed with a giggle. “Put me down.”

“Nope.” My palm landed on her ass in a hard smack as I carried her to the bedroom. “I need to teach you a lesson about interrupting a heartfelt conversation to be cheeky with me.”

A smile curved my mouth when she laughed and whacked my ass like a drum. “What kind of lesson?”

I placed her on the edge of the bed, admiring her flushed skin and sparkling eyes.

“Undress.”

She complied, peeling off her clothes. Soft red waves of hair fell over her shoulders, framing the most beautiful curves known to man.

Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

Rubbing my thumb on my lip, I grinned. “Don’t move.”

I went to my closet and dug out the Legends jersey from the photoshoot.

“Put this on,” I commanded, tossing it to her.

She ran her hand over my name. “I bet you look hot in this.”

“Put it on. If I have to say it again, the lesson will last all night.”

“Promise?” Her mischievous grin delighted me. So did the sight of her wearing anything with my name on it.

“Get on the bed, on your hands and knees. Now.”

“Want me to crawl to you again?” She got into position. “I really liked that.”

Fuck yes .

“Not this time.” I climbed on the mattress behind her and dragged a finger over her slick pussy. “I’ll finish telling you why I’m retiring tomorrow.” Her small growl went straight to my cock when I stroked her clit. “Maybe by then you’ll learn some manners.”

The crack of my hand slapping her ass echoed through the room.

A blush of red bloomed on her skin. Her groans intensified the more I teased her body.

“That doesn’t feel like a lesson,” she purred. “I thought you were going to reprimand me.”

I stopped rubbing her clit to undo my jeans and release my cock.

“I am,” I growled, filling her hard and fast. She buried her face in the pillows, muffling her screams. “I want to hear you, love.” Thrusting as hard as I could, I fisted her hair again, pulling her head back. “Who do you belong to?”

“ You .”

“That’s right.” I filled her until I had nothing left to give. “Who do I belong to?”

She looked over her shoulder, holding my stare. “Me.”

“Forever.” I clamped a hand around her neck. Panic surged through me and I released it. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her.

Grabbing my thigh, she dug her nails into my skin. “Xavier. Put your hands on me. I want your hands on me. Be rough. Don’t hold back.”

Curling my fingers around her neck again, I asked, “Do you want to continue?”

“ Green .” She gasped when I tightened my grip. “Fuck me so hard all the tension and anxiety of these last few months disappear. For both of us. Please .”

Without any further hesitation, I did.

Every thought, every bit of stress, every fucking worry melted away.

Victoria was all that mattered.

We were all that existed.

I surrendered to the feel of her, of heaven, of us .