“Trill’s staying with me for a week,” he says, staring at her pointedly.
This is getting awkward.
Well, even more awkward.
“Should we go into the lounge room?” I ask, looking between the two of them. I begin to walk past Xander, who pulls me against his body.
“Oh, um, actually, I think I might get going,” Persephone says after Xander flashes her a look.
“Will we see you out tonight?” he asks, running his fingers up my spine.
She glances at me before replying. “Not sure. Maybe. Was nice meeting you, Trillian.”
“Bye, Sephie,” Xander says, closing the door as she leaves.
I turn and walk into the kitchen, pulling out a drink from the fridge just to give me something to do.
“She’s Reid and Ryan’s sister,” he says suddenly.
I close the fridge and stare him down. “And an ex of yours?”
He licks his lips, looking away. “We’ve been together in the past, yes.”
“And why did she come here today? What would have happened if I wasn’t here?”
Would he have slept with her? And I would be back in Channon without a clue. The thought occurs to me. “Did you sleep with her last time you were here?”
Xander walks over to me and cups my face in his hands. “I haven’t touched another woman since Paula or whatever her name was that night. And I didn’t even kiss her! I wouldn’t cheat on you, Trillian. I’m many things, but disloyal isn’t one of them.”
I exhale slowly. “So if I weren’t here, what would you have done? And be honest.”
“I would have spoken with her. We’re friends at the end of the day. Then she would have left. I wouldn’t have touched her in any way,” he tells me, eyes gazing into mine. “I promise you, Trill.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“So are you. More so. And you’re mine, so that makes you everything to me.”
“Why didn’t you want her to come inside? It made it feel like you were hiding something from me,” I say quietly.
He looks away. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Trillian. It was awkward for me. I knew it would upset you. Fuck, I saw that guy you’d slept with and I wanted to kill him. You’ve already had to deal with that other woman, now I didn’t want you to have to deal with Sephie as well.”
Just how close is he with her?
Am I overthinking this?
“Okay?” he asks, kissing my brow.
I sigh. “Okay.”
I said that I trusted him. Now I need to prove it. To myself.
*****
Knox’s Tavern is completely packed. I meet Reid, Summer’s husband, Tag, Dash, and Ryan and his wife Taiya. They all seem so nice, and I can tell they are all really close. Xander has a great group of friends. Persephone is absent. I watch Xander interact with his friends, laughing and joking. He always makes sure to include me in conversations, or ask if I’m okay or if I need anything. He’s very attentive, and I appreciate that.
“Have I told you how sexy you look tonight?” he whispers in my ear, running his hand down my bare back.
“Only about ten times,” I reply, my cheeks heating. I’m wearing a black backless dress with long sleeves and a high neckline. The back is the focal point of the dress, of course, showing everything from my neck to just above the dimples on my lower back. I let my curly hair run wild, curls framing my face and draping over my shoulders. I put a little eyeliner around my blue eyes to make them pop, a little pink gloss, and I’m good to go.
“You’re distracting me,” he murmurs. “I don’t even want to talk to anyone. I just want to take you home and do dirty, dirty things to you.”
“Xander,” I giggle. “We have to stay at least another hour. You haven’t seen these people in a month. You need to socialise.”
He buries his face in my hair. “I know.”
“Xander, let the woman go for one second,” Tag mutters, smirking. “She isn’t going to run off.”
Xander ignores him and kisses me instead.
“Okay, Xander, seriously,” Summer interrupts. “I’m going to dance with Trillian. You go and have a drink with the guys.”
She grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor. “Never seen my brother behave this way. In fact, if someone told me he was, I wouldn’t believe it.”
I don’t know what to say to her, so I just give her a small smile.
She takes me to the centre of the small dance floor and starts to move to the music. After a little while, I relax and do the same. I notice the men never approach Summer or get too close to her. I wonder if that has anything to do with Reid and the fact that he’s a trained mixed martial arts fighter. When I feel a pair of hands on my hips, I know instantly that it isn’t Xander. I push the hands off me, turn, and shake my head. The man before me grins charmingly and shrugs in a ‘well, I had to try’ kind of way. Unable to stop myself, I grin back. Unfortunately for me, he takes this as a yes and takes my wrist, pulling me into him.
“I’m sorry, I’m taken,” I tell him. “I’m not interested.”
Instead of being deterred, he decides to grope my ass.
Before I know what’s happening, I’m pushed behind Xander, who says something to the guy. The man then pushes Xander, whose body doesn’t even falter, instead standing still and strong. Just how strong is Xander? Horrified, I watch as Xander raises his right arm and punches the man right in the jaw. The man staggers back, cupping his jaw. Xander takes another step toward him. Suddenly, I’m grabbed and pulled away from the commotion. I look back to see Reid with his arms around my waist and my back pressed to his chest. He carries me like I weigh nothing.