Page 42 of Hard Road Home
“Leaving you out in the cold?” He hated the thought of her being lonely.
“No. Moira’s been my friend for years. Ever since we went to ballet class together. It’s one of those friendships where it doesn’t matter if you don’t see each other. The moment you’re back together, it’s like you were never away.”
“Like us?”
The glance she shot from under her lashes was hard to read. “Maybe like before.”
“Before I stuffed everything up by going off in a sulk.”
She raised both hands up, palms out. “You said it.”
He shifted closer. “But now we’re good?”
The little crease between her brows came back and she turned to sort the vegetables. She was going to say something blighting, he could tell. A swoop down and her mouth was his. With her hands full of produce, she couldn’t escape. Maybe she didn’t want to. Her lips softened and clung, and the rhythm of his heart kicked into allegro. He never tired of this, had craved it through all the years apart.
A soft chuckle broke them apart and Xander turned dazed eyes to the door into his grandparents’ apartment. Don stood there with a tray stacked with afternoon teacups and plates and Flo’s favourite china teapot. “I’ll leave this here.” He dumped the tray on the bench and vanished back through the door.
“Oops.”
Xander looked down at Bonnie, marking the swollen lips and bright colour in her cheeks. “Oops?”
“I don’t imagine you wanted Don and Flo to see that.”
“Why should I mind?”
Her jaw tightened. “Because it’s not real. And you need to stop doing that.”
“Doing what? You were kissing me back.”
“That’s beside the point. Every time you decide I’m going to say something you won’t like, you kiss me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
“So, I only kiss you to shut you up?”
“Yes.” She was back to sorting vegetables.
“It’s possible. But I also like kissing you. Maybe it’s an excuse.”
“Any excuse. Any girl. Any time.”
There was a sharp pain in his throat as he swallowed. “You seem to have the idea I kiss random girls for fun. Or is it more than that? You’ve been hinting ever since I arrived home. You’ve suggested I bedhop with all my ‘groupies’.” He made the quote thing with his fingers so she could see the sarcasm. “What have I ever done to make you believe I’m a guy who takes advantage of women?”
The skin on her face paled to a chalky white, two flaring patches of colour on her cheeks. “Tinker said…”
“Tinker was an addict. Drugs, drink. Sex. He wanted it all. Craved it. When he was sober he was ashamed of it. If he told you stories about the rest of us, he was lying. I’m not saying we were angels, but we certainly weren’t sleazing our way around the world taking advantage of silly girls who didn’t know better like…” He bit off the words.
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever.” She’d got him so riled up he’d nearly broken a confidence. He needed to go cool down. “I’ll go see my grandparents and then I’m going out. With luck I’ll trip over some groupies at the pub and take them back to their place for a quick shag. All of them at once.”
She said something as he left, a plea maybe, but he ignored it. He’d spent all day with her. Their friendship went back years and she still believed the worst of him. Maybe a groupie or two wasn’t such a bad idea. They wouldn’t judge.
Chapter Eleven
Anoise wokeBonnie from a restless sleep, a rim of pale light at the door gone again as the person entering shut it with a quiet click of the lock. A familiar shape moved closer.
“Xander?” She reached over and flicked on the bedside lamp.
He stood at the end of the bed, his eyes blinking at the sudden flare of light. His white T-shirt was drenched with sweat on a night where the outside temperature would hit the minuses, the darkened material clinging to his chest, almost to his waist. His pale face glistened with moisture, a rare flush of colour streaking his cheekbones.