Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2) (13 page)

Angie shrugs. “I think I would rather stay here and watch you talk your way out of our kiss to your little girlfriend.”

“We didn’t fucking kiss,” he fires back at her. “You kissed me. It’s not the same thing.”

A wicked smile crosses her face. “You didn’t exactly tell me
no
either. If this girl is going to be with you, she should learn that you’re not exactly a one-woman kind of guy.”

“Shut up, Angie. This doesn’t fucking concern you.”

I flinch at his tone. It’s the same tone he took with Deena. Is this how he treats a woman when he’s done with her? Will he treat me that way one day?

“Fine,” Angie sighs. Then, she flips her long dark hair over her shoulder. “But if you change your mind about my offer from earlier, you know where to find me.” With that, she slips into her car, slams the door, and pulls out onto the street.

I stare up at Xavier and fold my arms. “Another old friend?”

“Don’t worry about her,” he replies without a speck of emotion on his face. Then, he reaches for me, but I step back before he can touch me. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

I lift my chin. “No. I’m not going anywhere until you explain to me how you ended up standing on a sidewalk, kissing some old girlfriend.”

“She was never my girlfriend.”

“Then, just another girl you made a special
arrangement
with, like Deena?”

“Something like that.”

“Will that be
me
someday—just some other woman you once had a fuck-buddy relationship with?”

He scrubs his hand down his face. “How many times do I have to explain to you that you’re different? You’re nothing like the women I’ve been with before.”

“How do I know you didn’t feed them the same lines you’ve been feeding me? I won’t be able to handle you breaking my heart, Xavier.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Then, explain to me why you were with her,” I demand, wanting the full truth from him.

His face twists and I can tell he’s holding something back from me.

“I can’t do that,” he says.

My heart crumbles, and I clutch my chest in an attempt to hold it together. “If you keep things from me, how am I supposed to ever trust you?”

“There are some things you don’t need to know, beautiful,” he answers coolly. “Just be satisfied with what I can tell you.”

I square my shoulders. “That’s not good enough.”

Seeing that I’m not getting anywhere with this, I take a few steps away from him, toward Quinn’s car. “Come find me when you feel like telling me the truth.”

He stands there with a blank expression, but makes no attempts to chase after me.

Devastated, I turn and race to the Honda, not daring to look back.

I close myself inside. “Drive.”

She doesn’t question me, just shoves the transmission into gear and slams on the gas.

“Holy shit. What happened back there?” she asks.

I rest my head in my hand. “I’m not even sure.”

“Who was the woman?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I would like more details about that myself. “Her name is Angie, and apparently, she’s a woman from his past.”

“His
past
? Are you saying that’s an old girlfriend?”

“
Girlfriend
is a pretty specific title, one Xavier never uses when it comes to women he’s been with.”

“You mean, she was an old fuck buddy of his? What the hell was he doing with her?”

“He wouldn’t tell me. He said it was basically none of my business.” Repeating it out loud causes my lower lip to quiver. “Do you think he—oh God.”

The tears can’t be stopped now. The very thought of Xavier being with another woman causes a sharp pain to rip through my chest, and I gasp for breath. My hand covers my mouth as I attempt to stop from crying, but it’s no use. This hurts so damn bad.

“Oh, Anna.” Quinn reaches over and takes my hand. “I’m sure he wouldn’t do that. Xavier might be a big brute of a man, but he’s not stupid. He wouldn’t risk losing you over some random piece of ass.”

“He’s done it before with Deena.” I take a deep breath.

Quinn’s brows furrow. “I know this sounds like I’m siding with him, but that situation with Deena was technically before the two of you were together. Do you really think he’d pull that shit now that you are official?”

“I didn’t think he would, but what other reason would he have to be with her and not explain the situation? I saw her kiss him, and he did nothing to deter my doubting mind from thinking the worst when I confronted him about it.”

“What
exactly
did he say?”

I sniff as I try to steady my breathing. “That there were some things I didn’t need to know about.”

Quinn twists her lips in an obvious show of questioning thought. “Do you trust him?”

“Yes, but sometimes, it’s hard because of all the secrets he keeps from me. He rarely opens up about himself, and I’m always left with millions of questions that he refuses to answer. Seeing what I did just now . . . it shakes my faith in our relationship. What in the hell will he be doing behind my back when I’m on the road? Now, I know I’ll worry the entire time.”

“Then, you need to tell him that. Honesty in a relationship is always the best policy. Trust me on that one. It took me and Brock a while to get on the same page, but now that we’re there, things are so much better.”

“That’s easier said than done, Quinn. Xavier doesn’t like talking about his past. He gets angry whenever the subject comes up. He . . .” I hesitate for a moment, but I decide that a little insight into Xavier’s past won’t hurt. “Xavier really had it rough as a kid. The things he’s told me—they break my heart. If he keeps that to himself, what else will he keep from me?”

She’s quiet for a moment and then says, “You need to talk to him, tell him how you feel.”

Tears streak down my face. “What if he refuses to open up and come clean about why he was with that girl?”

She frowns. “If he can’t give you complete honesty, as much as it hurts, it might be time to face the possibility that Xavier isn’t the right man for you.”

My heart squeezes as the reality of her words hit me full force. As much as I don’t want that to happen, I know Quinn has a point. I can’t live my life going through pain like this because Xavier refuses to let me into what’s going on with both his past and present issues.

One thing is clear. Xavier and I need to deal with this issue before it completely tears us apart.

S
itting at the bar at Larry’s, Bar and Grill is actually a pleasant experience now that Alice is gone. Most of the booths are full, which is great because Quinn can use every spare penny she can come up with to help her finance the wedding.

Since I was here last, Tyler has moved up from fry cook to bartender. Brock misses him in the kitchen, but Tyler has been smiling all evening, and the customers really seem to enjoy him waiting on them.

“You want another drink, Anna?” Tyler asks as he wipes down the counter next to me.

I stare down at the nearly empty glass in front of me, seeing I only have a few good drinks left. “Yes, please. It’s delicious.”

Tyler grins. “I might have to cut you off soon.”

“Why?” I ask, completely confused. “I love this fruity Sex on the Bay.”

“You mean, Sex on the Beach?” My mistake earns a little chuckle from him. “You’re getting lit. You’ve definitely reached your cutoff point. Andy will have my ass if I allow you to get too drunk, sitting out here.”

“Andy won’t care. I’m a paying customer now.” I wave him off and accidentally knock over my glass. I grimace when I see the mess I just made. “Oops. Sorry.”

I attempt to reach for the glass, but Tyler is much quicker to grab it.

He then blots up the spilled liquid. “I think we should hold off on that last drink and maybe try some food.”

I sigh, completely deflated that I’m not getting another drink. “Okay. I’ll take a hamburger.”

“You got it.” Tyler works on punching my order into the computer.

I glance over to Quinn, who is busy flirting with Brock through the window where the orders are sitting, waiting to be picked up by the servers.

They are adorable together, really in love, and if it weren’t for worrying about embarrassing Quinn in front of a roomful of customers, I would call them out for being so darn cute.

Quinn notices me watching the two of them and quirks an eyebrow before she stops beside the bar. “Hey there, cuz. Looks like you’re in a better mood.”

“I am.” I grin and then reach for my glass. My bottom lip pokes out a bit when I realize it’s empty. “There might be something to this drinking thing. I can’t stop smiling.”

She turns to Tyler. “How many have you given her?”

He flings a dish towel over his shoulder and then runs his hand through his thick blond hair. “She just finished her sixth.”

“
Six
? Damn it, Tyler. I said loosen her up a bit, not fuck her up. She won’t be able to walk out of here if you give her any more.”

Tyler defensively holds his hands up. “Hey, that’s only two drinks an hour. I think I’ve paced her pretty well.”

“That’s an acceptable pace for someone who’s used to drinking.” Quinn sighs. “Anna doesn’t drink. Last time I took her out, two drinks had her feeling pretty good.”

“Hey,” I interrupt before a hiccup slips out. “I think I’m doing fine. I only had one little accident when I knocked over that glass.”

Quinn pats my arm. “I know, but you haven’t tried to stand up in a while, and when you do, all the liquor is going to hit you. I want you to sit here for the next thirty minutes while I finish my shift, and then we’ll go home.”

I raise my hand and flick my thumb up. “You got it. I’ll stay right here.”

“Okay.” She snickers and instructs Tyler to watch me and try to sober me up.

A coffee is placed in front of me, and I glance up at Tyler, wearing a frown. “I don’t really like black coffee. Do you have iced coffee?”

He shakes his head and then lays a spoon and four creamers next to my cup. “That’s about the closest you’ll get to sweetened coffee around here.”

I open the creamers and dump them in my cup. “You’re so nice, Tyler.”

A bashful smile spreads across his face as red creeps into his cheeks. “So are you.” He’s quiet for a few moments and then asks, “Are you still seeing Phenomenal X?”

I raise my brow. “You know who he is?”

“Of course I do. I love wrestling. X is a badass in the ring.”

“That he is.” I sigh. “He scares the shit out of most men.”

“That’s why I never dragged up the courage to ask you out once I found out you were seeing him. I knew I would never have a shot.”

I stir my coffee as my mind drifts to when I saw Xavier earlier. “We’re kind of in a fight right now.”

I admitted that a little too easily, and then it hits me that Quinn is probably right about me being drunk. Typically, I wouldn’t have divulged that information.

Tyler braces his hands on the bar across from me. “What about?”

I shrug. “He allowed another woman to kiss him.”

Tyler raises his eyebrows and then shakes his head. “Man, if he’s messing around on you, he’s an idiot.”

The corner of my mouth lifts into a small smile. “Thank you. That’s sweet.”

“It’s true. Any man who has you would be an idiot to mess things up. Not only are you really nice, but you’re also the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.” He sighs and then lays my bill down. “I hate to give you this, but you know Andy would shit a brick if I didn’t make you pay.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind paying.” I reach for the small white paper lying on the bar, but someone reaches over my shoulder and takes it before I can get my fingers on it.

Standing next to me is a broad-shouldered man with brown hair who is covered in tattoos from the neck down. He’s wearing a smile that causes his dark eyes to twinkle. “I got this one.”

“Oh, um...” I hesitate, knowing that situations like this make X to freak out. “Thank you, but I really should pay for that on my own.”

The man slides onto the stool next to me, still holding my bill. “Consider this a welcome-to-the-neighborhood present.”

I raise my eyebrows. “What makes you think I’m new?”

His eyes search my face, like he’s trying to think of an answer to my question. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

My lips twist. “That’s funny because I used to work here. Surely, you would’ve seen me then if you were a regular.”

He nods and then runs his hand through his mussed hair. The blue shirt he’s wearing catches my eye. On the sleeve of his shirt, there’s some sort of weird symbol that has a scythe, a dollar symbol, and a square on it. The interesting pattern is definitely custom because I can’t imagine anything like that being sold in a store.

“You caught me,” the man admits. “I was looking for an excuse to talk to a pretty lady.”

Heat floods my  face, surely making me blush, and I can’t tell if all the liquor or his simple compliment caused it. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t accept you paying for my stuff. I have a boyfriend.”

“A really big, scary one,” Tyler chimes in from across the bar. “And he’s right behind you.”

My head whips around, and I spot Xavier standing just inside the door. His long hair is damp from a shower, and he’s changed into a fitted T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots. He’s no doubt here to find me since I haven’t been back to his house since we fought.

Suddenly, I fear for the man sitting next to me because Xavier gets crazy jealous when it comes to other men speaking to me. I don’t want him to go nutso on this guy who is trying to be nice.

The man, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be the least bit worried. Matter of fact, he doesn’t even make an attempt to turn around and check out the man whom Tyler has warned him about. Instead, he fishes out his wallet from his back pocket and lays down a one hundred dollar bill.

My pulse pounds beneath my skin as Xavier’s eyes meet mine, and then his gaze flits over to the man next to me. Even from across the room, it’s easy to tell that his body has instantly stiffened. Then, he squares his shoulders and marches in my direction.