Xavier FINAL(91)
When he turned around I looked up into his eyes. His eyes were nearly black and slightly hooded.
My mouth went dry and I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, willing myself to turn away.
“You okay?” The thickness in his voice made my insides clench.
“Show me around?”
“There isn’t a lot to show, I wanted you to pick out some things for your place. I want it to feel like home to you. I kind of want you to like it here.”
“I already do.”
I felt emotions well up inside of me. I needed a few minutes, maybe a few days to get it all in check. I looked up briefly and he was looking at me.
“You gonna keep looking at me like that or are you gonna say what’s on your mind?”
He stepped back a little and I forced a smile. “Just tired.”
“Okay. Your bedroom is upstairs, first door on the right. I’ll show you. You need sleep.”
I nodded.
We walked through the rooms and I didn’t even look. I just followed behind him and up the stairs. He opened the door to a very large, very pink room.
He pointed to the far left, “Bathroom’s there. Closet is next to it.”
If I said something I was going to cry. He looked back at me, his handsome face was unreadable.
“I’m gonna let you settle in then. You need anything call me. I’m heading over to Steel. Its three blocks away. So if there is anything--.”
I practically threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Christ Taelyn, you’re a fucking wreck.” He walked us to the bed and pulled down the duvet cover. “Climb on up and lay down.”
I did and I swear even the hotel room bed wasn’t as comfortable as this bed. The sheets were slate gray silk and a hot pink cotton duvet covered what I assumed was a down comforter. It was heavy and extremely comfortable.
He covered me up and kissed me very cautiously on the lips and then my forehead.
“I don’t know how long it will take but again, you need anything you call. You want me here tonight or--.”
“Yes.”
He let out a sigh, “Thank fuck. I thought I fucked up already.”
“No. It’s a lot.”
“I’m not moving in, I’ve got my own place okay?”
I nodded unwilling to let myself tell him I would be fine with it. I wanted this to be his way. A man like him needed that. He needed to force his way into something in order to own it. I knew it to be true. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to be owned by him.
“You look exactly like I imagined you would laying there Taelyn. Stunning and more desirable than anyone else I have ever met.”
He kissed me again and walked out the door.
I waited until I heard the door close and then I let it all go. I cried for nearly an hour. I cried because I was happy, because I was scared, because I had disappointed my family, because I wanted to not disappoint him, and then because I was crying. I was completely out of sorts. I was sure that it was that first day of my period hormonal swing but it had never been like this before. Then again, I had never had anything in my life that knocked me off my feet then swept me up and cared for me in this way either. Then I cried because someday it was going to hurt so very bad to lose everything Xavier had given me physically and emotionally.
I must have fallen asleep after that because I woke up and looked at the nightstand where my phone sat in the charging dock next to a Bose charging station. The clock said midnight. It had been four hours.
I sat up and decided to finally allow myself to take in my new surroundings. The bottom of the walls had an antique white chair rail. It was beautiful. The upper part of the walls had thick stripes of grey and alternated with pale pink. I had never loved pink but now I was looking at it the way he did and it was fast becoming my favorite color.
The floor was thick planked white wood that appeared aged and the grey of old wood crackled through it. On the floor beside the side of the bed he had helped me into was a thick throw carpet, hot pink and shaggy. My feet begged to touch it. And my grandmothers night table.