Page 144 of Filthy Beautiful
“Right. Because you’re always so good at that.”
Yeah. She had me there. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“And the right thing is to make me come, and then walk out on me?”
“I’m sorry about that. We shouldn’t have done that.”
She jumped to her feet. “No. No, screw you. You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to treat it like it was a mistake and regret it—”
“It was a mistake.”
She stared at me. And instead of getting mad, she just looked hurt. Her eyes flashed with tears. “I’m not some little girl anymore. Is that really how you see me?”
She kinda scowled at me, but I reached for her. I put my hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.
“You’re beautiful,” I told her. “And sweet and lovely. That’s how I see you. And it would be best if you forget this ever happened.”
Then I left her there. I grabbed some of my shit from the poolhouse and went home, because I meant every word of what I’d said to her.
Chapter Eighteen
Xander
Playing drums. Hanging with friends. Working out.
Avoiding anywhere near Cary’s house.
This was the new routine.
For the next four days, every time I caught myself in my car, heading in that general direction before I even knew what I was doing, I’d pull a fucking U-turn and burn it the other way.
I ignored Courteney’s phone calls, her texts.
I tried to focus on rebuilding my life after leaving my band, you know, one day at a fucking time. Get my shit together. Sever this fucked-up attachment to my best friend’s little sister.
That’s all it was. Misguided, mistaken, inappropriate attachment.
Fucking lust and hormones and sexual frustration.
So I beat out my frustrations on the drums and the punching bag.
And then I started avoiding my friends, too.
I took to working out at a twenty-four hour gym near my place late at night, because every time I saw Trey, he fucking laughed at me. I didn’t even need to say anything. He just took one look at my face, shook his head, flashed those goddamn dimples at me and said, “Ooooooh, that little honey.”
Trey was a good-looking guy. Be a shame if I had to punch him in the face or something.
So I just stayed away.
* * *
I was just getting out of my shower after a workout when my phone rang. When I checked the screen it saidBuzzer.
It was ten-thirty at night. Someone was at the front door of my building. And it better not be fuckingher.
I picked up. “Yeah.”
“It’s Courteney,” came the voice.
