Page 101 of Xander

He looked tired with the puffy, red eyes of a man who had too much on his mind and too little sleep, but you wouldn’t know it upon seeing his sincere smile with the dimples that made my heart race. He was in black slacks that clung to his muscular thighs and a button down that exposed bulging biceps underneath the thin scraps of material. My breath caught in my throat.

Fuck him for being so hot.

His smile morphed into a smirk as if he knew that I’d just been eye-fucking him. The fatigue in his eyes was replaced with relief and hunger, as if he had been waiting years to reunite with me, not less than twenty-four hours.

“Hey, jailbird,” he said, opening his arm and striding toward me.

There must be something wrong with me because I wanted nothing more than to run into his big arms and melt in them until I forgot the world. Despite all the horrible things he had done, he was somehow still my best friend. All I wanted to do was tell him of the horrible things Henry had said and the progress I had made in finding us another way. I wanted to do something as mundane as sharing my day with him.

But no matter what I wanted, he didn’t deserve positive reinforcement after what he had done.

I warded him off with two raised hands, remembering how he had given his staff the clearance to institutionalize me.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

I scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”

He appeared perplexed. Much like Henry, he was oblivious to his flaws.

I shook my head. “You know what? Never mind. Who’s here?”

He smirked. “I’m glad you asked. I’ve brought the answer to our problem. My uncle Joe, my cousin Caden, and Jasper, of course,” he listed them off, shaking his keys in time to his words. “Can you come out with me?” Xander held out his large hand.

I folded my arms. “I thought I was too sick to leave this room.”

His eyes flickered—guilt? I wondered, watching him carefully.

“That was for your safety,” he said carefully. “But you’re free now.”

But I was far from free.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

JORDAN

“Everyone, Jordan’s here,” Xander announced to the room.

Three heads turned toward me at the same time. Jasper smiled, Joe raised his eyebrows, and Caden was expressionless as usual.

“I already explained a little of the situation on the way here,” Xander continued. “But the short of it is that Jordan is now under my care, and not my father’s, on account of him being an abusive asshole.”

“What?” I blurted automatically before I could think better of it.

Xander shot me a fierce, silencing look as if threatening me with punishment if I dared to contradict him. It was such a far cry from the warmth he generally bestowed upon me that I felt as if I’d been plunged into an ice-cold bath. Numbly, I heard the conversation carry on without me.

Joe’s eyebrows shot up even further. “Why does Jordan need to be under anyone’s care?”

I once had a good working relationship with Joe because we’d been equals at the time, but facing down against him now, in a ratty T-shirt and leggings, I felt like the very worst sort of bottom-feeder. Subhuman.

God, was that a hole in the hem of my tunic?

“Because my father had her entered into a conservatorship after… an incident,” Xander replied. “But I’m going to replace him since he is unfit as a guardian.” He gave me one more look; it gave me a chill because I saw a shadow of Henry in it. “I’m in love with her, and that puts me in the best position to be in charge of her care.”

My shock was like a knife to the ribs. He had promised not to drag out our dirty secret before his brother or anyone else. At least not without my permission.

Joe was equally shocked as he took in Xander’s words. “You two are dating?” he asked, dumbfounded.