Chapter 43: Chapter 43

XAVIER

“Mind if I join you?” My gaze traveled up her long body. Her full lips pulled into a flirty smile, her tanned legs exposed.

I shrugged and turned my gaze to my drink.

A smile perked at the corner of her lips. It did nothing for me. After Melody, I didn’t want anyone but her. I drank slowly and began to ponder things in my slightly drunken state.

I took a swig of whiskey and felt the liquid blaze down my throat. It was just what I needed tonight.

Gunner nudged me, encouraging me to get her a drink.

I shook my head. ~Not interested.~

~

I didn’t want or like meaningless sex and monotonous flirting anymore.

Gunner frowned. Ignoring him, I chugged my whiskey silently.

It had been two months since I’d gotten to know about my son, two months since I’d seen Melody, two months since my life had turned upside down.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? That was the third chick you turned down tonight.” His frown deepened.

I didn’t reply. If I’d been old Xavier, I would have jumped her bones without a second thought. I’d had my fair share of women, but Melody had ruined me for everyone.

Honestly, I had forgotten what sex felt like. It had been seven years and four months since I’d last had sex. I didn’t want to tarnish my last memory with Melody by bedding anyone else.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried after coming back from California, knowing she had moved on with a partner who loved her like she should have been loved.

I’d tried to move on. The second her lips had touched me, my stomach had revolted, and I’d pushed her away. That day, I’d known there was no way I could move on, and my dick had agreed with me.

Never in my life had I thought I would be a one-woman man. Even without Melody in my life, I was hers, and so was my dick.

I snorted at myself as I downed the whole glass of whiskey.

“Xavier.” A high-pitched voice pulled me out of my trance, and I turned my head toward it.

I hid my wince. She was one of my friends with benefits. We used to sleep together on a regular basis, but that had been before Melody.

She looked up at me from beneath her lashes and smiled seductively, throwing her arms around my neck and squeezing me. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Yeah, you too.” I gave her a forced smile and untangled her from my neck.

“So, want to catch up like old times?” She reached forward and trailed her hand along my arm. “It’s been a long time. I missed you.”

Her fingers traveled up my shirt and fluttered across my chin, and her mouth was a breath from mine.

I jerked my arm back and shook my head. “No more catching up. I’m sorry.” I gave her apologetic eyes.

Her eyes widened, and she gave me a puzzled look because I had never rejected her advances. She frowned.

“It’s okay. See you again, Xavier.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek and headed to the dance floor.

“What in the fuck is wrong with you? You rejected her offer,” Gunner said, glaring at me. “You’re still hung up on—”

“Don’t,” I growled, and my eyes flashed. I was so angry right now that I could very well have killed him. I raised a glass of whiskey to my mouth and swallowed.

“Sorry. I’m just saying you need to get laid if you want to move on. It will help you to get her out of your system. There are many girls; look around.”

He stopped and narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute. When was the last time you got laid? Huh?”

“What?” I asked. I couldn’t seem to force myself to focus on anything after the dream last night because my mind only traveled to one thing.

~No way~ I thought to myself.

~

I craved her, and my arms missed holding her. I missed kissing her. I missed the light that she’d brought to my life.

“My dear Xavier, I’m asking when was the last time you fucked someone?” he mocked.

I sat quietly for a moment longer, swirling the glass of whiskey in my hand, debating whether I should tell him or not.

I downed the remaining whiskey and slammed the crystal glass down on the bar.

“Last time I made love, she wasn’t a fuck girl. She was a girl to make love to slowly, passionately.” I smiled at the memory of the last time we’d made love.

It had been quite intense too, but it was a memory that hurt like hell. After that night, everything had changed.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking around at the crowd.

“Nothing.” I shook my head and motioned for the bartender

“Yes, sir?”

“Bring something strong,” I said, giving him my card.

“What do you mean, ‘Nothing’? When was the last time?” He was almost yelling at me.

I was pissed off, that was for damn sure, at his lecturing me every day, saying I should move on, I should forget her.

My body shook, and I barely managed to control the anger threatening to roll off my body. I pulled in a deep breath, then downed the rest of the whiskey. I finally turned to him.

“Seven years ago, the last time I made love to Melody. I haven’t fucked anyone since her.”

This time, he choked on his drink and spat, then was about to say something.

“Don’t you think I tried to move on or tried to fuck someone? I tried, but it didn’t work.

“Every time I kiss someone, I see her face, how devastated she was when that bitch told her she was pregnant with my baby. I’ve seen her break down; I’ve seen her crying, thinking I cheated on her.”

He stiffened, but I continued. “If it wasn’t for Lisa and my baby, Melody would have been with me. She was the only one for me. she was my happiness; she was my world. I am nothing without her.

“Long story short, I tried—I fucking tried—to get laid, to fuck someone so I can move on or forget her, forget the pain that’s killing me every day. I’m dying every day, little by little.

“Who’s to blame for that? Only me,” I sneered in his face. The hurt I had buried inside burned as I began to pour my heart out. I didn’t regret saying anything. It had been a long time coming.

Cole and Stefan looked at me with sympathy. I had never been one to break down or cry, but I had cried in front of them as soon as I’d landed in New York and we’d met at my office.

When I glared at them, they looked back down at their phones.

Soon after Lisa had left the room that day, I scrolled every security camera to see what had happened. I’d finally found the footage of them.

They were talking in my back lawn. I’d seen everything. I’d heard everything they said, and I’d seen her reaction when Lisa told her she was pregnant.

I’d seen her heart breaking into a thousand pieces. I had hurt her in the worst way possible, and I had to live with knowing I’d done that.

I’d hurt the girl I loved with all my heart and soul…

“What the fuck?” Cole hissed under his breath.

We all three looked in his direction. His eyes were glued to his phone, then he lifted his head and gaped at me.

“What?” I asked.

He turned the screen of his phone so I could see what he was seeing. My eyes widened, and my confusion mixed with anger as I stared at the picture with a bold headline in front of my eyes.

Matthew Davis had been sighted with another lady in his arms.

Surely, the girl in his arms wasn’t Melody. I read the whole article. It said the rumor was they’d broken up last month, but no one was confirming the news.

“How…” Shock prevented me from finishing the question. I stared at the picture again. Was he cheating on her, or had they really broken up?

My mind was whirling as I thought about what this meant for me. Did this mean I could ask her to give me one more chance? But would she accept me with Mila?

I shook my head. I still didn’t know if they had broken up or not. I looked at Gunner, then Cole, and last, Stefan. They all were looking at me, thinking the same thought I’d had a few minutes ago.

“If you don’t want her, I want—”

My head snapped toward Cole before he could finish his sentence. He had been obsessively following Melody on social media since the night he’d met her at the club.

Maybe he was still looking for her, and that was how he’d found the news.

My fists clenched. My teeth ground. I hissed through clenched teeth, “Stay the fuck away from her.”

“You can say that to me, but what about others? How are you going to stop them?” he mocked.

“Have you seen the way boys look at her? She’s everything a man wants in his woman. She’s smart, sexy as hell, and kind. She’s become a well-known face after getting engaged to the quarterback.

“People have been following her on social media, paparazzi follow her, and now she’s finally single, but she won’t be forever.”

I could feel possessive fury ripping through my body. “She’s mine.” I growled, then I thought, ~Do I deserve her?~

~No! Hell no!~

~

She was better off without me, but the thought of her with someone else made my blood boil.

***

It was 2 a.m. when I reached home after driving aimlessly for hours. I stopped and opened the door of Mila’s room. She was sleeping peacefully.

My heart ached at the thought of her growing up without her mother, but it was only for the best. Her mother was poison and would poison Mila’s heart and soul one day.

After coming back from California, the first thing I’d done was to change her cross pendant after she’d gone into the shower.

After that, I’d given her the custody papers to sign. She’d ignored them, as we all had known she would. She’d told me she would upload the video to the internet to go viral, and had fucking tried.

When she’d found her pen drive empty, she’d gone all crazy, throwing everything she could get at me.

Her pen drive had been helpful in many ways. She had been threatening a few of my clients too. They’d come forward to help me. She’d sighed and had given me sole custody of Mila.

The clients filed reports against her, and the cops came and arrested her for threatening and pressuring them.

Her parents had come storming another day, asking me how I could do this. I had been too fucking angry at them. How could they have done this to their own daughter?

It had turned out Melody wasn’t their blood. They’d adopted her when she was only a five-month-old because her parents had died in an accident while they were returning from a date.

Melody’s parents had been their friends, so they’d left Melody with them for a few hours.

After I’d told them what had really happened with Melody because of Lisa, Jake had been the one who’d looked the most affected.

I’d seen he cared for her, but not enough to get in touch with her.

Nick had stood without any emotion in his face, and Mr. and Mrs. Adam had looked down like they were ashamed of their behavior, and they should have been.

I walked back to my room with my hand firmly placed in my pocket, holding the necklace that I’d bought and had given her when we’d spent a day out before returning to the same hotel room where we’d hooked up the year before.

^SEVEN YEARS AGO^

~“Ready to go?” I whispered huskily in her ear, biting the earlobe. She moaned and ground her ass harder on my crotch. We had been dancing here in the club for more than an hour.~

~

~It was getting hard to control myself the way her ass was grinding in my crotch. It felt like I would come in my pants.~

~

~I gripped her ass and squeezed hard. “If we don’t leave this floor, I’m going to fuck you here and now,” I growled in her ear, and her body tightened in response.~

~

~I grinned and nipped her ears. “You like the idea, don’t you?” My hand slipped under her dress, and I groaned when my finger touched her bare pussy.~

~

Fuck, she is going to be the death of me.

~“You have been bare under this dress all night,” I whispered.~

~

~She nodded, moaning as my finger rubbed around her clit. “Tell me, do you want me to fuck you here in front of everyone?” I growled, my finger playing with her clit.~

~

~She moaned, and her deep inhales grew stronger, her heavy breaths telling me she wanted me to claim her in front of everyone. “Naughty girl.” I pinched her clit, and she moaned loudly.~

~

~“As much as I like the idea of claiming you here in front of everyone,”—I yanked my hand out of her dress, and she whimpered—“I won’t, because your pussy, your every moan, every whimper, every grunt, your expression, are mine to hear and see.”~

~

~I growled and dragged her with me to the exit, and giving a final nod to Gunner, I left with her in my arms. Dan’s eyes were on us while he was talking—or I should say flirting—with the bartender.~

~

~“Baby, we can’t go home together,” she slurred as soon as she settled in the passenger seat.~

~

~My heart warmed up at the way she said, “home”; one day, it would be our home.~

~

~“We aren’t going home, baby,” I told her and gunned the engine.~

~

~My hands were fucking itching to touch her bare pussy, and I wanted to taste her, but I kept my hands on the steering wheel, keeping my eyes on the road.~

~

~“Where are we going?” she purred. I glanced her way. That was a fucking mistake.~

~

~Her knees were bent, and her feet were on the seat. Her hands were on her pussy, her fingers playing, teasing her clit.~

~

~I growled, and she smirked and shoved two fingers in her holes and gasped. “Baby, where are we going, then?” she moaned.~

~

Fuck! She’s drunk!

~“What the fuck are you doing?” I growled as I looked at the road again.~

~

~“I want you,” she whined and started pumping her fingers in and out. I could hear how wet she was.~

~

Fuck!

~It was taking everything in me not to pull the car over and fuck her like she craved. Her eyes closed and her face flushed. I grabbed her hand when I felt her body tighten. She was close.~

~

~I brought her finger to my mouth and licked it, tasting her sweet honey.

~

Fucking hell! She’s a drug I can’t get enough of.

~I groaned, swirling my tongue around her finger. “This is the last time you will touch yourself.” I cupped her pussy with my free hand without taking my eyes off the road.~

~

~This pussy is mine, mine to fuck, mine to eat, mine to finger. You are mine; so are your orgasms.

~

~“Only I can make you cum, because your every orgasm is mine. Understood?” I asked as my finger teased her entrance.~

~

~She moaned and nodded, her eyes still closed. “Words, baby. I want to hear words. Whose pussy is that?” My thumb rolled on her clit.~

~

~“Yours. My pussy is yours,” she moaned.~

~

~“And who can make you cum?” I shoved my finger in. She whimpered and started fucking herself on my finger.~

~

~“You. Only you can make me cum,” she gasped. I pulled my finger out and licked it clean.~

~

~I wanted nothing more than to keep going, but we needed to stop because we were getting closer to our destination.~

~

~“Good. Now sit like a good girl,” I growled, adjusting myself in the seat again.~

~

~She tried to reach for my pants, and I grabbed her hand. “Not now,” I growled.~

~

~She pouted, making her pouty lips pucker out like a child whose candy had been snatched from her. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.~

~

~I pulled over to the parking lot and hopped out, then walked around to open the door for her. She looked at me, amazed, then a shy grin appeared on her face.~

~

~Without a word, we walked to the entrance, hand in hand. I remembered how nervous she had been when we’d come here a year ago.~

~

~Her hands had been literally shaking. I’d asked her again and again if she was sure, but I had been secretly hoping for yes.~

~

~After getting the key to the room, we walked into the elevator. As the door closed, we gazed into each other’s eyes, remembering everything that had happened a year ago.~

~

~She stared at me with passion, her face and body blushing red with desire.~

~

~I didn’t know who moved first. All I knew was I was kissing her with all the passion and hunger of a starving man. She met each and every push and pull that I delivered.~

~

~I kissed her low and slow, tasting her lips, her tongue, my fist in her hair.~

~

~She had been driving me crazy, looking so fucking sexy in that little black dress. I bet she knew what this dress was doing to me.~

~

~Her top was cut low enough to show off a bit of her perfect little breasts, and they were driving me absolutely wild. The dress clung to her body, showing off her curves.~

~

~It was appealing, it was erotic, and I needed it so badly I could barely breathe.

~