Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I reached out and gave my friend a tight hug. He leaned his head on my shoulder. It was like we were kids again, walking home from school. Life was simple back then. Before our fathers climbed the political ladder to some of the highest heights. Before I faced my stalker and mortality, before Cass lost his mom. It was simple. Nice.
It made sense why people would want to rip open a hole in time and go to any point they could choose.
Xavier glanced up at the sky before he said, “I understand what you mean. I changed, too, when my mom died, I know that for sure. It didn’t happen at once. More like slow changes day by day as the grief reshaped me. The way I view the world is different. I’m grateful for every second, and I’m more open to loving people with all I’ve got, but another part of me turned sharper, more pessimistic. I wasn’t always like that. I tended to lean toward the brighter side of life, but that was before I saw the darkest side of it.” Xavier placed a hand on Cassius’ shoulder. “It’s okay, though. Changing is just another word for growing.”
Cass smiled at that. “You’re right.”
“Come on, let’s go find this Kalen guy before dinner. We can grab food at one of the restaurants around here.”
“Let’s,” I said, the three of us starting on our way.
The street we landed on had a bodega on the corner, the sidewalk shaded by a few spaced-out palm trees. Music played from an open window above the hair salon we walked past, people still staring at us in awe as they sat with their heads in dryers. One of the hairdressers had his phone out and snapped a few pictures.
“I love this part of town,” Xavier said.
“I can see why.” I admired the smooth white buildings and the bright pops of color through various different mosaics. There were lizards and hummingbirds and snakes and flowers, all brought to life with tiny tiles. None of the buildings were taller than three stories, and as we drew closer to the main street, the sounds of casual conversations from all the cafes and restaurants got louder. A French restaurant had the best-looking steak and frites, my mouth watering as we walked past. It was lively here. I liked that.
More than the food, though, I found myself liking this feeling that walking next to Xavier gave me. He was close enough at my side that our hands brushed together. The subtle touches threw me right back to being with Xavier, climbing onto his lap, feeling how badly he wanted me. Throbbing. Kissing. Groaning.
I’d been avoiding Xavier because the thought of that happening again made me so excited it verged on anxiety. But I decided I was done with that. There was nothing to be anxious about around Xavier.
But there were a whole lot of reasons to be excited around him. And I wanted to explore those reasons later tonight.
It was time my bodyguard stopped guarding and started pleasing.
Chapter 16
Timey Wimey
Xavier
Blake looked real handsome today. Not that he didn’t look good every day, but something about today had him glowing. Maybe it was the short ride I had taken him, or maybe it was just his inner shine breaking through the stress of the last few days. He smiled wide, his hair a little messed up from the wind but in a way that only made him more attractive. His bottom teeth were slightly crooked, just enough to enhance his appearance even more. Especially when framed by those plump, pink lips of his.
I found myself wanting to grab him, dip him down, and kiss him like a sailor coming back from sea. He had that kind of effect on me. And it wasn’t the only effect he had on me either, not by a long shot.
Being around Blake was asking for a perpetual hard-on. Which was complicated, considering that I had to be around him for my job. Even when I wasn’t necessarily on the clock—when he was safe with one of my siblings in the castle—I still wanted to be around him, and that made things even more complicated.
I wonder if he wouldn’t mind being locked up in my horde?
“This is the street where Kalen lives, right?” Cassius asked.
I glanced at the streetlight. Vineland Boulevard. “It should be.”
We stood on a residential street, more calm and quiet than the busier road we’d turned down from. When Cassius said he wanted to join this info hunt, I was initially skeptical. I didn’t want to show up at Kalen’s place with a full entourage. But he was a good talker and knew more about the starlight dagger than any of us did, which meant he might pick up on things that would have escaped Blake and me. Besides, I was a bodyguard, not a detective; I didn’t know proper protocols for this kind of shit.