Breathe For Me (For Me 1: Xander)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.

Xander pounded his feet in time with his counts but still couldn't lose himself in the rhythm and relax mindlessly into the zone. His brain churned in a tight circle.

The new occupant of unit 1605 had been genuinely scared when he'd found her stuck in the stairwell like a head lights-hit bunny. Her pallor, the fear in her eyes had been too much for a little unexpected fire drill. But she'd gotten distracted--he'd seen to that. To the point that she'd touched him.Then the fear had flashed back. As if she'd thought she shouldn't have reached out. Well course she'd shouldn't. Not with that giant rock on her finger.

The fucking engagement ring.

What the hell was she doing coloring up around him, her body responding so swiftly when she was engaged? It hadn't been the chill tightening her nipples, it had been arousal. The look in her eyes had been pure sexual yearning and he--

"Tell us about the tee-shirt girl." Hunter interrupted his thoughts with a goading challenge.

"Nothing to tell." He pushed his pace a little faster, but his buddies easily stretched it out, keeping up with him.

"What tee-shirt?" Rocco asked.

"His Ski Summerhill one. You know. The one from last millennia," Hunter explained. "Some leggy brunette was wearing that and nothing else during the fire alarm last night."

"You let a chick hijack your favorite tee-shirt?" Logan laughed. "There's plenty to tell."

"There's nothing. She was swimming in the pool when the fire alarm went off." He frowned. He shouldn't have asked for his shirt back. Then he'd have reason to knock on her door again.

"After midnight?" Rocco asked.

"You mean that paddling pool," Logan snorted.

"It's not that small. There are very few apartment buildings with rooftop pools in the city, you know." Xander answered smartly, happy to veer the conversation away from her.

"If you were in my building you'd have a massive lap pool in the basement." Rocco drawled.

"I loathe indoor pools," Xander bit back."Especially ones locked underground."

"Your loss. I like the mirrors and the white, white tiles of my modernist masterpiece," Rocco said smugly, deliberately thickening his accent.

"Of course you like the mirrors, you're a vain perv." Xander growled.

"So she was swimming at night and filling out her swimsuit nice and tight, right?"

Damn Logan, he'd always been persistent.

"And you made a move?" Logan added.

"Shall we take this to the ring so I can beat the bullshit out of you?"

Xander heard the astonished bark of laughter from his cousin. Yeah, violence wasn't his thing and they all knew it. But he could do with some kind of fierce workout today--too much aggression was surging through his veins.

"Why the ring? Why not here?"

That'd be right. Hunter was always willing to take up a one-on-one violent challenge.

"What's her name?" Logan took them back to the topic again.

Xander damn well didn't know. And he itched to know everything. It wouldn't be hard to find out some. He'd installed the security systems of their apartment complex. He could access the files of everyone in the building if he wanted to.He'd get name, references, some details. But that didn't make it right. Spying wasn't his thing. Certainly not stalking.