The Creation (Book III)

(26) Present: 2024

                                                                       (26) Present: 2024

Seeing Xavier standing in front of me made my joints lock into place. I was terrified, but not of him. I was terrified he might do something he agreed he wouldn't do, and I was terrified I was about to lose our relationship just like that. I wanted for his brutal words, or to be shoved aside as he went to finish Liam off in a blind rage.

But he didn't.

Xavier stood there, he eyes roaming over my face in an almost warming way.

"It's not what it looks like," I tried to explain myself, hoping Xavier didn't think I ran down there for something more than a final goodbye.

He looked over my face and brushed a short stand of hair from my eyes. "I know."

"What?" I was confused by his calmness.

Xavier brushed his fingers across my cheek and gave a faint smile, even though I could tell it hurt from having cuts and bruises still across his face. "I didn't hear everything, but I heard the last bit."

"Oh."

I still didn't understand why he wasn't reacting with anger. He always reacted with anger. But instead his arms wrapped firmly around me and he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "I don't deserve you," he mumbled against my skin.

My arms wrapped tightly around his waist and I buried my face in his chest. This position wasn't something we ever really did, not unless it led to more physical things. But Xavier wasn't acting passionate; he was acting loving. We just stood there for several minutes holding each other, though I did feel Xavier occasionally press his lips against my neck.

As incredibly sweet and comforting as this moment was, I still had one question. "Why did you come into the house?" I asked. It didn't matter if he didn't storm down the stairs and kill Liam; he didn't stay in the guest house as I asked him to.

Xavier straightened up so he could look at me, his brows slightly pushed together in guilt. "You were gone over an hour and I was concerned Liam was unstable enough to hurt you."

My eyes scanned his face for any sign of a lie, but he didn't even look like he was trying to conceal anything. I pressed my hand gently against his face, careful not to touch his already-healing injuries and smiled softly. "I think it's time we put this behind us. I take back what I said about you being in the same room as him. I don't want that. I want us to move forward and put the past twenty-four hours behind us."

Xavier immediately pressed his lips to my cheek and tightened his arms around me. "Thank God. I may be a changed man but I'm still a jealous one."

I looked up at him with a teasing smile. "You shouldn't be jealous of him. You win every time."

"...I'm not usually a self-conscious man, but I do wonder..."

My brow shot up. "What?"

"When it comes to the bedroom..."

I almost burst out laughing simply because it seemed to be Xavier's biggest concern. I pulled him down to my level so no one could overhear us. "You win. Every time."

This brought a massive grin to his face and he immediately pressed his lips to my forehead. "Speaking of..."

I fought giving him an eye-roll. Leave it to Xavier to have just been through one of the most brutal fights in his existence as well as an emotional night, and the first thing he hints to is sex. "Xavier, you are barely walking without wincing."