WANT (Complete ✔️)

Chapter Eleven

Lia

Hudson Rexroth is a secret book lover. This room is drowning in books, the brown wooden bookcase is floor to ceiling holding books of all colors and thicknesses. It's like a little hideaway. The walls are decorated with renaissance paintings and the furniture is rococo designed. Expensive and intricate. I run my fingers along the countless spines resting in the bookcase, so many genres and textures, I'm fascinated.

The party is crazy and I had my share of fun, so I've escaped for some peace. After Nolee nearly stripping—Zack was fuming—I hid all the alcohol from her. I lost Sebastian when I helped Zack take Nolee to the kitchen to hydrate her. Blair jumped into the pool with a bunch of guys, much to Hudson's dismay.

The Song of Achilles and The Odyssey are really good. Anything to do with Greek Mythology, I'm like a simp.

Then a book catches my attention.

I love this book.

With the music just a soothing hum in the background, I read the blurb at the back. The memories flood back. Reading this book for the first time was a rollercoaster ride full of crazy emotions. I hated the hero, I loved the heroine. Then I loved the hero, felt sorry for the heroine. I was close to ripping the pages when the hero did and said horrible, unforgivable things to her.

"Reading at a party?"

Xavier's voice startles me. With a jittery heart, I twirl around to see Xavier leaning against the closed door, arms crossed and his stormy eyes blank.

"Needed a break from it."

Xavier steps closer until he's next to me, my sense of smell goes into meltdown. Xavier's scent is mouth-watering. Apple, mint, and cigarettes. I nibble on my lip, breathing in his scent. He smells like a dream. It's like a love potion.

"What are you reading?" Xavier looks over my shoulder.

My heart races with anxiousness at his addictive warmth.

"Bully."

Xavier looks like a dream.

"Have you read it?" An innocent question considering I doubt that he reads romance novels.

I glance back at him. He's really tall. Xavier shakes his head, his eyes finding mine, waiting for me to tell the story of the book.

"It's a messy story," I open the book, running my fingers along the pages, "They were best friends before he began bullying her, hurting her unforgivingly. He's so mean like at one point I wasn't even sure if I was ever going to fall for him. But he was contradictory. He bullied her but looked out for her too. He even made sure no guy ever touched her and yet he didn't want her for himself."

Jared's character angered me and confused me and made me love him endlessly.

Xavier listens intensively, his eyes serenely watching me as I blabber on.

"I was trying to understand his messed-up way for protecting her but I was left empty. But there was more behind him, something good, though I wondered if maybe that was just my natural desire to redeem the hero of this book but I was hooked."

I'm a weak girl when it comes to book heroes. I always end up falling for him no matter their personality. The hate for them is there but in the end, I'm a foolish lover.

"Their chemistry though was perfect. He respected her, despite everything he did, he never touched her without her consent. As cheesy as it sounds, he made my heart flutter. Once his story began unraveling, I finally understood his intentions. It was messed up but in a sweet messed up way."