Xander folded one arm behind his head and relaxed, letting his other hand play in her hair. It was funny. He hadn’t thought about that night back in KC in a long time, but now that he’d told Khaki what happened, he realized there’d been a weight sitting on his chest. It wasn’t gone completely, and probably never would be, but it was lighter than it had been. And it was all thanks to the amazing woman lying next to him.
Chapter 12
“So, why do you need clothes again?” Xander asked as Khaki dug through her panty drawer.
They’d had this conversation already, when she’d mentioned she wanted to come over to her place and pick up a few things. If he had his way, she would stay naked the whole weekend. While that was definitely an appealing thought, it was rather unrealistic. They could spend only so many hours having sex.
“Why do I need clothes?” she said as she found the black lacy pair she’d been looking for. “Two words—burned eggs.”
While she’d been making scrambled eggs in the nude this morning, he’d come up behind her, slipped his arms around her, and…well…one thing had led to another…and the eggs had turned into carbon.
“I suppose I can see your point,” he acquiesced. “As long as you don’t wear too much.”
She turned, dangling the skimpy black panties from her fingers. “These work okay for you?”
Xander eyed the tiny scrap of fabric. “Maybe.” He gave her a hungry look. “It might help me decide if you model them for me.”
She’d promised herself that she wasn’t going to let her libido get the best of her again—at least not for a few hours. But the moment Xander’s eyes started to smolder, his amazing scent wafted in her direction, and she knew it was hopeless. Just the thought of parading around in front of him in nothing but a pair of tiny panties had her pulse quickening.
“Turn around,” she insisted, pulling off her top, then unbuckling her belt. “Or you’ll blow the whole effect.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” he muttered, but turned around anyway. “I’m pretty sure we both know what effect seeing you in those things is going to have on me.”
Khaki quickly stripped out of her clothes and wiggled into the panties. She turned to paw through her bra drawer, searching for something to complete the ensemble when the doorbell rang.
“If you’re not expecting someone, I hope you plan on ignoring that,” Xander growled.
Khaki was more than ready to agree, but the doorbell rang again…and again…and again.
“I’d better answer it.” She grabbed her short robe and put it on. “It’s probably my neighbor Emma.”
Xander grumbled something she couldn’t make out. “I’ll give you exactly one minute, then I’m coming out—naked. So you better get rid of her fast.”
Khaki laughed as she hurried into the living room. She was still trying to come up with some way to get rid of Emma when she looked through the peephole.
“Oh, crap!”
Xander was at her side in a flash, eyes blazing and claws extended. “What is it? Is that asshole Jeremy back? I’ll fucking—”
Khaki turned and slapped a hand over his mouth. “Worse. It’s Cooper, Max, and Becker!”
He stared at her in confusion as she took her hand away. He lifted his nose a little and sniffed. “Shit,” he whispered. “I can’t smell anything over your… Well, over you. I didn’t even hear them.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Maybe they’ll just leave?” he asked hopefully.
That thought was dashed when one of her new teammates banged on the door.
“Hey, Khaki! It’s us,” Becker said. “Get your lazy butt out of bed and answer the door. No way are you lying around your first weekend off. We’re taking you on a tour of Dallas.”
She pushed Xander toward the bedroom, whispering as they went. “I’ll get rid of them, but you’ve got to hide.”
He agreed with a quick nod and looked around her bedroom before heading for her closet. She didn’t have a chance to tell him not to bother. He figured that out on his own when he opened it and saw that the tiny space wasn’t even big enough for her minimal amount of clothes, much less a guy his size.
“Khaki!” Cooper shouted. “You okay in there? What’s all the noise? Do you need help?”
“I’m fine,” she called out. “I’ll be right there.”
