“YOU HAD HIM VETTED, right?”
Rob turned at the sound of Karlee’s voice. It was the next morning, the day after the sing-along with Xavier, Rob and Spencer. An afternoon she expected to be a trivial, but good time. A bit of a mind-fuck for Xavier perhaps. She knew he’d be eternally grateful and awed by it. Karlee was thrilled she could give him such an experience, even if she saw it as a minor incident in her life. She wasn’t doing anything brave, and it was literally very easy for her. All she had to do was walk across the yard and ask her favorite person in the world for ten minutes of his time. Not exactly the behavior of a courageous warrior.
What Xavier found so incredible and intimidating really wasn’t. To Karlee, it was ordinary and easy. It was Rob. She could ask anything of him and she totally knew that. She counted on it when she’d asked him. He’d been shocked and had given her a sharp look that suggested later they’d be having a conversation about Xavier and her. Several times as Xavier played “Joelle,” Rob had gazed at her with a strange look, obviously trying to gauge her reaction to Xavier. It was something he’d failed to do because even she didn’t know.
“Who? Xavier?”
“Yes. You had a full work-up on him, I presumed. Or I wouldn’t have gone to his apartment in the beginning. And he wouldn’t have come here. Eric must have not seen any red flags around him. He checked out, right?”
Rob set down the broom and dustpan he’d used to sweep up the laundry room of the mud tracks. Karlee assumed Rob made them and was trying to remove them before her mother saw them. She bit her lip to keep from smiling as Rob clumsily tried to get all the mess swept off with the broom. He worked diligently but stopped to glance her way.
“You know the drill. Yes, whenever contact with the family is necessary, we have to do a full background check. When you guys got friendly, and it went beyond your school project, Eric delved a bit deeper. Why?”
“What did you find?”
He tossed her a careful glance. “You don’t often ask me that question.”
“This time I want to know.”
“Okay… There were no red flags. He comes from a poor family and his mom died of a drug overdose. Dad has a dead-end job he detests. History of a few domestic violence calls from what appeared to be more than a few wives. Doesn’t seem like a very good guy. Also a few calls about Xavier. I’m sorry. Two of his teachers were concerned when he had bruises and one thought he wasn’t eating regularly. No charges were ever filed and he wasn’t removed from his father’s custody. He earned fair to good grades. Started working at the age of sixteen. Had to support himself. Not too popular at school. Learned how to survive. No classes with you until Geology 101 when you randomly got partnered on the partner project. Seems to have found you for real, Karlee. Is that what you’re asking me? Confirmation?”
“Maybe.”
“I can’t find anything to suggest otherwise. Eric told me to leave him alone. The guards are there for you, but there were no red flags or any alarms. However, as a father, I might need some more…” Sweeping most of the dirt into the dustpan, Rob rose to his feet and walked to the back door. He opened it and tossed out the debris, banging the dustpan against the house before shutting it and giving her his full attention. “Is there something more I should know?”
“He told me a version of that. Except for his dad’s violence. Well, you get things…”
Rob sighed. “You’re more than friends?”
“We’re very new and both unsure. There’s no reason to get weird about it. We are honestly friends, first and foremost, before everything else.”
He opened the closet and put the broom and dustpan away. “I know. I’ve heard you two talking and laughing when you’re together. You seem to get along pretty well.”
“Better than I do with almost anyone.”
“Except me?” Rob asked, lifting his eyebrows with an expression of hope.
“Gross. I’m twenty now. I need to get along with people my own age. Not my stepdad.”
“I know. I already had to accept Jim, then Eric, and then Jim again. Now am I being asked to accept Xavier?”
“You didn’t accept Jim the first time around.”
“True. But I kept quiet about it.”
“You and Kayla teased him mercilessly.”
“You did a little bit too.”
“A little bit. Jim’s cool. Once you get past his reticence, he’s got a good heart.”
“You’ve always been a pretty cool customer with new people. You can see past all their small talk, charm, and manners that aren’t deep or real. I’ve watched you for years when you get standoffish to people and I’d wonder why only to realize later on you were right. The people you saw through were narcissists, or had disordered personalities, or were just the usual opportunists.”
“Yes, and Jim was always genuine, even if he hid some things, he was always decent and honest.”
“And in Xavier? Do you see decency and honesty?”
“I do. But…” Blushing, she turned to enter the kitchen with Rob right behind her. “I’m maybe not as neutral and unbiased with him as I am with others.”
There was a sound from the opposite kitchen entrance as her mom entered. “Did you get it cleaned up?” Rebecca asked, her hands on her hips.
Oh? So Rob wasn’t covering his mess; he was being punished for some transgression.
“Yes, ma’am.” Smiling a huge, impossible-to-resist grin, he walked over and kissed her cheek. “All clean now.”
“Don’t give me that smile. You purposely left it for me to sweep up. Too lazy to take care of your own mess last night.”
“I was so excited. I had to tell you about…” His eyes glowed as he stared into Rebecca’s eyes before turning back to Karlee.
“Xavier?” Karlee supplied when he didn’t finish. She tilted her head with amazement. He told her mom?
“Yes.” Rob released Rebecca who kept her hand on his tattooed arm. They reminded her of yin and yang. Rebecca was red-haired, pale-skinned, freckled and wholesome. Rob had swirls of arm-sleeve tattoos and even some piercings. His swarthy skin, shaggy locks and facial hair that vacillated from goatees to full beards sometimes looked really scruffy. But they shared an abundance of love. So damn much of it.
Karlee flopped onto one of the breakfast bar stools, sighing. Here in their ordinary home, she looked out the windows at all their green shrubs, lawn and trees. There were tons of them. That was their entire view. The world that Rob existed as an icon in, a living legend, just didn’t exist here. Karlee’s thoughts, feelings and images of Rob and her family were about as ordinary and common as the next person’s. Even toward herself. She had to remind herself that people saw her as a vehicle to a rock star and anyone could use her to get to him. Or hurt her to hurt him. People also spread nasty, terrible rumors and who knew what else? But here in the kitchen, the five of them, or now, with her brothers-in-law, the seven of them, comprised her whole family. They were not unusual. They were happily ordinary. The city was far away. Along with most of the people. And the fame. No conspicuous consumption of wealth or drugs or anything else that fame offered to seduce the naïve and the innocent.
“Karlee, are you guys dating now?”
Taking the salt shaker, a little, plastic one that her mom bought at the grocery store, Karlee thought how ordinary everything was. She flipped the shaker over and back. Twisting her fingers, she sighed before replying.
“Yes. Yeah. I think we are. It’s new. Still so new. We’re barely more than friends. So don’t get freaked out. But…”
“But what?”
Her mom came closer and leaned against the counter.
“But I don’t know. I just haven’t…” She was so lame, she hadn’t dated much. No real boyfriends. She didn’t even know how to ask Xavier if he considered himself her boyfriend. She was too scared to ask. What if he didn’t? What if it was no more than casual fun? But nothing about him struck her that way.
“No. Rob said he was well-vetted and didn’t come into your life by any maneuvering on his part. Right? One of the few people that you have proof of that.”
She perked up. “That’s true. What a relief that I don’t have to doubt everything he says, based just on that. Especially once…”
Rob sat on the counter near her mom, swinging his legs. “Considering his voice. His guitar playing abilities. Yeah, I’d have good reason to worry enough to triple-check his background and stuff, but we met totally by random when the professor assigned us to work on a project. Eric checked the list and later asked the professor who stated unequivocally that no money was exchanged and there was nothing suspicious about her actions and no abrupt changes in her lifestyle occurred.”
Startled to hear that, Karlee’s mouth dropped open. “You checked to see if he blackmailed our professor?” Karlee never imagined they were that thorough.
Rob shrugged nonchalantly as if it were normal. “Yeah.”
Shaking her head, she tapped her finger on the salt shaker. “I had no idea you guys dug that deep.”
“When people out of nowhere suddenly get close to any of us, they need special vetting. Xavier had no past ties to music, Karlee. Nothing in high school. Never in a choir. No music lessons. No bands. Not even a garage band. Nothing. That’s the only thing we knew nothing about. If Xavier sang, he did it all by himself.”
“Yes. In the shed in his backyard. Because he didn’t even have a bedroom. He had to sleep on the couch and his creepy dad charged him for rent and food.”
“Yeah, he seemed like a real bastard.”
“But music isn’t his career focus. He wasn’t intending to actually pursue it.”
“No. He majored in business classes. Pretty good grades. A list of menial jobs: dishwasher, fast food service worker, even a janitor for a while. Nothing too alarming. Serving coffee now.
“So, should I trust him?”
“I think by now you should trust him as far as anyone would trust someone they like to spend time with.”
She nodded. “Fair enough.”
Rob tilted his head. “How did you wind up in my studio?”
“We were hanging around. I asked him to come out when I saw you go in there. He’s a fan and I knew it would make him happy. And it did. He was really scared and too intimidated to enter at first. Thought I should knock and not disturb you or interfere with the artistic process. He wanted me to be respectful. Obviously, he failed to see that you’re…” Shrugging, she rolled her eyes, “my stepdad, Rob. Meaning, you’re no one I’m scared or shy to be around.”
“A lot of people can’t see beyond the public image so they don’t realize that people are just people.”
“Duh. Not new to this.” She winced. “Sorry; that was rude.” She sometimes went too far with her sarcasm. She’d been chastised more than once in her life for her impudent tone. They were her parents, after all, not her friends.
“No, you’re right. You’re not new to any of this. And you never actually brought someone to watch me in the studio before. You acted differently too so I knew he was important to you. That’s okay, Karlee. To think someone is important.”
“Okay, fine. He is.”
“What did you know about his singing voice?”
“He sang a few lines of an advertising jingle for his marketing class. I’ve seen his schedule; he does have a marketing class. It was only two lines, but I heard how good it was from that. He lied to me at first and said he wasn’t aware of his voice being any good. Then, ten minutes later, out of nowhere, he said he lied. He admitted that he did like singing and playing the guitar, but he only did it all alone in his dad’s shed and no one ever knew about it. He could cover your songs like a pro.” She smiled to herself, remembering the adamant way he protested. “And he’d never play those covers for me because of you.”
“He never asked to come see my studio? Me and Spencer? Anything?”
“No. Never. You saw his nervous anxiety. That wasn’t fake.”
“No, he was a real mess. I thought he might pass out or puke. When he came into the studio, his eyes were so glassy when he scanned everything in the room. He was clearly impressed but also intimidated.”
“Yeah. I tried to tease him to make him more comfortable, but he didn’t relax. He couldn’t with you and Spencer right there.”
“So you really had to push him to sing with us?”
“Yes. I had no idea he’d be so reluctant. I thought he’d be fine, just a cover, you know, but then…”
“Yeah. Then!” Rob nodded and her heart fluttered as her stomach warmed. His tone said volumes; Xavier really was special. Different. And for some reason, she was feeling proud. Why? She had nothing to do with his voice or his talent, except to expose them to Rob. She was so relieved that Rob agreed with her after he saw and heard Xavier. Why? What could Xavier possibly do with his gift? What could it mean?
“It seems he’s just a grown kid who sang alone all his life and never thought he’d actually get to meet the idols he emulated and learned from.”
“Yeah. Seems so.” She peeked at him and asked, “You really saw the talent there?”
“Damn. Yeah. I told your mom, I haven’t heard someone as good as him in years. Miles above what people consider great. He was phenomenal.”
Her mom touched his hand. “Like you.”
Rob shrugged. “Well, I used to sing all alone in my room, too. So maybe.”
“So, now what?” Karlee prompted.
“I don’t know. I thought about it all last night. He’s exceptionally good, Karlee. But he’s also your friend. I don’t want to push this if you don’t want it. I’ll stay out of it and just be your stepdad like I usually am.”
“But how can we turn our backs on his talent? It’s raw genius. A rare gift waiting to be unveiled. How can we not provide the means to reveal that talent?”
“I agree. I just don’t know how far to take it.”
She glanced at her mom and then at Rob. “We have to do something. That’s all I can think about right now.”
Rob nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
“Maybe you should also ask Xavier,” Rebecca reasonably suggested. They all shared a smile and laughed.
“Okay. I’ll talk to him. See if he has any interest in that direction. We’ll see…” Karlee replied.
“We’ll see,” repeated Rob. They shared a look and something lifted off her chest. Sliding to her feet, Karlee spontaneously hugged both of her parents. She rarely did such things. They gave her a squeeze.
“Thank you,” Karlee said softly.
“For what?” her mom asked.
“Not turning this into some kind of… I don’t know… some kind of thing about me. Like you have to control the guys I date and what he might do. But instead, you both see someone with a rare talent and agree we should help him pursue and polish it. Help him hone it. If nothing else, we could help him develop it.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Rob asked.
“It’s all I could think about last night.”
Rob left with a peck on Karlee’s cheek and her heart nearly sang as she all but skipped upstairs. Karlee Randall never skipped before because of a guy. Not after her first kiss or her second, or her first make-out session or dance or prom or date or even after sex. Never.
But now she felt giddy.
Lying there for half the night, she was dreaming of Xavier. Remembering their day like a long movie she never wanted to forget. Each line. Each word. Each feeling. How she felt when she watched him sing and perform. His sexiness that burst through her like a lightning bolt, and the uncanny sense of connection to him when his voice became an extension of the deepest part of her soul.
But those stubborn doubts and the familiar worry of being used bobbed up again. Knowing how well he could sing and Rob being her stepdad always created doubt. She detested doubts. Punching her pillow, she longed to ban them from her thoughts and daydreams. Why couldn’t she just be ordinary? Rob pointed out so many of her own concerns that she was already thinking…
Maybe she could have a boyfriend who also sang in a band.
What a freaking, shocking trip and totally unpredicted development. For all of them.
It would have to be the strangest occurrence and most pivotal turning point.
And maybe that was just the start.
They were fighting. Their first quarrel. And in the heat of it, Xavier forgot all about his plan.
Torn and embarrassed, he turned his head from Karlee. She sat at a table in the café while he was working. It was quiet so he sat with her for a few moments. Crossing his arms over his apron, he stared out the window. She insisted they go to an expensive concert. One he refused several times before she got annoyed. Answering her in a heated tone, he said, “I want to go. I want to do everything with you. I just don’t have any extra money, okay? Everything I earn pays for my substandard lifestyle.”
His angry tone and sharp words made her jerk her neck back. “Oh, God, Xavier. I wasn’t expecting you to take me. You don’t have to pay for it. I planned to take you. I mean, I understand how things are…”
He looked back at her, feeling reckless and further annoyed at her assumptions. She had no idea of “how things are.”
“Yeah? And how are things anyway?”
She sighed. “I knew this would go sideways fast.” Straightening up, she leaned back into the seat and matched his posture, crossing her arms over her chest. Feeling vindictive, he glared at her chest as if it suddenly offended him.
“Fine. Let’s be honest. I can’t pussyfoot around your fragile ego. We both know I come from money. You don’t. I have access to it. You don’t. It’s not fair.” She waved her hand around the air before her. “Obviously. But so what? You’ve worked hard for years and managed to accumulate so little, while I’ve never even held a job. Nothing. Nada. I barely passed school and hated it. I’m a spoiled princess and you’re a hardworking, noble hero. No doubt. Now at least, I take school more seriously and I’m grateful for it. See? I can learn how to appreciate things. But I can’t undo my privilege.”
“You don’t even realize how much privilege you take for granted.”
“No. I guess I don’t. But if this attitude of yours and incessant anger become a reoccurring theme, then… I guess that’s it, huh?”
Xavier didn’t answer but glared and shrugged petulantly.
“Fine. There’s nothing we can do. No solution. I’ll leave.” Pushing herself away from the table, she rose to her feet and in one second flat, started for the door. Karlee was like that, always cut and dried. It took him a second to realize she actually intended to leave.
Rushing to his feet, he followed her. Her two guards also got to their feet and were hot on her heels. He had to elbow-jab them out of the way to grab her. He caught her around the waist and hauled her back against him. Her spine followed his body contours as he pressed her against him tightly. “You’re such an idiot.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
He smiled and buried his face into her hair as he said, “I know. Don’t go.”
She let him nuzzle her hair for a second before she straightened up and turned in his arms to push him away. “I’m not going to spend anymore of my time spinning in circles. If you can’t deal with the money I have, then you can’t deal with me. I mean, nothing can ever change that. I feel guilty. Okay? I don’t know what that does to you. But crawling on my knees to beg you to forgive me for my position in life doesn’t change a thing for you. So…”
“So quit being an asshole about it?”
She tilted her head. “Duh. Ya think? How about not being an asshole in general?”
“I’m sorry. I’m tired. I stayed up too late working on my physics paper. Then I had three classes today and work tonight. It just hits me all at once sometimes.”
“Okay. Fair enough. Then I show up all rosy and fresh with plenty of sleep and a flexible, easy schedule, toting two bodyguards and spewing out the latest stories of my dad’s rock band. I understand someone’s need to snap at that. I would too. I don’t have any other solution. Here it is. We either deal with it or forget whatever this is and what we are trying to do. I mean, I guess we are…”
Her fading words were the first real sign of her insecurity. He pounced on it. “We are. I can’t guarantee this won’t happen again. I often get tired and cranky and shallow. Can’t be on point and thinking fairly every day.”
“I could be more understanding if my guilt were under control. This is so frustrating because I can’t do anything about our financial differences and I feel guilty for that. You’re overworked and always tired and I’m not. Sometimes it’s easier not to be around you than to feel that way.”
He never considered that. “Oh. I didn’t realize you felt like that. I can see it. But I don’t want you to stop seeing me because of it. I mean…”
“Yeah? I mean the same thing. Let’s both agree it’s kind of hard. Of course, you’re resentful when you feel tired and overworked and stressed out when I’m not.”
“And, of course, you feel guilty for not being able to help it. It’s not like you can choose which man your mom chose for a life mate.”
“I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Don’t forget that. My life is actually quite good. My parents and sisters mean everything to me; and there isn’t any need for me to rebel or change. You might resent that too. I guess we each have some feelings we should learn to control. If we can’t, then we shouldn’t bother to be together anymore.”
“I can. I want to bother. But maybe we can allow some moments of fucking up? And you don’t have to leave me based on one or two moments. You are epically cut and dried in your actions. Black and white. This side or that side…”
She smiled, looking chagrined and glanced away. “Yes. I am. I confess it.”
He leaned over and kissed her mouth quickly. “I consider it a strength that keeps you from being wishy-washy. I like that. I just might need a moment or two here and there. But if you are willing to bear with me during those moments, we can probably find our way through this.”
“Through? To what?” Her face turned forward and he stood close, holding her chin and rubbing his thumb along the delicate bone of her jaw. She really was pretty. The spray of freckles over her nose and on her cheeks was attractive. Her bright blue eyes were clear and direct and staring at him. No stars in her eyes. No rosy-hued, lovesick, puppy eyes for this girl. Karlee’s eyes were cool and strong. Her emotions weren’t easily revealed, but when they were, they showed passion. She was loyal to a fault. There was no in-between with her. She could be brutal to herself as well as others. Clear about the right path to take. She would have walked away if he waffled after she questioned whether or not he could get used to her abundant wealth. She wished he would stop being a jerk about their disparities. Never mind her guilt, she wouldn’t tolerate shitty behavior and he had to show her respect. She was strong, direct and caring. All of her attributes made for an enticing, interesting combination. Xavier never knew anyone like her.
It was his luck she was the one person he had preconceived plans for. His prior expectations regarding her made him grateful for her honesty. Karlee Randall might have been the only rich, luxury-indulged kid, surrounded by fame and fortune that he could respect and truly admire. Damn. He wished he didn’t like her so much. It would all be so much easier if she were shallow, spoiled, and rude as he’d originally expected.
Karlee garnered his respect, interest, and yeah, some of his emotions. She had them in spades. His past bitter experience taught him to stuff his precious thoughts deep inside without making any decisions and that included right now.
“To us. I think. Right? Being together? I mean, I like being around you. I think about you when I’m not with you. That’s why I text you so often.”
She smiled. “You do text me a lot.”
Several times a day, Xavier liked to drop her a line of his observations for fun or just to connect. She wasn’t much of a communicator. She usually replied with blunt, succinct, short responses. Yes. No. K. Maybe. C U. Bye. Literally, as brief as possible. It was a source of fun he liked to tease her with. He liked to goad and coax her. He wondered how to get her heart to come his way. She was not easy at all.
When she did finally relent, he felt like he climbed a gigantic mountain. The pleasure he got from her wasn’t fake. It actually freaked him out. It also made him realign his strategy. He had to decide what his goals were and keep everything in check.
“Karlee, could you give me something back here?”
She smiled and turned away. “Yes. I think about you too. I want to be around you. But then I get swamped by all my questions… I think… it’s because—”
“Because?” he prompted, lowering his face just a few inches until he was right in her line of sight. She couldn’t avoid eye contact anymore. She was hard to pin down when she didn’t want to admit something. Like now. But he needed for her to voice her thoughts. To commit to him. For many reasons. Zenith and Rob and his connection were one. But now maybe the real reason was because of how she was and how he felt with her.
“Because I’ve never been in a relationship that mattered to me before.”
“Relationship? Meaning with a guy? With me?” he queried.
“Yes. Duh. You.”
Duh. She rolled her eyes at him as she uttered it. Only Karlee would dedicate her heart to him and scoff while clarifying what she thought was totally obvious.
“I haven’t either,” he replied with a small smile.
“What? Been in a relationship with a guy?”
He finally smiled. “Maybe I have but not with a girl. Seems a guy would be a lot easier.”
“It might. I wouldn’t care if you had. But FYI, I’m not your typical girl.”
He laughed, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck and pulling her toward him. She lifted her hands to his shoulders. “Believe me, I know. I’ve had no relationships in any form. Not really with family or friends either. So add that to my deficit column. I was a loser in high school. Loner. Nerd. I hated school. Kept my head down. Did my stuff and got out as soon as I could. Spent all my time alone…”
“Inside the shed making beautiful music?”
“Yeah. Making music. God, I sound like such a loser.”
Her face lifted. “No, you don’t. I hurt for you. People never saw the fun, humor, and coolness that I see. The talent that managed to even take a rock star’s breath away. So… you’re not a loser.”
“What?”
She was so low key in her attitude. Why wouldn’t she lead with what Rob said that he was dying to know? Why would she drop it in where he didn’t expect it? He nearly gripped her biceps and jerked her to attention before he demanded, What? What did Rob say?
“Yeah. He was downright stunned by you. Guess you really surprised him. He was impressed. As he should have been.”
Hearing that, something warm and wonderful flowed through Xavier. She lifted her hand to brush his hair with her fingers. “What? Your face looks so strange.”
He looked at her and replied with the truth. “That feels… nice. I guess it must be pride or something to know that Rob said that. No one ever heard me play or sing… so yeah, no one ever told me that before. My first critical review. I could have totally sucked and never really known. That’s pretty astounding to me. He really said that?”
“You want to know the truth?”
“Always.”
“You might not love it. But he redid all your background checks. You know that we always run them on anyone who enters our sphere. We have to. It’s gotten a lot worse and more necessary since the shooting.”
“Yeah, I knew all that. Figured my dad’s criminal record might stop me from seeing you.”
“They knew about it. But they had no reaction.”
Turning his head, he muttered, “What did they react to?”
“Honestly?” Her hand touched his face with soft caresses that felt nice. He leaned into them, not realizing how much he liked to be touched. Never saw the benefits before. Most of the motivation behind the things he did was calculated on a cost/benefit analysis. Random touching and acts of affection beyond what was required for sex seemed redundant. What was the point? Sex was the goal. So petting, kissing and whatever led to sex was worth it. Including the time and the cost. But rubbing a cheek and holding a hand just to touch? The idea was to show some kind of connection, he assumed.
But with Karlee, he loved her touch. He liked how Karlee’s hand felt on his face. It was relaxed and comforting. She conveyed a sense of support and sympathy regarding his history that only deepened with the next thing she said. “The reports from a few teachers that you showed up with too many bruises to be natural accidents. One teacher worried you weren’t getting enough to eat. Multiple domestic violence calls and a revolving door of stepmothers. You were on your own pretty much always. Not much social life in high school. The shed on your dad’s property does exist. So everything else checked out. However, there were no traces of music anywhere in your past.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but they really delve deep. It’s for safety’s sake and not about us… They even interviewed the geology professor that partnered us together to make sure you weren’t blackmailing her.”
Stunned by that morsel of news, Xavier blinked at her face. Huge, caring, beguiled eyes stared back at him. She feared her revelations might reach a level of paranoia that could freak him out or seem unnecessary. She wondered how he’d react to such an invasion of privacy. Her shoulders almost sagged to see he passed it all so easily. It was comparable to taking the hardest and most important final exam and he succeeded. Kudos to Rob and his security staff for bothering to check out the professor. He never thought of it: paying her off. No, he paid off a student that no longer attended school there. The kid was a loose end. Something that could be tracked down and found out. But it was the best he could do. Having passed all their probing to date, it sounded like Rob might be ready to believe him and stop checking on him. He released a long breath. And Rob was that impressed with his singing and playing? Damn. Just damn. His head buzzed. Along with his heart. Fueled with unbridled excitement, his fingers tingled.
And suddenly a new sensation flowed through him… What was it? Happiness? Anticipation? Joy. And the urge to express it overcame him. He grabbed Karlee and held her next to his body as he leaned closer and kissed her long and hard, right there. She was a huge factor in this swelling joy. Rob believed Xavier did not have ulterior motives and that freed him to trust Xavier. Was he surprised and taken enough with Xavier’s singing to consider helping him? Xavier hoped so. Not the time to proclaim victory. But there was plenty of hope. He wanted to kiss the girl he held in his arms. His heart bumped and pounded as their tongues swirled together and everything inside his gut told him this was good.
He lifted his head from hers, cupping her jaw and she blinked. “So you’re not mad that we had you stalked, tracked and investigated?”
“I’m glad you did if it proved that I’m trustworthy. It allows, I hope, Rob and security to see me without any problems. God, I really want that. I want you. I don’t give a shit what they might need to prove my authenticity. I can prove it to you. Hell, I’ll give you my bank accounts… everything you ask for. I just want to earn your trust. My privacy means nothing to me.”
Her eyes widened and he sensed his proclamation meant more than just some glowing compliment about her personality or beauty. This was the way to Karlee’s heart. Trust. Openness. Sharing himself. That’s the ticket to finally be with her.
She pressed her lips together. “I was afraid you would justifiably be angry and storm out of here. I mean, who signs up to have their privacy and sense of decency breached? It’s a lot more than a social media sweep or internet search. This is hardcore stuff. I’m sorry. But if you’re so open, it…”
“Don’t be afraid to ask me whatever you need to ask. Have them look under all the rocks of my past, whatever is necessary to confirm my integrity. My childhood wasn’t pleasant, but there’s nothing to hide. I’m not proud of it, don’t get me wrong. But I have no reason to conceal any of it.”
“There’s no more reason for them to pry. I hope you’ll tell me whatever you want me to know yourself.”
He swiped a finger along her cheek. “I want to tell you everything about me. I’ve never felt that urge before now.”
Her small, straight teeth clasped the puffy edge of her lower lip. “Me too. It never happened before with me either. I’ve always been so secretive and private. I can’t imagine being wide open to anyone.”
“Only when and if you’re ready to be. It isn’t a test. We’re just dating. Right? Still figuring each other out. New to it. And I’m as clueless as you. But I want it so much. Us. This. Whatever it is I feel when we’re together.”
She tugged his hand in hers. “I want that too.”
He blew out the air from his cheeks with a sigh. “So you were asking me to escort you to a concert? Huh? Where’s it playing?”
“At the downtown performing arts center, I am asking you to go as my date. Will you?”
“Gladly.” He set his hands on her hips and tugged her closer. “I’ll just let my sugar-mama take care of it. Does that work better for you?”
She slapped his chest with a smile. “No. If you try to use me or get obnoxious, I’ll drop you like a smelly shoe.”
His mouth twisted into an ironic smile. “You really would drop me, huh?”
“Oh, yes. Nothing less attractive than feeling used by someone you trust.”
“I’m not using you because of all your money. I swear, Karlee.”
He placed her hand over his heart, covering it with his as he pressed so she could feel the pounding of his heart. It didn’t increase when he spoke the words because he was telling the truth. He wasn’t using Karlee for his expenses at all. That was a perk he never even considered. She wanted to go to this concert. Why not venture beyond fast food joints together if she insisted on paying?
Her breath hitched as if his gesture meant something important to her. “I believe you.”
“Are we dating now? Seeing each other exclusively?”
“Well, duh. I wouldn’t have endured all this just to see you with someone else.”
He smirked. “Yeah. Some might like that.”
“Not me. I’m the type to scratch someone’s eyes out. I fear I’m a very jealous person.”
Even better. “I can’t pry my eyes from you long enough to even notice anyone else. No worries there, girlfriend.”
She smiled a big, gooey smile. “Same with me, boyfriend.”
He hugged her. Taryn called Xavier from the back of the coffee shop and told him to take care of the drive-through. “Duty calls,” he muttered as he let Karlee go. Their fingertips held a moment longer before sliding free and dropping to their sides dramatically. Karlee flushed and smiled as she turned with a warm, new look on her face. She was excited about him.
His heart raced out of control. Rob re-investigated him and discussed it with Karlee. He expressed more interest in Xavier. He also passed all the security checks. The best that could possibly happen was actually happening.
Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.
Xavier was all but clicking his heels as he prepared for the drudgery that awaited him. After manning the drive-through, he had to clean the restroom before closing up at twelve AM. That was his final task for the night.
Soon, however, very soon, that just might change.