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bed, and from the tension cording his body and the tight fists at his
sides, Gwendolyn imagined he wanted to hoist her from the bed and
shake her.  Why the hell didn t you call and tell me you were sick?
 You wouldn t have believed me, she shot back, irritation rising
and infusing her body with enough strength to struggle to a sitting
position. Weakness be damned. She couldn t spend another second
lying flat on her back while he towered over her like a stern parent
lecturing a recalcitrant child.  What are you so angry about, Xavier?
I arrived here on the designated day by the designated time. All she
contained in her arsenal to battle him with was the derision in her
voice, and Gwendolyn wielded it like a broadsword.  What? Are you
mad because you ve lost two days off your precious bargain? I hum-
bly apologize that my fever cockblocked.
Xavier stiffened. She almost believed she d caught a hint of sur-
prised hurt in his eyes before his expression hardened into a scowl so
dark, his scar seemed to whiten. Must have been the residual effects
of the fever to make her think the mountain of stone looming over her
could experience a human emotion like pain.
 That s it exactly, he growled.  You have no idea how close you
came to being fucked while you were delirious. Xavier cast her one
last disgusted glare before spinning around sharply and stalking
across the room. He gripped the doorknob and yanked the door open.
He paused long enough to bark,  Call whoever it is you need to notify
that your stay has been extended, since I won t be able to collect for
at least another two days. I believe in getting my money s worth. He
slammed the door shut behind him.
Gwendolyn gaped, the echo of wood cracking against wood con-
tinuing to ring in her ears. Whoa. She replayed their conversation in
her head. What did he have to be angry
Ah hell. She wanted to smack herself in the forehead, but her head
ached already. How could she have been so stupid? So obtuse?  If you
had passed out behind the wheel instead of in my arms, you could have
been seriously hurt. Or worse. Of course. He d lost both his brother
and father in car accidents. Even if he didn t care for her, realizing she
could have been hurt driving to his home because of their deal would
have affected him. She imagined he feared car crashes like most peo-
26
Naima Simone
ple feared snakes or heights. Gwendolyn sighed. And she d accused
the man of being a horny asshole.
The only asshole in the room had been her.
***
Xavier lifted his hand to the gold doorknob of Gwendolyn s
room. And paused. A low hum of anger continued to simmer deep
in his gut, but at least it had cooled from the inferno that had raged
when he d left her room earlier. It had taken hours for his fury to settle
to a slow heat. In that time, the doctor had come and gone, he d had
a lunch tray sent up to her while she napped, and he d managed a
few hours of work. Yet it hadn t been until an hour ago that he d dug
past the bullshit and his offended pride to the heart of the reason be-
hind his anger. Gwendolyn had every right to be suspicious of his
motives. Hell, since the moment they d reunited, he d rebuffed her,
blackmailed her, and then shoved his hand between her thighs.
Yeah, he d bolstered her confidence in his character.
Acknowledging she had reason to suspect his concern didn t less-
en the sting. He remembered a time when she had been free with her
smiles and affection. Before Josh s and his father s death. Before the
disfiguring scar. Before his life had gone to shit.
Prior to the car accident, Xavier wouldn t have considered himself
vain or self-absorbed. His appearance and lifestyle had been things
he d taken for granted. It wasn t until after the bandages had been re-
moved, and people stared as if he belonged in a cage like a sideshow
freak, and those he d believed friends avoided him like the clap, that
he d realized how much his life had revolved around those superficial
aspects. His eyes had been opened to how shallow his life had been
as well as the people in it.
It didn t prevent him from being bitter as hell, though.
With a muttered curse, Xavier twisted the knob and opened the
bedroom door. Gwendolyn reclined on a mound of pillows, her un-
ruly curls a bright halo around her head. God, he loved her hair. Even
when Josh had been alive, her soft, springy curls had been a source
of erotic dreams. Guilt had pricked his conscience, but he d still en-
visioned snagging the spirals in his fist as he dragged her head back
for his mouth. Or imagined the soft slide of them over his chest and
stomach as she tongued a path to his cock. Or dreamed of wrapping
the curls around his cock.
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Loving the Beast [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]