My erection is proudly standing at attention, ready and willing to report for duty. I want to take a shot at being all she needs, fulfilling her every fantasy and blowing her mind.
God, I’m a horrible person.
And it’s all Camilla’s fault that I feel the need to screw my gorgeous best friend to try and boost my own damn ego.
Chapter Four
Cassidy
“Morning, sleepy head!” I say to Xavier from the open doorway of the guest bedroom. And holy crap, he’s even sexier when he’s sleeping. His raven hair is in the shape of a mohawk from where it’s been pressed to the pillow on each side. While I like his clean-shaven face, the morning stubble makes him look less like the smart, sophisticated lawyer he is and more like a rugged, badass fighter. And then there’s his thick bare arms wrapped around a pillow in a chokehold, causing his bowling ball sized biceps to flex.
“Mmm,” he finally murmurs. “What time is it?” That deeper, gravelly voice is rougher than sandpaper and ups the hotness factor even more.
“Eleven,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning a shoulder against the door frame to enjoy the view while I wait for him to get his lazy butt up. “And, sorry, but I didn’t take off a week from work to sleep the whole time you’re here. It’s a beautiful day! We should be outside enjoying it!”
“Jesus Christ, I forgot you were a peppy morning person,” he grumbles when he rolls to his back.
“There’s coffee and a – whoa!” I exclaim when an enormous teepee suddenly pops up in the middle of the bedsheets.
“Sorry,” Xavier says when he slaps his hand over his erection and makes it disappear. Like a game of Whac-A-Mole, I keep watching to see if it will pop up somewhere else in bed, but sadly, it does not. “You’re not the only one who is frisky in the mornings.”
“Obviously,” I say as I spin around with my back to him. “There’s, ah, coffee and cereal downstairs. Or we could grab breakfast on the way to the lake.”
“Needwood?” Xavier asks.
“Huh?” I reply.
“We going to Lake Needwood?”
“Oh, right. The name of the lake,” I say in understanding. “Yeah, that’s where my boat is docked. I thought we could do some fishing maybe?”
“Sounds good,” he replies. “You got any Cheerios?”
“Yep,” I answer with a smile because they were always his favorite, which is why I bought them at the grocery store last week. “I also have skim milk for you even though you may as well use water. It would probably taste better.”
“Thanks,” Xavier says with a gruff chuckle. “I’ll grab a quick shower and head downstairs.”
“Okay,” I agree. “There are plenty of towels and washcloths in the spare bath. And an extra toothbrush in case you forgot yours, along with that rich boy shampoo, body wash, and deodorant you always liked.”
“Tom Ford?” he asks.
“Yep.”
“Wow, Cass. You’re the best.”
“No problem,” I respond since I love the masculine scent of smoked wood and the sea even though it never smells as good as it does on Xavier. “It’s not like I bought it just for you or anything. Mike and Eddie sometimes shower here too in the mornings when they stay over. Not that they stay over on the same night, but you know what I mean. Besides, after this week I may not see you again for another ten years, maybe at our twenty-year reunion…” My rambling comes to a stop when I feel a tug on both sides of my hair.
“The braids are cute,” Xavier says from behind me, having snuck out of bed while I was talking. “They remind me of the first day we met.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
He gives my braids another tug. “And it won’t be another ten years before I come back to visit.”
“Can I please get that in writing, counselor?” I tease when I look at him over my shoulder where he’s hovering over me like a shirtless, blurry-eyed Adonis. “You’ll, ah, be legally obligated to honor any agreement that you sign, right?”
“Camilla was always in a hurry to get home when we came to see my family for holidays,” he says, and I hate the reminder of the evil witch he married. “Now that I’m not legally obligated to try and make her happy, I’ll stay for however fucking long I want.”
“Until you have to get back to the office,” I remind him.
“Ugh,” he huffs. “Until I have to get back to the office.”
“Unless you quit so you can train…” I trail off.
“Not gonna happen. That ship has sailed,” he responds.
I turn around to face him before I get a crick in my neck. “Or the ship’s just been gone on a long journey and finally returned to offer you a second chance.”
“I can’t!” he says with a scowl that I know is full of regret.
“At least talk to Macy or your dad about it while you’re home to see if they think it’s a crazy idea or not.”
“No way,” Xavier huffs, running his fingers through his black, tussled hair. “If I even mention me and fighting in the same sentence, my dad’s face will light up like it’s fucking Christmas, because he’s always wanted me and Macy to follow in his footsteps. And if I tell Macy, she’ll tell our parents, so no.”
“Well, there has to be someone you can talk to? Maybe a coach at Havoc?” I suggest. God, I wish the stubborn bastard would just admit he hates being in law and just go after what he knows in his heart he wants. Not to mention that if Xavier does quit his job to fight, there’s a chance he would move back home, maybe permanently to train with his family.
“You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” he asks me through narrowed eyes.
“Not after what you said last night about your dying wish. That’s what friends are for! And
