Dangerous Boy

Chapter Eleven

"I'm fine" he answers but simply by the tone of his voice, I know he isn't being truthful. He wears exhaustion clearly on his shaven face and the dark bags that shadow his eyes makes me frown. I'd hate to know what he had to deal with today.

I've never seen him shirtless before but now that he is, I can clearly see the risen scaring under his tattoos, covering large parts of his body. Some are smaller than others but a few are so large and deep that I can only imagine the pain he must've felt to receive marks like that on his skin.

I barely realise I'm staring until I meet his gaze again. Part of me desperately wants to know what caused each of these scars to be where they are today, but another part of me knows better. I can't expect him to want to share such horrible memories with me.

"Yesterday, when I kissed you" he breaks the silence between us and I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, unsure of where he's going with this. "That was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

"Uh" the embarrassment taints my cheeks and I stare at my hands instead of him, lowering my voice to a bare whisper. "Yes."

"Why are you ashamed of that?" my jaw tingles with invisible sparks as his fingers gently grip it, forcing me to look up at him and away from my trembling ones.

"Because I'm 18" my voice is barely audible. I feel mortified just talking to him about this.

"Do you think I would prefer knowing you threw yourself at random guys like most women I meet?"

"I don't know" I answer honestly, quietly. "At least if I had I would be more experienced" and it's true. I'm so utterly clueless around Xavier because of my inexperience, I never know what to say or how to act and I'm sure that's something someone like him would find very unattractive.

"Your innocence is beautiful, don't be embarrassed of it" he keeps his hold my chin so I can't look away from him, although I desperately want to. "Everything about you is beautiful."

His words leave my heart in a frenzy and I look directly to his soft eyes. I'm so stunned that my tongue struggles to unknot so I can form a proper sentence. "You're beautiful too" I cringe immediately, realising what I've just said. "I mean - uh - handsome, but not just in the outside, even though you are handsome on the outside too."

He smiles widely, obviously enjoying my embarrassment and it makes me smile too. Even though I'm mortified by everything I seem to stupidly say whenever I'm around him.

"Thanks" his voice is playful and so close to mine as his lips brush softly across the surface of my anxiously awaiting ones that burn for his touch. For the feeling of his tongue dominating mine again.

"Hey Poppet, I was think - Xavier Black! That duvet cost $800, I do not want your horny ass germs all over it!"

I pull away quickly from Xavier's reach and he growls in annoyance, turning to face Sam who stands in the doorway with a hand on his slim waist. He is totally unaffected by Xavier's deadly stare that would leave me cowering any day.

"What do you want Sam?"

"I was coming to say goodnight to Grace, I didn't know I'd be walking in on you two getting all down and dirty. I hope you're both using proper protection" I feel so embarrassed I don't even know how to respond. Xavier tries to talk but Sam cuts him off before he can. "If you need condoms Poppet, Xavier's a triple, extra small."