Free Off Her Rockers (Loving All Wrong #3.5) by S. Ann Cole

back…or least show that you do.”
Fully dressed, I walked out of the room without acknowledging her “advice”, more focused on finding Xavier. I couldn’t fathom him leaving me in bed to go call his ex... Couldn’t he have at least waited until I was gone? The first person he thought about after reading the article was Jessica ? Really? Davian used me to clear his name and he was more concerned on how Jessica felt than how I felt?
No. Just no.
Dusk had dimmed the earth, and the house was a little quieter than usual. Either the boys were resting up for clubbing later on or they were in the movie room watching porn with naked groupies.
I searched a bit until I glimpsed his golden head out on the balcony off the entertainment room. In just his jeans, he was leaned over the glass railing with his phone pressed to his ear, his hand in his hair.
Not wanting to alert him, I tiptoed to the sliding glass doors that led out to the balcony.
“…not choosing anyone over anyone, Jess…No, of course not. But we together now and you gotta accept that like I accepted it when you were with him…Yeah, I know…Yeah, I know but….don’t care, still want her.”— chuckles— “You screwed that up bad, didn’t you?…Doubt it. He’s gone, babe. He’s still in love with her…It’s hard, she’s difficult and stubborn, but I’m hanging in there”… more chuckles …“If what doesn’t work?…Uh, guess we could. Yeah…’Kay. Promise…Giving you my word, Jess. But you can’t interfere. You can’t be the reason it doesn’t work out…Not—”
Stepping—or more like stomping—out on the balcony, I snatched the phone from his hand.
“What the—”
“Congratulations, Jess,” I spat into the phone, “skip on over to Beach Rock to collect your prize. Whooptyfrickindoo! Turns out you are the reason Xavi and I won’t work out after all.”
Without waiting for her response, I reared back and launched the phone over the railing. After hearing the satisfying smash of the device on the giant rocks below, I spun, brushed passed Xavier back into the house, and made a beeline for his bedroom to get my purse and car keys. No worries, though, as Xena was already standing in the doorway with her hands held out. My car keys in one hand, my purse in the other, along with a told-you-so arch to her eyebrows.
Grabbing them from her, I said, “Oh! If I were you, I’d stop fretting over Xavi’s ‘plan’ and ask Tex who gave him that black-eye. See? I don’t need special skills to guess that one, friend ”, before turning and running down the hall.
Xavier was still out on the balcony, staring down at his bare feet, muscular arms across his chest. He hadn’t followed. Hadn’t said a word. He raised his head when he heard me approach, face blank.
I pointed my car keys at him. “You told me she was in love with you. She wanted more. But clearly, the feelings are mutual.”
“Where you going?” was his response.
Unbelievable! That’s all he had? To everything I just said? Is he not even going to deny being in love with Jess?
“By the way, you didn’t accept it when she was with him. You didn’t. What you did was hunt me down, played me, played her, and played Davi. We all thought the game was over, but here you are, still playing us.” I laughed, cold, acerbic, and humorless. “What was I thinking believing you were the good guy? What was I thinking choosing you ?”
I made a dash for the stairs. Halfway down, I paused and glanced over my shoulder. He’d moved into the house from the balcony and was watching me leave, hands dangling at his sides like broken tree limbs. “And oh, as for where I’m going: out of your life .”
     
     

C HAPTER S IX
     
“ M EN S UCK!” I SHOUTED TO THE WIND .
I was half-standing in the passenger seat of my convertible, arms up in the air, the wind making love to my hair as Danni sped down the highway.
Eleven nights later.
Eleven nights later and Xavier hadn’t called, texted, or