Zenith's Legend (The Zenith Series Book 6), page 14
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.
Chapter 8
AND SO IT DID. Everything changed.
In so many ways Xavier never expected or even hoped for. He was dating a girl. He had a girlfriend. That was entirely new. Strange. Interesting. And Xavier liked it.
Karlee was always there for him. On his side. Easy to talk to. If he had free time, he was never bored now, he always had her for company. There were so many places to go. New and exciting places since she could afford so much more than he could. Dinners in Seattle. Parks, museums, and all the local attractions. Something he never had the time, money or energy to do before. He’d been to downtown Seattle and the surrounding area only a couple of times except for driving through. Now, he had fun exploring it like a tourist. Wow. He liked to live a little more. They took long walks and held hands. When they watched movies, they cuddled and Karlee rested her head on him. He liked those times too. The ease and comfort he felt around Karlee was unique; he never felt that comfortable with anyone.
And much to his surprise, with more time, a sense of ease also began to develop with her parents, Rebecca and Rob. It started slowly. Xavier started to come over more often and hang out in the living room or the kitchen. He and Karlee were always chaste and appropriate.
Most of their kissing took place in his rented room. Nothing else happened, not yet. They were deliberately taking it slow.
Xavier was careful not to push or mess anything up. Not for something as basic as sex.
He was invited to Karlee’s house for dinner more than once and pretty soon, he found himself talking to her mom about random subjects. Nothing too deep. She asked him about his classes, his favorite subject, what he liked to do after school. Xavier never spent much time in mom interactions, although he enjoyed her concern. Rebecca kind of fussed over him. She always asked him a lot of questions during dinner. Did he like the meat? Did he need more sauce? Was he cold? Or hot? Did he want a drink? Crap. Xavier never felt so coddled before. It was annoying at first, but also nice to know someone cared so much about him.
Xavier’s favorite times were when he and Rob discussed different rock bands. Songs. Singers. Guitars. Bass and drum players. All the quirks they liked and didn’t like. Everything was so real to Xavier at those times. The conversations stimulated his mind and creativity, since he participated as much as Rob. He even learned a few new songs. He sought Rob for his comments and respected his taste, and they made fun of the bands and singers they didn’t like. Rob and Xavier bonded over the single thing they both cherished: music. No wonder Xavier worshiped the man he constantly emulated and obsessed over. But to his unsuspecting mind, he soon realized he was infatuated with the entire family. Watching Rob and Rebecca together was always a treat and Xavier saw what a healthy family lifestyle looked like.
The few friends Xavier had growing up came mostly from the neighborhood. They liked to hang around together but they never frequented anybody’s house in particular. Xavier never formed real attachments to anyone in his life. By the time he reached high school, he stopped seeking friends and preferred to spend his time alone. Shunning his stupid, useless father, Xavier hid in the shed with his guitar, studying the music he liked by listening to it over and over. For hours, days, and weeks, Xavier memorized the sounds, doing whatever was necessary to perfect his attempts to play it. The rest of his time was spent at his horrible, menial jobs. God, he hated manual labor most of all.
He had no loving family or any other family to guide and encourage his wayward youth. Xavier Montgomery grew up in a place where no one cared about him. So he decided to survive and eventually, thrive. He detested the exhausting sawmill work that his father did. He feared he’d be a drunk or a dope addict by the age of forty and dead by fifty if he stayed there. Tedious, long, hard hours filled with stress and cigarettes. Bad diet choices. That was where his life was headed if he followed his father’s footsteps.
His plan to become a musician gave him the hope and motivation to find a path on which he could flourish.
After taking the first few steps down his path, damn! He was not only more rested and healthier, but he also found more time to relax. Suddenly, there were all kinds of things to do, like escorting Karlee on her endless, expensive adventures. But even little things like conversations became much more stimulating. Xavier never foresaw that. The only people he ever talked to were customers at work or the freaking professors that taught his classes.
Karlee and he got along well, so being around her was as nice as being alone. He never experienced that with anyone else, let alone, a woman. Xavier slept with a few girls, but never had any burning desire to know any of them beyond the bedroom. There was no connection behind the physical act. Even sex wasn’t all that wonderful for him. His passionate desire to sing and become famous were far more pressing and burning than his passion for any woman or sex.
At first, the buzz of success nearly blew Xavier away. Being regularly invited to Rob’s house, he was often allowed to just be there. Hanging out. Doing homework. Watching TV. Crap. What else did he and Karlee do? A lot of talking. For hours. They never ran out of things to say. The effortless exchange was the same as when they were only friends, flowing perfectly like a placid river, smooth and calm, not terrifying and dramatic like the rapids.
Developing Karlee’s genuine interest in him was the next goal. That was easy too. She became softer, kinder, funnier, smarter and more interesting the longer he spent time with her. Her looks grew on him each day and he continued to find more reasons to watch her. She became more interesting and beautiful with every hour he observed her. The curve of her shoulder, the way her hair swept off her neck, covering the tiny hairs that reminded him of peach fuzz and were feathery soft.
His interest also grew as the days passed. The invitations to stay for dinner with them became more frequent. Sometimes, it was just Karlee and him grabbing a bite, and one parent or the other would join them. Xavier met Karlee’s two sisters and her brothers-in-law. Eric made his eyes pop when he walked in one day and Xavier couldn’t believe how huge he was. Upon learning he was head of their security, Xavier thought Damn! No one would dare to mess with that muscle-bound bodyguard. His wife, Kathy, was studying to become a pastor and seemed the polar opposite of him. Shy, reserved, and demure, she had sweet smiles and darting eyes that suddenly glimmered with embarrassment if she held his gaze too long during a casual conversation. He also met Pastor Jim and his wife, Kayla. They were moving back home from Montana after a life-changing adventure in a remote location that involved the rebuilding of a landmark church and the subsequent appeal to a newer, younger congregation. Kayla was fiery and confident, and Xavier easily distinguished her as the oldest sister.
Both Kathy and Kayla were very protective of their baby sister, Karlee. When they reverted to treating her as their little sister, she snapped at them until they backed off. They bickered and pretended to fight but it was in a teasing and affectionate way. They also got moody with each other although everyone accepted it as normal. Xavier had no siblings so family life was always a trip to him. He liked to quietly observe them whenever they were all together. So far, he got the impression her sisters approved of him being Karlee’s first boyfriend.
Xavier worked hard to prove himself worthy of Karlee to her family. He analyzed their personalities and interacted with them accordingly, trying his best to be well received. Kathy was quiet and shy, so he became quieter and more reserved. Kayla was fun and outspoken, so he easily fell into a witty banter with her. Eric was… well, hell! Everyone liked Eric because he got along with everybody. Jim appeared dour and Xavier found him hard to read, but after being coolly aloof around Jim, Xavier asked him a few thoughtful questions and Jim soon warmed up and relaxed.
Xavier always treated Karlee with his utmost respect. He let her speak and he listened. He might have teased her now and then, but he never made fun of her. He held her hand or wrapped his arm around her shoulders to show his affection, but never anything more than that when her family was present.
In the months that followed, they were the ones to suggest the next step to his plan.
Xavier, want to listen to Rob and Spencer down at the studio?
YES!
Of course, he eventually had to play with them on those special occasions.
“Xavier, want to hear the new song we’re working on?” Rob would ask.
Of course, he did and they played it while Xavier struggled to keep his cool when they asked for his opinion.
Xavier, want to jam with us?
Of course, he did! After a while, it wasn’t so strange and awkward when Rob or Karlee suggested they go out there, and he found himself playing music with the famous musicians.
Before long, Rob started working with him exclusively. Rob taught him and talked about techniques and let Xavier try them. Xavier began to regularly play music with Rob.
He loved learning new songs and he immersed himself into it. His guitar playing exploded with new techniques, skills, speed and accuracy. They were months of sheer heaven for Xavier. He sped through his classes and did his job, cutting back his hours at the coffee shop. He charged his expenses on a credit card, unwilling to waste any more time on a menial job when he could be learning and living his dream internship. It was like being dropped into a foreign country and having to learn the language and customs to survive. He couldn’t wait to start every day.
He soaked everything in. He let it simmer and stew inside him, knowing the luxury of playing with legends would only make his playing that much better.
How much fun could he have? He felt like a god. Making music with mostly Rob, but often Spencer too, he was doing what he knew he had to do. This was it. In that time, and those months, it all solidified. His destiny lay before him. It was this. There could be nothing else. Hell. He was the first to admit it sounded like a lark or even just a fun hobby. He was that unique athlete on the team who was ready for the Olympics just because he had that something more. It was his ticket to success. And there was no more denying it.
Things with Karlee proceeded almost in tandem, feeling as right and smooth as the music career he’d initiated. He landed in a utopian world where he was always lucky, good and almost happy.
Xavier changed. In the few weeks that they started dating, he became a lot more fun and easy going. The stress lines that used to bracket his mouth seemed to fade. He was more relaxed and confident, speaking his mind to Karlee as well as her parents. He got more familiar with Karlee and much better at expressing himself than before.
Things were so good between them and well, how to describe her joy? It was all the things her older sisters told her about but which she’d never felt. Until she met Xavier. Karlee tried so hard to feel it with boys, and with girls when it didn’t work for her on boys, but nothing happened. Neither sex could arouse her. She suspected she was asexual. But after a few heated exchanges, clashing ideas, teasing, and play fighting with Xavier, her insides warmed up and her most private places reacted by swelling and getting hotter, which also never happened before. She was definitely attracted to Xavier. The way his eyes focused on her as if she were the only female in the entire world. That was pretty potent. Oh, but his voice… God, her insides strummed in an ancient dance of desire that finally made her know she was indeed quite normal and human in her lust and desire for Xavier.
Horny.
She wanted Xavier more than anything. He kept kissing her in a respectful manner… So she had to push him for sex. He didn’t really pursue it yet… so Karlee had to take the first step.
His real excitement was about the music. Singing with Rob specifically, and she was not the least surprised. They were amazing together and she found it fun and awesome to listen to them play. She never grew bored. Whether it lasted ten minutes or ten hours, which it sometimes did, running late into the night, Karlee stayed there, listening. They played everything from classic rock to smashing alternative to brand new sounds that sometimes worked, sometimes not so much. It was always exhilarating and wonderful. Her strong desire for Xavier wasn’t based on a dream anymore but a reality; and she liked how healthy and excited he made her feel.
Few subjects could intimidate Karlee to the point that she would not bring them up. But when it came to intimacy, she was very intimidated. She didn’t know how to say what she most wanted.
However, she had to take control of the situation. She feared she’d be sprouting gray hair before Xavier ever got past being respectful with her.
They ate dinner at a small bistro in Seattle and played a game of mini-golf, just for something different to do. Her parents were in New York for Zenith to play a benefit concert. Karlee had the whole house to herself so tonight was the night she’d planned and dreamt about. She just hadn’t told Xavier yet.
