I shake my head. “You don’t have to pay me more to make me take the job.”

Xavier reaches over and takes my hand. “I want you to know how badly I want you.”

The way he says it makes me believe he means as more than just as an employee. Maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part, but the thought of him wanting me—in any way—makes my toes curl.

If I want to see what could possibly happen between Xavier and me, taking this job is the only way to get time with him.

“I’ll do it,” I say firmly.

He raises his eyebrows. “Really? You’re not going to fight me on this?”

I shrug, attempting to play it off coolly. “I need a job.”

“Is that the only reason?” His gaze remains glued to me, gauging my reaction.

I might as well be honest…to a degree. “No. It’s not the only reason, but it’s the best one I can give you for now.”

He rubs the stubble along his jawline as he considers what I’ve said before a hint of a smile plays along his lips. “That’s good enough for me.”

Xavier pivots his butt on the barstool and places his feet at the counter, resting his elbows on the counter before calling out, “The service around here sucks!” loud enough for Nettie to hear clear in the back.

He glances over at me and winks before a cocky grin spreads across his face. I laugh and just like that, we fall back into our easy relationship. I forgot how easy it was to just “be” with him, like it was before all the crazy drama came between us.

Friendship with Xavier won’t be easy, but I’ll miss him too much not to try.

I throw the last of my things back into my suitcase and zip it up, glad that I packed light when I moved here.

Quinn stands beside me and sighs as she wraps her arm around my shoulders. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I don’t want to see you get hurt again, Anna.”

I smile at her, touched that she cares about me so much. “I’ll be fine, Quinn. Xavier and I are friends. We settled everything the other night.”

She nods. “Yeah, yeah. I know that’s what you said, but you forget that I saw how upset you were when he broke your heart.”

“He didn’t break my heart. We’d have to be dating for him to do that.”

Quinn raises a perfect eyebrow. “That’s what you keep saying, but he wants you and you want him. Both of you are playing with fire, and I don’t want you to be the one to get burned.”

I know she’s right, but it’s worth the risk. Xavier is like a drug I can’t get enough of. The thought of never seeing him again sends panic through me and I refuse to pass up the opportunity to spend more time with him.

I pull the bag off the bed and set it on the floor.

Quinn pulls me into her and hugs me tight. “Call me every day, okay?”

A faint knock on Quinn’s bedroom door catches my attention. Aunt Dee stands there, taking in our goodbye with her glistening eyes. Her dark hair is pulled into a loose bun, and she’s wearing some ridiculous orange shirt with neon green yoga pants. I’ll never get used to her odd taste in clothing.

“Are you all packed?” she asks as she steps into the room. “A black town car just pulled up out front, and I’m thinking it’s for you?”

I pop the handle up on the large roller bag. “Yep. I’ve got everything.”

I hold my breath as she embraces me to try and keep from crying. “You can come back here any time, you know that, right?”

I nod and close my eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume. Sadness washes through me because it’s one thing to leave my parents’ home to move in with family, but it’s entirely different leaving everyone you know to run off with a man you’ve only known for a week.

For the first time in my life, I’ll be one hundred percent on my own.

I pray I’m ready.

Aunt Dee pulls back and pushes my hair behind my shoulders. “Take care of yourself, yeah?”

“I will,” I manage to squeak out just as there’s a knock at the front door.

She pulls her lips into a tight line. “I’m sure that’s for you.”

Quinn steps over and wraps her arm around her mom as I head toward the front door. I take a deep breath and my heart skips a beat when it opens and my eyes land on Xavier there dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. How can one man make such simple dress attire appear so damn good? Sex appeal for him is effortless. It’s not really fair to the rest of the men in the world.

His blue eyes brighten the moment he sees me. “Hey, beautiful. You ready?”

There’s no mistaking his excitement, but I can’t tell if it’s because I’m coming along, or because he’s excited to get back to the wrestling world he loves so much. Either way, it warms me to see him happy and not all dark and moody.

“Yeah, I pack pretty light. Everything I own is in these two bags.” I roll the large suitcase out the door and readjust the backpack on my back.

He immediately takes the handle of the large bag and hooks his fingers under the strap of my backpack, slipping it off my shoulder. “That’s good. We’ll be traveling a lot. The less shit you carry around, the easier it is.”

Xavier heads toward the car and the awaiting driver, who is standing by the open trunk. I trail behind him and the thought occurs to me that I never asked much about what kind of work schedule I’ll be expected to keep.

“Will we be on the road a while? Do we not come back here often?”

He shakes his head as he hands my bags to the driver. “I don’t ever come here if I can help it. The only reason I was here this week is because the company forced me to take time off.”

“Why’s that?”

He opens the door for me to get into the car. “Remember the guy from television? Assassin?”

The memory of the wrestler calling Xavier out on national TV hits me. How could I forget?

“Yes.”

He curls his fingers around the top of the door. “Things between he and I were getting out of hand. Our matches in the ring were beginning to turn real, so they made me take a break. Told me to go home and reflect on everything I’ll lose if I didn’t settle my ass down and control my temper. Told me to take my mind off how much I dislike Assassin or else it could ruin my title shot.”

I lean against the car and stare up at him. “Did coming here help clear your head?”

“You definitely occupy a lot of space in my brain right now. Not much else has been on my mind this week.” He winks as me, and I immediately blush.

This is what confuses me so much—when he says things like that. People don’t talk to their friends like that.

Do they?

Xavier chuckles, knowing he’s flustered me, and motions for me to get in.

The tinted windows in the car, coupled with the black leather interior, make it dark in here. The moment I’m in the middle of the seat, Xavier slides in next to me and for a brief second our bodies touch. The close proximity of his skin next to mine causes a shiver to rush down my spine. Even though I wish it wouldn’t, my body reacts to any little contact with him. Hopefully the more I’m around him, the more my body will realize we are better off as friends and stop urging me to attack him every opportunity I can.

My eyes drift up front and I notice Jimmy, Xavier’s manager, sitting in the passenger seat.

Xavier catches my line of sight and says, “Anna, you remember Jimmy, right?”

Jimmy turns around to acknowledge me, wearing a pair of white sunglasses that are straight from the eighties and compliment his perfectly styled mullet.

I smile at him. “Of course. How are you?”

He pulls his sunglasses off, revealing his warm brown eyes. “Welcome to the team. When we get to the hotel, we’ll go over the schedule for the next couple of months.”

“Sounds good. Are we going to be on the road a lot?”

Jimmy nods. “A lot of the talent go home for the weekend after Thursday’s show, but X just goes straight to the next city.”