“I can’t get into character if I’m on edge because you’re being an ass and glaring at me.” The first glimmer of insecurity flashed in her eyes. “I thought we could…”
“I’m not rehashing the past,” he said, cutting her off.
She swallowed hard. “Fine. Then can we call a truce? Look,” she said, reaching out as if to touch him and immediately snatching her hand back. “I need your input on Amanda’s character. It’s something I like to do when I’m in a movie based on a novel and the author is going to be on set. It’s important I meet everyone’s expectations. Including yours.”
Goddammit. Xander might be able to put up a wall between them personally, but he was being a dick professionally and that wasn’t acceptable. If she couldn’t play the part because of him, the movie based on his novel would suffer. She probably knew she had him on that point but was smart enough not to show it with a smirk or knowing look.
“So can I come in?” she asked, gesturing to the front of his house.
His Hamptons retreat that, unlike his Manhattan apartment, city crowds, and noise, didn’t trigger his lingering anxiety from combat. He wouldn’t call it PTSD exactly. He just needed peace, quiet, and solitude. And Sasha, the woman who’d broken his heart, now wanted to invade his sanctuary, ensuring she’d leave her presence and scent behind.
* * *
Well, that went worse than she’d thought it would. Sasha followed Xander and his obedient, sweet dog up the couple of stairs to the porch, waiting while he unlocked his door and let them inside.
He tossed the keys into a bowl on a credenza and turned. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, she glanced around as he walked into the house and toward what she presumed was the master bedroom. The interior was furnished with what she’d call man-style Hamptons’ flair. An open-concept first floor took her from the entry area to the massive living/family room with windows overlooking the beach.
Bella stepped across the floor, her nails tapping as she moved, and she disappeared into what Sasha assumed was the kitchen. The loud sound of lapping water followed and she knew she was right. Bella was drinking in the other room.
Continuing to appraise Xander’s house, Sasha took in the smooth dark-stained wood floors that ran through every room. A white sofa and chairs made the open area feel cozy, the warm atmosphere helped by white antique-styled leather trunk end and coffee tables with brass buckles, locks, and hinges.
She doubted Xander had decorated himself and assumed his sister, Chloe, or his mother had given him a hand. Sasha much preferred that thought to considering another woman helping him make this place a home.
Bella’s clicking nails announced her arrival. Xander hadn’t had a dog when he was in LA, and Sasha wondered how long after coming back he’d gotten the pup. A cold nose nudged her bare legs, and Bella leaned her warm body against Sasha’s legs. Bending down, Sasha petted the soft fur before turning her attention to the framed family photos set around the room.
With so many siblings, Xander had plenty of pictures. To keep busy and not overthink the cool welcome he’d given her, she glanced at the photos, recognizing Xander’s mother, brothers, and sister she’d met when they’d traveled to LA to visit him. As an only child, Sasha had been overwhelmed by his big family and envied him at the same time.
Her gaze fell to an unfamiliar younger woman in one of the frames. Long blond hair fell to the bottom of her back, big blue eyes stared at the camera, and a wide smile was on her pretty face. In another picture, the same woman held an infant in her arms, Xander by her side with an arm around her waist.
Sasha picked up the photo, studying it, shocked and confused because she didn’t recognize the woman as anyone in his family. She had the momentary thought that Xander might have a wife and a baby, a possibility she’d never allowed herself to consider. Xander moving on hadn’t crossed her mind and it should have.
A pang twisted inside her, and she braced one palm against her abdomen.
“You okay?” Xander’s voice sounded as he walked into the room, and Bella’s tail began to wag as she greeted him, rubbing her body against his legs the same way she’d done to Sasha.
He glanced at the photo in her hand. “What are you doing?”
She ran her tongue over her dry lips. “I … ummm … I was just looking around.” She tipped her head to the side. “Is that, I mean, is the baby yours?”
He stared at her in shock. “No,” he said at last. “Aurora is my half sister. We found out about her this past year. The baby is hers.”
Oh, God. A sister. She felt so stupid. And relieved.
He plucked the frame out of her hand and set it back on the shelf.
She finally let herself look at him and wished she hadn’t. He’d been sexy as hell in his running gear, but now, shirtless in a pair of track pants, his body muscled and tanned, his hair damp from the shower, heat slammed into her hard.
Along with desire, memories of their time together came flooding back. The good times, not the bad ones at the end. Waking up late to see him working on his laptop, the sun streaming in from the apartment window. His big hand gripping her neck, those delicious lips on hers, and his naked body covering her, blanketing her in heat.
“Can I get you something to drink?” His gruff voice interrupted her thoughts.
She shook her head. “No, thanks.”
“Then what can I do for you, Sasha? Seriously. What do you want?”
So many things but none that made any sense, she thought. “I would love it if you could give me insight into Amanda. I read the book–”
“You did?” Surprise etched his features.
She nodded. “I read what you wrote while we were together, so yeah. I continued to read your books … after.”
After she’d lost the man she loved because she’d been unable to handle him and her career. She’d pretty much proved she couldn’t have it all. Not a career on an upward trajectory, a man who hated the spotlight and who preferred a solitary, quiet life, and professionals around her, not to mention her own mother, pushing her in a direction that hadn’t included Xander.
She forced herself to clear those thoughts, aware her cheeks were hot as she admitted she’d kept him in her life in her own way.
“Anyway, I read the book but it’s in Steele’s point of view, which means I don’t really get to know the new woman in his life. I know how she acts, that she’s strong, can handle a man who’s often in danger, but I don’t have a handle on how she feels.”
“I can understand that,” he said, the words reluctantly drawn from him. “So how can I help?”
She drew a deep breath. “Filming starts next week. Can we spend some time together talking about the character?” She glanced up at him, feeling the tug of desire as she looked into his deep blue eyes. The beard covering his face was new but lent an air of increased sexiness to a man who already oozed plenty of raw masculinity.
They still stood by the shelf with the photos. He appeared tired from his run, and she could see the internal war he fought with himself as he thought about her request.
“Purely for the movie’s sake,” she assured him. “Maybe you could come into the city one night for an early dinner? We can walk around the area where we’ll be filming. Where Steele lives. It’ll help me get in character while we talk.” She wasn’t lying, either.