He and Logan parted with a promise to get together for a beer soon. Xander shut the door and drew in a deep breath.
Time to change everything about his life.
When he left the foyer, he found London in the kitchen with damp hair, wearing a loose pink T-shirt and a pair of denim capri pants. The instant he entered the room, he smelled London in the air, so distinctly feminine. Her scent, the thought of sharing space with her, it all made him so fucking hard.
She fixed some toast and fruit, then placed it all on a tray, along with another cup of coffee and a tall glass of water. On the edge of the tray, she settled the file folder with all the information from Maynard. She frowned, quickly jogged back to the bedroom, then emerged with a bag from the drugstore. She rummaged inside and withdrew two ibuprofen from a new bottle and a pair of glasses.
Xander frowned. “Breakfast?”
“He’s got to be hungry. He didn’t eat much of his dinner. I figured I’d feed him and maybe he’d be less grumpy about the decision we made. ”
“And all the other stuff?”
She sighed. “Yesterday when Mr. Navarro arrived, Javier told me to leave the office. Something about the meeting seemed awfully tense to me and had disaster written all over it. There was nowhere to eat my sack lunch, so I went to the drugstore and bought him some ibuprofen for his inevitable hangover. He’s also having trouble reading the documents in his office and he won’t get his eyes checked, so I bought him a pair of readers to see if that will help. ”
A slow smile spread across Xander’s face. She was totally smitten with his brother and was already thinking ahead for ways to make Javier’s life easier. Little did she know he had some ideas of his own.
He still just had one hang-up.
Approaching her softly, he cupped her shoulders and brought her against his body. “You’re so kind, belleza. Besides being beautiful, you’re thoughtful. And wonderful. Are you trying to make us both fall in love with you?”
She gasped as if he’d accused her of something terrible or as if the idea shocked her. “No. Really, I just . . . He needs a friend. ”
“But you like him as more than a friend. ” Xander didn’t ask. It wasn’t a question.
“No. ” Her words lacked conviction. She flushed and looked away. “I don’t know what to say. ”
“You’re interested in Javier. I can see it. ” When she would have pulled away, he held tighter. “But you’re not the kind of girl to have let me eat that sweet pussy if you didn’t like me, too. ”
“Xander!” She swatted his shoulder, her face turning a deep rosy red.
He laughed deeply. “Am I wrong?”
“That’s really . . . indelicate. ”
Probably so, and he didn’t care at all. He took her by the shoulders again and trapped her against the counter, caging her in his arms. Leaning into her body, he let her feel exactly how hard she made him. Her body softened against him immediately. Her nipples beaded. But she looked torn.
Xander lifted a hand between them and cupped her breast, slowly thumbing her nipple until she closed her eyes and moaned. Triumph spiked. She wasn’t in love with him yet, but he would work with desire.
“But true, belleza. You look beautiful in your desire. I’m thrilled that you want me. ”
She hunched her shoulders and turned her face away from him, clearly ashamed. “What is wrong with me?”
“Absolutely nothing. Go give my brother his breakfast in bed. I’ll be in shortly. ”
London blinked at him in confusion. But as if she’d been given a reprieve, she snatched up the tray and scurried to the master bedroom.
Whistling, Xander made his way out to his car to grab a few essentials. Then he hopped in the shower and cleaned up, wrapping a towel around his waist and grabbing a couple of condoms from his wallet. Finally, he headed across the house to find the two most important people in his life.
***
LONDON balanced the tray in her shaking hands and eased the door to Javier’s bedroom open with her hip. Her thoughts were still boomeranging in her head after her run-in with Xander in the kitchen. He knew she had feelings for them both. God, she’d barely been able to face that fact, much less try to decide what she should do. If she was smart, she’d step away from the situation. She needed the job, so she’d have to keep things strictly business with Javier. But she would have to stop seeing Xander altogether. She should probably drop off this tray, pack up her things, call Luc to come get her, and resume her normal life.
But her normal life wasn’t making her happy. It wasn’t actually living or growing. Nor could she just abandon the Santiago brothers. They were both hurting, both needing help that she could give. Without her to referee, it was possible their relationship would just disintegrate into more arguments. Their pride stood like a concrete wall between them. If she left, how would she make them see that they could be so positive in healing one another?
Spotting her, Javier sat up in bed with a smile. He’d showered, too, then lounged in bed, wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweats. “I would have come to the kitchen. ”
She set the tray over his lap, then eased down on the edge of the bed beside him. “I know. But I wanted to talk to you first. Eat. ”
Javier smiled as if it amused him to see her so bossy, but he dug into the fruit. It was good to see him smile and eat, look somewhat carefree after yesterday. It was good to see him doing something besides working himself into the ground and self-destructing.
“You look nervous. What have you done?”
Though he teased her, London couldn’t help but wince. “Don’t be angry, but—”
“When you start like that, I’m almost certain to be. ”
London sighed. God, she was flubbing this. “Xander helped me last night with the projects you gave me. I know that wasn’t what you wanted—”
“And then he helped you out of your clothes and onto your back?”
Her jaw dropped. “No!”
She and Xander had remained on task last night . . . no matter how many times she’d looked across the little kitchen table and thought about how gorgeous he was, how desirable she felt around him, and how incredible it was to have his undivided charm directed at her. More than once, she wondered what would happen if they stopped working and started kissing . . .
“Really?”
“Really,” she shot back. “Xander helped me with Maynard and assessing the situation with the log-ins. We’ve got a plan of attack, and I think he helped me make very smart choices. I’ll tell you about them when you’re feeling less sarcastic. ” She stood and glared down at him. “He was a perfect gentleman. Frankly, sir, my personal life is none of your concern. You’re my boss, not my father. ”
She whirled toward the door. Sometimes Javier was so stubborn, she wanted to scream.
“Stop!” Javier snapped.
London halted entirely. She didn’t mean to actually follow his orders, but that one syllable shot straight into her brain—then right down to her sex. She heard him set the tray on the nightstand and closed her eyes. Her clit began a slow throb.
What was it about these two men that just made everything inside her want to surrender to them both? Why couldn’t she just pick one? Xander, maybe, so she didn’t jeopardize her job. But then . . . how was she supposed to stop thinking about Javier? He needed someone to care about him, and she didn’t seem to know how to do that without wanting him, too. She couldn’t resist Xander, either. She liked his sense of play, his sexiness, the way he made her feel beautiful, special.
Her head was still racing when she pivoted to face her boss, chin jutting angrily. “What?”
Javier raised a brow at her tone. London swallowed. Clearly, he didn’t like her anger. Well, too bad. Though his sharp gaze and his slow, graceful prowl from the bed made her nervous, she stood her ground. It didn’t take him long to stand tall and tower over her. Her heart beat furiously. Her chest burned wi
th anxiety. And that damn throbbing in her clit picked up speed.
“Careful, little one. ”
“I’m trying to tell you the truth. I’m sorry if you don’t want to hear it. Xander helped me accomplish something last night I’m not sure I could have done myself. If you’d like to fire me for doing what I thought was best, then I’ll accept that. But I think I’ve done everything I can to show you that I’m sincere in wanting what’s best for you. And the business,” she added hastily.
Javier studied her with his intent stare and didn’t say anything for a long minute. London tried not to squirm. Finally, he looked at the tray, then picked up the readers with a frown. “What are these?”
If she told him, he’d only balk. “Just put them on. ”
He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her with an expression that warned her that she was crossing the line. Javier wasn’t going to budge unless she backed down. As much as it frustrated her, he somehow aroused her like crazy.
“Please put them on, sir. ” She softened her tone. “I’ll show you. ”
“Much better. ” Javier still held the glasses as if they might bite him at any moment, but he slipped them on, then peered through the lenses and reared back with a frown.
Before he could yank them off, London grasped the folder with the lists from Maynard and put them under Javier’s face. Immediately, he focused on the documents, coming a bit closer. He stared, his eyes moving across the page.
“I can see everything. ” He tore the glasses off and looked up at her. “The text is a bit big, but it’s a marked improvement. ”
“These are readers, sir. They help magnify whatever’s directly in front of you so you’re able to see newspapers, phonebooks, faxes, etcetera. My mom has a pair in every room at home. ”
His face turned thunderous. “You think I’m old enough to be your parent?”
“No. ” London held in a sigh. “They’re not just for people who are getting older, sir. I mean, the over-forty crowd uses them more, I know. But they’re for anyone having trouble with their vision, and that’s a lot of people. I’ve used them before,” she pointed out. “If you’ll just let me make you an appointment to see an optometrist, the doctor will find you the perfect prescription. ”
His slow nod and thoughtful expression didn’t give her a warm fuzzy feeling. He tossed the folder with the papers aside and set the glasses on the nightstand. “Thank you. ”
“You’re welcome. ”
Javier narrowed his eyes at her, and she could tell there was something running through his head. “You’ve worked for me for barely twenty-four hours, and yet you’ve gone out of your way to see me home safely, tuck me into bed, make sure I could see properly. ” He glanced at the tray. “You brought me something in case I have a headache. I even sense you’re trying to nudge me to mend fences with my brother. Why?”
London blinked. Nothing like getting to the heart of the matter with a single question. “Because it’s my nature, sir. I see a wrong and I want to right it. I see pain and I want to heal it. ”
“You have a soft heart. But it’s going to take more than toast, a good pair of glasses, and a few pills to fix me, little one. ”
“I know, but if you’d let people into your life, they’ll help you heal. You’re self-destructing, sir. I don’t want to see you keep tearing yourself apart over a woman who didn’t deserve you. She’s gone. It’s tragic, yes. But you’re still here. And you’re not alone. ”
Javier reached out and gripped her arm, dragging her closer. She couldn’t tell from his expression whether he was annoyed, amused, or touched. “Are you trying to be my savior?”
“If that’s what it takes. ”
He leaned closer, and his body heat penetrated her skin. His scent saturated her. His stare drilled all the way down to her soul. “Because you’re such a good employee and you care so very much about your job?”
Javier released her arm and walked a tight half-circle around her body, his shoulder brushing hers. Then he stood behind her. His hands gripped her hips, and he pulled her body against his. The first thing London felt was his erection pressing into the small of her back. Desire sliced through her defenses. She closed her eyes and tossed back her head on his shoulder with a ragged exhalation.
“Th-that’s part of it. ”
He surrounded her now, blanketing her back, nuzzling her cheek with the bristles from his morning stubble. His hands covered her stomach and began inching upward toward her aching breasts. London was dying for him to touch her.
“But not all of it?”
What had they been talking about? God, she could barely think. London had a vague recollection and realized the point of his question. “No, that isn’t all I care about. ”
His entire body tensed. His grip on her tightened. “So if I kissed you—”