Headlines (Prime Time #3) - Ella Frank Page 0,58

that means to me. How much this means to me. You here, eating dinner with me, it feels like everything.” I blinked a couple of times, trying to stave off the tears. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Bailey squeezed my hand and shook his head. “Never. Friends no matter what, remember?”

I nodded, the memory of that day and that promise still so fresh in my mind.

“Good.” Bailey raised a hand for the waiter, and then flashed a warm grin. “Then I say we order some more sake, get a little wasted, and you tell me what the hell has been going on with my best friend these past couple of months. Deal?”

“Deal.”

30

Sean

“NERVOUS?”

I LOOKED over to Xander sitting in the passenger seat of my SUV and felt my stomach twist itself into a knot. It was Saturday afternoon, and we’d just pulled into Bailey’s house for the usual get-together. However, this was the first time we’d been here in weeks, and even though we’d smoothed things over with Bailey, my stomach was still giving me grief.

“Will you think less of me if I say yes?”

Xander chuckled, leaned over the console, and kissed my cheek. “No. I think it’s…cute.”

“Cute?”

“Mhmm.” He kissed his way along my jaw and up to my ear. “In a bringing your boyfriend home to meet the rest of the family kind of way.”

“Uh, hate to break it to you, but you already know my family.”

“True, but they’ve never seen us as a couple before. And they’ve never seen you with me.”

I looked into his brilliant blue eyes and smirked. “And how am I with you?”

Xander slid his hand a little higher. “You’re kind, sweet, and extremely sexy.”

“I don’t really think they’re going to appreciate that last observation all that much.”

Xander grinned and nipped at my lower lip. “Well, how about I appreciate it a whole lot when we get home?”

I closed my eyes as he found the erection he’d teased to life. He gave me a nice, hard squeeze, and my head fell back against the headrest.

“Jesus, Xander. You’ve got to stop that or I’m not going to be able to walk inside anytime soon.”

Xander reluctantly removed his hand and settled back on his side of the vehicle. His eyes slowly wandered down over me. He licked his lips, and I made a promise to myself that by the end of the night I would have that mouth and that body, naked and pressed up against mine.

“Need me to talk about something else?”

“I need you to get out of the car.”

Xander eyed me as I sat there counting back from twenty.

“Hmm, let’s see. I have a bunch of resumés to look through this weekend. Want to help me? We could read over them in bed.”

I had a very clear and vivid vision of him naked in bed, wearing nothing but his reading glasses, and that didn’t help at all.

“I still can’t believe Jim was the one who talked to Entertainment Now! So disappointing.”

Yep, that did it. I’d been livid when I found out Jim had been the one to betray Xander that way. But I wasn’t all that surprised. He’d rubbed me wrong from the get-go.

Not wanting my mood to turn south, I leaned across the car and pressed a kiss to Xander’s lips. “Get out of the car, anchorman.”

“You’re decent?”

“As decent as I’m going to get with you anywhere nearby.”

Xander’s low chuckle told me he knew exactly what he did to me. He climbed out of the car and met me at the front.

“As difficult as it might be in there, I’d appreciate you keeping your hands to yourself.”

Xander smirked. “I’ll try my hardest.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” I said as we came to a stop outside of Bailey’s front door and knocked.

As we waited for someone to answer, I took the moment to enjoy the sight of Xander relaxed and casual for the afternoon. He was in those slip-on loafers he favored, navy-blue Bermuda shorts, and a white button-down that I desperately wanted to peel him out of later.

He had on a pair of Aviator sunglasses that hid his eyes from view, and that thick, sexy hair was styled in a way that made me want to run my hands through it and pull that tempting mouth to mine.

I was just about to tell him how damn good he looked when the door was pulled open and Bailey appeared on the other side.

This was the first time the three of us had seen one another since Monday,