Indisputably Yours

22.

When Xavier stepped out of the pet shop with three large carton boxes, I offered to help. "Let me get one for you."

"No drama." He responded with a small grunt as he moved the boxes away from his face. He smiled. "I've got this."

"Are you sure? I could help you lift one."

"What's a man if he can't carry all the weight?" He chuckled, "I'm fine, come on."

When we reached his black Mercedes parked at the corner of the store, he moved the boxes to his other hand and tried to reach for his keys in his pocket but the boxes wiggled, almost falling over. "Shit." He steadied them with both hands and turned to me. "Hey, can you get the key from my pocket?"

"Sure, yeah." I stepped in front of him and looked down at his jeans. They hugged his strong thighs, emphasising his potent masculinity. I swallowed. "Which uh...Which one is it?"

"Left one."

I reached my hands into his pocket, hoping beyond measurable doubt that it was, in fact, his key I was about to pull and not something else. It was so deep and so snug. I quickened my fingers and pulled the key out. He nodded for me to unlock the door and I did with a single press of the red button.

While he placed the boxes in the trunk, I slid into the passenger seat and clasped my seat belt in place. The car was warm and scented like sandalwood, a pleasant contrast to the chilly, chalky evening air. Xavier stepped in shortly and started the engine. As soon as it revved to life, the radio lit up and the chords of 'uptown funk' by Bruno Mars blasted out in full volume, startling me.

"Strewth!" Xavier cursed, scrambling forward to turn it down. "I'm sorry." He chuckled nervously. "I usually get carried away when I drive alone."

I smiled. "It's fine. Didn't think a man like you would be interested in Bruno Mars."

He grinned. "A forever fan right here."

"That's so cool," I said, unable to contain the wide grin that spread across my face. "My brother's a die-hard fan too, growing up, we sang a lot of songs from his unorthodox jukebox album during karaoke night."

"Your brother knows how to get his groove on." He quipped as he manoeuvred smoothly into the driveway with one hand expertly guiding the steering wheel and the other placed behind my seat.

The subtle scent of his cologne drifted into my nose, making me dizzy. I tried my hardest not to give him a once over but it was hard not to do so in this position. The late evening sun illuminated his profile, highlighting the determined set of his jaw and the confident curve of his lips as he showcased his quiet unwavering capability. His hair was tousled from no doubt running his hands through it all day and his flannel shirt stretched over his well-defined arms that flexed with every circling gesture. He never failed to look like he was straight out of a romance book.

He turned and caught my stare.

I looked away immediately, my cheeks flaring.

He chuckled, driving through the busy streets. "It's okay to stare, Sienna, I know I'm quite the catch."

I laughed at that. "A cocky one at that."

He chortled. "Not cocky per se, just self-aware. I mean I don't spend so much on my skin and health just to pretend I don't know how stunning I look."

"That is one way to put it."

"Mmhmm." He smiled and glanced away from me to focus on the road.

The silence between us was a comfortable one. I relaxed into my seat and stared out the window, watching the narrow streets as they started to give way to the highway. I smiled to myself. By this time tomorrow, I would be back in New York, staring down at the buzzing city from the penthouse apartment my boyfriend owned. I couldn't wait to see Stefan and Candice again, I missed Guiseppe and Keith so much too. They were more or less a family even if we'd only known each other for a short while.