Someone like Xavier
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Ava Star
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98
Chapter 1: The first look.
XAVIER
The bar pulsed with low conversations, clinking glasses, and the occasional burst of laughterâjust another night filled with locals and tourists drowning their problems in overpriced whiskey and bad decisions. I wasnât here for either.
Gunner had dragged me out, claiming I needed a break after back-to-back cases that had left me more irritable than usual. He wasnât wrong, but I didnât need a crowded bar and mindless flirtation to unwind. I needed silence. A stiff drink. A night when I didnât have to think.
âCâmon, man, this is the third chick youâve rejected tonight,â Cole whines, throwing me a look before glancing at the girl walking away.
âAre you sure everythingâs working fine down there?â He nods toward my pants, smirking.
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. âFuck off.â
Cole grinned, clearly pleased with himself. He lived for shit like thisâpoking, teasing, making a joke out of anything.
I shake my head, ignoring him and focusing on my drink. Iâm not in the mood for this. Iâm fucking tired, and after a long day battling in the courtroom, I just want to relax.
âAre things getting serious with her?â Stefan asks, his tone laced with curiosity.
I frown, confused. âWith whom?â
Three pairs of eyes locked onto me.
âThat protĂ©gĂ© of yours,â Gunner says, smirking like he knows something I donât.
My frown deepened. Had they lost their damn minds? I didnât have a thing with her.
âWe just fuck,â I said flatly, taking a slow sip of my drink. âThere isnât anything between us.â
âShe doesnât see it that way,â Gunner remarks, swirling his drink.
âThatâs why I told her last weekâour arrangement is done.â
She and I were never a thingâjust two people who happened to find themselves in each otherâs beds when loneliness hit too hard. But I shouldâve known she wanted moreâI saw the signs, ignored them. A mistake I wouldnât repeat.
I lean back on the couch, my eyes drifting across the bar. Then I see her.
Sheâs sitting alone on a barstool, nursing her drink. Her posture is stiff, tense. She doesnât belong hereânot in that outfit, not with that lost expression. My eyes trailed from how she clutched her glass to the tension in her shoulders.
Sheâs not here for a good time. Sheâs here to forget.
âWell, well,â Cole muttered beside me, following my gaze. âNow thatâs a woman who needs a distraction.â
Cole was the type of guy who never turned down a challenge, especially if it came in the form of a beautiful woman. Tall, blond, and cocky as hell, he had a reputation for charming his way into and out of beds without much effort. Heâd probably already decided she was his next conquest.
I ignored him, still watching her. Another guy, some overconfident suitâsidled up to her, probably thinking he had a shot. She barely glanced at him before shaking her head.
The guy lingered, clearly convinced persistence was charming, but then she shot him a look. Sharp. Uninterested. Final.
He got the message and retreated fast.
I smirked.
Not easily impressed. I liked that.
âShit, that was cold,â Gunner remarked, tipping his glass in approval.
Gunner was the level-headed one. The kind of guy who could assess a room in seconds and had a habit of seeing things the rest of us missed. He didnât talk much unless he had something worth saying.
âYeah, well, maybe she just hasnât met me yet,â Cole said, grinning as he straightened his shirt.
Stefan snorted, swirling the bourbon in his glass. âSit down, Casanova. Sheâs not here for that.â
Stefan had always been the most observant of us. He was an ex-armyman with a sharp mind. Now, he owns a security firm and still carries himself like a man who notices everything.
But Cole wasnât listening. He was already on his feet, heading her way.
âThen what is she here for?â Gunner asked, tipping his drink in interest.
I leaned forward, watching her as she spoke animatedly into her phone. Her expression was distant, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass absentmindedly.
âTo get over her heartbreak,â I murmured.
âDamn right,â Stefan lifted his glass, nodding before downing the rest of his drink.
I watched as Cole leaned in, flashing his usual grinâthe one that worked on most women.
Most.
Not her.
She turned, looked him over, and shook her head. No hesitation. No polite rejection. Just a flat-out no.
Damn.
Cole stepped back, hands raised in surrender, and returned to us, grumbling under his breath.
âThat was fucking brutal,â Stefan smirked, taking a sip of his drink.
âSheâs got taste,â Gunner added.
Cole scowled, reaching for his glass. âMaybe she just doesnât like blondes.â Then he turned to me, nudging my arm. âYour turn, loverboy.â
I didnât move. Not yet.
Instead, I watched her, taking in every detail.
The way she sat back straight, but her fingers fidgeted with the rim of her glass. The way her lips pressed together as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone.
âAnd sheâs too young for you,â I muttered under my breath. The words felt more like a warning to myself than anything else.
She looked young. Early twenties, maybe. Too young to be carrying that kind of sadness in her eyes. But then again, I wasnât exactly old. Early thirties werenât ancient. I worked out, kept myself in shape, and had more than a few women assume I was younger than I was. Physically, I didnât feel the years between us.
But mentally?
That was a different story.
Iâd seen enough, done enough, made enough mistakes to know that youth and wisdom didnât always go hand in hand. Still, none of that changed the way my pulse kicked up when she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, exposing the curve of her neck. Or the way something settled deep in my chest when she shook her head at whoever was on the other end of the call, her expression flickering with something raw.
I shouldâve looked away. Shouldâve ignored the pull.
But then she turned.
And looked straight at me. Not just a glanceâa fucking connection. Something settled deep in my chest. I didnât know what it was, only that it was there.
Her curious eyes take me, like she knew Iâd been watching. I tipped my glass slightly, a silent acknowledgment. She hesitated, just for a second, then did the same. And just like that, every logical reason to stay in my seat disappeared.
Before I even realized it, I was already on my feet.
***
