Strange Love 52 Getting Away With Love

This time when Joslyn opened her eyes, they were met with the bright light from the open balcony doors. She could hear the soft roar of the ocean and the chatter of the seagulls just past its rails. Once her eyes adjusted to the bright morning light, she noticed that there was someone sitting at the small table outside. As she focused her eyes more carefully, she realized it was Xavier. She stood on shaky legs and began to walk toward the open doors. As she grew closer, she noticed several different covered dishes on the small table. "What's all this?" She asked as she stepped across the thresh hold.

He glanced up at her from over the brim of the sungla.s.ses he was wearing, "Breakfast, of course." He set the tablet down and stood up. He took a step toward the other chair and pulled it out for her. "Here sit down, Help yourself." He plucked a small case off the table and handed it to her. "Wear these. It's bright out here, and I can only imagine you have a headache about now."

She laughed as she took the case he offered, "You wouldn't be wrong."

He chuckled, "And that, my dear, is why I have this." He opened the lid to one of the covered dishes. There was a small cup of tea and two Excedrin on it. Once that lid was set to the side, he lifted another lid, "And this one." That tray had a large plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and mixed fruit. "Eat up. When you're done, what do you say we go on a bit of a weekend getaway?"

Her hands stopped mid-air, she lowered them onto her lap and looked away. "I… I… don't think that's the best idea."

He arched a brow, "Why not?"

She stared down at the hem of the tee-s.h.i.+rt she was wearing, tugging at its edges as she talked, "You already did so much for me, I couldn't put you out more."

"Nonsense…" Xavier interrupted, "You aren't putting me out at all. You need a break, to get away from all this and I happen to have business I have to deal with, out of state." He leaned forward and clamped a hand over hers, bringing her gaze up to meet his. "Call it selfish of me, but I don't want to leave you here alone while I leave for the weekend." He took one of her hands in his large hand and brought it to his lips. He placed a light kiss on each finger before continuing. "Please go on this trip with me?"

"I…I…" Joslyn struggled to answer. {I know what I did last night, but this is moving way too fast! I… I just wanted to feel better… If I'm being honest, I just wanted revenge… I wanted to feel something for someone who wasn't Russ…} a tear slid down her cheek as her mind raced. Gentle fingers brushed away the trail of tears that spilled down her cheeks.

"Look at me, Joslyn." His gentle words were met by s.h.i.+mmering aqua pools. He sent her a lazy smile before continuing, "I have no expectations. I just want to know that you are safe while I'm away." When he read the doubt still radiating from her, he added, "You could go as my adviser… If that would make you feel better about it. The woman who usually accompanies me on these trips is… under the weather this week." He gave her a pleading look, "It would be doing me a huge service."

Joslyn looked away running her free hand across the back of her neck, "I… I… guess… If it would be a help to you." Her sad eyes trailed from their connected hands, then across the numerous covered dishes, before finally meeting his pleading eyes. "I do owe you a ma.s.sive debt."

His eyes light up beneath the lightly tented shades, "Perfect! Go get cleaned up, we leave in an hour!" He jumped up and walked over to the open doors. He stopped beside her and placed a soft kiss to the top of her head before vanis.h.i.+ng into the house.

Joslyn's mouth dropped in shock, "An Hour?!" She ran behind him. "I can't be ready in an hour! I need to get things from my apartment… I need to call work… I… I…" her words trailed off not wanting to say the rest out loud. {I need to find out if Russ is ok before I take off for a weekend.}

Xavier had already made it into his ma.s.sive closet and taking s.h.i.+rts off hangers. He didn't stop what he was doing as he answered, "It's fine we can pick up anything you need once we get there."

Joslyn's eyes grew bigger, "You can't do that!" She sputtered in frustration.

Xavier arched his brow as he took yet another s.h.i.+rt off a hanger. "I can and I will if it means we can be on our way in an hour."

"I'm sorry, I just can't. I'll stay behind…" Jos replied as she turned to leave the huge walk-in, only making a few steps into the bedroom before large arms gently circled her body.
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Xavier rested his chin on her shoulder. He sent her a pouting look into the mirror once their eyes met. "Fine… I'll wait… How long do you need?"

Joslyn's expression softened as she thought of the answer. "Two and a half? Will that be ok? I can call work and Raven both on my way over to the apartment. No one will be there today, so it should be a quick trip." Jos watched in the mirror as he placed soft kisses along the top of her should and up the lower half of her neck as she spoke.

A satisfied smile curved his expression as he quickly released her and smacked her behind. "Then you better hurry and get going… before both our plans get delayed farther." He sent her a s.e.xy grin before heading back into the closet.

Joslyn turned the Jeep out onto the road as she waited for Raven to answer her call. Lucky for Jos she had placed the phone on speaker, mounted to the dash because once Raven answered her bombing voice filled the vehicle.

"JOS! OMG! How was it? You finally get you summa da VD…" Raven's voice trailed as laugher erupted for nearby, "'Huh? What do you mean STD? NO, you idiot vampire d.i.c.k! … that didn't come out right… Yeah… Some things shouldn't be abbreviated.' Sorry about that man, the bar is packed today. Hold on I'll take a break."

Joslyn laughed as she waited for the background noise to fade away. She carefully followed the GPS as it guided her out of the high-end neighborhood and back onto the main streets of the city.

"Alright girl, I'm locked in my office. We have complete privacy… So, spill!" Raven said enthusiastically. "Your current love life is more interesting than any of the manga I've read lately."

Jos laughed, "Well I'm sorry to break it to you but there isn't much to tell…" Joslyn sighed. "I was upset, and he knew it. So even when I tried to… push for more… he shot me down."

"WHAT?! You mean to tell me you have spent all this time with the man and still haven't done ANYTHING?!" Raven yelled in exaggerated annoyance. "The f.u.c.k man!"

Jos snorted out a laugh, "What can I say, he's very… gentlemanly. We did make out… a lot and there was some… heavy petting last night." Joslyn groaned as memories of last night sent tingles along her body.

Raven let out a s.e.xy purr, "Now that is what I'm talking about! Details dammit, details."

Jos laughed, "What do you want me to say, He's skilled once he got going and makes for one h.e.l.l of a distraction… but… I don't know… I… I just can't… with him." Jos let out a heavy sigh as she turned down the familiar road running along the length of the city and lead directly to the large campus. "I freaked out last night… over his fangs of all things…" Jos slapped the steering wheel in frustration. "As if I've never seen fangs… I knew he wasn't going to bite me… I'm mean I was kind of worried he would nick something important…" she could feel the blush creep up her cheeks as memories of him kissing the most intimate parts of her body, pushed to the front of her brain. She continued rambling, "What if I taste funny to him?"

"Oh dear lord! Let me stop you right there… So, let me get this right, you backed out of s.e.x with a beautiful, sweet, caring guy… because you were afraid you'd taste funny?" Raven pulsed to emphasize her words. "What were you thinking?"

"Well other than the obvious, I was thing everything I've researched on werewolf mating bites says it's done by releasing an enzyme into the mate so that other werewolves could pick up that wolfs sent… Well, would… say a vampire… be able to taste that?" Jos frowned. It had seemed pretty reasonable to her last night, but today it just sounds stupid… "That sounds completely r.e.t.a.r.ded doesn't it?"

Raven sighed her tones taking on a serious note. "No, not really. You aren't ready to move on yet… and for good reason… I guess." Raven let out a heavy sigh as she leaned back into her chair. "You should know, he's not the only one who jumped to conclusions… You did last night… Russ wasn't there with that girl. She came in about thirty minutes before you did and tried hard to force herself on him… but, Jos… He pushed her off several times, even the other guys in the group tried dissuading her…" the chair squeaked loudly as she sat up and leaned over the desk, "I know he said some pretty stupid things last night, but you have to know he didn't leave with her… he left…" Raven cut her words off immediately. [Know is probably not the best time to tell her Orion is in town. With any luck he can be gone again without her even knowing…] Raven tried to keep her voice level as she finished the sentence, "He left with an acquaintance of mine." She struggled with the wording of the next bit, "Jos, he's trying to do better… He really is but he's still so young and… well, I feel like maybe we didn't set enough boundaries or something as you and I were raising him and his sister…"

Tears slid down Joslyn's cheeks as she pulled into the parking lot of the apartment. She couldn't bring herself to reply. "I… I…" She pulled into her usual parking place and rested her forehead against the wheel. "I just pulled into the apartment… I've got to go. I'll call you later."

Raven frowned at the phone, "Alright, call me when you can." With that, she hung up the phone.

"I get not telling her about that big crazy guy that was in here last night, but shouldn't you at the very least warn her that Russ quit his job?" Liam leaned against the now open doorway.

Raven's mouth dropped as she looked up at him, "When did you come in?... How did you get in?!"

Liam held up the extra key, "You gave this to me when I first hired on, remember? You looked worried when you walked away so I follow you."

Raven arched her brow, "Then who is out front with the customers?"

Liam shrugged his shoulders, "The new guy you hired… the girls seem to like him better anyways…"

Raven laughed, "Maybe because he doesn't hit on all of them." Her smile fell as she thought to answer his question. "And… I didn't tell her because #1 she doesn't need to know that a.s.shat is in town and #2 her and Russ need to… talk…" She picked up the photo sitting on her desk. She gazed down into the smiling face of her wife and her lips turned up as turbulent emotions rumbled her heart. Without looking away from the face she missed the most her replied, "…because I know what it's like to leave a relations.h.i.+p on bad terms… The pain doesn't lessen over time…" She met the sad eyes looking down at her, "I know they both love each other equally, and they will have a ton of controversy to deal with once he takes his place among his people… but if I can find love during a time when being gay was an automatic death sentence and to someone like her… Then I have to believe that they can too." Determination lit a fire in her eyes as she continued, "Love is blind… it sees no color, no gender, no faction… Why should our laws dictate otherwise?"