"What the fuck are you doing?"
"Ouch!"
Damn!
That hurts.
His loud, deep voice startled her, making her abruptly stand straight from her bent position. In doing so, she accidentally bumped her hips to the edge of the table, causing her tremendous pain.
"What?" She pretended not to understand his question as she struggled to produce an alibi.
She was not like this. She did not lie, steal or cheat. Moreover, she did not poke her nose on other people's business.
Honestly, she thought he would be sound asleep by now. Not that should excuse her actions. Unluckily, he was not, as he caught her in the act of poking through his things.
"I asked you what you are doing in my office." He repeated his question. This time, he enunciated each word. Seemingly, he was not amused.
How could she answer that, knowing she had no reasonable explanation? Even if she lied, she knew he would still see through her.
"I was..." She could not find the words. But how could she admit the truth?
Earlier that night, she could not sleep, so she went outside her room to get some water. But as she wandered down the hallway, she passed by Xavier's private office.
For some reason, she got curious, remembering the time she spent talking with Daisy and Logan. Of course, she could not help but grow interested in the man she married.
Just a peek!
After all, she was a scientist. It was her job to be curious about intriguing things. She knew she should not, but her feet still dragged her toward the closed door, finding the lights open and the knob unlocked.
Besides, she could tell there was something he was not telling her, noticing how he, Daisy, and Logan had discreetly looked at each other during dinner. She knew they were hiding something.
"You are?" Xavier asked again when she pretended to rub her injured hips to buy herself some time.
What was she doing?
I am looking for secrets.
But, of course, she could not tell him that. Therefore, she had to find something else to justify her presence in his office.
"Nothing..." She hastily replied, but she could feel the sweat dripping down her eyebrows. "I meant I was looking for a pen and paper."
Damnit!
Why could she not think of something more clever to say? What will she do with a paper and pen? She could mentally slap herself for her feeble excuse.
"In the drawers?" He asked with his brows raised upward as he questioned her answer.
Of course, why would he believe her? It was obvious she was lying. But to her defense, she was never good at falsifying anything.
"Yeah!" Despite this, she stuck with her story as her hands slowly closed the drawer.
For a moment, he did not say anything to her. Instead, he walked closer, only stopping when he was on the other side of the table, facing her.
Then, he stretched his arm toward her. Truthfully, she thought he was about to grab her. But, his hand went straight to the left corner, picking a notepad with a pen on top of it.
"Is this what you are looking for?" Lifting them before putting them gently before her.
Of course, now, she was mortified as he caught her red-handed. She could feel her cheeks burning from embarrassment.
Stupid!
"Yeah! Why didn't I see that?" But she had to keep up with the act. "Do you mind me borrowing this?" She took the paper.
"And this." But when she snatched the pen, she accidentally grasped his fingers as they played tug of war.
It was as if lightning struck her as electricity passed through her skin and traveled to her every nerve ending. Then, it ended at the peak of her stomach, making her quickly relinquish her hold on the pen.
"And why would you even need a pen and paper?" He playfully tapped the pen on his palm, looking at her with a smug smile on his kissable lips.
Kissable?
She felt she needed to get her head checked by a professional because of all her unwanted thoughts and ridiculous judgments.
"Even though I am here, I think..." She had to come up with something quick. "...I should continue drafting my research. Since I forgot to bring my laptop, I thought I would use the traditional way."
That did not sound adequately believable, even to her ears.
"Is that so?" It did not appear as if he bought her story. "Or are you lying?"
It happened fast, giving her no time to react or escape. She found herself trapped, unable to move from her spot, cornered like a mouse with nowhere to go.
Suddenly, his presence loomed over her, pinning her against his desk and his massive body. She tried to back away, but she only moved an inch before her butt pressed hard on the edge of the desk.
"Why... Why would I lie?" She shakily asked. She was not afraid of him, but his nearness was doing a number on her body, making her aware of everything this man had to offer.
She supported her body with her hand, holding firmly on the desk, leaning as far away from him as she could go. But it was still not far enough.
"Because I think you are spying on me. Are you looking for information that you can sell to my competitors?" His hand cupped her chin, forcing her eyes to look directly at him.
She could see the distrust that covered his face. Suddenly, she recalled the same expression when he ended their relationship the second time this man had broken her heart.
"Damn you, Xavier! I am not a spy. I am not here to sell your information." She shouted, hating that he had the nerve to accuse her of such a thing.
She pushed her hand on his chest, but it did not do much. He remained like a solid wall blocking her path to freedom.
"Damnit. I am here because you had tricked me into marrying you. I would not be here if you just left me alone." She reminded him before he could conjure another accusation to throw at her.
"What do you want from me, Xavier?" She asked, frustrated with the man before him but more with herself as she fought the mixed emotions that clouded her judgment.
A part of her wanted to slap him for causing her pain. But another half of her wanted to hold him close.
Damn it!
He did not deserve her love. It was just her hormones, remembering how great it was to be with this man. It is just lust, nothing more.
Besides, how long had it been since she was with a man? She guessed she just had to count the years they had been apart.
But she did not expect the answer she got.
"You." It reverberated in her ears, activating every part of her cells. "Fuck it, Saige. I want you."