Off Her Rockers (Loving All Wrong #3.5) (41 page)

“Drive in,” I told him.

He hesitated, skeptical, and I could see the wheels churning. He wanted to ask questions.

I kept my face blank, gave nothing away until he gave up searching my face and drove through the gates.

In silence, we cruised down the mile-long pathway toward the house, tree-clustered, snow-dusted lands on either side.

As we drew up to the house, I could see Izaboch shoveling snow from the pathway. He stopped to stare at the approaching vehicle.

Along with the plantation came Izaboch and his pregnant girlfriend. Apparently, he’d been doing maintenance for the previous owner since he was a homeless ten-year-old. After a while, she’d taken him in and cared for him, and in return, he kept up the plantation. He was living in one of the barn houses at the back with his girlfriend.

Yanking up the handbrake, a trench-deep crease appeared between Xavier’s brows. I could tell there were a million questions running through his head, but I opened the door and jumped out of the vehicle before he could ask one.

Recognizing me, Izaboch abandoned his shovel and doffed his gloves as he strode toward me with a wide grin. He was supposedly in his mid-twenties, but his strong arms bulging under his chocolate-brown sweater, his broad shoulders and insanely sturdy build made him appear older, experienced. His pale face dusted with conspicuous freckles, but they gave him character and worked in his favor.

“Ah, ze beautiful Alina.” He kissed both my cheeks in greeting. “I did not know you were to come. I would, eh, ask Eliza to make you, eh, coffee. Juz like you Americanz like it.”

I shook my head. “No, no. Don’t worry about it. I’m just here to show my friend around.”

“
Friend
?” Xavier grunted from behind me, and I turned to find him standing right at my back, scowling at Izaboch over my head.

Izaboch seemed to have recognized Xavier at that moment, and he grinned some more; though this grin had a little taunt to it. “Ah, Xander. You arge, eh, friend of Alina?”

“Her
man
.” Xavier moved beside me and wrapped his arm possessively around my waist. “Put your mouth on her again, Iza, and I’ll knock you out.”

Izaboch winked at Xavier as he bit one side of his lip. It was then I saw what I hadn’t seen before in all the other times we met during the sale. Cheekiness, and attractive arrogance, a mischievous tease in those brown eyes. Uh-huh, this one here was a bad, bad boy.

His hands went up in mock surrender. “Oki. Oki. I go and leave. I be roun ze back if you need me, Mizz Alina.”

“She won’t,” Xavier answered for me.

Izaboch chuckled as he walked off.

“What was that all about?” I asked Xavier.

“Iza’s famous around these parts for his… debauchery. Don’t want you anywhere near him,” he told me. “Think he’s God’s gift to women. Cocky little shit.”

I busted out laughing. “You’re one to talk, slut of L.A.!”

His scowled deepened, hating the title. “Now tell me, what’s
this
all about?”

I took a breath. Here we go. “Mrs. Pierre died.”

“What? When?”

“Some months ago.”

His mouth turned down at the corners. “Sucks. But she was really,
really
old. Lived long enough, I guess.”

“Mmhm,” I agreed absently, sweeping my eyes around what was just the
front
of the land. It was spectacular.

“So, what are we doing here if she’s dead?” he asked in an impatient tone. “Really confused here, Chino.”

I held up a “gimme a minute” finger, then jogged back to the vehicle and got out his blueprint from my handbag. With a bracing inhale, I turned with it in my hands, knowing once he saw it, he’d get where this was going.

His eyes locked in on the blueprint. He stared. Then stared some more. Turned and looked at the land. At the house. Did a full 360. And then his eyes relocked on the blueprint.

“Where’d you get that?” His voice was just audible.

“From your chest.”

“What?”

“When I told you I found your heart what did you think I was talking about?”

He shook his head, his eyes darting from my face to the blueprint to the plantation house. Face, blueprint, house. Repeat.

“Know you mean well wanting me to pursue this, Chino, but I can’t afford it. Don’t have enough saved up. And I left the band. Never gonna get there.”

Closing the gaping distance between us, I pressed the blueprint against his chest. “But what if you
could
? Once this place is up and running you could start paying me back. Monthly, or yearly.”

His eyebrows stretched to the heavens, and in a less serious moment, I would’ve laughed at his expression. Shocked Xavi was cute. “You wanna help me buy over
six thousand
acres and a plantation mansion?” He laughed something incredulous. “Can’t ask you to do that, Chino. It’s my dream, not yours.”

“First, your dream is now my dream. As long as you want me, I’m your partner in everything. Second, I already bought it.”

He jerked back two steps, like I just blasted him through the gut with a shotgun, grabbing on to the blueprint like it was a lifesaver. “You—with
what
? This shit’s more than thirty million dollars’ worth of land and house, babe. Way more.”

“Yeah…” I dragged out slow and cautious, looking down and scuffing the front of my boot into the cold, wet earth. “About that…”

“You lied, didn’t you?” His eyes narrowed in on me, jaw tightening. “Wasn’t thirty mil, was it?”

“No, no it was,” I rushed to defend. “My trust fund is thirty mil. But…I didn’t tell you that I also had a separate inheritance.”

His jaw popped. He was pissed. With the precarious state we were in right now, this old omission wasn’t earning me any favors. “How much?”

Clasping my hands under my chin, I begged, “Promise me you won’t freak out.”

“Why would I? You never stop lying. Used to it by now.”

“Promise me,” I demanded.

He glared for forever until he gave in. “Promise. How much?”

Eyes closing, I winced as I told him, “Twelve…billion.”

Nothing.

I popped one eye open, peeked at him. He was staring at me, unamused. “You gonna tell me how much or you gonna jerk me around all day?”

My other eye deemed it safe to open. “I’m not jerking you around. I’m a billionaire.”

He blinked at me. Blinked at the house. Blinked at the blueprint in his hand. Blink. Blink. Blink.

“Holy shit, you… It’s true? You bought the plantation.”

I nodded.

With disbelieving shakes of his head, he spun in a slow circle again. “Crazy lying cheating heart-breaking Chino with more money than honesty bought Pierre’s plantation.” He stopped circling, eyes on me again. “Dad knew about this?”

Again, I nodded. “He did. But he never told me about the connection between your mom and the owner.”

“’Course he didn’t,” he said, wagging his head. “Probably thinks it’s fate or some shit.”

I laughed out. “I
literally
said the same thing.”

He began circling again, and I watched without words, a little anxious. He was wearing an expression I’d never seen before, one I wasn’t quite sure how to place. “You wanna hop in one of the gold carts and go check out the rest of it? This is merely the front, you know.”

A single shake of his head. “Been here like a hundred times. Have walked the grounds and dreamed what it would be like to own something like this. That plan I drew up is for much smaller land space. The estate—”

“At the foot of the hill. I know.”

He looked at me, then. “You do?”

“Mick told me. We tried to get it, but the owner wouldn’t budge no matter how much I offered. It had to stay in the family. I’m glad they didn’t, though, because this…this is just…wow.”

Xavier laced his fingers on top of his head.

Stifling a smile, I picked up the blueprint he didn’t seem aware had fallen from his grasp. He seemed to be having a hard time believing I’d really bought the place and was waiting for it to sink in.

“Chino, this is more than I could’ve ever… I can’t even…”

“Uh, hold your horses there, dream boy. It’s not for free. It’s for sale.”

Hand’s falling from his head, he flashed me a sly smile. “What about you being my partner?”

“First, you haven’t said yes to taking me back yet. And second, what do I get from just handing this plantation ranch over to you on a silver platter?”

His eyebrows waggled suggestively. “Me?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you want the plantation, we can have a contract drawn up: you get an eighteen month pass before you start making monthly or yearly payments. Your choice.”

He was giving me the sexy, I’m-a-rock-star-drop-your-drawers grin now. “What kind of super-rich girlfriend are you? You’re supposed to give me stuff for free because I’m hot, I have a big cock, and my hair can do that man-bun thing.”

What in the what
? I lanced him with a glower, fixed my hand on my hip. “I don’t know what planet you visited when you were in your coma, but you need to find your way back to Earth. You know, the place where
nothing
, not even a bucket of manure, is for free.”

“Not even if I give you a proper eat-out?”

Oh sweet Mary and Joseph.
“Xavi—“

“For the rest of your life?”

“Are yo—“

“I’ll do that thing you like with my finger and tongue along your asscrack---“

“Xavi!!” I stomped my foot, my blood hot and my heart racing. Though it wasn’t from anger. Aroused was more like it. Just remembering how ‘that thing with his finger and tongue’ made me feel…I shivered. “Can you be serious?”

“How’d it pass me how much fun teasing you could be?” His eyes danced with mirth. “Don’t think I’m gonna be able to stop now. Don’t even think I’ve ever seen you blush before.”

“That’s because we’ve only known each for a little over a year,” I filled in. “We still have a lot to learn.” I stepped close to him. “Just like I didn’t know how
complete
seeing you grin and laugh like this would make me feel. By the way, there are two German Shepherds at the back with Izaboch.”

“You’re shitting me.” Excitement emanated from him in thick waves.

I batted my eyelashes and asked sweetly, “Would I ever lie to you?”

Xavier’s lips twitched, and then he broke out in incredulous laughter. “I won’t even…”

Before I could whip him with a quick retort, he was gone. Bouncing as fast as he could on his leg, disappearing around the house.

Moments later, I heard dogs barking.

Not exactly a dog person, I didn’t follow. Instead, I went back into the car and leaned my head on the headrest. Closing my eyes, I released a long, relieving breath, and smiled.

Some fifteen minutes later, Xavier returned to the vehicle, rubbing his cold hands together. “Love ‘em.”

“Don’t worry, those bad boys are free,” I said. “And oh, you might want to get over your issues with Izaboch because I promised him I’d let him remain in the barn house and keep his job.”

His head jerked to me, eyes narrowed. “You made promises to that little shit?”

“He’s got a pregnant girlfriend. Give him a chance.”

He grunted, but made no promises. “So, you and Dad, huh? Never would’ve thought.”

“Listen to me. Honest. Your dad is
the best
. I love that man so hard. Xena’s seriously missing out.” I frowned. “Speaking of, I think we better get back. We have a few hours’ tops before he checks out.”

Xavier’s entire torso turned to me now. He stared, hard. “How do you know that?”

“By the tone of his voice.”

“What?”

Hold on, he couldn’t tell when Mick was winding down and out? “Mick’s voice is deep and gruff. Whenever he’s close to checking out, his voice gets lighter and lighter, sometimes right down to a whisper. And the last hour right before he clicks out, he stops talking altogether.”

Xavier studied me a moment, creases on his forehead once more.

I had to ask, “You didn’t know that?”

Slowly, he shook his head. “Never knew when he’s gonna check out. He just…checks out. Frightens me sometimes.”

I reached out and touched his arm. “The signs are there, Xavi. Maybe you just don’t pay close enough attention to pick up on them.”

He was still watching me, as if seeing me for the first time.

Before long, he blinked, straightened, started the engine, and drove us home in silence.