Love Undefeated (Unexpected #5) by Anne Leigh Read Free Book Online Page B

landed on her favorite breakfast drink – a disgusting blend of apple, carrot, and some green shit, because she gasped as she raised the plastic bottle. “Xavier, why do you have this here?”
    “For you,” I answered simply. “No one drinks that nutritious stuff except you, sweetheart.”
    “But this has an expiration date and it looks like you just got this one,” she commented while bringing the puke-colored drink to the table and pouring herself a stiff glass. Stiff because a person’s stomach needed to be stiff to tolerate that shit. I’m pretty healthy, but there were some things my taste buds did not appreciate, one of them being what was going down Nalee’s throat right now.
    “I just happened to have it,” I replied, carefully drizzling the crepe with the orange marmalade I whipped up just before she woke up. She didn’t need to know that I bought her drink every other week when I was in the grocery store. And before they’d go bad, I gave them to Rosita, the lady who came in to clean my house every day.
    In a playful command, I called out, “Milady, come get your breakfast.”
    Holding her plate in one hand, her eyes twinkled at the sight of my breakfast masterpiece. After I filled both of our plates with the crepes – mine without the orange sauce, she turned her head toward me, “Thank you.”
    Since my hands were filled with the plates, I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the middle of her forehead, mumbling, “Let’s chow.”
    Breakfast consisted of chatter about our respective jobs. She’d recently been promoted as the lead compliance officer for JJ Infrastructure and Environment Consulting. Her eyes lit up when she talked about the new projects she was leading. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She was standing on her own two feet, succeeding in an industry led by men, and she looked extremely happy about it. As I listened to her, I begun to notice the subtle changes in her – her spark was back, her smile stretched wider, and her voice held optimism and hope.
    This was what I’d been dreading. A truth that I was coming to realize, a fact I could never accept; she was living her life…and she was doing great without me.
    My life had many highlights. The day I was born the world was introduced to one awesome, attractive male specimen. My mom and her friends showered me with more than enough affection and constant praise that could make any guy’s ego grow to the size of Saturn. I had no trouble keeping female companionship. A grin from me could saturate a woman’s underthings. Yeah, I’m a chill guy, but I also know how to perform. In and out of bed. My relationship with Nalee was the first of its kind. I haven’t had a woman I could call my girlfriend before her. I’ve never asked a woman to move in with me except her. And I never needed a woman as much as I needed her.
    “Thank you for breakfast and for the wonderful company.” Her hazel eyes shone bright, matching the rays of the beaming sun peeking through the blinds.
    “The pleasure is all mine.” I held back from telling her not to get up from her chair, prepare for her day, and leave the house. As the cold orange juice hit the back of my throat, I stopped myself from telling her what I’ve been thinking the whole time she’d been sleeping – that I was hoping she’d give us another chance, that every night before I went to sleep, her text messages, no matter how rude and angry they were, were what kept me going to live another day, and that I’m not a praying guy, but I’ve prayed so many times for her to come back to me.
    “Can you drop me off at the restaurant so I can pick up my car?” She was now wearing her clothes from last night after taking a quick shower. She used the guest bathroom, not our bathroom. I’d already taken a shower before I even started cooking, and loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher while she showered.
    “Sure. Are you sure you’re not gonna be late? I can just drop you off at your