Weekend Spotlight: Xavier’s Loving Arms by K.T. Grant

Blurb

Xavier Marks has the looks, great job, and more than enough money to throw around. The only thing missing is a woman by his side. He hasn’t had much luck in love since he caught his fiancée cheating on him, and isn’t too happy about his current bachelor status. But that may all change when a cute barista from a coffee shop catches his eye. Perhaps she can help him lick his wounds? 

Life hasn’t always been too kind to Rebecca Price. With a grandmother suffering from dementia, and the threat of foreclosure on her childhood home, she may have no choice but to turn to a possessive ex-boyfriend who won’t settle for anything less than marriage. She hides a shameful secret that still threatens to destroy her. She’s ready to give up all hope when a suave, yet seemingly kind-hearted man enters her life and comes to her rescue. 

Rebecca is wary of placing her trust in Xavier, who wants to be more than a shoulder for her to lean on. But as the two grow close, Rebecca’s guilt over her past discretions continue to haunt her. Xavier wants to show Rebecca that the one place she can feel whole and at peace is in his loving arms.

Excerpt: (posted with permission)

“Let me guess. You’ve never had a woman tell you no before. I bet scores of women just drop at your feet, letting you toy with their hair as if you have the right.”

At a loss for words for the first time in his life, he didn’t like it. He moved back to give her more space. “Again, I don’t mean to be pushy. I’ve been batting zero with the ladies lately,” he muttered, scraping the heel of his loafer on the floor.

“You are being pushy. Listen, I know you want to be friendly and think you can offer me something special, but I’m just too busy and I’m not attracted to rich playboys who get off by mocking the poor coffee girl.”

Stunned, he tried to digest what he’d heard.

She quirked her lips at his lack of a response. “How about we keep things between us businesslike? You come in, order your coffee, greet me with a good morning. I respond in kind, and you go on your way.”

“I’m not a playboy. You’d be surprised how far from it I am.”

“Note how you didn’t say you aren’t rich. Whatever.” With a final shake of her head, she disappeared into the back.

She wins this round. He wouldn’t be surprised if Becca found a way to bar him from the café for life.

He left without his coffee. He’d lost his taste for it during their interaction. Becca’s opinion shouldn’t have mattered—they were different in too many ways. So what if he did have enough money for a comfortable lifestyle? He’d worked hard to achieve what he had and refused to make any apologies for it.

Perhaps Becca didn’t like men with money? He wouldn’t be surprised to learn a wealthy man from her past had hurt her in some way to leave her so biased.

The idea someone could cause pain to such a fragile woman made him livid. But at least it would explain why she acted bitter toward him.

With many thoughts churning in his head, he paced back across the street toward his office. At the doors, he chanced a quick glance back at the café.

Well, isn’t this a surprise? Becca stood in front of the window, holding up a white square. She shook her head and motioned to the handkerchief. He waved. She did the same and he nodded.

Once she disappeared into the cafe, he went into the lobby. Waiting for the elevator, the urge to run back and talk to her grew. Was her handkerchief waving a sign of peace or just her offering it back to him? Whichever way he looked at it, he won. He would have to see her again to retrieve his possession. And the next time they met, he wouldn’t leave until that cynical expression on her face disappeared, replaced by a smile.

Something about Becca, his unhappy barista, made him want to sweep her into his arms and reassure her that everything would be okay. Perhaps fate was telling him to push aside his own boring, good guy ways and release a different side—one prepared to invade and pillage.

And Becca would be his first conquest.

Xavier’s Loving Arms by K.T. Grant
December 29th 2011 by Decadent Publishing
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