Fallen Actress' Comeback: Torn Between the Director and the Mafia Lord-Chapter 34: His Confession

Chapter 34

~Xena’s POV~

Xavier’s finger was still on my lips, stealing whatever breath I had left in my lungs. The kitchen felt too warm, too quiet. I placed my hand over his and gently pushed it down.

"Xavier... stop."

He stilled, eyes flickering with something I couldn’t decode.

"Why?" he asked calmly.

I swallowed. "Why are you doing all this? The kiss at the mall... what you just did..."

"Almost, I haven’t done anything yet."

I rolled my eyes. "All of it."

He didn’t even blink. "Because I like you, Xena."

For a moment, my mind went blank. I stared at him, waiting for some joke or smirk. Instead, he looked at me like he had just stated the most obvious fact in the world.

"You like me?" I repeated, trying to process it. "But we barely met."

"Barely met?" He scoffed softly. "Xena... we didn’t just meet."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

He stepped closer, his voice dropping an octave. "You’ve been coming to my shop for months. Groceries, pastries, whatever excuse you had. You thought I never noticed?"

My heart tripped. "That’s because Skai loves your..."

"Not just Skai."

"Well, it’s for the pie and cakes and bread, nothing more."

"You could get those anywhere, but you chose mine, each time, and it wasn’t like my shop was close to your house. So that..."

"Wait..." My eyes went wide. "You mean..."

"Every time you walked in, I’d stop whatever I was doing." He smiled faintly. "You never looked up long enough to catch me staring."

Heat crawled up my neck. I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "I... I didn’t know."

His hand reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "I’ve liked you for a long time, Xena. And now that I finally have the chance, I want to pursue you. Romantically."

My breath hitched. "Xavier..."

"I want to be with you," he continued. "I want to chase you properly, date you. I want something real with you."

The more Xavier spoke, the clearer. The mall chaos, the kiss, the way he held me, the way he looked at me now. It was too much, all too fast and too overwhelming.

I coughed awkwardly and tried to step back, but Xavier didn’t let go. He pulled me gently but firmly back into his space, his hand settling around my waist.

"I don’t know," I whispered. "I haven’t... let myself love or date for a long time. And now..."

"Then let me prove it to you." Before I could react, Xavier’s mouth brushed mine.

It wasn’t tentative this time; it was warm and confident, stealing my breath away. I felt myself hesitate for a second, but the moment his hand slid up my back and settled at my side, I leaned into him without thinking.

He deepened the kiss, slowly, coaxing me forward. My hands went to his shoulders as he pressed me lightly against the counter.

Xavier’s thumb brushed under my jaw, and his body warmth seeped into mine, sending a shiver racing through me.

When his hand moved first along my waist, then higher, my breath caught. I found myself leaning further into the kiss.

Xavier’s fingers slid over my breast, cupping it gently, sending a sharp, hot wave through my entire body.

I gasped softly against his mouth, but instead of stopping, he kissed me deeper. I loved how Xavier’s tongue twirled along mine, his other hand gripping my waist like he wanted to pull me closer still.

For God knows how long, we were both lost in the kiss. His fingers caressed my cheeks. I was beginning to feel lightheaded and weak in the knees.

"Mummy?"

I froze, and so did Xavier. My eyes moved on instinct towards the direction of her voice. Skai stood in the doorway, hugging her teddy bear, her tiny mouth forming a perfect ’O’.

Xavier released me immediately. His hand on my breast snapped back as if burned. I nearly jumped away, clearing my throat so hard it hurt.

"We were, uh..." I started.

"Kissing," Skai finished innocently. "Grown-up kissing."

Xavier choked. I turned away and pretended to focus on the pot like it might explode. "Dinner’s almost ready," I muttered quickly. "Come sit."

For the remaining minutes until the food was ready, Xavier and I stayed apart.

When it was ready, we all sat at the small dining table. Despite the tension, the meal was warm and oddly comforting. Xavier served Skai first, smiling whenever she talked about school or her drawings. I couldn’t help watching them — Skai chatting freely, Xavier listening like he’d known her forever.

The scene looked... domestic like something belonging to a family, not with strangers.

We washed the dishes afterwards, and somewhere between rinsing and wiping, I noticed Xavier rubbing his temple lightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said at first. But when he shifted, a dark patch caught my eye near his side, something staining his shirt.

"Xavier." I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. His gaze followed me, landing where mine drifted to his side. My fingers grazed his chest slowly, and then I ordered in a voice I only used on Skai when she was being naughty. "Lift your shirt."

"Huh? Xena, if you want to continue from where we left off..." I looked up sternly at him. Xavier swallowed then looked down where my fingers gently grazed. "It’s nothing..."

"Lift it."

He sighed and pulled the hem upward. My breath caught.

My eyes landed first on the dip of his abs down to where his trousers began, then slowly slid up each well-defined abs staring at me like I had an olympian god before me.

His chest was lean, toned, and defined enough to make my face heat instantly. But then I saw the injury — a harsh scrape along the side of his ribs, raw and pink, like something had grazed him hard with blood covering a part of his skin.

It really was nothing to some, but he was injured.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "You’re hurt."

"It’s just a scratch."

"A scratch doesn’t bleed like this." I hurried to the living room and grabbed the first-aid kit, then made him sit.

Xavier watched me quietly as I cleaned the wound, biting back a wince. My hands were steady, but my heart wasn’t. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"You should have told me," I said softly.

"I didn’t want to worry you."

"Too late." My voice shook a little more than I liked.

He smiled gently, and something warm passed between us. I ignored it and focused on cleaning his wound, smiling softly when he winced at the sting of the Spirit.

Once that was done, I placed the band-aid on it.

"There, all done."

Without thinking, Xavier placed his hand over mine and pressed gently. I looked up, ready to tell him to take proper care, but I never got the chance to when he kissed me.

My fingers tightened on his shoulder as his hand slid to my waist again. I kissed him back, letting myself melt into the moment, letting everything else fade.

I wasn’t a teenager. I knew how I felt around him, even though it was confusing how I felt around Xade.

Rather than think too much, I shoved the thoughts away and let myself, my body, indulge in this reckless moment after four years.

"Mummy, is it bedtime yet?"