Then he headed back to the bedroom and braced himself for the fight of his life. Because he planned to do everything he could to convince Sasha they had what it took to make things work for the long haul.

***

Sasha had intended to show up and give Xander hell, not to be the one being yelled at and carried to bed. Of course, she understood his reasoning, but his reaction put her at a disadvantage and made her look weak. But with her head pounding and nausea threatening courtesy of both the concussion and the car ride, that’s what she was.

When he returned to the bedroom with juice, a snack, and medicine for her head, her heart thawed a bit, and she got angry all over again.

“No. You are not going to get out of what you did by being nice to me now.” She folded her arms across her chest, and instead of feeling like she was in control, she felt like a petulant child.

Damn him.

He placed everything on the nightstand and sat down on the side of the bed, not asking her to move over, just letting his hips push her legs aside.

He was really pissing her off and she growled at him. His lips twitched and she knew he was holding back a laugh because they weren’t in a place where anything was funny.

He placed one of his big, warm hands on her legging-clad thigh. She’d borrowed clothing from Cassidy since her stuff was still at his apartment.

“Sasha, listen… I was on my way to see you.”

That statement took her by surprise. “Well, I came all the way out here and I want to have my say first.”

He nodded. “Okay. Talk to me,” he said, but he didn’t move his hand from her leg, distracting her in all sorts of ways she didn’t want to think about. Like the heat between her legs. How damp her sex had grown since he’d picked her up and she’d smelled his familiar, masculine scent.

She cleared her throat and met his gaze. “I think there are a few things you forgot about,” she said, drawing on the many times she’d practiced this speech on the way over here so she didn’t forget anything. “For one thing, I’m an adult. And I’m not the same person you met five years ago. I’ve grown up and taken charge of my life. So I did not appreciate you telling me what I should do. Nobody makes my life choices anymore except me. And this time around, they’re well thought out with a plan behind them.”

She didn’t miss the way his gaze softened behind those sexy glasses as he listened. Or the way he nodded while she spoke. “Are your head or eyes bothering you today?” she couldn’t help but ask.