Fortunately, Xander had flung her confession like a little housefly he didn’t want to have anything to do with.


    It was only recently that he’d started to notice the type of gaze Xander would stare at Samantha with. It was the same kind of gaze he used to look at his deceased wife with. And he didn’t like that at all.


    "I need to separate them, make them hate each other at least," he thought to himself. Then the image of a certain person appeared in his mind. "And I know just the right person for this job," he grinned.


    **


    "Will you let me go? Just head back to wherever you came from?" Samantha demanded, a scowl evident on her face.


    "I don’t want you to go and meet that man," Xander repeated once again but Samantha only stared at him with a confused gaze.


    "And why shouldn’t I do that?" She asked.


    "Because he’s not the perfect man for you, and before you go asking how I know that, I’ve known you for a long time to know the type of men you’re into," he replied after a few beats.


    Samantha’s gaze only deepened then Xander’s gaze deepened.


    "That was the worst pickup line wasn’t it?" He said, a sad grin stretching on his lips as his gaze lowered to the ground. "Look...." He started, reaching for his hand to take it, but she took a step back away from me. "I know that I’ve been a jerk for discarding your feelings like that, and honestly, I’m sorry for the way I’ve mistreated you in the past." His words caught her off guard, instantly stunning her right where she should. "I want to take you out tonight."


    If it had been in the past, maybe she would have been giggling and screaming, happy he was finally considering her. However, her heart didn’t waver as she’d wanted it to.


    Samantha shook her head as she took her hands out of his grip. "You’re not being serious." Xander frowned. "I don’t have feelings for you anymore and what you’re doing is just wrong. Benjamin and I are already in a rtionship so you might as well keep your jokes to yourself. If you’re worried that I will neglect the business, then you shouldn’t. Everything is still under control and we should be making a trip to Regalith soon to take a look at the proper—"


    Samantha didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence when Xander suddenly captured her lips in a fierce kiss. And instantly, her heart melted at that moment.


    At first, Samantha had been so shocked she almost pushed him away.


    Xander started by nibbling on her lips, biting on the soft flesh before sinking his teeth, earning a sharp gasp from her. When Samantha’s lips parted, he stole the opportunity and slipped his tongue, tasting her just immediately.


    Samantha’s spine tickled with a sense of bliss. Although she tried to remind herself that what they were doing was wrong—if Bruce found out about this, she was going to get an earful from him.


    This was the first time she was being intimate with Xander and as much as she wanted to push him back and smack him across the face, she couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing.


    Xander wrapped his hands around her waist, and an electrical bolt surged through her body like lightning. His tongue ravaged her like a hungry beast as if it was his first time tasting something so sweet. And before they could realize it, they were already out of breath.


    Reluctantly, Xander parted from Samantha to give her the chance to breathe.


    "In case you’re still nning on refusing to have dinner with me, I have another trick up my sleeves," he said. Before Samantha could process what he meant, he squatted and lifted her to his shoulder with one arm. "I’m going to have to steal you away tonight," he said as he walked towards the car.