Chapter 26
DAKOTA
When the familiar hum of the elevator sounded, letting me know that Axel was almost home, close enough to the penthouse floor that I could hear his impending arrival, my heart fluttered wildly in my chest. I could only imagine the wrath I would face with him after what I had done with the kitty mobile.
But, my God, seeing the hot, sexy-AF businessman in a custom-tailored suit, driving out of the garage in that hot-pink (did I mention it had sparkles?) kitty-cat mobile? Priceless. Worth every ounce of whatever I was about to face.
The question was, what version of Axel was I going to get? The silent treatment? Or total volcanic explosion?
Please be volcanic. Please be volcanic.
Not that I’d planned this prank to get my hormones all twisted up. My traitorous body just had a thing for Axel’s controlled fury. The way his jaw ticced, how his voice dropped to that sultry octave that made my knees forget how to function properly.
File that under Deeply Unhealthy Thoughts, Dakota.
Dear Diary,
You know how Mathew is everything that I thought I ever wanted in a man? Safe, predictable?
Vanilla, some part of my mind shouted.
Well, apparently, there’s some dark corner of my psyche that craves watching Axel lose his composure. That gets off on poking the beast until—
The elevator doors slid open.
Holy hell.
His eyes locked on to mine with the intensity of a lightning strike. Furious didn’t begin to cover it. This was molten rage, wrapped in a custom-tailored suit, and, God help me, it was gorgeous.
“You’re dead, Sunshine.”
I painted a fresh streak on my toenail of a defiant shade of crimson red, going for the picture of innocence. “Rough day at the office, honey?”
He stalked over, snatched the nail polish bottle from my grip, screwed the cap on, and slammed it onto the coffee table. The sudden contact when his fingers brushed mine sent electricity shooting up my arm. Especially when he loomed over me, all brooding alpha energy and expensive cologne.
Focus, Dakota. Do not think about how good he smells.
“Do you have any idea what I just went through?”
“A scenic drive through the city?”
“You think you’re funny.”
I stood, the distance between us a dangerously low three feet. Which absolutely did not send my heart ricocheting around my rib cage like a pinball. Nope. Not at all.
That’s when his gaze dropped, just for a split second, taking in my tiny sleep shorts and formfitting tank top. I watched him try not to look, watched him fail spectacularly, and felt a surge of feminine power.
“Picturing Chicago’s biggest playboy, cruising around in a glittery hot-pink kitty mobile?” I tilted my head, all fake sweetness. “Yeah, that’s comedy gold. The internet seems to agree.”
I gestured toward my phone on the coffee table, and his eyes followed the movement before snapping back to mine. A cord of tension stood out in his neck, and when he spoke, his voice had dropped to that low register that made my pulse skip.
“You’re going to pay for this.” He stepped closer, invading my space until I could feel the heat radiating off his body. “And so help me, if my tires are actually ruined, you’ll be even sorrier.”
I gulped. Oh shit. Maybe I went too far. My stomach dropped, my pulse spiking.
I tried to hide it all with a straightening of my spine and arching of my brow. But his lips quirked up slightly, and he was clearly aware that he made me nervous. And, damn it all to hell, he loved every minute of it.
He probably also loved that from this point forward, I would be haunted with anxiety of how he would get back at me. More salt in my coffee? Doubtful. I had gone nuclear with the kitty mobile; chances were he would go nuclear as well.
I couldn’t decide if that thrilled me or terrified me.
Clearly, I should have thought this out more.
What terrified me even more though was how much my body was currently aware of his.
His tailored suit clung to his skin like it was kissing it, and as he moved, I could see his muscles flexing beneath his shirt.
It definitely didn’t help when he shrugged his jacket off, tossed it on the chair, then began loosening his tie. All while staring. Right. At. Me.
This time, when I gulped, it was because I wondered …
“What are you going to do, spank me?” The words left my mouth when the grouping of brain cells that filtered inappropriate thoughts from escaping my lips went on strike.
His pupils dilated as his gaze raked over my body like he was seriously considering it. Like he was imagining exactly how he’d bend me over his knee, how my skin would feel under his palm.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Sunshine?”
Yes. “No.”
He slipped his tie off completely, letting the silk fall to the floor. “Is that what this is about? You like getting me all worked up?”
How could he flip from furious to seductive in the span of thirty seconds? It was like sexual whiplash.
“No.” It was only a half lie.
He saw right through me. Again. Moving closer, he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
Though his fingers barely grazed my skin, the feel of his touch sent shock waves through my entire system.
Instead of pulling away, his hand lingered, his knuckles tracing the line of my jaw with devastating gentleness.
“Liar,” he growled, his voice rough with desire. His thumb moved to brush across my bottom lip, and I couldn’t stop the soft gasp that escaped. And I swear, my tongue acted of its own accord when it had the brazenness to sweep out and lick his salty skin.
Holy. Hell.
His eyes all about exploded with hunger, and between my frantic what in the hell are you doing, Dakota thoughts, I could feel my heart racing. Fire traveling down my stomach to the space between my thighs.
“You’re going to pay for what you did to me, Sunshine.”
His thumb was still on my lip, and without thinking, I parted them slightly, inviting his thumb inside. His eyes darkened to midnight.
Especially as I wrapped my lips around him and sucked on the tip.
Look at his Adam’s apple bobbing for dear life.
Did I want him to push me down? Take me right here and now? My body certainly believed so.
Jesus.
Get your head on straight. This is war, not foreplay.
With massive effort, Axel stepped back, my mouth cool in the absence of his thumb. I tried to focus on his words rather than wondering what other parts of his body would feel like in my mouth …
“Now …” He pulled something out of his pocket. A small velvet box. Grabbing my other hand—which made me gasp, thanks to the shock and electric current that charged through my skin at his contact—he slammed it into my palm. “Wear this.”
Swallowing my desire, I opened the box. A five-carat diamond ring stared back at me, all elegant perfection and serious money.
“Congratulations, Sunshine. We’re officially engaged.”
Anger flared, hot and immediate. I snapped the box shut.
“This isn’t how we’re supposed to get engaged. We had this all planned out—”
“That was before you sent me through downtown Chicago in a rolling cat.”
“What does that have to do with this?” My voice pitched higher. “We have a very specific PR script—”
“The purpose of which was to save my deal. Your little stunt? Those executives saw me driving that thing.”
Oh shit. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, but he tracked my movement. His face hardened to stone.
“I told them my fiancée likes to prank me. Which was probably for the best. I doubt they’d buy that someone I’m supposedly dating would be stupid enough to pull a stunt like that on someone she’s desperately trying to win over.”
My jaw fell open. “Win? Like you’re some kind of prize?” I gestured between us, my voice dripping with disdain. “I have news for you, Axel Pierce. The only thing bigger than your ego is your … your …”
Come on, brain. Work with me here.
“Cat got your tongue, Sunshine?” His smirk was absolutely infuriating. He stepped closer again, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. Close enough that when I breathed deeply, my chest almost brushed his.
“You don’t get to change our story,” I said through gritted teeth. “We have a plan—”
“God, you really hate when anything happens that you haven’t color-coded and scheduled in advance, don’t you?”
I balled my free hand into a fist, but before I could do something stupid, like punch him in his esophagus, his fingers wrapped around my wrist.
“Easy, Sunshine,” he murmured, his thumb finding my pulse point and pressing gently.
I knew he could feel how fast my heart was racing, knew he was aware of exactly what his touch was doing to me.
“If we’re moving up the engagement timeline, fine, but we can’t just—”
“The executive team thinks we’re already engaged. It’s done, Sunshine. Deal with it.” He stepped back, coldness lingering on my skin as he worked his cuffs with infuriating calm. “And wear the damn ring.”
God. Damn. It.
My head was spinning, trying to find a way to buy time, to go back to our plan. “It probably won’t fit.”
“Oh, it will. I made sure of it.”
“How do you know my ring size?”
“I pay attention to details when it comes to you, Sunshine.”
Something in his tone made me go very still. There was an intensity there, a hint of something deeper that made my chest warm.
“Now”—he rolled up his sleeves, all business again—“get comfortable because, tonight, we’re learning everything about each other. Next Friday, those executives are coming here. They’re suspicious of our relationship, and we’re going to convince them that what’s between us is real.”
He paused, drawing out the silence like torture.
“Oh, and, Sunshine? Guess who just joined their team.”
I waited.
“Your ex.”
I followed him into the kitchen, my bare feet padding against the cold floor. “What do you mean, Mathew’s part of—”
“What is that?” Axel stopped dead in his tracks.
I followed his gaze to the crystal vase on the counter. “The flowers you sent me. What do you mean about Mathew—”
“I didn’t send you flowers.”
Oh. “Maybe they’re from Mathew then?”
Axel turned to face me, his expression dark. “Black roses?”
I shrugged. “Figured you were being all dramatic and ordered some kind of dramatic delivery—”
“I didn’t.”
Okay …
“Who cares about the flowers? Tell me about Mathew! He’s working with them now?”
But Axel wasn’t listening. His entire demeanor shifted like our fake engagement didn’t matter right now, like he sensed something I didn’t. “Did you read the note?”
I frowned, moving closer to the expensive-looking vase. “I didn’t see one.”
The tiny card was tucked deep among the black petals. I’d been so distracted, worrying about Axel’s reaction to my prank, that I’d missed it completely.
Axel plucked it from the flowers.
“What does it say?” I asked.
He handed it to me without a word.
To the lovely couple. You messed with the wrong person.