Chapter 29
PSA: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF GIRLS’ NIGHT TO COMPLETELY DESTROY YOUR DENIAL. #TRUTHSERUM
DAKOTA
“He stayed there all night?” Faith’s eyes practically sparkled as she abandoned her ribbon-tying duties, a slow grin spreading across her face as I recounted how Axel had been worried enough the other night to sleep on my floor.
That was before our get-to-know-you session.
I hadn’t told them about that session yet.
That was … well, still processing through my mind like one of those computer spin wheel things.
Especially the last part, where he threatened me with orgasms. The way his voice had dropped to that dark, velvety register, how he’d caged me against the couch, the promises he’d made about what he’d do to my body …
it all kept replaying in my head like some kind of erotic highlight reel that I couldn’t turn off.
I mean, my God, who the hell wraps threats of sexuality in a ribbon of silk?
I figured my needs would pass with a good night’s sleep. But nope.
Now, every time I saw Axel, I was imagining what he’d said. What he wanted to do to me. How his hands would feel on my skin, his mouth between my thighs, the weight of him above me as he—
“Hello?” Faith said. “You there?”
“Sorry. Yeah, he stayed on the floor all night.”
“Did he climb into bed with you?” Scarlett waggled her eyebrows while stuffing heart-shaped candies into a mesh bag with unnecessary enthusiasm.
“God, no. He just …” I fumbled with a QR code sticker, my cheeks heating up. “He stayed on the floor. Against the wall. Like some kind of … floor guardian.”
Smooth, Dakota. Really sold that one.
“Uh-huh.” Tessa paused mid-ribbon curl, fixing me with that knowing look that made me want to crawl under the table. “You have to admit, that doesn’t sound like somebody who hates you.”
“Hate is a strong word,” I mumbled, focusing intently on matching thank-you notes to names. Anything to avoid their laser-focused stares.
Tessa and Blake’s penthouse dining room had been transformed into wedding-favor central.
The table practically groaned under the weight of supplies: ribbons in every shade of blush, little drawstring bags that seemed to multiply when I wasn’t looking, and Tessa’s handwritten thank-you notes that made me feel like a terrible friend for never writing actual letters.
The music from Tessa’s wedding playlist—some acoustic love song that was way too on the nose—filled the momentary silence as all three girls exchanged looks. The kind of looks that said they were about to gang up on me.
“Okay, I’m calling BS,” Scarlett announced. “You know exactly what we’re talking about.”
“Tell me you didn’t see the way he looked at you when he thought you might be in danger.” Tessa’s voice had that gentle but persistent quality that meant she wasn’t letting this go.
“Like the world was about to end,” Faith added.
Okay, so maybe I noticed. Maybe when Axel’s face went all hard and protective, something in my chest did this weird fluttery thing that I’m definitely not ready to analyze.
“It’s just a temporary truce,” I claimed. “I’m sure, deep down, he’s still pissed about the hot-pink kitty mobile.”
“Seems to me you two are enjoying each other’s company.” Scarlett’s grin turned positively wicked. “Your penthouse is filled with sexual tension.”
My hands froze mid–candy drop. Well, crap. Was it that obvious?
“Attraction isn’t the same thing as affection,” I said weakly.
“Says the girl who had a guy literally sleep on her floor just to make sure she was safe.” Faith’s voice was gentle, but her words hit like tiny arrows straight to my chest.
The heat that flooded my cheeks could have powered the entire penthouse.
Even I couldn’t deny how much Axel’s protectiveness had meant to me.
All this time, I’d felt like I had to be the strong one for my family, the one who held everything together.
But Axel had just … stayed. Without being asked. Without expecting anything.
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the dangerous thoughts taking root. “I should want Mathew.”
The words hung in the air like a confession I hadn’t meant to make.
Scarlett’s hands stilled on her bag stuffing. “Did you catch that, girls?”
“Sure did,” Faith said, her voice singsong.
“Loud and clear,” Tessa added with a knowing smile.
“Catch what?” I glanced around the table, but their expressions told me I’d walked straight into a trap.
“You said should. You should want Mathew,” Faith pointed out.
Crap.
“Poor choice of words,” I claimed, but my voice lacked conviction.
“Admit it.” Scarlett leaned forward like she was about to solve the mystery of the century. “Somewhere along the way, you’ve started to like Axel. A lot. Maybe even more than you ever liked Mathew.”
The accusation hit too close to home, sending panic skittering through my chest. Because it was true. Somewhere between the pranks and the protection and the way he looked at me like I was the most fascinating puzzle he’d ever encountered, I’d started to fall for him. Hard.
“Axel isn’t right for me,” I said quickly, the words tumbling out like a well-rehearsed defense. “He doesn’t want kids. He’s basically a man-child. He’s immature, and he lives to drive me insane.”
And he makes me explore things about myself I never wanted to before. And he remembers how I like my coffee. And when he thought I might be in danger, he looked like he’d burn the world down to keep me safe. And if I ever did sleep with him, I know he’d dote on my every sexual desire.
“Anyone else hearing all that protesting?” Tessa asked.
“Crystal clear,” Faith confirmed.
Desperate to deflect, I pointed at Faith. “Says the girl who was looking at Ryker the other day like he was walking in slow motion in an action movie.”
Faith’s cheeks pinked. “Did not.”
“Oh my God.” Scarlett threw her hands up, scattering ribbon everywhere. “Isn’t it hilarious how we deny what’s completely obvious to everyone else?”
“Fine, he’s hot,” Faith admitted, waving a hand dismissively. “So I have functioning eyeballs. Sue me.”
“Those weren’t that guy is hot looks you two were exchanging,” I pressed, grateful to have the spotlight off my own romantic disaster. “Those were I want to climb you like a tree looks.”
“Ryker’s a good guy,” Tessa said softly, and something in her tone made us all pause.
She would know. Not only because she was his sister, but also, from what I’d heard, Ryker had kept Blake out of prison after he’d ended the life of the man who’d attacked Tessa.
Self-defense, but still. “And he’s single. ”
“Not interested.” But Faith’s voice had lost its playful edge.
“Why?” Scarlett asked, her tone gentler now. “By your own admission, he’s gorgeous. You two clearly have chemistry. So, why not give him a shot?”
The change in Faith was immediate and heartbreaking. Her face fell, all the laughter and lightness draining away like someone had flipped a switch. When she spoke, it was so soft, I almost couldn’t hear her. “Trust me, if he really knew about my past, he’d run in the opposite direction.”
It broke my heart, hearing her pain. I wanted to ask her what happened. What made her believe that a wonderful guy wouldn’t ever be interested in someone like her.
“Faith …” I started.
She waved me off with a brightness that was clearly forced. “This is supposed to be fun wedding prep day. Let’s keep it that way.”
Just like that, her mask slipped back into place. But knowing it was a mask made it even sadder, realizing how much practice she must have had, hiding her pain from the world. From everyone …
I wanted to know Faith’s story. Blake’s little sister. A beautiful woman who deserved happiness.
“So,” Faith said, her voice determinedly cheerful as she redirected the conversation with calculated precision, “Mathew or Axel?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Who do you want more? Mathew or Axel?”
The question hit me harder than I wanted it to, making my stomach twist into knots.
Because suddenly, with startling clarity, I knew the answer.
And it terrified me. Mathew was safe, predictable, everything I thought I wanted.
But Axel? Axel made me feel like I was on fire, like I was truly alive for the first time in years.
“Aren’t you supposed to meet Mathew later?” Tessa asked.
I’d texted Mathew, asking to meet. Somewhere private though.
Couldn’t risk being seen together. His place made the most sense since Axel would probably have an aneurysm if Mathew showed up at the penthouse again.
Originally, I’d asked to meet so I could ask him to stop texting me, but now … now I had a different message.
“I am.” The words felt like an ominous weather forecast. Prediction: Tornado warning. Seek shelter immediately. Because I was about to permanently close the door on a good man for someone who might never be able to give me what I wanted.
“What are you going to say to him?” Tessa questioned.
For a long moment, I just sat there, surrounded by wedding favors and the ghost of romantic music, while my romantic world shifted beneath my feet.
Because all those moments with Axel—the banter, the pranks, the way he made me feel alive and challenged and completely myself—they’d been building to something. To this.
I looked up at my friends, who were watching me with a mixture of anticipation and sympathy.
“I know what I need to say to Mathew,” I said quietly.
And I suspected he wouldn’t take it well.