16. Weak in the Knees
WEAK IN THE KNEES
Lorelei
“Let me handle this,” Axel whispered.
“Umhmm.” It was the best I could do without panting.
I ran my hand through my wild, blond locks and leaned against the wall, hoping my knees would hold. They were trembling so damned badly it was embarrassing, and they weren’t the only part reacting to our little performance. My entire body quivered with need, heat flooding my veins.
Damn, I did not expect to be that turned on by Axel Vanderhart. He was the good guy, the sweet one. I never went for those guys; it was assholes one hundred percent of the time who did it for me. This show was only supposed to be for Cordi’s benefit, not my own.
Then why the hell was I so wet I wished I had a change of panties?
Vaughn stalked closer, and every muscle in Axel’s body tensed. “So are you going to explain yourself, or what, Vanderhart?”
“I don’t owe you shit, Vaughn,” he snarled. “Who I date or don’t date is none of your damned business.”
He stood tall, looming over his frat brother’s much smaller frame. The guy staggered back an inch despite the frown carved into his jaw.
Until the past few days, I’d never seen this badass, intimidating side of Ax, and damn, if it didn’t turn me on a little more.
“It might not be my business, but it sure as hell is Brock Haversham’s.” A sneer curled Vaughn’s thin lips as his beady eyes razed over me and my rumpled gown.
Shit. He knew Brock?
No, this is what you wanted, Lore. He had to find out somehow.
Steeling my nerves, I snapped my spine straight and glared at the asshole who ruined my fun. “Oh, are you and Brock close?”
“He and my brother Brighton are best friends actually. We all grew up together, so yeah, I guess you can say we’re close. I know he wouldn’t appreciate his girl dry fucking another guy.”
Ignoring the insult, I threw him my fakest smile. “Well, then, since you and Brock are so tight, maybe you can send him a message for me.”
Vaughn’s eyebrows slammed together. “What’s that?”
“You can tell him to fuck off. We’re over. I’ve finally found a man who treats me the way I deserve.”
The guy’s mouth curved into a satisfying capital O. “You can’t be serious…”
“Oh, I’m dead serious.” I placed my hand on Ax’s chest and stared up at him adoringly. The frightening part was how easily it came.
Vaughn blanched, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Don’t you think you at least owe Haversham the decency of breaking up with him yourself?”
I shrugged. “He didn’t show me any decency so, nah, I’m good. Now run along and tell Brock or your brother, whatever. I’ve had enough of tonight, and I’m ready to go home with my perfect boyfriend.” I slid my hand into Axel’s and spun around.
“Always a pleasure, Vaughn,” Ax called out over his shoulder as we marched toward the door.
The moment we hit the cobblestone driveway, a nervous laugh tittered out, and I squirmed free of Axel’s hold. Everything suddenly felt real, a little too real. The shot of adrenaline after the kiss and then being caught started to fade, and I heaved in a breath.
“Well, that got a little intense,” I finally mumbled.
“The kiss or the thing with Vaughn?” He shot me a smirk, and the swell of nervous energy bubbling up slowly began to dissipate with the warmth in his eyes.
“That was way more than a kiss, Vanderhart.”
A flicker of amusement lit up the vivid cobalt. “It sure was…” He drew his arms across his chest before glancing down at me once more. “Was that too much?”
“Uh… no, it was fine, but maybe we should go over the PDA section of our agreement once again. We need to clearly outline what physical interactions are acceptable.”
“Sure, whatever you say, blondie.”
We walked the remaining distance to his car in a comfortable silence. When he opened the door for me, a surprised smile melted across my lips. “You’ve really got this super boyfriend stuff down.”
“I aim to please.”
Lifting my gaze to his, I whispered, “In case I haven’t said it enough already, thanks for saving the night.
I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.
” Which reminded me, I needed to shoot a text to Kendall to tell her I was out for the night.
She could close out the event. I was exhausted.
“It was no problem, really.” He held the door open as I stepped into the sleek sports car.
He’d traded in his beloved Jeep for one of his father’s prized Maseratis just so we could ride to the event in style.
“Oh, and by the way, I think this fake dating thing is getting to Cordi. She definitely seemed jealous earlier, and then her following us? That’s completely out of character.
So if anyone should be thanking anyone, it should be me thanking you.
By the end of the summer, Cordelia will be putty in my hands. ”
An unexpected pang streaked through my gut, but I kept my unflinching smile in place. What the hell was wrong with me? This was all part of a masterful plan and nothing else. I could never catch real feelings for Axel Vanderhart.
The shrill blast of my cellphone snapped my eyes open. Muttering curses, I rolled over to pitch darkness and glanced at the clock. Who the hell was calling me at one o’clock in the morning?
I reached for my phone on the nightstand, and my heart lodged up my throat.
Shit. Brock.
And he wasn’t just calling, he was Facetiming me.
Forcing myself to sit up, I ran my hand through my mussed-up hair and stared at the screen. The call answer button taunted me. Maybe he’d give up… From the looks of it, this was his third attempt. And there were dozens of text messages I’d missed.
Damn it, Lore. Put on your big girl panties and just answer the freaking phone, or he’ll be calling all night.
I jabbed my finger at the green button, and Brock’s furious face filled the screen. “Hello?”
“Don’t you dare hello me, you traitorous little bitch.”
I couldn’t help a gasp from escaping at the venom in his tone, but he wasn’t the only one with an attitude.
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” I snarled right back. “And why are you calling me at this hour?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Lorelei, darling, did I wake you after your little romp in the sack with that Vanderhart boy?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, but it is, Lorelei. You see, I’m paying good money for your ass, and I expect it to be untainted and free of scandal. Didn’t we go over my expectations already?”
“Then clearly Vaughn didn’t deliver my message as intended. We’re over, Brock. I’m breaking the engagement before it even starts. I’ll never marry you.”
A sinister chuckle blasted across the speaker, sending ice surging through my veins.
“It’s funny that you believe you have any say in this.
This arrangement was signed and sealed months ago.
I need your father’s vote against the upcoming bill on oil refinery production or I’ll lose millions, and as you know, your family needs my money to survive. ”
“I don’t need shit from you now that I have Axel, or did you forget he’s one of the heirs of Vanderhart Securities?”
A vein pulsed across his brow, and his eyes darkened. “Lorelei, don’t you fucking dare do this to me, or I swear I will ruin the boy. If you care about him even an ounce, do not put him in the middle of this because I will make you mine one way or another.”
The lethal edge to his tone had goosebumps exploding across my skin. Brock wouldn’t really hurt Axel, right? He was a shrewd businessman, not a murderer…
“You do what you have to do, and I’ll do whatever it takes to survive. I refuse to spend the rest of my life tied to a man like you. Sorry, but there’s no way in hell. This marriage isn’t happening.”
I jabbed my finger at the call end button, and the monster that haunted my nightmares disappeared. I waited for a long moment, holding my breath, fully expecting a call back. Not only had I told him to fuck off, but I’d hung up on him.
Brock Haversham was a man who always got his way. What would he do now?
A dribble of unease slithered up my spine. Axel would be fine. He was a Lord, for God's sake, with all the protection that afforded. There was no way Brock could get to him.
Still, my finger hovered over Axel’s name on my phone. Maybe I should just warn him. My fingers flew over the screen as I typed out a quick message.
Me: Brock knows, and he’s pissed. So much for my plan of him breaking it off with me when he found out about us. For some reason, it seems to only have urged him on. He threatened you… Just be careful okay? We can talk in the morning.
I never expected an answer at this time of night so when the little dots zipped across the screen, I watched with bated breath.
Ax: Don’t worry about me, blondie. I’m not scared of little old Brock Haversham, I can handle myself.
Me: I figured you could. What are you doing up so late?
Ax: I wasn’t.
Me: Sorry, I woke you.
Ax: No problem. That’s what the best boyfriends are for, right? ;)
Me: Night, Ax.
Ax: Sleep tight, babe <3
I laughed out loud as the heart emoji came through.
Axel was right, he could handle Brock. The oil tycoon was probably just a bunch of talk anyway.
I slid back down under the covers and skimmed the dozens of angry messages from my never-would-be fiance.
I’d have to deal with those tomorrow. I stopped when I scanned another name I dreaded.
Dad.
Ugh. I clicked on the message.
Dad: I just heard from Lloyd Haversham and he’s furious. What the hell did you do? Call me first thing in the morning.
Great, another pissed off asshole to deal with. Tossing my phone onto the nightstand, I loosed a frustrated breath and squeezed my eyes closed.
I guess it was time to officially introduce Axel to the family.