20. Jealousy Is a itch
JEALOUSY IS A *ITCH
Lorelei
A tangle of fear coursed through my veins, freezing me to the spot as the footsteps grew closer. Not faint footsteps either. Heavy ones.
The study door handle rattled.
My breath lodged somewhere behind my ribs.
It was bad enough we were on the edge of financial ruin, and now I was about to get caught breaking and entering. Would my father even waste our precious remaining funds on bail? Or would he let me rot in a holding cell just to prove one final point?
Axel’s hand closed around mine, hard and warm, jerking me out of the spiral before it could drag me under. “Come on,” he hissed.
He yanked me away from the sofa just as a key scraped into the lock.
Panic detonated in my chest.
Axel hauled me toward the window, moving fast but silent despite my heels, while the knob turned behind us. A thin sliver of space beneath the sill let in the warm summer breeze, but the damn thing was barely cracked. Releasing me, he shoved his fingers under the frame and pulled.
It didn’t budge.
“Axel,” I whispered, my voice strangled.
The lock clicked.
With a muttered curse, he wrenched the window again. This time, the old wood shrieked as it shot up.
The study door began to open.
“Go,” he snapped as he reached for the laptop on the desk.
“Are you serious?” I choked, staring down at the drop. We were on the second floor, for God’s sake.
“There’s a trellis. Just shimmy down and don’t look down.”
Light spilled across the carpet behind us. “Who’s in there?” a man barked.
Axel shoved me toward the opening. “Now.”
I scrambled through the small window, my hip catching on the frame as panic made me clumsy. For one horrible second, I got stuck halfway out, dangling over the side of the house with my legs kicking at empty air and my heart clawing up my throat.
Then Axel’s hands were on my waist, forcing me through.
I grabbed the white lattice, vines scratching at my arms as bougainvillea snagged in my hair. The trellis groaned under my weight. Below me, the flower bed looked impossibly far away.
Behind me, the window slammed into Axel’s shoulder.
“Hey!” the man shouted from inside. “Stop!”
I didn’t dare look back. I lowered one foot, then the other, my sandals slipping against the narrow wood slats. Halfway down, a light flooded the side of the house, blinding me.
A motion sensor. Motherfucker.
“Move!” Axel hissed from above.
The trellis shook as he climbed out after me, laptop tucked under one arm like the lunatic actually thought he could scale the side of a mansion one-handed.
A sharp crack split the night.
One of the slats snapped beneath my foot.
I dropped the last few feet and landed hard in the middle of a flower bed, pain shooting up my tailbone and knocking the breath from my lungs. Dirt filled my mouth, and thorns tore at my calf.
Before I could even curse, Axel hit the ground beside me, stumbled once, then hauled me up by the arm.
A window flew open above us.
“There! By the driveway!”
Shit.
Stone gravel crunched beneath our feet as we tore across the driveway, way too loud in the quiet, manicured perfection of the neighborhood. Behind us, voices erupted from the house. Another light snapped on, then another.
“Axel,” I gasped, nearly tripping over the edge of the lawn.
“I’ve got you.”
He tightened his grip and dragged me faster, cutting across the hedges instead of taking the path. Branches slapped my face, and my lungs burned. My pulse hammered so hard I could barely hear anything except the blood roaring in my ears.
Headlights swept across the street. We both froze behind another hedge as a security SUV rolled slowly past the end of the driveway.
Axel yanked me against him, his chest heaving against my back. I could feel his heart pounding just as violently as mine.
The SUV paused.
A radio crackled.
For one unbearable second, I was sure the guard had seen us. Sure I’d be dragged out from the bushes with dirt on my knees, scratches on my legs, and stolen evidence lodged under Axel’s arm.
The SUV turned toward the house.
“Run,” Axel breathed.
We bolted across the street the second its taillights swung away, sprinting down the next block until my legs felt like they were coming apart. Axel’s Jeep sat tucked beneath a dark canopy of trees, exactly where he’d left it, and I had never loved anything more than that beat-up piece of crap.
I threw myself into the passenger seat, slamming the door as Axel dove behind the wheel. “Go,” I panted.
He didn’t need to be told twice. The engine growled to life, too loud, too obvious, and he peeled away from the curb with the headlights still off.
Only when we turned the corner did I finally suck in a full breath.
“That was close,” I whispered, my entire body trembling. Once I’d stopped panting, I dragged my hand through my hair and spun at my fake boyfriend. “What the fuck was that, Axel?”
“Nothing, just stupid fraternity shit.”
I glanced at the sleek laptop wedged between his thigh and the car door. “Well, either someone set you up or your fraternity has really bad intel. That house was not empty.”
“Just drop it, Lore.” He kept his eyes trained straight ahead, his jaw so tight a tendon flickered beneath the light stubble.
“Don’t you want to know why someone set you up like that?”
“I already know!” he growled and slammed his fist into the steering wheel. “I fucked up, Lore, I fucked up so badly.” His expression shuttered, the warm, funny guy disappearing beneath a mask of pure darkness. “And those sins will follow me to the grave…”
An unexpected emotion tightened my chest. My hand moved of its own accord, finding Axel’s shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, it can’t be that bad.”
“It’s worse.”
“Listen, Ax, I know evil, fucked-up men, and you’re not one of them.” I trailed my hand down his bicep, and his muscles strained beneath my touch. Tension radiated from every inch of his body.
He finally swung his gaze to mine. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, blondie.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve seen what lengths you’ll go to for your friends, hell, for me. You’re a super sweet and caring guy. Whatever you did in the past doesn’t matter anymore. You have to let it go.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you knew…” His words trailed off as he pulled the Jeep into a parking spot across the street from the Zeta house.
“So tell me.”
“I can’t. It would only put you at risk. I don’t want you getting sucked into my drama.”
“Uh, I think it’s a little late for that.” I hitched my thumb over my shoulder. “You already made me an accessory to breaking and entering or trespassing at the very least.” I shot him a smirk.
He dragged his hands over his face and loosed a breath. “I never should have let you come.”
“It’s funny that you think you can let me do anything.” That finally coaxed a smile out of him, and my chest immediately felt lighter. “You want to come up for a bit?”
A twinkle of mischief lit up those warm baby blue eyes. “You want to practice that PDA we were talking about?”
A laugh bubbled out, and I smacked the big flirt on the shoulder.
“No, I just thought you might want to talk some more.” I shrugged.
“You don’t have to tell me what happened, but just know I’m here for you.
Just like you were there for me at the gala.
I’ve never had this before.” I pointed between the two of us, my cheeks heating from embarrassment.
“A friend?”
“Yeah, that.” I glanced out the window at my sorority house across the street. Three years as a Zeta and I couldn’t say I’d made one true friend. It was pretty sad actually.
Axel’s fingers tangled with mine, and he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “I’d be honored to be your friend, Battenberg.” He reached over and unbuckled my seatbelt, then did the same with his. “So do you have any food in your room? We never did get to eat dinner…”
“I bought you some more of that gourmet chocolate you like so much.” It cost more than my manicure, so I’d been forced to cancel my appointment with Wendy this week. Dad had cut my allowance this month, so things were tight.
His bright eyes sparkled as a smile slid across his lips. “You’re the best, babe.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “It still sounds weird.”
“Fine, I guess we can brainstorm more pet names over chocolate.”
“Deal.” I slid out of the car and led Axel across the street.
A rush of rowdy voices drew my attention toward the adjacent Alpha Tau Omega house. The front door whipped open, and a familiar form stumbled down the steps.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Axel growled.
The circle of frat guys surrounded a clearly wasted Cordelia.
“Is she hooking up with every damned guy on the planet?”
I laced my fingers through his, leaned in close, and whispered, “Calm down. This is perfect. Just wait and see what happens when she sees us together.”
“I don’t know, Lore, I’m not exactly in the mood right now.”
“Hey, Axel!” Even from this distance, I could hear the slur to Cordelia’s words. The girl was a hot mess. It was so obvious she was acting out to get her ex’s attention. She staggered toward us, a frat boy on each side.
I clung onto Axel’s arm. “You can do this. Just keep cool.”
As Cordi neared, she wriggled free of the males and quickened her steps.
“Hey, come back here, sexy,” one of the guys called out.
She twisted her head over her shoulder and waggled her fingers. “Be back in a few, boys.”
Once she reached Axel, her smile softened. “Hey, baby. I’ve missed you.” Her eyes were glossed over, her purple hair a tangled mess.
Shit, had she just hooked up with all those guys at once?
The same thought must have crossed Axel’s mind, because his expression had turned downright murderous. The other guys hung back a few steps, but the hunger in their gazes was palpable.
“What the fuck are you doing with those guys, Cordi?” Axel jerked his chin toward the collection of male onlookers lusting after her.
“We’re just having a little fun, relax.” She crept her fingers across Ax’s chest, and a pang of unexpected jealousy erupted.
“Damn it, stop that.” He grabbed her wrist and held it, pinning her with a narrowed glare. “What are you on?”
“A little of this, a little of that.”
“Maybe you should call it a night, Cordi,” I interjected, inching between her and my pretend boyfriend.
“Fuck, no. The party is just getting started.” Her unfocused gaze flickered between us. “In fact, why don’t you guys join us?”
“Absolutely not,” Axel snarled.
Cordelia inched closer so that her nose was barely an inch from mine. She cupped my cheek, and I just stood there in stunned silence. With her free hand, she swept a lock of blond hair behind my ear, the touch so gentle it sent goosebumps spilling down my arm.
She cocked her head back at Ax, whispering, “Come on, baby, don’t tell me this doesn’t turn you on?” Then her lips brushed mine.
I froze.
“Don’t do that!” Ax slid his arm between us, pulling me into him so my shoulder blades smacked into his firm chest. “Lore isn’t into that shit.”
“Then maybe she could just watch us?” Cordelia jerked me out of Axel’s possessive hold, and her lips crashed onto his.
Oh, fuck no.
“Get off him!” I screeched.
My fingers wrapped around her slender arm and yanked her back, ripping her mouth off his. I glared at Axel over her shoulder, irrational jealousy blooming in my core.
Cordelia staggered back, a lazy smile on her lips. “Just remember I had him first. His tongue was inside my mouth, his cock buried in my pussy long before you showed up, Lorelei.”
Unreasonable fury pounded through my veins and before I could stop myself, I lunged. “You bitch!” I pummeled her to the ground, then yanked at her hair, earning a satisfying squeal.
A chorus of whoops and wild laughter echoed around us as the other guys circled.
I kicked and punched, all the tension from this hellish night exploding through my fists.
“Lorelei! Lore, get off her!” Axel’s arm curled around my waist and hauled me back. “What’s going on with you?”
Cordi hissed and cursed, kicking and screaming at me from the ground. “Axel’s mine! Once he’s tired of you, he’ll come back to me like always.”
Axel towed me back, pinning me against his muscled chest as I wailed.
“Fuck you! You never appreciated what you had, Cordi. You don’t deserve him.”
“Come on, wild thing,” he whispered, “I think we’ve put on enough of a show for tonight.”
He dragged me toward the Zeta house, and I heaved in a breath, forcing the mad thumping of my heart to slow. Once we reached the front door, I finally stopped fighting.
“Damn, Lorelei, that was impressive. You almost had me going there.”
I plastered a smile to my lips and dipped my head. “You know me, Emmy nominated actress right here." I kept the smirk in place all the way to my room before I disappeared into the bathroom and finally let the perfect mask slip.