23. Extreme Measures
EXTREME MEASURES
Axel
A beaming smile pulled Lorelei’s lips apart as I handed her a fruity drink while music blared through the Sigma Delta house. The party was in full swing, and people filled the room, getting wasted on keg beer and liquor.
“I know how much you hate beer, so I had the bartender make this raspberry lemon thing.”
“How thoughtful of you.” Her delicate fingers wrapped around the glass, and she took a dainty sip of the fuchsia concoction. “Yummy.”
“Glad I could please you.” I winked, loving the blush traveling into the apples of her cheeks. “But I hope you don’t mind if I stick with the disgusting beer.”
She shrugged, the movement causing the overhead lights to catch the gold embellishments on her curve-hugging peach minidress. “I can overlook that tiny defect in your otherwise flawless character.”
Gage raised a pierced eyebrow as he watched us from his spot beside Lorelei on the loveseat. “I think you two might be worse than Kill and Lexi. At least they’re silent most of the time while they’re either eye fucking each other for hours or their mouths are glued together in a never-ending kiss.”
“They’re not always silent. Trust me.” I’d heard them banging more times than I cared to admit.
“You didn’t think to get me a drink, Vanderhart?” Gage motioned his finger toward my red plastic cup. “And here I thought you were the caretaker of the group.”
I frowned. “Take mine. I’ll get another.”
Lorelei threw her thin arm out to block Gage from grabbing the cup. “What’s wrong with your legs, Gage? Get your own damned drink.”
“You didn’t get yours,” he pointed out.
She flicked her shiny golden locks out of her face. “Axel’s my boyfriend. Go find your own.”
“I’m into girls.”
As Lorelei sipped her drink, I couldn’t help but smile while the usually silent Gage bantered back and forth with her.
“Then go find a girlfriend so she can teach you how to behave properly,” Lorelei said.
Gage leaned back against the leather cushions. “That’s never happening. I don’t behave properly for anyone.”
“So the girlfriend part isn’t a problem.” I leaned over and ruffled his dark violet hair. “Good to know. Maybe I should start looking for candidates.”
He flipped me off. “I’ll get a girlfriend when you convince Killian you and Lorelei are really a couple.”
I grimaced and perched on the arm of the couch, pulling my cup in so the two drunk chicks staggering by didn’t knock it out of my hand. Killian still wasn’t buying my relationship with Lorelei even though he’d seen us together and witnessed our nightly texts.
My best friend was in serious denial. Technically, he was right, but semantics.
Gage jerked his chin to something behind me. “Speak of the devil…”
“And he shall appear.” Killian flanked my side and rested his arm around my shoulders. “If it isn’t Stonewall’s newest lovebirds.”
If Lorelei rolled her eyes any harder, they’d probably pop out. “Nice to see you too, Killian.”
He scowled. “Don’t you have a sacrificial ceremony to attend or something, Lorelei? How else will you maintain that beauty?”
Blondie didn’t even bat an eye at his insult. “Funny coming from someone actually in a cult.” Her gaze traveled around all three of us.
How much did Lorelei know about the secret society hidden within the frat? She was smarter than people gave her credit for. Plus, rumors about the Serpents & Daggers ran wild at Stonewall U.
The tiny muscles around Killian’s mouth feathered as he clenched his jaw. “I’m just looking out for my best friend. I don’t want him to end up on the wrong side of someone’s ceremonial dagger.”
I lifted my hand to halt their bickering. “Kill, while I love that you want to protect me, I’m a big boy. I can make my own decisions.”
His brows slammed together. “You haven’t always made the best ones, Ax.”
Some of the blood leached from my face. “That was different,” I muttered, my fingers pressing into the plastic cup so hard I dented it.
Gage shook his head. “Too far, Kill.”
My best friend dragged his fingers through his messy dark brown hair. “You’re right. Sorry, Ax.”
I lightly punched his side. “I get what you’re trying to say.”
“You guys are full of secrets, aren’t you?” Lorelei casually rested her hand on my thigh, her thumb tracing circles. “Anything I should know?”
Killian stole a beer from a passing sophomore brother’s hand. “There’s a secret party going on downstairs. Why aren’t you two there, showing everyone how much you burn for each other?”
“I’ll pass.” I laid my hand on Lorelei’s so she’d stop those torturous movements before I got a massive hard on.
“You used to take Cordi down there all the time.” A sly smile melted over Killian’s lips. “She slipped downstairs a few minutes ago actually.”
My entire body stiffened, and Lorelei’s fingers gripped my thigh harder as she noticed the change. “That’s not really—”
“Let’s go, babe.” Lorelei stood, clutched my hand, and dragged me off the arm of the couch. “We should have a little fun tonight.”
“What the hell are you doing?” I mumbled under my breath as she pulled me away. She knew exactly what went on downstairs.
She gave me a wicked smile as the guys watched us meander through groups of drunk college kids. “If Killian doesn’t believe we’re real, he’ll tell Lexi, and she’ll tell Cordelia.”
My mouth pressed into a grim line.
“We’re not going to participate,” she said. “We’ll just watch.”
Once we got downstairs, I instantly regretted it. No one was outright fucking in the middle of the room, but the moans coming from dark corners made it clear what was happening. I hadn’t gotten any since breaking things off with Cordi, and being this close to sex had my blood boiling.
Slow, sultry music pumped through the party room that looked like a sexy fantasyland for adults with curling smoke along the ground, draping silk fabrics, black leather, and a long bar offering any drink your heart desired.
When a familiar face materialized through the small crowd, I had to blink to ensure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Micah Preston danced between two half-naked girls a few feet away.
He really was enjoying the perks now that he was stuck in this secret society.
But he also had ulterior motives. He was bound and determined to discover what happened to his friend. And finding out Susanna had known Peter had all kinds of conspiracy theories twisting through my mind.
Could her disappearance have had anything to do with Peter’s death or the cover-up? Micah sure thought so.
“Let’s just dance for a few minutes.” Lorelei led me into the center where several couples gyrated under the fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. She pressed her body into mine, moving her hips. “I’m pretty sure Killian will sneak down here to spy on us.”
I gritted my teeth as my dick fully hardened in seconds with blondie rubbing against it. Her brows rose, clearly having felt it.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
Lorelei just gave a teasing grin. “I’d be offended if you weren’t getting turned on.”
A laugh burst out, and some of the tension eased from my muscles. “You are sexy as fuck, Lore. Add all of this,” I twirled my finger around the debaucherous atmosphere, “and I’m tempted to drag you into a dark corner so you can experience some real Vanderhart action.”
Her eyes darkened—with lust maybe—and she licked her lips. “It’s not like I’m a stranger to being naughty.”
My mouth suddenly dried. Was that a challenge?
A purple head of hair suddenly caught my attention, and I spotted Cordelia leaning against the bar, watching us. So I acted before thinking and grabbed the back of Lorelei’s head, slamming my lips onto hers.
She squealed in surprise but quickly softened under my touch and allowed my tongue to sweep into her mouth.
Fuck, blondie tasted so damn good. If I could bottle her flavor and pour it all over a piece of that chocolate she bought me, I’d be in heaven. My hands smoothed down her back and cupped her ass while rocking my cock against her.
A moan traveled between us, and her leg lifted to get a better angle. It would be so easy to let my hand wander between us and touch her pussy.
Would I find her wet?
The thought hit me so hard I pulled away, breathing heavily against her lips. Her lids were half-mast and cheeks flushed.
“What was that for?” she whispered.
Yeah, what was that for?
My gaze darted toward the bar where a deep scowl now crossed Cordelia’s face.
Oh. Right.
“Cordi’s watching us,” I blurted.
Lorelei suddenly stiffened against me.
“Good thinking.” She gave a dry laugh and averted her gaze to the smoky ground. “Hopefully, Killian’s watching too, so we can kill two birds with one stone.”
The way she wouldn’t look at me had knots fisting in my chest. Something was wrong, but before I could ask, the two girls Micah had been dancing with pushed by us. He was suddenly nowhere in sight.
Dread pooled in my gut as a sinking suspicion hit me. The motherfucker was doing something stupid.
A string of curses flew from my mouth, yanking Lorelei’s attention to me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked and tugged at the hem of her dress.
Her addicting flavor still lingered on my lips when I licked them.
“I need to check on something.” I’d been on the verge of telling her to wait for me until a few leering guys stepped closer, and something dark and possessive roiled through my chest. “Come on.”
I wrapped my hand around hers and towed her toward one of the doors.
Lorelei remained quiet as we traveled down one of the long hallways, private rooms lining either side. Something was definitely off with her after that kiss.
This whole fake dating thing was confusing as fuck—in more ways than one. Part of me wanted to pull her into a room and continue that kiss.
But my hunch about Micah proved correct when we reached the end of the corridor and turned the corner to find him picking the lock to Vaughn’s office.
Son of a bitch.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed.
Micah jumped as he pushed the door open and then spun toward me. “Axel, I, uh—”
Footsteps echoed, and we momentarily froze, my heart slamming against my ribs. With nowhere else to go, I lifted Lorelei and shoved Micah into Vaughn’s office, closing the door behind all of us.
“Maybe a little warning before you manhandle me, Axel.” Lorelei brushed her hair out of her face as I gently lowered her to the floor.
Ignoring the comment, I whipped around to Micah who didn’t look the least bit sorry. “Are you out of your mind, Preston? Vaughn would have you maimed if he caught you snooping in his office.”
Micah gave a casual shrug and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Since you won’t help me find out what happened to Susanna, I have to resort to extreme measures.” He circled his hand around the dim office. “There has to be something in here that can point me in the right direction.”
“What the fuck are you three doing in here?”
On instinct, I stepped in front of Lorelei like a shield and faced none other than Vaughn as he loomed in the now open door.
He crossed his arms, dark eyes radiating murder. “Someone better start talking.”