25. Salacious Thoughts
SALACIOUS THOUGHTS
Axel
The crash of balls colliding into pins erupted around us, and the scent of beer, pizza, hotdogs, and sweat perfumed the air. The fluorescent lights shone harshly on the waxed hardwoods but somehow made Lorelei’s sun-kissed skin even more radiant.
“I suck at this, Ax.” Her glossy lips pulled into a pout that had me longing to bite them. “You can’t help. We’re going to lose. And I hate to lose.”
“I’m a god at sports, blondie. When I’m done with you, you’ll be a bowling star.” I winked and grabbed her hips to adjust her stance. “I hate to lose too, so I never let it happen. I’m not starting now.”
The bowling alley was the last place I ever expected to find Lorelei Battenberg, but here she was, in a pair of jeans and a pink Zeta t-shirt that hugged her curves and showed a strip of toned abs.
I slipped my hand under hers as she held the scuffed green bowling ball. “Pull your arm back, swing it forward, and release the ball when I tell you.”
Instead of the four of us being trapped on Killian’s boat, I encouraged him to choose another venue for our double date. He obviously picked the Bowl-O-Rama to ruffle Lorelei’s feathers because he knew she’d feel like a fish out of water.
“Am I standing right?” she asked, biting her bottom lip, her ass rubbing against my dick.
Heat pumped through my veins, and I had to choke back a groan. “Perfect.” An image of me yanking those jeans down and bending her over—
I shook the salacious thoughts out of my head. “I’ll direct your hand.”
“No way.” She blew a loose strand of blond hair from her face, one that had escaped the messy bun piled on top of her head. “I can do it myself.”
Her determination had me grinning as I eased back to give her room. “On the count of three, move forward and follow the steps I showed you.”
Lorelei nodded and then tossed the ball with textbook form. Seconds later, the pins hit the deck. All the pins.
She squealed and spun. “I did it! I got that thing! A home run.”
A laugh exploded out. “A strike.”
“Yeah, that.” She ran toward me and crashed against my chest, beaming from ear to ear, a rare sight. “How did you do that?”
I steadied her as she slipped on the slick floor. “That was all you, blondie. I just gave a few pointers.” My smile faded as I noticed the chipped polish on her usually flawless nails. “You messed up your manicure.”
Lorelei shook her head, some of the brightness fading from her eyes. “They were already like that. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had much time to get to the salon.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I kissed the tips of her fingers. “No one will notice your nails when you smile like that.”
A light flush coated the apples of her cheeks, and she tilted her head back to study me. “You just know all the right things to say, don’t you, Vanderhart?”
I shrugged as a wave of flutters assaulted my stomach. “It comes easy when everything is true.”
My gaze lowered to her mouth, unexpectedly craving her sweet flavor.
“Are you two going to stare at each other for the next five minutes?”
My best friend’s voice knocked the stupid from my brain, and I pivoted, towing Lorelei back to our station where Killian sat with Lexi on his lap. Neon lights glowed on the back wall above the long bar where townies and college kids ordered refreshments.
“Don’t be pissy I got a strike.” Lorelei flipped him off.
“One strike. Big deal.” Killian slapped his girlfriend’s thigh. “She’s had three.”
The blond shrugged, unbothered. “This is my first time. I bet the bowling alley was the high school hang out in Lexi’s little town.”
The redhead winced. “You’re not wrong.”
Lorelei pulled her hand out of mine and shifted her attention to Lexi. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
Killian’s girlfriend peered around occupied lanes and curved, vinyl benches as if the sorority president was talking to someone else.
“Um, do you want me to go with you?” she asked.
“Of course.” Lorelei propped her hands on her hips and scoffed. “I can’t go alone in a place like this.”
My best friend cursed under his breath. “We’re at a bowling alley, for fuck’s sake.”
“It’s okay, Kill.” After finally untangling his arms from around her, Lexi stood. “I need to go anyway.”
As the girls disappeared, I dropped onto the cushioned seat next to Killian. “Are you satisfied yet?”
His dark eyebrows dipped. “What are you talking about?”
I punched his bicep. “You’re still not convinced Lorelei’s my girlfriend.” A twinge of guilt coiled around my rib cage.
“Look who’s here.” A devilish grin pulled his lips apart as Cordelia waved from the shoe counter in the front. “What a surprise.”
When the person behind her came into view, I chuckled. “And she brought Micah.”
Killian’s smile morphed into a frown when they made it to our lounge area. “What are you two doing here?”
The cleavage spilling out of Cordi’s tank top was hard to ignore. “Just hanging out.” She used her shoes to motion toward the empty bench seat on the other side. “Do you have room for two more?”
“Sure,” Killian gritted out, glaring at Micah as he sat across from us to put on his bowling shoes.
I sipped my soda, watching Cordi slip out of her sandals. Did she come here to interrupt my date with Lorelei, or was she ignorant to Killian’s scheming?
“Are you staying out of trouble, Micah?” I asked, crossing my arms over my broad chest, crinkling my Stonewall Knights t-shirt.
I liked the guy, but his recklessness almost put Lorelei and me in danger the other night. Thankfully, blondie was an Oscar-worthy actress.
Killian spread his arms over the top of the back cushions. “I heard about the other night, Preston. Not a good look.”
Crimson spilled into Micah’s cheeks as he flicked blond locks out of his face. “Well, if someone would help me, I wouldn’t be in those kinds of situations.”
Bass clearly didn’t do his homework before inviting Micah into the Serpents & Daggers or he would have noticed his connection to Susanna.
Now, the new member was risking his neck to dive into the order’s dark secrets. Discovering that Susanna had dated Peter Dupont further complicated things. Maybe she had witnessed something dangerous the night Peter died, and the brotherhood took care of her.
If that was the case, she was probably dead. And her blood was on my hands too.
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Cordelia asked, yanking me out of the dark thoughts before they consumed me whole. “Micah doesn’t get in trouble.” She finished tying her shoes and sat up.
A laugh burst out of Killian. “Micah’s a troublemaker. You just don’t know that side of him.”
Cordelia glanced at me. “Is he joking?”
“Micah’s a Sigma Delta, isn’t he? We’re all a little naughty.” I winked, pulling on my charm to shake off the memories of that night.
She gave a conspiratorial grin, reminding me of all the trouble we used to get into not that long ago.
“I got this for you.” Lorelei suddenly shoved a paper container in my face and tossed a fork in my lap, her smile too tight to be natural.
Shit, did she catch that little flirtatious moment? Was she worried I’d drop her and leave her at Brock’s mercy?
I wouldn’t do that to her.
I couldn’t.
And not because of the deal we made.
When I opened the box, my mouth watered. “Chocolate cake! Thanks, blondie.”
“I was just thinking of you.” She dragged her fingers through my hair as she sat beside me and turned her gaze on Cordelia and Micah. “What are you guys doing here?”
Her hand remained at my nape, massaging circles and spreading tingles down my spine.
“We came to bowl.” Cordi wrapped her arm around Micah’s, snuggling in. “We saw you guys sitting here and thought we’d join.”
My shoulders tensed at their closeness. They’d been friends for a while, but had that changed?
Lorelei smirked at the two extremely friendly friends. “The more the merrier.”
A moan slipped out as I inhaled more cake. “This is so fucking good, Lore.” I scooped up another bite on my fork and shoved it toward her. “You have to try some.”
She jerked her head back. “No, thanks.”
I scoffed. “One bite won’t destroy that banging body of yours. Besides, you’d still be perfect if you gained a few pounds.”
Her brown eyes softened, then her voice dipped. “I’m not perfect. Far from it.”
A pang sliced through my heart at the anguish coating her words. Who had made her feel so unworthy? I’d love to strangle them. Maybe break a few bones, too.
I leaned in close so only she could hear. “While you don’t need to be perfect, I think you are, even with the chipped nails, that messy bun, and those ugly bowling shoes.”
“There’s that damn Vanderhart charm again.” She bit her lip to mask the smile attempting to break free. “Just give me a bite so you can stop.”
“I’ll never stop complimenting my girlfriend.” I lifted the fork, and she slowly pulled the piece of cake into her mouth, moaning.
A string of curses ran through my mind. That had to be the sexiest thing I’d ever seen, and blondie wasn’t even trying.
“Wow. That’s yummy.”
Before she could lick the frosting off her mouth, my head tipped forward, and I smoothed my tongue over her bottom lip a few times. “Yep. Definitely yummy.”
Lorelei leaned closer, gently kissing me and rocketing my temperature in seconds.
Someone cleared her throat. “You two are really that into each other, huh?” Cordelia’s voice sounded unusually flat.
For a moment, I’d forgotten we were in a crowded bowling alley.
“Uh, yeah.” When I pulled back, the purple-haired vixen looked queasy.
“Let's get a drink.” Lexi hopped up and darted toward Cordi, grabbing her hand to pull her up.
Lorelei sat back in her seat with a sigh. “I miss cake.”
Killian nudged my foot and then jerked his head toward the left where two other Lords sat at the bar, covertly watching Micah. A sinking feeling hit my gut, the same one my best friend probably felt.
Jarrod and Kory were Vaughn’s closest allies in the Serpents & Daggers. They were following Micah now? Whether Vaughn believed Lorelei or not, sneaking into the Domnus’s office had put the nosy member on his radar. Micah would get into deep shit if he didn’t stop snooping around.
Lorelei’s phone buzzed, stealing my attention from the guys as the color drained from her cheeks.
My brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed hard and stood, shoving her phone into her pocket. “Uh, nothing. I’ll be right back.”
I grabbed her hand before she could walk away, my chest tightening at the sudden dark shadows in her eyes. “Tell me.”
Lorelei shook her head and threw me a fake smile. “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.”
But I was worried. When I should have been focused on the Lords spying on one of their own, my thoughts were trained on my fake girlfriend. What could have been in that text to upset her so much?