Page 134 of Wicked Lord

Belly-flopping onto the mattress, I buried my head in the pillow. It wasn’t until the footsteps in the hallway finally fell away that I let the tears loose.

A warm breeze sailed off the bluff, lashing blond hair across my puffy eyes. Sweeping the errant strands behind my ears, I took another long pull from the little silver flask I’d stashed in my purse. Stealing a quick glance at my watch, I released a breath.

Ten more minutes until the car arrived for me. If I was going to be forced to attend a dinner at the country club with Brock, I’d be good and plastered. This would be our first public outing, confirming my engagement with Axel was officially over, and Brock and I were a legit item.

The thought alone made me queasy.

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to run into Axel and his family at the club or not. I missed him so badly. I just wanted to see him, but I hated the thought of seeing him hurt. And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up the sham either.

As I placed the flask down, I caught a glimpse of my bare ring finger. Even though the engagement ring was never mine to begin with, I loved how it looked on my hand. I loved the idea of a future with Axel. I took another gulp of tequila before fishing the phone from my clutch. I stared at the screen, willing Axel’s familiar number to pop up.

He hadn’t called or texted once since the breakup two days ago. Maybe I’d been wrong, and he wasn’t hurting at all. Maybe he was back with Cordelia already, and I couldn’t blame him really. I’d come off as a total bitch. If the roles had been reversed, I would’ve definitely been looking for a revenge fuck, too.

As if my thoughts had conjured her, Cordi appeared on the front steps of Davenport Hall. Lexi and Micah trailed after her, backpacks slung across their shoulders, the trio chatting and laughing like everything was right in the world.

Please, don’t come over here.

I turned my head to face the bluffs, hoping to go unnoticed. If Cordi and Axel were back together, I certainly didn’t want to hear about it.

“Hey, Lore, is that you?” Micah’s voice flitted on the breeze.

Ugh. With a sigh, I pivoted toward the happy threesome. “Yup. It’s me.” I chugged down another gulp from the flask.

“Damn, girl, are you okay?” Cordelia actually looked worried.

So much for my best effort to look presentable this evening. Actually, I hadn’t tried at all.

I waved a dismissive hand. “My allergies are acting up, that’s all.”

“You sure?” Lexi narrowed her eyes at me. “Because I heard?—”

Shaking my head, I popped up, grabbing my clutch. “I’m fine. I’m meeting someone for dinner…”

“Not Axel?” A hint of hope lit up Cordelia’s expression, and I wanted to gouge my eyes out for noticing.

“No, we broke up,” I whispered, emotion clogging my throat. I was honestly shocked she hadn’t heard by now. “So, you know, if you want Ax, now would be the time to go after him before he gets snagged by some other girl. He’s too great of a guy to stay single for long.”

“Um, duh.” Lexi shook her head. “So why aren’t you with him? Killian said he’s been miserable—” She clenched her jaw, pressing her lips into a tight line. “Look, I shouldn’t be saying this, but what the hell is wrong with you, Lorelei? Axel loves you. I’ve never seen him like that with anyone before.” She turned to her best friend with a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Cordi, but it’s true. I really care about Ax, and he deserves to be happy. For some wild reason, he was with you.”

A slap in the face would have surprised me less. “There’s shit going on that you don’t understand,” I finally blurted.

“There’s always shit going on when it comes to our fraternity,” Micah interjected.

Oh, hell, how much did Micah know? As if Brock weren’t enough of a problem, was that video the secret Axel had been keeping from his frat brother? It had to be. It would explain why he’d attacked him that night…

Lexi knotted her arms across her chest, glaring up at me. “Whatever it is, you need to work it out together.”

Cordelia shrugged. “Lexi’s right. Axel is crazy about you. He has to be if he passed me up.” A wry smile curled the corners of her lips. “He wants you, Lorelei, and you clearly want him. So what’s going on?”

“I can’t say,” I gritted out, my gaze flickering between Micah and the girls.

“So there is something?” he asked.

Fuck. “No, it’s nothing.” Curling my hands into little fists at my sides, I tried to walk past them, but Micah sidestepped, cutting off my escape.

“I can help you, Lore. Are the Sigma Delts blackmailing you? Are they threatening you? They’re behind this too, I know it.”

Someone was blackmailing me, but it wasn’t their damned secret society.