Page 36 of Wicked Lord

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.”