Page 42 of Wicked Lord

“Yeah, just have to pee after sucking down all that champagne.”

“Lorelei!” Mother scolded.

“Sorry, Mom, when you gotta go, you gotta go.” I snaked around the coffee table and darted around the corner and down the hall to the powder room. Slamming the door behind me, I leaned up against the light oak and blew out a breath.

God, how did I end up with such horrible parents? How did this become my life? I wished I could just hide out here all night, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave poor Axel to the wolves.

A long minute later, I drew in a steadying breath and walked back out into the hallway.

Axel marched toward me with an uncharacteristic frown. “I’m really sorry, Lore, but I have to go.”

“What? Right now?”

He nodded, eyes cast down to the floor. “If I could get out of this, I would, but it’s Sigma Delta stuff and I can’t say no.”

“You promised…”

“I know.” His jaw clenched. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear. Dinner with both grandmas even.”

A smile crept across my lips. “You’re really asking for it, Vanderhart.”

“What can I say, I’m a sucker for grannies.”

My parents' voices drifted down the hallway, Mom’s laughter grating on my nerves. The idea of spending the rest of the evening alone with them was completely out of the question. “Fine, I’ll let you out of it, but only under one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You sneak out without my parents noticing, and you take me with you.”

CHAPTER 19

I LIKE THE TORTURE

Axel

Moments after turning off the security cameras and using the code to unlock the side door of the huge white colonial, the quick clatter of heels hit the pavers trailing from the front yard. I groaned internally, knowing who would pop out around the corner any second.

“I told you to wait in the car, Lorelei.”

She flicked her blond locks off her shoulder. “Maybe I would have if you hadn’t parked in the darkest corner of the street. Someone could have attacked me.”

I scoffed. “We’re in a gated community full of millionaires. The crime rate is nonexistent.”

“You never know.” She peered around me at the opened door. “What are we waiting for?”

I shook my head and slipped inside with my fake girlfriend on my tail. She’d refused to stay at her parents’ house, which I understood, but I had to be an idiot for allowing her to tag along while I broke into a house to steal a computer.

As we stalked through the gigantic kitchen, Lorelei’s heels thundered against the polished tiles, and she cursed when her hip bumped into the center island.

“Why are we stumbling around in the dark?” When she reached for a light switch on the wall, I snatched her hand.

“Don’t turn that on.” My gaze flickered to her designer shoes. “And please, try to walk a little quieter.”

Her brows slammed down as she studied my serious expression. “Are we supposed to be in this house?”

“Of course.”

“Does the ownerknowwe’re in the house?”