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"What?" he says, still with his lips drawn back.
"That...that look on your face."
"I’m smiling." he pulls his lips wider.
"It’s scaring me."
"Don’t scare her." Luca takes a step forward.
"Yeah, step back, will ya?" Seb snaps.
"Fine." He takes a step back. Like literally, one step back. "Good?"
"Nope," Luca walks toward him. He reaches for Axel, who blocks his arm.
"Don’t fucking touch me, you wanker."
"Why don’t you back away then?" Luca bares his teeth.
Axel moves back, putting about five feet of distance between me and him.
"Is that better?" Luca asks me.
"Don’t talk to her." Axel scowls at him.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luca turns on him, "First, you try to frighten her—"
"Good," Axel’s grin turns predatory, "she should be scared of me."
"Hey," Seb prowls over to flank Axel on the other side, "don’t threaten her."
"You can’t tell me what to do," Axel retorts without taking his gaze off of me.
Seb places his hand on Axel’s shoulder, and Axel responds by kicking his legs out from under him. Seb hits the floor on his back with a thud that echoes around the space. The next second, Luca is on Axel, and Massimo has closed the distance to the two. He throws his massive arm around Axel’s chest, holding him in place as Luca pulls back his fist, only to stop an inch from Axel’s face.
"Go on," Axel growls, "throw the first punch, motherfucker. Give me a reason to smash up your face."
Luca’s features darken. He tightens his fist with such intensity that the skin stretches across his knuckles.
"Luca," Michael warns. Luca draws in a breath. He glares at Axel one last time, then lowers his fist and steps back.
Axel’s grin widens. He turns to face me. "Well, then," he lowers his voice to a hush, "what was it that you asked earlier?"
I tip up my chin and look into his eyes with a boldness I don’t feel. "Will you marry me, Axel?"
Every muscle in his body seems to tense. The skin around his eyes tightens. His nostrils flare, and a pulse, wildly throbbing, appears at his temple.
"And if I say no?"
My heart begins to race. My chest hurts. A bead of sweat slides down the valley between my breasts. What else had I expected? That he’d confess he feels a connection with me and agree to my stupid proposal?
"Are you…saying no?" I whisper.
We stare at each other. He opens his mouth, and this time, it's Michael who raises his hand. "Think carefully brother," he says in a hard voice. "You may be one of us, but we still haven’t forgiven your indiscretions toward us."
"Nor have we forgotten," Massimo rumbles.
If Axel hears them, he doesn’t let on. He simply holds my gaze. His blue eyes seem to burn with an inner fire. It’s as if he’s reached into the depths of my soul and knows what I am up to. Knows why I suggested this insane idea.
