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“It was horrifying,” I agreed, my gaze fixed on Cora. She straightened her back, biting back a smile. “I was wondering if I could show you some of the ongoing projects our charity is working on.”
Her eyes lit up, as if she believed it was the olive branch I presented it as. Little did she know. “I would love that. Thank you, Axel.”
“He is better equipped to present these projects than anyone else,” Damian said.
I offered my brothers a tight smile and jerked my head so Cora would follow. We wound through the packed ballroom, heading for the kids area where the presentations had taken place.
“So you really showed up even though our offer was rejected?” I asked once we were standing in front of the display laying out the STEM-inspired project.
“Of course. The deal isn’t dead.” She sipped her white wine.
“Seemed pretty dead to me.”
“There are avenues. If you look hard enough.”
I faced her, crossing my arms. “I don’t trust Margulis avenues.”
“What do you want me to say? I’m working with you.”
“Seems like you’re putting up a front.” The way my heart thumped against my ribs and my entire body went warm warned me that we should probably move this conversation somewhere more discreet. An arched doorway led to a service hallway behind us, and I nodded toward it. “Let’s go talk in private.”
She smirked. “You just love talking in private, don’t you?”
“I don’t want my guests knowing that I have anything to do with you.”
Her cool smirk flickered, letting me know my barb had landed. When I headed for the hallway, she followed. And then we were tucked into the moodily lit alcove just off the main service hallway. The sounds of the party were dulled to an indistinct hum. The music sounded more like a soundtrack than a live group. Cora looked up at me, her sea foam green gaze robbing me of my words.
“Okay. Let’s hear it.” She gestured at me. “Give it to me, Axel.”
But I couldn’t give it to her. At least, not what she was expecting. Being this close to her, with this amount of whiskey pumping through my veins, only reminded me of the fact that we were alone. She was divorcing. And not a day had gone by that I hadn’t wanted her.
I shook my head, looking away. “I told you to stay the fuck away from us.”
“Ooh! I’ve been waiting for this.” She laughed, jabbing me in the chest with the index finger of the hand holding her wine glass. “Youinvitedme.Remember?”
“I didn’t. Trace did.”
“Yes, well, the invitation was signedThe Fairchild Brothers, which I’m pretty sure includes you.”
“Don’t get sassy,” I warned. “You know what the rules are, and you still showed up.”
She chuckled throatily. “Sassy, huh? I’m just sending back what you’re dishing out.”
I dipped my chin. She and I had always had a special talent for the back and forth. I hated thatthathadn’t changed. I had to bite my tongue to keep it from going further. “Do you remember the agreement?”
“There was no agreement,” she retorted. “Only demands from an angry Axel.”
I couldn’t rip my gaze from her mulberry pout as she spoke. Every detail of her was utterly edible. All the way down to the pearl earrings and the black polish on her toenails seen through her peep-toe shoes. She wore the same diamond pendant around her neck that I’d seen her wear on the other few occasions. I was dying to find out all the tiny details: where did the pendant come from, if the black dress she wore was as silky as it looked, to explore the dips and curves of the terrain beneath. I balled my hands into fists.Stay the course.
“The agreement was,” I spat, “that you get us the building and stay the fuck away from us.”
“What if getting the building involves menotstaying away?” she challenged, mischief lighting up her sea foam gaze.
“I don’t have time for your technicalities,” I growled. I’d taken steps toward her without realizing it. Her shoulders bumped against the wall of the alcove and suddenly, somehow, our faces were mere inches away. “Do what I say, or just forget the entire thing.”
“I said I’d work with you, and I’m doing that. You’re the one who wants the building. So you have to play bymyrules, too, Axel.”
I pressed my palm to the wall beside her head. My resolve was slipping fast. Her nearness was a dizzying slope. One wrong step and I’d be a broken mess at the bottom.
