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“Don’t be like that. You know that’s not why I’m here,” she murmured, her tone implying she was something more than a coworker to Axel. “I missed you.”
The hell…?
And that was my cue. I’d leave them to…whatever this was.
Without a word, I headed into my bedroom. Axel bit out something at her as I shut the door behind me, but the fury crackling through my head like static drown out anything but my brain yelling how stupid I was.
Pulling out my phone, I curled up into the nest of pillows piled up against the headboard of my bed and hit the icon for my interactive word game. I still heard Axel and Marta’s muffled voices, but I couldn’t make out the words—not that I tried—but I could tell Axel was pissed.
Maybe, I hadn’t read him so wrong, but I’d been out of his life for six years. I wasn’t going to stand there and watch some woman come on to him while he shut her down—had that only been for my benefit? Was there as reason she thought something was there between them?
Still, did it make me a little happy he wasn’t thrilled to have her show up? Maybe. A bit. A lot, really.
Slightly annoyed that I even cared, since I wasn’t supposed to have a dog in this race, I focused on my game and beating my cousin’s ass with killer words—which was tough. Maisie was premed. Her brains awed me.
Fifteen minutes later, I startled when Axel knocked on the door.
“What?” I asked, my voice a little snappy. Heh. Apparently, I was more pissed than I’d thought. I hadn’t realized just how irritated I was, though. Taking a deep breath, I tried to dial it back. It wasn’t his fault that wannabe cougar had showed up. Was it?
He opened the door and barged in as if he owned the place or had a right to invade my space.
I shot upright. “What are you doing?”
“Why are you mad?” he asked, his voice even despite the way he’d burst into my bedroom.
“I’mnotmad,” I snapped. “I’m fine.”
Why was I mad? Was he really asking that? Was he high? There he’d been, trying to romance me or whatever he’d been trying to do over dinner, and then a woman, who clearly believed she had a claim on him, showed up?
Of course, I was annoyed.
Gah! I was so stupid to start falling for him again. And he was stupid not to understand why I was put out right now.
“Right.Sureyou’re not angry, Brisk. How long have I known you? I know when you’re F.I.N.E.”
I scowled at him, even more pissed he’d pull that out.
“Why do you think, Axel?Oh Bristol, there hasn’t been anyone else. What.Ever.”
“Therehasn’t!”And now, we were both yelling.
“Yeah, then what was that out there? She was all over you!”
“That was my assistant stepping out of line and trying to win points with my uncle!”
“Are you sure? Because it sure looked and sounded like something else.”
“Very sure.” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed, partially turned toward me. “I’d fire her if I could, but even though she’s my assistant, I don’t have a say in letting her go or not.”
“Let me guess… Darius holds that power.”
“Yeah.”
What the heck situation had Axel gotten himself into? From the little he’d said, it was beginning to sound like he’d signed on for the indentured servitude we’d studied in history class.
His hand snaked out and loosely grasped my ankle where it was tucked under my knee in my cross-legged position. His fingers traced back and forth, sending shivers up my leg as he grazed sensitive spots. “Come out with me?”
I shook my head. “No.”
