Page 83 of Wicked Lord

THE GENTLEMANLY THING TO DO

Lorelei

Luckily, I’d spent my entire life perfecting the mask, the fake smile, the automatic polished responses, because tonight beneath the tranquil surface, I was a hot mess. The entirety of Axel’s family sat around the table, a steady rush of conversation and occasional laughter filling the dining room.

If I wasn’t so damned nervous about sharing a bed with my fake boyfriend, the whole night would’ve been lovely.

The Vanderharts were nothing like the Battenbergs. All my life, I’d told myself that my crappy upbringing was normal for rich people. Father ignored me because he was so busy building his lucrative political career, and Mother drowned her loneliness in a bottle of gin which left me in the far more capable hands of our housekeeper, Gisella. It must have been how all wealthy families lived. It made sense at the time.

But it couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

Despite having staff to cook and clean up the enormous Cape Cod style beach house, the Vanderharts seemed to genuinelyenjoy spending time with their children. And Ax’s grandparents, Gigi and Grandpa, were no different. After fussing over me and showering me with compliments, they’d already invited me to join them for Labor Day at their summer home in The Hamptons.

Stranger still, Conrad and Deb insisted on helping the staffandwent out of their way to be kind to them. Mariela, the cook, and Gertrude, the housekeeper, were treated more like family than I was in my own home.

I watched the pleasant family banter in disbelief. Only Ax’s steady hold on my knee beneath the table anchored me in the surreal scene.

“You okay, blondie?” he whispered as Deb passed the homemade apple pie around the table. The one she’d personally baked from scratch. “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m just taking it all in,” I muttered.

“They are a lot, I know.” He grinned as he scanned the table of mostly boisterous men.

Only his eldest brother, Jackson, was married, but apparently Aaron also had a girlfriend, who’d be joining us tomorrow. Then of course there was Gigi and Deborah, the ever-gracious matriarchs of the family.

“They’re great.” I cataloged all the names and faces around the table.

I had no problem schmoozing. I was a bitch when I needed to be, but I could turn on the charm like no other when necessary. By the end of the night, I’d have all the Vanderharts eating out of my palm.

What had me hesitating was the guilt.

This warm, loving family didn’t deserve to be lied to. That’s what had my stomach in knots, right along with the prospect of sharing a bed with Axel.

“Relax, you’re doing great, Lore,” he whispered, his breath tickling the shell of my ear.

His fingers tightened around my knee, then drifted further up my thigh. I jumped, and my knee smashed into the underside of the table.

A pair of mischievous eyes whirled to me before pivoting toward his brother. “No funny stuff at the table, little bro.” Jeremy shot Axel a wink, and heat surged up my neck.

Gigi tossed a balled-up napkin at her grandson. “Oh, you leave them alone, Jer. They’re young and in love, as you should be by now. Where’s your girlfriend?”

“Ah, Geeg, you know I’m not the relationship type.”

Grandpa ticked his head at Jackson, smirking. “That’s what your older brother said too until he met Everly.”

“He didn’t make it easy, Grandpa.” The pretty brunette stared adoringly at the eldest Vanderhart brother. “But it was worth it.”

“It sure was.” Jackson laced his arm around his new wife, tucking her into his side.

“Aw, you guys are nauseatingly cute,” Ax crooned.

“You and Lore are coming in for a close second.” Aaron pointed a fork in our direction. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so goo-goo eyed over a girl. What have you done to my little bro, Lorelei?”

That damned heat flared in my cheeks, and I was sure they were coated in crimson.

“All right, that’s enough all of you, you’re making Lorelei blush.” Deb clapped her hands forcing everyone’s attention to her, thank God. “Let’s help Gertie clean the table, and we can meet out back at the firepit for s’mores in fifteen minutes.”

The table became a flutter of bodies and clanging china and glasses. I reached for my half-empty plate, I’d been too nervous to eat, but Axel pulled it right out of my grasp.