Page 84 of Wicked Lord

“Please, allow me.” With a wink, he took the plate and stacked it on top of his own. I stared completely in awe as the men cleared the table and the women sat like the queens we were meant to be.

Damn, clearly, Cordi had never seen Axel in action, or she never would’ve been stupid enough to let him go. Money, manners, gorgeous, a winning personality and a faint dark side?

Axel couldn’t be more perfect.For me.

Ignoring the dark voice, I watched the men shuffle around the dining room, and a yawn squeezed out despite my best efforts.

“Lorelei, dear, if you’re tired, don’t feel obligated to stay up with the rest of us,” Deb said from across the table. “I’m sure you two had a long day. We’ve been doing nothing but relaxing since yesterday. Besides, you’re probably not used to this chaos. You’re an only child, right?”

I nodded, about to respond, before Jackson’s wife cut in.

“I sure wasn’t.” Everly tossed me a sympathetic smile. “But you’ll be surprised how quickly you get used to it.” She glanced across the room at her husband balancing a tower of plates, and chuckled under her breath.

“No, it’s fine, really. I’m enjoying all the energy.” I waved a nonchalant hand. If I was being perfectly honest, I was pretty damned tired, but anything to avoid being alone in Ax’s bedroom for as long as possible. “Plus, I love s’mores.”

“Conrad was right.” Deb beamed. “You’re going to fit in perfectly.”

As hard as I tried to delay the inevitable, by midnight, Ax and I were the only ones around the firepit, and I could barely keepmy eyes open. Still, I clutched the wine glass like it was my last lifeline, slowly sipping the sparkling rosé.

Axel raised his big arms in the air, showcasing those bulging biceps through his tight Polo shirt. “I’m beat, blondie. I gotta get my beauty sleep if we’re going to win the epic family flag football game tomorrow.”

“Right, sure.” I swallowed hard, then downed the anxiety with a huge gulp of the remaining wine.

Axel, too, had been nursing the same beer for the last hour. If I didn’t know better, I could have sworn he was nervous about the sleeping arrangements, too. But maybe he was just worried about betraying Cordelia or some chivalrous shit. We still hadn’t talked about the other night, and the more time that passed, the less likely it seemed we ever would.

Which I was perfectly okay with.

I’d rather just pretend it never happened than face the embarrassing truth about my growing feelings for my fake boyfriend.

Axel rose and offered me his hand, despite there being no one around to watch. I curled my fingers around his big palm because apparently, I was a masochist and was happy living in this delusion. I took a step and stumbled, my beachy wedges getting caught on a thick root.

Ax caught me in his massive chest, arms easily weaving around my waist. “Are you drunk, blondie?”

I was actually far from it, but maybe I could use that for now.

“Maybe a little. Those bubbles must have gone straight to my head.” I grinned as I straightened, and he released me only to tighten his hold around my hand.

The walk through the quiet mansion had my pulse ratcheting up with every step closer to Axel’s bedroom. I still hadn’t been inside his room, though he’d pointed it out earlier when he gave me the grand tour of the ten-bedroom mansion along the whitesand beach. Despite its tremendous size, it held a warmth I’d never experienced in any of my homes growing up.

“Well, here we are.” Axel stopped in front of a pale gray oak door, and with one hand on the knob, cocked his head back to look at me. “Now, you have to promise not to laugh when we go in there.”

“Laugh?” I choked out. Somehow, Axel’s shy smile dissipated the building tension.

“Yeah, well, I kind of had a thing for Hannah Montana back in the day…” He scrubbed the back of his neck. “And my parents never updated my room so?—”

I barreled past Axel, pushing the door open, and a wild cackle erupted from my lips. I spun in a circle, gawking at the posters of a young Miley Cyrus that plastered every inch of wall space.

“Oh, my, gawd!” I laughed so hard, I folded over, bracing my hands on my knees.

A rosy hue blanketed his cheeks, only intensifying that boyish charm. “Hey, you promised you wouldn’t laugh…”

“Actually, I never did.” I scanned the room one more time before my gaze landed on the bed, and the laughter died in my throat.

It was tiny.

A small part of me had held onto the hope that he’d have a massive bed which would allow us to keep our distance, but Ax was so big I’d barely fit beside him on the full-sized mattress.

“Aw, come on, blondie, give me a break. I was a kid in love.” His gaze drifted around the room at the posters wallpapering every nook. “I’m nothing if not dedicated.”