Page 93 of Ravaged For You

“I’m not surprised,” I remark. “He fits the part perfectly.”

The maître-D arrives and accompanies us to the back corner of the fancy restaurant where there’s a candlelit table waiting just for us.

“I looked up this place online,” I say to Axel as we sit. “And I discovered it’s one of the most exclusive joints in all of Vancouver. It’s apparently booked out for months, so how the hell did Lucas get a table for us here last minute?”

“Oh, Lucas has his way,” Axel explains. “He’s a master of the dark arts. I don’t want to know what that man can do. It’s pretty damn scary.”

“How did your show go?” I ask. Ravaged have just performed at Vancouver’s biggest arena tonight.

“Great,” Axel says. “It’s good to be performing again.”

“What do you prefer?” I ask, genuinely curious. “Being in the studio or on the road?”

“On the road, for sure. Bishop and Caspian prefer the studio where we are purely creative. Coming up with new songs and all that. But Drake and I love the performances. We’re the extroverts of the group.”

“You really love being part of Ravaged, don’t you?”

“Every single moment,” Axel replies with fire in his eyes. Passion. “It’s what I was born to do. And these are my brothers. I will die for them, and they’ll do the same for me. Music and my boys. What else could I ask for?”

Axel orders for us. First of all, the wine. The most expensive bottle on the list.

“I hope you’re paying,” I say. Axel just smirks his irresistible smirk.

I dare not drink the stuff, thinking how many dollars each sip must be. I’m guessing the bottle is the same price as a condo back in Wisconsin. But Axel gulps it down, and I must follow.

And I start to get tipsy. No wonder it’s so expensive when it must have a pretty high alcohol percentage.

“Right,” I announce, slurring my words. “I’m going to get rough here.”

Axel chuckles. “Oh, no. What does this mean?”

“I’m going to as you some personal questions that little Miss sober me wouldn’t dare ask.”

Axel laughs again. “Personal? I like the sound of that. Not many girls survive asking me personal questions.”

“Well, ain’t I lucky I’m not like most girls, then.”

“Touché.”

“Let’s go through some basic ones,” I say. “We really have to know each other for this whole fake relationship thing to work, right?”

Axel is just staring at me. Penetratingly.

“What?” I ask him.

He doesn’t answer. He continues to stare.

“What?”

“You just look so good right now,” he whispers.

I instinctively turn my head, not wanting him to notice the sudden blush that’s spread over my cheeks.

“Um… let’s go to these questions then,” I stutter.

Axel continues to stare.

“Sure,” he replies, evidently loving how much he’s made color rush to my face.