Page 38 of Ravaged By Lust

“You know Axel will kill me, right? I’m a dead man walking.”

“When should we tell him, then?”

Bishop shrugs. “Never, preferably.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s not being realistic.”

“I might tell Axel at the altar.”

I cross my arms. “That’s a bad joke.”

Bishop sighs and motions for me to sit down next to him on the bed.

“I’m sorry, Chloe, but we can’t tell him.”

“And what if Axel sniffs out something?” I ask. “What do I say then? It will be worse if he catches us together than if I just break it to him carefully. It might even be better if you tell him.”

Bishop snorts derisively. “That’ll be hilarious.”

“What do we do, Bishop?”

“We say nothing. You say nothing. It’s the wrong idea to tell him. The last thing I need, or want, is Axel finding out and having to deal with all that. Axel will drive us apart. There’s no doubt about that. He will kill me. I don’t want to lose a friendship. I don’t want to choose between you or him.”

“That’s all just unfounded. How do you know he’ll react like that?”

Bishop takes a long pause before he speaks again. “Ever since Gabe passed away, Axel and I have grown really close.” Gabe was Axel’s best friend from childhood who died from a bad fight with cancer a few years ago. It was traumatic, to say the least. I still remember walking in on Axel crying in his bedroom when he returned from the hospital for the last time, trying so hard to hide his uncontrollable grief from the two women in his family. That image will be seared on my mind for the rest of my life. My cool older brother reduced to sobs as his childhood best friend passed away. Bishop was there to be a comforting friend to Axel. Nothing binds people together more than shared grief.

“I know,” I reply softly. “You’ve done so much for Axel.”

“I can’t do this to my best friend,” Bishop says. “I’m sleeping with his little sister. If he found out, then it’ll ruin everything we have together.”

“Yeah.”

Bishop looks sad. He looks like he’s close to tears. I bet he’s remembering Gabe and those awful times as well.

We both have those memories.

“I’m not ready for my best friend to know about us,” he continues. “Please don’t tell him, Chloe.”

“Okay,” I reply, but there’s no conviction in my voice.

I still have my worries.

12

BISHOP

I stare into Chloe’s gorgeous green eyes as she suddenly realizes I am real and that I am actually standing in front of her at the edge of the karaoke stage. I see the flicker of recognition pass through her expression.

And then her holy shit moment.

Man, these are the moments I relish.

Yeah, girl, I’m here and I’m fucking real.

The loudness of the bar seems to fade away, and it feels like it’s only Chloe and me. Standing inches apart. Eyes locked. Time slips away, and it’s like I’m just snuck through her bedroom window again.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asks me, her voice sharpening as if breaking out of a daze. “What do you think you’re doing?”