rocking the bed with last night. I don’t relish the idea of pretending to act like a lovesick sop in front of everyone, including my brother. And once again it makes me question why I agreed to be the sacrificial lamb in all this. Well, coerced is more apt.”
Epic rant. So epic that she hadn’t noticed I’d pulled off the freeway and parked in an empty shopping center parking lot.
Then Annika gaped at me. “What in the hell are we doing here? Are you lost?”
“No. But you seem to be. There’s something bubbling beneath the surface that’s making you more surly than usual. You prefer to pace when you rant.” I shrugged. “This is as good a place as any to do it.”
“I don’t need to pace. I’m fine. I just had a trying day. And besides, we can’t be late for this all-important ‘see us perform like love-struck monkeys’ cocktail party,” she said with total sarcasm.
“Exactly. The boat won’t leave without us. We have time.” I reached for her hand. On impulse, I kissed her knuckles. “Rant and pace. Scream if you want. There’s no one here but me. And when you’re done, we’ll talk, okay?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re being strangely agreeable.”
“For now.” I grinned. “I can be as disagreeable as you prefer later.”
She smiled back. “Okay.”
As soon as I helped her out, she let fly.
I leaned against the door and watched her. I forced myself to listen to what she was saying, knowing she struggled to get it out in Swedish and it would’ve been easier for her to express herself in English.
Her unhappiness mostly rested with her family. Her cousin Jaxson. Her mother. Even Jensen. I was a by-product of her anger, not a cause. I let her silence linger for a bit after she finished.
“Here’s where I pull the macho, self-involved crap and make it about me.”
She spun around, her hands on her hips, her wrap fluttering in the breeze behind her like Superwoman’s cape, a gleam in her eyes.
Damn, she was magnificent.
“Well, Axl? Spit it out.”
“First of all, I promised you no screwing around. So for the past ten days, I’ve been training during the day. At night, I’ve been playing video games with my male buddy Martin, who lives across the hall, or I’m sleeping or I’m watching porn. That’s it. No parties. No bars. No wrestling. I kept my word. I need you to keep yours and work on trusting me.”
She lowered her arms to her sides. “You’re right. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“As far as Jaxson goes? What his ex told you is probably true. His nickname is ‘Action Jaxson’ because his number of hookups is legendary. That said, I’ve also heard he’s toned it down.”
“So it’s a team thing?” She sauntered forward. “Or a guy thing? Do my brothers and cousins know he’s looked up to for being ‘Action Jaxson’?”
“I don’t know the answer to that. And do you really want to ask your brothers and your cousins if they knew how Jaxson had treated his ex and his kid? What if they’d looked the other way?” I shook my head. “Let it go. You can’t change the past. You have a chance to help her now. That’s all that matters.”
Annika placed her palm on my forehead.
“What?”
“I’m worried about you, Axl. You’ve actually been really nice and helpful. There has to be something wrong with you.”
I grabbed her around the hips and tugged her against my body. “Let’s hope it’s contagious and you suddenly become really nice and helpful too.”
She laughed.
And when she laughed? Even more magnificent.
We stared at each other. We both knew things were about to change for us in a big way, but neither of us seemed ready for it.
Her gaze fell to my mouth.
I could’ve kissed her then. Damn it, I wanted to feel her lips beneath mine, to taste her, to test that passion I knew lurked under all that professional polish, but I held off. Too many unresolved things hung between us.
Then her eyes met mine again. “We should go.”
“In a minute. There’s one other thing you brought up that I’ve been reluctant to talk about.”
“Okay. Yes.” She exhaled. “I know it’ll be hard for you to admit in public, since you’re this hot-looking, beefy, badass, snarly hockey player, but it’ll be great publicity—”
“What is hard for me to admit in public?” Wait. Had she called me hot? That was a first.
“You know. Me being the dominant in our relationship. It’s only natural that I take charge—eep!”
I yanked her against my body and bent down close enough that we were nose to nose. “Do not even joke about that, Princess. There will be no question in anyone’s mind—least of all yours—who’s the dominant in our relationship.”
She went still.
“Got it?”
She nodded.
I thought I’d scared her. Or maybe I’d been too rough. I’m a big guy—it happens.
Then I realized it wasn’t wariness in her eyes, but interest. She liked that show of authority.
Good to know. I filed that nugget away for future reference.
Annika stepped back and adjusted her dress.
“Seriously I want to talk about you helping me out, as a favor to your mother on your brother’s behalf . . . and getting nothing in return. You’re right.” I laid it all out there. “You’re an incredibly beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to date you. Don’t think I don’t know that. By spending time with me, maybe you’re missing out on meeting a guy you could be in a real relationship with.”
She blinked at me. “You know I’m about to feel your forehead again, don’t you?”
I ignored her comment and kept going. “Peter and your mom offering my volunteer services in exchange for you being seen around town as my girlfriend for months? Lame-ass trade-off for you.”
“This does have a point besides pissing me off again, right?”
“Yes. The truth is, you’re doing the PR as a benefit for Peter. Keep me in line, I’m no longer a problem client, he can ink endorsement deals for me and if my worth goes up, his cut of my pay gets bigger.”
“Slightly convoluted line of thinking, but go on.”
“So it’s only fair that in exchange for you doing something for him, he does something that benefits you. Not your mother. Not your brother.” I watched the wheels start spinning in that sharp brain of hers.
“Peter did mention today that there will be an eclectic group at this event, not just athletes.”
“He may seem like a low-key guy. But he’s a serious power broker.” Now wasn’t the time to tell her that the only reason Peter had taken me on as a client was that he also represented my father.
Annika started pacing again. Muttering to herself. Then she returned to the car and grabbed her phone.
For a guy who constantly had to be moving, I was strangely content to rest against the side of the car and watch the play of light and shadows flickering over her face as day dimmed to twilight.
When I heard my phone buzzing on the dash, I figured our grace period had ended and Peter was getting impatient.
Annika looked up at me and grinned. “I know exactly what I want from Peter.”
“Good. Because we need to get going.”
Once we were back on the road, she said, “How bad do you feel like acting tonight, hockey pucker?”
I sent her a sideways glance. “Why?”
“If Peter is as shrewd as you’ve indicated, then we’ll have to play hardball with him. We’ll have to provide a united front. If he doesn’t give me what I want . . . well, Axl might just revert to bad-boy behavior, and with the media on board, that wouldn’t be good, would it?”
“What kind of bad?”
She thoughtfully tapped her chin. “You getting handsy with other women . . . not an option. I can’t physically haul this big, hunky, muscular body of yours around if you drink too much, so that’s out.”
Had she even
realized she’d paid me another compliment?
“So the logical problem is to start some fights.”
I grinned. “I’m all over that.”
“The most newsworthy one? My brother. But you can’t really hurt him,” she warned. “It has to be yelling and threats only.”
Right. Then we’d titty-slap each other and pull each other’s hair. The woman didn’t need to tell me how to start a damn fight—or how to end one. “Also if any other pansy-ass guys on this boat check you out? I will go off on them. You look seriously sexy in that dress.”
Annika slipped her hand over mine on the gearshift. “I’d expect nothing less from my man.”
Seven
___
ANNIKA
After we parked at the port, Axl kept me close as we strolled down to the dock. Acting proprietary was for show, but it surprised me how much I liked the sensation of his hand on my back.
The boat waiting for us should’ve been called a yacht.
Peter stood on the boat deck. “What happened to you two? You’re almost an hour late.”
“Someone got lost.” I bumped Axl with my hip, knowing he couldn’t understand, since we were speaking English. “But we’re here now. Is everyone else on board?”
“Yes. We’re ready to shove off. I’ll just tell the captain.”
“Before we get too deep into introductions to the rest of the passengers, I need a moment of your time.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
I looked at Axl. “You want to stick around? Or act like it doesn’t concern you?”
“I’ll wait on the other side of the boat. Find me when you’re done.”
Peter returned quickly and smiled at me. “What’s up, Annika? No problems with Axl, I hope.”
“Everything is fine with Axl. It’s this deal between you and me that’s a problem. I mean, let’s be honest. This favor is benefiting everyone but me. And who is making the bulk of the sacrifices? Me. What am I getting? Besides months’ worth of public deception? Months where if I met a guy who sparked my interest in having a real relationship, I can’t date him because I’m stuck in a fake relationship with a guy I barely know.”
“Annika—”
“Let me finish. In doing this favor, Jensen gets a kick-ass agent. Axl gets a ‘do over’ with his reputation and you don’t have to deal with a PR problem because I’m babysitting him. So I ask you, where’s the benefit to me? Axl’s volunteer time for LCCO?” I rolled my eyes. “With one phone call I can have a dozen volunteers. The other perk you mentioned of being seen in all the right social circles with Axl? He won’t attend the opera at the Guthrie even if you threaten him. I’m already part of the social circles of the movers and shakers in the Cities. I don’t know why that possibility was used as a carrot.” I paused. “But there is one thing that would make this all worthwhile to me.”
For the first time his eyes flashed impatience. “What?”
“A personal introduction to R Haversman and a chance to pitch the debut line of Lund’s high-end boutique-style spa products for their catalogue.”
“You’re joking, right?”
I stepped closer. “Not even a little bit. Peter, I know you’re very good friends with Haversman. You spend a week every summer at his place in Wisconsin and a week every winter skiing at his place in Telluride. If anyone can make this meeting happen . . . it’s you. Several of our new products would be a perfect fit. It would be a huge PR coup for me to even get my foot in the door.”
“I wish it were as simple as making a phone call, but it is not. Yes, Haversman is my friend, but I’ve learned it’s never wise to use one’s friends when it comes to business, especially when it comes to him.” He smiled. “I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course I understand. I’m glad you cleared up where I stand with you.” I walked away and didn’t turn around when he called my name.
I stood beside Axl and said, “It’s on.”
“You’re sure you want to do this?”
“It was your idea, dude.”
“No, I simply mentioned the inequality in the situation.” He stopped a server and snagged two glasses of champagne, handing me one. Touching the rim of his flute to mine, he said, “Skål.”
“Skål.”
We drank. I immediately took another long drink because Peter had sprung for top-shelf bubbly. “So you’ve changed your mind about helping me balance the scales?”
He moved in close enough I caught a clean, soapy scent drifting from beneath his collar. Close enough I noticed a tiny spot under his jaw where he’d nicked himself shaving. Both of those things felt intimate and I found myself leaning in. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. But causing a scene without being able to blame it on too many of these”—he jiggled his champagne glass—“goes against my nature and how I was raised.”
“How you were raised?”
“It’s a Swedish thing. It’s the way we’re all raised. Have you heard the term lagom?”
I shook my head.
“It means ‘just enough not to stand out.’ That’s our way of life.”
I smiled. “My mother doesn’t live that way. Evidently that’s a tradition she left in Sweden when she moved here, so that’s why I’ve never heard of it.”
He laughed softly.
That deep, spontaneous laugh caused my heart to skip a beat. “So the emotionless, unaffected persona you present isn’t real? Beneath this icy Nordic demeanor there actually lies emotion and passion?”
The intensity in Axl’s eyes sent a new awareness through me. “Do not ever mistake an outer calm for anything except an example of a preference for self-control over hysteria.” He lowered his head, brushing his smoothly shaven cheek across my jawline, from my chin up to my temple. In that slow and deliberately sensual movement, the ends of his long hair teased my neck, the musky undertones of his scent filled my lungs and the husky murmur of his voice in my ear created an overwhelming maelstrom of lust. “The only way to recognize passion is to experience it.” Soft, warm breath flowed across my ear as he paused, keeping me captivated. “Have you ever experienced body-pounding, mind-scrambling, scream-inducing passion, Annika?”
I swallowed hard. I thought I had. But the confident sexuality oozing from his every carefully chosen word, his erotic touch . . . maybe I hadn’t. I tilted my chin up, breaking the connection. “Is this where you offer to show me the passion I’ve been missing?”
“If I say yes?” He nuzzled my temple.
“I might be tempted to call your bluff.”
“You think I’m all talk?”
“Ax-hell,” I whispered, “you don’t even like me.”
I felt him smile against my cheek. “Attila, I like you just fine. But even if I didn’t? Passion is passion. I could hate you and still feel passion for you.”
“Hate-fucking. That sounds right up our alley.”
“I’ve never seen the appeal . . . until now.”
I retreated and drained my champagne. Then I turned away, needing a moment to compose myself. Axl in full-on seduction mode was as shocking as I imagined getting whacked in the back with a hockey stick would feel.
When I checked out the other passengers on this deck, I noticed that the guy directly across from us had a camera draped around his neck. He smirked at me and lifted his glass in a toast.
Damn it. Had he been snapping pictures of that private moment between Axl and me?