Monitors, standing in the doorway, looking deeply concerned. “We’ve got a . . . situation. You need to check this out pronto.”
Chapter Twelve
AXEL’S chattiness evaporated in an instant. “Go back to your room and lock the door. You should be safe. I’ll find out what’s going on and come back for you.”
He didn’t give her a chance to argue or the opportunity to follow. Before Mystery even rose from her chair, he’d left the room.
With a frown, she looked into the open doorway, then sighed as she jogged back down the hall. If someone had broken into the club and was wreaking havoc, wouldn’t alarms have gone off or something?
As she reached the main hallway leading from the back door to the club’s main floor, Mystery didn’t see anything out of place. She resisted ducking into her room and locking herself in. If something dangerous was happening, how would she know it and escape?
For a few minutes, she paced the hallway, torn between following Axel’s demands and tiptoeing around to see what the devil was going on. She didn’t like the jerky beat of her heart and the sick worry knotting her belly. What was taking Axel so long? Had he been hurt defending her? They’d been so careful putting out a cover story that she was leaving the country, both to the hotel staff and Twitter. So how the hell could anyone have found her here?
She was still wringing her hands in indecision when Heath came storming toward her, wearing a furious scowl that made her cringe inside.
When he spotted her, his frown deepened to a full glower of disapproval. He grabbed her arm. “What did that man do to you?”
She didn’t play dumb or pretend she didn’t know what he meant. “You heard us.”
“How could I possibly avoid it?” he drilled sharply. “You haven’t seen him in forever, and suddenly you decide to—”
“Heath, I appreciate your concern, but it’s really none of your business. My father sent you along to keep me safe, not to guard my chastity. I’m not having this argument with you.”
He paused, worked his jaw, looking as if he waded through his words carefully. But he didn’t let up or let go of her arm. “Did it ever occur to you that you might not be able to trust him? That someone you can trust is standing right in front of you?”
Mystery reared back. Was he talking strictly about her safety or had he drifted into romantic territory? Heath had never given her a reason to think of him as anything other than a protective uncle . . . who just happened to be a badass. Had she misread the situation all along?
“What are you saying?”
“You’ve seen your ‘hero’ at his best and built him up in your mind. Mystery, you’ve just given him every part of you, especially your trust. And your body.” And he looked as if that disturbed him. “But you’ve never seen him as just a man with all the other flaws you’re terribly familiar with.”
“Meaning?” she snapped. “He’d never hurt me.”
Heath cursed and looked upward, seemingly for divine intervention. Then he shook his head at her. “You can be the most bloody stubborn woman . . . Come with me.”
He dragged her down the hall toward Thorpe’s office. He held his finger over his lips to signal her silence.
As they reached the threshold, Heath held out a hand to stop her, and pointed to the far side of the room. Thinking that he must be losing his mind, Mystery shrugged and peeked around the corner. What she saw made her heart stop completely.
Axel sat with his back to the door in a chair, his shoulders eclipsing the backrest. A small woman cuddled in his lap, wrapped up in his big arms. He held her as if no one in the world was more important to him than her.
“How do you feel about that, Sweet Pea?” he asked softly, intently.
Sweet Pea? Who was she? He didn’t have a sister that she knew of. Was she a friend? Or his lover?
Mystery’s blood went cold.
“I’m willing to do whatever you want.” She blinked big brown eyes at him, looking very comfortable in his arms. “I want you to be happy.”
He caressed the woman’s cheek. “I want you happy, too.”
She curled small fingers over his broad shoulder and squeezed. “You’ve done your best to make me happy for the last two years. I . . . don’t have words for how wonderful you are. Your devotion has meant so much to me. I’ve been so lucky to have you.”
Every word out of the woman’s mouth was a stab in Mystery’s heart. She’d been thinking about love and forever with Axel. She had basically invited him to get her pregnant because she’d been stupidly envisioning what a beautiful family the three of them would make and how happy they could be sharing their tomorrows. With him, she’d feel protected and loved. In return, she would adore and satisfy him.
Now the wretched, crushing humiliation ripping her heart from her chest reminded her of the devastating lesson her mother had learned at her father’s hands: Men always strayed.
No, Axel hadn’t promised her anything or committed to any sort of future. Mystery had been the one to make naïve assumptions. But never again. Obviously, he’d been committed to this woman he called Sweet Pea for two years—how had her private investigator missed that?—and Axel had cheated. Mystery was the “other woman” in this scenario, and she felt used.
“It’s been my pleasure and privilege.” Axel pulled the woman closer and laid a soft kiss on her forehead.
Their exchange lacked passion, but all that told Mystery was that, while he cared for his girlfriend too much to let her go . . . he slaked his lust with other women. Typical. That had always been her father’s approach to relationships, too.
Mystery couldn’t breathe. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. And so fucking betrayed, though she probably had no right to. She shoved back hot tears stabbing her eyes and threatening to spill.
“Have you seen enough?” Heath murmured in her ear.
She didn’t even want to speak right now. And she certainly appreciated that Heath didn’t say “I told you so” at that moment. He certainly could have, and she would have deserved it.
Why had she thought she’d truly known Axel after so little time together? Mystery shook her head. That was the last time she’d let her hopes and stupid romantic fantasies get the better of her. Heath had been right about her idealizing Axel. She had to stop thinking like a girl and become a woman.
She had to save herself.
Heath curled a gentle hand around her arm and led her back down the hall. She was grateful she didn’t have to witness the affection passing between he and the petite brunette anymore. And when they reached Heath’s bedroom, Mystery was even more relieved that she didn’t have to look at the rumpled bed she’d shared with Axel and smell the sex that undoubtedly still hung in the air. She couldn’t have managed that without falling to her knees and sobbing.
“I’m assuming you want nothing more to do with the man?” he asked gently.
The thought of never seeing him again choked her, tore at her heart. But she’d done without him for over six years. She’d manage for the rest of her life somehow because she’d never be the victim her mother had been. “Nothing.”
“Pack up anything you’ve unpacked. Give me . . . ten minutes. I’ll have you out of here.”
As he turned to leave, she grabbed his arm. “Thank you.”
Heath glanced at her hand on him, then at her face. “Anything for you.”
* * *
AXEL turned suddenly in his chair, looking into the hall behind him. The hair stood on the back of his neck. He would have sworn he’d heard someone back there. But he saw nothing.
Forcing himself to relax, he directed his attention back to Sweet Pea. “So you’re ready to meet Stone?”
“Why does he want to meet me?” she asked, her insecurities all over her small heart-shaped face.
Sometimes, he forgot that, despite her often multicolored hair, her rocker-chick clothing, and her bright tattoo that held a meaning only the two of them understood, she still gripped tightly t
o her insecurities. She’d come a long way after surviving so much. But like the winged bird she’d inked onto her shoulder, the time had come for her to fly away. Stone may or may not be the man for her, but she was ready to embrace someone else to help her along with the next part of her journey through life.
“He didn’t tell me. You’ll have to ask him. But I made it clear that he’s to respect you and your boundaries,” Axel promised.
She nodded, the hair she’d pulled back in a simple ponytail today colored a surprisingly sedate chestnut brown with a few hints of fuchsia streaks. Her long lashes brushed her cheeks as she paused for a moment to gather herself.
Finally, she opened her eyes and regarded him again. “Okay.”
More than one Dom over the years had asked about the club’s sweet little receptionist, but she hadn’t wanted to come out of her shell. Axel had been suspecting for a while that she was ready for more than he could give her. Her agreeing to meet anyone was a huge step forward.
He hugged her tight. “I’m proud of you. He’s waiting. I’ll introduce you.”
With the little receptionist in his arms, Axel stood, then set Sweet Pea on her seriously high heels. She still only reached the middle of his chest. “I’m scared.”
“I’m always here if you need an ear. You know Thorpe is, too.”
“I appreciate the offer.” She nodded pensively. “But you’re with Mystery now. You don’t need me.”
He frowned. “Misty, you don’t have to leave my protection because I’ve found someone. We’ll have to change a few things about our relationship, but I don’t want you jumping into any arrangement with another man just because you think I won’t be here for you anymore.”
She smiled softly. “Axel, you’ve been so wonderful. I’ve often wished that I could have been healed enough to love you like you deserve. And that I could be the sort of woman you’d love forever. But we weren’t meant to be. You’ve done more for me than I’m sure you were prepared to when Thorpe asked you to help me along, and you’ve definitely given me more than you’ll ever understand.” She teared up. “I’ll miss you.”
“Sweet Pea . . .” He held her close. “I’m not shoving you out the door and into the cold.”
“I’m showing myself out.” Tears splashed down her cheeks. “I’ve worn out my welcome. It’s time for you to give your whole self to one woman. That’s never going to be me. And it’s all right. If she loves you like you deserve—and it sounded earlier like she does—then I’m so happy for you.”
Axel looked away with a wry grin. He’d intended for Heath to overhear them, but he hadn’t thought Sweet Pea might come to the club early looking for him. When Stone had shown up and asked for her, Zeb had turned protective older brother and fetched Axel from the kitchen. But maybe this was for the best. Maybe the time had come for both he and Misty to move on.
Axel’s heart swelled. He’d always have a soft spot for her inside his big, rambling chest. He might have done her a favor by working with her on her ability to trust and communicate her feelings, but she’d taught him more than a little about honesty and letting go of fears, too. All of his brothers were still single, as was his father, and Axel didn’t kid himself. All that had so much to do with his mother’s abandonment. Trust didn’t come easily for him, but Sweet Pea had helped kick-start his healing. He wasn’t there yet, but he had high hopes.
He cupped her face, her small bones swallowed by his big palms, and laid a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. For a long breath, he gave her his kindness and adoration. It flowed bittersweet between their lips and hearts as they said their final good-bye as lovers.
More than ready for his future, he broke away and led her toward the dungeon, hoping that he’d be introducing her to a special man who would take her in hand and make her whole.
* * *
MYSTERY raced around the bedroom she and Axel had shared an hour ago. She tried not to look at the bed as she packed up her toiletries, tossed on some clean clothes, zipped up her bags, then waited.
Maybe she was being hasty. She should at least ask Axel about what she’d seen. There must be some rational explanation, right?
For him cuddling another woman and whispering endearments? How often had her mother said she wished she’d listened to her gut about her father’s alibis, rather than his slick words? On the other hand, Axel wasn’t her father. Daddy liked attention—needed it. Axel stood quiet and watchful. He didn’t mind solitude. He wasn’t for show, didn’t care about flash . . .
But what man turned down sex when a pretty skank in a short skirt offered it? Axel and her father might not be cut from the same cloth, but they were both men with dicks. Maybe that was the only similarity that mattered.
Pacing and chewing on a ragged nail, she waited for Axel to return. She’d ask him about the woman she’d seen him with and his relationship with her. She’d listen and try to make an unemotional judgment. After all, despite the sex they’d had today, he’d never promised her an exclusive relationship.
But what kind of man jumped from the most amazing sex with her—twice—to put another woman on his lap minutes later?
Mystery crossed the bedroom again. Damn, she could talk herself in circles all night.
Bottom line: She had to ask Axel, listen, then do what was best for her, depending on whether he set off her bullshit meter. Heath would want an explanation, and she would give him one but—
Suddenly, the lights flickered, then died. Everything around her went still, black. She stood unmoving, afraid that she’d trip over something in the unfamiliar room. Then slowly, she began feeling her way back to her suitcase near the door.
When she turned the knob and eased into the hallway, a hand suddenly gripped her arm, pulling her against a hard body. Before she could even gasp, he covered her mouth with his palm. Adrenaline surged. Terror spiked. Had whoever left the picture in her hotel room somehow found her?
“We’re leaving via the back door now. Stay quiet.”
Heath. Mystery heaved a giant sigh of relief. “We should talk about this before we run off. Maybe I’m being hasty.”
“Would you really give him more chances to crush your heart? What would your mother say about that?”
To run like hell if she had any suspicion at all that Axel had cheated. “I know.”
Heath released her, then brushed past her. She heard a vague grunt as he lifted her admittedly heavy suitcase. “Wrap your hand around my arm and follow.”
“But what if I’m safer with him around, too?” she murmured.
“You’ve let the pleasure cloud your thinking. I’ve kept you safe all these years. I’m still more than capable. Follow me. We have to hurry. It won’t take Axel much longer to figure out that I’ve simply tripped the breaker.”
Mystery hesitated, so torn. She sensed Heath’s impatience.
“I told you at the onset that Axel was a player,” he pointed out. “It took him less than fifteen minutes to find another woman to seduce.”
“He didn’t make me any promises,” she pointed out.
“But don’t you deserve them?”
She sighed. Yes, she did. Her mother had often said that she felt as if she’d accepted feeling like second best because she’d lacked the confidence and temerity to leave. Mystery didn’t want to be a victim of her own weakness.
Heath sighed with impatience. “Axel knows where you’re heading. If he truly wants you and cares, he’ll come after you. If not, then you’ll know. But we must leave now.”
What he said made a lot of sense. Besides, some time away from Axel and all of his trappings would allow her the space to get her head together and figure out her next step. He wouldn’t be thrilled with her departure, especially since this wasn’t the first time today she’d run out on him. But she needed some solitude to process.
“All right.”
As Mystery allowed Heath to lead her to the back door, a voice inside her kept shouting that she was making a big mistake. Before she could
question her decision again, the back door slammed shut behind her.
Mystery hesitated, fighting every instinct to pound on it until someone let her in, until she could see Axel again so they could work their differences out.
“Look forward, not back,” Heath encouraged, tugging her along.
No choice now . . . The door through which they’d just exited was locked.
Heath led her across the lot, then hustled her into the town car and pulled away. They sped into the inky night, and Mystery prayed that Axel would come for her. Otherwise, she worried that she’d not only be fending off bad guys but fighting a broken heart.