Page 37 of Wicked Lord

“Sure, whatever you say, blondie.”

We walked the remaining distance to his car in a comfortable silence. When he opened the door for me, a surprised smile melted across my lips. “You’ve really got this super boyfriend stuff down.”

“I aim to please.”

Lifting my gaze to his, I whispered, “In case I haven’t said it enough already, thanks for saving the night. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.” Which reminded me, I needed to shoot a text to Kendall to tell her I was out for the night. She could close out the event. I was exhausted.

“It was no problem, really.” He held the door open as I stepped into the sleek sports car. He’d traded in his beloved Jeep for one of his father’s prized Maseratis just so we could ride to the event in style. “Oh, and by the way, I think this fake dating thing is getting to Cordi. She definitely seemed jealous earlier, and then her following us? That’s completely out of character. So if anyone should be thanking anyone, it should be me thanking you. By the end of the summer, Cordelia will be putty in my hands.”

An unexpected pang streaked through my gut, but I kept my unflinching smile in place. What the hell was wrong with me? This was all part of a masterful plan and nothing else. I could never catch real feelings for Axel Vanderhart.

The shrill blast of my cellphone snapped my eyes open. Muttering curses, I rolled over to pitch darkness and glanced at the clock. Who the hell was calling me at one o’clock in the morning?

I reached for my phone on the nightstand, and my heart lodged up my throat.

Shit. Brock.

And he wasn’t just calling, he was Facetiming me.

Forcing myself to sit up, I ran my hand through my mussed-up hair and stared at the screen. The call answer button taunted me. Maybe he’d give up… From the looks of it, this was his third attempt. And there were dozens of text messages I’d missed.

Damn it, Lore. Put on your big girl panties and just answer the freaking phone, or he’ll be calling all night.

I jabbed my finger at the green button, and Brock’s furious face filled the screen. “Hello?”

“Don’t you dare hello me, you traitorous little bitch.”

I couldn’t help a gasp from escaping at the venom in his tone, but he wasn’t the only one with an attitude.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” I snarled right back. “And why are you calling me at this hour?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Lorelei, darling, did I wake you after your little romp in the sack with that Vanderhart boy?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, but it is, Lorelei. You see, I’m paying good money for your ass, and I expect it to be untainted and free of scandal. Didn’t we go over my expectations already?”

“Then clearly Vaughn didn’t deliver my message as intended. We’re over, Brock. I’m breaking the engagement before it even starts. I’ll never marry you.”

A sinister chuckle blasted across the speaker, sending ice surging through my veins. “It’s funny that you believe you have any say in this. This arrangement was signed and sealed months ago. I need your father’s vote against the upcoming bill on oil refinery production or I’ll lose millions, and as you know, your family needs my money to survive.”

“I don’t need shit from you now that I have Axel, or did you forget he’s one of the heirs of Vanderhart Securities?”

A vein pulsed across his brow, and his eyes darkened. “Lorelei, don’t you fucking dare do this to me, or I swear I will ruin the boy. If you care about him even an ounce, do not put him in the middle of this because Iwillmake you mine one way or another.”

The lethal edge to his tone had goosebumps exploding across my skin. Brock wouldn’t really hurt Axel, right? He was a shrewd businessman, not a murderer…

“You do what you have to do, and I’ll do whatever it takes to survive. I refuse to spend the rest of my life tied to a manlike you. Sorry, but there’s no way in hell. This marriage isn’t happening.”

I jabbed my finger at the call end button, and the monster that haunted my nightmares disappeared. I waited for a long moment, holding my breath, fully expecting a call back. Not only had I told him to fuck off, but I’d hung up on him.

Brock Haversham was a man who always got his way. What would he do now?

A dribble of unease slithered up my spine. Axel would be fine. He was a Lord, for God's sake, with all the protection that afforded. There was no way Brock could get to him.

Still, my finger hovered over Axel’s name on my phone. Maybe I should just warn him. My fingers flew over the screen as I typed out a quick message.

Me: Brock knows, and he’s pissed. So much for my plan of him breaking it off with me when he found out about us. For some reason, it seems to only have urged him on. He threatened you… Just be careful okay? We can talk in the morning.