Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“You think I’m afraid of anyone, Axel?”
“No,” he said. “But I know you don’t like bullshit, and this sounds like it could be a lot of bullshit.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
“Because you like her—”
“Axel.” I gave him a glare across the table. “I don’t do back-to-backs because I’m not interested in having any kind of a relationship with a woman. And even though they say they’re fine with that, they’re never fine with that. They sleep over once and then try to leave their shit there so they have a reason to come back. But this is a unique situation because she’s married, and I like that she’s married because it makes my life a lot simpler. I can have a relationship with her without having to deal with all the bullshit that comes with an actual relationship, like commitment, the future, all that nonsense. Maybe I’ll have to deal with her husband at some point, but that’s a much simpler problem than dealing with a woman asking me to be something more than a fuck buddy.”
Axel listened to all of that with a straight face then gave a nod. “So, you do want a relationship.”
“Did you not listen to what I just said—”
“I can have a relationship with her without having to deal with all the bullshit of an actual relationship. That’s what you just said.”
My eyes narrowed.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt, man. You’ve been hurt once…and you’ve never gotten over it.”
I grabbed my glass and took another drink, washing down the annoyance and the anger.
“Think about what I said. Let this go on too long, and it’s gonna be more trouble than it’s worth.” He was probably going to say more, but then the waitress arrived with our plates. She set them down in front of each of us before she walked away.
Axel looked down at his steaming hot food. “Damn, this looks good.” He grabbed his fork and dug in. “I still would have married her even if her pussy weren’t so damn pretty, because that hot piece of ass knows her way around a kitchen.”
When we were finished and Axel had his to-go container with his other meal, Scarlett emerged from the back, her hair pulled back in a bun so it could be tucked underneath her chef’s hat. She didn’t wear her apron, but she had splashes of food on her shirt and jeans like a mess was unavoidable during the dinnertime rush.
I saw her first and smirked as she approached.
“You like your food, boys?”
“Yes,” I said. “Axel said he still would have married you even if your pussy weren’t so pretty because you can cook so well.”
Scarlett crossed her arms and gave Axel a hard stare.
“Baby, come on,” Axel said. “Guys talk.”
“About that?” she asked, shocked.
“I’ve only said good things,” he said. “Very good things.”
Her angry look was already waning.
He rose from his chair and pulled her close for a kiss, not the least bit dissuaded by the daggers in her eyes or how hot and sweaty she looked. His hand snaked down to her ass, and he gripped it in view of all the tables like she wore a black cocktail dress instead of jeans. “Some guys brag about money, some brag about their cars, and I like to brag about you.”
She planted her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back. “I should get back.”
“Come on, baby,” Axel said. “Have a drink.”
“I can’t,” she said. “They need me in the kitchen.”
“You own the place. You can do whatever you want.”
“I’ll see you at home, okay?” She gave him a quick kiss before she walked off.
Axel watched her go, staring at her ass until she was officially out of sight. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus.”
“You needed to be taught a lesson.”
“What lesson?”
“Not to talk about your woman’s bits to other men.”
“You aren’t other men. You’re my brother.”
I’d once gone on a date with her, and she could have shown me those bits at the end of the night if I’d let it happen. But I was too loyal to Axel to hurt him like that. He seemed to have forgotten all of that over the years because he didn’t appear to see me as a threat anymore. For at least a year, he’d been visibly uncomfortable whenever we were in the same room together, when I just hugged her.
“You want to hit up a bar?” Axel asked.
“Don’t you have to get home to the kids?”
“Nope. Grandpa’s on the clock until I’m good and ready.”
I never texted Astrid whenever she’d said she wouldn’t be available for a while. It was an open marriage, but a marriage all the same, and I respected the boundaries that she’d never laid out. During those breaks, she belonged to him—and I accepted that.