Page 45 of Arrogant Bastard

“Fair enough. And is there a reason you’re turning up to work with an entourage? Did you change the club’s policy again without letting me know?”

“What do you care, as long as we’re turning a profit?” she demands.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I still want to know why you need two SUVs to come to work.”

He’s still talking to her but his gaze has shifted to me. Direct. Nonthreatening but the promise is there. In fucking bucket loads. I let loose a feral smile of my own, close the gap between us, and hold out my hand. “Killian Knight. That’s probably my fault.”

“Axel Rutherford.” We shake hands, and his eyes narrow after a beat. “You’re the tech guy who invented that thing…What was it? A super-microchip?”

I nod. We lock imaginary horns for a few more seconds, and I get the feeling my other skills are not unknown to him. After another beat, he cocks his head at Faith, still without taking his eyes off me. “Does she belong to you?”

Her face stiffens, and her cheeks flush adorably. “What the fuck, Axel?”

My lips twitch. Okay, so maybe I won’t devise ways to destroy Axel Rutherford just yet. “I belong to her. It’s easier for both of us if we put it that way.”

Axel’s shrug suggests he considers it the same difference. I don’t argue with that. We study each other a moment longer before he focuses his attention properly on Faith. Whatever he senses makes his jaw flex. “Everything okay?” he bites out.

I hold my breath. She toys with her bottom lip for a bit. “I need to take some time off.”

Axel folds his arms. “Hell, no. Request denied.”

I shove my hands into my pockets so no one sees them ball into fists. Throwing punches will only delay us getting out of here. “She wasn’t really asking,” I say, very much aware my voice is granite-hard.

Axel’s gaze swings back to me. “Wasn’t she? I could’ve sworn—”

“Since no one’s bothered to introduce me, I’m Cleo McCarthy.” The brunette rises from the sofa and joins us, smiling at Faith.

“Sorry, Cleo,” Faith mutters. “I seem to be caught in the middle of a dick-measuring contest.”

Cleo attempts a smile, but it doesn’t quite make it through the strain on her face. “Trust me, I get it. I was hoping to see you today.” Axel’s gaze swings to Cleo, locks, and stays. The look they exchange is furnace-hot but charged with something volatile. Whatever’s going on between Axel and his lover—and I have no doubt they are—neither of them are giving a quarter.

Kinda like what is going down in my own life.

“Yeah, something came up.”

Cleo nods. “Yes, Axel told me. Well, I’d love to have another lunch sometime.”

Faith bites her lip, and Axel’s gaze sharpens.

“Leave her be, Cleo,” he drawls. “Looks like she’s got bigger problems to deal with.”

Faith glares at him. “I can speak for myself, thanks.” She turns back to Cleo. “Not sure when I can. I’ll call and let you know, okay?”

Cleo nods, and even though she tenses a little when her gaze flicks to Axel, she smiles again. “Of course.”

Faith glances between them and frowns. “Is everything okay between you two?”

“Mind your own business, B,” Axel replies.

She rolls her eyes. “Cleo?”

“We were having a…disagreement,” Cleo says.

Axel smiles. “Not true. We were done disagreeing. She’d just seen the error of her ways and was just about to make friends again. Weren’t you, sweetheart?”

“In your dreams,” Cleo snaps, but I feel the charged longing behind her words.

“Since my dreams are all about you, too fucking right.”

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