Page 55 of Wild Card
“Who is Matteo, anyway?” I asked, locking on to the only detail that mattered to me. The man was model-gorgeous, andAxel had leaned in awfully close when he spoke to him right before we left.
“He works for us,” Axel said as we got into my car. “Why?”
“No reason.”
His eyes narrowed as he reached for his seat belt. “He’s not single, so don’t waste your time hitting on him.”
I shot him a glance. “The thought never crossed my mind.”
But Axel getting a little jealous was all the reassurance that I needed. He wasn’t into Matteo. He was too worried about Matteo interesting me.
None of which helped me forget about the sexy man in my passenger seat, who I absolutely shouldnothook up with again.
Fuck me, but I was screwed, wasn’t I?
Axel was nowhere near out of my system, and despite what he’d said after our first hookup, I didn’t think I was out of his either.
But us together? That had disaster written all over it.
CHAPTER 15
Axel
Most evenings,I grabbed dinner with my brothers at the house.
A whole trail of dogs followed me inside Wednesday night. They knew my pushover brothers would feed them all the scraps they could handle.
Banshee stuck by my side as we entered the house. The others had no reservations about leaving me in the dust. They ran straight for the kitchen, tongues already hanging out, begging eyes at the ready.
Banshee raised her snout, sniffing, as we reached the kitchen.
“Smells…” I inhaled deeply. “Weird.”
The other dogs had come to the same conclusion and plopped themselves down, no longer interested in begging.
Gray glowered from his place next to Emory, who was grating a root into a bubbling-hot pan on the stovetop.
“Don’t be rude,” Gray said. “Emory doesn’t have to feed you.”
I raised my hands. “Sorry. No offense meant.”
Emory shot me a smile. “Just give it a chance. It’s delicious. I promise.”
I was skeptical. It couldn’t be a good sign that the dogs weren’t even interested. Those fuckers would eat almost anything.
A door clicked in the hallway. Holden emerged from his bedroom and started toward the kitchen. Banshee spotted him and charged down the hall.
“Hey there.” He crouched to greet her, giving her a good rub behind the ears. “How are you doing, Banshee? Is Axel treating you right and giving you all the treats you deserve?”
Bailey came out of the hall bathroom behind Holden, looking a little surprised by the love fest blocking the corridor.
“Wow, Holden. Maybe you two should get a room.”
Holden straightened quickly, as if he’d been caught doing something nefarious rather than petting a dog. “She needs attention. That’s all.”
I was pretty sure Banshee wasn’t the one who needed attention. My brother had denied himself his whole life. A dog couldn’t fulfill all that he was missing, but she could comfort him. Maybe even remind him of why contact with other living creatures could be a good thing.
“You want to keep her overnight?” I asked.
