Page 37 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
Axel stops in his tracks, slowly turning to face me, his expression hardening. “What?” he says, voice low and dangerous.
I can’t hold back anymore, the anger bubbling up too fast for me to control. “Thereisa problem,” I snap, my voice sharp. “Because you obviously took advantage of her.”
Axel’s eyes narrow, his posture stiffening. “Do you hear yourself?”
“You said it yourself—she was tipsy,” I shoot back, my fists clenching at my sides.
“And?” Axel’s voice is testy now, his jaw tight.
“Don’t make me say it,” I growl, my mind racing. “I know what you were up to.”
“What were we up to, Jace?” Axel challenges, his tone cold. His eyes lock on mine, daring me to say it.
My heart is pounding, and I want to punch him, to knock that smug, calm look off his face. But I don’t. I won’t.
“You know exactly what,” I bite out, my voice trembling with barely controlled fury.
Axel steps closer, his frame imposing, but I don’t back down. “We didn’t do anything she didn’t want. And I didn’t take advantage of anyone. You think so little of her? Or is this aboutme?”
My fists clench tighter, nails digging into my palms. “This isn’t about you,” I say, though my voice sounds less convincing than I want it to. “This is about Emily.”
“Is it?” Axel steps even closer,
“Because from where I’m standing, it looks likeyou’rethe one making this personal.”
“You took her upstairs. She was drunk. What the hell was I supposed to think?” My voice is rising now, and I can feel my pulse hammering in my ears.
Axel’s eyes flash, but his tone stays level, too calm for my liking. “She wasn’t drunk, Jace. Tipsy? Sure. But not out of it. She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“Yeah, right,” I scoff, but it sounds more like a growl. “And you just happened to be the guy she wanted? You’re seriously going to stand there and pretend you didn’t see an opportunity?”
“Opportunity?” Axel’s jaw tightens, and for a second, I think he’s going to throw a punch. “She’s not some prize to be won, man. She made a choice. You can’t handle that?”
“Don’t talk to me like you know anything about her,” I say in a low voice. “First Tanner, and now you.”
“You talk like you have some kind of a claim on her. She’s an adult woman who can make her own choices. She’s more than your sister’s best friend.”
“Yes,” I reply. “She’s so much more than that to me.”
This seems to catch Axel off-guard.
The commotion has drawn the attention of other guests. A few doors open cautiously, and curious faces peer out into the hallway.
I catch a glimpse of Chloe standing nearby, leaning against her doorframe with a smirk playing on her lips. The sight of her grates on my nerves even more. She’s clearly enjoying the drama, but right now, I’m too pissed off to care about her or her smug expression.
“You’re insane, man,” Axel says, shaking his head.
“You still haven’t answered. You knew what you were doing.”
“She did too. She kissed me,” Axel says.
He’s obviously lying.
“Seriously, Axel, you think this is okay?” I demand. “You just waltz in here, and now you’re making it seem like I’m the problem?”
Axel’s face remains impassive, though I can see a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. “I’m not the one causing issues here, Jace. I was just trying to make sure Emily was okay. And if you have a problem with that, maybe you should look at yourself. Just because she won’t have you…” he trails off.
“You don’t know the half of it,” I growl.
