Page 76 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
“What?” Axel says.
“Nothing,” I say, watching to my dismay as she scans the table before she beelines towards one of the empty seats at the head of the table…right next to Jace.
Her gaze slides to Jace as she leans in, her lips curving into a too-bright smile.
“Ugh,” I mutter under my breath, unable to tear my eyes away as she laughs softly at something Jace says.
“Hey,” Axel murmurs beside me, his voice low and deep, drawing my attention. I glance up, startled to find him watching me intently. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “It’s just…Chloe.”
He frowns, his gaze flicking to the head of the table. “Who’s Chloe?”
I hesitate, chewing on my lip. But then I blow out a breath, lowering my voice. “She’s…we went to school together. She was always the ‘It’ girl. The one everyone wanted to be, you know?”
Axel’s frown deepens, his jaw tightening. “And?”
“And…she kind of stole the guy I went to prom with. I mean, she didn’t actually steal him, but he ended up leaving with her.”
“That’s Jace, isn’t it?” Axel says quietly.
I’m not sure how much Jace has told his friends about us. Tanner caught up, but I don’t know how he would feel about me discussing this with Axel. But Axel is looking at me in a way that’s impossible not to tell him everything.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters,” Axel says quietly, his eyes darkening. “Sounds like she was a real piece of work.”
“Yeah, well, she’s just…” I trail off, my gaze drifting back to where Chloe is now leaning close to Jace, her hand casually resting on his arm. “She’s perfect, you know? Skinny and gorgeous and?—”
“No comparison,” Axel growls softly, his gaze locked on mine. “She’s jealous of you, not the other way around.”
I blink, taken aback. “Jealous ofme?”
“Yeah, you,” he murmurs, his voice dropping to a low, sexy rumble that sends shivers down my spine. He leans in closer, his breath hot against my ear. “You’re beautiful, Em. She’s got nothing on you. I can feel myself getting hard, and you haven’t even touched me yet. That’s the kind of effect you have on me,” he whispers in my ear.
Jesus.
My heart stutters, my cheeks heating as his words wash over me. God, the way he’s looking at me—like I’m the most stunning thing he’s ever seen.
“Axel,” I murmur, feeling breathless. “I?—”
But before I can finish, a voice interrupts us, sharp and impatient.
“Emily!” Hailey’s voice rings out, and I jump, turning to see her standing a few chairs down, hands on her hips. “What are you doing down there?”
“I—” I blink, glancing around. “Sitting?”
“Well, don’t,” she huffs, pointing to the chair beside her, right at the head of the table where Jace and Chloe are currently sitting. “You’re my maid of honor. Come sit next to me.”
Slowly, I rise from my chair, smoothing my dress down as I walk over to Hailey. I’m not even sure where she wants me to sit as all the chairs are taken by people. But Hailey has other ideas. She turns to Chloe.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Hailey asks sweetly, tilting her head.
“Oh,” she says, her voice a little higher than usual. “Um, I?—”
“Chloe,” I say as a savage satisfaction shoots through me. “I hope this is not a problem.”
Chloe blinks, her smile faltering. “N-no, of course not.”
