Page 98 of Always, Axel

“What the hell happened?” Nick asked quietly when we were standing alone.

“Nothing. Trey was being disrespectful to Natalie.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “In what way?”

He fucking looked at her like she was his next meal.“Doesn’t matter. She doesn’t need to deal with that. Lomas is a piece of shit.”

“Oh, so you’re her protector now? I guess that’s part of the project, too, huh?”

“Nick, now is not the time.” I didn’t need to hear his self-righteous bullshit right now.

He ducked his head, shaking it slowly as he stepped back. More people were filing into our backyard as the party grew. “Just be careful, man. We’re a few weeks away from the NFL draft, and you don’t need to do anything stupid.”

“I’m solid.” I sounded like a damn broken record. But I wasn’t good. Far from it. When I glanced around, my blood started to simmer. Natalie was off by the gate, handing Trey a napkin for his face, her brows furrowed in concern. Of course, she’d render aid to someone who was hurt. I clenched my fists.

I started off in their direction, but Nick cut me off, blocking me from moving forward. “Get out of my way.”

“No.” He didn’t budge. “You need to calm down.”

“I am calm.” I tried to push around him, but he held his ground. Fucking Nick and his big-ass body.

“No, you’re not. You’re jealous, Axel.”

Ignoring his stupid comment, I saw Trey’s face soften as he talked to my girl.My girl. “This doesn’t concern you.” I shoved at Nick, but he stood his ground.

“Jesus, look around you. People are watching us.” A small crowd of people were gazing at us in curiosity, some with phones in hand, ready to catch some golden footage. “You want to start some more shit and then have it posted all over social media? You want to bring negative attention to yourself and potentially lose your stock in the draft?”

I closed my eyes, trying to settle the fury searing in my chest. A rational man would know he was right. If I were rational, I would agree. I was projected to be the fourth pick in the draft. If shit was posted about me fighting, teams could lose interest because they didn’t want the headache of dealing with someone labeled as a “problem” to the team and locker room.

“Get him out of here,” I hissed, and my hands opened and clenched again as Trey looked up at me with a smirk on his fat, bloody lip. “Now, before I kill him.”

“Okay,” Nick said slowly, like I was a ticking time bomb that needed to be diffused. He glanced behind me and nudged his chin. Dmitri and Roman materialized, passing by us and heading for the gate like the damn clean-up crew. They approached Trey and exchanged a few words, and Trey started laughing, shaking his head, but followed them out the gate.

“I don’t need you to hold my hand, Nick.”

“Just giving you a little more time to cool off.”

Dammit. I wasn’t an idiot. Yet, why was I acting like one? I didn’t do this. I was losing focus on everything in my life that mattered. Especially when I was about to see all my dreams come to fruition. Yet, here I was, brawling in the backyard because I was jealous.

“I’m calm.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “You swear?”

“What the fuck? Are you gonna make us pinky promise this shit out? I told you, I’m good.”

“All right.” Nick backed away before giving me one more cautious glance. “I get it. I get you. You talked me out of making some stupid decisions that would’ve ruined my life. So, I’m here for you, man. Just be careful, okay?”

Rolling my tongue over my teeth, I nodded. Glancing over by the fence, I saw Natalie still there, leaning against it with a troubled look marring her expression. She gazed at me warily, as if I were deranged.

I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.

Walking over to her, I fought to hold in my anger and my thoughts of her betrayal that she had sold me out in a way when she’d sidled up to Trey and worried over his stupid wounds. Why? Why feel sympathy for that asshole? Why didn’t she feel sympathy for me?

But more than that, I wanted her loyalty. I wanted her to think of me and only me, whether I was right or wrong in my justification. It seeped through my veins like an uncontrollable fever and stoked the ebbing flames of jealousy that I’d tried to contain.

I caged her in like a trapped rabbit as she stared up at me with apprehension. My cheek burned from the shitty punch Trey threw, and I knew it would leave a bruise. “My face hurts. Are you gonna take care of my wounds, too?”

“Why, Axel? Why did you do that?”

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