Just a Couple Ex's Blindsided (11 page)

Liv interrupted him, looking up. “No it is much better, really.”

He nodded, just as the hostess returned for his signature. When he turned back, Liv was standing beside him with a small, shaky smile. He put his arm around her and they walked forward. He dipped close to her ear. “Amazing what you said. I bet they think that we are ... you know.”

Liv nodded against his lips, as she muttered, “I hope they do.”

He held back his chuckle, but said, “It’ll make them crazy.”

She leaned into him and he held her upright as they left the restaurant. Once outside, he thought they were both surprised to see Kiki and Darwin still in the parking lot. They were next to Darwin’s sports car, obviously arguing.

“You better?” Axel asked Liv, with a sideways hug.

“I’m recovered,” she answered.

“Good,” he declared. Then he gently swung her around, grasping her face into his hands, before he bent to kiss her. She made a surprised sound, stiff at first, then melting into him a second later. Instantly hot, they started kissing as if they were the only two people in the world.

“I want a divorce,
you
tramp!”

Liv hung onto Axel’s shoulders as Andrew’s bellowed voice sounded somewhere behind them. She continued to kiss Axel deeply, however Axel broke apart their kissing lips.

“
What
the hell did you call her?” Axel’s voice was a suppressed shout as he held onto her with his arm curled over her shoulders.

“She’s cheating!” Andrew exclaimed, and he tried to grab her shoulder, but Axel swung her away.

Then Kiki, who had run up to them, asked in a shrill voice, “Are you
really
sleeping with her, Axel?”

When Liv looked at Axel’s stony features, she saw his bottom lip curl upward. “Are you sleeping with
him?
” Axel’s head tilted toward Andrew.

Kiki gasped, shaking her head with no sound, while Andrew blurted, “We’re business partners,
not
screwing like you two are. My lawyer is going to love this!”

Liv felt shock running through her. Her husband was an ass. She so wanted to swing her hand up and slap him.

“Kiki?” Axel demanded.

Kiki clamped her hands to her mouth, and Liv saw tears starting in her eyes, and through her fingers, Kiki wailed, “How could you, Axel?
With
her!”

Liv felt the slam inside her gut, and she wondered why she gave a damn what Kiki Savvi thought about
anything
.

Liv could hear Axel growling under his breath as he squeezed her shoulders a bit tightly. “You two are unbelievable,” Axel uttered, and he pressed her shoulders with the motion to move.

“Have fun with your plans,” Liv hissed, as she walked by Andrew, who was looking angry but shrewd. Then at her words, he looked sly. But what he didn’t look like, and what shot more pain through her — was he didn’t look like a man devastated he was losing his wife.

Kiki on the other hand was sobbing dramatically. “You
can’t
go off with her, Axel. We need to talk!” she wailed, running after their retreat to Axel’s car.

“Kiki, come here!” Andrew demanded, and Liv saw over Axel’s stiff shoulder that Andrew tried to stop Kiki and haul her back toward his roadster.

However, Kiki broke free, crying, “Just leave me alone, Andrew!” Then she ran on her heels toward Axel, exclaiming, “Please, honey, he made me do it! Just listen to me!”

Liv heard another incensed growl from Axel as they stopped by the passenger door of his car. Liv could understand Kiki’s dilemma ... she’d take Axel over Andrew too.

Axel stood with one hand braced on the top edge of the car’s roof, while his other hand cupped the far side of her waist. Liv gazed at him as he stared down at the pavement. She knew he couldn’t see Kiki’s headlong sprint towards him, but he must have known it was coming. Then Kiki was in his space, and Liv backed away as he released his hold on her waist. Kiki practically climbed up Axel’s broad, sturdy chest.

Liv felt more pain catching her throat and she looked away.

“
Please
, baby,” she heard Kiki pleading. “He
made
me. Let me tell you.”

The most satisfaction Liv received from what was happening was seeing Andrew’s face. The bastard was crushed, but of course he was too arrogant to grovel. He just stalked to his roadster and got in, slamming the door shut. Seconds later he sped away. She lifted her gaze and she saw a couple getting out of a cab, in front of the restaurant.

At that same moment, she heard Axel saying, “Tell me
how
he forced you.”

Painfully, Liv closed her eyes, then she scooted toward the cab.

“Take me home, Axel! It’s a long story, baby,” Kiki cried.

Liv heard Kiki’s cried words just as she made it to rap on the cabbies window. She knew there was like only two cabs in town, and she wondered about fate letting there be one right in front of her, in her time of need.

“Liv!” Axel called. But she ignored his call, hurrying around the cab to pull open the back door. When she looked up over the roof of the cab, Kiki was still hanging off Axel, but he looked anguished and torn. “Liv!”

She shook her head and got into the cab.

A
xel tried to unhook Kiki’s arms from him and step back. She followed him with tears. “I know you’re doing him,” he uttered, pressing one hand into her collarbone to keep her a step away from him, as he watched the cab carrying Liv, drive away.

Damn.
He’d not wanted that to happen.

“He said he would close us down if I didn’t, Axel!”

Axel jerked his head around to Kiki, his eyes narrowing on her pleading and hurt gaze. She was decked out in the sexiest outfit he’d ever seen her wear. “How the hell would Darwin ...” He jerked his head in the direction Darwin left. “Have the power to shut us down?” he demanded.

Her bottom lip quivered. Hell, he’d never seen Kiki so meek. Maybe something was wrong. She looked to the side. That’s when he
knew
.

“He’s on the council. He can do it.”

She was lying to him. He knew that sideways glance like the back of his hand. But what he couldn’t figure out was why? Did Kiki really want him back and was she
that
desperate.

He played along. He’d already ruin things with Liv. Badly.

“So he told you that you had to go to bed with him or he would shut us down?”

She nodded vigorously, dabbing at fake tears that had disappeared from her eyes.

“How long?” he asked. Lowering his hand carefully, in case she moved and he had to raise it again.

“Umm ...” She looked to the side again. “Twice,” she finally said. Then she added dramatically, “It was terrible, baby.”

Ah huh.
His fist clenched at his side. “Not sure I can get over it,” he stated bluntly.

“It wasn’t my fault,” she gasped. “But if you divorced me, it wouldn’t be my fault either!” she exclaimed.

Her reasoning finally started to show. “He make you come out and eat dinner with him,” Axel tossed out.

Kiki looked startled, then at the restaurant, then back at him. “H-He did,” she said, uncertainly.

“Make you laugh in there and put your tongue in his mouth?” Axel asked, without raising his voice.

She shuffled on her high heels. “I had to make it good, to save your business,” she declared. “I did it for you. Now you’re giving me the third degree!”

“Have you ever thought about divorce?” he asked abruptly.

“Yes!” she blurted, then she looked surprised. “I didn’t mean that,” she stammered.

“I guess with you being forced to cheat, that any divorce would go in your favor. I’d lose it all to you,” he stated.

“Axel ... baby, that would be
so
bad.”

Axel guessed Kiki didn’t know there were no-contest divorces anymore, so the division of money didn’t hinge on blame or maybe she just didn’t want to look like the villain. But as he looked down on her, he marveled at how someone who had been so close to him could seem so alien. Had he ever known her?

After that he played it close. Telling Kiki he was having a hard time accepting she’d slept with another man ... even if she had too (her lies.) However, he was stuck taking her home.

Once in the car she turned to him, and asked, “Have you slept with her?”

The second the question hit him, he had a hard time figuring out what she meant, then it dawned on him. “Mrs. Darwin? No way.” He shook his head.

“But you kissed her, Axel.”

He’d been keeping it pretty cool up until that point. He wanted to be smart about how he dealt with Kiki and her cheating. He still had plans to blow it up in her lying face. But Kiki’s accusation, and about Liv, put him on slow simmer again.

“That was for your and Darwin’s benefit,” he said, purposely answering vaguely.

“But how do you know her?” she demanded.

No way was he going to be on the questioning block with his lying, cheating, and now scheming wife.

“Known her since high school,” he declared, pulling in their driveway, thank god.

“But ...” Kiki started.

Which he overrode. “
Not
now, Kiki. I’m barely keeping it together as it is.”

“You should come inside and get in bed with me, baby. I’ll make you forget her.”

“Get out. We will talk later,” he growled.

“I’ll be here, naked in our bed,” she whispered, before she opened her door. Then on the way out, she gave him a good look up her legs and up to a sexy thong she had on.

Once her door was shut, he slammed the car into reverse, and he left fast. He was reeling, because it seemed this newest act Kiki was playing was about her not wanting another woman
on
him! Could that be it? I’m not screwing him, but you're
not
either.

“Hell,” he swore, gripping the steering wheel.

He wanted to go home ... talk to Liv. But that was messed up and he needed to think. Every damn thing was confusing.

Liv had the taxi take her to her car in the park, then she drove her car to Axel’s aunt’s house. The entire drive she’d planned to go inside, grab her things, and hightail it to the dark, cold house at the rose farm. It felt as if Axel had chosen Kiki over her. It felt as if her husband didn’t give a damn about her and it felt like Kiki could get them
both
under her spell.

She fumbled with the keys trying to get into the house. It was dark and she forgot where the light was. Then she took one step inside and her heel caught on something. She nearly fell but caught the wall, and then she felt the light switch.

“There you are,” she muttered.

Right then her cell rang and she thought about ignoring it, but she pulled it out to see who she’d be ignoring. It was Axel. A text. Well a text was better than talking and she couldn’t help being curious, so she took the text.

“Sorry, baby.
”

She nearly whined at the words. God, texts were so impersonal. Did he really mean it, and where was he? Was he still
with
her? Liv didn’t answer the text, instead she closed her cell and put it back into her purse. Then she went to her room where she was going to pack.

“And Kiki can
have
them both,” she uttered through gritted teeth.

Only an hour later, she’d packed but she hadn’t left. Instead, she’d wandered out into the living room and sat on the couch dragging a couch pillow to her chest as she curled her legs under her. Staring out into the room, she just sat there thinking. She didn’t give a damn anymore about losing her bastard husband. Andrew who couldn’t get away from her quick enough. But she really cared about losing Axel. That hurt deeply.

“I don’t want to lose him.” She took a steadying breath, trying not to cry. They were starting something and it looked beautiful. Maybe she was regretting not going to bed with him. The chance to have that ripped masculine body over her or below her. Her hands on him.

“God.” She closed her fingers, gripping them into a fist, and bringing it to her mouth. “I could have
had
that. Idiot.”

Well, she wasn’t going to let it go so easy, by just running away. Maybe it was hopeless ... his ex-wife had much more history with him. But she had to wait to see what happened, how it played out. Maybe she’d missed something and had reacted too soon.

Axel had kissed her very hot, deep,
and
hard right before it had all gone to hell. That kiss meant something.

Liv just wished Axel would come home because the longer she sat waiting the more worried she became that he’d gone home, and then to bed with his wife.

A couple hours passed, before she heard a car door closing out front. Her head lifted at the sound and she thought she might have dozed off. Then she heard the front door opening and before she could get up she saw Axel shuffling in beside Jax. Axel didn’t appear to be holding himself up.

She knew it was Jax, because of his beautiful hair, even though she’d only seen him from a distance. It was long, trailing in a ponytail down his back in dark browns and reds with honey-toned highlights.

“Hey,” he said, nodding to her, but he kept shuffling Axel, whose head was down, to the back of the house.

“Hey,” Liv said.

Axel’s head rose partway, then fell again. “My fault,” Axel muttered.

Ah oh.
Obviously, Axel was drunk. She just stared, until they disappeared down the hall. Then she finally stood and walked to the hall, watching Jax maneuver Axel into the bedroom he’d been using. She stood there for a moment not sure what to think. But then it came to her ... did Axel have enough time to go out and get drunk
and
go to bed with his wife?

“I don’t think so,” Liv whispered, and happily a smile followed.

Jax didn’t communicate much with her after he put Axel to bed. He basically just uttered, “He’s a good man.” Then he left.

She lingered outside Axel’s closed bedroom door wanting to go in, yet finally deciding she better not, so she went to bed. But sleep didn’t come easily. Waking in the morning she felt groggy and grumpy. She felt like a teenager with a crush and the crush wasn’t going well.