The Alpha Billionaire Club Trilogy (54 page)

I
fell
asleep late that night feeling better than I had since I’d arrived in Atlanta. Not that Jacob wasn’t a good host, but there was nothing quite like having Summer around to make me feel better. I still missed Axel, but I’d been dying to talk to Summer ever since I’d discovered that Adam wasn’t Adam.

I’d filled her in on the case in front of Evers, but when we were done with business, I’d stood up, made us two rum and Cokes, grabbed Summer’s arm, and excused us, dragging her to my bedroom. It was a little rude, leaving Evers on his own, but I figured that, unlike Summer and me,
he
still had his phone.

Then, like we had when we’d been roommates in college, Summer and I curled up on my bed and giggled about boys. Well, I don't think you could call Evers and Axel
boys
. Still, some things never change. Like most of the women I knew, myself included, Summer didn't have the best luck in picking her boyfriends. Unlike most of the women I knew, Summer always gave great advice.

I told her everything that had happened: how Adam had become Axel and the confusion that had followed, not hiding anything from her. I never would have been so honest with anyone else, but with Summer, I always told the truth. She didn't judge, and she loved me. I told her how Axel could be controlling, how he’d turned me over to William Harper, despite my pleas for him to listen. I also told her of all the ways he’d protected me since. I didn’t go into too much detail about Axel’s skills in the bedroom—as much as I loved Summer, some things were private—but she got a pretty clear picture of what Axel had to offer in that area.

She listened quietly, absorbing every word, interrupting only when she wanted more detail or to clarify a point. When I was done, she finished what was left of her drink and set her glass on my bedside table. Looking at me, she said, “You want to know what I think?"

“Of course I want to know what you think, Summer. Why else would I have told you all of that?" Bracing myself, I finished the rest of my drink and put my empty glass on the table beside Summer’s.

She said, “I think that you are a very lucky woman, and if Axel is anywhere near as hot as his brother, you should hold on tight and not let go."

"Oh, Axel is hotter than Evers. At least,
I
think he is. But do you really think I should just forgive him for all the other stuff, for lying to me and then not listening to me?"

Summer gave me a long, measuring look and said, “Sweetie, you know what's out there. You've dated the same kind of guys I have, and it sounds like your Axel made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. What's more important than any mistake he might have made in the beginning—when he didn't know you as well and still thought you were a job—is the way he's treating you now. You're not his client now, right?”

“No. I mean, I'm not paying him. I hope I'm not paying him, because I'm unemployed, and I don't think I can afford Axel,” I said, mostly joking.

“Exactly. It's not just that he's put his life on hold to help you, but he's put himself and his company at risk by turning on a client and going up against the FBI. It sounds like he’s doing everything he can to get you clear of this mess. And the whole time, he’s doing his best to show you how he feels about you. To me, that's what's important. That's what matters."

“He hasn't called since I've been here," I whispered. "I know it’s not safe and he shouldn't. I don't want him to call if it's not safe, but I hate being apart from him like this. I know I should be more independent. Not so scared. I just want him to come home." I said the last part so quietly that I could barely hear myself. Summer heard, and she pulled me into a hug.

"I'm so glad you found a good man, Emma,” she said. “I love you so much, and you're such a good person. You deserve everything. I can't wait to meet your Axel."

I lay my head on her shoulder and said, “You're going to like him.”

“I already do. As long as he's not as annoying as Evers.”

I sat up, pulling out of Summer’s arms, and gave her a sharp look. I’d sensed some tension there when they’d come in, but I'd been so focused on getting alone time with my best friend, I hadn't stopped to find out what was going on. There was no time like the present.

"What's up with that? Evers likes to pick on Axel—I think it’s a family sport with the Sinclair brothers—but otherwise he’s been really nice. Was he teasing you about your name?"

Summer scowled. She was pretty laid back, but she didn't like being teased about her name. Her hippie parents had been in love with the idea of naming her for two opposing seasons, believing that it would give her balance and perspective. She
was
one of the most balanced people I knew, and she had a fantastic perspective, so maybe they were right. Summer, who was more of a businesswoman than a hippie, had always found her name annoying.

“He seems to think it’s hysterical," she said, her eyes narrowing at the memory of Evers’s teasing. “We didn't get along very well at first because he was incredibly bossy and he couldn't
prove
that you'd sent him, then he wanted everything you'd mailed to me after you’d told me not to give it to anyone but you—”

"I'm sorry about that," I interrupted. "I had no way to let you know what was going on. I didn't even know that Evers was coming to get you. I thought they would wait until you came home. I guess he and Axel planned that part without me. Everything happened so fast when I left Las Vegas that there wasn't time for them to lay out the logistics for me. How
did
Evers talk you into giving him all of the evidence and then coming with him?" I asked.

Summer was not gullible, and Evers hadn't had anything from me to use to convince her to go with him. Her cheeks flushed and she looked away.

"I don't know," she said, sounding both annoyed and frustrated. "It wasn't like me at all. He was so bossy and authoritative—it was annoying—but I believed he was helping you and that I needed to come with him to find you. What if he hadn’t been?" She asked, looking horrified by the thought. I leaned over and gave her a quick hug of reassurance.

“It’s okay, Summer. You believed him because he was telling the truth. And you're here now, which everyone tells me is the safest place we can be. I know Axel is working hard to get this all cleared up. Maybe by the end of the weekend, it'll be over and we can go back to our normal lives.”

I hoped that was true. I wasn't sure I believed it.

"So," I teased. “You think Evers is hot?"

Summer blushed again. This time, her cheeks turned brick red in embarrassment. She shook her head but said, "I'm not blind."

I giggled. "Wait until you meet Jacob Meyers," I said, fanning myself. "I am
very
taken, but I have to say that Jacob is easily as hot as Axel and Evers—in his own way, maybe hotter." I thought about it, then amended my statement. "Well, not hotter than Axel, but he might be a little hotter than Evers."

“No way," Summer protested. “I don't believe you.”

"You'll see," I promised. "He said he's coming back for dinner tonight."

Jacob did come back for dinner, and I had the amused satisfaction of seeing Summers's jaw drop when she laid eyes on him. Then, even better: Jacob, who had been nothing but respectful to me, proceeded to flirt with my best friend all through the meal until she was alternately blushing and giggling.

The best part was seeing Evers’s reaction to Jacob’s flirting with Summer. There was something between Evers and Summer. She didn't usually get irritated with people. She was too relaxed for that, believing that it wasn't worth wasting her energy getting annoyed unless she absolutely had to, but Evers seemed to get under her skin effortlessly.

Watching his eyes narrow as Summer laughed at something Jacob said, I knew that Summer had gotten under his skin as well. This could be interesting. Evers was a good man, and Summer, my best friend in the whole world, the best friend I could ever have wished for, deserved a good man. Watching Summer pointedly ignore Evers, I had a feeling that if he was interested, he was going to have to work for it.

I joined in the conversation during dinner, joked around with Summer, and asked Jacob and Evers more about their work, but the entire time I was thinking about Axel—missing him, hoping he was okay, reminding myself that his meeting with Tsepov had to have gone okay, because if there were anything wrong with Axel, Evers would have told me.

Even if Jacob could have kept it from me, I knew that Evers wouldn't be sitting here in the middle of a social dinner if something was wrong with his brother. I reminded myself over and over that everything was going to be okay and Axel and I would be together soon, but by the time dinner was over, I was exhausted from the pretense and just wanted to go to sleep.

I excused myself, giving Summer a goodnight hug and thanking her for not being mad that she’d been pulled into this whole mess, before disappearing down the hall to my bedroom. I pulled a strappy silk and lace nightgown over my head, washed my face, and crawled into the big bed, wishing with all my heart that I wasn't alone.

Playing my favorite game to distract myself from missing Axel, I fell asleep imagining where we would go on our vacation. Fiji? I could buy a new bathing suit for Fiji, but with my pale skin, the sun wasn't a great idea. I fell asleep imagining taking a week off and spending it at Axel's lake house, curled up in front of the fire, just the two of us.

I had the dream again, the dream that I was with Axel. We were in bed together, his arms around me, his body heat against my back, warming me as he held me close. His lips kissed the nape of my neck, feather light as they moved, touching the back of my ear and nuzzling my throat. I rolled over, still mostly asleep, reaching for my dream Axel. My eyes flew open as my hands encountered a hard, bare chest. Axel’s dark eyes gleamed at me in the shadows, turning my muddled world right-side up.

"You're here,” I said a little too loudly.

Axel's fingers landed over my lips and he said, “Shhh. Everyone is sleeping. I let myself in, and I don't want to wake anyone up."

That was fine with me. I didn't want to wake anyone up either. Not when I finally had Axel all to myself.

"Is everything okay? How did the meeting go? I hated not being able to talk to you."

Axel kissed me, his lips gentle, lingering on mine. He pulled back only to answer my question, saying first, “I missed you too. I hated sending you away, and I really hated not being able to call you. We’re not doing that again.”

A quiet laugh of relief escaped me. “No, we’re not. Was the meeting with Tsepov okay?"

"About as okay as a meeting with a mob boss can be," Axel said. “We got confirmation that Tierney's dirty."

"But what are we—”

Axel laid his finger over my lips, and I fell silent. “Let's talk about this tomorrow. I promise you that we have things under control, okay? I promise," he repeated when I opened my mouth to protest. “For now, I just to be with you and not talk about the case. Just for a little while."

I was fine with that. Instead of answering with words, I wrapped my arms around Axel's neck and pressed my body into his. “That sounds good to me,” I said.

A
xel rolled
me onto my back and settled between my spread legs, kissing me hard, his mouth hungry and demanding. We’d only been apart for a few days, but it felt like years. Something had happened in my heart while we’d been separated. All of my doubts and fears about Axel had dissolved under the weight of how deeply I’d missed him. I didn’t like that he’d lied to me about how we’d met. It would take some time before the shock of discovering the truth about ‘Adam’ would fade, but in the past few days, it seemed to matter far less. Axel was what mattered.

I kissed him back, as eager for his touch as he was for mine. With one hand on the back of his neck, I scrambled with the other to pull off my nightgown. I wanted nothing between us, not even the filmy silk. All I wanted was Axel, his heat and strength against me. He tore his mouth from mine and reared back, taking the nightgown in both hands and tearing it down the center. Lace and silk split and fell to the sides, leaving my body exposed to his heated gaze.

“I missed you,” he said, staring down at me. “I missed everything about you. I missed holding you. I missed kissing you. And I missed fucking you.”

That was so Axel—sweet and crude at the same time. His blunt words thrilled me.

“I missed everything about you too,” I said, reaching to pull him down to me. I didn’t want any space between us. “I missed everything, but I definitely missed you fucking me.” I felt heat bloom in my cheeks at the last part. I had no idea how I could still blush after some of the things we’d done together.

Axel’s fingers dipped between my legs and he stroked over my folds, slick and ready for him. Dipping one finger inside, he murmured into my mouth, “I love your pussy—always wet for me, so hot and tight.”

Proving his point, he worked two fingers in, letting me feel the stretch as he opened me. I pulled my knees back, inviting him into my body, desperate for him. I didn’t want to be teased tonight. I didn’t want to wait. It felt like years since he’d touched me. I wanted all of Axel, and I wanted it right away. As always, he knew how to give me what I needed. His fingers slid away, curling around the back of my thigh to hitch my leg higher as the head of his cock pushed inside me. It was heaven, even the little pinch of pain a jolt of bliss. I rocked my hips up into him, taking him deeper, needing to feel him inside me to the hilt.

With a hard thrust, Axel gave me every inch, filling me, pinning me to the mattress. He stayed where he was, his strong body covering me, his dark eyes intent on my face.

“I’m never leaving you again,” he said, his gaze locked on mine. “As soon as this is over, we’re going home where we can start fresh. You and me.”

I wrapped my legs around Axel’s waist, the shift tipping my hips so that I took his thick cock even deeper. I reached up to trace a finger over his sharp cheekbone, feeling tears well in my eyes. “I don’t want to start fresh. I don’t want to forget the way we met. It’s part of us.”

“I love you,” he said, dropping his mouth to take mine in a slow, sweet kiss. Hot tears slipped from my eyes, gliding down my cheeks as his words struck my heart.

“I love you, too,” I whispered, my words choked.

Axel gave a short growl. “You’d better. If you didn’t, I’d tie you to the bed and keep you here until you changed your mind.”

“You can keep me here anyway,” I said, kissing his jaw and squeezing his hips with my thighs. “I want to stay right where I am for the rest of the weekend.”

Axel answered me with a shallow thrust of his cock. After that, we stopped talking. He fucked me hard the first time, taking me with his cock as if claiming me, driving me to orgasm faster than usual. I barely had time to catch my breath before he started all over again, his mouth and hands making a feast of my body, tasting and touching every inch of me until I was begging him to take me again. He did, not making me wait. I had no problem believing that he’d missed me as much as I’d missed him.

We passed out, exhausted, sometime before dawn. I woke draped across Axel’s chest, a little sore and more content than I’d ever been in my life. Axel’s hand ran down my spine, and I realized he must have already been awake.

“We need to get moving,” he said. “It’s after ten, and we have to figure out our next move.”

“You mean you don’t already have that planned out?” I teased, not believing for a second that he was entirely without a strategy.

“I’ve got some ideas. But I need to talk to Evers and take a look at the data your friend brought with her.”

Giving my ass a smack, he sat up, taking me with him, and carried me to the shower. We did get ready for the day, but it was close to eleven before we managed to get our clothes on. Emerging from the hallway into the main room, we found three smirking faces waiting for us. I would have thought Jacob too elegant and reserved to smirk, but I would have been wrong.

“Did you two get a good night’s sleep?” Summer asked, her voice sweet and her deep blue eyes amused. Trying for dignity, I pretended that they weren’t all laughing at us.

“I did. Axel got in late, so he might need a nap later.” At the lascivious glance I gave Axel, Summer burst out laughing.

“Yeah, well, you two lovebirds will have to wait,” Evers said. “I’ve been going through the files Emma sent to Summer, and I think I found what Tierney and Tsepov wanted so badly.”

“That sounds promising," Axel said. He gave me a squeeze around my shoulders and then dropped his arm, preparing to go join his brother at the dining room table, where it looked like they'd printed and spread out all of the files I’d sent to Summer since the case had begun.

"You want me to get you some coffee and food?" I quietly asked Axel.

"Thanks, sweet Emma." He left me with a kiss on the cheek, and I headed straight for the kitchen, my stomach growling, suddenly dying for coffee. Summer left the men to pore over the paperwork and joined me.

"You were right," she said in a low voice. “He
is
as hot as Evers."

“Hotter," I said firmly. Evers Sinclair was one good looking man, but seeing him standing next to Axel, there was no contest.

"So, everything is good?" Summer asked, concern evident in her teasing tone. That was my girl, always looking out for me. I didn't hide my smile when I said, “Everything's great. Did Evers really find what we need? I collected all those files, but half the time, Agent Tierney and Agent Jensen just told me what to get. I don't really understand the relevance of half of it."

I poured coffee for Axel and myself and put together a plate with bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon. We joined the others at the table, where they were flipping through papers and murmuring to each other. I looked at Jacob, who was standing to the side, mostly watching, a curious expression on his face.

"What are they looking at?" I asked after I'd put the food and coffee in front of Axel. Jacob shrugged one shoulder and said, "I'm not exactly sure. I deal with real estate finance. Forensic accounting isn't my area of expertise, but I think your boss kept the second set of books for the work he did with Tsepov, including detailed notes on the jobs, dates, and locations." Jacob’s distinctive silver eyes narrowed in disdain. “Your boss sounds like a complete idiot."

“Former boss,” I corrected, “and he kind of was.”

Axel looked up and caught my eyes, a gravity in his dark ones that made my stomach hitch in apprehension. "What?" I asked.

Axel made a face and said, "William Harper is dead. It looks like Tsepov had him executed."

I let out a breath and sank into a chair at the table, wrapping my hands around my hot coffee mug, stunned. I shouldn't have been so shocked. We’d said more than once that Tsepov was not known for his forgiveness. Harper had messed up big time. When you worked for the mob, it was never as simple as just getting fired. I didn't want to know, but I had to ask. "What happened? How did he die?"

“Single gunshot to the head," Axel said. "It was quick, Emma. He didn't suffer."

Maybe not physically, but I'd bet he’d been terrified. Part of me was horrified that someone I'd known had died so badly. But the part of me that remembered, vividly, Harper punching me while I was tied to the chair and his threats to rape me before he sold me—that part of me didn't feel bad at all. I didn't know many people who deserved a single gunshot to the head, but William Harper was on the list. Right along with Sergey Tsepov.

“Are we sure Agent Tierney was the leak? That he's working for Tsepov?"

Evers and Axel both looked grim. "We're as sure as we can be without catching him red-handed," Axel said.

"I have an idea," Evers said, looking at his brother and raising one eyebrow. Axel narrowed his eyebrows, reading his brother's face. They were doing that brother-speak thing again, having entire conversations without ever opening their mouths. It was both cute and annoying.

“What are they doing?" Summer whispered to me, loud enough that everyone heard her.

In the same tone, I said back, "I think it’s some sort of Sinclair telepathy. They do this all the time."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at Evers. He glared back. I shouldn't enjoy seeing my best friend so thrown by a guy, but I couldn't deny that it was funny, especially since she seemed to be enjoying her irritation with him, though she’d never admit it.

"So what's the idea?” I asked. Axel answered.

"We have a contact, an SAC—Special Agent in Charge—in the Atlanta FBI office who we've worked with a lot. We've known him for years, and I would bet my life that he's completely clean. I think we need to call him in, showing what we have, and explain the situation. If he agrees to have our backs, the best thing we can do at this point is to set a trap for Tierney and see if he takes the bait.”

I was intrigued. “Trap?" I asked. Axel shook his head.

“First things first. Evers, can you call Agent Holley?"

Evers pulled out his phone and hit a few buttons. One short, cryptic conversation later, he hung up and said, “Holley's on his way.” Things moved quickly after that.

Agent Holley, a tall, lanky man wearing a suit on a Saturday, arrived at Jacob's place twenty minutes later. After less than a half-hour of going through the files, he interviewed me about the case, then Axel, and disappeared into Jacob's office to make some phone calls.

Waiting for him to come back made me nervous, but Axel seemed completely relaxed, confident that things were finally moving in the right direction, and I trusted him. I tried to relax. I wanted so badly for all of this to be over, to go back to our normal lives without having to be afraid.

Special Agent in Charge Matthew Holley came back into the room almost an hour later and gave Axel and Evers a brisk, affirmative nod. “Everything is in order. An agent will accompany Evers back to Las Vegas. Axel, you and Emma will stay in Atlanta until the arrests have been made. It shouldn't take long to bring them in, if all goes to plan.”

If all goes to plan
. Famous last words, but delivered with Agent Holley’s authority, they comforted me nonetheless.