“How in the world do you know that?” she gasped, then wanted to bite her tongue. What if he’d been guessing and she’d just given it away?
“Let’s just say I have ways of knowing things.”
“You’ll be disappointed then, because I have ways of keeping things from people.”
She hadn’t always been so closed off, but she was a little more careful since falling for Felix and his pack of lies. Not all men were liars, but she didn’t trust blindly anymore. And she had no doubt that there were more secrets than truths when it came to Axel. She’d do best to steer completely clear of him.
“I guess it’s my turn to say we’re at an impasse,” he told her.
Ella could see herself spilling her guts to this man, and that scared her more than Felix or the punks he sent after her. She knew suddenly that she had to get away from him, had to regroup. She shouldn’t be sitting here with him, laughing, sharing personal information.
The more she humanized Axel, the more she made it possible to fall under his spell. That was something she simply didn’t want to happen.
“The evening hasn’t been a complete waste of my time. I had a great drink,” Ella said before she carefully slid from the stool, landing too close to Axel, who placed a hand on her back before pulling her close to him.
“I’ll take you home then.”
She was speechless for a moment as she processed his words. Then her spine straightened and she pulled back from him. “I drove here, and I’m perfectly capable of driving myself back,” she told him, automatically on the defensive again.
“Then I’ll follow you. I always ensure my date gets home safely.”
“This wasn’t a real date, Axel.” She almost added that there hadn’t been a kiss, but that’d be a foolish thing to say, because he might feel he needed to rectify the situation.
“It was a real date in my book,” he whispered as his fingers caressed the bare skin on her back. A shudder passed through her. “And it was a hell of a one at that.”
Her heartbeat sped up as she looked into his eyes. She could be in trouble, serious trouble. This man was good. “I guess we just found one of your signature moves,” she whispered.
“Mmm, I guess so,” he quietly replied, his fingers still stroking her.
“Excuse me, someone sent this for you.” A man placed a glass with a note next to it in front of Ella and then disappeared before she could say a word.
“That’s a bit rude, wouldn’t you say? It’s obvious you’re here with someone,” Axel said as he looked at the drink.
“Oh, come on, Axel. It’s just a drink,” she said, laughing at his sudden possessiveness.
“With a note?” What surprised her was that she was almost enjoying his sudden jealousy.
“I’m not going to read it,” she said, picking up the paper and crinkling it.
“I don’t think so,” he said as he quickly snatched it from her hand and unfolded it.
When he froze, his eyes darting around the room, Ella felt her first tingle of nerves. “What does it say?” When he said nothing, she tapped his hand. “Axel, I’m serious, what does it say?” she repeated.
Instead of answering, he slammed the note down and moved toward the front doors, a look in his eyes sending a shiver of fear through her. “Stay here. And don’t touch that drink!”
She didn’t know what to do, so she found herself doing exactly as he’d demanded, and stood there wondering what in the world was going on.
In less then three minutes, Axel was back by her side, his body tense, his eyes wild. And damned if she wasn’t turned on by it.
“What’s going on?”
“Take a look at the note, Ella,” he said tersely.
Finally she looked down, thinking it was going to be so much worse than it was. After reading it twice she then did the wrong thing entirely and laughed. “You’re getting all worked up about this? Really?”
“I don’t find it amusing when someone delivers a drink with a note saying to enjoy their last drink,” he said, obviously perturbed she wasn’t taking it more seriously.
“Maybe the person wanted me to enjoy my last drink of the night,” she pointed out.
“It’s a clear message, Ella, and you should be taking these sorts of threats a hell of a lot more seriously.”
“Relax, Axel. I’m a smart girl. Felix and his thugs are trying to intimidate me. So what? I won’t allow them to succeed.”
“You should also be smart enough to be afraid,” he said between clenched teeth.
“If I live my life in fear, then they win,” she told him, done with this conversation.
“Fear can keep you alive.”
“And fear can also freeze you! I won’t allow that.”
“Does it not worry you at all that they are following you? Waiting for the right moment to pounce?”
She thought about it for a moment. “And that’s all they are doing, Axel,” she said. “They are following me, or trying to intimidate me. They won’t make a move.” She had to believe that.
“They are waiting for the right time to make their move.” They wouldn’t agree on this issue. There was no point in continuing to argue with this man.
“I’m going home now, Axel,” she said, throwing a twenty onto the counter, which seemed to irritate him all over again.
He pulled out his own wallet and threw a few bills down before catching her at the door and walking her outside. Much to her frustration he had his car brought around before hers, and then waited to help her inside before following her all the way home and sitting in her driveway until she was in the house.