Page 37 of Couple On Hold
Axel. . . Who the fuck is Axel?
Twenty-Two
Regan
A knock at the door sets off the butterflies in my stomach. I know who is knocking. It isn’t Isaac. He’s off on some naughty weekend in a cabin with Isabelle. Well, I really shouldn’t say naughty weekend. It’s more a healing expedition, similar to the one Alex and I took last year—the one where you shouldn’t be having fun, but you most likely are? That’s what they’re doing.
Isaac’s rekindled relationship with Isabelle is the reason I didn’t hang up on Alex tonight like I have the prior week. It took a bit of research, and a shit ton of convincing, but it appears as if Hugo’s hunch about Isabelle was spot on. She’s one of the rare good guys who just happens to work for the Bureau.
If I were to give Alex the same chance Isaac is giving Isabelle, perhaps I could discover the same for him. He didn’t fulfill Theresa’s position until her seat was vacant for nearly six months. Did he do that for me? Or did the information he handed the Bureau not work out as he had hoped?
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
After a shimmy of my shoulders, I swing open my apartment door. Alex’s manly scent hits me before anything. It’s masculine and virile, although not as strong as when he had a beard. My lips tuck into the corner of my mouth when I notice the suit he is wearing. It’s an upgrade compared to the ones he usually donned, but it’s far from the cut and quality Isaac wears every day. His hair is a little overdue for a trim, and the bags under his eyes show his sleep has been as restless as mine the past week. His tiredness is more likely from chasing his tail as he strives to put Isaac behind bars; mine is from my endeavor to stop him.
Once I’ve taken in his stocky thighs and extra broad shoulders, I raise my eyes to his face. His are still raking over my body, his inspection as thorough as the one I just did of him. While he finishes absorbing my bare legs I just dragged a razor over in a hurry and a cute, yet sophisticated slip dress, I stare at a jaw generally hidden from view by wiry blond hair.
I hated Alex’s beard when I first saw it because I knew it was hiding a masterfully crafted jaw underneath. I was right. His jawline is strong and sexy. . .and oddly familiar.
Alex coughs, breaking me from my trance.
“Sorry. Would you like to come in?” I roll my eyes.He didn’t travel across town to stand in your entranceway, you dimwit.
Alex smirks as if he heard my inner monologue before crossing the threshold separating the hallway of my apartment building and my foyer.One step down. Six hundred trillion to go.
“Can I take your coat?”
He nods before shrugging off the thick wool coat he’s wearing over his two-piece suit. Although I could blame the heavy material of his jacket as the reason for the sweat beading on his neck, my intuition is telling me that isn’t the case. For how much moisture is there, anyone would swear he climbed the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Alex quirks his brow when I murmur, “You shouldn’t have bothered.”
I gesture my head to my still open door. “Isaac removed all surveillance cameras from his private premises over twelve months ago.” When Alex glares at me with suspicion, I ease it. “A little birdie whispered in his ear that others may be watching.”
I don’t try and hide the fact it was me. It’s time for us to both be honest.
After storing Alex’s coat in the closet, I spin around to face him. “Would you like a drink—”
“What is this about, Regan? If we’re here to discuss Isaac, we should be having this conversation—”
“In the office you’re only occupying because of me?”
Alex looks genuinely stumped by my outburst. If I hadn’t been played a fool by him twice before, I may believe his crinkled brow is authentic. It’s a pity I stepped out of the lust haze he had me shrouded in over a year ago.Mostly.
“Do you truly think I’m so stupid I’d never find out? Those documents you used to have Theresa thrown out ofyouroffice were only ever seen by three people: Theresa, Isaac, and me.” I lock my eyes with his, the anger in them unmissable. “Until you used my laptop.”
“Iborrowedyour laptop at The Manor, but I didn’t go through your stuff.” He scoffs, truly offended. “I didn’t scheme and lie to get where I am. Ethics and morals guided me here.”
I throw my hands into the air. “Are you seriously denying this?! My laptop was theonlyplace those forms were filed!”
“So? That doesn’t mean I touched them. People hack into computers all the time. Nothing’s confidential once its uploaded onto a server. . .”
Alex’s words trail off to silence as a deep groove burrows between his brows. I assume it is because he’s recalling the time he stabbed me in the back, but it is only when I follow the direction of his gaze do I realize I am wrong. He’s staring at the numerous mom-to-be books I have stacked on my coffee table.
The cinch of his brows jumps onto my face when he murmurs under his breath, “Oh my fucking god, he was my son.” When he locks his eyes with mine, I can’t tell if it’s fury or relief sparking through them. “Axel, you named him Axel? Where is he?”
His eyes cease scanning my apartment when I reply, “He’s with his mom. Atherhouse.”
Alex’s chest rises and falls three times before he asks, “You put him up for adoption?”
