Following Her (Unexpected Heroes #2.5)(17)

She didn’t like feeling confused or chaotic. She liked order and cleanliness. She liked everything to be where it belonged and things to happen when they were supposed to. And she had no doubt that a life, or even a day, with Axel would turn her world upside down.

Still she couldn’t seem to shake either his hand or him away, so she sat back and desperately tried to figure out what to say next. The silence was worse than anything they could possibly talk about.

Before she could think of something clever to say, he was pulling up to a nice restaurant known for its steak, and her door was being opened by the valet. The kid said something to her, but she didn’t hear him.

And then Axel was slipping his arm around her waist and leading her inside, where they were taken to an intimate corner table with candlelight and a waiter appeared almost instantly, offering wine.

Ella allowed Axel to choose a bottle, and after their order was placed, she sat back and looked around, admitting she liked his taste. It was a nice place, with live music from an intimate trio and a soloist who sang from deep within her soul. The ambiance of the low lighting and dark decor was exquisite.

“I have to say I’m surprised by your choice in restaurants. I thought for sure we’d end up at that honky-tonk bar you mentioned the other night,” she said with a smile, her first glass of wine down, her heart beating a little bit easier, and her stomach beginning to settle.

“That’s for date three or four,” he said with a wink.

“And what makes you think we’re going to make it to a third or fourth date?” she asked as she watched him refill her glass.

“Ah, baby, you’ll be begging me never to go away,” he said, and she wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not.

“I imagine you don’t have to search too hard for female company,” she said, tilting her head as she tried to analyze him dispassionately.

There was no doubt he’d be considered handsome, with his sharp lines and flirtatious smile. Add to that his thick hair and sparkling hazel eyes and his face alone was a showstopper, but when you looked down at his incredible frame, it made a woman feel the need to fan herself. Yes, he certainly wouldn’t be hurting for dates. So why in the world was he chasing after her?

“I imagine the same for you, Ella. I don’t understand how you’re single,” he said, his hungry expression practically devouring her.


“I’m single by choice. You do know about my last boyfriend, right?” she said with a slight lift to her lips. She couldn’t believe she was joking about it. She’d never thought that day would come.

“Yeah, we don’t always choose the right dates. Good thing we’ve found each other, isn’t it,” he said, reaching across the table and taking her hand.

Their food arrived and the tension was broken, for which she was grateful. Being with Axel was intense. There were many moments where she felt like she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. She was certain he’d be phenomenal in the bedroom, she just wasn’t sure if she’d survive the experience with him.

“You never did answer my question when I asked you what happened with your ex. I know what I have on paper, but I would really like to hear it from you,” he said. With the wine she’d consumed and the relaxed atmosphere, Ella found herself opening up to him.

“Felix was suave, a lot like you, actually,” she began when he shot her a glare.

“There’s a difference between being honest and suave and being a criminal,” he said, not happy at all to be compared to her ex.

“Whatever,” she said with a flip of her hand. “He was smooth, and I was the low man on the totem pole at the office, so when he began flirting with me, I was flattered. I didn’t know that he knew everything about me, including my financial and family status,” she said with remembered fury.

“What does that matter?” Axel broke in. “You could be an orphan and your appeal is still overwhelming,” he told her.

“Save the compliments, Axel. I don’t buy them,” she said, remembering all too well how Felix would compliment her. She didn’t trust a man’s smooth chatter.

“Just stating the obvious,” he said.

She chose to ignore that. “I got into a relationship with Felix, not knowing he was still screwing anything on two legs. He didn’t use a hell of a lot of discretion, either, but I was so busy with work I didn’t think to check into his extracurricular activities,” she said with disgust.

“It’s not your fault. You should be able to trust the person you’re in a relationship with,” he told her.

“Well, I learned that trust isn’t something you just randomly give away. It’s certainly something that has to be earned.”

“I agree with that.” The conviction of his statement made her wonder what he’d been through.

“It didn’t take long before I figured out that Felix had a lot of judges in his pocket, and he was using his connections to help criminals get away with murder, drug trafficking, and several other crimes. I found papers in his office when my suspicions grew, and I immediately went to the district attorney, who’s a friend and someone I knew I could trust. He told me they’d been trying to build a case against Felix for a long time, but the weasel always managed to get away with his criminal activity. So he had me stay there for a while longer, though he was worried about it. I finally collected enough evidence against Felix that John, the DA, charged him and pulled me the hell out of there. Felix has been coming after me ever since. But it’s been going on for six months and I’m still standing, so I’m not too worried about it.” She took a drink of wine to coat her parched throat.