Page 29 of Scarlett and the Fake Boyfriend (Scarlett #2)

Sunday

I wasn’t sure I’d ever slept so well in my life. I felt warm, and safe, and cozy. All I wanted to do was lie in bed forever. But...there was something hard hitting my back. I shifted slightly, but there was something holding me in place.

I slowly opened my eyes and stared out the window at the fog that had crept over the city overnight. It looked like an actual scene from the zombie horror flick. But I felt anything but scared right now.

Because Axel was behind me.

I looked down at his arm that was wrapped around me. I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. His cologne invaded my senses.

He was holding me while I slept.

And he was hard.

Oh my God.

I shifted ever so slightly.

Yup. He was definitely hard.

Oh my freaking God!

I tried to stay completely still. Now I really reeeeally wanted to lie here forever.

Axel moaned in his sleep and his lips brushed against the top of my spine. And his hand shifted slightly up my shirt .

I can’t believe this is happening. I’d been dreaming of this moment for what felt like my whole life.

Last night, he’d kept telling me I was pretty. What if he hadn’t just been saying silly stuff because he was drunk? What if he’d actually meant it? Because his boner pressing against my back sure made it seem like he was into me.

But he could just be dreaming. Of George. Or worse...Olivia. Since everyone seemed to have a crush on her. I swear, I didn’t even know her, but I hated her with a fiery passion.

I stared back out at the foggy cityscape. The windows were soundproof, so I rarely heard the sounds of the city below. But everything felt extra hushed this morning. Like we were in a little bubble. It reminded me of when it snowed and everyone slowed down for a moment.

I needed to savor every second of this. The feel of Axel’s palm pressed against my stomach. His lips brushing against the skin of my neck. His desire evident.

All I wanted to do was roll over and kiss him at last.

My heartrate kicked up a notch.

Could I?

Just...do that?

Steal a kiss that wasn’t mine to steal?

The kiss thief did it. So why couldn’t I? I took a long deep breath. Every inch of me wanted to turn around and finally do it. I started to turn my head and savored the feeling of Axel’s lips trailing across my skin.

I looked over my shoulder at him sleeping peacefully. He was completely lost in his dream.

And seeing him dead asleep made me freeze. I had no idea what was going on in his head right now. And I didn’t want to wake him from his dream. Because I was worried it would wake me from mine too.

I stared down at his lips. I’d saved my first kiss for him for 17 years.

Why hadn’t he saved his for me? Just thinking the thought made me feel so pathetic.

Axel had never asked me to save my first kiss for him.

He’d never even pretended to be remotely interested.

And I knew the list of girls he’d kissed instead of me was too long to count.

Like he’d been trying to nail the point home that he wasn’t into me.

So why did he come over every night when I was scared?

Why did he hold me while I slept?

Why did he call me pretty half a dozen times?

Axel had it all backwards. He was the one torturing me . And he was too dense to even realize it.

My phone started buzzing on my nightstand.

Shit.

Axel groaned as I reached out to silence it.

I grabbed it and muted it, but it was too late.

Axel’s hand fell from my skin and he slid back from me on the bed.

The moment was gone.

He cleared his throat. “Geez, sorry.”

For what? Making me feel worthless for years? Or for the boner thing? Because I only wanted an apology for the prior.

“How wasted was I last night?” he asked. “I have a headache in the top of my skull.” He touched the top of his head and winced.

Well, that wasn’t a headache. That was where I’d bonked him with the candle. Did he not remember? “What do you remember about last night? ”

“You texting me because you were scared. I had too much to drink at this new club across town.”

That new club that Sophie had invited me to last night. But I’d been on babysitting duties since Axel was MIA. “With George?”

“What?”

“Were you there with George?”

He smiled and winced. “Georgia, yeah. I was planning on sobering up before I came over later. But I didn’t want to leave you alone when you were scared.”

He was lying. I knew he was lying. Because if he’d come straight from the club, Georgia wasn’t with him. She was in the men’s locker room at Empire High blowing Luis the Cheater.

Axel pulled out his phone to glance at the time. “Shit, we really slept in. I gotta get home.” He climbed off the bed.

“Wait.” I quickly got off my bed too. He couldn’t leave. I was in the middle of Operation Big Brother. If he left, he’d see the footage. “Stay for breakfast.”

“My parents are definitely already up. They’ll be knocking on my door any minute wondering why I’m not up yet too.”

“Please, Axel. I’m still jumpy. Today looks like a scene from the movie.” I gestured to the fog outside. “Just text your parents saying you left early to have breakfast with me.”

“I’m sure Liam can handle brother duties from here.”

It felt like he’d slapped me. We’d talked about this brother thing last night. But apparently he remembered nothing. Including the fact that he wasn’t anywhere near George last night.

He walked over to the trapdoor.

“Please, Axel,” I said. Even though all I wanted to do was push him through the hole in the floor.

He turned to me.

“I need you.”

His features softened. “Okay. I’ll stay.” He sent a quick text to his parents and then turned to open my bedroom door.

“What are you doing?!”

“Going to the kitchen.”

“Axel. Other door.” I pointed to the floor.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. You can’t come waltzing into my kitchen like you were here all night.”

He laughed. “I told you. Your dad won’t care if I’m in here now that you have a boyfriend.”

“You are sorely mistaken.”

“Fine. I’ll come to the front door.” He opened up the trapdoor and walked down. But his head popped up before he closed the door behind him. “Do you have any Tylenol or anything? My head is killing me.”

I probably should have told him that I’d hit him with a jarred candle.

But maybe it was better that he didn’t remember.

It wasn’t like he was wobbly on his feet.

He didn’t have a concussion or anything.

“Yeah, I have some in my backpack I think. One sec.” I grabbed my backpack and found the little bottle of Tylenol. I tossed it at him.

He easily caught it.

Yeah, definitely not concussed. “And please wait like...ten minutes. I need to change into my stupid flannel pajamas.” I also needed to text Sophie. Hopefully she was already at the Stevens’ residence fixing our problem .

“Got it,” Axel said. He closed the trapdoor behind himself.

I ran to the bathroom to freshen up, changed into my “dad approved” pjs, and pulled out my phone to text Soph.

But I already had a text waiting from her: “Heading over soon. How is Operation Big Brother going on the sister’s end?”

I groaned. “Ew. Am I the sister in this situation? Can we not?”

“Of course you’re the sister in the situation,” Sophie texted. “Our operation is literally called Operation Big Brother.”

“Well, big brothers don’t flirt with their sisters all night.”

“I mean...they can. But they probably end up in prison.”

I laughed.

And then another text came in from her: “Wait, did Axel flirt with you all night?”

“He was super wasted. But he kept calling me pretty.”

My phone buzzed again. But it wasn’t a response from Soph. It was my kiss thief.

“I can’t stop thinking about you. Did you sleep in those silky pajamas you sent me a picture of?”

I swallowed hard. No, I’d fallen asleep in my clothes snuggled up to Axel. But I didn’t want to tell my kiss thief that. I snapped a picture of myself in my flannel pajamas and sent it to him.

He responded right away: “You look sexy in those too.”

“You’ re a liar.”

“You’d look sexy in anything. I love when you send me pictures.”

“Maybe I’ll send you more later. If you send me a picture first.” I stared at my phone. Waiting. And waiting.

Until finally he sent a text back. With a picture of the foggy city. I couldn’t even make out the buildings. It could have been taken from anywhere. My kiss thief was the most infuriating person in the world. But I knew I was smiling.

My phone buzzed again, this time with Soph’s response: “People are more honest when they’re drunk.”

I wasn’t sure that was the case. More like they forgot themselves. I’d text Soph back later. I needed to give my parents a heads up that Axel was coming before he appeared at the front door.

I hurried through the living room and into the kitchen.

My mom was at the stove humming. And my dad’s arms were wrapped around her from behind.

“Ew,” I said. “What did I just walk into?”

“Ah, someone’s finally up,” my mom said. “Do you mind going to tell Liam that brunch is almost ready?”

I picked a grape off the fruit platter that was already laid out. “Sure. Also, I invited Axel to breakfast. He should be here any minute.”

“Axel?” my dad asked. “Why? You’re going to see him later when we head over for the game.”

My mom swatted his arm.

“I already invited him,” I said.

“Why?” my dad pressed.

“Because he’s one of my best friends and we haven’t hung out in ages. ”

My dad actually smiled at that. Usually a comment about being best friends with Axel would make him frown. “Well, alright. If it’s okay with Jacob, it’s fine with me.”

I stared at him. That was a weird thing to say. “Of course it’s fine with Jacob. He knows Axel and I are just friends.”

“Great,” my dad said. “Love it. The more the merrier. And I love the new pajamas, Scarlett. I’m glad they’re your new favorites. Flannel really suits you. Penny, we should get her more flannel.”