Page 20 of Axel

Moving past her, he opened the door and ushered her out, following her as far as the front doors. He also made certain not to touch her.

“When next…?“

“I will have my assistant contact you with my availability.” He told her brusquely.

Her eyebrows lifted as she turned to stare at her. “Your assistant is all the way out of town, and you are here, we both are.” Taking the large tote off her shoulder, she dug in and found a business card. “You can call me direct instead, unless doing so is beneath you.”

She withstood his piercing gaze as he took her card without even looking at it.

“Okay then. Goodbye Ms. Logan.”

“Your mother insisted I call them by their first name…,” her voice petered off at the impassive look on his face, “but you are not them.” She nodded. “Looking forward to the phone call.” With that, she left.

Ellie had to almost physically force herself not to turn around to see if he was watching her. Hearing the doors slammed shut, she entered her vehicle.

*****

He did not go back to his office but strode into the kitchen to remove the covered dish of casserole, his mother had sent over for him. He did not have much appetite, not while his emotions were churning out of control.

Removing the cover, he stared at the delicious combination of vegetable and chicken, the aroma was not the one tantalizing his senses or assailing his nostrils. It was her delicate and subtle perfume.

He could still smell it even though she was no longer here. Plopping down on the nearest barstool around the malachite counter, he stared at the meal with a frown, his thoughts knotted.

He wasn’t in a relationship. Ever since the betrayal by a woman he thought was in love with him, he had stayed clear, only entering casual ones that lasted a little longer than a week.

He had avoided emotional entanglement after what had happened. The experience had changed him even more. Now, he no longer put on an effort and in fact, he was not even trying.

But for the first time in a while, he had felt the stirring of something very strong. He had taken one look at the exquisite woman interviewing him and felt a lust that had shocked the hell out of him.

Now there was going to be a problem being near her. He was an expert at hiding his emotions yes, but he was not going to push his luck. And he had no intention of getting involved with Ellie Logan.

*****

She decided to take Tom up on his offer. After leaving the home of Axel Lakeside, she returned to the cottage and tried to settle and get some work done, but that had been a wasted effort.

She couldn’t concentrate and sat there staring at her black computer screen for several minutes until it became apparent that she wasn’t going to be able to work.

So, with an impatient sigh, she gave up. The man had unnerved her and that was a bother. What was even more disturbing was how acutely aware of him she was. She supposed a man like him was used to having women fall at his feet.

She knew about his well-publicized romance with an actress that had gone wrong for some reason. What was it like to be loved by Axel Lakeside, she found herself wondering. And had he been in love with her? If so, was he pining? She could not picture a man like him lowering himself to such a demeaning position.

Fed up with the thoughts consuming her, she showered, donned black leather pants, a thin black cashmere sweater and matching leather jacket and jumped into her car and here she was, at the lovely Irish pub having a pint at the bar.

“What do you think?” Tom had served her the ale himself, leaving his other customers to his employee. The moment she stepped foot inside the darkened entrance, she had been the focus of every eye, including the few females present. They knew who she was and besides that, she had dressed to kill.

“It has an interesting taste,” she admitted.

“It’s called Murphy’s and is dated back to the eighteen fifty-six.” He grinned at her as he handed her some roasted peanuts to go with it. “Have you eaten?”

She stared at him over her glass. “Don’t tell me you serve food here.”

His grin widened. “This is an original Irish pub, and it wouldn’t be one without our famous Irish stew with dumplings or our Guiness beef stew. How about a sample of each?”

“I am game.”

While he went to place the order, she had the chance to look around. It wasn’t a large space by any means, but it was neat and clean. There were four leaf clovers dotted all over the walls along with pictures of Dublin and Cork showcased on glossy posters.

Irish ballads permeated the air and set the mood even further. Tom McCleary seemed to be doing a bustling business in the small town of River Glades which was very surprising.