Chapter 18
—Life is too short for bad sex and shitty people.—
Axel strolled around the perimeter of the Alexander estate, looking for any holes in the security. Since it was after dark, it would theoretically be easier for someone to hide. Though maybe not so much, because of the thermal capabilities of the security cameras. He’d already reviewed the exterior camera feeds but he wanted to see where they were positioned. C-4, potentially Skye’s new dog, followed along with him, sniffing at everything but for the most part keeping up with Axel. She was a cute little thing, even if she was a mutt.
Once he’d done two sweeps of the estate, he knew it was time to go back inside. Even if he didn’t want to admit out loud that he was avoiding Hadley, he knew that was exactly what he was doing. Because the whole declaration he’d made about waiting to have sex felt pretty stupid right about now. He was trying to protect himself, he could admit it. At least to himself. But he also knew that no matter what he did, if she walked away from him, he was screwed regardless. Because he’d already fallen for her. There was no turning back at this point for him. It didn’t matter whether they’d had sex or not. And she was an adult. She said she wasn’t going to regret him. He had to trust that.
And he really, really wanted to be inside her right about now.
When he stepped inside the back door, a blast of warmth hit him. He was surprised to find her sitting there at the kitchen island, sipping on a glass of red wine.
Her entire face lit up with a smile when she saw him, revealing that little dimple that drove him crazy. “Did C-4 take longer than you expected?”
He pulled his gloves off then shrugged out of his coat and hooked it on the coat rack by the door. “I was actually checking out the security cameras. Your dad let me look at all the security feeds but I still wanted to see where they were set up myself. He’s got an incredible system here.”
And apparently they had sensors all over the ranch so if someone inadvertently triggered them while sneaking around, an alert went out to Brooks, Douglas, and their security team.
“So listen,” Axel said, feeling out of his depth. “I’m really into you.” God, he felt like an idiot saying it like this. What the hell was he trying to say anyway?
It looked as if she was about to respond when her dad stepped into the kitchen.
Douglas Alexander gave a warm smile to Hadley and a civil, reserved one to Axel. “Hey sweetheart, I see you’re taking advantage of the wine,” he said, smiling.
She smiled at her dad. “It’s the bottle you recommended and you are right, it’s amazing.”
“Would you mind if I steal your friend Axel for a few minutes? I wanted to talk to him about some security stuff.”
Even Axel knew that was a big fat lie and he was pretty certain that Hadley did too but she simply smothered a smile and nodded. Then she picked up her glass of wine and winked at him. “You guys can use the kitchen, I’m headed to bed.”
At the word bed, far too many images replayed in his mind and he had to shut them down fast. Especially since it seemed her dad was finally going to have some sort of talk with him. He’d been waiting for it. And he respected the guy for being concerned about his daughter. Axel knew that he was no prize. For the love of God, look at what he did for a living. If he had to prove himself, he would. He didn’t care how long it took.
Once Hadley was gone, the older man stepped to the fridge. “Want a beer?”
He shook his head. He was going to be sober until this entire threat was neutralized. Not that he drank much anyway. “No, but thank you.”
“So what did you think of the security around the house?”
“It’s good. I’m impressed with the system you have and the layout. Nothing is ever flawless, but everything surrounding the house and the sensors you have set up, it’s pretty damn close.”
“And if anyone does breach the house, we are all armed. Not that it would be easy to find us without a fucking map of this place.” Douglas laughed lightly.
Axel nodded, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t speak, Axel cleared his throat. “I care about your daughter. A lot. And I would never hurt her.”
“I’m a pretty good judge of character. And I’m pretty sure you have absolutely no intention of hurting her. But if you do, I’ll hurt you.” Axel could respect that. No angry words or anything else, Douglas simply shook Axel’s hand. “As long as you treat her right, you’re okay with me.”
“I will, sir. And fair warning, I’m serious about her. I’m not going anywhere.”
The older man blinked, maybe at Axel’s brusque tone.
And that was that—it was time to find Hadley. Ten minutes later, Axel wasn’t panicked exactly, but he didn’t like the heavy sensation that settled on his chest as he left Hadley’s room—because she wasn’t there.
The house was locked down and the security at the ranch was top of the line, but he’d assumed she’d be in her room. It didn’t take him too long to make it back to his wing of the house. When he stepped inside his guest bedroom, he froze for a second.
Hadley sat on his bed, her laptop set up in her lap. She smiled when she saw him and closed it, putting it on the bedside table.
There was something so right about seeing her waiting for him in his bed. He wanted her there always.
“How did things go with my dad?” she asked, stretching out on the covers as if she belonged there.
“He just wanted to talk security.”
She rolled her eyes. “He might have talked about security, but I guarantee he had something else to say to you.”
Axel simply shrugged and locked the door behind him. He definitely didn’t want to talk about her dad right now. “I hope you’re planning to stay the rest of the night.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Yeah, it depends on if you make it worth my while.” The grin she gave him was a little bit sweet and a whole lot wicked. And even though she was fairly innocent, he knew there were a lot of layers to this woman. He wanted to spend a lifetime peeling all of them back.
Wordlessly, he stripped his sweater over his head as he stalked toward the bed.
Her breathing hitched slightly as she swept her dark gaze over his bare chest. He couldn’t help the swell of pride at the hunger he saw there as she drank him in. He wanted her to like what she saw, to want him as much as he wanted her. Though that didn’t feel possible.
There would be no more waiting between them. He didn’t have enough self-control, not when she was offering herself up. There were so many things he wanted to say, had tried to say earlier, but failed.
Even if he wasn’t good with words, he still needed to put himself out there. “I’m not experienced at relationships in general. But I want you to know where I stand. I want to move to Redemption Harbor—to be near you. I’ll find a respectable job and be someone that you’re proud of. I don’t want to go back to my old life. And no matter what happens between us, I’m not going back to that.” A solid truth. He’d been drowning for a long time in his own loneliness and meeting Hadley had been like seeing the light. Because that’s what she was, a light in the darkness.
“That’s a big change. To…give up everything.” A little frown tugged at her kissable mouth.
He knelt on the edge of the bed, still not touching her because he wanted to get all of this out. “I’m not giving up anything. And hopefully I’m gaining you.”
“You have me. We can worry about some of that future stuff later, but for now…” She reached for him.
That was all he needed as he moved onto the bed and on top of her. She had on matching pajamas with little dogs all over them. Which just made her more adorable. The top was a button-down so he took his time unhooking each button, his fingers grazing her soft, smooth skin. Every time he made contact, she shivered beneath him, watching him intently.
He’d never been nervous about sex before but he really didn’t want to screw this up. Maybe that was part of the reason he’d been holding back. He never wanted to disappoint her, for her to question whether she’d made the right choice.
As she arched up, slipping her top the rest of the way off, he dipped a head to one breast.
Moaning at his kisses, she reached for the button of his jeans. “Are you sure about this?” Her voice was raspy and unsteady as she pulled his zipper down.
Her question surprised him, mainly because she was so sweet and sincere about it.
Pulling back, he cupped her cheek with one hand, stroking over her soft skin with his thumb. He knew without a doubt that he would never get tired of this woman. She was everything he never knew he’d been missing. “I feel like I should be asking you that question.”
There went that wicked smile again. “I’m definitely ready.”
The eagerness in her tone nearly undid him. That was all he needed to hear as he reached for the top of her pants and tugged them down her legs. No panties either. Holy hell, she was trying to give him a heart attack. He wondered if this was common for her or if she’d done it for him. He couldn’t find his voice to ask her, however.
After tasting her last night, he was officially addicted. And it was the best kind of addiction.
Axel forced himself to go slow as he drank in all her soft curves and smooth, kissable skin. It was hard to think, let alone remember to breathe, as he knelt above her. Right about now he wished that he had four hands and two mouths. He wanted to kiss and touch her all over, to have her trembling from exhaustion with his name on her lips. He wanted her as addicted to him as he was to her.
For always.
“Pants off,” she whispered.
Yeah, he could manage that. He’d been planning to keep them on as a small barrier but screw it. She was naked in his bed, wanting him.
There should be nothing between them anymore.
Hadley could tell that something had shifted for Axel, and while she wasn’t sure what it was, she knew that it was a good thing. He didn’t seem to be holding back anymore.
When he took his pants off, a pleasurable gasp escaped. She’d seen him before, had stroked him off, but seeing his thick length again… Oh yeah. The man was certainly blessed.
Her inner muscles tightened as she watched him crawl up her body and once again cover her, his mouth searching hers out. She arched into him, savoring the feel of her already sensitized nipples rubbing against his chest.
The man was hard all over. Scars nicked his chest and abs and she wanted to ask him about every single one. But later. Once she could think straight again.
Stroking her fingers down the tightly bunched muscles of his back, she only stopped once she reached his perfectly carved ass. When she dug her fingers in, he moaned into her mouth, the primal sound reverberating through her.
She desperately wanted to feel him stretching her, to come around his thickness. Yesterday had been like a little teaser before the real deal.
Reaching between their bodies, he cupped her mound, teasing a gentle finger along her folds. Knowing what he could do with his hands had her growing even slicker with need.
When he slid a finger inside her, she arched into him, wrapping her legs tighter around him. She felt as if they’d been building up to this from the moment they’d met. When he’d first smiled at her outside that coffee shop.
As he added another finger and began stroking so slowly she was certain he was trying to make her crazy, she bit his bottom lip.
He jerked against her, all his muscles pulling taut. So she did it again, nipping at him playfully. The sexy moans he made were worth everything.
Her inner walls tightened even more the faster he stroked and she knew it wouldn’t take her long. “Not your fingers,” she rasped out, glad he understood what she was trying to say. She wanted to come around him this time.
Leaning up, he looked down at her as he shifted position and poised his cock at her entrance. The way he watched her was as if he saw every thought inside her.
“Move.” The word wasn’t so much a demand as a plea.
Thankfully he thrust inside her, filling her completely and stealing her breath. As he started kissing her again, he cupped her face, his hold possessive. With his other hand he gently teased a nipple, rolling it with his thumb, slowly driving her crazy.
When she started rolling her hips, he met her stroke for stroke, the sensation of him filling her with pure bliss. All her inner muscles tightened harder and harder the faster he thrust inside her.
She ran her fingers over his back and chest even as he explored her body with his hands. Everywhere he touched her, her nerve endings flared to life. She wanted more, all of him.
Knowing he wanted to move to Redemption Harbor, to be near her…it was a lot to take. She should be freaked out. Instead, she loved the thought of being able to wake up with him, to do this every day.
When he started strumming her clit, that was all it took for her to find release. Her orgasm slammed into her hard and fast, overwhelming her as she arched up into him.
“Axel.” She dug her fingers into his back as he thrust again, finding his own release.
He growled out her name as he buried his face against her neck, coming inside her in hard strokes until they collapsed against the bed, both breathing erratically.
She never wanted to leave the room, and while she wasn’t remotely glad about the fact that someone wanted to kidnap her, she was grateful that this whole situation had brought Axel into her life.
Because she was pretty sure she wasn’t letting him go.