Twisting to the left, I take a good look at myself. Hair slicked back into a high ponytail, my makeup on point and covering my black eye. A flowing, navy-blue jumpsuit covers my body and accentuates my curves.

“I don’t scrub up too bad, huh, Colonel Fourpaws?” He sits on the end of the bed, watching me with keen eyes and probably wondering what all this extra effort I put into my appearance is about.

Butterflies take flight in my stomach as I face the mirror again. I should’ve told Axel to go and swivel, but instead I caved. Not tonight though, I want to know what has been going on. Or is that pushing it too much? It was meant to be a little fun, nothing serious, yet, in my mind I was practically married to the guy.

Good old feelings, huh.

Knocking sounds throughout my apartment and my stomach dips. Colonel Fourpaws—ever the protector—jumps off the bed and strolls into the living room, lifting up onto the arm of the sofa and sitting like a sentinel.

Taking a deep breath, I tell myself it’s only Axel—the sexy guy with arm veins I want to lick—before slipping my feet into my strappy heels and heading toward the door.

“Hey,” I say when I open it, my gaze running the length of him, taking in his suit pants and shirt with the first couple of buttons undone.

I swallow against the lump in my throat when he stays silent, his gaze tracking me until finally he meets my eyes, his flaring with unbridled passion.

“Hey,” he replies finally, his voice deep and husky.

We both stand, taking each other in, a thousand things said with only our eyes. Sounds all romantic and shit, but if I’m honest, it’s kind of awkward. I’m not a person who does well with silence, so I always feel the need to fill the space with stupid words that escape without any control.

“Want to meet my pussy?” Annnd, that’s exactly what I mean. I slap my palm on my forehead, laughing awkwardly. “I mean, my cat. Do you want to meet my cat?”

His lips lift into a smirk as I move to the side, but I don’t move enough for him to come inside. Nope. No. Because if he steps inside this apartment, I know I won’t be able to control myself.

“Colonel Fourpaws, meet Axel. Axel.” I wave my arm toward the cat. “My new cat: Colonel Fourpaws.” I swing my gaze back to Axel when he doesn’t say anything, raising a brow. “Well… say hi then.”

His face scrunches up. “I’m not talking to a cat.”

“If I remember rightly, you’re very vocal when it comes to pussies.” I bite down on my bottom lip as I silently scream to shut the hell up!

He takes a step toward me, his eyes flashing with promises, and suddenly I’m panicking, becoming the fourteen-year-old girl about to have her first kiss.

Abort! Abort!

“Shall we get going?” I ask, grabbing my purse and practically knocking him over as I rush out of the door, slamming it behind me.

I power walk down the hallway and the stairs, making it out into the warm L.A. air. Taking a breath as I halt on the sidewalk, I jump when Axel’s hand lands on the bottom of my back.

“Stop freaking out, it’s only me.”

“Only you,” I snort, looking up at him. “You have no idea the effect you have on people.”

He dips his head down, whispering, “Neither do you,” before he stands to his full height, his eyes piercing mine. “You’re beautiful, as always.”

I nod, not knowing what to say. For the last six weeks all I’ve done is sit and stare at his picture, feeling like the three weeks we had together were a dream. But now he’s here, in the flesh, taking me on a date. A date.

“You hungry?” he asks, pushing his hand on my back to silently tell me to walk.

“Starved.”

“Great.” He steps toward the same sports car he was driving yesterday before opening up the door. “I know a great place.”

“Sure,” I reply. I’m an awkward mess and he’s gonna know how much of a freak I am. He already knows, a voice says in the back of my mind. I tell the voice to shut the hell up and stuff a metaphorical banana in her mouth.

The air in the car blasts me in the face when I get inside and he turns the engine on, pulling out onto the road.

I can’t stop staring at his hands, the way they clutch the steering wheel and maneuver without a second thought. Why does he have to be so freaking hot? Couldn’t he look like an ogre or something? It would make this whole situation so much easier.

“Why?” I blurt out after five minutes of silence.

He side-eyes me, raising a brow. “Why, what?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Taking you out on a date?”

“Yeah, duh.”

He chuckles. “Because I want to.”

He pulls up outside a seafood restaurant, bringing the car to a halt without any effort before he slides out, walking around and opening my door.

“I don’t get it,” I tell him when I’m out of the car and walking toward the double glass doors.

He doesn’t answer me as he pulls them open, walking toward a woman standing behind a wooden stand. She smiles wide at him before telling him to follow her.

Axel extends his hand to me and I take it without a second thought, following them to a table toward the back.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” she asks when we’re sitting down.

“I’ll take a water, Vi?”

“Glass of white wine, please.”

“Any particular kind?” she asks.

I look around at all the tables full of people smiling and having fun. “Erm… any will do,” I tell her, the nerves taking me over full force as I look back at Axel.

I’ve had sex with this man, worked for him, gone out with him. But this? A proper date? It’s making me a nervous wreck. I wish he would have taken me for a burger. I’m so out of my element and I know for a fact it’s showing.

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you,” Axel announces when the waitress has left.

“Huh?”

He takes my hand on the table, leaning forward. “Because not having you around is lonely, because all I can see when I close my eyes is your smiling face. I miss your voice, I miss your klutziness, I miss you.” His lips spread into a genuine smile. “That’s why I’m here in L.A.—taking you out.”

“I thought you were here for work?” I ask, not wanting to address everything he’s said. My brain is on overload, a red flashing warning sounding inside telling me I’m going to explode any second.

He shakes his head, keeping my hand in his as he leans back in his seat. “I could’ve done what I needed to on a video call, but I wanted to see you.”

I laugh. “And I wasn’t there.”

The waitress places our drinks on the table, stopping our conversation for a beat before he says, “I really didn’t know what happened, Vi. I swear.”

“Yeah, well…” I look away. “I think she was planning to do it before I even landed. She asked to see me when she called before Christmas.”

“If I could fire her and get someone else to run—”

“No,” I interrupt. “I don’t want anything to do with her being fired. I want to start over. Fresh start and all that.”

“Does that include us?” he asks, his eyes filled with hope. I want to tell him yes, but something is guarding my heart right now, so I stay silent.

Why is adulting so hard?

* * *

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I moan as Axel trails kisses up my neck, walking me backward down the hallway to my apartment door.

After the best seafood I’ve ever tasted and a bottle of wine to myself, I’m feeling a little merry. Not enough to not know what’s going on, but enough to let my worries evaporate into thin air.

“Hmmm.”

“Axel.” My eyes roll into the back of my head as he sucks the skin on my neck, pushing me up against the wall. His hips thrust and I feel the hardness of his dick pressing against my stomach. My hand has a mind of its own as it reaches down and strokes him over his pants.

“God, Vi.” He throws his head back.

My lips spread into a smirk at the reaction I get and it’s right now I know I’ve never felt the way I do about him with anyone else. He brings out a side to me no one ever has. Not only that but he makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful person in a room full of people.

“Let me inside,” he groans, bringing his face close to mine.

“Is that a euphemism? You want inside my apartment, orrrr, inside my vagina?”

He drops his lips to mine, pushing his tongue inside without missing a beat and twirling it with mine. My hands grip his shoulders, pulling him as close as I can.

“Both,” he murmurs when he pulls away.

He wraps his arms around my waist, picking me up. My legs automatically lock around his hips, thrusting against him and causing us both to moan.

Dipping my head, I trail kisses down his neck as he moves us off the wall and walks forward.

“Keys,” he demands.

I hand him my purse, silently telling him they’re in there as I continue my ministrations.

After several minutes, he manages to open my door, walking inside and slamming it behind us as he growls at each of my thrusts.

“Fuck, I need you so bad right now.”

I lift my head, planting a kiss on his lips and pushing my fingers through his hair. “I’m here, take me.”

“Fuck me, those words… say them again.”

I lower my voice. “Take me, Axel. Fuck me harder than you ever have.”

He pushes me up against the door, letting me down and yanking the front zipper on my jumpsuit before pulling it off me. I sway to the side at his eagerness, surprised but loving it all at the same time.

This is hot. He’s hot. God, why am I feeling so hot right now?

He crouches down, taking my heels off before standing and picking me up again.

The room spins as he twirls us around, only it doesn’t stop spinning when he sits down on the sofa, pulling my bra straps down my arms.

I place my hand on the top of his head, trying to center myself.

“Axel?”

“I know, baby. I’ll make you feel—”

“No—”

“No?” he asks, pulling back and staring at me like I have two heads.

My hand covers my mouth as I sway to the side. “I’m gonna be sick.” My stomach churns, my mouth watering to epic proportions as he pulls back.

“What?”

“I’m gonna throw up!”

I try to get off him, but the room spins even more and makes it even worse. He grabs for me, lifting us off the sofa as he asks, “Bathroom?”

“That door.” I try to point at it but my arm won’t lift properly.

He pushes it open, placing me on the floor just in time for me to throw up all that amazing seafood.

Well, that went well… not.