Chapter Twenty-Two

Savannah

I had no idea what had caused Axel to change the way he did. One day he was barely looking at me; the next day he was buying takeout dinner and asking me to sleep over. I didn’t argue though. I walked with him to the bedroom, and just as we got there, I looked at him.

“Are you sure about this, Axel? I know you’re upset with me. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Axel shook his head as he looked at me. “Don’t you see, Savannah? I always want to.”

“I—"

But I didn’t get the chance to say anything more because Axel walked up to me and silenced me with a kiss. I felt like he was trying to make up for the night before because his soft lips held a thousand apologies without having to say a word. My body melted against his and I felt the stress from the last few days finally disappear. We stood like that for a long time, just kissing and holding onto each other. We had to be quiet because of Bobby, but I don’t think anything would’ve changed even if Bobby wasn’t around. There was something different about being together this time. Something gentler than before.

Axel slowly took my clothes off, taking his time with each element. When my shirt was off, he spent some time kissing my shoulders, my neck, and my breasts, his lips lingering warmly over every part of my upper body before he moved on to taking off my jeans. I did the same with him, and piece by piece, kiss by caress, we ended up facing one another, both completely naked. He took my hand, warmth in his eyes as he led me to the bed.

We climbed under the covers and kissed, entwining our bodies with each other. While I was with him, I stopped thinking about my fears, and I stopped thinking about Duke. The only thing I could think about at that moment was Axel and the way he was making me feel. His hands were over my body now, touching me, teasing me, and a small moan escaped me as I felt his fingers slip inside me. He pulled me closer, kissed me, and climbed on top of me. I looked up at his beautiful face and wondered why I hadn’t just been honest with him from the start. I felt sad for the six years I’d lived without him by my side. My life would’ve been a lot different with him around from the start. But I had him with me now, and I was going to make sure that I made the most of every single minute with him.

I arched my back so that he could get deeper inside me. He rocked gently, and every time one of us was close to letting go, we’d stop and kiss instead. Neither of us wanted this moment between us to end, and we were trying to prolong it for as long as possible. He was leaning down on me now, not thrusting, but kissing me instead. My body ached for more of him, but the moment he moved, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold on any longer.

“You’re so beautiful, Savannah,” he said to me.

I smiled. Other men had told me the same, but I had never believed it. They had only said it when they wanted something from me. Axel meant it. I knew without a doubt that he meant every single word he said to me. Axel thought I was beautiful, and that was the only thing that mattered to me. He fingers trailed my face, and as he reached my lips, I sucked gently on them, my tongue flicking his across fingertips. I watched the look on his face change to passion, and as I sucked on his fingers, he thrust into me. I sighed, savoring the feeling of fullness within me. He was slow at first, but the more I sucked, the harder he pushed. There was no stopping anymore. I leaned back, opened my legs even wider, and bit my lip. We came together, long and hard and more passionate than ever before. He didn’t pull out of me right away. Instead, he lay on top of me and kissed me gently.

He climbed off me and pulled the duvet up, tucking it around us to keep in the warmth. We didn’t say anything to each other for a while. It was just nice being together, and there didn’t seem to be a need to say anything else.

After a while, I turned to look at him.

“You know, I haven’t had all that much sex in the last six years. And I have to say; I’m more than happy to make up for that now.”

He laughed. “Oh yeah? Well, I’m more than happy to help you with that. You’re amazing, Savannah. Can I tell you a little secret?”

“Always,” I said and grinned at him.

“Unlike you, I have had a lot of sex in the last six years.”

“Hey, is that supposed to make me feel better or something? Because if it is, you’re definitely going about it the wrong way.”

He chuckled. “Even though I’ve had a lot of sex, it never matched up to that time with you. I tried not to think about it or compare it over the years, but it wasn’t always easy. That time with you . . . well, it changed me. The only reason I slept with so many girls again afterward was because I wanted so bad to forget about you. But you were a very hard person to forget.”

I sighed. “I couldn’t stop thinking about that time either. How could I?”

“And yet, you walked away from it,” he said.

A tear fell down my face, and he wiped it away. I could tell that he wasn’t angry at me anymore. But this wasn’t something that he could easily forget or forgive, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Yeah, I did. I honestly thought it was the right thing to do. I know it’s hard to understand, but back then, I honestly didn’t want you to get involved. That club . . . they’re not great people. I thought I was doing you a favor, and I thought I was protecting Bobby from everything too. I was wrong, though. I should’ve told you. I should’ve told you then, and I should’ve told you now. I’m sorry. I’m so used to being on my own and fighting my own battles.”

“Don’t say sorry. I know that you were only doing what you thought was right, and maybe you were. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently if you had told me in the beginning. All I can do is be there for you now. You’ll see; I’m going to protect you. You don’t have to worry about anything again. I’m here, Savannah.”

“So, does that mean I can stay in your room again?”

He chuckled. “You better. I hate sleeping here without you.”

“Bobby is going to be happy when he wakes us and sees us together like this. He’s a clever boy. He knows that something is going on. I think that’s why he’s going on about the dog so much. He’s trying to create a family for us,” I said.

Axel nodded. “Yeah, he’s a smart one. Think we should get him a dog?”

I laughed. “You see? He has you already. I’d love to get him one, but not yet. Not with all of this going on. And you and I are still trying to figure things out. I think we should wait until things settled own a bit more and we know what we are doing.”

“You’re probably right. Well, I know what I want to do now at least.”

“You do?”

“Round number two?”

I chuckled. “I think you’re right. Let’s stop worrying about the future or the past even. Let’s just concentrate on right now. And your plan is absolutely perfect.”