by Dawn, M. K.
All three nodded. Though none of them looked particularly tired.
“Are you sure you’re ready to go to bed? It is my birthday, after all. You can stay up later and hang out.”
“We’re ready,” Carson said a little too quickly. “Plus, Rainey has to finish the story she started reading us last night, so we’ll be up a little longer anyway.”
“Come on, kids.” Rainey maneuvered them out the door. “Let’s go finish that book.”
Britney scrunched her nose. “What is goin’ on around here?”
Axel shrugged. “Guess they’re tired. They have been working really hard all week to get everything ready for your party.”
“But they never pass up a chance to stay up late.”
“Must be one hell of a story.” Axel averted his eyes.
Britney rapped her fingers on the table. “You’re hidin’ somethin’, and I want to know what it is.”
A sly smile spread across Axel’s face. “You were one of those kids who searched for their Christmas presents, weren’t you? Couldn’t handle the suspense.”
She was but didn’t want to admit it, not when Axel was acting all smug. “Why do you ask?”
“Not asking. More like an observation.”
“You think you know me so well, don’t you?” Britney pursed her lips.
Axel laughed. “I’m pretty sure I have a good understanding of who Britney Campbell really is.”
His arrogance got on her last nerve. “I’m goin’ to tuck my kids in and go to bed.” She started to walk off.
“Britney, wait.” Axel chased after her. “Don’t be angry. Is it really such a bad thing that I know you so well? We’re friends, aren’t we?
“Friends?” She whirled around. Stupid wine was getting her emotions all jumbled up. “Is that all I am to you?”
Axel peered over at the house and smiled. “No. Come inside with me.”
They passed Rainey as they headed in the house. “Where is she goin’?”
“Back to the party, I assume.” Axel closed the door behind them. “Want to go tell the kids good night?”
Britney nodded. “It makes me feel better. Reminds me they’re safe when I see them in their bed.”
“I understand.” Axel guided her upstairs and into Carson’s room, where the kids were huddled together under the blanket.
“I can’t believe they’re already asleep.” She kissed each of them on the forehead. “They must have been tired.”
“Like I said, they’ve been working hard putting this party together for you.”
Britney tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake them. “I loved it.” She sucked in a deep breath and sighed. “What’s that smell?”
“Smell?” Axel asked.
“Yeah.” Britney took a whiff of the air again. “Smells like lavender and candles. Crap, did someone leave a candle burnin’?”
She followed the scent down the hall and into her room, which was strange because she didn’t remember lighting any candles.
“Maybe you should check in the bathroom,” Axel said from a few feet behind her.
Britney threw open the bathroom door and gasped at the sight. A dozen lit candles illuminated the room. On the table next to the tub sat a bottle of wine and the book she had started a couple days back. But those things weren’t what had her heart racing.
“Is that hot water in the tub?”
“It is.”
“How?” Britney spun around. “Did you do this?”
“With some help.” Axel pointed to the counter. “There’s the bath set you got for Christmas, ready and waiting.”
“You hooked up the water heater?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, it had been so long since she’d taken a hot bath that the thought nearly brought her to tears. On the other, it wasn’t fair that she was given this luxury when none of the others had.
“It’s temporary.”
“Do the others know?” She asked.
Axel chuckled. “Where do you think they’ve been sneaking off to all night?”
That made her feel a whole hell of a lot better. “They all got hot showers?”
“Yep.”
Britney turned back to her bath. “All but you? And the kids?”
“Rainey had them take quick showers earlier when you were out checking cattle. As for me, I’m good.”
“Take a shower before the hot water is disconnected. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Axel lightly shoved her toward the tub. “But right now you need to get in before the water gets cold. I have kid duty, so take your time and try not to worry about anything.”
“Thank you, Axel. For everythin’.”
“See you soon.” He closed the door, leaving her alone.
She stripped off her grungy clothes and climbed in. The hot water felt like heaven, seeping into her skin all the way to the bone. Every muscle in her body relaxed as she settled into the tub. A glass of red sat waiting, and she took a long drink. It might not have been her birthday yet, but it would be soon, and she would soak up as much of this goodness as possible while she had the chance.
***
Britney climbed out of the bath an hour later, the lack of heat left in the water forcing her to leave. She had savored every second of her bath but never did quite relax.
In her head she kept replaying all the wonderful, thoughtful, kind things Axel had done for her and the kids over the past six months. He had been their rock, their shoulder to cry on, their provider and most importantly a friend.
“Best friend,” Molly had told her a few days back.
But that wasn’t true. They were more than friends. Had been for a while now, at least since Christmas when they’d kissed on the porch. Even though she pulled away, not ready to take the next step, in her heart she knew someday things would progress.
She slipped on a spaghetti strap nightgown and covered up in her fuzzy robe. It might have been spring, but there was still a chill in the air.
After peeking in on the kids, she headed downstairs to find Axel. She had no idea what she wanted to say to him but knew she needed to say something.
She found him asleep on the couch, snoring quietly. He looked so peaceful that she thought twice about waking him. Whatever she wanted to say to him could wait until tomorrow or the next day. Or the day after that.
As she stood there staring at him, her nerve faded away, along with the buzz from the wine. She whirled around, ready to race back upstairs, when he stirred and opened his eyes.
“Hey,” he said with a yawn. “Done so soon?”
“The water got cold.” Britney averted her eyes. “I was just checkin’ on things before I went to bed.”
“Everything is good.” Axel watched her close. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Good. Fantastic. The bath was amazin’.”
He patted the couch beside him. “Do you want to sit?”
Did she? Her body screamed yes while her brain came up with excuses for why she needed to head back upstairs. “Um….”
“You’re acting… I don’t want to say weird because that’s rude, but that’s the only word I can think of.”
Britney slowly sat down on the couch, as far away from Axel as she possibly could.
Axel gawked at the space between them. “Maybe I should go take a shower. I must smell pretty bad.”
“You don’t,” she blurted. He never did. Even after working outside for days on end, he always had this musky, masculine scent to him that made her insides melt.
“Did I do something wrong?” Axel asked. “Maybe overstepped my boundaries with the whole bath thing?”
“No.” She squeezed the top of his hand. “The bath was perfect. The best birthday gift I could have ever hoped for.”
“Good.” He intertwined their fingers, and their gazes locked.
Every nerve in her body tingled. She wanted him in the worse kind of way but didn’t know how to make the first move. Never in her
life had she lost the ability to speak until now.
Axel seemed to be having a hard time forming a sentence as well. “I… fuck. Why is this so hard?”
“What is?” Britney didn’t know what to make of his wrinkled brow.
He ran his thumb along her wrist but didn’t reply.
She sucked in a sharp breath as the want transformed into an unbearable need. What was wrong with her that she just couldn’t say what was on her mind? Normally she couldn’t stop herself from talking.
He continued to circle her wrist with his thumb, his eyes fixated on her.
“Jesus, Axel.” Unable to take it anymore, the words just spilled out. “Can you just make a fuckin’ move already?”
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Her seized her waist and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her neck as he undid her robe.
His lips set fire to her skin as he made his way to her left breast.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat
Axel froze and Britney clawed at her camisole in a hurry to cover her exposed chest.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Gunner said. “We were just headed to bed.”
Britney slid off Axel’s lap onto the couch next to him, her cheeks burning.
“How long have you been standing there?” Axel asked through clenched teeth.
Rainey fiddled with her hair, doing her best to avoid eye contact. “We just walked in. And saw nothing.”
Gunner grinned. “Didn’t see much.”
“Oh God.” Britney buried her head in Axel’s chest.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Gunner said with a chuckle. “We’ve been rooting for you guys to get together for months.”
“I’m goin’ to bed.” Britney couldn’t believe they had been talking about her love life behind her back.
“Rainey and I’ll keep an eye on the kids.” Gunner took a seat on the recliner. “You two have fun.”
She had no words. Couldn’t even look at Axel. How could they possibly think she was headed upstairs to have sex when people were down here knowing she was having sex?
“Come on.” Axel placed a firm hand on the small of her back.
“I don’t think….” Even through her thick robe, his hand sent a wave of desire racing down her spine.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “No more thinking.”
“Good night,” Gunner called as they headed up the stairs.
Britney hurried into her room and closed the door. “I can’t believe they walked in on us.”
“We’re all adults, Britney.” Axel lit the kerosene lamp on her nightstand. “No one’s judging you.”
“If we have sex, everyone will know.”
Axel smirked. “If we don’t have sex, they’ll think we did. Which way sounds like more fun for us? I, for one, vote we have sex. That way we win.”
Her mouth fell open. “First of all, that doesn’t make any sense. Second of all, not fifteen minutes ago, you sat there on the couch and refused to make the first more. Now you’re flirtin’ with me? What the fuck?”
The playfulness dancing in his eyes faded, replaced by something more serious. “On Christmas you told me you weren’t ready. I promised myself I wouldn’t make a move until you asked me to.”
“All this time you’ve been waitin’ on me?” Her heart melted. “Makin’ sure I was ready?”
“Hey, like I told you before, I might look like a hardass on the outside, but I do have feelings and have acted on them from time to time.”
“Badass,” she corrected him.
“What?”
Untying her rode, she let it slip to the floor, along with all her inhibitions. He was right. They’d come upstairs together. Closed the door to her room. They might as well enjoy the alone time while they had it. “You called yourself a badass before, not a hardass.”
“That’s right.” He stalked toward her. “And if I remember correctly, you laughed in my face.”
“Me?” She shuffled backward until her back hit the door. “Never.”
He paused mere inches from her as his eyes swept over her body. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
It was the first time he’d ever said anything like that to her before. Her core quivered, and it took all she had not to jump into his arms.
“I will only ask you this one more time.” Axel brushed his lips against hers and her back arched. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Yes.”
He lunged forward, clutching her ass with his strong hands and lifting her off the ground in one fluid motion.
“Bed,” she moaned, yanking at his T-shirt, needing to feel his skin against her own. There was a time for foreplay, and this wasn’t it.
He laid her on top of the bed, their lips locked except for a brief second to remove an article of clothing. She arched her back, coaxing him inside of her, but he hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” she gasped, her unsatisfied arousal growing more painful by the second.
“A condom?” She could see the pain etched across his face.
Britney sucked on her bottom lip as he brushed his arousal over her throbbing clit. “No condoms. Married, remember?”
“Fuck.” Axel teased her again, bringing her close to an orgasm already. “Should we stop?”
“No,” Britney moaned. “Please don’t stop.” Why were they even talking about this right now?
The tip of Axel’s erection pressed against her burning core. “Get pregnant—”
“Stop right there.” She nipped at his bottom lip. “I can’t get pregnant. I had my tubes tied.”
“Oh thank God.” He plunged into her, and she screamed as the most powerful orgasm of her life ripped through her.
Each thrust pushed her further over the edge of pleasure to a place she never remembered going before. Her body convulsed as he explored her. And when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he went deeper, filling her to a point that she never dreamed possible.
Hours passed and still she never reached the point of feeling 100 percent satisfied. Not because of anything he did wrong but because of all the things he did right. She felt like an addict, craving his touch, his kiss, his taste. Each hit left her longing for her next fix.
When he wasn’t buried inside her, they were wrapped in each other's arms, kissing and caressing until their bodies couldn’t take any more.
It wasn’t until the sun peeked under the curtains that they collapsed from exhaustion.
As Britney drifted off to sleep, she heard Axel mumble, “Happy birthday, babe.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Britney rolled over and snuggled into the crook of Axel’s neck. “Good mornin’ to you too.”
For three months—three glorious months—she’d woken up next to this man happy and even more in love with him than the day before.
She’d never been one to utter the word “love” so quickly, but a week into their relationship, they had both said it. That was the thing about the world they lived in—with death lurking around every corner, the future didn’t mean the same thing as it once did. Sure, they still planned for it, but they didn’t dwell. Instead, they focused on living in the present and making the most out of what they had in every moment.
And what she had in that moment was the most wonderful man she could ever dream of meeting in conditions such as these.
“So.” He threw his leg over her hip and dragged her closer to him. “What’s the plan for today? Stay in bed all day, or face the world?”
She planted a big kiss on his lips and nipped at the bottom one. “I’m pretty sure we promised the kids we’d take them to swim in the river today.”
Axel groaned. “We did, didn’t we?”
“Yep. That was part of the twins’ birthday present. We’d take them swimmin’ once a week durin’ the summer.”
“Whose bright idea was that?” Axel ran his hand over her bottom, making her squirm.
“Yours.” Britney pressed her bare breasts against Axel’s chest. After all this time, he still had the most amazing rock-hard body she’d ever seen.
“Maybe we can take them tomorrow.” He pecked at her lips. “After the storms last night, the river might be running a little too fast anyway.”
“True.” Britney snuggled closer. “But I still think we’re goin’ to have to get—” She froze. “Did you hear that?”
Axel sat up. “I’m not sure. Did someone scream?”
“Britney!” Gunner’s cry ripped through the house. “Hurry!”
They jumped off the bed and threw on some clothes. Britney couldn’t get down the stairs fast enough.
“What’s wrong?” she yelled, gun in hand as they raced out the open front door.
Everyone was gathered around the steps of the tree house. Carson held Molly as she sobbed.
“Where’s Blake?” she screamed as she ran toward them. “Where’s Blake!”
This couldn’t be happening. He was okay. He had to be okay.
“Britney, wait.” Gus moved to block her view.
Her heart shattered. “Please don’t tell me he’s… he’s….”
Gus draped a fatherly arm around her shoulders. “He’s not dead. But the fall knocked him out.”
“Fall?” Britney trembled.
“He was climbing down from the tree house. The steps must have been wet from last night’s rain, and he slipped.”
She tried to calm her fried nerves but couldn’t. “He’s breathin’?”
“Yes.”
There was something else, something he wasn’t telling her. “What is it?”
“He broke his leg.” Gus scratched at his chin. “I want to prepare you for what you’re about to see. The bone is sticking out, and he’s lost a lot of blood. We were able to tie a tourniquet around his thigh and slow the bleeding, but it’s bad.”
“Okay.” She choked back her tears. “I’m ready.”
Britney fell to the ground beside a crying Rainey, who held Blake’s head in her lap. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“It’s not. Accidents happen.” She took a deep breath before checking Blake’s leg. Her stomach rolled at the sight of her little boy’s bone protruding from the skin, but she had to be strong for him. And Carson and Molly. By the look of their pale faces, they were taking this hard. “He has a compound fracture of the tibia. We need to get him inside, clean the wound and—” Bile burned her throat. “And set the bone. Then immobilize the entire leg in some kind of splint so he can’t move it. That way it’ll have a chance to heal.”