When he was finally free to go, Axel and I walked to his car. Instead of making any move to get it, he stopped by the passenger door and turned to face me.
"Why did you come, Kayla?"
"I got your letter."
"Oh, yeah?" His tone became cool. "And I got your package."
"My… package? Oh! The magazines?"
He nodded.
"I sent those a few days before I got your letter. You looked really good in the magazine, by the way." I reached up to touch his chest. He was standing so close, but I felt like he was growing distant.
"I thought the magazines and the note were your reply to my letter." He was looking into my eyes but he made no move to touch me. "I'd given up on you."
"I'm sorry," I said, moving my hand up to his shoulder. "I wanted to reply in person."
One side of his mouth curled up into a half smile and he cocked his head. "What did you want to say?" he asked.
I closed the distance between us and pulled him down toward me until our lips met. His jaw was rough against my hand, but his kiss was soft. He was tentative, so I ran my fingers through his short hair, pulled him closer still, and tried to express everything I was feeling: hope and fear and desire, and the love that had always been there.
I felt a shift in Axel, felt him take the lead, and then voices and a car door slamming nearby brought us back into an awareness of our surroundings.
"We should go," he said, his voice husky, and sounding reluctant. "You're probably starving."
He opened my door for me, closed it when I was settled, then went around to the driver's side.
"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" I asked as he got in. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine," he said. "Though would you mind if we have dinner at my hotel? The area is full of racing fans, and I don't want to have to talk to anyone else about the accident today."
"Does that mean you don't want to do an interview with me this evening?" I waved the press pass, which was still around my neck, in Axel's direction.
He laughed. "You can ask me anything you'd like, as long as it's not about the accident." He put the car in gear and started toward the exit.
"Okay." I mimed holding a microphone in front of him, as I'd seen so many reporters do today. "Axel Beckers, there's a lot of talk going around about you being a changed man. What can you tell me about that?"
"Well, Miss… Brewster? Is it Brewster?" Axel spoke in a deeper voice and flashed a winning grin at me.
I nodded.
"Well, Miss Brewster, the rumors are true. A very special woman recently came into my life—came back into my life, actually—and thanks to her, I've got a new outlook." Axel pulled out onto the street, and though traffic was thick, he managed to accelerate enough to push me back in my seat. I felt the sports car purring beneath me and was hit with a rush of desire.
"You said 'thanks to her,' Mr. Beckers. Does that mean you're grateful to her?" I put my hand on his thigh. "Maybe you'd like to show her… your… gratitude." I squeezed his leg as I drew out my words.
Axel shifted in his seat and laughed with disbelief. "I would definitely like to show her—" He cleared his throat. "A lot of gratitude."
I ran my hand down to his knee, then drew it slowly upwards, trailing my fingers along the inside of his thigh, until Axel put his hand on mine, stopping me.
"But she had better wait, because I don't want to get into another accident today."
Axel held my hand in his and the tension—very good tension, for a change—was thick between us. We didn't speak again on the short drive to my hotel until he pulled in, and he asked when he should come back to pick me up.
"I won't take long getting ready. Maybe you'd like to come in and wait for me?"
He grinned and parked near a side entrance, so that we could slip in without passing through the lobby.
When we were out of the car, he took my hand again and squeezed it. "I can't believe you came today. Even when they told me you were outside, I couldn't believe it until I saw you."
I squeezed his hand in response.
"I'm really, really glad you came," he continued.
"Me too," I said. We got an elevator to ourselves, and as soon as the doors shut, I wrapped my arms around him and went in for another kiss.
I wanted him, and I wasn't thinking of much else. I'm normally one to analyze and over-analyze, and I always want to know where things are headed before getting physical with someone, but today, for once, I just didn't care. For long, dark moments today, I'd thought it was quite possible that I'd lost Axel before I'd ever had him, and now I had a strong urge to live and reaffirm life, to be connected to him in every way that I could.
But it seemed Axel wanted to talk. He held me back from him and smoothed his hand over my head. "Kayla, I want to be with you, but I want you to know this isn't just a fling to me. You are special to me, and I don't ever want to hurt you.
"I know," I said. "I trust you."
"Maybe it won't be easy, with our family issues, and the fact that I travel all of the time, but you're all I think about, and I want to be with you. I want us to be together."
I answered him with another kiss and tightened my arms around him.
The elevator dinged and stopped, and we made our way to my room, where I fumbled with my key while wondering if I was dreaming.
Axel nuzzled my neck as I unlocked the door. When we were in the room, he pulled me to him and I wrapped myself around him, feeling so lucky and so grateful, and then soon, feeling nothing but need for him. He lifted me up and I latched my legs around his waist and curled down to kiss him, to taste his delicious mouth.
He carried me across the room and I tugged at the bottom of his shirt as he moved, kissing him all the time, even as he lowered me to the bed.
He held himself over me and smiled down at me. "Are we doing this?" he asked.
I paused to savor his features; to admire him in three dimensions when I'd so often seen him only in print or pixels or memory. I took in his kind brown eyes, his crooked, vulnerable nose, the slight stubble above his sexy lips. I wanted to look at this very real face every day for the rest of my life. "There is no way we're not doing this," I said, and I used my legs to pull him down onto me.
We kissed for just a few minutes, our tongues tangling as the weight of his body pressed into me and I melted from the inside out. I continued to pull at his clothing, and was surprised by my own wantonness, but of course I was dealing with ten years of bottled up, unsatisfied desire.
He finally helped me take off his shirt, and I admired his lean, hard muscled chest with both my eyes and hands. I recalled seeing him shirtless a few times when we were young, and I'd always gotten a thrill, and probably blushed at the sight of him. Now, more than ever, I realized what a boy he'd been then. He was so strong now, filled-in and solid, and when he wrapped me in his embrace, I felt the realization of a dream come true.
Axel became impatient with my clothing then, and together we pulled off my shirt and unhooked my bra. As my breasts were freed, he paused and stared in gratifying admiration.
"Kayla, you were always a pretty girl." His words were heavy with lust, his voice deep. "But you are a stunning woman." He pulled his eyes upward, looked into mine and ran a hand through my hair. "Have I told you I love your red hair? It suits you." He stretched out a strand, straightening it, extending it down to my chest, before he let it go to cup one of my breasts.
His palm was rough on my skin and it felt wonderful. He stroked a thumb over my already hard nipple, and brought it to a tighter bud before he sucked it into his hot mouth.
"Oh, Axel," I cried out and arched my back at his contact, and he quickly gave the same attention to my other breast. I squirmed under him, wrapped a leg around him again and felt his hard cock pressing into me through our clothing.
"Axel, I need you," I begged, as his tongue sent sensations from my nipples straight down to where I needed him most. I was so hot and wet, and we still
had too many clothes on. "I want you inside me."
He stood then, quickly undid his pants, and extracted a condom from his pocket. I shed my own remaining clothes while keeping my eyes glued to him and the body he revealed to me. For a moment I felt like a fifteen-year-old, getting a forbidden peek at my sexy stepbrother, but Axel was all man, the hard lines of his chest extending down to lean hips and a thick, long cock. Damn if every inch of him wasn't better than I'd imagined, and I'd done a lot of imagining.
"Talk about stunning," I said.
He grinned in response, but his eyes were completely focused on me and my now naked body. I lay back on the bed and watched him sheathe his erection. He paused before moving toward me and I felt his eyes covering my body, making me even hotter than I'd been.
"Talk about beautiful," he said.
He watched me for another long moment, then he nudged my legs apart and crawled between them. He slid his palm across my stomach, over my hips and down my thighs. He slowly drew his hands back up toward my center, and I nearly whimpered in anticipation. When his fingers gently grazed the outer folds of my pussy, I mewed with pleasure.
His touch was expert. He was gentle at first and had me losing my breath after just a few strokes of his fingers. He focused on my clit, swirled around it, and then pushed against it, and I grew light-headed with my desire.
He slipped a finger into me and I heard him make a sound of surprise. "You're so wet," he said as he spread the slickness back to my throbbing clit.
"I'm so ready for you." I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward me, urging him onto me. I watched him line himself up, and I felt the thick head of his cock nudge at my entry.
"Oh, Axel," I moaned, as he slid into me gently and slowly. He was so wide. I stretched to accommodate him, and sighed at the glorious friction between our most intimate areas. He filled me, but he was still moving into me, and when his hips finally met mine, I felt blissfully complete.
He held still inside of me. I was adjusting to the size of him, and I felt him twitching against my inner walls.
"Are you okay?" he asked. He looked deep into my eyes and brushed a few strands of hair away from my face.
"I have never, ever been better." I kissed his smiling lips, and he started to move in me. He slid his length nearly out of me, and I raised my hips to meet his return. He gradually increased his rhythm, and soon we were in perfect sync, the bed rocking beneath us as Axel pumped in and out of me.
He was holding himself over me, but I wanted to feel as much of his body pressed against me as possible. I grasped his muscular shoulders and urged him down onto me. His chest pressed into mine and I wrapped myself tightly around him, never wanting to let go.
My breaths came quicker and I felt myself approaching an edge. Axel seemed to sense it, for he deepened his thrusts, cupped my head in his hand, and leaned close to my ear.
"I've been dreaming of this moment for a long time," he said. "I've wanted you since I saw you at the restaurant, and I've loved you since we were young."
He loved me? I was nearly pulled from the moment with the weight of those words, but he continued.
He tilted my head to the side and ran the tip of his tongue up the side of my neck. "I want to make you come, Kayla. I want to feel you come while I'm buried deep inside you."
And, oh god, I came. His words sent me racing over the edge of ecstasy, and I was melting, falling, flying. I clung to him and held tight, while part of me released and went to another world altogether.
Axel kissed my neck and my face and whispered sweet encouragement as I flew among the clouds. He continued to push in and out of me as I throbbed around him. His body kept my pleasure coming for a long, beautiful time.
"Oh, Axel," I repeated, when I could finally speak. "That was—" I struggled to find breath and words, though I'm sure my expression and actions had made my thoughts clear.
"Yeah," he agreed. He smoothed my damp hair from my brow, then rolled off of me and pulled me onto my side, facing him. He tangled his legs with mine and reconnected, pushing his hard shaft into my swollen sex. My flesh was so sensitive, almost ticklish, as he started again to pump into me. His every movement felt unbelievably good.
He held me close, and looked into my eyes as we moved together. Then his focus turned inward, and I watched his face, the most beautiful face I'd ever seen, as he lost himself and came deep inside me.
Chapter Thirteen - Miles Beyond
Axel
No words. There were really no words for what had just happened.
Kayla and I lay together, arms around each other, legs entwined, eyes smiling. What I'd just felt... it had never felt like that before. I'd never felt so connected, so right, so completely present with another person. Sex and racing were what I liked, but sex with Kayla just blew past racing and left it in the dust. I'd be happy doing nothing else but burying myself inside her for the rest of my life.
I thought she'd fallen asleep, but she finally spoke. "I waited a decade for something like that," she murmured.
I felt a stab of unease when I heard her words. It was amazing that she'd felt like this about me when we were young, and had been thinking of me all these years, but I felt the pressure of it too; the responsibility of living up to her possibly unrealistic expectations of me. I didn't want to let her down, and though I thought what we'd just shared had been incredible, I was hesitant when I asked, "Was it what you expected?"
"No," she said quietly.
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut.
But she continued, "It was miles beyond anything I could've ever imagined."
I pulled her closer, she kissed me, and I felt like I'd just captured the checkered flag of victory.
Epilogue - Ten Years Later
Kayla
"You look beautiful, Kay." Axel came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. We were in our bedroom, and I'd just zipped up my favorite pair of pants. I'd only recently fit into them; getting back in shape had taken longer than the last time.
My husband was his ever-handsome, only slightly changed self. He stayed trim, needing to fit into the small cockpits of extremely fast cars. His nose was still adorably crooked; his face was still the best thing I'd ever seen. No, that was no longer true. It was among the three best things I'd ever seen.
Together we went down the hall to the nursery, where Emma had just woken up from a nap. While Axel nuzzled her and then changed her diaper, I got out the special dress I'd bought for her first birthday.
"Are you sure we should have left them alone together down there?" I strained to hear voices from the first floor. I heard the murmur of conversation, mostly my father-in-law's deep voice.
"Olivia will keep them in line," Axel said.
"Ha! You've got a point there." Our first born, now four and a half years old, seemed to think she ruled the house. "I can't even believe they're here together."
Our parents had been in the same room together only a very small number of times during our eight-year marriage. The experiences had not been without difficulties.
"It's amazing what grandkids can do," Axel said. He rubbed his nose against Emma's and she giggled.
Suddenly there was a crash from somewhere beneath us and we rushed downstairs, Axel carrying our wiggly birthday girl in his arms. I had flashbacks to the loud fights we'd endured as teens, and gave silent thanks to the very different type of marriage I enjoyed with Axel. Sure, we fought sometimes, but we respected one another, and he never gave me reason to doubt him.
In our living room we found Olivia surrounded by dozens of scattered wooden blocks, which had apparently just fallen from great heights. She was clapping and laughing, while her grandparents, my mom and her new husband, Alexander and his longtime girlfriend, and Axel's mom and Lucas, formed her adoring audience.
Axel laughed as he put his arm around me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. Together, we joined our family for a celebration.
About Stephanie Brother
Stephanie Brother writes scintillating stories with step-siblings as their main romantic focus. She's always been curious about the forbidden, and this is her way of exploring such complex relationships that threaten to keep her couples apart. As she writes her way to her dream job, Ms. Brother hopes that her readers will enjoy the full emotional and romantic experience as much as she's enjoyed writing them.
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Also by Stephanie Brother
PERFECT: A Stepbrother Romance
The first time I met Billy Taylor, we came thisclose to having sex in the parking lot of a bar.
I was upset, okay? I'd just dumped my lying, cheating boyfriend.
I had my perfect life with him all planned out, and then he ruined it when he put his hands on another woman.
Billy isn't like him, or any other man I've known ... but I can't let myself think about Billy.
Or his amazing, sculpted, gorgeous Greek-god body.
No. I can't.
And I absolutely, positively mustn't fantasize about finishing what we started.
SPEED: A Stepbrother Romance Page 6