The Alpha Billionaire Club Trilogy

by Alexa Wilder

  Griffen shook his head at the stubborn look on my face. “Even if you can't forgive him, you're a hell of a lot safer with him protecting you than you are anywhere else. Keep that in mind when he pisses you off again."

  At that moment Axel came back into the room, carrying two steaming mugs. He sat down in the armchair opposite me, as I’d suspected he would, after placing my mug on a coaster on the coffee table in front of me.

  He didn't try to hand it to me directly, seeming to understand that I needed some distance. Maybe he was worried I’d toss the hot liquid in his face. It was an option, but I wasn’t that mean. Griffen looked at our two cups and asked, “What about me?"

  “Get your own fucking tea,” Axel growled at him. "And don't interrupt us unless you have something constructive to say."

  "How long have you been working for Harper?" I asked, suddenly tired of putting this off. I was exhausted, and I needed answers.

  Axel put down his mug and met my eyes. “For almost a month. He asked me for an appointment five weeks ago. He told me he had reason to believe that an employee was stealing proprietary company information and selling it to competitors. He showed me photographs and video of you going through company files, then delivering the files to an individual he claimed was a competitor. He also showed me photographs of the competitor in question that matched up with the video. I had the video tested and it was genuine. I had no reason to believe that the suspect, you, was anything but guilty."

  "And you thought the best way to deal with this was to ask me out?"

  That was the part that hurt the worst. Not that Harper had lied to him about me being a criminal. Not even that he’d believed it. But that, of all the ways he had to prove his case, he’d pretended to care about me. I'd worried that I was falling in love with him, and he'd just been thinking about the job.

  "You want me to say I'm sorry, don't you?” he asked. “To say I'm sorry I pursued you, sorry I seduced you."

  “Yes,” I said, incredulous. Wasn't that obvious? "Yes, I want you to apologize for being a lying bastard."

  “I can't do that, Emma. I won’t apologize for that. I was doing my job. And I seduced you because I wanted to. Because you’re beautiful, and smart, and funny, and sexy. There was no way I was going to watch you for weeks and not touch you. Once we started spending time together, I only wanted you more. I’m sorry for everything that happened tonight. I should have known better. I should have known that you could never be guilty of the things Harper said you did. I should have known there was another explanation for what I found on your laptop."

  “Then why? Why wouldn't you listen to me?" I asked, appalled to hear tears choking my voice. I clamped my mouth shut and cradled my tea in front of my face like a shield.

  Axel looked at Griffen, then down at his tea. Griffen, possibly understanding some silent guy-speak that was over my head, murmured an excuse, stood, and left the room. Axel looked up from his mug and met my eyes, his dark gaze locked on mine.

  "Emma,” he said in a soft voice. “I fucked up big time tonight. My judgment was off. So far off. I fucked up because you're not just a job. You haven't been just a job since the night we met. My gut was telling me you were innocent, and I couldn't trust it because I was completely upside down about you."

  “I don’t even know what that means,” I said, my voice shaking. I didn't trust him, and I didn't trust myself. I wanted to believe he was telling the truth, but I hadn't thought he was lying before. He said his judgment was off - that was something we had in common.

  He went on, "I started falling for you the first night, in that cooking class. Every night since it's only gotten worse. I think about you all the time. Something happens at work, and I want to tell you about it. I'm tired at the end of the day, and I want to be with you. I've never felt this way about a woman. I guess I just didn't know what the fuck I was doing."

  He let out a huff of air and sat back, looking helpless for the first time since we’d met. I wanted to reassure him, which was stupid. He’d lied to me. If the case hadn’t ended, he would have gone on lying.

  “I just don't think I can trust you," I said, my eyes blurring with tears. Axel was telling me everything I wanted to hear, and I wanted to believe he meant it. I wanted to believe it so badly. But I couldn't. Not yet. Words were too easy, and I was so very tired.

  I did, however, trust Griffen. Not much, but more than I trusted Axel. If he was right, I was safer with Axel than out there on my own. Griffen hadn't said he'd be putting his job in danger by helping me, but I didn't have to be a genius to figure out that math.

  He worked for Axel’s company. Maybe in a different division, but if Axel and his brothers owned Sinclair Security, then I didn't want to put Griffen in a position where he'd be endangering his job. I owed him for getting me out of Harper's house. I wasn't going to pay him back by asking him to get himself fired.

  I looked at Axel, my head spinning, unable to make a decision. Instead, I said, “Did you talk to Agent Tierney?"

  “While you were with Harper,” he said, his eyes narrowing at the reminder that I’d been alone with his client. “I also called him to let him know you were safe. He wanted to come pick you up and put you in protective custody."

  "When will he be here?" I asked, relieved at the easy answer to my problems with Axel. My relief faded when Axel shook his head.

  "No,” he said. “No protective custody. The FBI is good, don't get me wrong, but Tsepov will find you if you're with the FBI. Tierney can't keep you as safe as I can."

  I didn't know if that was true, but my gut, which had never warmed to Tierney, thought it might be.

  "Fine, I'll stay with you. But that doesn't mean I forgive you, or that we're going to pick up where we left off. Got it?"

  "I know it's going to take some time for you to trust me again.” Axel stood and said, “Let me show you to your room, and you can get some sleep. We’ll figure out the rest of it in the morning."

  Almost numb with exhaustion, I followed Axel down another hall to a guest bedroom. A man's T-shirt had already been laid out across the bed. Without another word, he left me in the room and shut the door behind him. I peeled off my clothes, pulled on the T-shirt, fell into the bed, and promptly passed out.

  16

  Axel

  I gave Emma enough time to fall into a deep sleep before I slipped into bed beside her. Griffen was gone, back to his hotel on the Strip and out of my hair. I knew he was a good guy, but if he’d kept flirting with Emma, I would've knocked him out. It didn't help that she was responding, even if it was only to piss me off.

  Emma wouldn't be happy when she woke up and found me in bed with her. I should have cared about that. I should have been overwhelmed with remorse over what I'd done. I should have given her space, and let her make up her own mind. That would be the gentlemanly thing to do.

  I wasn’t a gentleman. Everything that had happened tonight to Emma had been my fault. I knew that. And I would make it up to her. But I wasn't going to let her pull away from me. I’d given her plenty of reasons to hate me, and while Emma was easy-going, I suspected she could hold a mean grudge. I had no intention of letting her get away from me.

  I’d let her think I was giving her space so she would relax enough to fall asleep. She was exhausted, and likely in some pain if the look of her face was any indication. Just the thought that I was responsible for that bruising, the blood, and the black eye she’d have in the morning, made me sick.

  I wanted to beat the hell out of William Harper for daring to touch her, but the worst of the damage was on my shoulders. Like everything else, I would make it up to her. She knew it had been an accident. I’d been sure she was out of the way before I busted open the door. I still couldn’t believe I’d made such a mistake. It was a reminder of what could happen when I let emotion make my decisions.

  I was going to have to be careful. Emma stirred me up, made it hard for me to think clearly, and we had a tricky situation with Harper and Tsep
ov. She was in danger and I couldn’t afford to get distracted by the way she made me feel. If I was smart, I’d send her away. That wasn’t going to happen. I needed her with me.

  She’d be angry to find me in her bed, but I still wasn't leaving. Moving closer, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her back against my chest, burying my face in her hair, letting the sweet honeysuckle scent of her wash over me.

  I hadn't taken very good care of her so far. I’d been too wrapped up in fear, too used to walking away to understand that this time, I didn’t want to go. I was done with that now. Emma was mine. I was going to do anything I had to: bust my ass, bleed myself dry, call in every marker, anything I could, to fix this with her. I knew in my gut that I meant something to her. She’d been falling for me before I fucked it all up.

  I just had to remind her of what we'd had. I would have time, because no matter what happened, I was never letting Emma go again.

  17

  Axel

  The sun rose, and I stayed in bed, my arm wrapped around Emma’s sleeping body. I was usually up before the sun hit the sky, but Emma needed her sleep, and I wasn’t letting her wake alone. It probably would have been safer for me if I had. She wouldn’t be happy to open her eyes and find me beside her.

  I knew Emma. If I let her build a wall to keep me out, she could hold me off forever. I didn’t want to wait. I wanted my Emma back. I knew I deserved to suffer. Every time I caught a glimpse of her swollen cheek and saw the bruising that had turned into a black eye, I felt sick. How could I have made a mistake like that?

  I’d never forget the impact of the door into Emma’s body and the terrible realization that I’d hit her with it. I’d been furious, my mind overwhelmed with rage, but I never would have hurt her on purpose. I’d never hurt a woman before, unless it was in the line of duty, and then only very rarely. It didn’t help in the slightest to remind myself that I’d thought Emma was a guilty target. I should have known she was innocent. I should have trusted my gut, not my head.

  Emma would forgive me. I had to believe that. Until she did, I was keeping her close. It wasn’t fair. I knew that. I could let Griffen take her back to Atlanta with him, and my brothers could take care of her. They could keep her safe and give her time away from me. I was sure she would have jumped all over that option if I’d given it to her.

  I’d send her away if it was the only way. I’d do anything to keep her alive. But for now, she was safe enough at my side. And if I were with her, I could win her back. I had to. The idea of losing Emma for good was intolerable.

  Before Emma, I’d never been into cuddling. I took care of the women I fucked, in bed and out, but I wasn’t affectionate. With Emma, I couldn’t resist the excuse to touch her soft body, to pull her against me as close as I could get her and keep her there. Leaving her during the night for the last three weeks had sucked. Now that the truth was out, I didn’t have to go. She was with me now, and I was keeping her.

  Emma slept like a rock until well past seven o’clock. The moment I realized she was waking up, I started my campaign to win her back. Not fully alert and warm from my body wrapped around hers, I knew she wouldn’t be on her guard. I started slowly, nuzzling the back of her neck and sliding my hand beneath her shirt to rest on the silky skin of her stomach, just above her panties. I loved how soft she was there, her body so giving.

  Still half-asleep, Emma didn’t remember that she hated me. Her body recognized me, and it loved me.

  Her hips wiggled back into mine, her round ass cradling my cock. We’d never woken together. It was one more thing I’d denied myself when she was a target. Now she was mine, and we’d be waking together every day. Sleepy Emma was delicious.

  I had to move quickly before her brain kicked into gear and reminded her that she wanted nothing to do with me. Carefully, I slid my hand down over her hip to her thigh, winding my fingers around her knee. I lifted her leg, pulling it back over mine, opening her to my touch. My plan was simple. Get her so hot that by the time she woke up, she couldn't resist me.

  My fingers went straight to the heat between her legs, stroking her through her panties, swirling circles around her clit with a light touch. Emma stood no chance against me. I knew her body. I knew when she wanted it hard and when she wanted it gentle. It didn't take long before she was squirming.

  Time for step two. My fingertips nudged the elastic of her panties aside and slipped between her hot, slick folds. If I’d had more time, I could have teased her for hours. I would have touched her and stroked her until she was begging for more. I'd done that before and it had been amazing. Teasing was for another day. I had to go straight for the orgasm.

  I slipped one finger inside her, my cock twitching with jealousy at the way her tight pussy clamped down on my finger. She was getting wetter by the second, making almost inaudible little moans in the back of her throat. I pressed the heel of my hand against her clit and a second finger joined my first, stretching her, getting her ready for me while I pushed her to the edge of orgasm.

  Her eyes flickered open as she moaned again, her legs spreading wider. She thrust her pussy into my hand, her body chasing its pleasure as her mind slowly came back online. I knew she was awake when she moaned, “What are you doing in my bed, you bastard?”

  “Do you want me to leave?” I asked, grinding my palm down until she shuddered, just on the edge of coming. “Or do you want me to fuck you?”

  “Fuck me,” she whispered. “Fuck me and then get the hell out.”

  “I’ll fuck you,” I said, pulling my hand from between her legs so I could strip off her t-shirt and underwear. “But I’m not leaving you, Emma. Not again.”

  “Stop talking,” she said, panting for breath. “I hate you. Stop talking and make me come.”

  “Anything you want,” I said, happy to oblige. I loved the way she glared at me with lust darkened blue eyes. She was still too tight to take in one thrust. I had to work my way in, rocking my hips in little jerks that dragged halting moans from her throat. Emma kept her eyes squeezed shut, trying to block me out, but it wouldn’t work. She couldn’t pretend I was someone else. Not when it was me her body wanted.

  It took forever until I was in her to the hilt. I’d fucked a lot of women—probably too many—but not one had felt like this. Her silky wet heat sucked on my cock every time I withdrew, squeezing me tight as I thrust back in. It was a good thing she was on the edge of orgasm. So was I. I’d have to hold off. I wasn’t just going to make this good for her, I was going to make it spectacular.

  Ready to let her come for the first time, I set a hard pace, fucking her fast and deep. Release hit, and her knees rose to grip my hips, her fingers digging into my ass as she screamed my name. Axel. My real name. She was pissed at me, but she knew who was inside her.

  I fucked her through the orgasm, fighting off the need to join her. It was close to impossible. If Emma’s pussy was normally hot, it was something else entirely when she was coming. Like a fist, it squeezed my cock in fierce pulses that begged me to spill inside her. I’d never fucked her without a condom. I almost lost it, overwhelmed by the feel of her coming on my cock for the first time without anything between us. But I’d promised myself this was for her, not for me.

  I moved back, sliding out of her as she came down, just enough that I could reach her breasts with my mouth. I loved how tall she was. In the right position, I could get my mouth on her breasts while we fucked. Heaven. Filling one hand with her breast, I set to work on the other, teasing her nipple with slow passes of my tongue, making sure she only came down so far from her orgasm before she started back up again.

  Emma loved it when I played with her nipples. They were sensitive, but she liked it a little rough. I’d tried clamps on them the week before and she’d gone wild. We’d have to do that again. For now, I had my teeth. I went gently, wary of being too aggressive with her after the night before. I blocked out the knowledge that William Harper had touched these breasts. It didn’t matter that he’d t
ouched her through her clothes; it was still an assault. If Emma had flinched from my touch because of him, because I’d brought her there, it would have killed me.

  Listening to her breathing quicken, I bit down on her nipple, worrying it between my teeth, tugging as it tightened in my grip. She cried out in pleasure and wrapped her leg around my back. That was all I needed to know. Emma was turned on enough to want a little pain. I nibbled and nipped, teasing her, not going as hard as I could. I’d push her boundaries another time. This was about bringing her pleasure and reminding her why she wanted to keep me around.

  I played with her breasts until she was writhing beneath me. By then, I was so close to the end I thought I was going to come on her leg like a teenager. Just to be safe, I slid down her body to take her pussy with my mouth, partly to make sure she came before I did, but mostly because I wanted the taste of her on my tongue. I wanted to have her everywhere, to mark myself with her. I needed to claim Emma with every part of me—my hands, my cock, and my mouth.

  Emma always tasted so fucking good. I slowed down a little once I got between her legs, happy to linger over her swollen, slick pussy. Salty, warm, and sweet. That was my Emma. I traced her pussy with my tongue, holding her hips down when she squirmed, trying to get more pressure on her clit. She needed to come, and so did I.

  Closing my lips over her clit, I drew it into my mouth with hard, rhythmic sucks that sent her flying. Her orgasm hit her like a sledgehammer, preceded by a high-pitched, wailing cry. Desperate for her, I rose over her body and slammed into her, fighting the tight grip of her pussy as it pulsed around me. I was spilling inside her a second later, helpless against the pull of Emma’s body.