She placed her hands on the sides of his face. Her breathing seemed raspy, her chest heaved. She stared at him with hooded lids, her mouth a bit swollen from their kiss. His chest clenched, that beautiful ache gripping him like a vise.
“We should continue this later tonight,” she whispered.
He nodded and set her down, but grabbed her hands, not wanting to totally let go.
“Go to Phoenix and come back soon.”
Shit. He didn’t want to leave, but also knew he couldn’t stay. Finishing the tattoo had become incredibly important to him, and sooner or later, Eden would have a visitor. No one ever came to see him, but Eden was different. She was well-liked, and well-protected.
He wanted to tell her that his chest hurt so badly, but he’d never been so appreciative of pain. She’d changed his life and made him a different male, and he’d die for her if she asked.
But, the words wouldn’t come, and he only hoped she could see his emotions around him.
She smiled and squeezed his hands.
“Do you see it?” he asked, feeling foolish that he couldn’t say the words.
“I do, Axel, and it takes my breath away.”
Relief swept through him as the elevator whirred to life again, and he realized someone was on their way down. They may not stop at this floor, but if they did …
“I should go.”
She nodded. “Will I see you tonight?”
A fucking dinosaur couldn’t keep him away. “Yes.”
He opened the door to the stairs, and just as it shut, he heard the elevator ding on Eden’s floor, indicating someone had arrived.
As he quietly climbed the stairs, he heard Eden’s voice.
“Hi, Hudson.”
“Hello, my beautiful doha. Are you feeling okay? Your cheeks look a little pink.”
“I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Beverly’s birthday. Do you have a moment?”
“Of course. Come in.”
The urge to march right back down the stairs and tell Hudson he’d found his mate in Eden almost overcame him. He squeezed the metal railing and took a deep breath. Now was not the time, and doing so would go against Eden’s wishes.
No, instead, he’d go see Foster and pretend for a little while that the girl who could see colors all around him hadn’t become the most important thing in his life.
Chapter 21
Eden sat in the Great Room, staring at the television. Dinner had come and gone, and Axel still hadn’t returned. She’d been upstairs since he’d left, hoping to see him soon. As the ten o’clock hour came close, she now worried. What if something had happened to him? Or, what if he’d gone back to the sex club?
The thought made her stomach turn. She wanted Axel as her own—she didn’t want to share him. But what if he liked the club? What if it was something he needed to do? What if she couldn’t be enough for him? It wasn’t like she had tons of practice in the sex department. In fact, she’d say her experience had been so limited, while his … he’d been with men and women, and she didn’t even want to think of how often.
A nervous chill traveled down her spine as she thought of tonight. Would it be the night they made love? It terrified her and excited her all at once. She longed to feel his big body over her, his gentle touch.
“Hey, Eden.”
She startled as Beverly and Faith walked into the room. “Hello.”
“Are you going to stay up for a bit?”
She nodded. “I think so. Are you two heading to—”
As Axel appeared in the doorway over Beverly’s shoulder, her breath caught. His aura was filled with love, passion, and lust, and as he stared at her, it only became more pronounced. Waves of red and blue roared around him with such intensity, her heart thudded against her chest and heat bloomed in her belly.
Faith turned around and gasped, then stepped away. “Axel! I–I didn’t hear you come in!”
Eden’s eyes narrowed as Faith put more space between herself and the man Eden loved. It hurt her and angered her. She carefully watched Beverly’s reaction, but the female didn’t even flinch.
“Hi, Axel.”
“Hey. I’m sorry I scared you, Faith. Goodnight.”
A lump formed in Eden’s throat as she watched him go, the desire to get up and run after him almost overwhelming her.
Faith sighed. “That guy just gives me the creeps. He’s so quiet and weird.”
Anger boiled within her, and her cheeks heated. She could see by Faith’s aura that she truly didn’t like being around Axel. Suddenly, Eden felt very protective of him. If only Faith knew the reasons for his behavior, she may have a little empathy.
“He’s not that bad,” Beverly said. “He lacks social skills, but overall, I think he’s harmless.”
“Are you kidding me? That man is anything but harmless, Beverly. The way he looks at you with those cold, dead eyes … he belongs in a haunted house on Halloween!”
Eden stood abruptly, tired of listening to Faith talk about someone she didn’t even know. However, she couldn’t let her irritation show. “I’m going to bed. You two have a good night.”
She brushed past the two women and headed down the hall. Just before she got out of earshot, she heard Faith ask, “Was it something I said?”
In the future, she would definitely have to set people straight. He had been so misunderstood for so long, and it hurt her that she was the only one who could see his true colors.
Chapter 22
Axel paced his room, his back hurting like a fucker. He marched into the bathroom, pulled off his shirt, and grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen. Shaking out six, he put them in his mouth and swallowed them dry. Hopefully, they’d kick in soon.
He’d spent the afternoon and evening at Foster’s sipping whiskey while getting the tattoo work done. Foster hadn’t wanted to do so much in such a short period of time, but Axel had insisted. The bottle of Crown Royal he’d brought Foster had also worked well as the intended bribe it had been meant to be.
The whole damn seven hours he’d sat in that chair, he’d thought of Eden—her skin, her hair, her smile … everything about her. By the time he’d gotten into the SUV and driven back to the silo, he didn’t even bother trying to calm his erection begging to be released from his jeans. There could be only one thing that would tame that bad boy now, and that was his mate.
A soft knock sounded at his door, and he walked over to open it. She stood before him, her black hair framing a small smile on her pretty face. He wished he could see and understand the colors around her so he knew for sure what she thought. Based on her grin, she looked pretty happy to see him.
He stepped aside, and she entered. Reaching over, he locked the door, something he’d never done before. No one ever came to see him, but now, he wanted to make sure that there would be no chance anyone could get in. He opened his arms, and she hurried over.
This small female that seemed as if she would break if he squeezed too hard had become so much to him in such a short period of time. The beautiful pain railed through his chest, and he held on to it, hoping it would never disappear. Tilting her chin up, he brought his lips to hers as her hands caressed his bare chest, sending goose bumps over his skin.
He ran his hands up and down her torso, loving the soft curves of her hips. As he slowly disappeared into that mindless mist, he let go of his nervousness and allowed instinct to take over.
Slipping his hands under her shirt, he pulled her flush to him, the silken skin beneath his palms amazing him as he’d never touched anything so soft. His fingertips trailed up her ribcage, and he took one breast in each hand. She moaned as his thumbs caressed her nipples over the satin bra, hardened peaks forming beneath his touch.
The kiss grew more heated as their tongues found each other. He slipped the shirt over her head and gasped as he caught sight of her breasts. He palmed them again, noting how his big hands weren’t quite large enough to hold them, and he longed to f
eel the flesh. However, he really had no idea what to do about the bra.
As if she read his mind, she stepped back and reached behind her, unclasping it. When she pressed her chest against him, he groaned and his knees grew weak. He’d never felt anything so erotic and perfect in his life.
“Axel?” she whispered against his mouth.
“What?”
God, her lips felt so good against his.
“I’m nervous.”
He stepped back. “Should we stop?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want that. I’m just telling you that I’m nervous.”
As he came out of that beautiful haze she put him in, he nodded. “I am, too. I’ve never been with someone I care about.”
“I guess we should just let nature take its course.”
He smiled and kissed her again, this time deep and slow. Yeah, he really, really liked the kissing stuff.
After that, everything seemed to happen without effort. Somehow, his pants came off, and her jeans lay on the floor. He found himself on the bed, lying side by side with her, his hand tracing over her ribcage, down to her waist and the swell of her hip, then to her thigh.
Slow. Yes, they definitely were taking it slow. His groin throbbed with need, but at the same time, he didn’t want this perfection to end.
Her fingertips ran over his cheek and through his hair. When she reached his shoulder blades, she gasped and pulled away from their kiss.
“What’s that?”
He smiled, more certain than ever that he’d made the right decision on the tattoo. “A bandage.”
Her brow furrowed, worry cascading across her face. “What happened?”
Caressing her cheek, he sighed. He’d hoped he could keep it a surprise, but he supposed he didn’t have to give her the details. “I’m getting another tattoo.”
“What is it?”
Her pretty yellow gaze searched his face, but he wouldn’t tell his secret until it had been completed. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
She smiled and smacked his arm playfully. “Tell me!”
He grabbed her hands and rolled her onto her back, holding her wrists above her head. “No.”
Then he lowered his face to hers, a small sigh escaping him as his lips found hers.
His fingers trailed down the valley between her breasts, to her stomach and brushing over her hipbones. He looked down at her milky flesh and wondered how the gods could have created something so perfect.
Bringing his lips to her neck, he found the pulse beneath her ear. When she shuddered as he kissed it, he began taking mental notes on what she responded to, and what she didn’t. As he caressed the Y of her sex, she moaned, her hips arching off the bed as if pleading to be touched further.
He dipped his hand between her legs, finding her secret flesh slick with desire as she spread her thighs. He touched her slowly and gently, cataloging every gasp and moan and remembering where his fingers had been.
After a moment, he let go of her hands over her head and she reached for him. He rolled on top of her, his whole body trembling from head to toe. He’d had sex hundreds and hundreds of times, but he truly felt as if this was his first. Butterflies tickled his belly while lust roared through him, his need to mark her as his as necessary as the air he breathed.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he settled between her thighs. Eden stared up at him with so much love, his chest clenched and constricted with such sweet pain, he wondered if he could die from it.
He lowered his mouth to hers as he thrust his hips forward. She gasped as he entered her, and he stilled.
As he placed his hand on her forehead, terror rode through him that he’d injured her, and he began to pull out. “Let’s stop.”
She shook her head. “No. Don’t stop. I want this, Axel.”
He remained motionless as he studied her face. She said she hadn’t been a virgin, but now he wondered if she hadn’t been fully truthful.
“It’s just been so long,” she whispered as she caressed his beard, answering his unasked question. “It’s just going to take me a few moments to adjust.”
He nodded, afraid to breathe for fear that it may hurt her further.
As he gazed down at her, he kissed her pink cheeks and the tip of her nose. After a few moments, she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him to move.
A lump formed in his throat as his heart raced in panic. Yes, he wanted to continue. In his logical mind, he knew that her legs around his middle signaled pleasure, that she wanted them to make love. In the fucked-up part of him, the one that prevented him from acting like a normal male, he felt trapped, as if a semi-truck lay over him. He completely froze, his body tense, his mind caught up in the anxiety.
She stared up at him a moment, studying him, her face a mask of confusion. Then, as if he’d spoken the words caught in his throat, she spread her thighs wide, releasing him from his internal demons.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she kissed his cheeks. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
He closed his eyes, so grateful that she understood him. His heart calmed, and once again, he could breathe.
As he considered rolling off of her and calling this night the debacle it had become, his hips moved on instinct. After a few strokes, he knew he couldn’t stop unless she wanted him to. Her wet heat gripped his cock like a silken fist, each thrust bringing him higher and higher toward the ultimate wave of pleasure.
He opened his eyes and gazed down at her. She gently bit her bottom lip, her neck slowly turning the same color pink as her cheeks. Sweet gods above, he wanted her to come; he wanted to see her completely undone.
Sweat formed on his brow as he kissed her long and deep. He once again couldn’t get enough breath into his lungs, his hips now pounding against hers.
She gripped onto his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh as if she hung on to him for dear life. Her cheeks now reminded him of the color of apples.
As her body stiffened beneath him, her mouth opened in a silent scream as she arched her head back. Her channel milked him as her contractions seemed to intensify with each thrust.
Seconds later, his balls tightened, and his whole body trembled. A low growl emanated from his throat as his seed spilled into her, marking her as his. When his orgasm ended, he collapsed to her side, both breathing heavily, both covered in sweat.
After a moment, he reached over and entwined his fingers in hers. For a long time, they lay hand in hand, staring up at the ceiling.
Never in a million years had he imagined that sex could be so intense, yet so pure. The pleasure didn’t come from a need within him; it came from his emotions. He almost felt reborn, like he’d just started a second part to his life. The ugliness and emptiness could be left behind, and he imagined a future of happiness with someone who understood him and helped him identify the emotions that had been suppressed for so long.
He turned to her and realized she stared at him. “Are you okay?”
She rolled to her side facing him and nodded. “Very much so.”
They looked at each other a few moments, and he wondered what she saw around him.
“You’re changing, Axel.”
He felt the shift within him. It was slow and cumbersome, like the desert tortoises he’d seen lumbering through the desolate dirt. It seemed as if it took them hours to travel a small distance. The difference in him was taking place, but like the tortoise, it would be a while before it covered any ground.
She moved over next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. As he wrapped his arm around her, she sighed, and he hoped it signaled contentment.
The musky smell of sex permeated the air, and his body resembled a wet noodle. He tried to remember when he’d been so relaxed, but no other time came to mind. They lay in silence for a long while, and he wondered if she would spend the night, or go back to her room. Returning to her quarters would be the smart thing, but the thought of sleeping without her made his stomach turn.
“This feels so nice, Axel.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “Yeah.”
“I should head back to my room. We should be careful so we don’t get caught.”
He didn’t answer for a moment, then finally spoke. “We should just tell everyone.”
She lifted her head and propped it on her hand. “Not yet, Axel. Hudson tried to kill you once because I asked you to help me make hot chocolate. If he finds out we’re sleeping together … I’m afraid for you.”
He arched his eyebrows at her. “I’m not going to let him do anything to me. Maybe you should be concerned about him.”
Sighing, she flopped down on the bed next to him. “I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”
A long stretch of silence ensued. He had a feeling that Hudson would lose his shit if he knew Eden had told Axel she loved him. If there was one male in the house Hudson didn’t want his daughter near, it was him. He’d made that perfectly clear.
However, Axel didn’t want this ray of happiness that had blessed him to disappear, and if they got caught sneaking around, he had a feeling the outcome would be much worse than if they just sat down and told Hudson how things were, and how they would be in the future.
He reached over and pulled her next to him, her hair tickling his nose and chest as she settled in. “I think we should just talk to him.”
“I agree, but not just yet, okay?”
But, in the end, he would do whatever Eden wanted. “Okay.”
Chapter 23
Eden went through the next few days feeling as though her feet had sprouted wings. Her soul felt light, and happiness surged through her. She knew it had become obvious as she received strange looks from others, especially Benedict. When she laughed, it sounded a bit too loud to her ears, and she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face. Although completely exhausted from her late nights and early mornings with Axel, she seemed to have boundless energy and fluttered about the silo playing with the children, helping in the kitchen, straightening up the messes, and planning the spring garden with some of the other women in the house.
Axel Page 10