“You’re impossible, you know that? We’re stuck out here in the middle of Gilt Hollow forest with no supplies and soldiers possibly trying to track us down, and all you can do is make jokes.”
Axel sat up on one elbow and looked long and hard at Whisper. “Maybe I wasn’t joking.”
She blinked back at him, her eyes going wide for a brief moment before she regained her composure and rolled her eyes again. “Oh, come on. You were joking. You joke about that sort of stuff all the freaking time. We both know you don’t mean anything by it.”
Axel flopped back onto his back for a moment. His head screamed at him to leave things at that. Let her think he was joking, and keep things between them the way they were. It didn’t matter how attracted he was to her. The two of them couldn’t possibly be lifemates. He would have realized it a long time ago if that were the case.
He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. But his heart wouldn’t let his head win this argument. His heart told him that if he didn’t kiss Whisper right now, he was going to regret it forever. His heart told him that as impossible as a romance between them seemed, there was something there. Perhaps there had always been something there, and he’d just ignored it by pretending that any feelings of affection for Whisper were platonic.
There was no writing off his current feelings as platonic, however. He was growing stiffer and harder between his legs by the second, and although Whisper hadn’t noticed yet, she would. The funny thing was, Axel suddenly realized that he wanted her to notice. He wanted her to know that she meant something much deeper to him than he’d ever admitted out loud.
Axel decided in that moment to listen to his heart. Perhaps it wasn’t the best decision. Maybe it would make things more awkward between them, and maybe she wouldn’t want to work at his bar after this. But he didn’t care about all of that anymore. All he cared about was that he was finally admitting to himself that Whisper was much, much more to him than his friend’s little sister. For the first time in his life, he let his eyes wander freely, hungrily over her naked body. She noticed his gaze, and the heat in his eyes, because she looked at him with uncertainty.
“Axel?”
Instead of answering her question with words, he answered with his lips. He leaned in and put his mouth on hers, reaching up at the same time to put his hand behind her head. Her hair was silky soft, and her lips were even softer. He felt a rush of impossible heat and electricity shooting through him, and his dick was now completely rock hard.
He wanted her. Whatever the fallout or consequences might be, he wanted her now. He wanted to lay her down in this grassy alcove and make love to her until both of them had no energy left. But none of that mattered, if she didn’t want it also. He half-expected her to pull back and push him away in shock. After all, what right did he have to just kiss her like that?
For a second, she did pull back. She squeaked in surprise, and looked at him with wide eyes. His heart started to sink. She didn’t want him. She was going to think he was crazy now, and their friendship would be ruined. But most of all, his heart would be ruined. How was he ever supposed to care about any other woman after caring for Whisper? He was slowly realizing that she was the reason he’d barely dated all these years. He’d had girlfriends here or there, but nothing had ever grown serious, because no one had ever made him feel like he came alive. After a while, he’d stopped even trying.
In this moment, right here, right now, he felt alive. No other woman had been able to make him feel that way, because no other woman had been Whisper. No other woman had her smile, her laugh, or that adorable twinkle in her eye. No other woman was as beautiful as her, as clever, as funny, or as kind. She was all he had ever wanted. How the hell had he not realized that before this moment? And how the hell was he going to survive her rejection?
“Whisper…” he said, his voice low. Pleading.
Her eyes went even wider, and his heart filled with even more desperation. And then, she kissed him back.
She closed her eyes, leaned in, and put her lips back on his. And in that moment, Axel knew desire as he had never known it before.
He knew love as he had never known it before.
Chapter Ten
Whisper’s entire body was burning, and fire had never felt so good. The very first moment that Axel had kissed her, her entire being had gone up in flames. She had been caught completely off guard at first, and had pulled back in surprise. She had almost expected to see laughter in his eyes. He had spent so many years teasing her that she thought this was just another one of his jokes.
Until she saw his eyes. She would have had to have been blind to have denied the passion with which he looked at her. And from that moment, against all her better judgment, she was all in. She kissed him back, and then, she was lost. They were both lost. They shouldn’t have been doing this for so many reasons, the biggest of which was that there were no guarantees that the Gilt Hollow soldiers were not still out there searching for them. Anyone could have snuck up on them and they would never have noticed. They were far too wrapped up in each other.
Whisper had decided she would take her chances, and apparently so had Axel. He kissed her long and deep, his tongue pushing past her lips and into her mouth, until both of their tongues were dancing together. Whisper felt his arms wrapping around her body, and his stiff erection pushing against her thigh. She could hardly believe how big he felt. Sure, she had seen him naked before, but she had never quite noticed how well-endowed he was. She had always politely looked away. But she was noticing now, and she was trembling with the realization of how that huge erection would feel inside of her. Were they going to take things all the way out here?
She hoped so. And Axel certainly wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down. His hands had reached down to grab her bare ass now, and he squeezed tightly. Whisper moaned slightly, but the sound of it was drowned out by his mouth, which was still kissing her.
This was heaven.
How had she known Axel all these years and never realized how amazing his body felt? She had felt an increased attraction to him over the last few weeks, but even then she had never stopped to consider just how hot he was. And damn. He was blazing.
He moved his tongue from her mouth and traced a line down her neck with it. Then he moved back up to her ear and nibbled, sending little tremors of delight down her spine. His hands came around and cupped her breasts, instantly turning her nipples hard with desire. Whisper felt herself growing wetter and wetter between her legs. The moisture was so much that it was starting to drip down onto her legs, and she wondered if he was going to notice. His lower body was so pressed against hers that part of him was sure to come in contact with her wetness at any moment, a realization that made Whisper feel slightly embarrassed. Would he think she was crazy for being so turned on so quickly?
Her embarrassment passed as she realized that he must be just as turned on as she was. They both must have been fighting these feelings for far too long. His dick pressed harder against her leg as he slid down so that his face was even with her breasts. He put his face in between the two breasts and slid his cheeks back and forth against the soft, sensitive skin for a few moments, moaning as he did.
“You’re perfect,” he whispered. The slight stubble on his cheeks tickled her skin, and she laughed and shuddered all at the same time. The intensity of feelings running across her body was leaving her powerless to say or do much of anything except enjoy the ride. And that ride, it turned out, kept getting better and better.
He moved his mouth to her nipples, sucking, licking, and chewing, and generally causing the inferno inside of her to blaze even hotter. Tingling pleasure radiated from her nipples all across her body, and the cool wind blowing through the trees actually felt pleasant now. Whisper definitely wasn’t cold anymore. In fact, she felt such a hot pressure building within her that she wondered for a brief, ridiculous moment if it was actually possible to spontaneously combust from passion. She wouldn’t have thought
so before tonight, but now she wasn’t so sure. Every touch and kiss from Axel only made her burn hotter from within. She was on the verge of begging him to just make love to her already before she exploded, when he pulled back from kissing her nipples and reached a palm up to cup her cheeks. Whisper opened her eyes and looked back at him, confused as to why he’d paused.
“I want you so badly,” he said, his voice husky and low. The desire in his tone sent shivers of delight through Whisper’s whole body. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to be lucky enough to have a man like Axel desire her, but she was savoring every moment of this.
“I want you, too,” she whispered back. “I’m yours.”
“Are you sure about this? You know once we do this, there’s no going back. It forever changes things between us.”
“I know. But I’m sure. To be honest, I’ve already reached the point of no going back. My heart is yours, Axel. I think it has been for quite a while, actually. But now that I’ve admitted to myself how I feel about you, I’ll never be able to look at you the same.”
He smiled and kissed her nose. “I feel quite similarly. And so, with your permission, my lady, I would be honored to make love to you.”
Whisper smiled back at him, her heart pounding in her chest. “Permission granted.”
He didn’t waste any time taking her up on her invitation. With one smooth movement, he pushed her onto her back and positioned himself right above her entrance, which was slick with her desire for him. With a low, sultry growl, he slid into her, and Whisper felt like her entire body exploded into a series of fireworks.
She’d thought he felt enormous when he was pushing against her leg, but having him inside of her made it clear that she’d had no concept of just how big he was. He filled her completely, pushing and stretching her inner walls as he slid deeper and deeper. She closed her eyes and drank in the wondrous sensation of him. The pressure and heat inside of her grew, the tingling intensified, and Whisper had the brief thought that this must be what heaven feels like.
Then Axel started sliding back and forth, thrusting his hips forward and backward as he moved inside of her. This deep movement quickly brought Whisper to the brink of release, and she happily tumbled over into the deepest pleasure she’d ever known. Her whole body began to tremble and spasm as her inner muscles clenched around Axel’s erection. She arched her back to push herself even closer to him, and she moaned as the heat within her grew hotter still. She felt powerless over her own body, and all she could was let the wonderful tremors of passion wash over her.
Axel followed not far behind. He threw back his head and roared, long and loud into the silence of the forest. A ridiculously stupid idea considering there might be soldiers hunting for them, but neither Whisper nor Axel could bring themselves to care about that right now. All they cared about was each other, and in that moment Axel gave himself over to Whisper completely. He groaned with pleasure as he pulsed into her, and Whisper opened her eyes just so she could see the intensity on his face. His eyes were scrunched closed with concentration and passion as he made deep, sweet love to her.
He collapsed onto her and then rolled onto his side, pulling her along with him. His arms were wrapped around her and his erection was still inside of her, and Whisper closed her eyes again as she marveled at the pleasure of having their bodies connected. It took a long time for Whisper’s body to return to anything resembling a normal state, but after a long time she and Axel both disentangled themselves from each other and sat up. She gave him a shy smile as he reached over to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The night air felt cool on her skin, but she was still warm enough that she didn’t feel cold.
“Good thing the soldiers didn’t come looking for us in the middle of all that,” she joked. She wasn’t sure what else to say, but she felt the need to break the silence.
Axel smiled but shrugged. “I knew they wouldn’t come. They’re so lazy. It’s a wonder actually that the whole Gilt Hollow regime hasn’t collapsed long before now. I guess the Emperor and the nobles manage to hold things together, and threaten the soldiers into getting stuff done.”
“Do you think it’s safe to go back yet?”
“To Bear Hollow itself, no. But we can cross the river and get back to the Bear Hollow side of the forest at least. That is if you’re up for a swim.”
“Let’s do it. Anything to get closer to home.”
Axel nodded in agreement and stood, offering Whisper a hand to help her stand as well. Once she was on her feet, he traced a line affectionately down the side of her face with the back of his hand. “Are you cold?”
Whisper shook her head. “No, not really. I still feel warm from being with you.”
Axel nodded again, as though he’d expected her to say that. Then he leaned in and kissed her forehead. For a moment, he looked as though he was going to say something else, but then he changed his mind and reached down to take her hand. He held on tightly as he began walking north, the direction the river should be in. It would take them a little while to reach the river, but they should run across it eventually. And this far downstream the odds of the soldiers watching it would be close to zero.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Axel said, his tone husky once again. “But for now let’s see what we can do about heading back toward home.”
“Okay,” Whisper agreed. She desperately wanted to talk about everything that had happened between them, but Axel was right. They needed to start moving. Besides, Whisper wouldn’t mind walking into Bear Hollow while holding Axel’s hand. Now that she’d made love to Axel and he had claimed her as his own, she was never letting him go, and she wanted everyone to know that.
Chapter Eleven
The swim across the Golden Claw River left Axel and Whisper both feeling chilled. The temperature had dropped a few more degrees as the night wore on, and the water in the river was already losing its summer warmth.
But going back to the town of Bear Hollow itself wasn’t an option right now. The dangers of running straight into a Gilt Hollow raid were far too high. Still, Axel knew they had to do something to warm up. He could attempt to build a fire, but without any matches or flint, it would take a long time. He had a better idea.
“Let’s go find Kellen,” he said.
Whisper’s eyes lit up as she looked over at him. Even in the darkness, he could see that she liked that idea. “Do you know where he lives?”
“Approximately. I think we can get close enough to sniff him out.”
Whisper nodded, and Axel started walking in the direction of the forest caves near where he hoped to find Kellen. Kellen was the wolf shifter and former Shifter Games competitor who secretly lived deep within the forests of Bear Hollow. Kellen couldn’t be seen in the town of Bear Hollow itself, because if any of the soldiers from Gilt Hollow saw him and realized he was alive, he’d be in big trouble. The nobles would be furious that they’d been tricked, and Kellen would surely be put to death.
But Kellen was happy to live in the forest. If one believed the rumors that circulated around Bear Hollow, Kellen had found a warm cave near an underground hot spring. He lived there, hunting and foraging, and supplementing his wild diet with food that his lifemate, Viv, brought out to him. Many of the Bear Hollow shifters visited Kellen on a regular basis. Axel hadn’t visited Kellen yet, but he’d heard enough talk that he hoped he could figure out where the man was hiding out.
Sure enough, when Axel started getting close to the area of the forest where he knew several caves were located, he caught the unmistakable scent of wolf shifter. Whisper must have smelled it, too, because she excitedly clapped her hands, almost like a child who had just discovered a candy store nearby. Axel grinned at her, wondering how he’d ever thought that he could spend his life pretending she wasn’t his lifemate. She was perfect.
“Kellen must be close! I smell wolf,” Whisper said.
“Me too. Come on, I think it’s this way.” Axel led Whisper off toward their left, hoping th
at Kellen’s hideout was close and that he was in it. Whisper wasn’t complaining, but Axel could tell she was freezing. She couldn’t completely hide her shivering, and her voice shook a little when she spoke. Axel guessed that the hideout was probably still about a five minute walk away, so he was pleasantly surprised when he rounded a corner and came face to face with Kellen sitting on a large rock. Beside Kellen sat his lifemate, Viv.
“Well hello, Axel. Hello, Whisper. We’ve been expecting you,” Kellen said with a cheeky grin.
“You have?” Axel raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Viv nodded and hopped down from the rock. She grabbed a thick blanket that had been folded behind her and handed it to Whisper. “Here, this will help warm you up.”
Kellen hopped off the rock as well, and handed Axel a blanket. Axel hadn’t been as cold as Whisper, but he was still grateful for the warmth of the blanket. His skin had felt chilled ever since swimming across the river.
“You knew we were coming?” Whisper asked. Axel had been about to ask a similar question, and he looked expectantly at Kellen and Viv, waiting for answers.
“Viv came and told me that you guys might be showing up. A shifter from Gilt Hollow snuck across the tunnel to warn everyone in Bear Hollow that the Gilt Hollow soldiers might come to attack tonight. Apparently the soldiers almost caught you guys when you were on the way back from dropping off the fairytassel sage poison. A lot of people figured you’d stay away from Bear Hollow tonight out of fear that the soldiers would be there, and would be attacking anyone who tried to enter city limits.”
Axel sighed. “Yeah. We had a close call back in Gilt Hollow, and we were afraid to go back to Bear Hollow because we thought they must be guarding the perimeter. But if a messenger got in and Viv got out, the soldiers must not have made it over to Bear Hollow.”
The Warrior and the Snow Leopard (The Shifter Games Book 4) Page 9