Innocent Target

by Katie Reus

  “Want to taste all of you,” Axel murmured against her lips, his voice thrilling. And his words?

  She was about to combust from them. Hadley thought she said okay or tried to get an answer out even if he wasn’t really asking anything. But it came out as more of a strangled moan as he started lifting her shirt up, up, up.

  She hadn’t bothered with a bra after her shower and now she was really, really grateful when his hands skimmed her bare breasts.

  And froze.

  Maybe he’d been expecting her to have one on. He only paused for a moment before he cupped them fully, teasing her already hard nipples as he continued kissing her. His assault on her mouth was delicious and overwhelming and she felt as if she’d never been truly kissed before. Or at least she’d never been kissed by someone like Axel.

  Demanding and intense and so sexy he lit her on fire.

  In another couple seconds her sweater was off and he was looking down at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As if she was the only thing that mattered. It was impossible not to be affected.

  “I want to make you come.” The words came out as a growl, but also a question.

  Oh yeah, she was here for this. All night long. She nodded because she didn’t trust her voice.

  Keeping his gaze pinned to hers, he slowly started tugging her pants down her legs, hooking his fingers into her panties as he went, pulling everything off at once. The house was heated and the room was perfectly comfortable, but being fully exposed to Axel like this now made her feel vulnerable.

  Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was hard not to feel self-conscious as his scorching gaze swept over her from head to toe. Kneeling in between her spread legs, he said, “You’re so perfect.”

  Just like that, all the tension inside her dissipated. She started to reach for him when he covered her body with his again. She arched into him, her sensitive breasts rubbing against the soft fabric of his shirt and hard muscle beneath.

  When he reached between their bodies, gently cupping her mound, she moaned into his mouth. Slowly, he began teasing between her already slick folds, his movements unhurried and sensual.

  As he slid a finger inside her, she bit his bottom lip harder than she’d intended. He liked it, if the sexy growl he made and the way he rolled his hips against her was any indication.

  “Want to taste your come,” he whispered, a hint of wicked in his clear blue eyes as he started kissing a path across her chest, pausing at one breast.

  He sucked a nipple into his mouth even as her brain was computing his words. Her past lover, as in singular, had been a college boyfriend. Everything had been rushed, and in hindsight, she realized it had been all about him. Now…she arched off the bed as Axel lightly pressed his teeth around her hardened nipple. It was all about her.

  There was no pain, just the hint of it, which made her pleasure that much more pronounced. Combined with the way he was stroking inside her, all her nerve endings felt as if they were on overload.

  It wasn’t going to take much to make her come. Not when he was playing her body so expertly. As he alternated between her breasts, teasing, kissing, and gently nipping, he kept stroking her, over and over.

  Her inner walls tightened more and more with each stroke, as she pushed closer to the edge of release. Oh God, this felt so good. Too good. She could barely think and breathe as her muscles tightened convulsively around him.

  The path he kissed down her stomach tingled with each kiss, as if he was marking her, claiming her. Maybe that was her imagination and right now she didn’t care.

  She was so damn close.

  By the time he knelt between her spread thighs, her legs were trembling. And when his tongue teased her clit, she nearly vaulted off the bed. At first he was gentle and soft, but he increased his pressure even as his strokes remained steady.

  She dug her fingers into his short hair, holding on to him as he brought her so much pleasure she could hardly stand it. “Axel.” When she moaned out his name, he made a sexy growling sound, which reverberated through her clit.

  Too. Much.

  She didn’t just fall, she catapulted over the edge as pleasure shot out to her nerve endings, her clit pulsing with each stroke from his wicked, wicked tongue. Not feeling vulnerable anymore, she rolled her hips against his face as her orgasm punched through her, until she collapsed against the soft bed, a mass of nerves. Her breathing was erratic as she looked down her body at him.

  His blue eyes were bright with hunger. For her.

  She reached for him, wanting to feel him inside her. More than just his fingers. All of him. Every delicious inch.

  He slid up her body, covering her again as she wrapped her legs around him.

  “That was incredible,” she murmured.

  He brushed his lips over hers once as he slid a hand down to grip her hip, his fingers flexing against her bare skin. The hold was possessive and gentle at the same time.

  When she reached between their bodies, he stilled. “I…don’t have a condom.”

  She didn’t either, but… “I’m on the pill. And I’m clean.”

  “I am too but…I think we should wait.” He didn’t move off her and the lust in his eyes didn’t dim, but the set of his jaw was firm.

  “Why?”

  “I want to make sure you’re really ready for this. You’ve been through a lot recently. Hell, you’re still dealing with a lot. I…don’t want to be someone you regret.”

  Her eyes widened at his words, at the raw vulnerability that sparked in his gaze. “I won’t regret this.” Of that she had no doubt.

  He kissed her again, this time deeper, hungrier. “I…still want to wait.”

  Sighing, she simply ran her fingers down his still-covered back. She really wished he was naked, but wasn’t going to push. Much. “So…how long do we have to wait?”

  He let out a startled laugh before kissing her again.

  And he didn’t actually answer. But that was okay. She had a feeling his control was razor thin now, especially given the erection she felt against her belly. If he was only worried about her having regrets, he didn’t need to.

  Soon enough, she’d make sure he understood that.

  Chapter 14

  —The queen of awkward.—

  Hadley eased the door to Axel’s bedroom open since he was still in the shower. She’d told him that she was headed back to her room to do the same, and even though he’d asked her to join him, she needed to clear her head a little bit. Especially since he was still all about his “no sex right now” thing. Getting into a shower with him while they were both naked? No, not good for her sanity.

  As she stepped into the hallway, she froze when she saw her dad standing there, eyes wide.

  Well, talk about awkward. Brooks had told her that he’d be coming back to Redemption Harbor a week early but he didn’t live in the main house and, well, she hadn’t expected him quite so early in the morning. Definitely not to be standing right outside Axel’s door.

  “Hey, Dad,” she murmured and inwardly cursed when she felt her cheeks flush.

  “Well, I was coming to talk to the man who saved you.” His voice was dry.

  “He’s in the shower.” Yep, she was definitely the queen of making things even more awkward.

  Her dad looked lost for a moment as he stood there so she stepped forward and gave him a hug. “I’m glad to see you.”

  He frowned as he stepped back. “I would’ve come home sooner if I’d known about that mugging.” There was a little chastisement in his voice. “Which sounds like it wasn’t a mugging at all,” he added.

  Yeah, she should have told him. But to be fair, she wasn’t used to having family, to having people to check in with. This was all new to her. Even reaching out to Mary Grace the other night had been out of character for her. She was so used to simply handling things on her own. Since she didn’t want to stand around outside Axel’s door she said, “I could really use some coffee right ab
out now.”

  Her dad’s expression eased, his handsome face becoming even more so as he smiled. And not for the first time she thought that he and Brooks could have been movie stars. He slung an arm around her shoulders as he headed down the hallway. “I missed you,” he said. “And no matter what, we’re going to do everything we can to figure out who put that contract out on you.” It was subtle, but she heard a hint of anger in his voice now.

  “We?”

  “Well, Brooks and his guys will do what they do, but I’ll be staying here in the main house and we ramped up security around the ranch as well. So… What’s going on with you and Axel O’Sullivan?”

  Gah, what did he want to know exactly? This was new territory for her and she wasn’t sure how to answer so she evaded for the moment. “Do you know him or did Brooks tell you about him?”

  “Brooks told me about him and I also read the file your brother gave me on the guy,” he said as they stepped into the expansive kitchen. Her dad immediately went for the Bunn coffee maker so she let him start a pot as she sat at the island. The granite-topped island was a lot bigger and a lot fancier than the small one at her house. It could probably seat up to twelve people comfortably. And the huge table by the window could also seat as many. It was still hard to wrap her mind around the fact that Douglas Alexander was her father. She’d always known he was, but the knowledge had been abstract. Being here, on his ranch, really drove home the differences in their lifestyles.

  “Is there anything else you want to say about him?” she asked when he didn’t continue.

  Her dad gave her a small smile as he glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll be having a talk with him later.”

  That sounded ominous, but she hadn’t had any caffeine and Axel was a grown man who could handle himself so she simply nodded. “Okay.”

  “So tell me how you’re doing, really. You were attacked at your school and now someone wants to kidnap you. That’s pretty heavy stuff to deal with.” He slid a now full mug of coffee across the island countertop and sat in front of her. When she started to get up he waved his hand once. “You sit. I’ll get the creamer and sugar. I know what you like.”

  She grinned as he did just that. According to Brooks, this was an entirely new side to their dad and she could admit that she was glad she’d only ever seen this side of him. This was the kind of father she’d always imagined having.

  “Well honestly, I’m not sure how I’m dealing with it. It feels kind of surreal, like it happened to someone else. I still can’t believe someone wants to kidnap me. It’s too crazy.”

  Her dad lifted a shoulder as he set the creamer and sugar in front of her. “It’s not so crazy, considering I’m your father. And not to bother you about this again, but once this mess is over—and it will be over soon—I hope you reconsider letting me get you a place with better security. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but I’d sleep better at night knowing you had more security protocols in place. I want to make sure you’re safe and protected.” His expression was so serious and worried as he stood across the counter, his own coffee cup in hand.

  Her instinct was to say no, but considering what was going on she realized that no matter what she wanted, her life circumstances had changed. And just because she wasn’t actually wealthy clearly didn’t mean that anyone who wanted to get to her father would understand that. And she didn’t want to go through this again. “I’ll think about it.”

  His dark eyebrows rose. “Well, it’s not a no.”

  She grinned. “Nope, it is not. So how did your trip go? And how is Martina?”

  Her dad gave a soft smile at the mention of Martina, the woman he was currently dating. Martina was also Nana to Valencia, Olivia’s daughter. Olivia was a security specialist who broke into places and showed the owners their weaknesses. And right now she was on her honeymoon with her new husband, Zac Savage. Hadley had gotten to know all of them over the last couple months and especially adored sweet Valencia. The little girl was full of fire and life.

  “With everything going on, I put up Martina and Valencia in one of my condos. They’re right next to the place Darcy is staying in. It’s got great security, and with Olivia and Savage being out of town I wanted to make sure they were in the most secure place possible. It’s unlikely that Martina is a target but since she’s taking care of Valencia, and because I love her, we’re taking extra precautions. They’ve got a couple security guys staying with them as well as the guys who are watching Darcy, so they’re locked down tight.”

  “Did you just say you’re in love with Martina?”

  Her dad’s cheeks flushed the faintest shade of pink as he lifted a shoulder. “Yeah. For the first time since Brooks’s mom, I’m…in love. It feels weird.”

  “How did you know you were in love the first time?” she asked quietly. Because she’d never been in love and she was pretty certain she was edging into that territory with Axel. Whether or not it was smart or sane was a completely different story. Because her heart was all about Axel.

  Her dad’s eyes widened and he got a slightly panicked look. “Are you asking for any particular reason?”

  Her brother chose that moment to step into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw the two of them, and Hadley was thankful when her dad didn’t say anything else about the question she’d just asked. It was one thing to ask her dad about being in love but another entirely to talk to Brooks about it.

  Her brother immediately stepped toward her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her once before he kissed her on the top of her head. “You better have saved some coffee for me.”

  “Nope, I drank it all.”

  Snickering slightly, he headed toward the coffee maker and poured himself a mug.

  “So how’s Darcy doing? And how are you doing being separated from her?” Hadley hated that Darcy wasn’t here, that she was staying at some condo because of all this.

  “She’s good.” He snorted once. “She loves the condo, said she could get used to all the perks it’s got.”

  “Really? So she’s not mad about…not being in her own home?”

  Brooks blinked once. “She’s not mad at all. It’s actually easier for her to stay in the condo now. She just took on a couple new clients she met at the wedding expo and they live downtown—and almost all of her business contacts are downtown. I’ve got security on her and we’re not taking any chances. If I thought she was in danger, she’d be here under lock and key.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah. This threat isn’t about her, or me. It’s about…” He glanced at their dad. “It’s about him. Someone wants to hurt him, and to do that, you’re the smartest option. I think Gage made some progress last night and we have an idea to bait one of the men sent to kidnap you.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “One of? I thought there was only one left.”

  He nodded once. “Yeah that’s what Axel said, and if his intel is good, then it is just one. But I don’t like to take anything at face value. Besides, he might not know everything. There could be others out there we don’t know about.”

  Suddenly the coffee in her stomach turned sour. She’d known this was a possibility, but she’d been clinging to the hope of what Axel had told them about the three men being sent after her. Two of them weren’t a problem anymore.

  “We’re going to figure out who hired these guys in the first place,” her dad said, his expression harsh. In that moment she saw a flash of the brutal businessman he must be.

  Next to him Brooks nodded in agreement. The two of them looked so much alike there was no denying they were related. Both tall, classic good looks, dark hair and dark eyes. She was glad that she’d gotten the trademark Alexander dimple. It made her feel more like part of the family.

  “What’s wrong? I mean other than the obvious?” Brooks asked, his frown deepening.

  She shook her head. “Nothing… I was actually just thinking about how glad I am to have you two in my life.”

&
nbsp; Just like that the two men seemed to melt right in front of her. Her dad nudged Brooks once. “She’s considering moving to a place with better security after this whole mess is dealt with.”

  “Good.” Brooks nodded once in approval. “And don’t you doubt that it will indeed be taken care of. That’s actually why I’m down here. As soon as you’re ready I want to meet in my office and go over some things with you.”

  She knew this was really going to bother Brooks but she wasn’t going to leave Axel out of anything. Not after last night. “So, you’re probably going to be annoyed with me, but are you going to ask Axel to join us as well?”

  His jaw clenched once. “I guess.”

  “Seriously? You guess? He didn’t have to come and warn me. He doesn’t have to be here right now. And from what I understand he wanted to pay off that second guy who was sent after me. With his own money.”

  Brooks just stood there like a statue for a long moment with what she was sure was supposed to be an intimidating expression, but it was hard to be scared of him. At least for her. Finally he spoke. “I can concede that he’s done some good things. But I don’t have to like everything about him and I don’t have to like the fact that he’s interested in you.”

  “Well I’m inter—”

  Her dad cleared his throat. “Hadley, why don’t you go grab a shower and I’ll get breakfast started.”

  If that wasn’t a dismissal, she wasn’t sure what was. Instead of telling Brooks how she felt about Axel, she picked up her mug and kissed both men on the cheek before heading to her room. She’d let her dad and Brooks hash out whatever they needed to hash out. It wasn’t going to change the fact that she was seriously into Axel and that wasn’t changing anytime soon. He’d laid himself bare to her and she accepted him for who he was.