Chapter 24
Nadia
“Explain the facial hair to me.”Kendall, my future sister-in-law, nods to where Jason, my dad, and Axel are breaking-in the new corn hole game my mother bought my dad for Christmas. They’re set up in the backyard in the grassy area next to the pool deck. “Not that it detracts from his looks, because he’s very good looking, but it doesn’t really fit his whole vibe.”
“Superstition,” I say, watching as he picks up his bean bag and lines it up with his target. “He’ll shave it once they lose a game.”
“How long has that been?”
“Two months.”
We’re sitting next to the fire pit, keeping warm while the guys play their game. Mom is inside curled up with a new book she got from my dad. Once the presents are open and the brunch dishes are cleaned up, she declares the rest of the afternoon for herself, and takes a much needed break.
Axel’s bean bag lands in the hole and he lifts his arms in victory. I clap and cheer, earning a wink in return.
“It sucks that things aren’t great with his family, but he seems comfortable here.” She arches an eyebrow. “And he seems super into you.”
A warm blush rises on my cheeks. I’ve had sex and a lot of hook-ups over the years, but never a boyfriend. Especially not one like Axel.
“Axel isn’t afraid to show his feelings,” I admit, “that’s for sure.”
Kendall is right, he does seem comfortable here. My mom was surprised, but didn’t push back when I told her I was bringing a friend with me for the holidays. Dad definitely did a double take at the tattoos and piercings, and it was weird seeing Axel next to someone like Jason, who isn’t out of shape or anything, but definitely doesn’t have the physique of a college athlete. I’m used to seeing Axel around his teammates and friends who are all as big as he is. Even with all of that, he won everyone over with that Axel Rakestraw charm and charisma.
“Any word from the police?” she asks. I’d updated her on everything the first night we got back.
I shake my head. “No and I don’t know if we ever will. Going after someone like Brent and CJ are more than going after a single person. They’ve got agents and managers. NCAA reps and people looking out for them with the NFL. They’re assets and no one wants to lose that–especially with a player with as much promise as Brent. They’ll do whatever they need to do to protect him.”
It’s that entitlement that allows him to take risks like this in the first place. I hug my knees to my chest, feeling the warm heat from the fire. It’s not nearly as cold as it is up north, but just thinking about the case gives me a chill.
The guys finish their game, and clean up the bean bags, while leaving the boards out to play again later. I hear Dad ask Axel as they walk up, “Sure you’re not a forward? You’ve got good aim.”
“Nope. Maybe all that time on the ice with Reese rubbed off on me.”
Dad ruffles my hair on his way past, and Jason grabs Kendall’s hand to help her lift off the chair and they all go inside. Axel sits next to me and throws my legs over his lap and pulls me close. His warm lips press against my temple. “You cold?”
“Nah, not with you next to me.”
“You up for a swim?” He saw my father swimming laps this morning, realizing the pool is heated.
“You really want that Florida Christmas Day swim, don’t you?”
“I’d rather go skinny dipping, but your family likes me, and I’d like to keep it that way.” His mouth moves close to my ear. “But yeah, I mostly want to see you in one of those bikinis that have been taunting me from your ChattySnap page.”
I tilt my head to look at him. “We eat dinner at six and I still need to finish the kolaches.”
He checks his watch. “It’s only two. Think there’s enough time?”
The sun is out, and Axel may not be the only one looking to see the other mostly naked. He’s been relegated to the pull out couch in my mom’s office since we got here, and even though we’ve spent our days together, there’s always family around. Sure, we’ve managed to sneak off for a few quick make-out sessions, mostly out here in the backyard, but having him close? Feeling his body? I miss him.
“Yeah, I think so. Meet me back down here?”
His smile is worth it, and we part in the kitchen. I go upstairs to change and he heads to the temporary guest room. I cover myself with one of his jerseys and grab a few soft pool towels from the linen closet. When I get back outside he’s not there, but I notice the flame is low on the fire pit and drop the towels in a chair, walking to the edge of the patio to grab a few pieces of kindling my dad keeps stacked by the house.
Bending, picking through the wood, I hear, “Red or white?”
I spin, and see Will with his arms draped over the gate separating our properties. He looks like crap. Skin pale, eyes bloodshot. A tendril of smoke wafts from the tip of his cigarette.
“What do you want?” I thought he was spending the holiday out of town with his parents.
“Just wondering if you’ve got on the red bikini or the white one,” he says, eyes roaming over me. “It is Christmas so maybe you went with red, but that new boyfriend of yours probably wants the white.”
The way he looks at me makes me feel sick. “You’re a creep, you know that?”
He takes a long drag on the cigarette and then exhales. “I’ve seen you sneaking out here with him.” I ignore him, grabbing another piece of wood, but when I look up, I don”t miss the mean smirk lifting his bottom lip. “I thought he seemed familiar and I looked him up. Axel Rakestraw, right? He’s some kind of super star hockey goalie up there, huh?”
“You stalking me now?”
“Nah, I was just curious if I needed to warn this guy that he’s fucking around with a cock-teasing, rape-crying, lying whore?”
My body convulses, anger seizing me, and I drop the wood on the ground. I don’t know what I’m going to do to him–but the rage that runs through me terrifies me–but before I can act, strong hands pull me aside, and Axel’s broad frame separates us.
“What the fuck did you say to my girl?”
“Hey, just looking out for you, man,” Will says with a shrug. Proving that he’s either high as fuck or dumb as hell. “She’ll let you fuck her six ways to Sunday, and then cry foul.”
Whatever he is, Will never sees the punch coming. It’s a bone shattering crack that snaps his head and body back. He stumbles, but when he regains his footing he’s holding his cheek and cries, “What the hell, man? Are you crazy?”
“Not even close.” Axel leaps over the gate and crowds up on Will until his back is against his parent’s house, his fists balled. “I know who you are and what you did. Nadia was a kid and you preyed on her.”
“She’s really got you convinced, huh?” Will says, spitting blood on the ground. “She came on to me. She came to my house. She teased me with her little virgin act, almost begging me to take it and then later, when she had regrets, she called me a rapist.”
Axel slams his hands into Will’s chest, flattening him against the wall. “You’ve got a problem, dude. A serious one, but let me tell you one thing, Nadia isn’t it. You stole something from her, something she’s fought tooth and nail to get back, and like hell I’m going to let you keep messing with her.” Axel’s chest is pushed out, he looks like he’s one second from tearing Will limb from limb. “Understood?”
Will seems to come to his senses and nods. “Yeah, fine. Whatever.”
Unsatisfied, Axel’s hand clamps down on his shoulder and pushes him toward the fence–toward me. “But first, apologize.”
Will licks his bloody lip, and the side of his face has started to swell. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Axel prompts.
“For calling you a whore,” he mumbles. “And saying you’re a cocktease. I admit it. You were easy and a little desperate and I knew I could talk you into just about anything.” Will touches his cheek and winces. “I won’t talk to you again. Just keep your attack dog off of me.”
Axel’s green eyes meet mine and the anger and love in them makes my heart flip flop. “That good for you, T?”
I nod. “Yeah, knowing I’ll never have to talk to him again is enough.”
Will is yanked away from the gate and Axel leans down, whispering something in his ear. Will gives a curt nod and walks off. He goes into the pool house, slamming the door behind him.
“What did you say?” I ask Axel once he’s back on our side of the fence.
He wraps his arms around me, pulling me flush against his body. “I told him that if he ever speaks to you again, I’ll feed him his teeth one by one and then call the cops on his predatory ass.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “You okay?”
I flatten my hands on his abdomen and kiss the number tattooed over his heart. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good.” He frowns, fingers toying with the back of my bikini bottoms. “I guess he kind of ruined the vibe of an afternoon swim.”
I look up at him and say, “I think I’ve got a better idea.”
“Okay. The timer is on,”I press the button on the oven and call out to my mom. “Can you take them out when it rings?”
“Yes,” my mom says, nose still firmly in her book. I’m not sure I believe her. Once she’s lost in whatever world she’s engrossed in, it’s hard to pull her back out.
“The kolaches?” Kendall asks. “I’ll get them out.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait to try them.” Then she gives me a pointed look. “Take your time.”
I grin. “Thank you.”
The shower is already running when I get to the bathroom linking my room and Jason’s. Steam fills the room, fogging the mirror that Axel stands in front of waiting for me. His knuckles are raw and red, and I take his hand, kissing the bruises.
“Good thing you’re cooking for me,” he says, reaching for me the moment I’ve shut and locked the door. A towel sits low on his hips, “Or I would’ve gone down there and dragged you away.”
“You like my kolaches?” I ask, feeling his hands ruck up his jersey, feeling for what’s underneath.
“I like everything about you.” He peeks at my bathing suit, then quickly shucks the shirt over my head. “Jesus Christ, darlin’.”
Will had gotten it all wrong. My bikini isn’t white or red. It’s custom made, black, with the Wittmore badger logo on each of the triangles covering my breasts. Number 01 is stitched on my hip.
“I take that back,” he says, face already between my breasts. “I love everything about you.” He runs the back of his knuckles over my nipples, drawing them into peaks. “You know how I feel when you’re wearing my name and number.”
The hard line of his erection pressing against the cotton towel confirms how much he likes it, and I yank it away wanting to see him as much as he wants to see me. His cock bobs thick and ready, an arrow directed at me. I touch him, fingers grazing over the velvety tip. “Fuck,” he mutters, guiding me into the shower. “Let’s get you cleaned up for dinner.”
The spray is hot, but I like it that way. His hands are greedy, and I like that, too. He takes his time, tugging at the strings of the bikini one by one, revealing my body like he’s unwrapping a present. The pieces of cloth drop to the tile and he grabs the bottle of gel, soaping up both of his hands, then running his palms over my tits. His cock rubs between us, hard and insistent.
“Ax,” I say, body liquid fire from his touch, “I need you inside me.”
“Want to get out?” he breathes, water dripping from his hair. “Get a condom?”
I shake my head. “Nothing between us. I’m on birth control.”
His jaw tenses, a new hunger sparked in his eyes. He spins me around, pressing my palms against the tile walls. His hand covers mine, the black letters YOLO, staring back at me. My spine shivers when his other hand grabs my hip and pulls my backside against him. His cock is thick, slippery from the soap, and his knee moves between mine, nudging my thighs apart. I feel him at my entrance. I’m too hot. Too horny, and I back into him. He meets my push with a thrust, stretching me out from this angle. The feel of him bare, is too good, and when he wraps an arm around my stomach and groans in my ear I know he feels it too.
“You just get better,” he tells me, voice low as he drags in and out of me at an excruciating pace. “Everything about you.” His teeth bare down on my shoulder. “Your body. Your laugh. Your fierceness.” His hand drops between my legs and he rubs lazy circles into my clit. “I didn’t have to step in today. I know that. You can take care of yourself, but, darlin’, all I want is to take care of you.” I can’t see his face, but I feel the veracity of his words. “I want to slay your dragons, and eat your food, and fuck you senseless.”
In one day he’ll have done all three, and my mind drifts from how good he feels. How safe. This wild man, at first sight dangerous, covered in ink and silver. But he’s not a hard man. He loves hard and that’s what makes him different.
That’s what makes him mine.
I let him fuck me, let him draw me to the edge, our bodies frantic as we chase each other toward oblivion. And when we reach it, he wraps his arms around me, shielding me from the water, surrounding me in his warmth. Holding me as we topple one after the other.
“I think I’m ready,” I say, the orgasm rocking into gentle waves. I touch the letters on his knuckles.
“Hmmm?” he says, chin on my shoulder. I can feel his heartbeat hammering against my back. “For what?”
“My first tattoo.”
“Yeah?” His voice perks up. “What’s it going to be?”
“The letters EFU.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Just something I want to remember.” I turn and look at him. “That sometimes an epic fuck-up can be the best thing to happen in your life.”