Chapter 20
twenty
. . .
Axel
“You’re being stubborn, Wren,” I said as I closed the door to Honey’s stall. “Nothing changes just because your father has agreed to take his name off your trust fund.”
Wren and her father were barely speaking, and I knew his offer to remove his name as trustee was a desperate move to try to mend things between them. In an odd way, I was fairly certain he was handing over a small amount of control in order to gain her trust again, so he could control her training.
“Who’s the stubborn ass now?”
“I’m not charging you rent for an apartment that’s just going to be sitting empty.” I moved past her because this conversation was ridiculous.
“Don’t force me to move in with my dad and Chrissy,” she said with a laugh as she followed behind me. “That would be my worst nightmare.”
I turned around, and she was right on my heels, so she slammed into me. “I don’t want your money, Wren. Let it go.”
“Why are you so offended that I want to pay rent for an apartment that I’m living in for free?” She blinked up at me, as if she didn’t have a fucking clue.
“You were taking care of the animals, and that was our deal.”
“And now Butch is back.” She shook her head and shrugged. “I want to pay you back for Wrax and for the back rent and future rent.”
“It’s fucking offensive.” I turned around and had started walking out of the barn when she jogged around me and put her hand up.
“I don’t want to be a freeloader. Why is that so hard to understand?”
I blew out a breath. “Come on. Are you serious? Do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Yes. Because from where I’m sitting, this makes no sense. I’m living for free in your rental apartment.”
“An apartment that I have no intention of renting out.”
“And you paid to get Wrax back, and that’s not right,” she said as she threw her hands in the air as if this conversation was outrageous.
“You know what’s not right, Wren?” I tucked the hair behind her ear and waited for her gaze to meet mine.
“That we spent two years apart over some bullshit lies. And now, I get you back for a couple of months, and you’re living in an apartment above the garage at my house.
You should be in my home. In my bed. Enjoying every fucking minute that we have together before you leave, because who fucking knows what the future holds.
You might be gone for a few years if you decide to take this the whole way.
And sure, I’ll be there cheering you on.
Seeing you whenever I can. But right now, we’re here.
You and me. And we could be together—but every fucking night, you go to that damn apartment to sleep because we have so many rules in place to make sure no one gets hurt.
But this shit isn’t right. So there it is. ”
Her lips turned up in the corners. “You want me in your bed, Cowboy?”
“I want you in my fucking bed.”
“So, you’re saying that you want friends with all the benefits?”
“Something like that.” I looked away, unsure how much to share.
Her gaze softened, and she placed a hand on each side of my face. “I love you, Axel Chadwick. I’ve loved you my whole life, but I love you in that really ironic way. Like in a way that Alanis Morissette could write lyrics about.”
I laughed. “Tell me.”
“Like, isn’t it ironic—I found the love of my life when he’s been there the whole time, and I was too scared to see it.”
“Ahhhh… that is ironic.” My hand moved to the side of her neck, my thumb tracing along her jawline. “I love you, Horse Girl. And I’ll love you whether you’re in my bed, staying in that dumbass apartment over the garage, or traveling the world and chasing your dreams.”
“That’s a lot of love,” she said, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
“It is a lot of love. And it doesn’t fucking matter if we know where it’s going. I support you. You support me. We’ll figure it out. But when you’re here, and we have this time together, let’s not waste it.”
She reached up and grabbed my cowboy hat and dropped it on her head. “You know the saying… ‘You wear the hat, you ride the cowboy.’”
“Damn straight. Those are some words to live by, for sure.”
“How about we try this again, without allowing anything to blow it up the following day,” she said, her eyes wet with emotion when they met mine.
“The only thing I’ll allow to be blown is me.” I gave her a dirty look. “Now hold on to your hat, Horse Girl. I’m going to carry you back to my place, and you’re not going to fight me.”
She reared back in laughter as I carried her across the driveway and into the house.
I didn’t stop until we got to the bedroom, where I dropped her on the bed.
“This is where we are going to sleep until you go back to North Carolina. And we’re going to fuck like bunnies and make up for lost time while you’re here.
We’re not cursed, and nothing is going to come between us again.
The past is where it belongs—in our rearview. ”
She smiled up at me, her long blonde waves falling all around her on the bed. “But we do still need to discuss the money for Wrax.”
For fuck’s sake. Why couldn’t she let it go?
“Wren.” I pinned her hands above her head. “Stop bringing up the fucking money.”
“But he’s my horse, and you shouldn’t have had to pay for him. It’s a lot of money, Axel.”
“And we’ve already said, it’s a lot of love right here between us, right?”
She smiled, shaking her head as if I made no sense. “Why would you pay for my horse.”
“I’m going to tell you why, and then this is the last time we’re talking about it.” She just stared up at me before giving me a slight nod to continue.
“I want to pay for Wrax because I’m in love with a girl who loves her horse.
And I’d give my ranch and my business and everything I own to give you what you want.
So this was easy. I was able to do it and proud to do it.
He’s protected you and loved you when I couldn’t be there with you.
So don’t ask to pay me back again because it’s not up for discussion.
You are the sole owner of Wrax now, and no one can take him from you. And that’s how it should be.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Was that so hard?”
She thrust up against me, since her arms were still pinned above her head. “No. But something else is awfully hard.”
“Damn straight, woman.” I leaned down and kissed her neck. “So are we on the same page now?”
“We’re on the same page.” She nipped at my bottom lip.
I leaned down and kissed her. It was slow and sweet, and I planned on taking my time.
We kissed until our lips ached, and I slowly undressed her, kissing my way down her gorgeous body.
There was a tremble in her hands when she reached for me, and I paused.
“Hey, is this too much? There’s no pressure.” I kissed the inside of her palm.
She shook her head. “No. Not too much at all.”
“Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.” I hovered above her.
“Promise me that this will change nothing. That no matter what happens, we stay best friends, Axel. I won’t survive losing you a second time.”
I intertwined my fingers with hers. “Nothing will come between us ever again. No matter what life brings us—I love you. If we’re living on opposite ends of the world and you need me, I’ll be there.”
Her lips turned up in the corners. “In a heartbeat.”
“In a fucking heartbeat, Wren.”
“Deal. So why am I the only one undressed?” She sat forward and unbuckled my jeans, tugging the zipper down before shoving them down my thighs, along with my briefs. She licked her lips when my dick sprang free, pointing at her like he was picking her out of a lineup.
How long had I waited for this moment?
How long had we waited for this moment?
I kicked my boots off, then freed my jeans and briefs as well, tossing them all on the floor in a heap. I tugged my shirt over my head and dropped it on the floor before moving to the nightstand and reaching for a condom. I tore off the top and tossed it on the floor.
“I’ve never been with anyone without a condom,” she said. “And obviously I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, and neither have you.”
“I’ve never been with anyone without a condom, either.” I studied her.
“I’m on the pill.” She shrugged. “And I want to feel you. All of you.”
I dropped the foil packet back in the drawer and climbed on the bed before pulling her over so she was straddling me. “I want you to set the pace.”
She looked down at me, her blonde hair falling all around her shoulders. Her tits were a perfect handful, as if they were made just for me. I tweaked her pretty pink nipples, and she smiled.
“You want me to ride you, Cowboy?”
“Hell yeah, I do.”
She leaned down and kissed me before settling my tip at her entrance as she slowly lowered herself. She gasped a few times, and I gripped her hips. “Take your time, baby. There’s no rush. You feel so fucking good.”
She bit her bottom lip as she continued to take me, inch by glorious inch.
Holy shit. She was squeezing me like a vice.
So tight and so wet and so ready.
My eyes never left hers as her head fell back and I filled her completely.
I sat forward, wrapping a hand around her back as I placed my lips around her nipples. One at a time, I took turns licking and sucking. She arched into me, her hands finding mine, as our fingers intertwined and she started to move.
Slowly at first, and then we found our rhythm.
My hands gripping her hips as she rode me into oblivion.
Faster.
Harder.
Needier.
Our breaths came hard and fast, each of us moaning as the pleasure built. The only audible sound in the room was our desire playing like an instrument around us.
Years of waiting and wanting.
Years of missed moments and unrequited desire.
All these feelings and emotions were poured into this one moment right here as we finally gave in to a passion that refused to die.
My hands moved to her perfect breasts, covering them with my large hands as her eyes stayed on mine.
Her lips were swollen from where I’d kissed her relentlessly, cheeks flushed from riding me over and over, her eyes begging for release.
“Axel, please,” she whispered on a plea.
I never could deny her. Not if I could give her what she wanted.
My hand moved to her clit, knowing exactly what she needed as I drove into her with a fury.
She met me thrust for thrust as I felt her tighten around me.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Yes. Right there.”
I thrust once more.
And then again as I watched in awe when her head fell back, her tits bouncing, her skin flushed. She exploded around me, and that was all it took.
I followed her into oblivion as I came harder than I ever had.
And we just continued riding out every last bit of pleasure.
Taking what we’d needed for such a long time.
And I may not have liked the obstacles we’d faced to get here—but there was no question, it was worth the wait.
She was worth the fucking wait.
And I knew in this moment that I’d wait forever for this girl.
Because Wren Waterstone was my other half.