Phoebe
“ I can help you pack up what you want to bring back to mine. I brought my car with me, so pack as much as you like,” Axel said, helping with her boxes up the stairs to her apartment.
“I’m not going back to your place. I’ve got the officer’s number, and I’m not going to be run out of my own home.” She paused on a step to take her prints from him and tuck them under her arm. Though she was relieved he’d insisted on seeing her to her door, she didn’t want to let on that she was afraid that the person who’d broken in might be waiting for her.
“Fine, then I’ll stay with you,” Axel said, like him staying in her apartment was no big deal.
“Sorry, I only have one bedroom, and the couch isn’t long enough for a man of your size.” She stared up at him defiantly as he blocked her path.
His eyes darkened, and she tried not to let her gaze settle on his lips as he leaned in closer. “I don’t mind sharing a bedroom, if you don’t.”
“If you think seducing me is going to make me give in, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“I was talking about taking the floor, but I can work on the seduction if you prefer,” he teased.
“You’re infuriating,” she said, ducking under his arm.
“Now you know how I feel. I’m supposed to be at the recording studio right now, but I can’t leave because you refuse to see reason.”
rolled her eyes and continued up the stairs.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me! I’m only trying to help, and more importantly, keep you safe.”
Turning to face him, slipped on the step. He dropped the boxes of paints and prints to catch her. Face to face, she noticed the flecks of green in his eyes, and his sweet, smoky cologne tempted her to forget what they were arguing about.
“Why are you so insistent on helping me? Is it guilt for letting me go that day? Because you don’t have to feel guilty—I made my own decisions, so please free yourself.” She tried to shove him, but she’d have had more luck shoving a brick wall.
“Don’t push me away,” he grumbled. “This has nothing to do with guilt. I need you to be safe, and the longer you ignore me, the more insane I get. I haven’t stopped obsessing over that kiss. I came to find you today not because you were ignoring us, but because I needed to see you.” He held her close, and the desperation in his words tightened her chest. She didn’t know what to say; her lips parted but no words came out.
“You’re looking at me like you did that day.” He caressed her cheek, running his thumb along her jaw. She blushed, nervous under his intense gaze.
Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She gasped as his hand slipped into her hair, and the taste of him overwhelmed her.
“Bee, please come home with me. I need to keep you close.”
He moaned, gripping the back of her neck as she bit him in rebellion. He liked to call her ‘Bee’, so she might as well sting.
“Don’t ruin the moment. Just kiss me,” she ordered.
He gripped her hips, pulling her against him harshly. There wasn’t an inch between them. He deepened the kiss as she groaned. His smile against her lips made her giddy, loving how he responded to her. His hard body pushed her up against the wall, and she dropped the prints, not caring as they fell on the staircase. She fisted his jacket, trying to steady herself as she reached up on her tiptoes.
She’d never acted this way, like all the anger was pouring out of her and turning into something much sweeter. His hand travelled down her waist to the hem of her skirt, squeezing her thigh as he feasted on her neck. He invaded her senses, and her hand slipped under his T-shirt and he gasped as she explored the smooth planes of his body. She forgot where they were as she felt his rough hand reach under her skirt between her thighs.
“You had to be wearing tights. I want to tear these fucking things off,” he rasped.
She rested her head against the wall to brace herself, wishing he’d stop teasing her mercilessly. The sound of footsteps echoing up the staircase reminded her how exposed they were. Axel stilled, then put her skirt back in place. She blushed, removing her hands from him, and tugged playfully at his T-shirt. Luckily there weren’t any cameras in the stairwell.
“You need to go,” panted as he tipped her chin up to face him. She didn’t want him to go. He let out a long exhale, and she hoped he wouldn’t argue.
How could something feel so right but be so wrong? He wasn’t only her brother’s best friend, but her ex’s frenemy, and she couldn’t get enough. Those dark eyes, and strong hands—he was the opposite of Cillian’s boy-next-door charm.
distracted herself from her thoughts by picking up the prints they had dropped.
“I won’t push you to move in, but if anything happens… call me or the guys, please,” Axel said, helping her clean up the mess without prompting.
“I promise.” She glanced at him, unable to suppress her smile when she caught him staring.
They walked to her door in silence. She wished she knew what he was thinking.
“Can you do me a favour?” she asked as he placed the boxes inside her apartment. “Don’t tell Nick about the break-in before I do? I don’t want him to worry.”
“And you swear that you’ll tell him?” he countered.
“Cross my heart. If I tell him now then he’ll be the one dragging me back to your place, and I need some time to think,” she said, needing some time to process.
Axel put his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. “Fine, I’ll give you twenty-four hours, because if they find out that I let you stay here alone after what someone did to your studio, Nick and August will shove my drumsticks where the sun doesn’t shine.”
“Shake on it?” she asked, wanting his word. Trust didn’t come as easy as it once had.
“Don’t trust me?” He arched a brow as he stared at her hand.
“I’m having trouble trusting anyone at the minute.”
“You can trust me.” Axel took her hand gently, careful not to hurt her.
“Be safe, and please call me, for anything,” he said, kissing her hand. It was becoming a habit.
“You have my word.” If she didn’t let him go now, she wouldn’t. He smirked as though reading her thoughts.
closed the door before she was tempted to invite him back inside. It was the perfect boundary they needed. She chewed her lip as she watched him hesitate outside the peephole before heading back down the stairs.
Once Axel had left, put her art prints on the couch and opened her laptop on the coffee table. She had neglected to tell the police and Axel about the nanny cams she had installed in a painting hanging by the entrance to the studio. She had every inch covered; given the threats, she wasn’t going to leave herself unprotected. A few days after the funeral, Lena had helped her install them because the insurance company demanded more security given her increased notoriety. They hadn’t got around to installing an alarm system yet—it was an old building and it would be a big job that required rewiring. None of the contractors they had called had had any time in their immediate schedules for the project, no matter how much they offered to pay.
scrolled through the footage while she iced her hand. She was trying to rely less on the painkillers and stick to ice. The spasms had increased because she had been clenching her fist.
“Show me your face,” muttered to herself, squinting at the screen.
She scrolled to the time of Axel’s arrival and watched him walk around the back. She scrolled back in time, wishing she had installed some automatic lights to come on when someone entered the studio, because the streetlamp outside wasn’t helping.
“There you are,” she muttered as a hooded figure appeared on the front steps. They looked around before breaking the window to let themselves in. “Clever enough to hide their face, and wear gloves.”
Clenching her jaw, she watched the intruder tear up her studio, ruining canvas after canvas. She ran her hand through her hair as hours of her work disappeared before her. So much for having enough paintings left over for my two remaining shows. Four of my largest canvases gone—I’ll just have to fill up the space with smaller works. Maybe Lena was right about considering cancelling the next two shows… but she didn’t want to let the trolls win. Her leg bounced as she waited for a glimpse of something that would lead her to the person responsible.
“Turn around, show me that face,” she pleaded, watching the intruder leave.
The idiot couldn’t help but glance back at their own masterpiece.
“Bingo.” smiled.
Zooming in, she got a better look at his blurry face. He was probably in his early thirties, pale and eyes a little too far apart. There was nothing familiar about him. It was incredible to her that someone she didn’t know could hate her so much to risk getting in trouble with the law.
Once she got a screenshot of his face, she watched him walk back to a red jeep and drive off without a care in the world.
She called the band’s head of security for help identifying the intruder. “Olivier? It’s . Sorry to call you, I know it’s late.”
“Hi . No need to apologise, I was just getting in from a job. Is everything alright?” She heard traffic in the background.
“Could you help me find someone?” she asked, not wasting any time with small talk. “I have a picture but it’s blurry, and a picture of their jeep.”
Olivier was the only one who could help her without having to reach out to the police. She wanted to look the person who’d done this in the eye and dare them to spew their hate to her face. Only a coward hid in the shadows.
“Are you in trouble? Is someone harassing you?”
“Nothing to worry about. Just a small incident at the studio,” she said, removing the ice from her frozen hand. She flexed her fingers as she added the screenshots to an email.
“Okay, if you say so,” he said hesitantly, but he didn’t ask anything more. “Send me the photos and I’ll reach out to some people.”
Olivier wasn’t one for conversation, but he had been protecting the band since their first headline concert and there was no one else she trusted more. She couldn’t imagine how he felt losing Cillian. He would never have let them through the gate that day in Munich, but he had been on leave.
“I’m sending you a photo. Could you see if you recognise him from any of the fan signings or concerts? I know you keep a file on the crazies. If you could check, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Got your email. I’ll message you when I have something.”
She cheered silently. “Thank you. Could you keep this between us? I don’t want Nick to worry about nothing.”
“Alright, but do I need to be worried? I can have someone watch the apartment.” When they had left the airport, he had suggested getting security for her building, even if it was just someone driving by from time to time.
“No, that’s not necessary. I just want to find them,” she said, and Olivier muttered something she couldn’t make out.
“Right, I got the email you sent. I should have something for you soon.”
He hung up with a quick goodbye. stared at the culprit on the screen and smirked.
“I’ve got you now.”