Chapter 21 Luca
Luca
I was a changed man. Could a couple of orgasms make that much of a difference?
The real difference was Axel. He’d made me feel so comfortable, and looking at his naked body while his green eyes ate me up was enough to undo me.
I knew we shared an intense attraction, beyond anything I ever knew.
And when he called me his, I wanted it to be true.
But in the back of my mind, my past proved that no one stayed forever.
I was convinced I was destined to be alone in this life.
This was stockpiling memories until he needed to move on. And he would.
“You okay over there?” he asked, smirking at me.
My face heated as I sat at the island, wearing Axel’s T-shirt and sweats.
Did he put his cologne in his laundry detergent?
I lifted the collar of his shirt to inhale it before answering.
“Yeah. I’m fine. How are you?” My uncontrollable grin took over my face.
All he was doing was pulling food from the refrigerator, and he was even sexy doing that.
“I’m great. Two orgasms will do that to a man.”
“Uh-huh,” I agreed.
Biological words had a new meaning, and I noticed every muscle and the way he looked at me.
Like he could eat me up and think nothing of it.
He was still checking in with me, and technically, I was still a virgin.
But I definitely felt different. Every time he glanced over at me, I found him smiling.
“You sure you’re okay, love? What are you thinking about so hard over there? ”
My heart skipped a beat every time he called me that.
It dropped off his tongue now like it was the easiest thing in the world.
I knew he wasn’t saying he was in love with me, that it was just a term of endearment where he came from.
Put the word hard with it, and it became my new status on social media, if it were an option.
“Uh huh. I can’t decide if I feel drunk or if this is what it’s like to be a jellyfish.
Boneless and floating around on a cloud,” I said, flopping onto the countertop for effect. “I have zero muscle strength.”
Axel was amused with himself. “Either way,” he said, pulling two packages from the refrigerator, “it’s a good look on you. If you puddle on my countertop, I’ll make sure to scoop you up and take you back to bed.”
Puddle. Back to bed. Those innocent words took on a new meaning in my newly formed dirty mind, and Axel had a knack for reading it. Thankfully, he let that low-hanging fruit go. Oh shit, now I was thinking about his balls. Groaning, I pressed my forehead to the cool granite countertop.
His laughter made me smile. “Would you like a cold beer? Maybe that would help.” The first one he’d given me before we got sidetracked was definitely warm. “Yes, please.”
Enjoying the cooling effect of the granite on my skin, I listened to him open the beer, imagining his muscles flex as he removed the lid.
If he got close to me, I might go into heat again.
Popping my head up, I found him assessing me with raised brows.
“You can slide it over here. But don’t come too close.
There’s a serious chance I might combust.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Of course, he didn’t listen. He strode up to me and placed his big hand on my neck. I had to be cooking from the inside out. “Are you feeling okay?”
Was I? “Maybe. Anything is possible.”
His face went from amused to worried, and his stern voice came with it. “What’s wrong? Do you feel ill?”
There was only one way to describe it. “I’m afraid I’ve repressed a lot of symptoms, and you’ve unleashed something like the Kraken inside me.”
Axel grinned. “What are you talking about?”
I huffed out an annoyed breath and scowled at him.
“I’m afraid you’ve turned me into a sex fiend.
How am I going to do my job if sex is all I think about?
All it will take is a couple of words to derail my career.
It only took your hands and mouth on me twice to destroy me.
I might be running a fever from it. My face is hot, and places that never throbbed now do.
I might never be the same.” I put my forehead back on the granite.
“Is that all?” he mused, running his hands over my hair. He loved it for some reason. “I have to say it’s pretty impressive that I can destroy your entire career with two blow jobs.”
“Not funny. And no, that’s not all. Every word now has a double meaning. Watching football is impossible because it would make me hard when they talk about going deep.” Axel’s grin made me want to punch him. “Go away,” I groaned, shoving his shoulder. “This is all your fault.”
“My fault?” He snorted, completely proud of himself. “Most people would thank me for that reaction. I had no idea you could be dramatic.”
I scowled at him. “I don’t need the reminder that I’m still an almost virgin and you’re some guru with magic hands and mouth.
” I really wanted to hit him. Pushing back, I stood, making him laugh more.
In fact, the sound of his deep baritone laughter was once my favorite thing before I wanted to kill him.
Before I could get away, Axel grabbed me by the arm, then bent down to haul me over his shoulder.
I’d never been manhandled like that. “What the fuck, Neanderthal?”
“Hush,” he said, swatting my ass. Heat bloomed under the thin sweats. I shouldn’t like that. Stalking to the sofa, he placed me in the middle before spreading himself on top of me, blanketing me with his body weight. God, I liked that too.
I glared at him until he looked at me with soft, drunk eyes and an open heart.
My irritation abated as quickly as it came.
It was pointless to be mad when he looked at me like that.
Bringing his mouth to mine, he gifted me with the softest, most sensual kiss yet.
It was full of emotion and sweetness, so perfect for me that there was no way anyone would be a better kisser than Axel Hughes.
When he pulled away, I wanted his mouth back on mine.
“Hey,” I whined, “I didn’t tell you to stop. ”
His smile ignited another firework of desire inside me.
“Tell me what you’re talking about, and I’ll give you all the kisses you want.
” He shifted his erection along mine, making my head and eyes roll back dramatically.
Dipping down, he chuckled and nuzzled his cheek against my throat, rough stubble against rough stubble.
Was it possible for my heart to speed up and slow down at the same time?
“You’re not a sex fiend, you’re discovering what you like, and obviously it’s me. You’re just a little behind.”
I blinked open my eyes and stared into his. “So, I’m a twenty-eight-year-old horny teenager.”
“I’m afraid to answer that,” he said, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “I prefer to think it’s me that makes you feel that way.”
“That’s not even a question,” I said, pulling him in for a kiss.
Giddy didn’t begin to cover how I felt, tangled up with him on his sofa.
Hands roaming as adrenaline pumped through me.
We were teetering on the edge again until he sat back, reached for my waistband, and yanked them down.
Axel got up, pulled them the rest of the way off, and tossed them over his head.
It was funny until his clothes met the same fate on the floor.
Standing over me, I tucked my arm behind my head and watched as he stroked himself, eyes locked on mine.
Reaching for him, Axel stretched out and braced his weight on one elbow.
“I’m going to introduce you to frotting, love. ”
My hands roamed everywhere they could until he wrapped his right hand around both of us. Moaning at the contact, my eyes rolled back, just like before.
“I’m going to make you feel so good, love.”
“Axel,” I gasped when he shifted his weight onto me, then released us to rock his hips along mine. My hands went to his rock-hard bubble butt and squeezed as our perfectly aligned erections slid along one another, creating an entirely new round of sensations.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, why is that so good?”
Axel stuck his tongue in my mouth to shut me up, and it wasn’t long before he kissed me through another intense orgasm, swallowing my moans and panting breaths.
I was exhausted, and we were a sticky mess when he collapsed on me.
As much as I loved this, when the endorphins ebbed, the old doubts slipped into my head.
There was no way I could be enough for him.
He lifted his head and kissed my cheek. “Hey, where did you go?”
I inhaled and tried to push away all my doubts. “Nowhere. I’m right here.”
I wasn’t sure he believed me. “Let me grab something to clean us up. Unless you want to shower again?”
“I love your shower, but a cloth is good.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Okay, be right back.”
Axel lifted himself effortlessly off me as he headed toward his room.
I stared at the ceiling and wondered how he’d never belonged to someone.
When he returned with a warm cloth, he pushed my hand away, then sat down.
I couldn’t stop staring at him as he carefully cleaned me up.
He was completely relaxed, and the look in his eyes made me want to weep.
Is this what it felt like to be in love?
“You okay, love?”
“Perfect. You’re so good at taking care of me. I’m just wondering why someone hasn’t scooped you up.”
He smiled softly but kept his eyes on what he was doing. “I said I didn’t do them, not that I hadn’t had one.”
“Because you don’t want one,” I stated. That shouldn’t bother me.
Axel exhaled as I ran a finger over his beard. “Because they don’t last.” He brought his lips to my ear. “But maybe they weren’t supposed to since I hadn’t found you.”
I shivered as his breath ghosted over my skin. “But you’ve had one.”
“Yes. We were nineteen, playing on the same junior league team. He was my right winger, and we were inseparable. We’d come up through the hockey leagues together and were the best of friends.”
“What happened?”
Axel’s expression was something between a sweet memory and pain.
“We were too young, and he had an opportunity to go to the States. His parents decided to take the chance. I made a fool of myself and begged him not to go, but to stay and play in the European League with me. I had it all planned out. We could live together, see the world, and…” He exhaled and shook his head.
“He went to Colorado, and I stayed in London.”
“Do you still keep in touch with him?”
He shrugged. “No. I was a kid. It was puppy love.”
“He was your big first love, right? Is he still playing?”
“I don’t know. Last I heard, he was on the West Coast.”
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” I lied.
Axel grinned. “Are you jealous again? I think it’s kind of cute.”
I huffed. Of course I was. Irrational or not. “Are you jealous of Susanna?”
“Not at all. Unless you think she can make you moan as I do.”
I burst out laughing. “I’m gay, Axel. There’s no chance of that.
” Shifting myself to the back of the sofa, I pulled him in front, his back to my chest. There was power in holding him like this, and I wanted to give to him for a change.
Placing kisses on the side of his neck, I held him tightly until my stomach growled.
It was an alarm bell to Axel. “Ready for dinner, love?”
“Yes,” I smiled. “Can I help?”
Axel climbed off the sofa, then reached down to pull me up. “I would love that.”