Chapter 13 #2
“Wait, you found stuff on her mother too?” Connor asked.
“Sadly, yes.” He held up the folder. “I almost feel bad about it, but this should guarantee that she never has to defend herself to her parents ever again.”
“Good,” Axel said. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”
“You don’t want to know what I found?” Milo asked.
“Nope. Maisie deserves to see it first, and if she wants me to know…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Connor said with a laugh. “We get it. You’re an honorable guy. Now go and get packed, and we’ll probably see you before you leave.”
“Thanks!” Shaking both of their hands, he walked out of the cabin feeling good, happy. He hated that Maisie had to stoop to this level, but if it meant she could live her life on her terms, then it was worth it.
“Holy shit.”
Maisie gave Axel a tiny shove so she could shut the condo door. This used to be her happy place, but now it just felt…meh.
“Come on in,” she told him as she walked past him to the open setting. “The kitchen is right here, and the dining room is just beyond it, and then the living room. The second level has the primary suite, and the third level has another bedroom that I also use as my studio and a rooftop deck.”
“Again, holy shit,” he said as he followed behind her. “This is amazing, particularly from a craftsman’s point of view. With the exposed brick, the built-in bookcases…” He slowly roamed around the main floor, and she enjoyed watching him.
“So many places are just white walls and windows, and I wanted something with character.” She went and stood beside him as he stared out the window at the view. “I used to enjoy this, but after our mornings on the lake, I think that’s what I prefer.”
Turning his head, he grinned. “It is pretty spectacular.” Pausing, he shook his head. “The lake, not the city.”
“Exactly.” Maisie looked around and sighed. “I’d offer you something to drink, but I literally don’t have anything other than water.”
“That’s fine. Thanks.”
She grabbed a couple of bottles of water before taking him by the hand and leading him up the stairs to the primary suite.
“It’s…open,” he said. There was a half wall so you could look down onto the main floor.
“I know. It never bothered me before, but after all our escapades, I don’t think it’s practical. Think of the echoes.”
They both laughed.
“It’s still a great space, but zero privacy if you have guests spending the night.” He glanced around. “And there’s another bedroom upstairs?”
She nodded. “It’s actually my favorite space in the condo.” They walked up the stairs, and then she stood back so she could see his reaction.
The room was cozy, with the back wall being all large windows. It had a slanted ceiling she’d covered in a floral wallpaper, which matched all the greenery she had out on the rooftop deck. She’d had privacy walls built, and they were lined with greenery.
“Originally this was my office. I had the built-ins done and brought my desk up here, but sometimes I just prefer sleeping up here. It’s crazy, but…it felt more peaceful. Although after sleeping in your cabin, I think that’s the definition of peaceful.”
He nodded and walked over to the sliding glass doors and opened them before stepping out onto the deck. With his head tilted back and the sun shining on him, he looked more relaxed than she’d seen him since their time together after the storm.
“I know you can still hear the city up here, but after a while, you get used to it.”
Turning his head, he smiled. “I lived in Baltimore for several years, so the city noise doesn’t bother me. When I first showed up at the resort after we bought it, I couldn’t sleep because it was too quiet. Now, I’m used to it.”
“Which do you prefer?”
“No contest, the peace and quiet of Harbortown. My plan is to eventually buy a house close to the resort, but for now, the cabin’s just fine.”
“It’s more than fine, Axel. It’s wonderful and cozy.”
“It’s small and kind of a mess,” he teased. “I didn’t mind it when I first arrived, but now I wish I had chosen one of the bigger ones.”
“How come?”
“Because I want you to make it feel like it’s yours too. Right now, there is zero room for anything else.”
Stepping in close, she wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll make it work.”
His arms came around her waist, and they simply stood there watching each other.
There were so many things she needed to be thinking about and focusing on, but she couldn’t.
Not when he was close like this. When she arrived at the resort earlier, Milo met her and gave her his report.
She hadn’t expected him to be the one to greet her, but he took her to his cabin and explained everything he had found.
Then Connor joined them.
By the time she went to find Axel, he was coming to find her, and his friends were tagging along. Basically, they didn’t get any time to be alone
Taking a step back, she took his hand and led him back inside, sliding the glass door shut behind them.
The door clicked shut, and for the first time all day, silence wrapped around them. No well-meaning friends, no traffic noise or music on the radio. Just him.
Her chest rose and fell too quickly, the weight of everything they hadn’t said humming between them. They talked on the long drive here, but it was mostly about the report Milo had given her. They hadn’t said a word about them or what these changes meant.
Axel opened his mouth as if to speak, but Maisie couldn’t stand the distance a second longer. She reached for his shirt, fisting the fabric in her hands, and pulled him down to her.
The kiss crashed between them, urgent, hungry, like all the hours of waiting had finally broken loose. Axel let out a rough sound—half surprise, half relief—before his arms closed around her, anchoring her against him.
Her lips moved fiercely against his, tasting the warmth she’d been imagining for far too long. When he responded, deepening the kiss, it was with a kind of raw intensity that sent shivers through her.
Maisie’s back met the wall as Axel pressed closer, his breath mingling with hers, every motion tangled with need. In that moment, the world outside ceased to exist. There was just the two of them and a bed that was just a few steps away.
As if of one mind, they slowly made their way over without breaking the kiss. And when they tumbled onto the mattress, Maisie couldn’t help but laugh with joy.
“Um…laughter wasn’t exactly what I was going for here,” he teased, even as his hand snaked under her top to cup her breast.
“I can’t help it. I’m just so happy right now.” She raked her hand through his hair. “Being with you without all the weight of my situation is so freeing.”
As if on cue, he unhooked her bra.
“And that’s freeing too,” he teased with a flirty wink. “Now let’s see what else we can free up!”
They were both laughing as they clumsily helped each other get undressed. Rolling around on the bed, they were getting under the sheets when Axel stopped.
“Um…not to ruin the mood, but…did I just flash my ass to all your neighbors? That’s a lot of windows.”
Laughing, she tugged the sheet over them. “Privacy glass. No one but me saw your sexy butt.”
Grinning, he tugged her on top of him. “Good. Just the way I like it.”
Then they were kissing and touching and making up for lost time.
Driving across the city with Axel, Maisie felt oddly calm.
And it was all thanks to the information she had in her purse.
When she had asked Milo to maybe find information on her father, she didn’t think he’d be able to do it on such short notice.
But she had to hand it to him, he was true to his word.
Not only had he found some compromising information about her father, but also about her mother.
She read and re-read the report multiple times on the drive from Harbortown.
Milo had emailed it to her as well as giving her paper copies.
“For dramatic effect,” he’d said with a grin. “Personally, I love tossing a folder down and watching people freak out a bit.”
So, she had the folder and the digital copies, and she went over them again while Axel drove.
He quietly took her hand in his. “Are you sure you want to do this? With the information you have, you don’t have to bother seeing them face-to-face. You can simply call them and let them know what information you have and tell them to never bother you again.”
“They have my things,” she said flatly. “Credit cards, some belongings that they stripped me of. I want them back.”
“I understand.”
“Plus, I need to do this. I need to assert myself and let them know I’m done being used and then disregarded.”
“Okay.”
They sat in silence as the driver slowly made his way through the traffic.
Turning her head, she looked at Axel. “You look very handsome.” He was wearing dark jeans, a button-down shirt, and loafers she was pretty sure he borrowed from one of the guys, but he looked good. But then again, he always looked good to her.
“I know it’s not a suit…”
“Ugh…not this again,” she moaned with a laugh. “You’re fine. I’m not dressed up either.” Maisie had gone with black jeans, an ivory sweater, and a pair of boots. She was comfortable, something she knew her mother was going to frown upon.
I can’t wait to see her face, she mused.
When the car pulled up to the mansion townhouse she’d grown up in, Maisie let out a long breath. The driver came around to open the door for her, and she thanked him as she climbed out. Axel joined her, and they stood on the sidewalk for several long minutes before she felt ready to move forward.
Right now, she was armed with enough information to guarantee that no one was going to force her to do anything ever again. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as just tossing a folder down, getting her things, and leaving.
“We can still leave if you want,” Axel reminded her.
“No. Let’s do this.”
Stepping up to the front door, she rang the bell and waited.
And waited.
And waited.