Chapter 17 Sadie #2
I can't speak. I just hand her the phone, letting her read the message.
"Oh," she says softly. "Oh, Sadie."
I take the phone back, staring at his words. A suite. A crib for Poppy. No pressure.
"I have to go," Rowan says suddenly, gathering her purse. "Early shift tomorrow."
I look up, confused by her abrupt departure. "But we didn't finish."
"Yes, we did." She smiles, already moving toward the door. "Your face when you read that text told me everything I need to know."
"What do you mean?"
She pauses, hand on the doorknob. "You're going to Denver. You're going to tell him everything. And you're terrified—but you're doing it anyway." Her smile widens. "That's the sister I know."
After she leaves, I stand in the silent apartment, phone clutched in my hand. She's right. I am going to Denver. I am going to tell Axel everything. And I am absolutely terrified.
I take a deep breath and type my reply.
Me: Yes to Denver. But just us. Rowan can watch Poppy.
I hit send before I can second-guess myself. Anticipation buzzes through me as I watch the three dots appear, disappear, then appear again.
Axel: Just us?
Me: Is that okay?
Axel: More than okay. I just didn't want to assume.
Relief washes through me. He's not pushing, not assuming, just accepting what I'm comfortable with.
Me: I need a night where I'm not just Poppy's mom. Where I can just be… me.
I stare at the message after sending it, shocked by my own honesty. I've never admitted that to anyone, not even Rowan. The guilt that usually follows such a thought is strangely absent.
Axel: I want that for you. Just Sadie. No café, no court date, no responsibilities. Just you.
I sink onto the couch, pulling my knees to my chest.
Me: What will we do in this fancy suite?
Axel: Whatever you want. Order room service. Watch bad movies. Sleep for 12 hours straight.
I smile, imagining it, a big bed with expensive sheets, no alarm clock, no baby monitor, no responsibilities waiting for me downstairs.
Me: That sounds perfect.
Axel: Or…
Anticipation coils tight in my stomach at that single word.
Me: Or?
Axel: Or I could spend hours learning every way you like to be touched. I want your legs trembling, Sadie. I want you begging me not to stop.
Me: I'd like that.
Axel: Yeah? Because I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. About how you felt. How you tasted.
I inhale sharply as I shift on the couch, suddenly too warm.
Me: What exactly have you been thinking about?
I'm not usually this bold, but something about the distance between us, the safety of texts, makes me braver.
Axel: How wet you were for me. How tight. The sounds you made when you came.
Jesus. I press my thighs together, already aching for him.
Me: I've been thinking about you too.
Axel: Tell me.
I hesitate, then throw caution to the wind.
Me: I think about your hands. How they felt on my skin. How strong they are. I think about your mouth and what it would feel like… everywhere.
Axel: Fuck, Sadie. You're killing me.
A smile tugs at my lips, power and desire coursing through me in equal measure.
Me: What would you do if you were here right now?
Axel: I'd lay you down on that couch. Slowly undress you. Kiss every inch of skin as I exposed it.
I close my eyes, imagining it, his weight pressing me into the cushions, his hands peeling away my clothes, his mouth hot against my bare skin.
Me: Then what?
Axel: Then I'd taste you. Really taste you. Take my time with it until you're begging me to let you come.
A soft sound escapes me, somewhere between a gasp and a moan. I'm wet already, just from his words.
Me: I wouldn't beg.
Axel: You will. If I have you spread out under me, I’ll make you beg for my mouth, my cock, whatever you need. I want to hear you say my name when you come.
The confidence in his text makes my core clench with want. I shift again, pressing my hand between my legs, seeking some relief from the building pressure.
Me: Maybe I'd make YOU beg.
Axel: I'm already halfway there just thinking about you.
I bite my lip, imagining him hard and wanting, touching himself while texting me.
Me: Are you touching yourself?
Axel: Yes. Are you?
I hesitate only a second before replying.
Me: Yes.
Axel: Fuck. Tell me how it feels.
Me: Good. But not as good as when you touch me.
Axel: I want to be there. Right now.
Me: I want that too.
Axel: What are you wearing?
I laugh at the cliché, but it doesn't diminish my arousal.
Me: Just a t-shirt and underwear.
Axel: Take them off.
The command sends a thrill through me. I set my phone down and pull my shirt over my head, then slip out of my underwear. The cool air of the apartment raises goosebumps on my bare skin.
Me: Done. Now what?
Axel: Now imagine it's my hands on you. My mouth. My cock.
I close my eyes, letting his words wash over me. My hand slides between my legs again, finding the slick heat there.
Me: I wish you were here.
I send the message without thinking, raw honesty breaking through my usual guards.
Three dots appear, then disappear. Then:
Axel: Open your door.
I stare at the message, uncomprehending for a moment. Then a soft knock sounds from the hallway.
My heart stops. I scramble for my clothes, pulling them on with trembling hands. I cross to the door on unsteady legs, peering through the peephole.
Axel stands in the hallway, phone in hand, looking slightly disheveled and utterly perfect.
I unlock the door, one, two, three clicks, and pull it open, a grin spreading across my face despite my best efforts to contain it.
“Hi,” I whisper, heart racing.
“Come here.” His voice is low, raw, thick with need.
He hauls me closer, mouth slanting over mine with a hunger that steals my breath.
I feel his hands claim my body like he’s done it a hundred times, like he already knows I’m his.
His hands slide under my shirt, spanning my ribs, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts.
I arch into the touch, gasping against his mouth.
"I couldn't wait until Denver," he murmurs against my lips, voice strained with need. "Not after those texts."
I tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. "I'm glad you didn't wait."
He carries me to the couch, our mouths never separating. As he lowers me onto the cushions, I realize I've never wanted anyone the way I want him right now, with a desperate, consuming hunger that obliterates everything else.
For tonight, there is no court date looming. No custody battle. No café to run. Just Axel's hands on my skin, his weight settling over me, the promise of pleasure drowning out every fear.
For tonight, I'm just Sadie. And for now, that feels like enough.