Chapter 11
Ella
Around dinner time, my phone buzzed on the counter. I glanced at the screen before picking it up.
“It’s the garage,” I mouthed, as I wiped the glitter from my hand onto my pants, then picked up the call.
“Hey, is this Ella?” asked the voice with the southern drawl, except instead of peppy like it was this morning, she sounded like she’d been running around in circles all day and was ready for a long nap.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“This is Caroline from Grind and Shine. I’m just calling to update you on the pickup.”
“Are you guys ready to come out?”
“Afraid not, hon,” Caroline said with a sigh. “They’re still working on clearing the city routes, and your road’s way down the list. Best estimate is tomorrow around noon. You okay where you are?”
I looked over at Axel, who was obviously listening to the conversation with his enhanced hearing.
“She’s fine,” he said, loud enough for Caroline to hear. “She’s with me.”
“Is that you, Axel?”
I frowned. How did she figure it was him by just his voice alone? Did they know each other? And how well?
I was shocked by the little green monster that threatened to come out.
“Of course it is,” he boomed. “You know I’m the only one living in these parts.”
“Well, in that case, Ella,” Caroline said, “you’re in safe hands. I’ve known that one since he was hiding behind his mama.”
Oh. Caroline must be older. Now I felt even sillier getting all jealous for no reason.
“I’ll give y’all a call tomorrow when the boys are ‘bout to head over.”
“’Preciate it.”
“Stay warm. Sounds like you’ve got good company.”
“Yeah. I do,” I said, grinning so hard my face ached. I really did.
Because this meant we had another evening tucked away in Axel’s cabin, just the two of us, with nowhere to be and no one expecting us. I wasn’t mad about it. Not at all.
We’d just spent the entire afternoon decorating, dragging out boxes from the very generous storage closet and sorting through tangled lights and mismatched ornaments. His cabin now looked like a bomb of holiday cheer had exploded inside.
Garlands hung from the rafters, twinkling lights wrapped around the beams, and the tree we’d cut down earlier stood proud in the corner, dripping with lights and baubles.
There was a stuffed reindeer on the mantel that looked like it had seen better days, and Axel had insisted on putting a Santa hat on the carved bear by the door.
It was excessive. It was perfect.
“You’ve got a heck of a lot of Christmas stuff for a guy who lives alone,” I said, holding up a ceramic elf with a chipped ear. “This guy’s seen some things.”
Axel guffawed, taking the elf from me and setting it gently on the windowsill. “Most of it was my parents’. They were big on holidays. My mom used to start decorating the day after Halloween.”
I glanced over at him, thrown by the sadness in his voice. “They’re gone?”
He nodded, picking out the last item in the box, a big star tree topper. “Yeah. They had me and my sister late in life. They passed a few years ago. They used to live just over the hill. The house is still there, but I don’t go there much now except to maintain it.”
I stepped closer, brushing my hand along his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“They’d have liked you. My mom would’ve tried to feed you until you couldn’t move.”
That made me laugh. “Did you grow up here? Around Darlington, I mean.”
“Mostly. We moved around a bit when I was younger, but this place was always the plan. My sister and I used to spend summers here before it became home full-time.”
“Where’s your sister now?”
“She’s out in the Rockies. Said she moved out there to live her dream life. But I think it’s because she couldn’t live in the house with all the memories. She sends postcards with inspirational quotes and pictures of her dog in sweaters every year.”
“The ones on the fridge,” I said. I’d noticed those earlier and had thought they were memories of an old canine friend.
“Yes. Those ones. She’s happy. That’s what matters.”
After wrangling the final string of lights into submission and leaving only the star topper waiting for its grand finale, Axel stretched with a groan and shot me a look that said if one more ornament came near him, he might start growling at it.
“Dinner?” he asked, already heading toward the kitchen.
“Yes, please,” I said, then coughed. “I think I inhaled some glitter.”
He snorted and reached for me, tugging me close for a quick kiss. “We could go for the frozen shepherd’s pie, but I was thinking we’d bust out those steaks today. I’d rather share them with you now than eat them alone later.”
“Ooh! You’re actually going to cook for me? Yes, please.” My heart did a little thump-thump. No man had actually cooked for me before. “But let me help make something at least.”
“How about the mashed potatoes?” he offered.
“Done!”
After a flurry of chopping, boiling, mashing, seasoning, and searing, the cabin was filled with the scent of mashed potatoes with copious amounts of butter, maple-glazed tarragon carrots, and juicy steaks cooked to medium rare, just the way I liked them.
Every time our hands brushed or our shoulders bumped, he lingered just a little longer than necessary, like he wanted to be touching me constantly.
I didn’t mind at all. I wanted to touch him too.
It wasn’t a traditionally festive meal, but it was the thought and effort that really counted.
It felt like I was celebrating the season with him, and not just some stranger he was helping out.
But I wasn’t really a stranger anymore. It felt like I’d known him forever, which sounded really silly when I thought about it too hard.
Axel leaned back in his chair, eyes locked on me over our dirty plates.
I still couldn’t believe the amount he’d just eaten.
Two large steaks, and enough carrots and potatoes to last me a week.
And to finish it all off was a pumpkin pie he’d picked up yesterday at the bakery, served with indecent amounts of whipped cream.
“This is nice,” I said, nudging his foot playfully under the table.
He reached across the table and caught my hand, his thumb stroking over my knuckles. “You being here makes it better. I didn’t realize how lonely I was and how quiet this place was until now.”
I swallowed hard, the warmth in my chest blooming into something more. “You’re really good at this, you know.”
“At what?”
“Making me feel wanted. And like a storm didn’t just dump me in your path.”
His gaze darkened. “You are wanted. This is the best time I’ve had in a while. Maybe the storm dumped you in my path for a reason. There’s a belief amongst my kind that says that nature will always provide for us.”
“I didn’t expect you,” he said. “But now that you’re here, I don’t want you to leave. I can’t stop thinking about how good it feels to have you close.”
The space between us turned almost electric. I shifted in my seat, suddenly hyperaware of the way his foot slid along my calf. I couldn’t help but remember exactly how it felt to be close to him.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to forget this dinner exists.”
I grinned, then licked my fork exaggeratedly. “Impossible! The food is too yummy.”
“Not as yummy as you.”
“You don’t know that, you haven’t even had dessert yet.”
He stood, walked to the counter, and grabbed the canister of whipped cream, a mischievous look in his eyes.
“You’re right, we have to be fair,” he said. “You can’t be declared yummier unless you’re covered in whipped cream and properly taste-tested.”
I backed away from the table, laughing. “Don’t you dare.”
He advanced slowly, shaking the can. “Too late. Scientific method demands it.”
I darted around the couch, laughing, my heart thudding with adrenaline and anticipation. He lunged, missed, and I squealed, slipping behind the armchair. I was fast, but he was huge, and his place was tiny. There were only so many ways to avoid him.
He caught me near the fireplace, one arm around my waist, the other holding the whipped cream victoriously like a trophy.
“You wouldn’t,” I said, breathless.
“Oh, I absolutely would.”
He pressed the nozzle, and I squealed as cold whipped cream landed on my cheek. I tried to wriggle free, laughing so hard I nearly collapsed. He got another streak across my jaw, then a dab on my nose.
He leaned in and licked the cream from my cheek. Then slowly, deliberately, his tongue traced the line to my jaw, then to the corner of my mouth. I stopped laughing, the thrill of the chase turning into something a little more sensual.
His hand slid to the small of my back and pulled me closer. The heat of him burned right through my clothes. He kissed me, whipped cream and all, his mouth warm, hungry, and possessive. I clung to him, my knees weak, my fingers clutching his T-shirt, dinner forgotten.
“Come here,” he said, voice low.
For a moment I was confused, since I was already in his arms, but he moved and I was suddenly lifted off my feet.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and the cabin blurred as he carried me to the bedroom.
I landed in the center of the bed. But before I could even move he was on me, tearing the clothes from my body and licking every inch of skin exposed.
He continued until every piece of clothing was on the floor.
But just as I reached for the button on his jeans, he caught my wrist.
“Wait,” he said, voice low.
I blinked up at him, breathless. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze searched mine, like he was weighing something heavy. Then he exhaled.
“There’s something you should know.”
“What?”
He hesitated.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can tell me that would scare me away,” I said.
“I knot when I cum,” he said quickly. “It means we’ll be connected until the swelling goes down. I can’t control it.”
My breath caught. Was this why he’d stopped me this morning? Did he think I would run?
“Will it hurt?” I asked.
“Not if we don’t try to separate. It’ll only be a few minutes.” He looked so vulnerable, like he was worried I’d decide to end things right here.
“That’s okay,” I whispered. “I still want you.”
“Fuck, Ella. I’ve never wanted to hear that more.”
I watched as he stripped off his clothes, tossing them to the floor to join mine. His cock, long and thick and slightly tinted an icy blue, sprang out to greet me.
It was an exquisite cock. Huge. So big I wasn’t sure I could ever take him, but I was willing to try. I reached for it, wrapping both hands around it. He groaned, and it twitched in my hands.
I only got a few playful tugs in before he was shoving me back onto the bed, like he couldn’t wait anymore.
“You’re trying to distract me from the taste test.”
I put my hands up in surrender. “I’d never dream of it.”
I didn’t even realize he’d brought the canister with us until I heard the sound of the whipped cream dispensing right over my breasts. My squeal of shock from the cold cream ended in a soft giggle, which quickly dissolved into a moan.
Another press of the nozzle, and he drew a line from between my breasts all the way down to my crotch, ending with a big dollop over my clit.
“Hold still,” he warned with a smirk.
He started at the top, licking and kissing, moving slowly, too slowly down my body. My fingers tangled in his hair as I urged him down lower and lower.
“Breathe, my love.”
I gasped, not realizing I was even holding my breath.
He continued, moving a little faster this time until he was right there, his breath hot on my skin. My hips lifted to meet him as he licked off the last little bit of cream. Then he dove in, burying his face into my pussy, licking and kissing and nibbling until I was writhing.
A thick finger found my opening and pressed in, making me gasp. But he didn’t stop there; he added another as he continued to lick my clit. His fingers were so thick, and it felt so good to be full.
He started pumping into me hard, still licking, swirling his tongue over my sensitive nub. The pressure built at the base of my spine, growing and growing until it felt like even the smallest pinprick would burst the bubble. He hummed, and the vibrations sent me over.
By the time my vision cleared, he was already crawling over me and lining us up. The first press of him had me gasping.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said between pants. “Please don’t stop.”
“Fuck. You’re so perfect,” he said, voice rough. “My beautiful Ella.”
I wrapped my legs around him, urging him to continue. He pushed in.
“Oh god,” I whimpered.
The stretch, the fullness, was intense, so much that it bordered on painful. I reached down between my legs to play with my clit.
“Here.” He licked his thumb and reached down to take my finger’s place.
I rocked my hips, refusing to give up. This magnificent man was mine, and I planned on having all of him. I was greedy, and I had to try. Every movement brought us closer until he hit the back of my channel.
“No,” I pouted. “But I want it all.”
“Slow, my sweet. You’ll take it all one day. But this is perfect for now. You feel so good around me. Fuck.”
He pulled out slowly, removing his thumb from my clit, so he could brace on the mattress. I screamed when he thrust back in. But he didn’t stop; he set a brutal rhythm, each thrust drawing a breathy sound from my lips. It felt like too much, but also just enough, all at once.
And then the world was falling apart around me again.