5. Axel
Chapter Five
AXEL
I drive through the darkness with Sami beside me, her small form curled in the passenger seat of my truck, and satisfaction burns through my veins like whiskey.
Her apartment crisis is the perfect excuse to bring her exactly where she belongs.
To our home.
She stares out the window, the lights from passing streetlamps casting shadows across her face, and I tighten my grip on the steering wheel to keep from reaching for her. Not yet. I need to play this smart. Need to ease her into accepting what’s already crystal clear to me.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Sami asks as we drive. “I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not imposing, Kitten. I promise,” I tell her. “My place is big. You’ll have your own room and bathroom. Plus, unlimited hot water whenever you want it.”
She hugs herself tighter, my leather jacket engulfing her petite frame.
Once she’s in my space, surrounded by my things, sleeping in my bed, she’ll understand. She’ll feel what I felt the moment I saw her walk into that diner this morning. The recognition. The certainty.
The fucking inevitability of us.
I watch her face as the house comes into view. It’s everything I’ve worked for. Everything I want to give her.
“Oh my gosh.” Sami’s eyes widen. “You live here? Alone?”
Pride surges through me at her reaction. “I built it last year after our second album went gold. Designed it myself.”
She stares at the house as I park in the three-car garage. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s yours for as long as you need it.”
Forever, if I have my way.
I lead her inside, watching as she takes in the open floor plan, the high ceilings, the wall of windows overlooking the mountains.
She turns in a slow circle. “I feel like I’m in an episode of Cribs . Do all musicians live like this?”
“The smart ones who don’t blow their money on drugs and parties.” I take her hand in mine again and guide her through the living room. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”
The guest room is across the hall from mine. Close enough that I can hear if she needs me, but far enough to give her the space she thinks she needs. For now.
“Bathroom’s through there.” I nod toward the en suite. “Towels are in the cabinet. There’s shampoo and stuff in the shower.”
“This is bigger than my entire apartment.” She runs her hand over the plush comforter on the queen-sized bed. “Thank you. Seriously.”
I walk to the dresser and pull out one of my t-shirts. Black, soft from hundreds of washes, with Highland Rye’s logo faded on the front. I hold it out to her.
“In case you need something to sleep in,” I explain. “And the shower’s all yours. Take as long as you want.”
Sami grins. “You have no idea how much I’ve been dreaming about a hot shower.”
For a second, I think about what she would look like wet and naked under the spray, water sluicing over her perfect curves. Fuck.
I force myself to step back, to give her space. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything. Make yourself at home.”
She clutches my shirt to her chest. “This is really nice of you, Axel. I don’t know how to thank you.”
A hundred responses flash through my mind, most of them involving her naked and under me. But I rein in the primal urge.
“No thanks needed, Kitten.”
Then I leave and head downstairs before I change my mind.
I manage to make it forty-five minutes before the burning desire to check on Sami becomes too much to ignore.
I tell myself I’m just making sure she has everything she needs. That I’m being a good host. But as I climb the stairs toward the guest room, my heart pounds like I’m about to walk on stage in front of ten thousand people.
This is insane. I know it’s insane. We met this morning, and I’m already bringing her home, already thinking about forever. Any rational person would call this obsession, stalking, and completely fucking unhinged.
But I can’t help it.
Every instinct I have is screaming that she belongs here. That she belongs to me.
I pause outside her door and knock softly.
No answer.
I knock again, a little louder. Still nothing.
“Sami?” I call out.
I turn the handle slowly and push the door open just enough to peek inside.
The bathroom door is open, and a light haze of steam billows out into the bedroom.
Sami is standing by the dresser with her back to me.
A white towel is wrapped around her slender body, and her wet hair is dripping down her back.
She’s wearing AirPods, swaying slightly to music I can’t hear.
Fuck.
I should close the door. I should walk away and give her privacy.
I don’t move an inch.
She turns, still unaware of my presence, and then freezes when she sees me. Her green eyes go wide with shock, and her mouth forms a perfect O.
The AirPods fall from her ears.
“Axel! I didn’t hear you knock!” She clutches the towel tighter and her cheeks flush a beautiful shade of pink.
“Sorry, Kitten. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was worried when you didn’t answer.” I take a step closer to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just—” She takes a step back and bumps into the dresser. Her hands fly out to steady herself.
Then the towel drops.
Every rational thought evaporates from my brain as I stare at my girl’s naked body. Her breasts are small and perfect, topped with rosy nipples that pucker under my gaze. She has a slim waist that flares to gentle hips, and her pussy is glistening and shaved bare.
My nostrils flare as I look down at her. “Goddamn, baby.”
Sami gasps and scrambles for the towel, but I’m already crossing the room, unable to stop myself. My body moves on pure instinct, the need to claim and possess overriding everything else.
“Don’t.” I capture her wrists gently but firmly, preventing her from covering herself. “I want to look at you.”
“Axel, this is so embarrassing,” she whispers.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Kitten. You’re perfect.” I release one wrist to cup her cheek. Then I tilt her face up to mine. “So fucking perfect.”
Sami’s pupils dilate, nearly swallowing the green of her irises. I can feel her pulse racing under my fingers. She’s scared, yes, but there’s something else there too. Desire. Curiosity.
Need.
“We shouldn’t,” Sami whispers. But her words lack conviction.
I brush my thumb across her bottom lip. “I think we should.”
I lean down slowly, giving her time to pull away. She doesn’t. Instead, her breath catches as my lips brush against hers. Then she sighs and melts against me.
That’s all it takes. One soft sigh, and my control shatters.
I deepen the kiss, sliding my hand into her wet hair and cradling her head as I claim her mouth. She tastes like toothpaste and woman and mine. Her naked body presses against my fully clothed one, and the contrast is so fucking erotic I nearly lose my mind.
“Wrap your legs around me, Kitten,” I murmur against her lips.
Sami complies without hesitation and lets me lift her. Her arms circle my neck, her naked body clinging to me as I carry her out of the guest room and down the hall to my bed, where she belongs.
As I walk, I can feel her grinding against my belt buckle. The sensation of her bare pussy against my pants makes my cock throb painfully.
I can’t take this slow torture anymore.
I stop in the middle of the hallway and press her back against the wall, my body caging her in. Her wet hair drips onto my shirt, but I couldn’t care less. All I care about is how her naked body feels against mine.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” I growl, pressing my hardness against her center. “This is what happens when you walk around my house naked, Kitten.”
Her eyes go wide, pupils blown with desire. “I didn’t mean to?—“
“Yes, you did.” I nip at her lower lip. “You’ve been teasing me all night. The way you looked at me across the bar. The way you curled up in my truck. Taking my shirt to sleep in.”
“Axel,” she whispers, and hearing my name on her lips nearly breaks me.
“Tell me you want this.” I slide my hand between our bodies, finding her slick heat. “Fuck, you’re soaked.”
She moans as I circle her clit with my thumb, her hips bucking against my hand. “Yes,” she gasps. “I want this. I want you.”
That’s all I need to hear.
I capture her mouth again as I carry her the rest of the way to my bedroom. The king-sized bed dominates the space, and I’ve never been more grateful for it as I lay her down on the dark sheets. She looks like a fantasy come to life.
“You’re so sexy baby.” I stand at the foot of the bed to drink in the sight of her. “I love that your pussy is already glistening for me.”
I strip off my shirt in one fluid motion, watching her eyes widen as she takes in my chest, my tattoos, the muscles I’ve built from years of hauling equipment and performing.
“Your turn to look,” I say with a smirk.
Her fingers twitch like she wants to touch me, but isn’t sure if she’s allowed. I climb onto the bed and hover over her without letting my weight settle.
“Touch me, Kitten. I’m yours as much as you’re mine.”
Her hands come up tentatively, exploring my chest, my shoulders, trailing down to the waistband of my jeans. When her fingers brush against my abs, I can’t help the way my muscles jump under her touch.
Sami frowns and bites her lip. “Just so you know, I’ve never actually…”
“Never actually what?” I prompt, dipping my head to kiss along her jawline.
“Done this,” she admits in a whisper.
I freeze and lift my head to look into her eyes.
“Are you a virgin, Kitten?”
Her cheeks flush deeper. “Is that a problem?”
A problem? It’s the opposite of a problem. Something primal and possessive roars to life inside me, knowing I’ll be her first. Her only, if I have anything to say about it.
“Definitely not a problem,” I say, my voice rough with desire. “But it means I need to take extra care of you.”
I shift down her body, kissing a path between her breasts, over her stomach, until I’m settled between her thighs. Her scent drives me wild. She smells clean from the shower but with the unmistakable musk of arousal.