Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Jade
Axel is so goddamn hot.
I tried to think about all the other things I had on my mind. But I just keep coming back to that kiss. And the fact I want more.
I thought about it as I walked into the village and stocked up on groceries.
As I sat in the doctor’s office, getting my stitches checked (which were fine, I’m healing nicely, apparently, but not quite cleared to surf yet).
I thought about it as I walked past the doorway of Axel’s workshop, debating whether or not to go in and see him.
And I definitely thought about it during the shower I had when I got back.
So to see him standing there, his lean hips and broad shoulders silhouetted by the glorious sunset behind him, is almost more than I can bear. And the fact that he’s fixed my board so beautifully? I sort of throw myself at him. Sorry, not sorry.
When he sits next to me on my step, drink in hand, I have to stop myself from leaning into him. Instead, I take a sip. Shit. These are way too strong.
“Oh, these are awful. I’m sorry, I’ll make something else.” I put my drink down and start to get up, but Axel puts his hand on my arm. Goosebumps ripple from his touch.
“Don’t worry about it.” He shoots me a grin. “Come on, sit with me and tell me about where you got that board.” There’s a slight tension to his tone. Interesting. But with his hand on my arm, I’m not going to refuse his invitation.
I sit back down again. “Uh, so I got it from the person who taught me how to surf.”
“You did?” The tension is gone.
“Mmm-hmm.” I take another sip of the awful drink.
It’s not too bad, to be honest. “Her name was Dora. She was a neighbour of ours when I was a kid. I … er, I didn’t have the best upbringing.
I used to go to the beach when I was feeling sad, which was a lot.
She used to see me there, and we started talking. ”
Dora was more of a mother to me than Mom ever was.
She used to feed me and Jasper when Mom was too drunk or absent to do so, even took us in a couple of times when things got really bad.
She lived in a big old timber house, not far from the shore, that she’d had for years.
It’s probably gone now, replaced by some shiny sleek modern place.
I wouldn’t know; I haven’t been back to my old neighbourhood since Dora died.
My throat tightens at the memory of her.
Axel is silent, a warm presence at my side.
“So … one day I was upset, and she was out there surfing. And when she came in, she saw me, and she offered to teach me. I guess maybe she was trying to distract me or something. But she got an old foam board from somewhere and took me into the ocean the next day. I was immediately hooked. She taught me everything she knew. She was a real trailblazer, out there surfing with the guys way back when.”
“She sounds awesome.”
“She was the best.” Tears blur my vision and I wipe my eyes.
Axel leans into me, slightly. “She gave me that board when I turned thirteen. It was one of her old ones. Helped me buy my first wetsuit – I’d been wearing her hand-me-downs, cut down.
Better than nothing but not ideal. I was already entering local comps by then.
She came to every single one, cheering me on.
” I take another sip of the rocket-fuel cocktail.
“I can have any board in the world that I want. Well, almost any,” I shoot him a glance.
He smirks. “But this one’s my favourite.
Which is why I was so upset when it got damaged.
I don’t even care so much about my leg; it’s the board that’s irreplaceable.
The fact you’ve fixed it so beautifully means the world to me. ”
“I would argue that your leg is pretty irreplaceable as well.” Laughter threads through his voice, then he becomes serious. “But I’m glad I could help. For you. And for her. Her board deserves to be ridden.”
“Yeah.” I breathe the word. We stare at each other. The ocean hisses nearby, wide and beautiful, the sky changing colour. Yet all I see is him.
I don’t know who leans in first. I just know that his mouth is on mine and my arms are around his neck and then he’s pressing into me, the kiss deepening, our tongues tangling. He twists his body, pushing me back so I’m lying on the veranda, his weight on me.
Warmth builds inside me as we kiss. Axel Black is not your rebound, a little voice whispers in my mind. It’s correct. He absolutely is not. This feels like something far bigger than that.
His hand slides up my side, pulling the neckline of my tank top. I shift to give him better access, gasping as my breast pops free, his mouth descending, sucking on my nipple.
“Oh god. Axel…” I claw at his T-shirt, pulling it up his back and over his head as he lifts up. Then his hard naked chest is against me, his mouth on mine once more. His hand comes to my breast, caressing me, then slides lower.
Oh, I am done for.
Axel
How the hell did this happen?
But it feels inevitable, just like everything to do with Jade, like a storm blowing through and shifting everything in its path.
And now, with her beneath me, tits soft in my hand, her mouth hot against mine, I can do nothing except give in.
I pinch her nipple and she gasps, arching against me. I rub it with the palm of my hand then glide my fingers lower, along the curve of her waist and over her smooth hip, where the tattoo is. I pause at the edge of her waistband, my fingertips resting lightly against her skin.
She reaches down and pushes my hand lower.
I caress her over the soft material of her sweats, cupping her, applying pressure where I think she might like it.
She seems to, a soft moan escaping her mouth, her pelvis grinding against my hand.
The ocean crashes nearby and it’s as though we’re caught in it, caught in the wildness, the rhythm of the waves. I’m so goddamn hard.
But I cannot fuck her on the steps of this cabin. I shouldn’t be doing this at all. But if I’m going to, and it does feel inevitable, I want to do it right. I don’t even know if she still has a boyfriend. I bring my hand up again, smoothing the hair back from her face. “Hey.” I lift my head.
She stares up at me, looking slightly dazed, her lips swollen from my kisses. “Axel?”
I kiss her again, a soft press of the lips. She arches against me. Her breath is coming hard. Mine is too.
“Is everything okay?” She looks worried, now. I don’t want her to be worried.
“Everything is fine. But I just… I need a moment.” I pull the neckline of her tank top up, smoothing it gently over her nipple.
“A moment?” She gazes at me, wide-eyed, still with that hint of worry in her gaze.
I pause, not sure what to say. I swore I wouldn’t do this, yet here I am. I desperately don’t want to hurt her. But I don’t want to rush into things, either.
“I want you, so damn much.” Surely she can feel how much I do. “But there are things… Can I take you out to dinner at least, first?”
“Dinner?” She’s smiling now, though, her gaze clearing like the sky after a storm. “What, like a date? And you do want me?”
“Of course I fucking do. Anyone would. Just not like this.”
“No?” One gorgeous eyebrow lifts. “How do you want me?”
“Naked.” I hold her gaze. “Wet. And in my bed. Sex on the beach is great and all, but you do tend to get sand caught in places you’d rather avoid.”
She giggles, but her eyes are dark. “I could be naked and wet now, if you want. There’s a bed in there.” She motions towards the cabin.
I kiss her, sliding my tongue into her mouth. “Will you let me do this? Let me woo you?” I know I’m buying myself time. But I need it, to figure out what the hell I think I’m doing.
“Woo me?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. I do.” She pauses. “All right. Knock my damn knickers off, then, if that’s how you’d like to do it.” She reaches down, palming my groin. “Just as a heads up, it’s not going to take much.”
I laugh. “Yeah. Same.” I kiss her one more time, then lift myself off her. My dick is still hard and she’s a goddamn temptation, leaning back on her hands, her nipples straining against her tank top.
“I should go. Thanks for the drink. I’ll see you tomorrow night. Don’t wear underwear.”
“You could stay a bit longer, if you wanted.” She shoots me a shimmering glance.
“If I stay any longer, I’ll be following that tattoo of yours with my tongue.”
“Like I say, there’s a perfectly good bed in there.” She shrugs.
“Tomorrow.” I start walking away, because if I don’t, I won’t leave her.
I wasn’t lying. I do need a moment, to sort out what this all means.
To see if I’m ready.
I also need to find out if she’s still taken. Because that is definitely a path I won’t be walking again.