Chapter 18
Istare at the photographs scattered across my desk, each one a chilling reminder of the threat looming over Sasha like a dark cloud. The images are grainy but unmistakable—candid shots of her going about her daily life, unaware of the lens that stalked her every move. My stomach churns as I flipped through them, the weight of my secrecy pressing down on me like a physical force.
I had intercepted the photos weeks ago, along with a series of cryptic messages from Damian. The taunts, the promises of retribution—they were all there in black and white, a twisted game of cat and mouse that had become increasingly personal. But I had chosen to keep them from Sasha, to bear the burden of knowledge alone. I told myself it was to protect her, to spare her the fear and paranoia that came with knowing just how close her stalker had gotten.
But now, as I sit in the suffocating stillness of the safe house, I’ve realized the magnitude of my mistake.
The creak of the floorboards alerts me to Sasha”s presence, and I look up to see her standing in the doorway, her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears.
”Axel,” she whispers, her voice trembling. ”What is this?”
In her hands, she clutches a stack of the photographs I had so carefully hidden away. My heart sinks, the air rushing from my lungs as if I had been sucker-punched.
”Sasha, I can explain,” I start, rising from my chair, but she holds up a hand, stopping me in my tracks.
“How long did you know about this?” She asks, her voice growing stronger, tinged with hurt and anger. “When were you going to tell me?”
I swallow hard, the guilt rising like bile in my throat. ”I wanted to protect you,” I manage, the words sounding hollow even to my own ears.
Sasha lets out a sharp laugh, the sound cutting through me like a knife. ”Protect me? By lying to me? By keeping me in the dark?”
She tosses the photographs onto the desk, the images fluttering like macabre confetti. I flinch, the sight of her pain far worse than any physical blow.
”Sasha, please,” I implore, taking a step towards her. ”I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted to keep you safe. I didn’t want to cause you more distress.”
Her eyes flash, a mix of betrayal and desperation. ”Well congratulations! Now I’m very distressed. I thought he knew where I lived and had my number; I didn’t think he was keeping constant surveillance on me.”
The weight of her words settles on my shoulders along the realization of my own shortsightedness. I had been so focused on shielding her from the darkness that I had inadvertently pushed her away, leaving her to face her fears alone. I could have warned her that this was connected to me, but I wanted to end it before it ever came to that.
”I”m sorry,” I whisper, my voice cracking. ”I”m so damn sorry, Sasha. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong. I was so wrong.”
Tears spill down her cheeks, and I reach out instinctively, but she pulls away from me.
“How am I supposed to know what to trust? What else are you hiding from me?” She asks.
I open my mouth, then close it again. She has every right to doubt me. My chest constricts like it’s in a vice as I watch her face—her pained expression everything I’d been hoping to avoid by hiding what I knew.
“Please,” I begged, “Please understand why. I was so afraid for you… and so afraid of what you would think of me…” My voice starts to crack under the weight of the emotion behind it.
Sasha’s expression softens, if only a fraction. She breathes an agitated sigh out through her nose, looking again at the photographs scattered around her.
“Damn it, Axel,” she finally says, looking me in the eyes. “I trust you. But you can’t do this anymore. From now on, we face everything together. No more secrets. Promise me.”
I nod, closing the distance between us. ”I promise,” I murmur, the words a solemn vow. ”No more secrets. We”re in this together, always.”
And then, as if a floodgate has opened, our lips meet in a desperate, searing kiss. The photographs lay forgotten on the desk as we lose ourselves in each other, hands roaming, clothes falling away in a frenzied dance of need and forgiveness.
My pulse quickens as I back Sasha against the wall, my hands planted on either side of her head. Her eyes, dark with desire, meet mine in a silent challenge. A smirk tugs at my lips. She knows exactly what she does to me.
I lean in close, my breath ghosting over her ear. ”You drive me so crazy, Sunshine.”
She arches an eyebrow, a playful glint in her eyes. “Do I now?” Her fingers dance along the hem of my shirt, grazing the skin beneath. ”And what are you going to do about it?”
A low growl escapes my throat. In one swift move, I capture her lips with mine, claiming her mouth in a fiery kiss. She melts against me, her hands fisting in my hair. I nip at her bottom lip, demanding entrance, and she parts for me with a soft moan.
My hands roam her curves, mapping every dip and swell. I palm her breast through the thin fabric of her dress, and she arches into my touch, seeking more. I break the kiss, trailing my lips along her jawline, down the column of her throat. She tilts her head back, giving me better access.
”Axel,” she breathes, my name a plea on her lips.
I smile against her skin. ”I”ve got you, baby.”
My fingers find the zipper of her dress, tugging it down inch by torturous inch. The fabric slips from her shoulders, pooling at her feet. I take a step back, my gaze raking over her nearly bare form. She”s a vision in black lace, her skin flushed and glowing in the dim light.
”Fucking beautiful,” I murmur, my hands skimming her sides, feeling her shiver under my touch.
I lift her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carry her to the bedroom. Inside, we tumble onto the mattress, a tangle of limbs and heated kisses. My hands and mouth explore every inch of her, worshiping her body like the goddess she is.
I trail kisses down her sternum, my tongue circling her navel. She writhes beneath me, her fingers threading through my hair, urging me lower. I hook my fingers in the waistband of her panties, dragging them down her legs.
I settle between her thighs, inhaling her heady scent. ”Eyes on me, Sunshine,” I command softly.
Her gaze locks with mine as I run my tongue along her folds, tasting her essence. She gasps, her hips bucking involuntarily. I grip her thighs, holding her steady as I delve deeper, my tongue swirling around her sensitive nub.
Her moans fill the room, spurring me on. I slide one finger inside her, then two, pumping in and out as I continue my relentless assault with my mouth. Her walls flutter around my fingers, her pleasure building.
”Axel, please,” she pants, her hands fisting in the sheets.
I double my efforts, driving her higher and higher until she shatters with a cry, my name a benediction on her lips.
I crawl up her body, capturing her lips in a languid kiss. She reaches for my belt, her nimble fingers making quick work of the buckle. I help her push my jeans and boxers down, kicking them off.
I settle between her thighs, the tip of my hardness brushing against her slick heat. ”You ready for me, baby?” I ask, my voice rough with need.
She nods, her eyes blazing with desire. ”Always.”
With one smooth thrust, I bury myself to the hilt. We both groan at the exquisite sensation, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. I give her a moment to adjust before I start to move, my hips rocking in a steady rhythm.
She meets me thrust for thrust, her nails raking down my back, urging me deeper. I pound into her, each snap of my hips driving us closer to the edge. The room fills with the sound of our mingled moans and the slap of skin against skin.
I feel her walls start to flutter around me, signaling her impending release. I reach between us, my thumb finding her sensitive bundle of nerves. I rub in tight circles, determined to bring her over the edge with me.
”Let go, Sasha,” I growl, my thrusts becoming erratic. ”Come for me, baby.”
With a keening cry, she comes undone, her walls clamping down around me like a vice. I follow her over the edge with a shout, spilling myself deep inside her.
I collapse on top of her, burying my face in the crook of her neck as we catch our breath. She runs her fingers through my sweat-dampened hair, a contented sigh escaping her lips.
”That was...” she trails off, seemingly at a loss for words.
I chuckle, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. ”Yeah, it was.”
I roll onto my side, pulling her into my arms. She snuggles into me, her head on my chest. As I hold her close, our heartbeats slowing in sync, I know one thing with absolute certainty.
This woman owns me, heart and soul. And I wouldn”t have it any other way.
The room”s silence wraps around us like a warm blanket, smothering the echoes of our earlier clash. Sasha”s head rests against my chest, her breaths steady and slow, each one syncing with the beat of my heart. I”m still reeling from the storm we weathered, but damn if it didn”t clear the air between us.
“You really do have a way of getting under my skin, you know that?” I say, tightening my hold on her.
Her laughter tickles me, and I can”t help but join in. It”s this lightness between us—a rare find in our complicated world—that reminds me why I”m fighting so damn hard. ”Under your skin, huh? I was aiming for your heart,” she teases, tilting her head to look up at me.
”Sunshine, you stormed that fortress the moment you walked into that club,” I admit with a raw honesty that would”ve scared the hell out of me once upon a time. But not anymore. Not with her.
She raises an eyebrow playfully. ”Stormed and conquered?”
”Completely and utterly,” I confirm, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
We fall into silence again, but it”s the comfortable kind that speaks volumes. In the stillness of this safe house—our makeshift sanctuary—I let myself feel it all: the love for this woman in my arms, the protectiveness that courses through my veins like fire, and yeah, even the goddamn fear that gnaws at me.
”I”ve got you,” I whisper into her hair. It”s more than just words; it”s a vow—one I intend to keep until my last breath.
Sasha shifts slightly, turning to face me with eyes that shine like stars in the dim light. ”I know you do,” she says softly. ”And Axel?”
”Yeah?”
”I”ve got you too.”
Those four words strike deep, hitting places in me I didn”t even know were waiting to be touched. We”re two broken pieces somehow fitting together perfectly—her strength filling in my cracks, and mine shoring up hers.
Our hands find each other”s—a tangle of fingers that speak of unity and strength. And as we lay there in the quiet aftermath of our stormy night, I feel it—the shift inside me as strong as any physical force.
This woman has turned my world upside down and inside out. But as we lay here entwined—her body pressed against mine—I realize something powerful: In Sasha Cruz”s arms is where I”m meant to be.