44. This is Real
THIS IS REAL
Lorelei
I rolled over with a grunt, my blaring alarm sending my pulse skyrocketing. How could it be morning already? Rubbing my eyes, I silenced the annoying beeping and scanned my phone. Five new messages from Axel, and it was barely seven.
Axel: Morning, blondie.
Axel: What are you up to today?
Axel: Are you awake?
Axel: Answer me please.
Axel: Are you okay?
I typed out a quick reply before he lost his shit.
Me: Just woke up. What’s got you all worked up?
Axel: You.
I couldn’t help the silly smile from splashing across my face.
I still couldn’t quite believe what had happened last night.
Sure, Axel hadn’t professed his undying love as he pointed out, but he hadn’t gone running back to Cordi as I’d dreaded.
He actually had real feelings for me too, and the idea of it made me happier than I’ve ever been. And scared as fuck.
Which was why I hadn’t slept more than a few hours again last night.
I wanted to be with Axel more than anything, but with Brock threatening to reveal this big secret that could send Ax to jail, I just couldn’t risk his life for my own. Ugh, this was such a mess.
Axel: You still there?
Me: Yeah, just thinking.
Axel: About what?
Me: You.
Two sharp knocks on the door had my heart leaping up my throat. What the hell? “Who is it?” I called as I climbed out of bed.
“Me.” Axel’s deep voice quickened the mad thumping of my pulse.
I scrambled across the room and jerked the door open, but only a sliver. Hiding behind the thick timber, I peered through the opening and met a pair of lively blue eyes. “Morning, blondie.”
“Ax, I’m still in my pjs. What are you doing here?” I ran a hand through my messy bedhead.
He revealed a brown paper bag splattered with greasy spots and powdered sugar. “I got us breakfast. Beignets from that little bakery in town you love so much.”
“How did you…” My words fell away as emotion tightened my throat. I hadn’t been to Copper Cove Confections in months. It was much too pricey for the current state of my bank account.
“I pay attention, Lore.” He inched closer, stretching his foot over the threshold. “Now are you going to let me in, or what?”
“At least give me a sec to get dressed. I haven’t even brushed my teeth—”
He snaked his hand through the opening and laced his arm around my waist, dragging my body against his. His lips captured mine, and all thoughts of morning breath vanished. As his mouth devoured mine, he dropped the beignets on my desk and walked us backward, slamming the door behind him.
“Mmm, I’ve been dreaming about you all night,” he whispered against my lips when we reached the foot of my bed. He wasn’t the only one. I’d been forced to pull out my vibrator after he’d left last night, leaving me all needy and jonesing for the real thing.
“Really?” Damn, I hated how insecure I sounded.
What was it about Axel that had all my carefully constructed walls crumbling?
“Can’t you feel it?” A sinful gleam lit up those brilliant baby blues as he angled his hips toward mine. His thick arousal rubbed against my belly.
“Maybe it’s from all the pretending,” I hedged.
His warm hand cupped my cheek, thumb gently brushing over my skin. His eyes locked to mine and held for an impossibly long moment. “Nah, I don’t think so, blondie. This is real.”
“But—”
Axel claimed my lips again, and the rest of my objections died on my tongue. As he pushed me back onto the bed, I couldn’t help but think about him and Cordelia. Was it really over between them? Or was he just confused?
He splayed me out on the mattress, his big hands skimming up my torso as his mouth ravaged mine. “I love these pjs,” he muttered against my lips. “They’re the same ones you wore at the beach house.”
He really was observant.
“Why?”
His hand crept up to my breast, and I let out a groan as he palmed the sensitive flesh. “No bra.”
A giggle escaped as he dropped his mouth to my nipple. “I never wear a bra when I sleep, Ax. With any of my pajamas.”
“Oh, really?”
“Have you never spent the night with a girl?”
“Of course, I have, but I guess there was less clothing involved.”
“So when you slept over at Cordelia’s—” Damned loose lips, why did I have to bring her up right now?
Axel’s expression shuttered, and he released a frustrated sigh. “She never let me spend the night,” he gritted out. “And anyway, I don’t want to talk about her right now, Lore. This is about you and me, okay?”
I nodded, snagging my bottom lip between my teeth.
“I want to give this a shot, for real, if you do anyway…”
That’s all I wanted. But I had to keep my cool for now because what if he realized it was all just pretend and the feelings he thought he caught weren’t real at all? Not to mention Brock and that whole disaster.
“Blondie, you still with me?”
My head dipped again. “I do,” I finally managed. “I want to try, I mean.”
“Good.”
“Great.” I smiled, despite the churning anxiety in my gut.
“Now spread your legs for me, baby, because I’ve been dreaming about tasting that sweet pussy again since the beach house.”
A flare of heat raced down my spine as he crawled down my body, his tongue licking down my torso. When he reached my sleep shorts, he hitched his fingers at the waistband and dragged them down my thighs, exposing my bare pussy.
“Mmm, no panties either.” His gaze turned downright feral. “I told you these were my favorites.”
“Maybe I should shower first—”
He dipped his head and licked up my wet folds, sending that fire surging through my lower half. “Absolutely not. You’re perfect just like this.” The vibrations of his words against my sensitive clit sent a tremor up my spine.
My head fell back, and all thoughts of the shower flew right out of my mind when his tongue circled that taut bundle of nerves. As he licked and nibbled, he dipped a finger inside me, and my back lifted right off the mattress.
“Oh, gawd, Ax…”
“I’m only getting started, blondie, we’re in no rush today.”
Weren’t we though? With Brock thirsting for revenge and my father breathing down my neck for an engagement it felt like we were sitting on a ticking time bomb.
Axel’s finger thrust deeper, striking up a tantalizing rhythm as his tongue circled relentlessly. My hips took up the tempo, urging him further inside me. The overpowering sensations began to build, jerking my thoughts from my dismal musings to the intense pleasure rolling through me.
“Damn, Lore, you’re so fucking sweet. I swear it’s like your pussy was dipped in chocolate.”
A snort escaped me.
“Actually, we should totally try that. It would be my dream come true.”
“You are so crazy,” I laughed.
“Crazy about making you come.” With a devious smirk, he dropped between my legs once again and continued the exquisite torture.
“I’m close,” I groaned as his thrusts grew more demanding. Coupled with that wicked tongue, the flow of fiery energy was nearly at a peak.
“Come on, blondie, come for me like a good girl,” he murmured against my clit as he picked up the devastating pace.
My fingers curled around the silky sheets as liquid lightning surged through my veins, starting at my spine and shooting all the way down to my toes.
“I—I’m going to come,” I moaned as the pleasure rushed over me. “Oh, Axel…” I clutched at his hair, fingers digging into his soft locks as I rode the wave of explosive bliss.
My lungs stalled, my heart failing, every part of me halting to enjoy this incredible moment. A long minute later, when I could finally breathe again, despite the lingering tremors, I glanced down at the smirking fool between my legs.
My arousal glistened on his chin, and he ran his tongue over the remnants. “I could eat you all day, blondie.”
Heat flushed my cheeks at the rough edge to his tone. “I think I could get used to that. You were pretty good…”
He crawled up my body, settling his hips between my thighs and his chin on my chest. My fingers itched to run through those mussed up blond tendrils falling across his forehead. Fuck, I was totally falling in love with this man.
I reached for a wayward curl and tucked it behind his ear. A breathy sigh escaped as I ran my fingers across the shell of his ear.
“What was that for?” His expressive eyes lifted to mine. “That cute little sigh?”
“I don’t know. I’m just happy I guess.”
“Then why do you look worried?”
“Because as happy as I am, I can’t help but think about Brock and Cordelia and—”
He pressed a gentle finger to my lips. “We can worry about everything tomorrow. Nothing is going to change in twenty-four hours, and today, I just want to focus on you, on the possibility of us. A real us.” He slowly dragged his finger across my bottom lip, and heat began to pool at the hollow between my thighs once again. “Do you think you can do that, Lore?”
God, I wanted to. I wanted everything else to go away, and just have this moment with him. So I nodded slowly, and he slid his finger between my lips. My cheeks hollowed and I swirled my tongue around that thick digit, imagining it was another thick part of his anatomy.
A rewarding moan pursed his lips. “Do you see how sweet you taste, Lore? You’re getting me all worked up again just thinking about it.”
Releasing his finger, I pushed him back, placing both palms on that firm chest. “It’s your turn, baby. I want to see how good you taste.”