Chapter 83

“Yes.” He wiggled his other hand between us and drew a cross over his heart. The small, childish gesture set my racing mind at ease and I collapsed on top of him.

“Got more questions?”

I nodded and said, “No.”

He chuckled. “Let me know when you make up your mind.”

We lay in silence for a while. I loved how I rose and fell with his breaths and how his fingers played with the short hairs of my neck. Outside the cabin, the wind had picked up again and howled its way through the trees, but in here we were warm and safe.

“I know one thing,” I whispered.

“What’s that?”

“I want to kiss you.”

“What’s stoppin’ you?

I got up on my elbows and looked down at him. His lips were parted and he stared at my mouth. I licked my lips and lowered myself but I didn’t kiss him. Instead, I hovered over him, drawing out the moment before our first kiss. Torturing him. And myself. For once my mind was blank and I existed only in that moment.

Then I couldn’t wait any longer. I closed the distance and—finally—our lips met. The bees were back with a vengeance and buzzed like crazy. He opened his mouth and my tongue accepted the invitation. Axel tasted of hot chocolate and hope and I never wanted to stop kissing him.

His hands roamed my back, and mine gripped his upper arms. Our legs tangled into a knot of limbs. I tore my mouth from his and rained kisses all over his face. My dick roared back to life and I ground my pelvis against his. When our cocks touched through two layers of underwear, he moaned and the sound rolled around the room like a persistent echo in a valley.

I kissed down his throat until I reached his pulse point. Opening my mouth, I sucked on his flesh. Carefully at first, but then his palm landed on the back of my head, and he pressed my face into his neck as he growled, “Do it.” I sucked hard, desperate to leave my mark on him. Neither of us cared that it would be visible tomorrow.

We thrust and rubbed and pushed our cocks against each other as if we were dueling. Our loud noises mingled, our movements grew irregular and hurried, and hands scrabbled and groped.

I kissed him on the mouth—ignoring his unhappy noise as I let the abused flesh on his neck go. The kisses were gentle and sensual, a stark contrast to what our bodies were doing. It was the kisses that propelled me over the finish line and I panted into his mouth as I exploded in my underwear. Axel’s eyes widened and he tightened his arms around me, rolling us until our positions were reversed and I was on my back. He pushed his pelvis into mine, threw his head back, and yelled out his pleasure. His dick throbbed and trembled against mine as he shot his load.

My head spun and I held on to him as if he were my anchor. When our breathing evened out, we managed to wiggle out of our underwear and clean up without ever letting go of each other. He positioned himself on his back and pulled me to him until my head rested in the crook of his neck.

With his arm wrapped around my shoulder and his nose pushed into my temple, I was the happiest I’d been in a long time. I tangled my legs with his and flung my arm around his waist and if it had been possible, I would have crawled into him. Existing in the same space as him felt right. Like I belonged.

And for the first time ever, my mind wasn’t buzzing with a million questions about the future. There and then, I was happy to live in the moment, not knowing what was coming next. It was probably just the post-sex endorphins talking, but it gave me hope. Maybe we could make this work? Maybe he was my future?

All I knew was that I wanted to kiss him some more, so I cupped his cheek and turned his face toward me, and pressed my lips against his.Epilogue

I ended up staying until New Year’s Day—after calling my boss and sucking up to him so he’d give me a few days off. I hung out with my mom when Axel was at work and it was just like old times. I’d missed her even more than I’d realized.

Evenings and nights were spent with Axel. He picked me up on his way home from work and we devoted the time to getting to know each other better. I couldn’t get enough of his company, his wits, or his curious hands.