And he was very aware of her.
He had been all night.
From the moment he essentially tackled her to the ground, it had been hard to think of anything else. The storm was a good distraction, but the more time they spent together, the more attracted he became.
Their situation pretty much made it impossible for him to act on it or even flirt a little with her. They were trapped here in the lodge, and there was no way he was going to do anything that would scare her or even make her uncomfortable.
Beside him, Maisie rolled onto her side, facing him. The dress she opted to wear had a V-neck, and with the way she was lying right now, he had a spectacular view of her cleavage. The firelight cast a soft glow on her, and he swore he’d be content to just watch her until he fell asleep.
Only…the more he looked at her, the more he imagined doing more than just watching her.
Her skin would be warm and soft; that was a given. But he wondered where she liked to be touched. Her curves had been driving him wild, but he got the impression that she was a little self-conscious about her size. Would she let him touch her by the firelight, or would she prefer total darkness?
Both had their appeal, but Axel almost groaned just thinking about joining her on her mattress and peeling that little resort dress off of her.
“You okay?” Maisie whispered, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Um…yeah,” he mumbled. “Why?”
“You groaned. Are you all right?” She leaned up on one elbow, studying him. “Are you feeling the effects of that fall earlier? Maybe you should have put ice on wherever it hurts.”
Now he inwardly groaned—since he clearly hadn’t done that seconds ago—because there was no way he was putting ice between his damn legs.
Clearing his throat, he shifted uncomfortably to lie on his side facing her, careful to bunch the blankets strategically in front of him.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “I’m just having a hard time shutting my brain off so I can sleep.”
Okay, that last part wasn’t a lie.
“I know what you mean,” she said quietly. “This entire day—hell, these last few weeks—have been a lot. I feel like I haven’t been able to relax for far too long.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to offer to help with that, but…he couldn’t.
He shouldn’t.
“Can I ask you something, Axel?”
He nodded.
“Was going into construction your dream or was there something else you would have done if circumstances were different?”
Sighing, he pushed up, mimicking her pose. “That’s a good question. I honestly don’t know. My circumstances were pretty much solidified at a young age. Academics weren’t my thing. College was out of the question, so that meant working in the trades. I don’t see it as a bad thing because I’m good at what I do and enjoy it. Plus, those skills helped me to be part of this project. I think it would have been a major disappointment if my lack of finances had kept me from being a part of the resort.”
She smiled sleepily at him. “You’re lucky that you have such good friends who made that possible for you.”
“We’re like brothers. From the first time we met as kids, there was a connection there. Like I mentioned earlier, we’re all so wildly different, but when we’re together, none of that matters. We all bring something to the group, and that's what makes it work. I don’t know where I’d be without them. Hell, I don’t know if I’d even still be alive without them. I went through a hell of a rebellious streak when I went out on my own. But Walker, Milo, Connor, and Slater? I can’t even tell you how many times they bailed my ass out and got me back on track.”
Her smile turned sad, and he wondered what she was thinking but didn’t know how to ask.
“I don’t have any friends like that,” she said softly. “I have acquaintances who are too self-absorbed to notice when I’m crashing and burning. Like now.”
Damn.
“Maisie, I…”
She yawned, rolling onto her back. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be a downer. I guess I’m just over-tired and talking nonsense.”
Somehow, he didn’t think it was. He had a feeling she was speaking the truth, and no one else ever listened.
