Rafael groaned and leaned over me to slap the water off. He was the one to get out first, dressing me in a big cotton robe to make sure I didn’t get cold. I smiled at the fact thathewas the one getting his ass pounded for the first time, and yet he was still taking care ofme.
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” I said to him.
“Nope,” he teased before kissing me. “I think you should do it again.”
20
Rafael
It was two weeks away from Skylar’s due date when Axel showed up.
I noticed him coming from almost a mile away. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but some protective alpha instinct did flare up when I saw that frame saunter into my field of vision. Despite only meeting him once, I’d burned his face into memory as the man who had wronged Skylar in so many ways.
We were sitting outside the Omega Angel Café, enjoying the warm spring air. The café had given Skylar plenty of time off, and without going to work every day he missed the atmosphere and people here.
“And the food,” he’d said. “Oh god, do I miss those little chocolate pastries.”
Skylar sat beside me, not realizing Axel’s presence as he stuffed his face with treats. I stiffened as I saw Axel pause a healthy distance away. I didn’t know what his deal was. He wasn’t coming any closer, but I didn’t like that he was just standing there like a creep. I was wondering if I should let Skylar know Axel was here when he perked up.
“Why do you have that scary look on your face?” Skylar asked. He turned to look over his shoulder, then said quietly, “Oh.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, getting up already. “I’ll handle this.”
“Don’t do anything bad,” he warned.
I almost wanted to make sure one of Skylar’s co-workers would come and sit with him, but he was in a very public area right in front of the café. Nothing could happen to him without anyone seeing. With that fear smoothed down, I approached Axel and frowned.
“What are you doing here?” I asked firmly.
Axel looked a bit surprised to see me. “Oh. It’s you.”
“Did you expect someone else?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be around.”
I crossed my arms, not wanting to give this guy any more attention than necessary. “What do you want?”
I expected Axel to argue with me, to make a big snarky display about how he was allowed to visit the Omega Angel Café or simply walk down the sidewalk, but instead he glanced towards Skylar.
“I wanted to see how he was doing,” Axel said.
“Why? He’s not your responsibility. He’s made it very clear he doesn’t want you in his life.”
Axel winced. “I know.” He sighed. “Look, I know I was an asshole back then. You and Skylar didn’t deserve it.”
His words took me off guard, but I didn’t uncross my arms or let it show on my face. “You’re right. Especially not him.”
Axel nodded. “I made a dumb mistake, sleeping with him that night. You probably won’t believe me, but after I sobered up and realized what I did, I felt bad.”
“Bad about what?”
“How the baby’d be growing up without an alpha father,” Axel said. “I know it was part of the agreement and all, but I felt guilty as hell. That’s why I sent Shane to check on him.”
“Because you were too cowardly to do it yourself,” I said.
“Yeah. Which is why I came by myself this time.”
We stared at each other warily for a moment. I still didn’t trust him, but I got the sense that he had at leastsomegenuine accountability. That didn’t mean I was going to let him anywhere near Skylar, though.
