“Sounds perfect,” she responds with a small smile. Within minutes, her breathing evens out, and a light snore fills the silence. I’m glad she’s finally getting some rest. I asked Cal for a report on her daily schedule—this woman works her ass off. Settling in, the warmth of her skin relaxes me, and I fall asleep faster and harder than I have in a long time.
I wake the next morning when the first hint of daylight filters in through the large window in Jenna’s room. I’ve never been able to sleep in—it sucks, but I never waste my mornings. Lying on my back, I savor the feeling of her wrapped around me. Her head rests on my chest, her legs intertwined with mine. The sheet hasslipped down to her waist, leaving her beautifully toned back exposed.
I woke her up two more times during the night. Each time, we had sex, talked, fell asleep, and repeated. She’s perfect. All night, her body was so responsive, the sound of my name on her lips as she clamped around me in ecstasy is on constant replay in my head.
My chest tightens as I think about another man being with her, waking up to her warmth wrapped around him. The thought makes my blood boil, but I know the arrangement I signed on for. She needs someone who doesn’t have blood on his hands, someone who doesn’t bring danger just by being in her life.
She starts to stir, her face rubbing against my chest. Her brow furrows, and she mumbles as if caught in a bad dream.
“No, no, no!” she cries, each word louder than the last.
My pulse quickens at the desperation in her voice. I shake her shoulders, calling her name to wake her, but it doesn’t work. I shake her harder.
“Jenna, wake up!” I say firmly.
She shoots upright, gasping for air. I pull her to my chest, running my hands over her back.
“You’re okay. It was just a bad dream,” I say into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Her body relaxes against me, but a moment later, she stiffens. I wonder if this is from last night, she probably hasn’t dealt with anything like that before and it can scare some people.
“Tell me what your dream was about,” I say calmly.
“It was just a bad dream, Axel. It happens sometimes,” she says, her voice shaky as she slowly moves away from me. The action a stark contrast from the woman who couldn’t keep her hands off of me last night.
I want to pull her back and never let her leave.Holy shit, what kind of spell has this woman put on me?
She stands, pulling an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts from her drawer. I hate it. I want her naked in bed with me, but I know that’s over.
“Um, you can hang out if you want. I’m going to get coffee and make some breakfast,” she says, turning to leave.What the fuck just happened?
“Wait,” I call after her. “Come here.”
She turns back, hesitating, but then walks over to the bed. I take her hand and pull her into my lap. She rests her head in the crook of my neck, and I breathe her in.
“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry? We can’t part ways with a weird fucking ‘see ya later,’” I tease, mimicking her voice.
She laughs softly. “I’m sorry. I just thought it would be easier to make a clean break. Last night was— ” she pauses for a moment searching for the right word. “Amazing.” she admits, still not looking at me.
I move so she has no choice but to meet my gaze. Her tousled, wavy red hair and puffy, sleep-worn face make her look even more beautiful. I drink in the sight of her.
“Don’t look at me like that, Axel,” she says slapping my chest. “We are not having sex again, no matter how magical your dick is.” She laughs. She has some sass. I’ll give her that.
“My real name is Dane,” I blurt out. I have no idea why I tell her that, but I need her to have that part of me.
Her hand runs down my arm, landing on mine. She intertwines our fingers, staring at them for a moment before looking back at me. “Dane is a great name. It suits you,” she says with a smile, leaning in to kiss me quickly. I try to deepen the kiss, but Jenna pulls back with a sly smile.
“Tsk, tsk” she waggles her finger at me. “See you around, Dane.” I watch her stand to leave. But I grab her hand, pulling her back. That is not the kiss we’re leaving on.
Now she’s full blown giggling as I lock our lips together. She opens to me, letting me taste every inch of her. That’s my girl.
When we finally pull apart, I brush my thumb across her cheek. “Angel, always know that I’m here for you. I don’t care if we’re friends or not—you mean something to me. Got that?”
“Yes, I understand. Same goes for you, okay?” she replies. Fuck, she looks at me like she really means that.
I chuckle softly. “Yeah, babe.”
She stands once more and heads to the door. When she opens it, I catch sight of Blaze and Marley standing in their doorway, grinning like idiots. It’s obvious they heard everything last night.
