I sense the moment Axel comes up behind me, as if my body seeks his out. I feel his feather-light touch brush my hair back as he slowly leaves a trail of soft kisses from my shoulder to my ear. Lightning once again strikes through my body, and I force the moan threatening to escape my throat back down.
“I have to make a call. Go ahead and take a shower. I’ll set out a towel for you,” he says as he intertwines his fingers with mine and leads me to the bathroom.
I move with him, our bodies moving in sync, when I realize I only have my purse, which is filled with cash, mints, and my phone.
“Wait, I have nothing to wear.” Looking down at the large sweatshirt that Cal gave me and heels, it’s clear I wasn’t expecting an impromptu sleepover tonight. Without missing a beat, Axel walks over to the tall dresser next to his bed and grabs a white t-shirt. He hands me the shirt and kisses the top of my head as if he’s done it a million times before. He’s being so sweet with me right now, and I can’t help but swoon a little. I love this side of Axel, the man only I get to see.
“Go.” He turns me by the shoulders and gives me a quick pat on my butt. I shiver at his gruff voice, and my core clenches as his hand kneads my backside for a swift moment before he’s gone.
I walk into the bathroom, close the door behind me, and lean my back against the cool wood before remembering why I came in here. I glance at the mirror as I walk to the shower, expecting to see myself, but the woman looking back at me is one I don’t recognize. I stop and confront my reflection; my face is pale, and dark circles have formed around my bloodshot eyes. I could seriously use a makeup wipe and about ten hours of sleep.
Pulling Cal’s sweater over my head and shimmying my tight dress down my body, I examine the bathroom. There’s nothing on the counters, and the black towels are perfectly folded and draped on the towel rack next to the sliding glass door. It is sparse, just like the bedroom. Axel could leave tomorrow, and no one would ever know he lived here.
Sliding the large shower door open, I notice the rectangular shower head is mounted directly in the center of the ceiling. A rainfall shower. In this moment, I’m extremely grateful Axel had me stay.This is going to be glorious.
Stepping onto the matte black tiles, my feet relish in the amazing feeling of the heated floor underneath them. The handle for the shower is placed on the back wall. The moment I turn it on, the room fills with warm steam, and a downpour of water falls from the ceiling. Heaven is a word that comes to mind. I wish I could truly enjoy this moment, but the anxiety and panic from today still courses through me. I feel nauseous and gross. I move so that the water is perfectly overhead, bowing my head so the hot water sears my scalp and neck. I can instantly tell the water temperature is too high, but I feel like I need it to be scalding. I want to fry the violence and grimy feeling of today off my body.
“Jesus, babe!”
I nearly jump out of my skin at Axel’s voice. I’ve been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed him come in. Opening my eyes, I catch sight of his perfectly toned, extremely naked body reaching over to the handle on the wall. I barely register the temperature change as I stare at the large tattoo that covers his back. A black-and-white skull sits in the center, flanked with long black wings that start from right below his shoulder blades and land at his hips. The wings look as if they’ve been singed by flames. Across the top of his back, the wordsHell Chasersstand out in bold lettering. Across the bottom, in the same style, readsTill Death. My gaze travels over his body, memorizing every delicious piece of him. His toned, olive skin glistens in the steam, my body tingles with need. This man doesn’t even have to touch me, and I’m putty in his hands. Glancing over his shoulder, he catches me staring, awestruck by his godlike form. My brain tells me to look away and stop being so creepy, but my body decides against it.
“Did that hurt?” I say in a breathy voice. Maybe he’ll think my staring is purely innocent interest instead of horny lust. Axel walks past me, grabbing the bottle of shampoo from a squarebuilt-in shelf on the wall. When he turns back, he’s squeezing some into his hand. Slowly, he massages the thick liquid between his fingers. The motion seems so sexually charged that I think I’m starting to go insane. He’s just rubbing shampoo between his fingers. I mean, honestly, Jenna, get a grip.
“Hurt like a bitch, but I was so drunk I really only felt the pain the next morning,” he says in a dangerously sexy voice.
“And the other ones? Were you drunk for those, too?” I let my eyes trail down the obscene amount of black-and-white ink that covers his chest and arms. A smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. “Not all of them, but many.” Axel’s body now stands behind me. All I can focus on is the sizzle of electricity I feel between our bodies. Well, that’s not the only thing I feel between us. His dick is as hard as a rock, and right now, it’s resting on my ass.
“Relax, Angel. I can hear you overthinking.”
Without warning, he begins washing my hair, delightfully scrubbing my scalp, and massaging the shampoo into my thick mane. Letting my eyes close and my head drop back, I give in to the peaceful moment. Never before has a man washed my hair or touched me in such a loving way. I keep my eyes closed as he rinses the shampoo from my hair and conditions it.
“Turn to me.” Axel’s voice is low, almost strained. Turning slowly, I blink open my eyes to look at the sex god in front of me. Water drips down from his brow and slides over his delicious lips. He moves his hands until they’re holding my hips in place. He puts slight pressure on each side of my hips, a way of telling me to move backward without words. Axel matches my steps and walks forward with me. I yelp at the sting of the cold tiles against my back. Never once does Axel take his smoldering brown eyes off mine.
Axel slowly lowers his head until his mouth rests at the base of my neck. He slides his mouth up as he kisses, sucks, and bitesthe expanse of my sensitive neckline until his lips finally meet mine. I nearly come undone from that action alone.
“I’ve missed this perfect fucking body.” He speaks into my lips as the shower becomes a blur. A quick, possessive kiss is all I get before I’m spun around to face the wall. I place my hands out in front of me, steadying my body against the cool tile, such a stark contrast to the heat of my body. Axel wraps my hair around his hand, pulling slightly so my head dips back, exposing my neck to him. My chest heaves in the air as my breaths become fast and erratic.
Axel palms one of my heavy breasts in his hand. “Mmm, look at these fucking tits.” Slowly, he starts his delicious torture, rolling and flicking my tender nipple between his fingers. A moan escapes my throat as my body melts into goo at his touch. My brain feels like it’s short-circuiting from the pleasure surging through it, but this isn’t part of the deal.
“What about our deal, Axel? We were supposed to be a one-night thing.” I’m surprised I’m able to get the words out so clearly. A moan leaves my lips as his hold on me becomes tighter.
“Fuck the deal,” he growls in my ear, never letting up on his sweet assault of my breasts.
“I’m not a good guy, Jenna. I should let you go. But, fuck…” His breathing becomes shallow and quick against my back. “I don’t know if I can.”
His hand travels down my stomach, beautiful tattoos splayed against my skin. Before his hand gets where I so desperately need him, he pauses. I almost groan with annoyance. The only sound around us now is the sound of the shower and our breathing.
“Tell me what you need, baby.” I almost want to roll my eyes at him. Here we go again. Why does he always need to push meout of my comfort zone? Why does he need my words when my body so clearly conveys my want?
“Dane…” I pause, wanting him to continue his downward movement. He still holds my hair in his hand, not letting my head move from its position. His mouth rests on the corner of mine, but he doesn’t kiss me.
“Angel… Tell me, or?—”
“Fine!” I say in a loud, exasperated voice. I can’t handle this anymore, and honestly, I don’t care if he knows how badly I want him. I can feel his smile as a deep, sexy chuckle comes from his lips. Part of me wants to gouge his eyes out from how frustrated I feel, but the other part of me becomes sad at the thought of anything harming him.
“I want you, all of you. Inside me… now.”
“Mmm, there she is, my perfect, dirty Angel.” He speaks into my lips as he turns my head to the side. His mouth crushes into mine as his hand finally dips between my legs.
