“How’s yourmate?”
“What?” Axel can’t help the irritation in his voice at the mention of Chloe.
“How’s Chloe? Your mate, the other half of your soul. Still leaving in a couple of days?”
“Fuck you, Jack, you know she is. What of it?”
Axel gets up and brushes past Jack, heading down the hallway towards the kitchen to get himself a fresh cup of coffee. Jack follows him closely, much to Axel’s irritation.
“You should tell her. Tell her you guys are mates, tell her you love her.”
Axel hangs his head, holding the coffee cup in one hand and the carafe in the other. He can’t, he can’t tell Chloe. Try to take her away from her life in New York.
“I can’t she...she’s better than this place. Better than anything I could ever give her.”
“Even love?”
Axel looks over at him. He doesn’t have the strength to show irritation, anger, or frustration towards Jack. Instead, it’s resignation, Jack’s right.
“You love her, right? And I would bet anything that she loves you, too. You’re mates, you’re meant to be perfect for each other.”
“She’s leaving.”
“Would she leave if you told her? Is her job really worth it?”
“She quit.”
“What the fuck, man! She quit? What are you waiting for? Tell her, for fucks sake. She can stay here, live in the cabin with you, and work at the lodge. It would be perfect.”
“She’s going back to New York, I already asked her.”
“Did you ask her if she’s leaving? Or did you ask her to stay?”
It’s only later, when Jack’s stopped bothering him and he’s back manning the front desk, that he realizes he has nothing to lose. His business is failing, no change with that. Maury is gone and can’t help them against the Harvey Group. All the accounts and money in the Caymans left with Maury. He can fight with a lawyer to try and get the land sold to them back, it seems like that could be a possibility since he didn’t sign off on it. But they’re still going under. They still have six months to a year before they lose everything. The only thing he has left to lose is Chloe.
Chloe, his precious Chloe. The love of his life. His dad would have liked her, she’s smart and doesn’t take any shit. She’s determined and feisty, yet so very kind and caring. She’s beautiful. Curvy and sexy as fuck. Everything he could want in a partner, in a mate. He loves her, and he doesn’t want her to be another thing that he loses. No matter what happens with the lodge, he wants to be with her and will follow her anywhere she wants to go.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chloe
It’s times like these when she questions her looks. She’s got on her ‘little black dress’ from her luggage, and Danielle helped her curl her hair. She usually feels sexy in this outfit, dressed to kill. But now she feels a little silly. Axel has wanted her dressed as a female lumberjack, and now she’s dressed up for a night on the town.
When Chloe gets to Axel's cabin, she’s nervous, really nervous. This feels like something big. Like they’re taking the next step in their relationship. But damn it, this isn’t a relationship. She’s leaving in a couple of days, and she’ll never see him again. It’s fine. They’re just going to have dinner as friends, and it will be fine.
It’s not fine, and it’s definitely not as friends. When he opens the door, he immediately pulls her into him, kissing her cheek, then her lips. Taking the time to deepen the kiss right there on his porch. She’s breathless by the time they pull apart. She wants tolean into him, kiss him more. But he leads her into the cabin with a warm hand on the small of her back.
“You look beautiful, Chloe.”
A blush blooms on her cheeks, but she doubts he can see it from the candlelit room. There are candles everywhere. On the mantle to his fireplace, on side tables, and on the shelves. The kitchen table has two candles that light up the space. The lights are off except for the kitchen, and he has a fire going. It’s romantic. Her heart beats a little faster. He did this for her.
“Come sit.”
He leads her to the table and pulls out the chair for her. Serving her a glass of water before setting the dinner in front of her.
“Looks good,” she says, leaning towards her plate a little to breathe it in.
“Chicken parm, it’s my mom’s recipe.”
