I laugh at the cliché, but it doesn't diminish my arousal.
Me: Just a t-shirt and underwear.
Axel: Take them off.
The command sends a thrill through me. I set my phone down and pull my shirt over my head, then slip out of my underwear. The cool air of the apartment raises goosebumps on my bare skin.
Me: Done. Now what?
Axel: Now imagine it's my hands on you. My mouth. My cock.
I close my eyes, letting his words wash over me. My hand slides between my legs again, finding the slick heat there.
Me: I wish you were here.
I send the message without thinking, raw honesty breaking through my usual guards.
Three dots appear, then disappear. Then:
Axel: Open your door.
I stare at the message, uncomprehending for a moment. Then a soft knock sounds from the hallway.
My heart stops. I scramble for my clothes, pulling them on with trembling hands. I cross to the door on unsteady legs, peering through the peephole.
Axel stands in the hallway, phone in hand, looking slightly disheveled and utterly perfect.
I unlock the door, one, two, three clicks, and pull it open, a grin spreading across my face despite my best efforts to contain it.
“Hi,” I whisper, heart racing.
“Come here.” His voice is low, raw, thick with need. He hauls me closer, mouth slanting over mine with a hunger that steals my breath. I feel his hands claim my body like he’s done it a hundred times, like he already knows I’m his. His hands slide under my shirt, spanning my ribs, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts. I arch into the touch, gasping against his mouth.
"I couldn't wait until Denver," he murmurs against my lips, voice strained with need. "Not after those texts."
I tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. "I'm glad you didn't wait."
He carries me to the couch, our mouths never separating. As he lowers me onto the cushions, I realize I've never wanted anyone the way I want him right now, with a desperate, consuming hunger that obliterates everything else.
For tonight, there is no court date looming. No custody battle. No café to run. Just Axel's hands on my skin, his weightsettling over me, the promise of pleasure drowning out every fear.
For tonight, I'm just Sadie. And for now, that feels like enough.
Chapter 18
Axel
Ipull into the parking lot behind Pike's Perk thirty minutes early, killing the engine with a satisfied smile. The Oxford Hotel suite is booked, I've arranged for champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries to be waiting in the room, and I've already handled the brewery schedules so I can focus entirely on Sadie for the next twenty-four hours.
The anticipation has me practically vibrating. Last night was… intense. The way she responded to me, the hunger in her kiss, the soft sounds she made beneath me on that couch, I can't get enough. But it's more than just physical. Something shifted between us when I showed up at her door. A wall came down. She let me see her, really see her, vulnerable and wanting and unguarded.
I exit my truck and head toward the stairs that lead up to her apartment. The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the parking lot, the air crisp with early autumn. I spot her car parked in its usual spot, and I'm halfway across the lot when I notice it.
A large manila envelope tucked under her windshield wiper. No markings, no visible address, just a blank envelope stuck beneath one of the wiper blades.
My good mood evaporates instantly. Something about it feels wrong. I scan the parking lot, suddenly alert to every shadow, every sound. It's mostly empty this early, just a couple of cars belonging to café staff. No one loitering, no one watching.
But someone was here. Someone put that envelope on her car, knowing exactly which vehicle was hers.
