He sat down next to me with his own plate. “I don’t know how American insurance stuff works, but will they be able to help you get it fixed quickly?”
I chuckled, knowing that nothing in this country moved fast when it came to insurance. “No, but I have some savings in the bank that I can use to cover the cost up front in order to get the bakery back up and running. Hopefully they don’t drag their feet and make me wait months and months to get that reimbursement check.”
“If you want me to come Monday and put on my super scary face, I can.”
His offer made me laugh. While he had only ever been sweet to me, Axel’s size and general build could definitely be intimidating, so I was sure he could put the fear of God into someone if he really wanted to.
“I’m hopeful it will be fine, but if I need backup, I’ll let you know,” I replied, giving him an appreciative smile.
We spent the rest of the meal pretending it was a normal first date, chatting about curling and other hobbies we enjoyed, including listing off our favorite movies, though I hadn’t heard of most of his since they were Swedish.
In the end, the date started well and ended well, even if the middle was royally shitty.
“Thank you.” I turned to him after we put our plates and silverware in the dishwasher. “Thank you for salvaging our date the best you could.”
“Stella,” he started to say, but I needed to get it all out first, so I kept talking.
“And thank you for knowing the right questions to ask the cops tonight, and letting me stay here, and coming with me tomorrow to meet with Wade’s contractor and then to dinner with my parents. I’m sorry you had to deal with all this on our first date. I hate that you had to go through this at all. But Iappreciate it because I don’t think I would have handled it well myself.”
I considered myself a strong person mentally, but everyone had their breaking point, and having Axel and Luna there with me tonight was the only reason I hadn’t broken down in tears while talking to the cops.
As strong as I may think I was mentally, I was not very strong physically. The fact that Axel was coming with me to my parents’s house tomorrow simply as a bodyguard made me even more aware of that.
I didn’t have training like Axel did, and I sure as hell wasn’t as big, bulky, and muscular. Sure, I exercised and was fit, but I also sampled my treats every single day—for research purposes, of course. I also managed forty reps of twenty-pound weights in each arm, but that wasn’t going to win me any fistfights.
Axel gently placed both his hands on the sides of my head to cup it, bringing me out of my deep thoughts. “Stella, I want you to listen to me. I was made for this job. I am good at keeping people safe. I am good at finding bad people. I am good at compartmentalizing situations so that I can assess what needs to be done and what needs to be looked into.”
The featherlight touch of his thumb as he stroked my cheek caused goosebumps to race across my skin.
“I’d like to think that all the training and skills I learned prepared me for meeting you and helping you.I believe fate brought us together.”
Well, I guess that was one way to look at it.
“You really believe that?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied, as if it were so simple. “I also like you a lot, and I’m excited to see where this goes between us. Even though I’d love nothing more than to rush into this with everything I have to charm you, I also know I need to take it slow because you have a lot going on right now.”
I knew he was trying not to rush things because of what had happened with the fire tonight and the letters from Braden, but part of me wanted him to rush into things with me. “I like that you tell me your feelings and what you are thinking instead of playing coy.”
“I’m not sure if that is an American thing, or if you have just dated some real assholes, but that’s not how I am. If I like you, I will tell you. If I want something, I will do everything in my power to make it mine. I like you, and I want you, Stella. I want you to be mine, but we will move at your pace.”
“What if I want fast pace?”
His only response was to give me that sexy grin of his before he leaned down and kissed me softly. It wasn’t nearly long enough, but I enjoyed it all the same.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said mere inches from my face as I stared up at him. “For now, let’s call it a night. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I said reluctantly. I really just wanted to snuggle up next to him and enjoy being in his arms for the rest of the night, but I also didn’t want to be that needy woman.
I could do this.
“Good night, Axel.”
“Good night, Stella.” He kissed my forehead and broke away from me, and I instantly missed his body heat. “Try to get some sleep.”
I nodded and then turned to walk down the small hallway where the guest bathroom and bedroom were located. They were both quite roomy, and I suspected neither of them had ever been used.
My temporary clothes and supplies had been delivered just after dinner, but I hadn’t wanted to stop and change—and I loved that the T-shirt Axel had given me smelled like him.
