“I can’t wait to get in the water again,” she murmurs, her tone dreamy.
And the moment cracks, slightly.
“Really?”
“Hmm. I want to go surfing with you. You ride me so well; I’ve no doubt you’re a master in the waves, too.” There’s humour in her tone, but I’m not laughing.
“I don’t surf.” The words take an effort. But images tumble through my mind, threatening this perfect bubble we’ve created.
“You don’t?” She pushes against my arms and sits up, turning so she can see my face. “You live in surfing heaven, and you’re telling me you don’t go out and catch these waves?”
“No.”
“But you’re a shaper! How do you understand the boards so well, if you’re not?—”
“I don’t surf anymore.” I emphasise the last word.
Jade chews her lip, her brows coming together. Emotions flicker across her expressive face. I can almost see her thinking, feel her concern for me. My chest aches. But I need to be so careful here. What we’ve built is so new, so fragile. I don’t want to smash it to pieces.
“Uh, so maybe we could just go for a swim and?—”
I shake my head. “Don’t swim either.”Please don’t ask me, my mind begs.
She’s still biting her lip. “Okay. All right. Uh, so what else can we do together?”
“Well.” I pull her towards me, feeling like a coward. I don’t want to break this dream, not yet. I don’t want her to know what I did. I’ve already shared more with her than I have with anyone, since I decided to step away from the world. But there are some secrets that run too deep. “I could take you around the island some more. There are other places to see, an artisan community, more restaurants and beaches. Lots to explore.”
“Hmm.” She’s soft in my arms, her green eyes darkening as she leans in to kiss me. “Exploring the island sounds like fun. But I think I need to explore Axel more, first. If you’re up for it.” One of her hands comes to my dick, palming it, cupping my balls through my shorts. She takes my lower lip between her teeth, pulling it gently. “I can’t seem to stop wanting you, Axel Black. What have you done to me?”
“Whatever it is, you’ve done the same to me,” I say, my fingers slipping between her legs. She’s so wet, hot against my hand. I take in a short breath. “Fuck, Jade. I want you, so much.”
“Then take me,” she says.
So I do.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Axel
I’m falling for Jade.
I’ve never been a “falls-hard-and-fast guy.” Certainly not until now. My last relationship was a slow burn, friends-to-lovers situation. I’ve always considered things carefully. Apart from my shaping business. That was something I knew I wanted to do, the first time I ever went out on a surfboard and saw how it worked with the water, how the shape made a difference. Like a puzzle I was desperate to solve.
Falling for Jade feels the same way. It’s a complication I don’t really need, not with everything else I have going on. But resisting it seems as futile as standing on the beach and telling the tide not to come in. It feels like the most natural thing in the world, like she was the missing piece I’ve been waiting for, bringing light and colour back into my existence.
I came here to heal from what happened with Susie, but I’ve healed more in the past couple of weeks than I did in all the time I’ve been here. And it’s all thanks to Jade.
I put the bags of groceries into the rack on the back of the scooter. I could have walked into town, but didn’t want to be apart from Jade for a moment longer than I needed to be. It was only hunger that brought me out of the house, as apparently you cannot live on sex alone, no matter how you might try.
I’m about to put my helmet on when someone touches my arm. I turn, frowning, to see Mish. Her arms are folded, her head down, and she’s tapping one foot in the dirt.
“Mish?”
“Hey, Axel.” She sounds subdued. Shit. I realise I totally forgot to get back to her after our run-in at the shop, caught up as I’ve been with Jade.
“Hey. You okay?”
Her head comes up. She’s chewing her lip. Then she huffs, looking to the side. “Look. I’m sorry, okay? For being… For being a dick.” She mumbles the last part.
