I met him at Lincoln Park.
There was a breeze just this side of chilly that made venturing outside without a coat a guarantee of catching the flu. Winter was definitely coming, and I wasn’t the only one trying to keep warm.
I stood admiring the red wolf pack, watching the alpha male cuddle against his significant other with a possessiveness I couldn’t relate to. He gently bit down on her ear, and she tilted her head back to look at him, as if silently asking a question. In response, he nuzzled her neck with his snout, resting it there while she resumed her sleepy vigil over the young pups playing below. The cubs were having a grand old time, nipping and scratching each other, some running around while the others tumbled down a small incline, rolling to the bottom clumsily, kicking adorable paws up in the air.
The concept of a regular family was unfamiliar to me. Unlike most people, I didn’t have the luxury of both parents being present in my childhood. My mother had left me on my father’s doorstep while she ran off to parts unknown with a man who didn’t want me riding along. The old man had raised me as best he could, but CPS had found his child-rearing skills wanting. They’d come knocking a couple of years later with documents that rendered my father an “unfit parent” and taken me away from the only adult who actually gave a fuck about me.
I haven’t felt safe since.
Or cared for.
Or loved…
I blinked, my vision clearing just in time to see the alpha female rolling over onto her back, exposing her soft belly to the male. He raised his head, mouth open and tongue lolling to the side, then raised a paw to wrap around her tiny middle.
I looked away then, hating how their affectionate gestures made me think of Sienna. I dug my hands deeper into my pockets, my fist closing around the burner phone I was still carrying in my pocket, a tangible string tying me to her that I wasn’t quite ready to sever. I sighed for the hundredth time at the thought of calling her, just to hear that voice of hers, or to hear her giggle when I said something incredibly vulgar.
But I couldn’t.
I had no right to go anywhere near her after the shit I’d done. She probably hated me, and didn’t want to see my face again for as long as she lived. At least, that’s what I’d told myself after I’d left her house. But as soon as I got back to my place, and saw the monitors that were still up, I couldn’t resist pulling up a seat by the desk.
I had spent my morning watching her on all eight screens, surprised that she had managed a full six hours without startling awake. Then she had made breakfast, humming her way around the kitchen naked. I’d watched her get ready for her brunch, the process made slower because she stopped to admire every mark I’d left on her flesh. Before she left, she fucked her little cunt to two orgasms and called out my name both times. My cock got hard watching her, as it usually did every time she masturbated to the memory of me, but I didn’t have time to rub one out. I had to leave shortly after she did to meet a grown ass man at a fucking zoo.
What a waste of a Saturday afternoon.
My gaze flicked to the pups one last time before I made my way around the children’s zoo, then warily swept the area, searching the crowds for signs of-
Ah. The black bear.
Typical.
He stood facing the animal, his shoulders tense and rigid beneath the fine material of his suit. I could bet my entire life savings that he wore a suit beneath that coat, one just as expensive, if not more, than all the clothes in my entire closet. With my jeans and tan shearling jacket, I would look like a lumberjack next to His Majesty. A comparison that bothered me just a bit, because it reminded me of the huge power vacuum between us.
I made my way over, noting the armed men that littered the area, pretending to study the various animals in their cages. But I could feel their trained eyes on me, watching, ready to gun me down in case I did anything suspicious.
“Didn’t know you were a fan.”
He didn’t bother turning. I stood a safe distance away from him, my own gaze on the bear walking around its pen. The predator seemed unbothered by the fact that we were watching him, as if our existence didn’t matter to him at all.
“I’m not,” he replied curtly. “But I couldn’t exactly stare at the hippopotamus swimming in its own faeces now, could I?”
“You fucking chose the venue, M.”
He rolled his eyes, turning to face me. “I forgot about the smell. I should’ve asked you to meet me at the gardens instead, now I’m going to carry the scent of shit everywhere I go. This is wool.”
He held out the lapel of his coat, as if to demonstrate the fact to me. While frowning, he leaned in to take a small whiff of the inner lining and scrunched up his nose.
I let out an exasperated sigh, and regarded Magnus with a look that told him exactly what he could do with his complaints. He shrugged nonchalantly, as if my impatience didn’t mean shit to him, and asked, “I presume you were successful?”
His dark hair blew in the breeze, his dark eyes sweeping over my facial features cautiously, I think to gauge if I was trying to deceive him. But I answered honestly. “Everything has been wiped, the documents shredded and burned. Witnesses have been taken care of, sources paid off. Her boss is going to take her off Wilson’s case on Monday.”
Magnus adjusted one of his leather gloves, his gaze still on my face. He studied me for a long moment, then he asked, “And what will you do if she does try something? Seeing as you were against killing her-”
“She’s not a threat, Magnus. She just took the case because it landed on her desk. She couldn’t very well say no, considering what she does for a living. But it’s done now,” I argued, lying through my teeth. Sienna had begged for that case, risking life and limb to put away one of the country’s biggest bads. And knowing her as I do now, she wasn’t going to take any of this lying down. She would fight and fight until she was successful. But her win may come at a very steep cost. Which was why the surveillance was so necessary. I could stop her before she did anything that would get her killed.
“Are you certain she isn’t a threat, Axel? Or are you just feeding me whatever lines the two of you came up with during the pillow talk section of your night? Perhaps I’ll need to have a little chat with her myself.”
My jaw clenched at his words and I barely resisted the urge to punch Magnus right in the face. I didn’t want him anywhere near Sienna, because I knew what kind of sick shit the fucker would do to her if she tried anything else. A spine-tingling fear washed over me, chilling me to the bone. I looked away, so he wouldn’t see how I felt.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I disagree. I have it on good authority that the bitch is gunning for me,” he said, mock concern in his voice. “Which is rather upsetting because you told me this entire situation would be handled discreetly and quietly.”
I hissed in a breath, turning to look at Magnus. His expression was deadly serious. I knew from our years of being acquainted that he had reached the end of a very short rope. “But she-”
“She has Wilson on tax evasion, embezzlement, fraud, obstruction of justice… Something tells me that she has enough evidence to convince that rat bastard to flip. And if that happens, she’s going to use this case to reveal each and every one of my crimes. But how can that be, Axel, when you just told me that you have this under control?”
Fuck.
“I do. The evidence is gone, so even if she filed hundreds of charges, nothing will stick if she can’t back up her fucking claims. It’s handled, Magnus.”
He tilted his head to the side, as though disputing my claims. “It fucking isn’t. I might have to kill Wilson, Axe, and you know how much I hate to kill old friends.”
I’d believe that, if this sick fuck didn’t murder people so often. Magnus enjoyed killing. Truly. He got off on it as much as regular people got off on… sports. He found great pleasure in the pain of others.
“I have clearly underestimated Ms. Moore and overestimated you. A mistake I’ll need to rectify soon.”
My eyes narrowed, brows knitting on my brow. I took an involuntary step forward, a surge of violent intent rushing through my veins at the thought of Sienna getting hurt. I pulled my hands from my pockets and faced Magnus, aware of the guards that were moving closer. “How exactly do you plan on doing that?”
“How else?” he asked, his own eyes narrowed now. My hands balled into fists, and I took a step forward to glare down at my former best friend, using my height and size to my advantage. It was by no means a large margin, but I had very little going for me in terms of power right now.
“Don’t you dare go near her,” I growled, my tone thick with meaning and laced with warning. “She will not be one of your victims.”
He raised a finger at his guards, who had their hands on their weapons and were ready to draw them. They stopped, but didn’t back away. That there were families here with children didn’t mean shit to them. If they started shooting, lots of innocent people would get hurt.
Magnus is slow to grin, but the malice in that smile is potent enough to make me uneasy. He took a step forward as well, so we were literally toe-to-toe, his head tilted back so he was looking directly into my eyes.
“Then do your job, Axel. She is a fucking stunner of a woman, and I imagine her cunt must be the true stuff of dreams because your cock’s been hard for a week, but get your shit together. You know I will kill her. Then you, but after I’ve punished you for stepping out of line. Get her to drop the charges or I will personally see to this matter.”
“It’s a fucking Saturday, M. And you fucking know the charges will be dropped first thing on Monday,” I argued, my voice a deep, low growl. But the fucker just looked at me, his expression betraying nothing.
“Are you saying you can’t do it?”
“No, that’s not what I said. I swear to God, if you hurt her-”
He chuckled merrily. “Let’s not act like you have any sort of power here. I am the boss, and you answer to me. That woman – and you – live on my mercy. One word, and you’re both dead. You haven’t forgotten who owns you, have you, Axel?”
I licked the inside of my upper lip with the tip of my tongue, then bit down firmly on it to keep from hurling any and all of the insults brewing in my mind. I wanted so badly to snap his neck at that moment that it took the phone vibrating in my pocket for my rage-induced trance to fade.
The burner.
“I fucking got it. I’ll take care of it. Properly, this time.”
“Good boy. I would hate for our relationship to suffer because of a woman. You are, after all, my most favourite of our friends,” he whispered conspiratorially, a grin spreading across her face.
“You don’t have any friends, M. And I didn’t do this out of the kindness of my heart. As soon as this is settled, you and I are done for good.”
Magnus lightly tapped my left cheek with his gloved hand, the gesture as condescending as it was meant to be. “You always say that, Axel. But the second I come calling, we both know you’ll pick up the phone. Because you know you owe me, and I will be the one to tell you when the debt has been settled.”
It took everything in my power not to punch him in his smug, arrogant face. I wanted so badly to hurt Magnus that getting shot in the head didn’t seem like such a bad idea right now. But when the phone in my pocket began vibrating, and the image of Sienna’s smiling face filled my mind, rage calmed, and I slid my hands back in my pockets as Magnus turned on his heel and walked away.
I waited until he disappeared from sight, my fist closing around the device. I only dared to walk away when all his guards followed him, and then removed the phone from my pocket. I stared at the screen for a while, then answered with a smooth, “Hello, darling.”
“Afternoon, Axel. How are you?”
She sounded uncertain of herself. Because I’d ducked out in the morning, and I hadn’t been in contact since?
She didn’t know that side of me, of course. I’d made it a point to call and text her everyday for the past week. To reassure her that my intentions were still very dirty, I said, “Hard, now that I’m talking to you.” A clear hint that I wanted back in her bed rather badly, if she wasn’t pissed off at me. It was risky, especially with Magnus on the warpath, but I wanted so badly to be near her that I was already walking towards the exit before I could stop myself.
She laughed, the sound so carefree that I envied her. I wished for ignorance, but the burden of knowledge meant I could keep her safe, keep her alive. And right now, even if it resulted in her hating me, protecting Sienna was my main priority.
I cursed myself for the billionth time, pissed that Magnus had managed to rope me back into one of his psychotic schemes again. After I promised myself I would never let him manipulate or intimidate me into his bullshit again, I was right back to square one.
Normally, I’d strike whatever deal I could with him, get the job done and walk away. Normally, there weren’t sexy redheads with tits that could tempt a saint and an ass juicy enough to bite. Not to mention that dirty, dirty mouth of hers…
“Are you surprised to hear from me?”
I groaned as a group of children ran past me, laughing and shrieking with excitement. They didn’t even notice the dirty look I threw their way, but their mothers smiled apologetically at me before running after their cursed offspring.
“Not entirely,” I admitted after distancing myself from the noise. “I had my face between your legs for at least an hour, so I figured you’d be calling me soon.”
I grinned at the way she giggled, some of my worries fading at the sound of her mirth. She truly was a phenomenal woman, a force of nature. I wanted nothing more than to immerse myself in her, to get to know her without the dangers we both faced.
And, if I’m being entirely honest here, it wasn’t just a sexual thing. I wasn’t in love with her or anything, but I desperately wanted to protect her from the evils of the world. She was one of the few good people left on this ratched planet, and she wanted to do good simply because it was the right thing to do. Why she had to be the one to fight these dangerous battles, and why she did it alone, was beyond me.
With just a hint of humour in her voice, she teased, “I think you were having more fun than I was at some point.”
I pushed through the exit, my gaze scanning the parking lot for any signs of danger before I hurried to the car. “I highly doubt that. Don’t forget I was there, Sienna. Your moans alone nearly shattered my eardrums.”
I ignored the urge to smoke, and slid into the driver’s seat of my car instead. Seat belt on, I fired up the engine and let the purr ease some of the fear curling around my heart. I kept the phone close to my ear after releasing the handbrake, using one hand to steer the car out of the parking space.
I hit the brakes when a blue BMW honked his loud-ass horn at me, berating me for not checking my car’s rear.
“Fucking asshole,” I muttered, watching the idiot try to force his way into the parking spot I’d just vacated. I chose not to entertain his bullshit and floored it – I had bigger problems than him right now.
“Axel, where are you?”
A pause. “Working a job.”
“Your job involves kids?” she asked. And then, as if I’d proven some point, she muttered, “Please don’t tell me you left my bed before sunrise to take your wife and kids out to the zoo or something.”
The idea was so ridiculous that the only response I had was a deep chuckle. And if neither of us had a target on our backs, I would’ve wondered about the weariness in her voice.
“No, sweetheart. I would never abandon that sweet pussy and those amazing tits for a shit-reeking zoo on a-”
“Must you always be so vulgar?”
I rolled my eyes at her response, but I still had a grin spread across the lower half of my face at the thought of her blushing for me. Fuck, how bad did I really have it for this chick? “Always. How else would you know it’s me you’re talking to?”
“For starters, the voice is a dead giveaway. Not to mention the way you growl when I’ve said something you like,” she said, voice husky. My reaction was immediate and she giggled in response. “Anyway, I didn’t call you to reprimand you for your vocabulary. I actually wanted to invite you over for dinner.”
She was… What?!
“Yeah? You got steak at your place?” I demanded, making a dramatic, very illegal U-turn. This is greeted by even more honking and several curses from the drivers in the road. But thank fuck there were no cops, because I might have been hauled off to jail that very minute for reckless driving.
“Yeah… Okay, I was going to make chicken. There is this amazing spicy chicken breast recipe that Jaz shared with me the other day, and I’ve been dying to try it out. I figured since you don’t know what good food is…”
“I didn’t hear you complain about the pizza last weekend.”
She scoffed. Her voice, when it comes, is silky smooth. “I couldn’t risk throwing you off your game when you were so determined to satisfy me.”
Ah, this woman. Able to adorably dish out the hits as well as she took them.
Ugh, fuck. Focus, you horny asshole.
“Tell you what, darling. How about we do something fun this weekend?”
She paused, I think silently contemplating the benefits of a night out with a man like me. Maybe she was curious how I would turn this into some sordid sexual adventure. But finally, she asked, “Where to?”
“Little trip out of town? I know a quiet place just a few miles south where we can be alone. We’ll leave in an hour and I’ll drive you back first thing Monday morning,” I suggested. That would be long enough to get the charges dropped, and I could keep her far away from Magnus until I knew for sure she was safe.
When she didn’t reply for the next few seconds, I added, “We could even scratch outdoor-mountain sex off your bucket list.”
A laugh, equal parts delighted and surprised. “What’s this place called? So I at least know what to pack?”
I was wary to admit this, because I didn’t want her asking me a bunch of unnecessary questions. “It’s… uh. It’s my place. Bought it a while back. I go out there a couple times a year when I need to get away. And since we’ll be in bed all day, clothes aren’t really necessary.”
“You’re not planning to murder me out there, are you?”
I bellowed out a laugh, deep and sensual. She couldn’t help but join in, now that her concerns were gone. I made a turn onto an unmarked road, then another before I turned off the engine and slid out of the car. “No, sweetheart. I have no plans to murder you. Just wanted to help you unwind a bit, that’s all.”
“I would really like that, Axel,” she said, and it sounded like she really meant it.
“Perfect. Go home and freshen up. How long will it take for you to get ready?”
There’s a lengthy beep on her end of the line, then she replied, “That depends. How warm a greeting do you want?”
“Hmm. I would love to fuck you against that window in your living room…” I reached for the lock on the garage door, sifting through my set of keys to find the correct one. Once I had it, I turned it in the lock, then pushed the heavy metal door open with a grunt.
“But?” she urged.
“We’ll wait until we get to the house. I have something planned for you,” I lied. We had to get out while we still could. Although… “But now that you’ve mentioned clothing. Do me a favour and wear something red. Red, tight and short. Preferably with matching lipstick. Hair loose around your shoulders.”
“I meant underwear, Axel,” she clarified.
I went back in the car and restarted the engine, then drove the car into the safety of the garage. After I turned off the engine again, I slammed the door shut and pulled the door closed, locking it behind me.
“You should know by now that I don’t want you wearing underwear. Unless you want it balled up in your mouth like a gag again,” I offered. When she didn’t immediately answer, I added, “I’ll be there in exactly an hour.”
I flicked the lights on, then quickly went about throwing the most important of my things in a large duffel bag, starting with clothes.
“Alright. But you should dress up too. No jeans allowed.”
I snorted in derision, and she sighed with exasperation before she hung up. Me, in anything other than jeans? Yeah, right…
I tossed the burner on the table and filled the bag with everything I would need for the next few days. After I made sure she was safe, I was going to hightail it outta town for a while, and come back when everything with Magnus was settled. Hopefully…
With the duffel full and my necessities accounted for, I grabbed another set of keys on my way out, leaving my phone and anything else that could be tracked in the garage. I cast one last look around my garage, stepped out of the side door and didn’t look back.
________________
I was too excited to wait for him to knock. As soon as I saw his car pull up to the curb, I grabbed the bag near the door, and locked up behind me as he got out of the stunning classic he’d driven here. His eyes slowly took in the black coat I was wearing, which kept the dress hidden from view. I wanted a grand reveal later, so I could memorise the look of awe on his face.
He pushed open the gate, his grin widening with every second he spent looking at me. “I regret asking you to wear the dress. I think the coat alone would have been good enough,” he teased, approaching slowly.
“Just wait until you see what I got on underneath this,” I teased, dropping my bag on the ground.
Axel closed the distance between us, his arm slipping around my middle, hand lowering to grab my ass, the other cupping my left tit. I tilted my head back so I was looking up at his handsome face, one arm around his neck while my free hand cupped the growing bulge beneath his…
“Jeans.”
My gaze swept over him leisurely, slowly taking him in. Of course he was wearing jeans.
Black. Form-fitting. Expensive. With an equally pricey pair of suede boots and a very tight black t-shirt that only served to make his muscles look bigger under his coat, which was a great feat on its own because the man was large.
And beautiful.
And sexy.
“You like me in jeans,” he said, biting down gently on my bottom lip before pulling away. He grabbed my bag and tossed it over his shoulder. Then, hand on the small of my back, led me towards the black Corvette parked in front of my house. Before opening the door for me, Axel’s hand cupped my ass once more and leaned in to smell my hair. He smacked the right cheek so hard that my body jerked in shock.
“Get in,” he urged. “There’s a bunch of food in the trunk that I don’t want spoiled. There aren’t any pizza restaurants where we’re going.”
“Isolation, great sex and good food? What more could a girl want?”
“Just “great”? You know, I work very hard to ensure your satisfaction, Sienna.”
I bit down on a smile, which earned me an arch of his brow. Silent acknowledgement of my challenge, but he didn’t say anything else before he bundled me into the car and slammed my door shut. I adjusted the coat so I was sitting more comfortably, then reached for the seat belt while he put my bag in the trunk. He slid in beside me, put on his belt and fired up the engine, all with a troubled scowl on his face that hadn’t been there before. Insecurities knotted my insides, and I peered at him with concern.
“Axel?” I called, placing my hand gently on his thigh. “Are you alright?”
He turned to face me, his grin back in place. Like the chuckle from earlier, it had none of the charm, none of his raw sexual appeal.
“If you don’t want to go-”
“You have to stop doing that,” he said gently, glancing across the street from his window for a brief moment.
“Doing what?”
His frustration was evident as he addressed me, his eyes darkening with an emotion I couldn’t quite pin down. “Assuming shit. If I didn’t enjoy fucking you, then I would stop. If I didn’t want to spend the rest of the weekend with you, then I wouldn’t have suggested this trip in the first place. I’m not so pretentious that I’d feign interest in you just to get what I want, okay? I want to fucking be here.”
I blinked at him, taken aback by the statement. It was declared so passionately that I nodded automatically. His tone and expression were sincere enough, but when he took my hand and placed a quick, burning kiss to my knuckles, my worries all faded away.
He tore his gaze away suddenly, as if pissed he’d revealed too much of himself to me. He replaced my hand on his thigh rather gently, then carefully cleared his throat. His voice was still gruff when he asked, “Your seat belt on?”
“Yeah. We can go.”
He took off suddenly, then made a dangerous U-turn into the other lane. The cars behind us honked furiously, but Axel was already halfway down the street. He made an immediate left turn, and then a right, the car cruising just above the speed limit.
I didn’t realise my nails were digging into the denim of jeans until his muscles flexed beneath my palm. I relaxed when he started driving like a normal person, then sat back in my seat as he navigated towards the freeway.
“Mind turning on the radio? It’s a drive and a half.”
I did as he asked, dialling up the volume until the guitar solo of a familiar song filled the car. If we had the top down and were driving along the coast, this would be perfect. But since I had to return to work in two days, the freeway would have to do for my road trip fantasies. At least for now.
I got comfortable, my gaze on the window while I watched the city pass by. Soon we were on a road headed out of town, and the city skyscrapers eventually turned into trees. The whole time, my hand caressed Axel’s thigh, resting there as if it belonged, slowly worming towards his dick.
I’m not surprised when he reached for my hand, placing it firmly on the bulge in his jeans. I felt him grow harder, his erection pushing into my palm. “You’re allowed to touch it as much as you want,” he said, eyes firmly on the road. I was uncertain at first, not quite sure how far I wanted to take this while he was driving. But then he spread his legs and gently urged, “It’s all yours, so do with it what you want.”
Mine…
“Mine?” I repeated.
He pushed against my palm once again, quietly confirming. With that, I gently squeezed my hand around his thickness, a shiver running through me when he groaned. I started slowly, fingers caressing the crotch of his jeans. I smiled when his cock throbbed, and flicked my gaze to his face. He exhaled slowly, his eyes closing briefly as he licked his lips in rapture.
“Yours, sweetheart.”
The admission gives me the encouragement necessary to unbuckle his belt. I’m quick to pull the soft thickness of him out with widened eyes. Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever get over how big his cock was. It had a weight to it that I loved, and the velvet smoothness of it in my palm always made my walls clench. It sent a thrill through me, not because I thought it was beautiful. No, because I knew what damage it wrought and what delectations it brought.
I held it at the base, pointing it towards my salivating mouth. With a decided toss of my hair over my shoulder, I lowered my head into his lap. I didn’t even get the tip of my tongue on it before he jerked my head back with a tight fist in my hair. Frustrated, I threw a dirty look his way, only to find him smiling down at me.
“I need to fill up on fuel, and there’s a stop up ahead,” he explained. Then, in as soothing a tone as I’ve ever heard him use, he added, “I promise you can suck on it as much as you want when we’re back on the road.”
I narrowed my eyes, but lifted my head and settled into my seat. The car pulled up to a rather desolate gas station, and Axel leaned over to plant a quick kiss to my cheek while I frowned at the fuel pumps. His door slammed shut and I leaned over for my bag to check my phone.
“Sienna?”
“Yes, bear?”
He leaned into the driver’s window, his eyes alight with either amusement or mischief, I couldn’t tell. But whatever it was, the corners of my lips quirked upwards with interest. “I have an idea. Meet me around the back in five minutes, okay?”
I opened my mouth to ask what he wanted to do, but he was already back to his full six-foot-plus height and walking towards the building. I watched him go, his movements confident and graceful, his hair blowing just a bit in the breeze before he ran a large hand through the mane to tame it. As soon as he swaggered through the sliding doors, I pushed my door open and slid out as elegantly as I could without any panties on.
I fiddled with the strap while my heart raced, then slung it over my shoulder. The door slamming shut made both men look my way, and the attendant’s wide gaze lingered on me for a while before Axel mouthed a few words at him. With a start, he glanced at Axel and blanched at the scowl on the larger man’s face. It gave me the time I needed to slip out of their sight, and walk around to the back.
I walked past the bathrooms, moving as far away from the stench of gas as I could before reaching into my bag for my cigarettes and lighter. My steps slowed when I reached the back, and I took a minute to look over the junk stashed back here. Car parts, I think a broken truck engine, and an assortment of other mechanical things I wouldn’t be able to recognize even if I had a picture book and infinite time.
I heard a car door open, then slam shut. Axel’s engine roared to life, then dulled to a sensual purr as it moved away from the pumps. I lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply, then adjusted the hem where it had ridden up, allowing the honour of getting it bunched up around my waist to be Axel’s.
The engine cut off abruptly. The door opened. Closed. Gravel crunched under heavy boots. I pulled at the strap of my belt, the front opening as he came into view. He bit down on his bottom lip, then put both hands on his hips before nodding at me.
“Take that coat off for me?”
I had to pose first. I couldn’t not. I held the cigarette between my lips and slowly slipped off the coat, so he could appreciate every milky inch of my skin as it came into view.
The dress met every requirement: A vibrant, fire-engine red, the material a sensual chiffon. Tight too, as it hugged the swell of my tits, my slim waist and the rounded curves of my hips. It dared to end mid-thigh, lengthening my already long legs almost unrealistically.
I knew how gorgeous I was in this dress. But seeing the look on Axel’s face made me feel powerful and sexy. I felt beautiful and wanted, adored and seen. Emotions that had no business in mine and Axel’s dynamic reared their ugly heads, smoothing the rough edges that came from years of bad experiences with men.
It was a bad idea, I knew that. But I promised right then that I wouldn’t ever let him get close enough to really hurt me.
I drew from the cigarette and tossed the coat onto the ground behind me, then slowly exhaled. Axel’s long legs ate up the space between us pretty quickly, his hands already fondling and grabbing the parts he liked best.
“You got this wet just sitting in the car?” he asked, seemingly amazed at how slick my thighs were with arousal. His lips buried in the curve of my neck, Axel spread me wider, fingers closing around my mound and squeezing roughly.
“Because of you. I feel safe with you, Axel.”
My admission made him pause, just long enough for him to peer down at me. His gaze was intense as he studied me, as if he were weighing his options, trying to think of what to say to me. Finally, he asked, “I make you feel safe?”
Trying to ease the unfamiliar tension of the moment, I took another lengthy pull of the cigarette. With a nervous grin, I casually said, “I mean… I’m not trying to say that you’re like…” I trailed off when a shadow crossed his features, and my grin fell with every second he didn’t speak. I pushed the last of the smoke out of my lungs before I admitted my truth. “Yes, Axel. You do make me feel safe. Safe enough that I let myself get reckless and do all this crazy shit. I don’t do this with just everyone.”
“Why? Why do you feel safe with me?” he asked, his tone almost confused. He must want clarification, so he understood what I was trying to say.
I shrugged, flicking the cigarette into the air. “You don’t judge me. You’re not intimidated by me. Your intentions are clear and you don’t have ulterior motives. Most importantly, you’re honest with me. That’s really rare these days.”
Nostrils flaring, he pushed me against the side of the old engine with a pained growl. I inhaled sharply through my nose as Axel kissed me, his hands already lifting the hem of the dress upwards, bunching it up around my waist. I braced myself against the metal, taken aback by the sudden extremity of his passion.
By then his fingers were already on my clit, the digits rubbing slowly while he fished his cock out of his pants to poke urgently at my entrance.
“If we get caught, we’re going to jail. You know that, right? And that attendant will probably call them once he hears what we’re up to,” I whispered, breathing heavily against his lips.
He hoisted me up, propping me on the edge. He adjusted my hips, then wrapped one leg around his waist before draping the other over his shoulder. “Then let’s not get caught.”
“He says, while I’m spread open on a dusty engine in broad daylight,” I moaned, ready for him.
His teeth flashed with that devastatingly careless grin of his, and he buried his cock inside me with a determined thrust. Both my hands smacked on top of the engine, my head thrown back as a primal cry was forced out of me. My entire body seemed to shut down with that initial thrust, my muscles locking in place while varying degrees of pain and pleasure crashed through my entire being. I let myself feel everything, including the cold metal on my ass and the warmth of the sun on my face.
Instead of pulling out, he ground his hips against mine, pushing so deep that my scalp tingled, and my toes curled. I went cross-eyed, my nails scraping against the metal of the mechanism with a dulled screech. And only when my bottom lip wobbled and tears pricked my eyes did he withdraw his shaft, making me whimper.
When he rammed back into me the second time, I came so hard, my body convulsed on top of the engine. The pleasure shot through me like lightning, too concentrated and sharp for it to be enjoyable. My eyes filled, my brain so overwhelmed it didn’t know how else to cleanse the abundance of conflicting emotions.
“Have I ever told you how much I fucking love the way you come for me?” Axel whispered, gripping the back of my neck, holding me in place. His breath was warm against my face, his pale blue eyes glinting with an almost possessive desire. His tongue licked at his bottom lip as he glared at me, biting down on it as my walls finally ceased trying to milk him of his cum.
He made as if to kiss me, bringing his lips just an inch shy of mine. I tilted my head back in surrender, wanting to feel his mouth on mine again, but he didn’t allow me the pleasure. Instead, he quietly hissed out a word that had my hips bucking forward wantonly: “Slut.”
“Fucking bastard,” I hissed through clenched teeth, one hand curling around the back of his neck.
He swallowed my screams, inhaled my breaths, spat back at me with equal filth the words I whispered into his mouth. And not once did the depth of his thrusts slow, nor the brutality of his strokes lessen. We grunted and moaned, rutting like a pair of animals who didn’t care for the laws of man.
Axel forced my head back, his tongue finally slipping past my lips for a taste. I granted him entry, the strange moment from earlier adding a thrilling desperation to the open-mouthed kiss we shared. He didn’t once look away, or blink, which somehow made the kiss and the sex better, more intense.
But what exactly was that look in his eyes? It hadn’t been there last weekend, and it sure as shit wasn’t present last night. I wanted to study it, examine it, so I could understand why it darkened his expression and shone so bright even while he was fucking me. But his cock felt so good, and I had promised myself I would just enjoy the experience for however long it lasted. Days, weeks… Maybe months.
God, what was it about this man that made me get like this? Would feeling him stretch my walls ever be boring? Would I ever want to be fucked in any other way again?
Fucked madly. Fucked deeply. Fucked like a dirty little slut who couldn’t get enough cock inside her hungry pussy. Fucked until I came with a hoarse scream, sobbing into Axel’s mouth while his tongue fucked my mouth as thoroughly as his cock was fucking my cunt.
The scrape of a shoe on gravel turned my head, and through the fog of my fading orgasm saw the attendant. My nails dug deeper into Axel’s neck, and he groaned when he realised we had an audience. His pace picked up, as if the idea of someone watching us was what he needed to push us both over the edge.
“Do you like that he’s watching you get fucked like a little slut?”
I tore my eyes off the attendant, my gaze locking with Axel’s. He took my bottom lip between his teeth, then grunted, “Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want him to fuck you?”
I shook my head vehemently, knowing I could never do with someone else what I do with this man. He knew that, but he still wanted to hear me say it. To hear me confess that I was his for as long as he would have me.
“You’re the one I want, Axel. It’s your cock inside me, your name I’m going to scream when you make me come again.”
“Fuck, I’m going to come,” he growled, his hips pistoning at a speed and ferocity that threatened to send me over again. He dropped his gaze to my pussy, his grasp painful where he held me. I let my fingers find my clit and allowed my eyes to drift shut, then braced for a doozy of an orgasm.
It doesn’t disappoint.
My moans sounded like pained sobbing, my body trembling uncontrollably from the over-stimulation. With a loud cry, I look down at my pussy just in time to watch cum shoot out of me. Axel’s grunts and growls were currently as inconsistent as his thrusts, as arousing as the iron grip he has on me. He kept his face hidden from me while his strokes slowed, then eventually stop.
Axel pulled away, his lips kissing down my cheek to my neck before locking on the bit of cleavage displayed above the neckline of my red, red dress. I unhooked one leg from around his lean hips, lowered the other from his shoulder. I sighed softly, the itch in my loins finally scratched to my gratification. Axel withdrew his cock, stepping away to look me over.
“Fucking amazing.”
“You talking to me or my pussy, stud?”
He grinned when I slid off the engine, then chuckled deeply when I knelt before him, the concrete digging painfully into my skin. His fingers combed through my hair, adoringly massaging my scalp as I lapped up the cum on his cock. The length of it rested on my face while I licked his balls clean, the musky taste of him even better than I had anticipated. He sighed contentedly when I replaced his cock back into his jeans and tucked the loose tendrils behind my ear before his thumb caressed my plump bottom lip lovingly.
“Talking about you, sweetheart,” he admitted, his smile fading away, leaving a myriad of confusing emotions in its place. Guilt, sadness, regret…
Axel tore his gaze away from mine, blinking several times. When he held out a hand to help me up, his face was entirely devoid of all emotion. I took it, and he helped me stand before fixing my dress. I was content to table the questions for later. After all, we were going to spend a bit of time together. And maybe, I could get to know him a little better. Whether or not that would be a good thing would be determined later.
“Get in the car,” Axel ordered. He pointed in the direction of our lone spectator. “I’ll take care of peeping Tom.”
Oh, shit. I turned to face the attendant, who – upon closer inspection – I realised couldn’t be that old. Maybe late twenties, early thirties. Cute, if you were into tall, lean bodies like his. He was still standing there in shock, blinking every couple of seconds at each of us in turn.
“Maybe I should suck his cock to keep him silent.”
Axel’s hands curled into fists and the look of furious jealousy on his face made me giggle. He frowned deeply and growled low, as if daring the younger man to approach me. Amused as hell, I grabbed my coat and purse, then nodded towards the car.
“Keys?”
“Car’s open,” he said, advancing on the attendant. I left them alone, secure in the knowledge that Axel wouldn’t beat up someone for watching us fuck. We were, after all, in a public place.
After I’d settled in my seat, the inside of my coat soaking up the cum that leaked out of me, Axel opened his door and slid in beside me. He was silent for a beat, then met my gaze squarely.
“You okay?”
I smiled, then leaned forward to kiss him. Just once, on the bit of cheek I could see. I patted his thigh and replied, “I’m fantastic, bear. Let’s get outta here. Food will spoil.”
With a roll of his eyes, he fired up the engine and reversed with expert skill. I leaned back in my seat and curled my fingers around his thigh as a feeling of contentment settled over me.
***
Fuck, is this what heaven felt like?
I stretched my arms above my head, releasing a deep sigh of satisfaction. My shoulder blades hurt a little, and my pussy was just a little sore from the sex marathon we’d decided to indulge in when we arrived.
I glanced over at Axel, a smile tugging the corners of my lips upwards. A strange giddiness rushed through me at the sight of him sleeping, and I couldn’t resist brushing the hair off his face with my fingers.
Oh, but he was beautiful.
I let the tip of my thumb caress the solidity of his forehead, the temples where his eyes creased when he smiled. Then I traced the perfect thickness of his eyebrows, the long lashes that rested on his high cheekbones. I bit my lip when I trailed my thumb over his beard, recalling how it had felt to have that coarse hair between my thighs. The memory of his lips on my tits, teeth nicking and tongue tasting…
I pulled back when I thought of that look in his eyes from yesterday, the anxiety that had swirled around my gut when I read the note on the table. If I’d seen it before brunch, I might have brushed it off. But Cam had planted a seed of doubt in my head, suggesting that Axel might be up to something especially nefarious.
“You don’t think it’s weird that the man doesn’t exist on paper? Call me paranoid, but that’s not fucking normal, Cici.”
I curled my fingers into a fist and pulled away from him, gently enough that it wouldn’t rouse him from sleep. Slowly, I got out of bed and looked around for my stuff… Oh, right. We hadn’t taken anything out of the car.
I freshened up as best I could – rinsing my mouth and wiping the dry cum from between my legs – then ventured back into the bedroom. I fished out a pair of black boxers and one of Axel’s t-shirts from the closet, then wandered into the kitchen seeking sustenance.
While I heated up the chicken parmesan I’d made around midnight, I looked around the large cabin and wondered how he could afford the place. I mean, it was obvious he was well-off – none of the cars I’d seen him drive were cheap – but I was curious what he did that brought in this much income. Maybe I needed to switch professions.
I removed the bowl from the microwave when the appliance beeped, careful to touch only two fingers around the top of the bowl to keep from burning. I eased the door shut with my elbow, grabbed two forks and tip-toed back to the bedroom. I found Axel awake, slipping into a pair of fresh jeans.
He pushed his hair off his face when I entered, then walked over to – first – kiss me on the cheek, and – second – smack my ass. Then, as if realising I had a large bowl of food in my hands, he swiped it out of my grasp.
“Mean.”
“Sit,” he said, adjusting the sheets so I had space to do just that. Then, he handed me the bowl and sat down in front of me. We ate silently, because Axel wasn’t very chatty during meal times. Curious as shit at this point, I broke the silence when I asked, “So, what exactly is it that you do?”
He met my gaze through the fan of his long lashes, his eyes sparking with amusement. “Have you been holding that one in so you don’t sound like a golddigger?”
My jaw dropped, my brows knitting together with complete indignation. “I was… I would never go after a guy because he had money! What do you take me for?”
He arched an inquisitive brow. “So you don’t want a man with money?”
I mean… “I’m not so shallow that I would base an entire relationship on money, Axel. Which isn’t to say that I wouldn’t appreciate a man who-”
I rolled my eyes when that grin of his made an appearance, folding my arms over my chest. He poked me with one of his fingers in the tit, silently trying to get my attention. “You’re so fucking cute when you get flustered like this, you know. And I’m teasing. Obviously.”
He returned his attention to the meal, leaving me with more questions than before. Determined to learn something about him, I repeated, “So what do you do?”
“Cars,” he replied nonchalantly.
“What… What kind? Racing? Or do you like, sell them or-”
“Procurement, remodelling and then reselling them. Mostly the classics. But I have dealerships that buy and sell the newer shit too. Repair garages, body workshops, and all that other shit.”
He kept eating, even while I stared at him in disbelief. “And that pays you enough to have several garages, a bunch of accommodations and multiple cars?”
He grinned, speared a bit of pasta and meat on his fork before feeding it to me. “You’d be surprised.”
I chewed slowly, my brain working a million miles an hour while I processed all that information.
“So you can fix anything?”
“Pretty much.”
“That can’t really be true. What if-”
“Your car, for instance. Two of your wheels need pumping, and your pressure plate is two seconds away from failing you. Also, you don’t change your oil as often as you should. Your gear teeth are wearing out faster, which is what’s causing that whining sound. I’m happy to poke around once we get back, maybe have you bring it in so I can fix it before you end up in a ditch somewhere.”
He fed me more food and I was happy to chew on that and everything else he’d just told me. Evolution might have changed a lot over the last thousand years, but there was much we still shared with our less-developed ancestors. There would always be a part of us that would be attracted to the more powerful men – the criteria had changed over the years, admittedly – but the effect was still the same.
“Does the fact that I know how to fix cars turn you on?”
Very much. “No.”
A smirk. “The idea of my sweaty body bent over the hood of your car, hands dirty with grease and oil while I tinker around in your engine doesn’t get you wet?”
My toes curled.
“Nor does the thought of my greasy hands running up and down your milky thighs? My fingers digging into your tits while I ravage your wet little pussy?”
I pressed my thighs together, my breath catching in my throat. He fed me more food, and watched my mouth while I chewed.
He leaned over, his thumb wiping the sauce off the corner of my mouth. My heart fluttered and my walls clenched when he put his finger in his mouth and sucked the sauce off his finger.
“Maybe just a little bit.”
He grinned.
For the shortest fraction of a second, his gaze flicked over my shoulder before returning to my face. And then, just as quickly, darted back to the window. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out-
“GET DOWN!”
This extremely inadequate warning is followed by Axel’s hands closing around my shoulders and yanking me unceremoniously towards him. I managed a startled scream, arms flailing as he tossed me off the bed. Flashlights probed through the curtains right after Axel fell on top of me.
Okay, not really.
He managed to at least land on his elbows, his hairy, gigantic ass legs trapping me to the floor. I opened my mouth to scream, but Axel covered half my face with his large hand, staring down at me with narrowed eyes.
“I need you to get your bag and the keys to my car. Stay low and do not let them see you.”
WHAT?!?
He let up, removing his hand from my mouth. My eyes wide with fear, I shook my head and yelled, “Axel, what the fuck-”
Footsteps outside the windows, the unquestionable sound of a gun being cocked and the safety being turned off. But it’s the oh-shit-we’re-going-to-die look on his face that made me think that we might be in serious danger. Axel cursed, the set line of his mouth confirming my deepest fears.
“Do as I say, Sienna. Now.”
“What? Fuck no! Do you know these people?” I snapped, my whisper containing every bit of the fear and confusion and anger I felt. He eased off me as the footsteps seemingly increased in numbers, grabbing the car keys and handing them to me. He got my purse off the floor with the other hand, and risked lifting his head to check what was going on.
I screamed both of my lungs out when a gun went off, peppering the room with bullets. I covered my head with both hands and curled into a little ball against the bed’s large base, doing my best to shrink into the safety of the earth.
Oh, God… Is this how I die? At the hands of mystery men in the early hours of the morning?
“Sienna! I need you to move.”
No. Hell no. I think the fuck not!
Axel’s arm wrapped around my waist, so he held me flush against his bare chest, then settled me and the purse and key behind the bedside cabinet. Fear lurched when he let go, and I almost braved the bullets to reach for him.
The shooting stopped long enough for me to peer around the bedroom for Axel, which looked every bit as bad as a room that’s been shot up would. My eyes widened when I saw him prop the bed on its side, using it to shield him while he searched the wooden floor blindly for-
He lifted what looked like a hatch, and held his hand out for me to take. Without a moment’s hesitation, I took the purse and keys in one hand, and crawled to him on my knees, closing my palm over three of his fingers.
“You go first. You’ll have to crawl ahead for a bit before you reach the other door. Do not open it until I tell you to. Do you hear me?”
I shook my head. “No. No no no. What? Axel, please. Don’t leave me.”
A fresh volley of bullets assaulted the room. Axel wrapped both arms around me and flattened me to the ground, shielding me from the bullets. I hooked my legs around his waist, wrapped my arm around his neck as tightly as I could to keep him from getting shot in the head. My bag was clutched in my grasp, his keys digging painfully into my palm, my limbs bare to the dangers of shrapnel.
“What the fuck is going on?” I yelled, my face inches from his. He buried my face in his neck when the shooting got worse, and growled, “We don’t have time for your hysterics. They’re going to burst through the fucking door any second now, and I can’t defend myself if I have to worry about your ass as well. Crawl to the end. Wait for my signal. Three shots. Then you get in the car and fucking wait for me.”
I flinched at his sharp tone, the impatience in his voice. I unhooked both legs from around his waist when the firing paused again, and he lifted up just enough to place me inside the hole in the floor.
“You have the keys?” he growled, glancing nervously at the bedroom door. We could both hear the shattering of a window somewhere in the house, and I knew we were out of time. I took a deep breath, hoping it would calm my racing heartbeat and stop my hands from shaking.
“Yeah, and the purse.”
He nodded, then leaned close to kiss my forehead. I didn’t have a chance to return the gesture, because a second later he pulled back and closed the hatch, locking it. The bed fell back onto the floor, and I could hear the pounding of his feet as he hurried around the room.
“Go now.”
Please don’t die, bear.
I crawled as quickly as I could in the small, dirty space. I had my eyes shut to keep the dust from blinding me, which slowed my progress some. Once or twice, I lost my balance and fell flat on my face, but I got back up and continued. I noticed that the further I went, the colder the narrow space became. Maybe the path led outside, but I couldn’t see or hear anything as I crept onwards.
I dropped to the floor when I heard distant voices a few minutes later, and cautiously opened my eyes to look around. A bit of light seeped in from above, fluorescent and bright.
“…can’t get out this way? ”
“The others are in the house now. It won’t be long before they have them.”
What in the actual fuck was going on?
A loud bang from the house had me flat on the cold ground, hands covering my head. The men in the garage above me hurried towards it, abandoning their post. I wriggled low to get to the end of the crawlspace, and then the door Axel had mentioned.
He had told me to wait. That he would tell me when to get out. I got to my knees, tucked the purse under my right arm and held the key in my hand. With the left, I felt around above me for a handle like the one I’d seen in the bedroom. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found it unlocked, but I didn’t dare lift the wooden door just yet.
Come on, Axel. Please please please…
Then it came. Three, consecutive, loud-as-hell bangs from a shotgun. And close too. I pushed the latch open and peeked around the garage, finding it empty. I pushed out of the hole from the back of the space, and quietly dropped the door.
The garage doors were behind the car, the side door on the right, a few feet from the front of the Corvette. I didn’t see anyone in the doorway, and hoping the noise from the shotgun had drawn them away, I hurried to the driver’s side.
I could’ve cried when I managed to slide the key into the lock, and quickly turned it with a trembling hand. It took only a few seconds to sneak inside the car and get myself situated in the seat, but it felt like an eternity at the time. I reached for the door and slammed it shut.
The sound was so goddamn loud it echoed in the garage, and alerted the one guard that was still outside the building. He walked in slowly, lifting his rifle and pointing it directly at me. I swallowed in terror, my heart pounding in my chest. The tall blonde closed in on the car, so he had a better shot at me. I lifted both hands when he commanded it, and he smirked, clearly enjoying the trepidation on my face.
“Get out of the car and give me the keys.”
I didn’t want to. But the alternative was getting shot in the head. Fuck, if I’d known I’d be running for my life this early in the morning, I would have worn a bra.
“Do it. Or you die.”
I opened my mouth, ready to mutter sweet nothings in order to extend my life just a bit longer. But before I could, the guy’s head snapped violently to the side, and the unmistakable sound of bone breaking echoed in the silence. Next thing I know, he’s being flung backwards and tossed on the ground.
I covered my mouth with both hands to quiet the scream, my eyes wide with horror as I watched him approach. He opened the door, held out the shotgun for me to take, and I peeled one hand off my face to accept it. It was fucking heavy, and I had to carry it with me to the passenger side while Axel reclaimed his seat. He cast a look in my direction, assessing me quietly. Then he held out his hand and growled, “Give me the keys.”
Okay… I am… torn.
There were pros and cons to consider in this situation.
On one hand, I was pretty sure we’d both get killed if we stayed here. Me and this man, who had just saved my life. This phenomenal beast of a person who had given me the best sex of my life and made me feel safe in a world full of bad people…
This stranger, who had effortlessly snapped a man’s neck in front of me. Who was clearly the reason I was getting shot at, and was keeping a shit load of secrets that could actually get me killed.
Quietly, I dropped my hand from my mouth and handed him the keys. My hand still shook when he took the bunch from me, and he pushed the key into the ignition and fired up the car.
“Stay down. Don’t try to shoot anyone. I don’t want you dislocating your shoulder.”
With that, he pressed down on the gas and reversed out of the garage like the hounds of hell were chasing us, taking the thin wooden doors off their hinges. I was thrown about in the car a bunch, then scrunched down as I’d been told, keeping the muzzle pointed out my window so I wouldn’t accidentally shoot Axel. The tires revved, burning hot and acrid on the dirt before the car jerked and slid haphazardly about.
Axel turned the wheel and his foot slammed on the clutch, hand working the gear into first. He punched the gas again and we narrowly avoided hitting one of the trees in the driveway. Hands on the wheel, he swerved the Corvette and drove off in a cloud of dust.
Another shot rang out, the bullet breaking the back window in a waterfall of glass, the shards sprinkled over the back seat. I screamed, but I stayed low and kept my head down. Sitting up would be the difference between life and death, and no way I would die like this.
Axel led us away from the house, taking a road nobody could have followed if they didn’t know it was there. I was expecting them to follow, so I stayed folded in the seat until he whispered, “Sit up. We’re safe now.”
I sat up, my breathing heavy and unsteady. My grasp tightened around the gun, my nails digging painfully into the metal. I blinked a few times, then glanced over at the man in my front seat.
“I’m only going to ask you this once,” I said, aiming the shotgun at him, my hand closing around the stock familiarly. “And if you lie to me, I swear I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”
I couldn’t get the shouldering right in such an enclosed space, but I made sure the flat backend was tucked securely in the pocket of my shoulder. Lifted my arms. Pumped the slide backwards. Then forwards. Pushed the muzzle into his temple.
My voice shaking with barely suppressed rage, I asked, “Who the fuck are you?”