by Alexa Wilder
“Who is this friend?" Axel asked, leaning forward. "Where is she? How soon can we get the evidence from her?"
“Summer lives in Marietta, but she travels a lot for work," I said. “I have to call her and see if she's in town. I mailed her a package yesterday, so it won't be there for a few days."
Axel slid his phone across his desk toward me. Summer’s was one of the few phone numbers I knew by heart, and I dialed. She picked up on the third ring. “Hey, babe, what's up?"
"Nothing," I lied. We hadn't talked about any of this over the phone yet, and I had no plans to start now. "Just taking a few days off work, and I thought I might fly out there and visit. Are you around?"
"Not until the end of the week. Can you wait? How much time do you have off work? I'd love to see you! I'm in Houston for a conference and I won't be back until late Friday night. Can you come for a long weekend? I can take Monday off.”
"I've got a few days coming," I said. I hated lying to Summer. I wanted to tell her everything, listen to her sympathize over Axel’s betrayal, and get her sage advice on what I should do with him. But I couldn’t put her in any more danger than I already had. It was beyond paranoid to think anyone was listening to her phone, but nothing about this situation was normal. Being paranoid felt smart, not crazy. “I’ll be there this weekend,” I said. I’d have to wait until then for Summer to help me figure out my life. “Have fun at the conference. I’ll call you Friday."
“Sweet! I'll see you in a couple of days. Love you, babe."
"Love you too, Summer." I hung up the phone, suddenly missing my best friend so badly tears sprang into my eyes. Just hearing her cheerful voice had felt like getting one of her trademark tight hugs. I had no idea how all this was going to work out, but if I could see Summer anytime soon, I knew I'd feel a million times better.
“So we're in a holding pattern until your friend gets home," Evers said, sitting back and propping his ankle on his knee.
“Looks like it," Axel said. "I have some guys doing some digging into Harper and Tsepov, but our number one priority, for now, is to keep Emma safe."
"Agreed," Evers said.
“Then we're just going to wait around until Summer gets home?" I asked, not sure I liked the sound of that. "If I can't go home, how does this work?"
Axel stood up from behind his desk. "That’s easy. You'll stay with me." Looking at Evers, he said, "Billy can hook you up with one of the apartments upstairs. I'm going to take Emma to my place.”
I really didn’t like the sound of that. Axel and me, alone in his place, was the opposite of what I wanted. I thought again about calling Agent Tierney. Then I thought about FBI informants getting killed. Staying alive was more important than avoiding Axel. All I had to do was say no, right? How hard could that be?
21
Emma
After gathering my shopping bags from the couch and saying a quick goodbye to Evers, Axel led me back to the elevator and ushered me inside. The elevator was pretty big, but between the two of us and all my Neiman Marcus bags, we filled it easily. I expected him to press the button at the bottom of the panel for the garage, but instead, he pressed the one at the top. The elevator car slid smoothly upward. I asked, “Where are we going?"
“My place," Axel said.
"You live here?" I asked. "I thought this was an office building."
“It is. It's my building. Sinclair Security owns all of it, and we use it all. It's not a requirement that staff live on-site, but a lot of them choose to. It's extremely secure. I think you’ll like my place."
If it was anything like his lake house, I knew I would. A moment later, the door slid open, and I saw that Axel's place was nothing like his lake house, except maybe in size. If I had to guess, I'd say the penthouse covered the entire floor of the building. Stepping out of the elevator, I faced a long, sleek table beneath an enormous painting that looked like a Jackson Pollack. Maybe it was.
The wall was open on either side to the room beyond, giving me glimpses of a modern space with sharp angles, clean surfaces, and white everywhere, except where it was broken up by splashes of bright color, much like the painting in front of us. Axel tossed his car keys on the table and led me out of the entry into the main living space of the penthouse. The huge room spread out before me, everything immaculate and beautifully designed.
It was so different from the lake house that I had to ask, “Did you decorate here, or did you tell someone what you wanted and she put it together?"
Axel laughed. "No, I had nothing to do with the way this place turned out. I learned my lesson, and for the lake house, I actually had a conversation with the decorator. But here I used the same person who designed the offices. She must have thought, based on what I wanted for the business, that I liked the modern look, because this is what I ended up with. I'm usually so busy with work that I haven't gotten around to warming the place up."
“It is a little cold," I said, trying to be diplomatic. "It’s beautiful, though." It was. The penthouse wasn't my style. I was far more drawn to the warmth of the house at Lake Mead, but there was no denying that the austere, modern lines of the penthouse were both dramatic and gorgeous.
"Follow me. I'll show you where you can put your things."
Axel led me past the kitchen—more brushed steel here, with gray marble and black lacquered cabinets—and through the living room with its low-slung, angular couches and a lot of steel with glass, and down a long, white hallway that ended in what could only be Axel's bedroom.
"I'm not staying in here," I said. Axel ignored me and I followed him, prepared to argue further. His bedroom looked much like the rest of the penthouse: high ceilings, open space, and modern art.
The bed, however, did not fit the rest of the penthouse. It wasn't modern at all. It was huge, made of black leather and dark wood, the design a better fit for the rustic look of the lake house. The enormous, king-sized frame was dominated by a plush, tall, black leather headboard, accented by leather straps and buckles that would have looked at home on a saddle. A matching wood and leather trunk sat at the foot of the bed.
I wondered what Axel would keep in a trunk at the foot of his bed. If he were anyone else, I would have assumed spare blankets and maybe an extra pillow. I didn't think that's what Axel kept in his trunk. I told myself I didn't want to find out. I was lying.
I was so distracted by the sight of the bedroom that I didn't realize that Axel had disappeared. I called his name, and he stepped out through a doorway on the opposite side of the room.
"You can keep your things in here," he said. I remembered my earlier objections.
"I'm not staying in your bedroom. And I'm not putting my things in your closet."
Axel crossed his arms over his chest. "Emma, I know you're angry with me. We need to talk about that."
I dropped the Neiman’s bags on the floor and crossed my arms over my chest, mimicking his posture. "You can't just apologize, expect me to forgive you, and then move me into your bedroom. It's not that easy."
"I know that, Emma,” he said, his tone giving me the impression his patience was wearing thin. Tough luck. “You don't have to sleep in here with me if you don't want to. But your clothes are going in my closet."
“Are you telling me you don't have a guest room in this entire place?" He had to have a guest room. The penthouse looked like it was huge.
"I do,” he admitted, “but the closet isn't very big. Mine is much better."
Arguing with Axel was pointless. I didn't have that many clothes, and there was no good reason a guest room closet wouldn't work. He was just being stubborn. I decided to take a different tack and bring up something else that had been bugging me all day.
"You didn't use any protection this morning. After everything that's happened, and the fact that you knew I didn't want you in my bed in the first place, I can't believe you didn't use protection."
Axel narrowed his eyes at me and said, “You’re on birth control." I was, but that wasn't th
e point. Reading my mind, Axel went on, “And I know you're clean. So am I.”
"How do I know you’re clean?" I asked, suddenly very tired of Axel making decisions for me. "You should have asked me first."
Axel shook his head and dropped his eyes to the floor for a long moment before meeting mine again. "You're right,” he said. “I should have. I didn't think. I have a bad habit of not thinking where you’re concerned, Emma. I'm sorry."
"Fine." I didn't know what else to say. He’d apologized, and it wouldn't happen again, because I was never going to sleep with him again. Ready to be done with the whole discussion, I said, “I’m going to take a nap." I needed one. I'd only gotten up a few hours before, but I hadn't had much sleep and I was exhausted. Axel shook his head.
"We still need to talk about the situation with Harper and Tsepov," he said. "Let me send one of my guys to get the evidence from your friend. I don't want you traveling until I know you're safe."
"No way," I said. "I don't want one of your people to scare Summer. She isn’t involved in any of this except for holding some mail for me. I don't want to worry her."
"It's too dangerous. You’re safe in here. Out there, anything can happen to you. That's an unacceptable risk."
Did that mean what it sounded like? "So I'm just going to stay here until what? Harper and Tsepov are in jail? Do you have any idea how long that could take?"
"You're going to stay here until I'm sure you're safe," Axel said.
“You’re not my keeper,” I said. Axel unfolded his arms and stalked across the room toward me, a familiar glint in his eyes. I knew that look. Intimately. As always, when he looked at me like that, it sent a dizzying combination of nerves and heat twisting through my belly. Hadn’t I just promised myself I wasn't going to sleep with him again? Why was it that he could give me one look and I melted for him?
I was so weak. Or he was that good. He was that good. The best I’d ever had, not that I had a ton of experience. Why should I deny myself the best sex of my life just because Axel was a jerk? I shouldn’t. I could keep my body and my heart separate. Men did it all the time. I could shove aside all my worries about trusting him, all my questions about what he felt for me and take what I wanted from him. I was tired of being a victim of circumstances. This time, I was taking control.
Straightening my spine, I lifted my arm and held my hand up, palm out, ordering him to stop where he was. Axel came to a halt a few feet away and quirked his lips like he was trying not to smile. He’d been the King of Assholes, but he was seriously hot, especially now, his eyes dark with desire and focused on me.
I said, "I told myself I wasn't going to sleep with you again. This morning doesn’t count. I still don't trust you, even if I believe you want to keep me safe. But then I realized that I’d be punishing myself. I don't have to trust you to have sex with you.”
Now Axel was grinning at me, looking both amused and triumphant. "So you're saying that you don't like me, but you’re going to let me protect you and give you orgasms."
"Basically, yes." The way he put it, I sounded like a bitch. I reminded myself that the night before, he’d turned me over to a man who wanted to sell me into slavery. It was less than twenty-four hours later, and I was willing to live in Axel’s home and let him tell me what to do. Just because I hadn't forgiven him—might never forgive him—it didn't make me a bitch. I wasn't willing to explain all of that, so I said, “You get to have orgasms too.”
A quick laugh escaped, and then he was on me.
I don't know how I thought I could resist Axel. The second his hands touched my skin, my body came alive, heat gathering between my legs, nipples hardening, my breath speeding up. I wasn’t sure I liked Axel. I couldn’t decide if I trusted him, but I knew I wanted him. His mouth came down on mine, and he kissed me with utter possession, pulling me to him, one arm around my back and a strong hand gripping the back of my neck.
My proud declaration that I was using him for sex was just words. Here was the truth. My body wanted him. So did my mind. Only my heart shied away, diving for cover as the rest of me gave in.
22
Emma
Abruptly, Axel broke the kiss and stepped back, spreading his arms as if offering himself. “You want me?” he asked. “Take off my clothes.”
I hated being told what to do—unless it was Axel and we were getting naked. Then, all it took was his deep voice giving me an order and my panties were immediately soaked. Despite my anger and distrust, this time was no different. My hands trembling with the surge of lust, I went to work on the buttons of his shirt, avoiding his eyes.
Seconds later, I was peeling it off, baring his lean, muscled chest and his chiseled abs. His body didn’t just look good. I knew from experience that he was strong and fast. He had a few scars marring his sleek skin, but they did nothing to detract from his sheer male beauty. Axel half-naked was mouth-wateringly gorgeous. Fully naked would be even better. I had his pants open with my next breath, pushing them down his hips, trailing my fingers over his tight, perfect ass. At the thought of sinking my nails into that ass as he fucked me, a pulse of heat throbbed between my legs.
Axel hadn’t said a word since I’d begun stripping him. That meant I was to keep going until he gave me a new order. Dropping to my knees to finish removing his pants, I wondered if I could push him into letting me take the lead. I sat back on my heels and went to work, tugging his pants down his legs, deliberately ignoring his hard cock as it brushed my forehead.
He lifted one foot, then the other, allowing me to pull off the remainder of his clothes. When he was naked, I shifted to my knees and looked up, allowing my cheek to graze the silky, hot skin of his cock. Turning my face an inch to the right, my lips slid over his erection. I looked up and met his eyes, waiting to see what he would say.
His eyes burned into mine, so dark they were almost black. There was something unbearably erotic about being on my knees, fully clothed while he was naked and towering above me. His cock was so close to my mouth, I wasn’t sure who was teasing whom. I wanted to taste it, wanted the control, the power of taking him between my lips and giving him pleasure. He kept me needing him, all the time, his mastery over my body a form of control over me. I wanted that power back. I could tell he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Stay there, and strip,” he ordered. I was more than happy to comply. I’d loved the outfit when I’d put it on, but now I was desperate to be as naked as Axel. I had to roll onto my back to squirm out of my jeans, pulling them off—along with my underwear, socks, and sneakers—in one quick shove. The sweater, t-shirt, and bra were gone a second later. Then I was back in position, kneeling at his feet, my breath ghosting over his straining cock, teasing him.
“What do you want?” Axel asked, his voice so low it caught in his throat.
“I want to suck your cock,” I said. “I want to make you come in my mouth.”
Axel groaned and shook his head. “Not this time. I have other plans.”
I barely had time to register my disappointment when he leaned down and scooped me up, striding to his bed with my body firmly tucked into his arms. I loved his strength, the way he could pick me up like I weighed nothing. He dropped me on the mattress and said, “Don’t move.”
I didn’t. He vanished to the end of the bed and I heard a creak and a thump. Curiosity bloomed. Was that the trunk? What was he getting? I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Axel came back into sight holding two straps.
I should have known he’d have sex toys in the trunk. Climbing on the bed behind me, he guided me to my knees, leaning me forward until my hands rested on the headboard of the massive bed. Loops at the end of the straps slid around my wrists. The straps fastened to the buckles on the headboard, holding me in place. The position made me feel trapped and vulnerable, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I waited for Axel to move behind me.
I wasn’t expecting him to roll to his back and slide between my legs. He adjusted my hips over him, propping himse
lf up on a pillow so he was half reclined, my bare breasts dangling just above his mouth, my pussy spread inches from his straining cock.
“I know you want to run from me, Emma,” he said, trailing his fingertips down my sides, tracing my body, his touch feather light, setting every nerve on fire. He looked up at me, his gaze capturing mine.
I wanted to look away, to shut him out and lose myself in his body. It seemed he wasn’t going to allow that. His fingers explored, gliding over my breasts, pinching my nipples, skating over my belly, all the while his eyes never leaving mine.
“You want to shut me out. I get it. But I’m not going to let you. You’re mine. All of you. You can try to lock away your soul, but you won’t keep me from your body.”
He cupped my breasts in his hands, squeezing and molding them, his hands big and hard, the calluses on his palms scraping my nipples with a delicious friction. Ducking his head, he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked, sending a blast of white hot pleasure between my legs.
Axel’s mouth on my breasts never failed to drive me crazy. One night he’d played with my nipples for over an hour, making me come that way, teasing me until I’d begged for him to fuck me. I’d come three times that night, the last time so hard I’d almost blacked out.
Dropping his head back to the pillow, he cupped my breasts again, letting them fill his hands. “I love your body, Emma. It was made for me. You’re lush. Gorgeous. I could spend all day on your breasts. They’re perfect.” Releasing my breasts, he slid his palms down my back and gripped my ass. “And this . . . fuck, Emma, your ass is phenomenal.”
His fingers dug into my skin, holding me tight, pulling me down so that the head of his cock grazed the slick folds between my legs. I couldn’t help it—I let out a whimper. He was so close.
“You want my cock, Emma?”
