by Logan Chance
“Oh fuck.” I know I’m in trouble. I don’t have any words and I don’t think I could even formulate a sentence at this point.
She spreads my legs open, shimmying down to the ground and back up again while her eyes never leave mine. Her body is tight, moving in a way that should be unlawful.
I grow hard in my pants, but am happy for the darkness hiding how turned on I really am.
As if Emma knows, she backs up against me, sitting in my lap. “Do you think you were the only one with moves?”
I smile. “Oh, I never discounted you have moves of your own.”
She stands, turning to face me, and in this moment I’m so happy I’m on a porch swing and not a regular chair. She’s unable to straddle my lap, and to be honest, I think I’d lose it if she could.
Instead, she holds onto the back of the swing, leaning over so her lips hug close to the shell of my ear. “You still don’t want to sleep with me?”
I press my hands into the seat beside me, knowing the rules of not touching her. Because right now I don’t know if I want to just grab my cock and start jacking off furiously, or if I want to grab her ass and slam her down onto my lap. So instead, I do neither. “No, I don’t want to sleep with you.” Because actual sleeping is the last thing from my mind. Fucking, now that’s another story.
She shimmies against me some more, turning my already hard dick to stone, and I ball both hands into fists, trying my best not to touch her.
Emma’s better than any dancer I’ve ever seen. She does some signature moves and then she’s back. Leaning against my ear, licking the shell this time. “You sure you don’t want to fuck me?”
I swallow. “You proved your point. You’ve got moves, and I’m not worthy.” And then, my hand lands on the back of her neck, tugging her closer. I crash my lips over hers, begging her mouth open with my tongue.
She opens, and I explore, taste, and devour her.
My heart bangs in my chest, like a drum keeping the rhythm steady so I don’t take things too far. Even though every cell in my body screams at me to do just that.
Her hand lands on my chest, pushing me away just a bit and the kiss breaks before I can deepen it further.
She stands. “Have a good night, Axel.”
No, don’t leave. I want to tell her to wait. I want to say so many words that mean stop in this moment, but instead I smile, nodding at her as she moves further away. “Have a nice night, Emma.” I clock her as she moves across the lawn to her own house.
She turns just before entering through her door to give me a small wave.
“Down boy,” I whisper to my dick, knowing full well I won’t be able to stay away from this girl.
8
Emma
“He’s trouble.” I say when I get inside. I felt him stare at me the whole time I walked back to my house. Do you realize how hard it was to walk away from that man? From that kiss?
I mean, that kiss alone was enough to change the course of nature. To change every particle in my body’s makeup to vibrate toward him.
That kiss was something that I can’t ever let happen again.
Axel can not become a problem. I need to stay away from him. I knew it from the first moment I met him. Those green eyes staring at me in a way no other man had before.
I’m screwed.
And that’s not counting his lap dance. Normally, lap dances don’t do anything for me. I’m in the business. I understand rubbing up on someone with no desire to take it anywhere further than their wallet, but that was before Axel.
Even though he’d been working all night, he smelled masculine and sexy as hell. His scent filled my nose, making the screaming women around me fade into darkness. I wanted to drown in him as he grinded against me. His body moving against me, causing a fire to burn deep in my abdomen, spreading through my veins like lava. My breath tightens as I think of his lips brushing against my neck to get to my ear, his deep voice penetrating, igniting a lust so intense I thought I was going to catch fire right there on the chair.
When he called my name I knew I shouldn’t have joined him on his porch. Now talking to him, listening to his excitement of getting out of dancing and owning his own club, he’s even more human to me.
But I’m a fool. I seriously thought I could give him a lap dance and turn him on while staying neutral. Well, I am not Switzerland. Every cell in my body came alive while I danced for him on his porch.
My body’s still alive with energy as I peel off my dress and jump in the shower.
Drying off, I barely pull on a tank top and shorts before landing face first in bed. Just as I’m melting off to sleep a scream pierces the air, bringing me back to the land of the living. I race down the hallway toward Felicity’s room. She’s in her bed whimpering, her little face scrunched up with fear.
“Hey, baby. It’s just a nightmare. I’m here.” I pull her toward me. Her tiny arms wrap around me as she shakes enough to almost knock me down. My heart breaks for her when she looks up at me with tears leaking out of her eyes. She’s been having nightmares for a while. I was hoping moving away would lessen them. I guess I was wrong.
“It’s ok.” I kiss the top of her head, closing my eyes as I breathe her in. I jump when there’s a loud authoritative bang on my front door.
Felicity’s eyes seek mine, I give her a little smile. “I’m pretty sure you woke the neighbors.” Her eyes widen. I kiss her tear stained cheek. “Let me go tell them everything is fine. Do you want to come with me, or stay in bed?”
“I’ll stay, but come back.”
“I’ll be right back.” I kiss her one more time, handing her the stuffed bunny she’s never without and walk to the door. I’m not sure how I know, but a feeling creeps in, knowing it’s Axel at my door.
There’s another loud knock on the door as I rush down the hallway. I peek through the peephole just in time to hear Axel yell that he’s going to kick the door down if I don’t answer.
“Alpha much?” I open the door, but my face drops at the panic clearly written all over Axel’s face.
His hair stands in all directions as he scans the room trying to find any threat. “Is Felicity ok? What happened?”
My heart thumps painfully in my chest when his worry for my daughter is evident. He asked about her first. I blink away the tears before he can see them.
Trouble, with a capital T.
“Felicity’s fine. She had a nightmare. I’m sorry if she woke you up.”
He finally stops scanning the room and turns toward me. His green eyes wide with worry. “Is she ok?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you come say goodnight to her?” For some reason, I take his hand feeling more at peace than I did ten minutes ago, and lead him down the hallway toward her room. Holding his thick warm hand feels right, but I push the thought away when we enter Felicity’s room.
She’s in her bed, rubbing her bunny’s ear, her eyes already getting heavy with sleep. She grins when she sees Axel standing next to me.
“Hey little one. I heard you had a nightmare. You scared me when I heard you scream. I ran right over.” Axel lets go of my hand and walks over to the side of the bed, getting down on his knees.
Felicity nods her head, the smile still on her face. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
He notices Felicity’s bunny and rubs his finger on the other ear.
“It’s alright. I’m sorry you had a nightmare. This looks like a strong protector. What’s your bunny’s name?”
Felicity sits up looking proud at her strong bunny. “Delilah,” Felicity answers him.
“Hello, Delilah,” he says, shaking the ear like a hand shake. This makes Felicity go into a fit of giggles.
Felicity yawns widely. I step into the room going to the other side of the bed, sitting next to her. “Why don’t you try and go to bed, baby.”
“The bad man won’t come will he?”
I cringe as I run my fingers through her hair. Felicity’s stupid father did this. I hate him for sca
ring my poor little baby. Axel studies Felicity before glancing at me. His forehead is creased, the frown on his lips letting me know he is going to find out who the bad man is before he leaves tonight.
Axel answering her surprises me, “No, the bad man can’t get you. You’re safe here. I have a secret, but you can’t tell anyone.”
Felicity leans closer to him. I eye him warily wondering what he’s going to say. “I won’t. I promise.” She gives him her pinky finger.
I open my mouth to explain what she’s doing, but I don’t need to. Axel hooks his pinky finger with Felicity’s. “You live next door to superheroes.”
Felicity’s tired eyes widen as she takes him in. She must see something in his face that lets her believe him because she nods. “I knew it.”
Axel laughs, shooting me a wink, melting me even further. “We’ll protect you. Nobody’s going to hurt you. The bad man will never get near you.”
I’m in so much trouble.
“Thank you.”
Our eyes meet, Felicity in the middle of us. Something powerful passes between us, and without a shadow of doubt, I know I won’t be able to stay away from this man.
“Will you read me a story?” Felicity asks Axel with sleep invading her voice.
“Of course,” he answers immediately.
“You don’t have to,” I say, hating to inconvenience him. Also needing him to go far far away so I don’t do anything stupid, like throw myself at him letting him finish what we started on the porch swing. Our eyes meet again, the intensity in them shows he’s thinking the same thing.
“I know I don’t have to, I want to. Which book would you like me to read?”
Felicity’s little index finger shoots out and points to her favorite book sitting on her pink nightstand. Axel grabs it, settling on the floor shifting closer to Felicity. He cracks the book open and reads. Both of us are entranced at Axel’s deep baritone voice. It’s hypnotic. The tiredness I felt when I got home seeps back into my bones.
Having Axel inside my house makes me feel safe. His soothing voice and his presence brings me a security I haven’t felt in a long time. With his voice in the background I let myself drift off to sleep.
9
Axel
I stare down at Emma’s sleeping form. She fell asleep right after Felicity did. She’s fierce. The protective look in her eyes when Felicity mentioned the bad guys proved it. As tired as she was she waited until her daughter drifted off to sleep before allowing herself to relax enough to pass out from exhaustion. I finish the book, wanting to make sure they’re both fully asleep.
I study Emma with all her guards let down for once. When our lips met on the porch swing I felt some of her defenses melt away, but right before I could delve into her, before I could break them all down they were back up as soon as her palms touched my chest. Now, watching her sleep peacefully I notice things I hadn’t before. The exhaustion around her eyes, the tense set of her shoulders when she’s awake. Whoever this bad man is will never get near the two of them. As long as she doesn’t push me away I’ll be here to protect her. Hell, even if she does push me away I’ll still be in the background, making sure she’s well taken care of.
Her evasion when I asked why she started dancing is starting to make sense. I can’t put everything together just yet, but I vow I’m going to break past her defenses and find out her secrets. I want to know what makes her tick, and right now while she’s pliable with sleep fogging her mind seems like a good time to start.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
It takes a second for her to allow my words to penetrate her tired brain. She blinks her whiskey-colored eyes focusing on me. The bags under her eyes break my heart, I decide not to push her tonight. I’ll get my answers after she gets the rest she needs.
I watch her check on Felicity, she’s on her side sleeping her mouth is open with a tiny bit of drool making its way toward her pillow. Emma smiles, smoothing her daughter’s hair down before arranging the blanket around her. I wonder if she’s avoiding me.
“She’s out.” I whisper, close to her ear. I feel some vindication when it causes goosebumps to erupt over her bare arms. “I’ll lock the door and see myself out. Why don’t you go to bed?”
“No, you don’t have to leave. Do you want something to drink? I mean it’s the least I can do for you running over here to protect us.”
I run my hands through my hair, trying to decide if I should be a gentleman, or stay. The small smile she gives me has me grabbing her hand, leading her out of Felicity’s room toward the kitchen.
Good intentions be damned.
She hands me a beer, taking one for herself. We go to the couch, sit down as both of us ignore each other, staring at our beers, stuck on where to go next. After a while the silence gets to me, so I decide to start up the conversation seeing how much I can get out of her tonight.
“Does she have nightmares often?”
She takes a deep breath, her tits straining against her tight tank top. I push my eyes up to the ceiling not wanting to get caught staring when she’s obviously not wearing a bra. My mouth goes dry at the thought of her unrestrained breasts, and what I can do with them using my mouth and hands. I take a swig of beer for something to do.
The indecision on her face has me thinking she wants to change the subject. As much as it will pain me, I won’t push it if she decides not to trust me enough to tell me her story. Being somewhat of a good guy right now will make up for my dirty thoughts. I watch as her mind goes back and forth on if she wants to explain Felicity’s nightmares. My patience pays off when she leans back on the couch, holding a pillow against her stomach.
“She just started having them.”
“And the bad man?” Just like when Felicity mentioned him, Emma winces. I reach out grabbing her hand, holding it gently.
“The bad man is her father.”
I ignore every instinct screaming inside me, demanding I get answers. I need to be patient, even if it kills me. The thought of Felicity’s dad scaring her enough to where she’s having nightmares pisses me off.
Emma squeezes my hand, making me realize I put my hand into a fist at her confession. “You asked me why I started dancing, and I didn’t answer you. The truth is I started dancing because of my own father.”
If I thought I was pissed before, I’m seething now. A father pushing his daughter into exotic dancing is incomprehensible. I’m not sure which man I want to push my fist through first.
Emma smiles brightly, taking my breath with her. “It’s not what you think. My father was a good man.”
I raise an eyebrow, but it only makes her smile more. “He was. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.”
The sadness that surrounds her urges me to want to comfort her. I take a chance and move closer to her on the couch, putting my arm around her, waiting to see if she will accept my comfort or push me away. To my surprise she rests her head on my shoulder and continues.
“He was a history teacher for the local high school. When he got sick he had to quit teaching, and even with his benefits, bills started to pile up.”
I pull Emma on top of my lap rubbing her back as she talks. Guilt swamps me for wanting to hit a man I thought forced his daughter into dancing.
“There was an experimental treatment, it wasn’t covered by our insurance. He never knew what I did to get the money, but I don’t regret it one bit. It gave us another three years with him, before we lost him. He was there for Felicity’s birth.”
“He sounds like an amazing man. And you’re a good daughter for what you did for him.”
Emma snuggles further into me at my praise. “I’d do it again. I regret nothing.”
We’re both quiet, and I wonder if she’s going to continue or if I’m going to have to prod her. She takes another deep breath answering my question for me.
“I met Felicity’s dad at the club I worked at. He was the owner. And I was an idiot.”
My arms tighten around her with the tho
ught that she still works for the bad man who scared his three-year-old daughter enough she has nightmares.
“I left when I found out I was pregnant with Felicity. Actually, I was fired. It turns out he was married, and wasn’t too happy to find out I was pregnant.”
“What happened?” I ask torn between wanting to hold her tighter or going out to rip the limbs off the man who hurt her.
“He told me to leave the club, and if I ever came around he would do everything in his power to take Felicity away from me. I was so young. I was losing my father, and I found out the person I thought cared about me was married. It was a bad time.”
“Tell me who he is. He will never come near you.” The anger I hear come out of me shows just how much I’m willing to do to protect them.
Emma shakes her head against my chest. I want to argue with her, but stop myself. She’s confiding in me, giving me trust, which I’ve come to understand in the short time I’ve known her, she doesn’t give very often. I have to bide my time, but I will find out with or without her cooperation.
“Why does Felicity call him the bad man? If he wanted nothing to do with her, why is she so scared of him?”
“It was an accident. I was looking into daycares for Felicity, with my dad getting sicker it was the sensible option. I didn’t realize Felicity’s dad had a kid going to one of the preschools I was touring. When he saw me show up at the daycare he freaked out screaming at me in front of Felicity and scaring her. It was about four months ago. It didn’t matter though because my father passed away two weeks later, and then we decided to move out and move on.”
“Felicity doesn’t know he’s her father?”
Emma shakes her head, her body relaxing against me. I hold her, absorbing everything she’s told me, wanting to fix all of her problems big or small. I had already determined she was fierce, and loyal, but hearing what she did for her father makes me want to make her life easier. She has already gone through so much. She deserves to be happy. I’m going to be the one to do that for her.
