Whisper of Attraction

by Melanie Shawn

“It’s been a while,” Brynn admitted.

  “How long?” The gravelly rasp in his voice covered her exposed skin in goosebumps for the second time that evening.

  “Five years.” It sounded like a long time when she said it aloud, so she nervously added, “And I do a lot of Kegels.” As if that admission was any better.

  She’d started doing them after she gave birth and had just never stopped even though she’d been out of service in that department for a while.

  When Axel remained still, she opened her eyes and looked down. He was staring up at her with a questioning look.

  “It’s exercises for my…you know.” She squeezed her inner walls to demonstrate.

  As her body clamped around his finger, his eyes flared with fiery arousal and he once again covered the hood of her sex with his mouth. He continued his efforts and a sweet shock of bliss crested through her.

  Her head fell back against the wall and she grabbed onto the doorknob for support. Her hips rolled, pressing her sex into his mouth but Axel’s firm grip on her hips had him setting the tempo. Within seconds, her entire being exploded into a blinding climax.

  Stars whirled behind her eyes as tremors quaked from her epicenter out to the top of her head and the tips of her toes. He continued licking her and his finger drove in and out of her as she rode out her orgasm.

  When the last surge of release vibrated through her, her knees buckled. But Axel was right there, holding her up. He stood, keeping her tightly in his embrace.

  Feeling more relaxed, more centered, and more calm than she had in she couldn’t remember how long, she wrapped her arms around him and smiled up at him.

  “Wow. You’re really good at that.”

  The corners of his lips tilted up in amusement.

  “I’m serious,” she insisted. “I think I’m tipsier from that orgasm than I was from the drinks. Well done, sir. Well. Done.”

  * * *

  Axel couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips. Sex had never been this fun, this real, or this raw with anyone. Maybe it was because the connections he’d had with women had always been based on physical attraction and what he and Brynn shared was deeper. It was intimate.

  He’d never had a woman that giggled when his chin rubbed her belly. Or pointed out stretch marks and cellulite. Or talked about doing Kegels. Or complimented him so sincerely after she had an orgasm.

  It just felt so right with Brynn. Their bond, the way they related to one another, was so comfortable. So natural.

  Or maybe she had this kind of bond with Max, and anyone else she may have been with. Maybe Brynn always shared her insecurities with men she was with and he wasn’t anything special. That unwanted thought hit him like a knee to the nuts.

  A sense of urgency to make her his rushed through him and he quickly grabbed a condom from his wallet on the coffee table, stripped out of his sweats, and rolled on protection. He then wrapped his arm around Brynn’s back and lifted her in the air. Her smile went from ear to ear as her legs automatically circled his waist.

  He knew her five-year drought hadn’t been for lack of opportunity. There was Liam, first of all. And Kade and Ethan certainly made it sound like almost every guy in town had a crush on Brynn. But she told everyone the same thing: she was too busy to date.

  Yet, she’d shown up on his doorstep. Asked him why he hadn’t kissed her. And was now totally naked in his arms. Spread open, both physically and emotionally. And he hadn’t even been honest with her about why he was in Whisper Lake. He didn’t deserve her trust. He didn’t deserve her.

  “Axel?” Brynn’s fingers ran along his jawline as concern tinted her voice. “What’s wrong?”

  The tenderness in her touch and her voice got him like an arrow through the heart. He needed to tell her who he really was, why he was really there.

  “Brynn, I need to—”

  She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a soul-stealing kiss that lasted just long enough for him to forget who he was or why he was there.

  When she broke it, she whispered against his mouth, “Tonight, I just want to feel.”

  Her hips rocked against his latex-covered erection as she emphasized the word.

  If that’s what she wanted, that’s exactly what he’d give her.

  Using the leverage of her back against the wall, he tilted her hips up and lined up the throbbing tip of his rock-hard shaft between the delicate, pink folds of her sex. He inhaled as he guided himself inside of her, slowly. He wanted to freeze the moment in time as he watched her body accept the engorged crown of his shaft. A groan reverberated in his chest as he pushed past the resistance of her tight canal.

  Sweat formed on his brow and the back of his neck as Brynn’s nails dug into his shoulders. Between them, her breasts rose and fell as she took in shallow breaths. Her inner muscles resisted before molding to him. He stared down to where they were intimately joined and shifted his weight so that his legs were braced. His fingers tightened around her hip as he eased her down with excruciating care, stilling each time her body resisted his advance.

  “Yes. More. Yes.” Her raspy whispers of encouragement and the grinding of her hips urged him to go further.

  His hand was still wrapped around his heavy erection as he drove into her so deep that the side of his hand brushed her sex. Instead of removing his hand from between them completely, he continued holding himself and circled his thumb around her swollen clit, careful not to touch the sensitive nub.

  Her body responded immediately, arousal coated the roughened pad of his thumb and his dick was enveloped in her warm, contracted inner muscles.

  “Oh…yes…” she whimpered as her fingernails scraped his shoulders. “Oh…fuck…yes…yes…”

  Hearing Brynn curse was a whole other level of hot. The sound shot straight to his balls that were tingling uncontrollably with barely restrained release.

  He couldn’t believe that he was already feeling the telltale signs of an imminent orgasm. He’d never had a problem with longevity before. But the past didn’t matter. Only the present did; and in the present he knew it was only a matter of moments. His only hope was to bring her with him for the ride.

  Once he knew that her body was ready, he began thrusting in and out of her. Within a few pumps his climax was speeding toward him like a runaway train. There was nothing he could do to slow it down. His last coherent thought before it overtook him was that he wanted to be kissing Brynn when it made impact.

  So that’s exactly what he did. He captured her mouth in a punishing kiss as white-hot pleasure exploded inside of him. Fiery passion spread through him as he sank into the velvety warmth of her sex and her mouth. The release was the hottest, most intimate, soul-claiming, animalistic experience he’d ever had.

  When it began to subside, he realized that his legs were unable to stand beneath the weight of what they’d just shared. Not willing to lose their connection, Axel held Brynn tightly against him as he flipped their positions and lowered down to the ground. His back was leaning against the wall and Brynn was on his lap. She snuggled against him, panting heavily against his chest as her entire body went limp.

  While he caught his breath he ran his fingers through Brynn’s silky hair. The beat of his heart thudded against his chest as he held her close to him. Having her in his arms like this was the closest thing to a spiritual experience he’d ever had. He felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be and doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged. Like he was home.

  There were so many emotions warring inside of him but an overwhelming sense of needing to protect her exceeded them all. He knew that he needed to tell her who he was and what he was really doing in Whisper Lake, but he didn’t want to break the magic spell that surrounded them. Still, he knew what he needed to do. He took a deep breath as he prepared to say what needed to be said. But before he exhaled, he heard her speak.

  “Wow. This was so much better th
an breakfast in bed,” she whispered as she caught her breath.

  “What?” His eyes lowered to the top of her head.

  “Earlier, at Lanterns, that’s why I was emotional. Ethan brought Jess breakfast in bed. No one’s ever done that for me and I was sad. But this was so much better that I don’t even care anymore.” She chuckled lightly as she snuggled against his chest.

  She sounded so happy, so calm, so relaxed.

  Tomorrow. He’d tell her tomorrow.

  CHAPTER 17

  Brynn was floating in the precarious zone between waking up and drifting back off to sleep when she felt a chill. Out of habit, she reached for the blanket that she was sure Lucy must’ve stolen in the middle of the night. Her half-conscious plan was to cover herself up and let the enveloping warmth of the comforter lull her back into slumber. But her plan was thwarted when her palm hit something hard and solid. Her lids flew up and she saw Axel asleep beside her. His face was so peaceful and content. So relaxed and happy.

  Memories from the night before flooded back to her. Her going to Axel’s apartment. Him kissing her and making love to her against the wall. Then her trying to get dressed and leave and him kissing her again. Making love on the couch. Her saying she was worried about Lucy. Moving down to the main house, popping popcorn, watching Property Brothers, and talking into the wee hours of the morning.

  Morning.

  She lifted her head and saw tiny flecks of dust in the sunlight streaming in through the slit in the drapes. The sun was up. That was impossible. Her eyes shot to her phone on the nightstand. She clumsily fumbled for the device and pressed the home button to see what time it was.

  There was a seven followed by two zeros.

  “It’s seven o’clock?” she whispered as she stared at the numbers in disbelief.

  That couldn’t be right. She hadn’t slept past her five a.m. internal reveille since she was twelve years old.

  Beside her, she felt Axel stir. Her breath caught in her throat and she held it as she turned her head, expecting to find him awake. When she saw that his eyes were shut, she exhaled slowly in relief. She needed a few moments to process everything.

  Honestly, she wasn’t sure which was more surprising, everything that happened last night or the fact that she’d slept in.

  A knock sounded at the front door before she was able to fully contemplate her situation. Startled, she jumped out of bed, suddenly feeling like a teenager caught with a boy in her room. One quick glance over her shoulder told her that her sudden movements hadn’t disturbed Axel or Lucy, who was curled up at his feet.

  Brynn grabbed her phone and her heart raced as she hurried down the hall. Mentally, she felt like she was a beat behind and her brain was playing catch up.

  It was Saturday morning.

  Ryder had spent the night at the high school. He wasn’t due back until this evening as he’d asked if he could go help Ali and the boys over at the rental shop.

  A good work ethic was something that she’d done her best to instill in Ryder. And it made her feel good that he took helping out at the shop seriously and didn’t just mess around with his friends when he was there. Ali always raved about how hardworking Ryder was.

  The thoughts of Ryder made her decide that she needed to wake Axel up as soon as she got rid of whoever was at the door. Teenagers were unpredictable and the last thing she’d ever want was for Ryder to come home and find Axel in the house, or worse, her bed.

  She envisioned how waking him up might go, hoping for him tugging her into bed and them going for round three, as she opened the door. The bright morning sun flooded her entryway and she squinted and lifted her hand to her forehead. Jess was standing on her front porch, holding a bag and two paper cups from Cobblestone Cafe.

  “Were you sleeping?” her friend asked expectantly.

  “Um, I just woke up.”

  “Yay! I thought for sure I’d be too late.”

  “Too late for what?” Brynn asked, still a step behind.

  “For breakfast in bed.” She lifted the bag and the carrier that held the drinks and stepped inside her house.

  “You brought me breakfast in bed?” Brynn smiled widely as she closed the door behind her friend.

  “I did.” Jess spun so she was facing her. “Ali wanted to come too, but Saturdays are crazy at the rental shop.”

  “You guys are so sweet.”

  “We are. But full disclosure, we also wanted to discuss last night.”

  Last night?

  How did they know?

  They were already gone when she’d slow danced with Axel. Her mother was a self-professed clairvoyant but she didn’t think her friends had ever made such claims.

  “Last night?” she swallowed so hard she was sure it was audible.

  “Yes. It’s a good news, bad news situation.”

  “Okay.” Brynn assumed she was referring to the good news being that her dry spell was over, and the bad news being, absolutely nothing would come of it because Axel was moving in a couple of months.

  “Ethan and Kade didn’t come up with any new information on Axel.”

  Oh, that. With everything that had happened, Brynn totally forgot about her friends’ plan to have their men grill Axel.

  Jess continued, seeming totally unaware of the portion of last night that Brynn had been thinking of. “But they both really like him. Ethan said he’s ‘solid’ and Kade thinks he’s a good guy.”

  “Oh.” Brynn felt her lips curve up. She wasn’t sure why she was happy that Kade and Ethan had high opinions of him, but she was. “Good.”

  “Yeah…that’s all good and everything…” Jess’s lips went flat in a straight line. “But I still feel like we’re missing something. There’s something up with him, I just can’t put my finger on it.”

  There was something up with him. And Brynn had put a lot more than her finger on it. That thought caused her skin to heat. One of the worst parts of having such fair skin was that her emotions were displayed on her face in high def.

  She heard a noise and for a moment she thought that it might be Axel. Her heart slammed against her chest as she turned toward the hallway. The doorway was empty.

  “Brynn, are you okay?”

  “What?” She turned back to her friend and saw her questioning expression. “Oh, yeah…I thought I heard something.”

  “Heard what? Isn’t Ryder at the school?”

  Leave it to Jess to not let it go. Just like she wasn’t letting this whole Mystery Man thing go. She thought about telling the truth, that Axel was in her bed. But for some reason she didn’t. They hadn’t spoken about what last night meant yet, even though it was probably nothing. And he was still in her house.

  “I thought I heard Lucy.”

  Jess quirked her head to the side. A telltale sign that she wasn’t buying what Brynn was telling her. “Brynn, what’s goin—”

  Her friend’s question was interrupted by another knock at the door.

  Brynn jumped slightly. “Who’s that?”

  She hadn’t meant to sound so surprised at having another visitor, but she was. Jess was already there. Ali was at the rental shop, and the only other person that stopped by unannounced was Karen, but Brynn knew that she’d be busy with breakfast at the B&B.

  “One way to find out.” Jess’s eyes bounced between the door and Brynn. “Are you going to answer it?”

  “Oh yeah.” Wow. She really was a beat behind today.

  She inhaled slowly as she opened the door and was faced with the exact same eyes as the ones that she’d fallen asleep gazing into. But unlike those milk chocolate pools that belonged to a six-foot-plus imposing man, this pair belonged to the five-foot-something teenager that Brynn had stalked on Instagram.

  “Hi, I’m Izzy. I’m looking for my brother, Axel. Do you know where I can find him?”

  Yep. In my bed.

  CHAPTER 18

  Axel woke with a start. The first sensation he was aware of was something wet on the bottom of his f
oot and the second was an obnoxious buzzing sound. He jerked his foot back and opened his eyes at the same time. It took a moment for him to adjust to the light, but when he did, he saw Lucy’s big brown eyes staring at him from the foot of the bed.

  Brynn’s bed. That’s where he was.

  He turned his head to the side.

  She was nowhere to be seen. The vibration sounded again and it dawned on him that it was his phone. He checked the nightstand but it wasn’t there. He sat up, swinging his feet off the side of the bed and picked his sweats up off the floor. When he did he felt his phone in the pocket.

  He pulled it out and saw that he had two missed calls from Nate.

  Shit.

  There was a voicemail, but he didn’t bother listening to it. He pressed the phone icon to dial him back.

  “Where are you?” Nate clipped. The man got right to the point. Axel appreciated that.

  Axel ran his fingers through his hair as he looked around Brynn’s bedroom. He figured that whoever was on surveillance duty last night would’ve noted him going into Brynn’s house and also noted that he hadn’t left.

  “In the main house.”

  “So you know that you have company.”

  “What company?” Axel was on his feet pulling his sweats on and looking around the room for anything he could use as a weapon. “How many?”

  “Two. But it’s not that kind of company.” Axel could hear the amusement in Nate’s voice. “It’s your sister.”

  “My what?” Axel froze.

  “Where are you?”

  “Main house?”

  “Where?”

  “Bedroom.” Axel couldn’t believe he was having this conversation, and he also couldn’t believe that he’d slept through Brynn getting up and not one but two fucking people coming to the door.

  “Izzy just showed up at Brynn’s front door.”

  What the hell?

  “You said two.”

  “Jessa Myers is there, too.”

  Damn. It was a regular full house.

  “Thanks for the heads up.” Axel knew that with the developments of last night, he needed to speak to Seth and get reassigned. “Is Sloan in today?”