by Anders, S.
He growled a cuss word again, and she saw him visibly tremor.
“Axel. Oral,” she tried.
His head jerked. “Damn it, Liv.” He clutched both her ankles. “Not our first time.”
“I’m on the pill!” she exclaimed.
His head shook slowly. “Not going to do that to you,” he said as if convincing himself. Then he let go of her legs, and he abruptly turned and stalked from the room.
If she’d been grumpy before, now she was freaking frustrated.
Chapter Twelve
Liv stayed in her room for twenty minutes, while trying to calm her ramped up desires. When she could think clearly, which she wasn’t certain she was yet, she realized Axel was just protecting her. And himself. The pill was fine, but in their situation condoms were a must ... until they both got checked out.
Eventually, she grumbled, “Thank god, Axel has control.”
She didn’t like it, but he was right. All good and well to figure out why he did what he did ... that still didn’t help her denied arousal after-burn. Later, she peeked out of her bedroom seeing the coast was clear, and she scooted to the bathroom to take a long cold shower. She’d never needed one of those before, but boy she did then.
An hour later when she finally braved going out into the kitchen, she saw Axel sitting in the living room. It was as if he was waiting for her. Just looking at him in his jeans and the same killer-looking wife beater tee with his gaze so deep, yet intense, instantly relit her arousal.
“Hey,” he said, looking her over.
“Hey,” she answered, not leaving the doorway.
His gaze traveled over her jeans and the thin-strapped flowered top she had on, then it lingered on her face. “I got carried away,” he said solemnly. “It’s just when I saw you in that sexy ...” He didn’t finish.
“I got carried away too,” she offered quietly.
He grabbed his knees and rolled his shoulders as if loosening them, while she really appreciated the view. “I want to get carried away with you. Way away,” he said lowly. “It’s just ...”
She interrupted him. “No, I get it, Axel.” She paused, then mumbled, “I didn’t want to get it at first, but we don’t want them and who they’ve been with in our bed.”
His smile was slow and sweet. “That’s my Liv, right out there. Love it.”
She smiled a little. “So you got drunk last night?” she asked as a question.
He grabbed the back of his neck rubbing for a moment as she switched feet to lean on. He dropped his hand. “First I’m going out, right after we talk, and buy condoms.” Her heartbeat sped up at this and a blush coursed across her cheeks. “Don’t like leaving my lady needy like that,” he said in a low and intense voice.
Warm melting started somewhere near her heart, touched her nipples, then headed south. “Same here,” she replied softly, way softer than she was feeling, keeping herself on the other side of the room from him.
“As far as last night, Liv, I was confused and I didn’t handle it well.”
“Kiki?” she asked, trying to keep out of her voice how important the answer he’d give to her was.
He started to answer slowly, “Kiki and I ... that was just ...”
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Both their heads turned at the rapid knocking on the front door, and Liv really wished Axel would have answered that looming question. Not had to leave it hanging, like the answer could be Kiki and him getting back together.
“Hell,” Axel, muttered. “Have no idea who that could be.”
She let him go to the door; it was his aunt's house and she stepped aside so he could move through the entrance. As soon as Axel pulled open the front door, Liv wished she’d not been standing there or anywhere in the house for that matter.
“Kiki,” Axel uttered, and Liv could not judge his deep voice from behind.
She straightened, wanting to fade into the wall.
“What, is she doing here,” Kiki exclaimed, in the higher ends of screeching.
Liv saw Kiki was dressed to accomplish something and her barely there halter dress screamed; I want my man back!
Axel could have cussed as dirty and low down as he’d learned in the military. He could not believe Kiki was standing in front of him. Kiki tried to grab the screen door, and he had the presence of mind to catch the handle on his side, and keep her from opening the flimsy barrier.
“Let me in!” she demanded.
But he held on, shaking his head. “Got nothing for you,” he uttered.
“But you have something for her,” Kiki spat. “I’m your wife! We need to talk!”
“Why?” he asked in a pissed off growl.
“Because I am your wife and you need to be with me after what her bastard husband made me do!”
“What did he do?” Liv whispered behind him.
Axel swung his hand behind him with one finger out in a gesture for her to wait a minute.
“He blackmailed me into bed!” Kiki screeched on the other side of the screen door.
Axel heard Liv gasp with a cut off laugh behind him, then she exclaimed. “He isn’t capable of doing that! Why would he?”
Kiki stomped her high heels like a child. “He did!”
Axel heard Liv barely whispering, “She’s lying.”
“Because he’s on the council, right?” Axel threw at Kiki.
“I didn’t say...” Kiki cried.
Liv exclaimed over her, “He’s not!”
Kiki finished, “That!”
Then, Liv added, “Not on any freaking council.”
“Axel! Open the door, baby.” Kiki simpered, pouting her lips at him through the screen.
“Quit damn lying,” he stated angrily. “One call, I can find out.”
“But I want you back! Doesn’t that mean something?” she cried.
“No. Fuck. No.”
She backed off the porch as if he’d hit her. Then she stumbled down the step. “You could’ve had this!” She gestured at her body, shaking her pointing finger. “Instead of that skinny bitch!”
Axel squeezed his eyes shut. Damn her. “You stay away from me and Liv or I will get a restraining order, Kiki.”
Kiki screeched one more time, then she got into her car. Axel turned and slammed the door shut. When he turned to look at Liv, she was gone.
Liv camped in her bedroom, calling her lawyer, and then debating whether to call Andrew and tell him what Kiki was saying.
“More like rub it in his face that his little mistress is trying to get her husband back,” she muttered.
While that held immense hopes of vengeful satisfaction, she hesitated, thinking she needed Axel’s advice on it. But she didn’t want to talk to Axel right then, not with his wife looking so sexy and trying to get him back. Then there was their failed attempt at sex, once again, so fresh.
Her cell dinged and she looked down seeing an incoming text from Axel. “Going out, babe. Sorry about Kiki.”
She was sorry about Kiki too. The bitch. Trying to hang on to two men.
She text back. “I’m going to serve Andrew today. It’s Friday.”
His return text. “Really. Okay. I’ll serve Kiki. If I can. Like we planned.”
She knew his “if I can,” was if Kiki wasn’t at home. They’d planned it out for both of them to do it while their spouses weren’t at home. Leaving the papers for them to find. But with Kiki and Andrew apparently on the outs it might be harder for Axel to find Kiki not at home.
She was glad Axel was giving her space by not talking to her directly, but she felt uneasy about that too. Was he pulling away from her or was he being kind and letting her deal with some of the things that had been happening? If it weren’t for Kiki she’d believe the latter.
“You did have the hottest make out session of the century just this morning to tell you different,” she muttered. “He is into you.”
Instead of dwelling on things she couldn’t figure out, she got ready to go see her lawyer to pick up the div
orce papers, then she’d put “the plan” into action. Actually the plan was quite clever on Axel’s part, even though the cat was out of the bag, as it was, about the affair. The plan still had merit.
After the lawyer’s office, she pulled into the driveway of her house, looking at the structure as if she hadn’t spent the last five to six years living there. It looked foreign and way too perfect, because Andrew did not like dressing a house up with homey accents, he preferred perfected class. There were two identical (fake) topiaries on either side of the entrance, white columns, a nice porch, and no outdoor furniture. Andrew was abhorred at the thought they might sit out on their front porch.
Liv guessed people from his country club didn’t do that. As she got out of her car looking at the house, she realized how little of her personality stamped her house. Not much. Maybe that was why she felt no real loss at leaving it behind. Her things yes, the house ... no.
She was happy to see Andrew wasn’t home, of course, she knew he wouldn’t be at that time of day. She let herself into the darkened house quietly, feeling kind of otherworldly about it all. Going directly to the living room, she turned on the lights to get a better look at the DVD player. That was Axel’s plan; they were to take the DVD each of them had, showing proof of the cheating, and put it in to play so when their spouses came home, the proof would be blaring at them. Next to the glaring proof would be the divorce papers lying under the remote, not to be missed that way.
“I think that says it all,” Liv declared. She’d inserted the DVD and stood back with the remote to start it.
“Says all what, Liv?”
Liv gasped, swinging around to stare at Andrew. He was in casual attire, but his expression was menacing. Stupidly she said, “You're never here this time of day. Where’s your car?”
“In the garage now that I’ve gotten rid of all your crap out there.”
He seemed snotty and rude as if he hated her. “My stuff? What have you done with my stuff?”
He shrugged, walking closer. “I believe in giving to charity.”
She nearly screamed at him, or rushed out to see what of hers he’d given away, because she took his meaning clearly. She saw by the look playing around his eyes and lips that he’d done it out of spite.
“Divorce papers,” she snapped at him, thrusting the folded white papers she held out toward him. “Take them,” she demanded.
His hands went behind his back as if he clasped them there, while he muttered, “Ahead of the game.”
Game? “Take them, Andrew!” He stepped back, and she shook the papers at him.
“You fuck him?” he asked with a peevish sound.
She dropped the papers on the floor between them and pointed the remote at the TV. “I’m not the cheater,” she hissed.
They glared at each other and she couldn’t believe, not ten days ago, she’d kissed him in this house and tried to do it passionately.
Sounds of screwing filled the air and Andrew’s gaze jumped to the TV. “You had me followed?” His hand slashed through the air. “You, bitch!”
Liv threw the remote over the back of the couch, to land with a bounce on the seat cushions. “We’re through,” she proclaimed, and she started to rush by him.
But he grabbed her ... with such force it hurt her upper arms. At the same moment she screamed, “Let go!”
He yelled, “You think I care!” He shook her. “You're like a lead weight and I am glad to get rid of you!” She looked into his angry, puffed out face.
“You should have divorced me then,” she whimpered.
He shook her again and she had no choice but to grab his upper arms to stay on her feet. “You haven’t made my dick hard in years. But just thinking about you with him,” he spat. “You like it like that?”
She shook her head trying to push away from him, not understanding what he was saying or why, but she was afraid, and the need to flee was strong. “Let me go, Andrew! Let me leave.”
“You like it like that,” he snarled again, shaking her more, until she yelped in pain.
“Like what?” she cried.
“You are always so stiff in bed, like a lump. You move for him?”
“I don’t know what you’re saying, Andrew! You need to let me go.” Liv tried to pull free, but he followed her movement, until she was pressed into the edge of the breakfast bar that divided the living room from the kitchen.
“Kiss me like you kiss him,” Andrew demanded.
“No!” she cried, twisting her head when he tried to put his mouth on hers. “Are you crazy!”
“I can give it to you like him,” he growled. “You like it from behind!”
Andrew swung her around and shoved her so hard forward she hit the back of the couch and she had to put her hands forward to keep from falling over it. Andrew crowded behind her bottom, pushing into her, and then she felt his ... his erection.
“Like this,” he spat, and he humped her hard.
“What about Kiki?” Liv cried, trying to turn him away from his furious revenge.
“Kiki’s more woman than you’ll ever fucking be,” he uttered, grinding his erection against her bottom, while she tried to push off the couch cushion to stand, but she couldn’t. “Kiki wouldn’t take it up the ass. You want to, bitch. I might keep you.”
He was insane! Liv finally realized another escape route and instead of going backwards, she went forwards. She guessed she’d so surprised Andrew he didn’t catch her as she’d tucked and rolled sideways onto the couch. Then she was up and running to the garage door that she knew she could lock.
She made it! Slamming and locking the door with Andrew bellowing on the other side. It sounded as if he hit and kicked the door as she sprinted to the inside garage door opener, slapping it. She’d left her purse and her keys inside the house, but she had a spare key in a magnet box under the front wheel hub on her car. She snatched it as Andrew slammed opened the front door.
“You’ll never keep him!” Andrew shouted, while she fumbled the key into her hand and jumped into her SUV, locking the doors.
Andrew stood on the front step looking menacing as she tried to get the spare key into the ignition, while she panted.
“No tits, no passion, you will never keep him!” Andrew shouted, and Liv’s tears finally started to fall.
She got her car started and she peeled the tires on the driveway getting out of there. She was shaking and crying so bad a mile later, she had to pull over.
“How could he hate me so much,” she kept saying over and over.
Chapter Thirteen
Axel was frantic. It was after dark and Liv wasn’t home. She didn’t answer her cell and he’d finally got in his car to try to find her. But he didn’t know her home address.
“Damn,” he growled, driving by the biker’s bar, where they’d done their surveillance. He didn’t see her SUV and he drove on to check the only other place he did know was her turf ... the rose farm.
He knew she was going to serve divorce papers on her dickwad husband, but said dick shouldn’t have been home. Liv knew having her husband home with her was to be avoided. But after he’d given her space this morning he hadn’t heard from her all damn day. He’d gotten more and more worried, nearly calling Ronan to see if he could track her.
But it was all he didn’t know that stopped him. Was she pissed about Kiki? Likely. Was she giving him the silent treatment because of it all? If she was, it was seriously overboard.
It was hard to find the rose farm entrance in the dark and he missed it once and had to go back. He finally drove his car down the long driveway, while sweeping his eyes where he could see following the headlights. Suddenly, his gaze landed on Liv’s SUV and his heartbeat thumped, he was so instantly relieved to have found her.
He pulled in beside her car and turned his off, looking up at the house, which was dark. He got out looking around. Somehow he knew she wasn’t in the house and it was pretty cold out as he looked around the dark rose farm. Halfway through his
sweeping gaze, he saw a light and he began walking toward it. It became obvious that it was a flashlight flickering out in the rose bushes.
Without a light of his own, he had to walk carefully in the dark, angling toward the light. Something kept him from calling out to her as he drew closer, feeling certain it was Liv. He found her sitting on a bench with her flashlight pointed at a rosebush that looked like a thick and stocky sentry in the wavering light.
Wavering, because he realized Liv was crying. Damn, no. He was afraid to find out what had happened, and he was mad she was out in the cold with just a light top on and no coat. He didn’t want to scare her.
“Liv? It’s Axel.”
Her head came up from where she’d been weeping. “It’s the first rose bush.” Her voice wavered through a sob.
He came to her side quickly then, now that she knew he was there. He sat, saying, “Baby, that’s amazing.”
She made a sobbing sound and she fell against him. He pulled her in tight, clasping the back of her head, where her face pressed to his chest. He felt her shaking and he separated them for a second, unzipped his coat and pulled her deep, taking the edges of his coat as far around her as he could.
She cried through it all, as if she’d been waiting for him to let loose. Rocking her, he finally pulled her into his lap and let her cry, while his chest tightened. Her clothes were on and nothing seemed torn. He didn’t think she’d been raped. In the little he’d seen of her, she didn’t look beaten up.
He prayed a little, holding her and holding his tongue until she calmed down. When her sobs were just little catches, he asked, “How old is the rose bush? Did your grandma plant it?”
“Over fifty years,” she mumbled into his chest. “It’s a china rose. Grandma and Grandpa planted it.”
Even in the dark he could see with the bench and clearing around it that it was a type of monument. “Fifty years. Amazing.”
She was silent, burrowing into him more, then just when he was going to ask, she said, “Andrew came home.”
“He hurt you?” He had to know.
“Yes,” she whined, pressing tighter against him as he tightened his arms, feeling anger and anguish rise inside him. “But I got away before it got really bad,” she whispered.
