We ordered takeout for dinner, and it was delivered at the same time we arrived at his loft.
“Go ahead and drop your bag off and unpack, and I will sort all the food,” Axel said as we walked into his unit.
Terrance had given me the all-clear to go back to my apartment and grab more clothes. Technically, I should be ableto return to my place tomorrow night, but Axel wanted me to be prepared just in case there were delays, so he’d told me to pack a few days’ worth instead.
After dropping my bag off in the guest bedroom and freshening up, I made my way to the kitchen, where we ate our Chinese food.
It would have been a pleasant dinner, except that it had been interrupted by two phone calls. One from the police letting me know the full report on my bakery was done and they hadn’t made any new progress in finding who did it. The second phone call was Tammy calling Axel to see how I was doing, since she didn’t have my number. Axel had only picked up in the first place because he was worried that he’d forgotten he had a shift tonight.
After we cleaned up from dinner, Axel crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me. His body enveloped mine, easing some of the tension that had been coiled tight inside me for weeks. It felt like a layer of pressure finally lifting.
“Do you want me to start a bath so you can relax tonight?” he asked as I tried to burrow deeper into his warmth.
Did I want to relax? Absolutely. Did I want to do it in the bathtub? Not unless he was in it with me.
There had been kisses and soft touches, along with a few hard-core make-out sessions, but nothing beyond that. I knew he was holding back because of everything that had happened, trying not to push me. But standing there in his arms, all I could think was that I wanted more.
This was my chance. Now or never.
“I can think of another way I would rather relax and de-stress.” I put on what I hoped was my best flirting and seductive face as I stared up at him.
“Älskling,” he said softly, moving his hand up to stroke the side of my face.
“What does that mean?” I asked, staring up at him.
“It is like sweetheart…but stronger,” he replied.
“Stronger?” I asked, not sure what he meant.
“It’s what we call the person who means the world to us and we would do anything for.”
Oh, wow.
My heart fluttered as a quiet thrill moved through me.
This man made my stomach do somersaults, but at that endearment, my belly went into a full-blown butterfly festival of excitement.
He grinned at me, his fingers moving into my hair as he sifted through my long strands.
Lifting up on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips against his, trying to convey my message to him physically since I wasn’t sure verbally was doing the trick.
He kissed me back, but I could tell he was holding back. I released his lips begrudgingly and pulled back so I could say something, but he beat me to it.
“Be sure, Stella.” His voice was calm, but there was a hoarseness to it that told me he was holding on to his control by a thread.
“I’m one hundred percent sure.” And I was. I’d never been more sure with any other sexual partner I’d had. There was just something about him that I felt drawn to.
Apparently, that was good enough for him. His hands moved from my face and around my waist to the front of my blouse. He took his time unbuttoning my shirt, as if savoring the slow process. One by one, his hands grazed over my breasts as he moved his way down to the last button. You could have heard a pin drop.
The air around us was dry and crackling, but the space between my legs was growing wetter by the second, and he was barely touching me.
He shifted and slowly maneuvered my shirt over my shoulders and down my arms. It was so slow that every brush of his fingers triggered sparks down my skin.
“Fuck,vad snygg du är.”
I had no idea what he had said, but his voice was reverent and provocative.
“What does that mean?” I asked, barely able to get the words out as he ran his fingers over my bare stomach, his fingers sending bursts of heat through my entire body.
