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"Axel," I protest, "you need to rest."
"I’ll rest when I am dead."
I frown. "That’s not funny. When that bullet hit you and you crumpled to the ground, I thought my heart would stop beating."
"You did?" He presses his thumb into the base of my throat where my pulse beats rapidly. "You didn’t even know me then."
"I knew that you had stepped in front of me and taken the bullet meant for me. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me. Speaking of," I touch the bandage on his temple, "don’t you need to change this bandage?"
"It’s waterproof."
"Oh." I lower my hand and place my palm against where his heart beats in his chest. He leans in and presses his lips to my forehead. A warmth squeezes my chest.
"What was that for?" I murmur, then yawn.
"That was to show you," he kisses the tip of my nose, "I am not a complete asshole," he presses a soft kiss to my lips, "and I do have it in me to be tender," he presses a kiss to my chin, "on occasion."
He leans back and glances into my face.
"I know you are not as much of an alphahole as you pretend to be," I murmur.
"Alphahole?" He chuckles. "I like it. You may refer to me as alphahole, from now on."
I yawn again, "I should have known that you would take that as a compliment."
"If the shoe fits," he raises a shoulder as he draws me onto his chest.
"Aren’t you supposed to be recuperating? Won’t I hurt you if I put my weight on you? Isn’t it better if—"
"Hush," he tucks my head under his chin, "sleep now."
I open my mouth to protest, and instead, end up yawning again. Sleep tugs at the edges of my conscious mind. I close my eyes and am instantly asleep. When I wake up, I am alone in his bed and naked.
What the—? Did he carry me to bed? Is he strong enough to do that already? Clearly, he's almost fully recovered.
I glance around the room and find it empty. It’s only the indentation in the pillow next to me that indicates that someone else had occupied the same bed as me.
I swing my legs over the side, grab the bathrobe from where it had been thrown down next to the bed and shrug it on before heading to my room to freshen up. Finally, I discard the bathrobe, step into my jeans and shrug into a sweater. I pull on thick socks, then my trainers, before I head out of my room. When I peek inside Sheena’s room, then Axel’s, I find them both empty.
I head down the flight of steps, and toward the study, which is the only room I haven’t been to before. The sound of voices reaches me as I near the doorway.
"What are your intentions with Theresa?"
18
Axel
"Intentions?" I lean back into the couch.
I had woken up at the crack of dawn, knowing I needed to start exercising again. Theresa had been curled into my side. I had carried her to bed last night and she had hardly weighed anything. Still, by the time I had reached the bed, I was exhausted.
She slept with her head on my chest and her leg flung over me, her cheeks flushed and her eyelashes a dark fan over her cheeks. Her breathing had been steady and she had seemed at peace. I had reached out to touch her face then stopped myself. I do not do tenderness. I do not want to feel this drawn to her. She’s simply a woman who happens to be a welcome distraction while I work to get my strength back.
Yeah, sure.That’s why I hadn’t been able to stop myself from taking her virginity. Or from holding her later in bed. That’s why I had held her all night as she’d slept. There is something between, us no doubt about that. Already, my feelings toward her are softening. Already, I find myself wanting to kiss her again before I crawl between her thighs and feast on her luscious pussy, right before I thrust into her sopping wet channel and fuck her so hard, she’ll never want to be with any other man again. What the fuck? Since when had I begun to feel this possessive about her?
It’s best that I get away from her and try to find perspective. And that’s why I had managed to withdraw my arm from under her neck, then pulled away from her. She’d stirred and I had frozen. She had settled down and I had swung my legs over the side of the bed. After pulling on some clothes, I had felt steadier and much stronger as I had made my way to the door. Guess that’s what a night of uninterrupted sleep with no nightmares can do to you. And the sex had helped too. My arms and legs had felt limber and my mind had been clear as I had headed down the corridor. I had reached the exercise room and started in on my daily routine.
By the time I had finished working out Massimo had made an appearance. He'd informed me that Michael and the rest of the Sovranos were waiting to meet me in the study. I had wanted to tell him to fuck off, but hell, I do need their help. So, I had agreed to meet them.
