AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I won’t. I can’t. God, help me, Bristol. Even if we have to hide this from everyone, I don’t think I’d have the strength to walk away from you again. It’s always been you.” He brought my hand to rest over his heart. “You’ve always been right here. I can’t just leave again. It almost killed me last time. Iknowitwouldkill me this time.”
“Axel, I… I don’t…”
“Don’t think. Just…” He didn’t finish, rather slamming his lips over mine and reigniting the ember that had smoldered inside me for six years. One I wanted so much to extinguish some nights but never could. In that moment, the fight drained from me, I knew I was lost.
Seventeen
Axel
My mouth on Bristol’s was everything. Yeah, I’d brushed my lips over hers a couple times, butthistime, as if I’d been dead for years, my body came to life. Blood surged through me, deafening me and making me almost light-headed. My hand slid up into her silky hair, the gloss of it a balm against my skin as memories flooded back. Of Bristol. In my arms. Of us. Our bodies moving together.
I traced her jaw with my thumb while I angled her to deepen the kiss. Longing to taste her, I touched my tongue to the seam of her lips, seeking access, hoping against hope passion would eclipse anger and she’d open for me. A groan rolled up from deep in my chest when she responded, and I sank inside. Tasting her. Connecting. It was as close to home as I’d been in years.
“Fuck, Bristol,” I muttered against her lips, re-angling my mouth and taking the kiss deeper. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, and she went to her toes and pressed closer to me. My arms tightened around her back, holding her there against me. Peace and rightness filled me while I lost myself in her.
Her hand crept around my neck and slid up into my hair, fisting in the strands while she held me to her as if she thought I’d try to escape. Never. Fucking never. I would never abandon her again, no matter how we had to maneuver our lives to make things work.
As my tongue moved against hers and my hand snaked down toward her ass, Bristol gasped and suddenly yanked back. My arms clenched her to me, so she couldn’t escape.
“I can’t kiss you,” she breathed, her lips glossy and her eyes dilated.
“You can. You just did. You were. We were. And we’re going to again.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Axel… We…” She sighed in frustration. “I can’t.”
“Yeah, we can. I know it’s hard, but trust me, baby. I’m not giving up on us. Never again. You’ve gotta know that. I might have to travel, but as far as our hearts, I’m not going anywhere.”
Bristol started to argue when I saw a movement from the corner of my eye. Fuck. My attention whipped that direction just in time to see someone ducking behind one of the boardwalk’s shops.
“Fuck,” I muttered aloud this time. Damn photographers. Turning, I hooked my arm around Bristol’s waist, tugging her into my side, and hustled her back toward her car.
“Axel, what—”
“Photographer,” I growled. “This is between you and me, not you, me, and the rest of the world. Jesus.”
I hated to call them paparazzi. I was a damn race driver, for God’s sake. Since when did guys on the circuit warrant stalking by the gossip mongers?
She twisted to look, but I stopped her, pulling her into my chest. “Don’t look. Don’t let them take more pictures of you.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“Apparently, this is my life now—our life. I’m sorry, baby. I’m so fucking sorry. I promise, I’ll try to keep you out of the limelight as much as I can.”
She sighed, the sound more sad than I would have expected in the moment. “Doesn’t matter, Ax. You still have the situation with your uncle.I’mnot allowed. You’re leaving in a few days anyway.”
* * *
My eyes kept shifting over to Bristol. I was supposed to be catching up with my crew chief, car chief and team engineer via facetime on my tablet. I had emails I had to deal with, too. A few were urgent, but unlike some drivers, I didn’t let my assistant touch my personal messages. She only handled my fan address—and maybe not for much longer. However, I wasn’t getting much done. My attention kept wandering away from my work and over to where Bristol tapped away on her laptop, working on the history of Cherish Cove book she’d taken on.
Her words kept repeating back at me.You’re leaving in a few days, anyway.
I should have said something about that, but I hadn’t known what to tell her. Iwasleaving, but I had no plans toleave hereven if she stayed here while I raced, which was a delicate distinction. I hoped she’d consider coming with me, though.
It was a huge ask. I knew that. Especially since the change wouldn’t please my uncle. Fuck him. Really. I wasn’t letting him rule my personal life anymore. I’d given him too much leeway already—first because I thought I had not choice. Then because I’d been stuck, not really knowing what to do.
After what seemed like an eternity, I wrapped up with my team and closed facetime. Thumbing through my mail—or pretending to anyway—I watched Bristol, thinking about how to move us forward, in our entire relationship and not just into bed. The former was an imperative. The latter… Well, my body hadn’t really calmed down since our kiss earlier. She’d had me on the edge since I got here, with no opportunity to take myself in hand to take care of the aching need, since the proximity and thin walls would probably give her a show she didn’t want.
I just didn’t know how to move us forward in any way that wouldn’t steamroll her. I needed us to be Team Brixel again. I had to believe we might be heading there, even if the destination was a long way off. I also needed her to trust me, and the remaining bombshell I still had to drop on her would screw that over.
