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Hishungry eyes perused me sinceIwas leaning toward him, practically offering myself on a silver platter. “Youthink it’s romantic,” he countered.
Ido.God, why doIthink it’s so romantic?Iwas internally fanning myself.Thishad to be the sexiest, most swoon-worthy moment of my life.
Thisdraw between us was so strong, so inescapable, that it was ripping my soul out of me.Ihad to somehow return to earth before he completely eviscerated me with his magnetism.
Icleared my throat and was relieved that my voice sounded normal whenIspoke again. “It’sjust a way to seal the deal.”
“Seemssomewhat anticlimactic.”
“Ohyeah?HowdoCatholicsseal the deal?”Hehad mentioned that his parents wereCatholic.
“Howdo you think?”
Akisswas at the tip of my tongue, butIdared not utter it out loud since he hadn’t either.Irambled about fire and weddings for minutes before realizing that a guy like him probably didn’t find this sexy.Igroaned internally, then jumped at the sound of a sudden loud boom.
“Holyshit.”Iturned my head in search of the source. “Whatthe fuck?”
“Easy,Princess,”Axel’sbuttery voice soothed. “Justthe fireworks.”
BeforeIcould tear my gaze away from the sky entirely,Axelhad closed the gap between us as if no longer able to stand it.Hewrapped a hand around my throat and suddenly tugged me to him for an unyielding kiss.
“Now, the deal’s sealed,” he murmured against my lips.
TheNextMorning
* * *
Forcingmy gaze on anywhere butAxel,Igathered my items.Iknew waking him up to say goodbye would end poorly.Isaw glimpses of this man’s possessiveness and knew nothing good would come from saying goodbye.He’dprobably throw me over his shoulder, then jostle me out of here.
Ismiled sadly at the image.
Shakingmy head,Igrabbed my notebook to leave him a note instead.Uponrealizing the notebook was empty, sans the list from last night,Idecided to leave him the notebook plus a souvenir meant for him.
Ireached inside my purse for the souvenir, placed it inside the notebook, and wrote a message forAxelafter a moment’s hesitation.
Youbetter become a superstar with this money.
-Princess
Itwas a cashier’s check for fifty-thousand dollars, the amountDadihad left me upon her death.Afterfinishing my “bucket list,”Ihad planned on spending the remaining money on an extravagant and irresponsible gift to myself—a deposit toward a grand pianoIhad been eyeing for years.However, this was a much better gift to myself.
Throughoutour time together,Iadmonished an unfair hierarchy that artists couldn’t break through unless they had resources at their disposal.Noone had givenAxelan edge in life yet look how far he had come all by himself.So, what could he achieve if only one person believed in him?
Thismoney was a drop in the bucket compared to what he needed to achieve his big dreams.Ihighly doubted he’d erect some massive empire out of it, but at least it was a sliver of an opportunity.Axelhad gifted me a nightI’dnever forget.Whilethe money wasn’t enough in the grand scheme of things—Axel’sgoals were much too big—the true giftIwanted to impart was my faith in him.Axelhad led a life without support, andIwanted to be the first person to believe in his greatness.
Afterall,Idid make a promise to help my “husband” with things like food, shelter, and finances during our firstPhera.Imentally shrugged.Whatbetter way to keep my promise?
Openingthe notebook,Icrossed off everything we’d accomplished together.
Steala bottle of liquor from a bar
Shotguna beer
Crasha party
Goto a strip club
Danceon a table in front of a roomful of strangers
