Her back straightens and she meets me eye to eye. “I love you too, Axel.”

I kiss her, more gentle than I want, but I don’t want to scare this girl away with how much I want her. Thankfully, Nadia meets me with the same intensity and it’s not long before we’re both squirming against one another and breathing hard.

“I don’t know what the future holds, not yet, but we’ll figure it out together, okay?”

“Okay.”

I shift her so that I can stand, but then pull her with me up to the bed, lying her flat on her back. I hover over her, skimming my fingers down her face. “And if I haven’t made it clear, any man would be goddamn lucky to have you walk down that aisle, gorgeous and ready to take their name.” I run my hand down her body, flattening it over her belly. “To have you carry their babies.”

I’m talking about myself, but I don’t want to scare her off. Not yet. But one day I’m going convince her to marry me and give me a boat load of babies. One day. When we figure this all out. Tonight, I strip her down, pulling off her shirt and leggings. She’s splayed before me, a goddamn vision.

“Jesus, you’re beautiful,” I tell her, grazing my finger over the lacey edge of her bra. She greedily pushes at the hem of my shirt. Lifting it over my head, her hands rake down my chest, stopping when she gets to the plastic bandage.

“This new?” she asks, fingering the edge. “Can I?”

I nod, nose wrinkling as she tugs the tape off my skin. “I was at the tattoo parlor when Twyler texted.”

Her fingers carefully remove the adhesive, revealing the fresh tattoo. It’s nothing major. Just another moment in time I want to preserve.

“Seriously?” she asks, staring at the ink. It’s the number one-ten. “You commemorated the first blow job I gave you?”

“I want to remember every single moment with you.” I pull aside the cup of her bra, revealing her nipple and tease it into a taut pebble. “Seeing you on your knees, taking me like that. All of me.” I swallow back the emotion. “It was a big moment. That’s the moment I knew you trusted me.”

Her eyes shine up at me and I know what I see in them. Love. I know it because I feel it coursing through every pump of blood in my heart. I don’t waste any more time, getting both of us fully naked, and slotting my cock against the warm, slick, heat between her legs. There’s no time for teasing or any kind of foreplay. I just want to be inside. To feel her tighten around me. Thank god she’s wet and ready. Rocking my hips back, I’m about to thrust my way home when there’s a knock on the door.

“Nadia,” Twyler’s voice carries through the door, “is everything okay?”

“Son of a bitch,” I mutter, dropping my head to the crook of her shoulder and laugh darkly.

“I’m fine, Twy.” Nadia clears her throat. “Axel’s here.”

My cock expands, nudging into her sweet pussy. It takes every ounce of control that I possess not to claim her when she says that. Unfortunately, Twyler is still outside to ruin the moment.

“Okay,” her voice hesitates, then lifts an octave higher. “Tell Axel I’m not okay with him using our windows as an entrance and egress.”

Nadia smiles up at me, aware that I’m about to lose my mind and blow my shot all at once.

“Never again,” I call out, pushing in an inch deeper. I grunt. “Promise.”

“Okay, thanks.”

We both wait a beat longer, until it’s clear that Twyler has moved away from the door. My cock throbs, and I can’t holdback any longer, bringing us closer together by hiking her leg up over my hip and burying myself deep inside.

Perfection.

“Hey,” I say, allowing her body a chance to adapt to the feel of me inside, “I love you.”

Her fingers push through my hair, and she pulls my face down to hers. “I love you, too.”

Takingone last look into the bedroom to confirm that Nadia is asleep, I carefully shut the door.

“Sneaking out?”

The voice is soft but deep. Familiar. None of that stops my heart from threatening to jump through my ribcage.

“Jesus Christ, Cap.” I exhale slowly, trying to regain my wits as I take in Reese sprawled on the couch. “Scared the fuck out of me.”

“Sorry,” Reese says, but the smirk tugging at his mouth says otherwise.