Page 20 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Savvy

“So, you and my brother then?” Maria asks.

I realize I’m staring out the door he just went through. “What? No.”

I turn to her. Her arms are crossed, and she’s scowling. “You are a terrible liar.”

I drop her gaze, caught. “I’m serious. We’re not…” How do I explain? “It’s not like that.”

She sits on her couch and motions for me to join her. “I told him to leave you alone in that way. I don’t want him ruining our friendship.”

I sit down. “What made you say that? Did he ask about me?”

I’ve kicked myself for how things ended earlier today. I really needed time alone to process, and it wasn’t until after he was gone that I realized I essentially said “see you later” with no attempt to make plans to see him again. Well, unless I needed protection again .

“Something like that. Look, I love my brother, but you should know he’s not one to have relationships. He did once, and he got hurt really badly. He hasn’t been in one since. And you’re not the one-night-stand type. I don’t think you two together is a good idea.”

She does know me; I am more into relationships.

But not with another guy from the military.

Yes, I judged Hunter too harshly because of my past, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to make that mistake again.

He seems like he’d be fun for a while. And after all I’ve been through, I deserve a little fun.

“I appreciate you looking out for me, but you don’t need to worry. I’m a big girl. If anything were to happen with your brother, it would not have any effect on our relationship.”

Her jaw drops. “You can’t be serious? He will end it, and you will be hurt. Then you’ll cry to me about it. It will very much affect our friendship.”

“No, it won’t. Maybe I want something short and fun. Would you be mad if I did?” If I say it out loud enough times, I’ll believe it. Maybe if I don’t want more, it won’t hurt when I can’t have it.

She plugs her ears. “No. No. No. I did not hear that!”

I’m laughing now. I give her a nudge. “Stop. I’m being serious.”

She sits up and stares at me. “So am I! I don’t want to hear about any of it. Gross. No!”

I lean back and sigh. “I feel different around him. It’s not something I’ve experienced before. ”

“You better not tell me you feel all tingly when he’s around.”

“Actually, that’s exactly it,” I say.

She tosses a pillow at me. “That means you’re horny! How long has it been since you’ve had sex?”

I laugh. “It’s not that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been horny before but never felt like that.”

She grabs a different pillow and holds it up to her face before screaming into it. She sets it down. “Okay, whatever happens between you two, I don’t want to know. Do you understand?”

I nod.

“I mean it. If he breaks your heart, you cannot come to me crying about it because I am telling you right now that is probably what will happen.”

I grin. “Maybe I’ll break his heart.”

She glares at me. “Don’t you dare! He can’t take it again.”

I hold up my hands. “Whoa. He can hurt me, but I can’t hurt him?”

Maria stands up. “He won’t hurt you on purpose. It will just happen. You’ll fall for him, but he won’t be able to give you anything serious.”

She really seems to know exactly what’s going to happen.

“Has he done this before? Is this how he is with all women?”

“What? No. Actually, I don’t know. I’ve never met any of the women he dated, only his ex. ”

I want to know the story with this ex, but I don’t ask. It’s something Hunter should tell me if we ever discuss our pasts.

“Enough of my brother. Tell me what happened these last few days. What happened to Bob? He must be in jail or dead if you are safe to be alone now.”

I tell her everything about what happened with Bob, all the way through Bennett hovering over me while I was sleeping.

Tears well in her eyes. “Wow, that’s a lot. I can’t believe that agent took that risk to get that suspect. He could have killed you.”

Her phone rings on the coffee table, but she ignores it.

I scoot over and hug her. “He was an asshole, but I’m fine.”

“Yeah, but that was too close.”

I lean away. “Your brother felt the same way. He punched the agent.”

Maria laughs. “Good. He deserved it.”

Her phone rings again. “I better check it.” She picks it up. “It’s a client.”

“I’ll let you go.” I stand up. “We’ll talk soon.”

“No wait. Do you want to stay here? You’re always welcome if you don’t want to be alone.”

“Thank you, but I really want to be home.”

She sighs. “If you change your mind at any time, let me know.”

“Thank you.” I hug her and then see myself out.

I stand on the sidewalk, replaying our conversation. I admitted I want something with Hunter. And she didn’t try to forbid me from pursuing it. Well, she did at first, but not by the end, so that’s good.

Now, how should I approach Hunter? Ask him on a date? Go to his place and kiss him?

I find myself walking to his house. When I reach the stairs to his door, I pause. I should text him first to see if he wants to see me. No, I should march up there and knock. When he opens the door, I will tell him what I want.

My stomach flutters with nerves. What if he says no? This is crazy. I should leave and come up with an actual plan. I turn to go, and the front door swings open.

“Savvy?”

Caught. I freeze. Slowly, I turn around. “Yeah, hi. I was in the area and thought I would stop by.”

He leans against the door frame. “In the area? Weren’t you just at Maria’s?”

Damn, I forgot he knew that. “Well, I was, and she lives nearby, so I was in the area.”

He grins. “You wanted to see me. Admit it.”

Instantly, I’m defensive, but why? He’s right. I climb the stairs to his doorway. “Yes, I wanted to see you.”

He opens his arms, motioning to himself. “Here I am. See?”

He’s still grinning. “Did you want something more?” His voice drops, turning me on. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

Somewhere, my inner confidence grows. “Yes, I do.”

“What’s that?”

“Can we go inside to discuss this?” I ask .

His eyes dance with delight. “Not until you tell me what you want.”

I step up close, too close, and place my hands on his chest. Then I tip my face up to his. “I want you to kiss me again.”

His arms go around my waist, lifting me. I wrap my legs around his waist. He must use his foot to close the door because it slams shut as he walks me into his living room.

We walk until my back is firmly pressed against a wall.

He lowers his lips until they meet mine.

Fire erupts between us, and the kiss turns heavy fast. I tighten my legs around him as he pushes himself into me against the wall.

He breaks the kiss and moves his mouth to my neck while I find the bottom of his shirt.

I search for skin, making contact under the fabric.

He hits that spot on my neck, and I moan.

His body freezes, and he stares at me as if he’s fighting an inner war. Finally, he curses to himself softly, and then he lowers me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He leans his forehead to mine, but his eyes are closed. “You’re my sister’s best friend. We should talk to her before we start anything.”

“Maria grilled me after you left because she sensed something between us. She’s fine with whatever we do, as long as we don’t tell her.”

He opens his eyes. “She said that?”

I nod. “She also said you would hurt me, and that’s why she was against us before. But I made it clear I don’t want anything serious, so I won’t get hurt. ”

He takes a step back. “What did my sister tell you about me exactly?”

I’m suddenly very nervous, and I shove my hands into my pockets. “She said you had a relationship once that didn’t end well, and now you don’t do relationships. She was worried I would get hurt when I wanted more. So, I told her I didn’t want more.”

Something flashes through his eyes. It looks like pain.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. “Was she not telling me the truth?”

He runs his hand through his hair. “You don’t want anything serious? What exactly do you want?”

I shrug. “Some fun.”

He’s staring intently at me. “And what if you catch feelings?”

“I won’t. I’m very attracted to you, but I could never fall for a military guy again.”

He turns away from me. “This again? You know, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

I walk around him until we are facing each other. “Why not? The chemistry between us is undeniable.”

“And you think one fuck will be all we want? All I want?”

I take a step back when I realize he’s angry. “Your sister said?—”

“This isn’t about Maria. This is about us. She had no business telling you my history. And you had no business asking her.”

“I didn’t ask! ”

He walks to the door and opens it. “Like I said, this isn’t a good idea.”

I don’t move as I try to take in everything that happened.

“I’m sorry. Clearly, I’ve angered you. I didn’t mean to.

Your sister told me all of that because she could tell I really liked you.

I wasn’t digging for information. And she didn’t tell me anything bad, so I don’t understand why you are so upset now. ”

He avoids eye contact. “You clearly have issues with my past. This,” he waves his hand between us, “is a very bad idea.”

I disagree, but it’s clear he’s not open to discussion right now. I storm out. When he shuts the door behind me, I’m hit with a sense of loss. Tears well, and I run down the street before they can fall. I won’t let him see me cry.

But why am I crying? It’s not like I lost my best friend.

I stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Oh no.

I did catch feelings. I turn back, wondering if I should go tell him what I said was wrong.

He was so angry. Maria was right. I should stay away.

If it hurts this much now to be rejected by Hunter, it would only be much worse with time. I turn around and head home.