Page 43 of Velvet and Valor

“Harlowe—did you meet her? —can do all kinds of freaky techno-wizardry with phones and computers. Now, I have no idea if Moorcrock or his associates have the same capability, but I’d rather not bet your life on it. If they figure out where you’re sending food with the app…”

He doesn’t have to finish. I get the picture.

“Fair enough,” I say. “But I’m using my credit card.”

“Nah, just use the default payment method,” Axel says.

I stick my tongue out at him and search for nearby restaurants. Unfortunately, his remote beach house is…remote. There aren’t many options, and the food won’t get here before an hour.

“What are you ordering?” he asks.

“Hawaiian food,” I reply cryptically.

“Oh. Um, is that like, sea turtles and stuff?”

I give him a look.

“Do you think they sell sea turtles?”

“In Cali? Yeah, you can probably get some somewhere.”

I open my mouth to argue but then close it.

“Yeah, that is likely, actually, but no, there is no sea turtle in the order I just made.” I sigh. “Bad news is, it’s going to be an hour before it gets here.”

“I need to grab a shower anyway,” Axel says. “I think I swam through a cloud of…ah, I just need a shower.”

He’s learning to adjust his quips to his audience. More proof he’s got more going on than an overgrown adolescent playing soldier.

Axel stops at the hallway and looks over his shoulder.

“Care to join me?”

I smile and pull his shirt off over my head. Then I sling it over my shoulder and walk past him into the shower. His eyes burn into my exposed skin. Maybe being a little irreverent isn’t a bad thing all the time.

He steps into the shower with me. Axel’s arms wrap around my body. He pulls me up against him for another kiss.

“You’re something else,” I say, breathlessly, when we come up for air.

“So are you.”

Axel’s lips crush mine with a kiss while the warm water sluices over our bodies. As usual, his kiss has me light-headed and giddy.

But I’m June Mayweather—and there’s no good situation I can’t find a reason to doubt. Axel senses my sudden reluctance and pulls away.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, eyes full of concern.

“Axel. I don’t want to get hurt.”

Axel smiles and kisses me on top of the head.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, June. The Triad, Moorcrock and his thugs, they will never hurt you. I promise.”

He hugs me again, which means he can’t see the expression I’m making right now. One of disappointment and worry. Axel didn’t get what I meant at all. I wasn’t talking about Moorcrock being the one to hurt me.

When we get out of the shower, he dries me carefully on the bathmat. In a caring, not sexual way, which ironically just riles me up. He just kind of wraps the towel around my body in a hug and then caresses me with it.

I slip into one of his old shirts, and he puts on a pair of clean board shorts just in time for the food to arrive. My belly growls at the smell of delicious grilled fare still steaming, protected on the long ride by a top-notch thermal bag.