I’m now showered and have done my hair, put on makeup, and eaten dinner. The sound of my phone ringing makes me take a deep breath. “Oh God.” I swallow back my bile as I try to stay positive.
“Hello.” I look at the number but don’t recognize it. Considering I just got this phone, it could be anyone. Axel changes my phone once a week.
“Antoinette.” Dolly’s voice is so obvious that I sit down, rolling my eyes. Fucking Eve.
I sigh. “Eve told you.” It’s not a question, so her shocked gasp makes me smile.
“Eve? Who’s Eve?”
This time I do laugh. “Stop it. By the way, she promised me she wouldn’t.”
“Oh, you stop it. She’s protecting you from yourself.” She starts to laugh. Dolly is the best. She doesn’t judge. I think it’s because she stabbed Edge, and let’s be honest—it’s hard to top that.
“Look, I’m calling because I know you’re upset. But I’ve known Axel since we were kids, and I can one hundred percent tell you he’s going to surprise you. Don’t give up on him.”
I puff out all the air I was holding and clear my throat. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“I know you did. Sometimes we need to know we’re not alone.”
Breathing deeply, I look up at the ceiling. “I’ve been alone all my life, until I met Axel that is.”
“Well, you’re not alone anymore… Holy fuck. What happened to your nose?”
“What?”
“I have to go. Edge just got home.” Her voice sounds dry.
“Okay, thanks, Doll—” I hear the door open and I nearly drop the phone. I’m going to puke. Strike that. I’m going to faint because I can’t breathe. I’ve been waiting for hours and now that he’s here, I want more time.
He walks in like a caged beast. The heat coming from him is palpable and I stare in horror.
“Holy God!”
He walks past me, straight to the freezer, grabbing a handful of ice. Then he turns and leans on the counter, bringing it to his eye.
The room is silent, save for the slight dripping from the ice melting and my breathing. My heart is pounding. Maybe he can hear it.
I guess I’m standing, because the way he looks at me makes me reach for the chair to steady me. His white shirt is covered in blood, along with his face. He seems to have a split lip, black eyes, and a cut on his chin.
“Axel,” I croak, having absolutely no idea what to do.
“Going somewhere?” His gravelly voice makes me shiver as he lowers his hand, dumping the ice into the sink with a loud smash.
“I… thought you—” This is not how I saw this going down. I don’t know what I thought would happen but definitely not this. “I—”
“You taking my baby with you?”
I blink at him as I try to breathe. And think. Holy fuck, he knows. I stay silent because I truly have no words.
I clear my throat and lift my head, staring straight into his beautiful eyes. They’re like blue fire, even with black and purple surrounding them.
“Eve promised she wouldn’t say anything.” Because that’s all I can think of.
“Eve didn’t tell me,” he snaps.
Swallowing, I start to back away, my mouth suddenly dry. “I’m sorry,” I whisper then stop. Screw this.
“Actually, I’m not sorry. I know you won’t believe me, but I did not get pregnant on purpose. I—”
“Shh.” He comes closer, and I can smell everything. Like I’ve developed the bionic nose. I smell the booze, smoke, and just him and still all I want to do is throw myself in his arms and bury my nose in his neck.
“I’ll ask you again, you going somewhere?”
“I was. I mean, you want me gone.”
“I told you last night not to leave. And yet here we are.” His voice is soft, his beat-up hands that were ripped open by whatever happened with Benny seem to be bleeding again. All of that doesn’t matter as my back hits the cold wall and he traps me with both his arms and leans into me.
“Talk to me, Cookie.” His lips are so close. Too close for me to think properly, so I tell him the truth.
“I was planning to go—to leave and not tell you about anything, get an abortion, and move on.” I breathe out. He’s too close, and my head is spinning as I reach up to grab hold of his arms.
“You thought I’d let you do all that?” His swollen, bloody lips caress mine and I moan. I love him so much. My tongue touches his split lip and he growls as his mouth crushes mine. It’s hard, fierce, as my tongue twists with the metallic taste of his blood, and I think I’ve lost my mind because I like it.
He pulls back. “You’re mine.”
I go to move, but he grabs me. “You don’t get to walk away.”