Best of 2017

“Hey.” His voice sounded soft, seductive. “Sorry I’m calling so late. My night went later than I thought. I couldn’t stop thinking about us. I honestly don’t like being apart from you.”

“I feel exactly the same.” I clutched the phone, as if it were his hand. Cheesy yes, but it’s still what I did. “I feel like I’m walking on air. I’m really happy.” I hoped I didn’t seem too honest, but I didn’t want to hold back how much I liked him. I sucked at game playing anyway.

“I’m really happy, too,” he said. “It’s almost scary how happy I am right now.”

I sat down on my bed. “I’m glad you called. I wanted to talk about your career.”

“My career? Last I checked, I didn’t exactly have a career.”

“Okay, maybe not a career exactly, but you’re famous. How’s it going to look if you’re dating someone? Won’t it cramp your style? Isn’t your playboy lifestyle part of what makes you cool?”

Axel laughed. “Cramp my style? No, it won’t, and I don’t care if it does.”

“What about if it gets out that I’m just a boring girl next door? No fame, no glitz and glamour. You’re in demand at every club, bar, and big event. You don’t think it will make you look… fake?”

Axel was silent for a moment. “I’m genuine. Everything I do is honest. I put myself out there. If people don’t like that, I really don’t care. I’m not going to change the way I act, the decisions I make, or my feelings for you, because of this bizarre notoriety. I’m not going to pretend I’m single because of an image I should uphold.”

“I just don’t want to get in the way of what you do. I understand what you do for a living—”

“It’s a job, and only a job. I’m not going to let it get in the way of us. Understood?”

The truth was I wasn’t entirely sure I could handle this. I knew how other women, especially Jillian and Axel’s groupies, acted around Axel. The thought of watching other girls throw themselves all over him made me sick to my stomach.

I took a calming breath. “Understood.”

“In case there’s any doubt, I wasn’t planning on keeping you a secret. I’m going to be proud to have you on my arm.”

I felt my pulse speed up. The reality of it all started to sink in. This was really happening. I was the girlfriend of the famous Axel Rye. “Okay. I just want you to know I’m not that needy girl. I can let you be in the spotlight but still be there when you’re all done.”

“That’s not what I want,” he said. “If anyone is going to be that needy person, it’s going to be me. In case you haven’t noticed, I just can’t get enough of you.”

Axel’s words sent a wave of warmth through my body. I felt the exact same way, although Axel didn’t seem frightened by it. I, on the other hand, was petrified. This seemed too good to be true.

“You have to stop melting my heart,” I whispered.

“Why?” Axel suddenly sounded serious. “I say what I feel, and I want you to always do the same. Don’t ever hold anything back. Honesty is all we have. We need to be free with what we feel.”

“Okay.” I loved how Axel made me feel so open, and I wasn’t going to think about the book deal and let it ruin this moment. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. “Can I tell you what I’m feeling right now?”

“Always.”

I took a deep breath and nibbled at my bottom lip. “I want to be with you right now, and kiss you all over.”

I heard Axel’s breath hitch. “You’re making it very hard for me not to hop in my car, pick you up, and keep you with me always.”

I giggled. “Sweet dreams, Axel.”

“My dreams will be of you.”

I held the phone to my heart for a while after we’d hung up and wondered how I could go another moment without Axel in my life.

QUINN

TRUE TO HIS WORD, Axel didn’t keep our relationship a secret. As soon as he saw me at work, Axel was all over me. He walked behind the bar and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck.

Axel obviously felt comfortable with his dominance and power. He knew he could pretty much do anything at this club, and he had no problem showing affection to me. Axel didn’t hold back a thing. He could hardly keep his hands off my body.

“Axel, my boss isn’t going to like you behind here. I need to finish my shift before you get me fired.”

“Your boss isn’t going to say a thing, and you know it.”

I playfully tried to push him away. “You are so bad. Do rules not apply to you?”

“I don’t like sharing you. I’m selfish. I want you all to myself,” Axel explained, intertwining his fingers with mine. “Is it quitting time yet?”

“I thought you had a job to do? Aren’t you supposed to be mingling with all the club-goers and getting them to buy off you?” I inquired somewhat timidly. I hoped Axel enjoyed our flirtations as much as I did, but I did hate mentioning him dealing drugs. But I also knew it was part of his life and I needed to get used to it.

“I’m mingling with the staff. Much more than I ever have before,” Axel declared, glancing up at me suggestively as he continued playing with my hand behind the bar. I couldn’t help but smile at that as I looked up from our restless hands to gaze at Axel flirtatiously. I felt a shudder run through me when I saw the predatory look in his eyes.

“I should probably get back to work,” I said softly, reluctantly pulling my hand away from Axel’s. I needed to focus my attention back to pouring drinks before I slid under the counter out of view of others and did something decidedly inappropriate at work.

“Aren’t you done yet?” Axel whined, and I half-expected him to start pouting like a little boy. An incredibly sexy little boy.

“Soon,” I replied. Axel reached out and took my hand again, using his index finger to lightly trace patterns along my palm. “And then I’m all yours.”

“Can’t you just clock out ear

ly?” Axel suggested, sticking out his lower lip petulantly. How was it possible for anyone to look so adorable and deliciously dangerous at the same time? “I can pay you and the club whatever amount. I just want you now.” He had a mischievous glint to his eye, and I simply could not deny him anything with how cute he looked.

“I guess I could clock out,” I conceded. “I’m not of much help right now, anyway.” For some reason, I found it impossible to say no to Axel.

“Good,” Axel said, interrupting my wayward thoughts. “Because I want to introduce you to some more of my friends.”

“I thought you wanted me all to yourself?” I asked in confusion.

Axel followed me to the back room with a dominant presence, causing my heart to skip a beat. He slowly walked over to me and tugged me softly into his arms. He pulled away and placed a palm of his hand on each side of my face. Very closely, he examined my eyes. “I do,” Axel admitted, and I eyed him suspiciously as we walked to the timecard machine. “But I also want everyone to know you belong to me.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do that,” I asked, nervously licking my lips as I clocked out and took off my apron.

“Yes, I do,” he stated, reaching out to run his finger down the length of my arm. “I want everyone to know I’ve fallen hard.”

“Fallen?” I asked anxiously.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, effectively shutting me up. The kiss was chaste, less intimate than the gentle exploration of mouths we had exchanged the day before. Axel’s lips ruthlessly stroked my own, sending little jolts of pleasure through my body. I kissed him back, my lips parting slightly as I sighed in contentment. Kissing Axel Rye was quickly becoming a habit I had no intention of ever giving up. I moaned softly when I felt Axel’s tongue gently lapping at my lower lip, demanding entrance. Opening my mouth a bit wider, I eagerly anticipated the feel of Axel’s tongue slipping past my lips and into the warm confines of my mouth. But instead of deepening the kiss, Axel ended it. With one last gentle nip to my lower lip, he pulled back slightly, looking entirely too pleased with himself when I groaned in protest.