Axel answering her surprises me, “No, the bad man can’t get you. You’re safe here. I have a secret, but you can’t tell anyone.”
Felicity leans closer to him. I eye him warily wondering what he’s going to say. “I won’t. I promise.” She gives him her pinky finger.
I open my mouth to explain what she’s doing, but I don’t need to. Axel hooks his pinky finger with Felicity’s. “You live next door to superheroes.”
Felicity’s tired eyes widen as she takes him in. She must see something in his face that lets her believe him because she nods. “I knew it.”
Axel laughs, shooting me a wink, melting me even further. “We’ll protect you. Nobody’s going to hurt you. The bad man will never get near you.”
I’m in so much trouble.
“Thank you.”
Our eyes meet, Felicity in the middle of us. Something powerful passes between us, and without a shadow of doubt, I know I won’t be able to stay away from this man.
“Will you read me a story?” Felicity asks Axel with sleep invading her voice.
“Of course,” he answers immediately.
“You don’t have to,” I say, hating to inconvenience him. Also needing him to go far far away so I don’t do anything stupid, like throw myself at him letting him finish what we started on the porch swing. Our eyes meet again, the intensity in them shows he’s thinking the same thing.
“I know I don’t have to, I want to. Which book would you like me to read?”
Felicity’s little index finger shoots out and points to her favorite book sitting on her pink nightstand. Axel grabs it, settling on the floor shifting closer to Felicity. He cracks the book open and reads. Both of us are entranced at Axel’s deep baritone voice. It’s hypnotic. The tiredness I felt when I got home seeps back into my bones.
Having Axel inside my house makes me feel safe. His soothing voice and his presence brings me a security I haven’t felt in a long time. With his voice in the background I let myself drift off to sleep.
9
Axel
I stare down at Emma’s sleeping form. She fell asleep right after Felicity did. She’s fierce. The protective look in her eyes when Felicity mentioned the bad guys proved it. As tired as she was she waited until her daughter drifted off to sleep before allowing herself to relax enough to pass out from exhaustion. I finish the book, wanting to make sure they’re both fully asleep.
I study Emma with all her guards let down for once. When our lips met on the porch swing I felt some of her defenses melt away, but right before I could delve into her, before I could break them all down they were back up as soon as her palms touched my chest. Now, watching her sleep peacefully I notice things I hadn’t before. The exhaustion around her eyes, the tense set of her shoulders when she’s awake. Whoever this bad man is will never get near the two of them. As long as she doesn’t push me away I’ll be here to protect her. Hell, even if she does push me away I’ll still be in the background, making sure she’s well taken care of.
Her evasion when I asked why she started dancing is starting to make sense. I can’t put everything together just yet, but I vow I’m going to break past her defenses and find out her secrets. I want to know what makes her tick, and right now while she’s pliable with sleep fogging her mind seems like a good time to start.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
It takes a second for her to allow my words to penetrate her tired brain. She blinks her whiskey-colored eyes focusing on me. The bags under her eyes break my heart, I decide not to push her tonight. I’ll get my answers after she gets the rest she needs.
I watch her check on Felicity, she’s on her side sleeping her mouth is open with a tiny bit of drool making its way toward her pillow. Emma smiles, smoothing her daughter’s hair down before arranging the blanket around her. I wonder if she’s avoiding me.
“She’s out.” I whisper, close to her ear. I feel some vindication when it causes goosebumps to erupt over her bare arms. “I’ll lock the door and see myself out. Why don’t you go to bed?”
“No, you don’t have to leave. Do you want something to drink? I mean it’s the least I can do for you running over here to protect us.”
I run my hands through my hair, trying to decide if I should be a gentleman, or stay. The small smile she gives me has me grabbing her hand, leading her out of Felicity’s room toward the kitchen.
Good intentions be damned.
She hands me a beer, taking one for herself. We go to the couch, sit down as both of us ignore each other, staring at our beers, stuck on where to go next. After a while the silence gets to me, so I decide to start up the conversation seeing how much I can get out of her tonight.