Axel (Carolina Reapers 1)

Axel had blown my mind with his special goodnight kiss...right between my thighs. God, the man made me see stars, rivers of them, a torrent of emotion and energy pouring out of me with every pass of his tongue. It was an unleashing, the way he’d broken down every single wall I’d carefully crafted. He hadn’t just picked the lock on my body, but my heart. And that scared the shit out of me.

But it excited me too. And that was something. Plus, I loved living with Axel.

My ex? It had been a relief to spend nights at my own apartment when work called for it. I enjoyed the time away, the break from his constant critiques.

Looking back, a part of me always knew we wouldn’t work out. Some unconscious recognition that the man didn’t appreciate me for who I was, only what he’d wanted me to be. I used that fire in my blood to turn my nerves to ash and knocked on his door.

It swung open an annoying length of time later.

Devon leaned against the doorframe, a smug smile on his face.

I eyed his attire.

“Hot date?” I asked, noting the amount of Armani draped over his body.

“Naturally,” he said, pursing his lips. “You didn’t expect me to pine over you forever, did you?”

I returned his glare. “Definitely not. Though, I must say I didn’t expect you to hold my cat hostage for months on end.” I practically hissed at him. “Where is she?” I moved to step into the apartment, but he blocked my way.

My hackles rose at the power move.

“You’re no longer welcome here,” he said. “You made that decision the day you chose yourself over me. Over us. But, then again, I suppose you’ve always been selfish.”

The words hit their mark, despite the armor I pretended to wear. I didn’t let him see an inch of the sting. “Then get my fucking cat, and I’ll do you the service of never coming back.”

Asshole. How could he be so cruel when we had once planned to spend our lives together? I hadn’t harbored any true hate for the man until he’d denied me my cat for months on end.

“So ladylike, Lang, as always.” He rolled his eyes, clucking his tongue at me as he turned into his apartment, leaving me in the hallway.

A soft meow had all the ice in my veins melting, and two breaths later, he shoved a ball of orange and yellow fluff at me.

“Oh,” I said, instantly stroking her fur. “Hufflepuff my sweet angel. Did the mean old doctor treat you all right?” I glared up at him. “Her things?”

“That wasn’t part of the arrangement with the lawyers.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I hissed, Hufflepuff curling against my chest. “What possible use could you have for a cat carrier and toys?”

“That’s none of your business anymore,” he said. “And since I helped pay for those things, I’ll keep them.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him a vulgar gesture with my free hand. Devon’s eyes widened at the sight of the diamond on my left-hand ring finger. My cell rang, and I quickly fished it out. Axel’s name lit up the screen and for a moment I debated answering it, but quickly silenced it. I would call him back in a little while when I was done with this mess.

“You certainly didn’t wait long.”

“Excuse me?” I asked, petting Hufflepuff who purred against my chest.

He motioned toward my ring. “Aren’t hockey wives supposed to be beck and call girls? Shocked you silenced him.”

“Oh, get over yourself,” I said. “We’re done here.” I spun on my heels, not bothering to give him any more satisfaction in hurting me.

“Have a nice life, puck bunny!” he called down the hallway.

I smiled down at Hufflepuff, again resorting to that vulgar gesture as my parting gift to him. “Don’t worry, Hufflepuff,” I said, pushing the elevator button. “You never have to see that mean man again.”

A weight lifted off my chest, despite the four-pound ball of fur curled against it. The closure—getting my baby back—was exactly what I needed to move on. But as I rode the elevator down to the ground level, I couldn’t help but think about me silencing Axel’s call. How easy it had been to ignore his needs and put my own first.

Guilt gnawed at my insides. I assumed he’d been with the players, celebrating and catching up. That’s why I’d waited to handle this situation on my own, not wanting to drag him into my mess.

But…what if by not taking his call, I was showing him he didn’t matter? What if I was expected to be more available now that we were technically married?

I chewed it over as I shopped for Hufflepuff’s new carrier to take on the plane. And with each second that ticked by and I didn’t call him back, Devon’s jabs hit home.