The one girl and one boy he made midnight pancakes for.

I swore my heart expanded so much my throat tightened.

“You miss him.” It wasn’t a question. How could he not? He’d raised his baby brother after both his parents and his grandmother passed. He’d had real family ties in Sweden between his brother and Lukas’ family which laid claim to Axel and Tage as much as Lukas. I had nothing so strong here or even back in Seattle. Hell, I loved my cat and my hockey family more than my biological family. I hadn’t spoken to any of them in years, and I didn’t plan to. They had a lifestyle I worked my ass off in school to stay away from, and I had no intention of ever going back.

But Axel? He had a good life in Sweden. A phenomenal little brother, and a second family in Lukas’.

Guilt ate at my insides, making the pancakes settle a little heavy.

Had I forced his hand by calling his bluff on marriage? Had I forced him to leave Sweden for the Reapers?

Axel put the empty bowl in the sink, contemplative as he slid the platter of pancakes to the island, urging me to grab more.

I couldn’t though. Not with my chest aching with the realization that I may be the one thing that stole him from his family.

He cocked a brow at me, those damn eyes searing right down to my soul. “I do miss them,” he said, walking around the island until he sat next to me, our knees brushing. “It will be good to see him at Christmas, that’s true.” He took my chin in his fingers, gentle but not letting me look away. “But I am happy here.”

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat.

But for how long?

I couldn’t form words around the question blaring in my head. We’d signed a marriage contract for six months. And when they were up? We’d be divorced and the season would be more than half over. He’d continue to be a Reaper, and I’d continue to be the Reapers’ PR rep. I’d have to see him almost every single day and not claim him as mine.

And I’d known that going into this deal…but after the last two months? I felt the loss in my heart, and it scared the hell out of me.

“Are you happy, Langley?” he asked, his voice low, gravely.

I parted my lips, wanting to do nothing but scream out yes. I’d never been happier.

Which meant I’d never had more to lose.

Axel jolted in his seat, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Saved by the cat.

Hufflepuff had leaped onto the island, her silent approach startling the Viking.

I barely held back my laugh as she carefully, gracefully climbed onto his shoulder and perched there like some tabby-colored parrot. She started pawing at his hair, all gathered at the nape of his neck with a tie. He glowered at her, then me, as she batted the ends back and forth.

“She never leaves me alone,” he said, but there was no annoyance in his voice. “Why can’t we have a dog? A dog would never use my hair as a toy.”

I laughed, gently tugging Hufflepuff off his shoulder and placed her onto my lap. She mewed in protest until I scratched her left ear, the one and only spot I was allowed to scratch. “She loves you,” I said, shrugging. “And maybe she needs a friend.”

“More cats?”

“One more. Don’t you think? It might help take the edge off the obsession she has with you.” I scanned his half-naked body. “Can’t really blame her though.”

That mischievous smirk returned. “You have enough pancakes?”

I nodded, my breath ratcheting in my lungs.

“Good,” he said, nodding as he took Hufflepuff with surprising tenderness and gently deposited her on the floor.

A blink and my ass was on the kitchen island, the Viking parting my legs to step between them. He leaned in, slowly, his lips brushing across mine as his hands traveled up my thighs—

“No!” I said, squealing a bit.

Axel growled.

“You know the rules, Axel!” I gaped at him, looking from his eyes to my empty pancake plate and back again. “Pancakes were a ploy! You devious Viking!” I clucked my tongue at him. “We cook in this room. We eat in this room. We do not fuck in this room.”

Another growl, but flames flickered in his eyes at my use of the word fuck.

He shook his head, his hand cupping my cheek. “We can fuck anywhere. All you have to do is let go.”

Tempting. So damn tempting.

If anyone could get me to let go of my insanely over-controlling control it was Axel, but…

“We. Eat. Here.”

Axel smiled. “One day,” he said, scooping me off the counter and tossing me over his shoulder like I weighed no more than the sack of flour he’d used to whip up my midnight snack.

Tags: Samantha Whiskey Carolina Reapers Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net