Текст книги "Wicked for You"

Автор книги: Shayla Black

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

“Is that okay?” she asked.

Fuck, what was the question? He’d been fantasizing about her and missed every word she’d said. “Repeat that.”

Mystery loosed a frustrated sigh. “I said my father indicated he’d feel better if you could stay close to me.” She hesitated, and her cheeks flushed. “I’d like it, too.”

Given the way she’d left his house as if her ass were on fire, that surprised Axel a little. But he’d proven once that he could keep her safe. She knew he could, and that was a point in his favor now. If that fact gave him opportunity to spend time with her? Done.

“Then I’ll be coming with you. Now post to your Twitter that you’re flying back to London ASAP.”

Mystery reached for her phone and tapped out a quick post. “All right. I did.”

She no sooner spoke the words when someone knocked on the door. Automatically, Axel shoved her behind him. Heath waited until she was out of sight before he approached the door and peeked through the hole.

“The police,” he muttered.

“Let them in,” Axel replied.

Heath did, along with the hotel’s security director. Room service rolled up, too, clearly never having received the memo that shit had gone down.

The next hour was filled with questions about what she’d seen or heard. After a grilling from the cops and the security director, they all left, promising to follow up. The hotel’s manager also stopped in and offered Mystery a different suite.

“That would be great,” Axel answered, sending the man in his shiny gray suit and wingtips away to make the arrangements.

As soon as Heath closed the door after them all, he stared at Axel. “Have you gone mental? We agreed she can’t stay here.”

“Of course she can’t.” Axel nodded. “But until we know if someone associated with the hotel is helping the enemy, it’s in her best interest to keep the employees here guessing.”

“True.” But Heath didn’t look as if he liked it.

“Pack up your things, princess. Be ready soon. We’ll concoct a story, then get you out. I rode my motorcycle here, and we can’t all leave on that. They’ll be watching for your town car. A taxi will be too easy to trace . . .” Axel ran through the possibilities. How could he get Mystery out of the hotel with no one the wiser?

“What about my bags? I can’t leave them here. I have some jewelry of my mother’s. Some of her pictures and—”

“Okay. I’ll think of a way to sneak the bags out, too. Just give me some time to work on a plan. You should probably pack up, too,” he told Heath. “We’ll need to be ready to pull out at a moment’s notice.”

Heath hesitated, clearly not liking Axel’s suggestion, however rational.

“I’ll return in five,” he finally said, shutting the door behind him, leaving Axel and Mystery alone.

Chapter Nine

FOR a long moment, silence prevailed in the cozy hotel suite.

“Thanks for stepping in to help,” Mystery finally offered. “You didn’t have to, but—”

“You’re welcome. Now explain what happened between us this afternoon.”

She didn’t even try to misunderstand, just grimaced. “I tricked you into bed. I know you must be angry.”

Mystery looked genuinely contrite. And so beautiful, Axel gritted his teeth. He was pretty damn sure she wasn’t wearing a bra, and the whole time Heath and the police had been here, every male in the room seemed to be sneaking a peek at the lush mounds of her breasts, barely concealed by the pink flowery fabric.

“Confused,” he admitted, prowling closer to her. If he only had five minutes to figure this out before her bodyguard returned, he wanted to get a few things straight. “Why did you leave without saying good-bye?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I figured you were done with me. Why linger and make things awkward? Especially when you weren’t supposed to know I was the woman in your bed.”

“Ever? Because of our past? Or because, in your head, the trailer park guy is only good for some afternoon delight?”

Mystery blinked back in horror, frantically shaking her head. “No. Ohmigod, that’s not it! You’d turned me down once. Your first rejection crushed me. I couldn’t give you the chance to turn me down again. If you refused whoever I’d disguised myself as . . .” She shrugged. “I guess I thought it wouldn’t hurt as much. And I cringed at the thought that, if you knew I still wanted you, you’d laugh or think I was pathetic or—”

Axel cupped her face, gathered her closer, and cut her off with a scorching kiss. He seized her lips and lay them under his own before he spread them wide and dove in. She was safe and warm and alive in his arms. She wanted him and didn’t seem to give a shit that he’d grown up a hick from the sticks. And damn, she felt so fucking good.

Instantly, Mystery stiffened, dragged in a breath. He braced for her to push him away. Instead, she latched onto his shoulders, fingers digging into his flesh, and lashed his tongue with her own.

Electricity rolled up his spine, shot down through his veins. She revved his system like nothing he’d ever experienced. More than she had even a few hours ago. And damn far more than she had six and a half years ago. He’d been harsh with her then, knowing he couldn’t take sexual advantage of a traumatized young woman, even if he’d found her attractive as hell. Nor had he wanted to betray her father’s trust or cloud his head while they were potentially still in danger.

Now? Maybe he should leave her alone, but fuck holding back. He wanted her.

For the last half dozen crappy years, he’d looked for something more in his life, someone to fill the odd void he hadn’t understood. With Mystery pressed against him, he totally understood what he’d been missing.

She moaned into their kiss and all but climbed up his body to get closer.

Axel growled and grabbed her lush ass in both palms, all but lifting her against his aching cock. “Am I laughing? Does this feel like I think you’re pathetic?”

“No,” she whispered, her gaze melded with his own.

“No,” he confirmed. “When you left my house, I wasn’t done with you.”

Mystery swallowed hard. “And now that you know I was the girl you slept with earlier?”

“I don’t remember a lot of sleeping, princess. But I’m thinking we should do it again, just to make sure I remember right.”

She sent him a relieved smile, coupled with a little laugh. “I’d like that. But with so much happening now . . .”

“I’ll handle it.” He kissed his way up her neck, reveling in her soft skin, her clean soapy-vanilla scent, the little love bite he’d left on her neck. He ached to leave them on her breasts, hips, thighs, smooth pussy. “But don’t you doubt that I intend to get you naked and under me again.”

Her breath hitched. “Please.”

Axel couldn’t stand it another moment; he had to touch her. He caressed his way down her shoulder, then skated his palm toward her breast, cupping the mound covered only by thin cotton. Her nipple tightened.

He brushed his thumb over the sensitive peak, his whole body tensing with need when it hardened even more. “I want this in my mouth.”

With a little moan, she slid her head back, as if granting him access to her neck, her chest. Hell, giving her whole body to him. She was the most gorgeous creature. He’d tried like hell not to notice it when he’d rescued her from Death Valley. She’d still looked a bit like a girl then. Now that she was clearly all woman . . . Jesus, this need was eviscerating his restraint.

“Axel,” she pleaded.

“We don’t have time now, damn it. But soon,” he muttered, his voice thick. “I just need to know one more thing . . .”

He shouldn’t do this now, not with Heath returning soon. But Axel intended to take every opportunity possible to touch Mystery. So he dropped his hand down her body again, gliding his palm over the curve of her hip until he reached the hem of her short nightgown. Tucking his fingers under the frilly trim, he skated his knuckle up the soft skin of her thigh until he reached her pussy and burrowed between her folds. Sweet, bare, and so damn wet for him.

Axel let out a low groan. “I can’t wait to get this off you and shove my aching cock into you again . . .”

A clinking noise at the door alerted him that they wouldn’t be alone for long. With a frustrated curse, Axel pulled his fingers away from her cunt. After the sound of a retracting door handle, Heath barged inside and looked at them as if he knew exactly what had been going on.

Someone get the genius a prize.

“Now that everyone is gone, we should discuss our exit strategy,” Heath said, not taking his eyes off the two of them.

Axel couldn’t seem to stop himself from wrapping an arm around her waist. Heath glared his way.

“On the way out, we’ll tell the hotel manager we’ve had a change of heart about that suite, and Mystery will be flying back to London right away. It’s the same story we’re floating on Twitter,” Axel pointed out. “If whoever is threatening her thinks they’ve won for now, it should buy us some time to get her to safety.” And figure out who the fuck kept ripping her sense of security to shreds. “I’ll walk the two of you to the parking garage with your luggage, then you’ll follow me. I’ll be on my bike. I have a location in mind. If someone tries to follow you, we’ll do our best to lose them.”

Heath didn’t look as if he liked the plan—or maybe just Axel—but he conceded. “You live in this city and know it better, so I’ll let you lead on this. How long?”

“Can we head out in ten?”

Heath nodded. The gray just beginning to lace his dark hair, along with the impeccable dark suit, made him look somewhere between distinguished and dangerous. After an hour or two with him, Axel wanted to believe the man had Mystery’s best interests at heart. But he was pretty sure Heath’s concept of her ideal future didn’t include Axel at all.

“Great.” Still, he hedged his bets. “If you don’t stay with the plan, if you put her in any sort of danger, there won’t be a hole small enough for you to climb in. I will find you. And I will kill you.”

*   *   *

AFTER walking Mystery and Heath to the parking garage, Axel hopped on his bike and waited on the side street for her bodyguard to bring the car around. The Brit better not stab him in the back. The warning he’d given in the suite might have been overkill, but he’d bet it was effective.

He plucked his phone from his pocket and texted Stone, advising that if he wanted to meet Sweet Pea, it had to be tonight and to get his ass moving since the drive would take about five hours. The man replied with a quick affirmative.

Then Axel sighed. He had to make a call he really didn’t want to, but he didn’t see a way around it.

Mitchell Thorpe, Club Dominion’s owner, answered on the third ring. “What part of ‘a day off’ isn’t computing for you?”

“Pretty much all of it. I’ve got a . . . situation. I need your help.”

Thorpe sobered instantly. “What’s up?”

Axel explained Mystery’s danger, then hesitated. “I want to bring her to the club, to keep her safe until we get her to her aunt’s house.”

“Is letting her visit the woman at all wise?”

“No, but she won’t be talked out of it. She’s argued with her father, Heath, and me. Apparently, she promised the woman, and I get that. I don’t love Mystery’s insistence, but it’s not my decision to make.” Yet.

“She’s a grown woman, and you can only direct her so much. I know someone else very much like that. Yes, I’m talking to you, pet.” Thorpe obviously teased Callie. She was the only one he spoke to in that voice filled with love, affection, and pride.

“They are a lot alike. They’re definitely both survivors. I know with Callie’s pregnancy you probably don’t want me to bring danger to your door. But it’s the safest place I can think of for Mystery until we arrange a charter to take her to Kansas tomorrow.”

Thorpe paused. “I’m not thrilled, but you’re right that Ms. Mullins can’t stay at the hotel. I’ll make sure Sean takes our girl home and away from any potential threat.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“You helped me a lot with Sean and Callie. I owe you.”

Axel hadn’t done much more than track down the former fed’s place and threaten to beat the shit out of him when Thorpe had believed Sean was a threat to Callie, but if the club owner wanted to consider this calling in a favor, fine. “We should be there in less than thirty minutes.”

“Good. I’ll get everything here moving accordingly. Have any of you had dinner?”

Mystery had never gotten to eat her room service with the police and hotel security crawling everywhere. Axel hadn’t even thought of food. “No.”

“I’ll ask Callie to order something good before she leaves.” Thorpe hesitated. “Does Ms. Mullins know where you’re bringing her?”

“I haven’t mentioned it.” He should probably tell her she would be staying in an active BDSM club where, almost every night, Doms and subs pushed themselves to their mental, physical, and emotional limits. But he lacked the privacy to have a personal conversation with her now. Besides, the perverse side of him wanted to see her undoctored reaction to Club Dominion. He ached to know now if she could fit into his life.

Then, maybe, he could try to figure out if he fit into hers, because right now, trailer park upbringing and all, he didn’t see himself letting her go.

*   *   *

BESIDE Mystery, Heath remained quiet as they raced down dark Dallas side streets, winding their way toward their destination.

“Do you know where we’re going?” she asked.

Heath’s mouth tightened. “I don’t.”

And he didn’t like it. That went without saying. She’d sensed the tension between the two men, and it worried her. They were supposed to be on the same team, wanting the same outcome. Why wouldn’t they get along?

“He’s actually a really wonderful guy,” she began.

“Pardon me, but from where I’m standing, he was paid handsomely to rescue you, then abandoned you the minute you reached safety. He didn’t call you to follow up or check in to find out if you were all right, did he?”

“No, but—”

“He earned his paycheck. Nothing more. He clearly didn’t care a whit about you. If he had, he would never have turned his back on you after that terrible abduction.”

“I propositioned him before we were rescued.” She felt heat flare across her cheeks. “He turned me down flat.”

Heath gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “You were barely more than a child and had been through a terrible ordeal. I would hope he was a gentleman and refused. But the fact that you felt the need to disguise yourself so utterly in order to persuade him to appreciate your beauty, inside and out, chafes me. And you’re continuing to let him touch you, even though you had to deceive him to catch his attention. He doesn’t want you for you, sweetheart. I don’t know what he wants precisely. More money probably, and I can’t—”

“Disguising myself was my choice. The moment he realized who he’d spent the afternoon with, he came to find me. He hasn’t left my side since,” she argued.

But deep down, she wondered if Heath was right. Not about Axel wanting money, but about him not wanting the real her. Maybe he’d just enjoyed their fuck and wanted another.

“Watch yourself with him. I believe he’ll keep you physically safe. Emotionally . . . I worry. I think he’s a player.”

Mystery didn’t have a comeback. She’d had Axel all to herself in the desert years ago. They’d been blessedly alone together at his house. She didn’t know everything about Axel and his life. They’d had absolutely spectacular sex—fireworks, ballads—the works. She wasn’t ready to let him go. Of course, when she’d seduced him, she hadn’t been thinking of a future with him, but rather a full one without him. Now, her heart felt tangled in him, full of him. They didn’t even live in the same country, and she was sounding crazy. But she wasn’t sure how she’d live the rest of her life without him.

They pulled up in front of an industrial building with a well-lit parking lot and a brightly colored door. Axel parked his bike and took off his helmet, stowing it on a peg, then coming toward her.

He helped her from the car. “This is where I work.”

“Club Dominion?” she asked, shutting the door behind her. She’d learned about his job from the private investigator. She knew what sort of club this was. Her stomach knotted.

Heath stepped out on the other side of the car.

“You knew?” Axel asked, clearly surprised.

“I hired someone to find out where you were and what you were doing these days, yes.” She nodded.

He cocked his head. “You’re resourceful and a step ahead of me.”

From Axel, that was almost a compliment. “Why did you bring me here?”

“It’s secure. I can keep you on lockdown. Unless someone at the hotel is being bribed, almost no one can tie me to you in any way except your rescue years ago. As far as anyone knows, you’re heading back to London. We should be safe here tonight.” He took her elbow and escorted her across the lot.

Mystery sensed Heath behind them, could almost feel his disapproving scowl. “How secure?”

“Cameras, top-of-the-line system, lots of eyes and ears. Nothing will happen here.” Axel dismissed Heath and turned to her. “Just tell me whatever you need to be comfortable. I’ll make it happen.”

“Thanks.”

Instead of entering through the front, Axel skirted the side of the cavernous building and led her around back. He pulled out a key card, then settled his thumb over a biometric reader. The door buzzed open.

“That’s pretty high tech,” she remarked.

“Some of our members are city and state officials. We’ve got cops, billionaires, former SEALs—people who either need to keep a low profile or rely on unbreachable security before they get their freak on.”

Mystery didn’t say anything more. She wanted to see Axel in his environment. She wanted to experience this place for herself. As she thought of that, a shiver zipped up her spine.

They made their way down a long hallway with concrete floors and doors on either side, then Axel led her to one and knocked. He briefly introduced her and Heath to the owner, Mitchell Thorpe. Mystery remembered hearing about him on the news, harboring runaway heiress Callindra Howe for years. Rumors swirled that, though the woman had married the FBI agent tasked with tracking her down when she’d been a fugitive, Thorpe was also involved romantically with the beauty.

The distinguished man in the suit welcomed her. “Axel will keep you comfortable. If you need anything, he’ll take care of you. Callie ordered you three a bunch of Italian. It’s in the kitchen. The action up front will be in full swing in another couple of hours, so . . .”

“I’ll keep her away from there,” Axel finished.

Thorpe nodded. “Good call. If anything happens, you know the drill.”

Axel gave him a thumbs-up. “I’m set. Sean texted me and said he’ll be on standby.”

With a faint grin, Thorpe turned her way. “You’re in good hands. I’ll leave you to them. Callie wants both Sean and I home so we can”—he winked—“rub her feet.”

With that, he was gone. Axel led her down the hall again, toward the back of the building and showed her into a purely masculine suite with a king-sized bed, attached bath, and a window seat that looked cozy for reading.

“I’ll grab your bags from the car, then we can eat. You must be starving.”

She nodded. “I’ll need to call my aunt, too.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” Axel turned to Heath. “Follow me. I have a separate room for you.”

The door shut, enclosing her in silence. So far, this wasn’t what she’d pictured when she’d thought of a BDSM club, and Thorpe certainly didn’t seem like the sort of man to own one. But this room felt comfortable, so she relaxed and dialed her aunt. The woman’s voice mail picked up. Unusual.

With a frown, Mystery hung up without leaving a message. What if the danger had somehow already reached Aunt Gail?

A moment later, she heard a knock, then Axel breezed in, carting her luggage. Every muscle of his arms and shoulders bulged, the veins in his hands and forearms popping. Mystery’s mouth suddenly felt dry.

“Everything all right?” he asked, setting her bags down.

Mystery managed to string her thoughts together enough to explain the call. “Maybe I’m paranoid. Maybe my aunt is still at Bible study.”

“We have no reason to suspect she’s in danger. Relax. You’re safe here. And your aunt is probably fine, too.”

She sincerely hoped so. “Thanks.”

“Let’s go eat. I’ll give you a quick tour. Then . . . we’re going to talk.”

About earlier today. He didn’t say that, but she heard it in his voice, in the disapproval lacing his tone. Before she could broach the subject, he left the room. She followed, watching him pound a fist on the door of the room next to hers.

Heath wrenched the door open. “What is it?”

“Italian food?”

“Please.” He sounded less stiff—barely.

Ten minutes later, the three of them sat in the small kitchen, forking in lasagna and salad with a decent bottle of wine. Axel chugged back a beer, watching them carefully.

“So what’s next?” she asked to break the uncomfortable silence.

“Thorpe put a call into some friends of his, the Santiago brothers.”

Mystery blinked. “The guys who own the defense contracting business?”

“Yeah. Them.” Axel nodded. “They’re happy to let us borrow their corporate jet. Their wife, London, just gave birth to a little girl a few days ago, so they won’t need the plane for a while.”

“Their wife?” Heath asked.

Axel scowled. “Yeah. Don’t judge. It’s not what my ideal marriage looks like, but it works well for them.”

“Sounds like Callie, Thorpe, and Sean share a similar relationship?” she ventured.

“They aren’t public about it, but yeah. And now they’re expecting a baby in November. It’s good to see them happy, but all kinds walk through our doors. Hell, we once had a member who bought a mannequin at a department store closing because, according to him, it held the soul of the love of his life—and his perfect sub.” Axel shrugged. “As long as it’s legal and consensual, whatever floats your boat, I say.”

Mystery snickered. “But a mannequin is kind of funny.”

The conversation dropped away again. The silence grew thicker with each passing moment. Heath stared at Axel with thinly disguised distaste. Axel glared back.

Desperate to end this tension, she pushed her half-eaten meal away. “How about that tour?”

Axel glanced at his plate, then at her face. He rose and held out his hand. “Let’s do it.”

She laced her fingers with his, allowing him to lead her down a long hall. Heath followed, silent and seething. She wished he would go back to his room if he didn’t want to peek into the part of the club where people played, but he kept on behind them, seemingly determined not to let her out of his sight for longer than he must.

With a swipe of a key card, Axel opened a heavy door and gestured her into a darkened room. He flipped on a few switches, and the space illuminated in sections. A bar to the right, a few tables beyond, then a front door and foyer about fifty feet in front of her. So far, she didn’t see much out of the ordinary, just an industrial-looking hangout.

He hesitated, then flipped the last switch. Then the view got really interesting. She knew what most of the items were called from pictures and descriptions, but she’d never seen a spanking bench or a St. Andrew’s Cross in person. She could just imagine Axel cuffing her to a piece of equipment and touching her, giving her both pain and pleasure. Of course anytime he touched her she melted, but imagining him sending her into the intriguing void of subspace made her shiver.

“Wow,” she breathed, squirming as her imagination went wild. “I’m a little . . .”

“Speechless,” he teased.

She laughed. “Obviously.”

“Intrigued?” he asked—and seemed to hold his breath.

Because her opinion on the subject mattered?

“Yeah,” she admitted with a flush. “After you said you were into BDSM when we were in the desert, I looked into it. So intrigued is a good way to put it.”

He squeezed her hand. “I like that answer.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’d love to give you a more personal tour.”

Behind them, Heath cleared his throat. “Escape routes?”

Axel gritted his teeth and turned. “Front and back entrance. There’s a side door from the kitchen you probably noticed.”

“I did,” Heath assured.

“A few interior doors in the building are steel and lock from both inside and out. Thorpe’s office, for one. The bedroom you’re in, Mystery. If something happens or you feel threatened, and no one you trust can get to you, throw the dead bolt from the inside and call the police.”

She nodded. “Got it.”

“But we’ll see someone coming long before then. I’ve got cams all over the parking lot, covering the street out front, and the alley beside us. No one can even reach the door without appearing on film.”

“Thank you for the explanation,” Heath said stiffly.

“You’re welcome. Now if you don’t mind, Mystery and I have some unfinished business.”

Heath squared his shoulders. “Actually, I do mind. I’m her bodyguard, and I stay with her until she’s ready to retire for the night.”

Mystery really didn’t know why Heath was being somewhere between a stick-in-the-mud and an ass. She’d always found him polite and accepting and easy to talk to—until today.

Was he . . . jealous?

When he took her by the arm and led her down the hall, just out of Axel’s earshot, she gaped at him. “What is up with you?”

“Have you gone mad?” Heath hissed, then glanced back over his shoulder at Axel. With legs planted wide and fists on his hips, he looked utterly unyielding. “Do you know the terrible things he wants to do to you? Tie you up.”

Imagining herself strapped to Axel’s bed, helpless as he spread her legs and did anything and everything he wanted to her . . . Her breath caught. Would he make her beg? Spank her until the rest of the world melted away? Force orgasms on her? Demand she kneel before him and suck his cock?

Desire, thick and hot, rolled through her.

Heath looked down at her breasts. Mystery followed suit and found her insistent nipples stabbing the front of her shirt.

Flustered, she crossed her arms over her chest and concealed them. “I’m an adult. I know what I want from a lover. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Your father made it my business. Do you really want a man who will paddle your butt like you’re a child? Who will discipline you? What if he’s the sort who likes needles or knives or to control your breath?”

Mystery recoiled. “Ohmigod, what are you . . . No. That’s not—”

“I’ve seen the seedy side of the underworld. Normally, I’m a gentleman and I don’t speak of such things, but I’m concerned for you. Have you fallen for him so hard that you’d allow him to whip you until you bleed? Give you to a stranger?”

She shook her head. “He would never hurt me or put me at risk. I’d insist on a safe word, but I’m sure he’d ask me for one first. I know you don’t know him. But I do. He rescued me. We survived together. I’ve had a thing for him ever since. Please don’t get in the middle of this.”

Heath sidled closer, his expression a cross between incredulity and anger. “A thing for him? You’ve known him a total of three days, and you trust him enough to give him complete control of your body?”

When he put it like that, the concept sounded ridiculous. But her gut told her Axel wasn’t the sort of Dom Heath described. She couldn’t picture him as a sadist. Besides, she’d heard that people in a D/s relationship should discuss their limits with each other and negotiate what happened in a scene before they got too busy. Axel was responsible. That’s what he would do.

“Actually, I do.”

Heath gripped her arm and loomed over her, shaking his head. “You don’t understand what you’re inviting. I did a turn undercover in a club in London, and the things I saw . . .”

“Problem, Mystery?” Axel sauntered down the hall with a practiced nonchalance. But every muscle in his body looked tense.

Heath turned and stepped forward, putting himself between her and Axel. “I object.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Axel shot back.

“Her father would not approve.” Heath crossed his arms over his chest.

Mortification rolled through Mystery. “My father still wishes I wore ribbons in my pigtails, too. He doesn’t always get his way where I’m concerned. I don’t think we have anything left to say on this subject. Good night.” She stepped around Heath and approached Axel.

He took her hand in his. “Let’s go.”

Axel led her back to her bedroom, and she tried to ignore Heath sputtering behind her. She didn’t like to upset or hurt him. He’d been nothing but protective and supportive for years. But tonight, he’d crossed a line.

Once inside the bedroom, Axel shut the door and dead-bolted it for good measure. “Are you all right?”

“Sure.” But Heath’s words rang in her ears. “He’s just protective. It’s his job.”

“And he thinks I’m going to hurt you.”

She shrugged. “He doesn’t know you.”

Axel sat on the edge of the bed. “Well, you and I have some catching up to do as well. We need to get a few things straight.”

He’d dropped just enough disapproval into his tone to make her tummy tighten. Mystery tried not to notice that her palms suddenly turned damp. “I know. I explained and said I was sorry, but . . .”

“You did.” He nodded. “I understood and appreciated that. But that doesn’t make everything all right.”

Axel looked calm. He almost always wore an impenetrable veneer of calm, like nothing really got to him. Now, she saw a chink in that—and got the feeling he’d been holding this rebuke in for hours, just waiting for the chance to make his point.

She thought about backing up a step. “I didn’t think so, I just . . .”

He motioned her closer.

Mystery shuffled forward. She wasn’t afraid of him physically, but he definitely had the power to hurt her with his words.

“You really think it’s all right to deceive someone in order to have sex with them? If our roles had been reversed, and I’d pretended to be someone I wasn’t so that I could wheedle my way into your bed, how would you feel?”

Confused. Used. Wretched.

Mystery winced. “You’re right I guess . . . I figured if you were saying yes to a stranger, did it really matter if I was a woman you’d never met or one you’d known a long time ago? The point was to exchange pleasure, which we did.”

“But what if that wasn’t the only point for me?”