Page 55 of Into the Blue
“Jade?” Axel’s voice comes from the bedroom. I jump, sliding the photograph back under the pile of T-shirts, pushing the drawer closed.
“I’m in here.” I try to sound light, like I don’t feel strangled. I take a moment, take in a few breaths. Maybe it’s an old photograph. “Just need a sec.”
I head into the bathroom and splash water on my hot cheeks, run damp hands through my hair. Axel made it clear when we got together that cheating was a deal-breaker for him. I have to remember that. But doubt gnaws at me as I head back into the bedroom.
Axel reaches for me, pulling me down into his warmth, wrapping his arms around me.
“You all right?”
I can’t speak for a moment, emotion choking me as I realise how much he means to me. “Axe, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you? If there was someone else?” I choke out the words.
“What’s got you thinking that?” His brows draw together.
“I don’t know. Just… I like you so much.”
“Is this because of Zach?”
Fuck. I cannot tell him about what I found. It feels like snooping, at best. I nod.
“I like you too, Jade.” His gaze narrows slightly, and he drops a soft kiss on my lips. “More than like you. I’m falling for you.”
“You are?” My voice is a whisper.
“It’s fucking crazy, I know. But I just feel”—he grabs my hand, lacing his fingers with mine—“that we have something here, even so soon.”
He doesn’t ask me for anything, doesn’t pressure me. Just offers me his heart, like that.
And I take it.
“I’m falling for you too,” I say, breathless. My doubts slide away, overtaken by the strength of his embrace, the way his body feels against mine, the heat of his touch. He pulls the T-shirt over my head, rolling me onto my back. I shift beneath him, my legs opening as he slides inside me once more.
“Fuck.” My head goes back, his tongue lapping my throat as he starts to thrust. I grab him, pulling his lips to mine, sucking on his tongue, kissing him hard, meeting his thrusts with my own. It’s fierce, fucking rather than making love. I push on his chest, rolling him over, riding him hard. He squeezes my tits, flicks and twists my nipples, then his thumb comes to my clit, pressing down.
I scream as the orgasm hits, rushing through me, overtaking me. He comes a few moments later, throbbing inside me, groaning as I scratch his chest, as I pump my hips against his, taking every last drop, rocking my clit against him.
I collapse against his muscular chest, his arms coming around me. We lie there, heart to heart, our breath slowing. And I try not to think about his ring on someone else’s finger, or what that might mean. It has to be an old photo.
If I tell myself that enough, I’ll believe it.
ChapterThirty-Three
Axel
Jade is out in the water again. She flicks the end of her board to carve up the face of the wave, her body lean and strong, moving through the spray as though she is bending her will on the ocean itself. I sit on golden sand and watch her, my heart opening. Part of me wants to be out there with her, but I can’t.
The last time I went in the water with someone I loved, it ended in tragedy.
Fuck. Yeah. Love. I love her. I’m in love with Jade.
It’s ridiculous, after only a handful of weeks, but I can’t deny my feelings any longer. I’m keeping them to myself though, like a flame sheltered by a cupped hand. I’m not ready to share it yet, not ready to expose it to the winds.
But it’s there, nonetheless.
I’ve been in love before. Was even engaged, before my world fell apart. I thought I knew what it felt like. But this, whatever it is with Jade, is wilder than anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s as though she’s part of me, her frangipani scent all around me still, even though she’s out in the waves.
It’s too much, too soon. I shy away from it, the damaged part of me urging caution. Eventually, she’s going to leave. And that’s the test. I’m not going to try and hold her here, not going to put any pressure on her. If she wants to come back to me then I’ll be here, waiting. She’ll always be part of me.
Space between us might be a good thing, if I’m honest, to test the intensity of what’s happened. I know I’m being an idiot, that I should hold on to her as tightly as I can. But you can’t capture a storm in a bottle. Jade just came out of a long-term relationship, and I want her to be sure of what she wants before she ties herself to me.
