Page 33 of Axel
“Go to hell!” Pushing herself up, she started to swing her legs off the bed.
Hissing through his teeth, he manacled her upper arm and pulled her back. Rolling on top of her, he imprisoned her body and withstood her glaring eyes.
“Get off me.”
“I suppose I should apologize.” He muttered gruffly.
“Let me guess- that would be beneath you.” Her tone was frigid, and she was doing her best to ignore the press of his body on hers. The man was exhaustingly unpredictable. She did not expect avowals of love, but his sarcastic comment had gotten under her skin. And that was not the only thing.
“I apologize.” Bowing his head, he placed his forehead on hers and took a deep breath. “This was unexpected.” Lifting his head, he stared at her, something he had been trying to avoid. Her lips were parted and moist from his kisses. Her eyes were wide, her face exquisitely beautiful from the passion that overtaken them with the force of a whirlwind.
He did not believe in love of course. It only lasted until one or both individuals found someone of more interest. His old man had ditched them as soon as the going got tough and the woman he had placed so much stock in had cheated on him. He would never make the same mistake again.
But this was unexpected and unexplainable. And it troubled him that he was feeling so much.
“And you don’t like the unexpected.”
“Something like that.”
“Are you afraid I am going to demand a commitment from you?” He was holding her captive, his body imprisoning hers and only her hands were free – hands that she had started to push at him in order to escape. Her fingers were now curled into the dense chest hairs.
“I cannot give one,” he told her bluntly.
“And I never said I am looking for one.” Ignoring the ache inside her heart, she angled her chin and gave him a haughty look that hid the hopelessness. “I am a big girl, and I assure you right now that I am not going to cry and create a scene when this is all over. We are both consulting adults, Axel, and I can take care of myself.
What I cannot and will not tolerate are your insults. I am not in the habit of banging the men I interview. This is my first time, and I did not do it because I desperately wanted a story. I am attracted to you and that’s the only reason. When this is over, I will be gracious and accepting and be on my way. Is that clear?”
He studied her mutinous expression for a few seconds as he assimilated her words. For some unknown reason, they made him angry.
Her dark brown eyes were flashing with anger and her face animated. He had no idea what to do about this, but he knew it would not be a one-time thing. Right now, his senses were already stirring, and he knew he wanted more.
“Understood.” A smile curved his sensuous lips as he continued to stare at her. “I believe I have been properly put in myplace.” His expression sobered as his eyes wandered over each individual feature. Lowering his head, he kissed the tiny frown between her brows, before tracing the shape of her eyes and going to her cheek.
After the initial non-response, Ellie sighed in capitulation when his lips touched the sides of her mouth. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she gave into the sensual pull of his kisses and opened her mouth so that he could deepen the kiss.
*****
He was gone the next morning. Something woke her up and had her turn around to find the place next to her empty. By tacit agreement, he had spent the night where they had indulged in several hours of frenzied lovemaking that had left her limp with exhaustion. Her body felt as if she had been running a marathon nonstop.
The delicious lassitude completely took over her body and she had fallen into a dreamless sleep early this morning, with his arms thrown across her waist.
Now he was gone. Sitting up in bed, she shoved her fingers through the untidiness of her hair and looked around the room made bright by the sun streaming through the curtains. He could be in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee, but she doubted that was the case.
They had not exchanged any words other than the ones he had spoken while in the throes of passion and those had been swearing words from him and pleas from her begging him not to stop. Cries from her that had echoed through the room as he took her to unparalleled heights of passion.
Drawing her knees up to her chin, she wrapped her arms around them and stared at the rose silk wallpaper on the wall. She had told him that she did not expect anything else from him but what he was prepared to offer. And she meant it. She knew he was coming out of a relationship that had gone bad.
She did not know the details, only what she had read in the society rags. But the woman was high profile and according to rumors, they had been on the verge of making it permanent. Serena Livingstone was a beauty and very high profile. An actress of a very popular sitcom.
Rumors had further gone on to say that she had cheated on him with some co-star. Ellie had no idea if that was the truth. She only knew that if he had gone so far as to want to take things to another level, he must have been in love with her.
She had no hang ups about her looks, she was aware that she was beautiful and had never been jealous of another woman - well because she had no need for that, and she strongly believed that jealousy was self-destructive and a waste of time.
But for the first time in her life, she found herself wondering what quality he had seen in the woman to make him care so much.
Last night and this morning had made a definite stamp on her. She had been involved with a few guys, not enough to make her an expert, but enough to make her realize that what they had experienced together had been something out of the ordinary.
She had also been careless. She had told him she was safe, but she wasn’t certain. They had spent hours making love without using anything and that was not something she would normally do. She would never want to have him accusing her of trapping him.