Page 59 of Blinded By Loyalty

No, my instincts said it was personal, directly related to Axel and maybe his brother. I assumed it was why he planned our romantic evening and gave me the bracelet. I lifted my wrist to admire it.

When he zoned out last night and tears ran down his face and onto mine, my chest felt like it caved in on my heart. I couldn’t get through to him as I called his name and caressed his shoulders. Seeing my fierce man crumbling before my eyes broke my heart. I wanted to save him, protect and comfort him. Why wouldn’t he tell me what was going on?

“I can feel you watching me.” His fingers went into my hair, and he kissed my forehead. “It’s creepy.”

I couldn’t help but smile as he repeated the same words I’d said to him our first morning together. “You’re a captivating sight.”

“So are you, love. What time is it?” His body tensed under me, and I felt his heartbeat kick up a notch.

“I don’t know. Relax, we have nowhere to be.”

He grabbed his phone on the nightstand to check the time regardless. “Fuck,” he hissed and set it back down. “It’s six forty-two in the morning. Why are you awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep. You were really restless last night. Did you have a bad dream?”

His jaw ticked as he shook his head. “No, I slept fine.”

“Jesus, why are you lying to me? Tell me, what’s going on?”

“I need to take a shower.”

“Now?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Yes, that’s why I said I need to take a shower.”

“Hey, don’t be a jerk. You’re confusing me.” I reach my hand toward his face, and he grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

“I need to shower.” He slid out from under me and stalked to the bathroom.

What in the world was going on?

The shower turned on. Usually, I would join him, but the icy wall I just had slammed in my face kept me in the bed.

He took an exceptionally long time while alone. Weren’t men typically fast in the shower? Maybe he was jerking off. Was I not enough for him? Did he not want me?

The water turned off and he strutted out with the towel wrapped around his hips, hair slicked back. My God, he was beautiful. Muscular yet not in a bulky kind of way. Dark, steely eyes and almost-black, wavy hair. He had sexy scruff on his face, but it had grown out since we’d been together. He still kept it neat though. He was perfect for me.

I snapped myself out of the haze I’d momentarily fallen into. Axel already had his pants on and was pulling on a black T-shirt.

“Are you going somewhere?”

He sat on the edge of the bed to put on socks and shoes. “Yes,” he grunted.

“Where? Does York have a job for you?”

“Yes,” he grunted again.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

He stood and went back into the bathroom.

I was losing my patience with him. I climbed out of bed and rushed into my closet to throw on some clothes. When I came out, he was on the edge of the bed in a thinking pose. Will and my dad sat this way when they were stressed about something. Hunched over with their elbows on their knees and their face braced in their hands. Except Axel was covering his face.

My stomach twisted as dread flooded my veins. I trembled, hands ice-cold with each step I took toward him. I’d never felt fear like this before. Not even with the stalker. What was crazy about this was I wasn’t scared of Axel. I trusted him. I knew he would never hurt me… physically.

But he could destroy me emotionally. Oh God, was he about to break my heart? I stopped mid-step at the thought. I wouldn’t let myself drop to my knees and wrap my arms around him like I was about to do. No, I backtracked and raised my shield, preparing to protect my heart.

“So, are you going to talk to me or not?”