Sexy Wreck

Chapter 15

Axelle stepped out of the shower and grabbed a dry towel, feeling refreshed and somewhat relaxed, if not a little bit off balance for how easily she'd opened up to Zeke about her past and family situation. It was true she'd never discussed those details with anyone other than Sofie, and while sh was shocked that she's revealed so much to Zeke, she had to admit that his genuine interest and undivided attention had prompted her to share. Undoubtedly, those caring traits of his were dangerous to her heart, and she'd do well to keep her that encompassed pictures for her magazine and great sex, nothing more, and she'd remember that.

 She toweled off her body, ran a brush through her damp hair of let the strands air dry, and changed into the cotton boxer pajama set she wore at night. She headed out of the bedroom, which adjoined directly to the living room, and came to an abrupt stop when she saw how busy Zeke had been in her absence.

An air mattress had been blown up and wand was situated in between the couch and love seat, and was covered with blankets and pillows, making up their own little den of iniquity. Zeke himself was squatting in front of the birch hearth, tending to the crackling fire on the grate. He was shirtless, the way she like him best, and had changed into a pair of gray cotton sweatpants. He stabbed at a burning log with a poker, and she watched the play of muscles across his broad back, toned and smooth except for those two long scars she's yet to ask him about. And he owed her the story, after everything she's divulged earlier.

"Hey.." she said, announcing her presence as she moved deeper into the room, drawn to the man and the warmth from the fireplace. "What's all this?"

He tossed another log on the grate, adjusted the screen in front of the fire to protect them from popping embers, and straightened. He turned to face her, his faze taking in her nighttime attire in a quick glance before returning to her freshly scrubbed face. "I though you might like to relax by the fire. I'll give you a back rub to help soothe your abused body."

Her aching muscles rejoiced at his offer, and the rest of her body was equally thrilled at the thought of having his hands all over her. "That sounds wonderful."

"Consider me you personal masseur for the evening." A boyish smile eased up the corners of his mouth, and her stomach tumbled and her knees went weak. "It's the least I can do since I'm the one who pushed you out there on the trails today."

"So you were" she murmured, realizing just how dangerous a playful, wholly seductive Zeke could be to more than just her senses. The mattress separated them, and uncertain what he wanted her to do, she asked. "Where do you want me?"

"Not there's a loaded question." His voice was sexy, teasing rumble, and he crooked his finger at her in a very tempting way. "Come over here, take off your top, and lay face down on the air mattress."

She came around to where he stood, peeled off her cotton pajama top in one quick movement, and lay down in the center of the soft, fire-warmed blankets. Cradling her head in her arms, she waited for the glorious feel of Zeke's strong, capable hands kneading away her physical aches and pains.

The mattress dipped by her side, and he sat astride her thighs from behind. He was still wearing his sweatpants, but the cotton material did nothing to conceal the hard ridge of his erection nestling intimately against her bottom as he leaned forward and splayed his big hand on her narrow back, then kneaded his fingers down the tight muscles bisecting her spine.

She groaned low in her throat, sank into the mattress like a limp doll, and melted beneath his firm, knowing touch. "That.... feels.... sooooo good. By the time you're done with me, I'm gonna be putty in your hands."

"God, I hope so." he said huskily, and pressed his thumbs against a tight knot right below her shoulder blade. "So tell me, how did you get into photography?"

She buried her face in her arms, which also helped to hide her smile. "Back to ma again, huh?"

"What can I say? You intrigue me."

The feeling on that was mutual, much more than was wise.

"You do realize, don't you, that turnabout on all this questioning is fair play?"

"Mmmmm..." he replied noncommittally as his hands continued to work their magic. "I'll deal with that when the time comes."

She just bet he would, and wondered if he'd willingly tell her all about those scars of his if she asked, or evade the subject for the weekend. She planned to eventually find out.

As for the question he's just asked her, he'd picked a safe topic, one she was comfortable with and didn't mind discussing. "When I was a junior high school, I took a photography class. By the end of the first semester, the teacher proclaimed me a natural, took me under he wing, and taught me everything I could ever want to know about photography, like lighting and special effects, and how to develop the film on my own."

She thought back on that teacher's enthusiasm and encouragement, and how it had shaped her future. "Photography opened a whole new world for me and gave me something to focus on when everything at home was falling apart." Painful memories tried to crowd their way in, and she inhaled deep breath, refusing to travel down that emotional road again. "After high school, I took some courses at a junior college while waitressing in the evenings. From there, I went to work at a portrait studio, but after a few months I grew bored doing the same thing day after day."

"You like to be mentally stimulated" he guessed, and ran his thumbs up the shallow indentation of her spine, all the way up to the nape of her neck, where he rubbed more taut muscles.