Sexy Wreck

Chapter 24

He'd learned that Axelle was all woman on the outside, tough and sexy and determined, but internally she was still a little girl, aching for the love and approval she'd never gotten from her own parents, and searching for a place where she belonged. A place stable and safe filled with unconditional acceptance. A place where she didn't have to worry about the people whom she trusted and loved turning their backs on her when times got tough and she needed them the most.

Zeke wanted to be there for Axelle, always - as a friend, a partner and a lover. And it wasn't a commitment he planned to take lightly. Now all he had to do was convince her just how sincere he was, that he wanted this short weekend fling to last a lifetime. 

He picked up his pace, eager to be with her again. He grinned like a fool, finally understanding what his brothers had found with each of their wives. He'd given them both a hard time when they'd taken the plunge and admitted they'd fallen in love, and all the while he'd sworn that he had no desire to let another woman get to him on an emotional level ever again. His brother had been emphatic that it was a matter of finding the right woman, and he distinctly remembered one of his brothers making the comment hat he'd better be careful, because love might just sneak up on him and kick him on the ass when he least expected it.

At the time, he'd scoffed at his brother's sappy analogy. Now Zeke was forced to admit that he had been kicked when he'd least expected it, big-time, and both of his brothers were going to have a filed day when they discovered his downfall. But it was a small price to pay for all that he'd gained.

Zeke's heart pumped anxiously as he rounded the bend in the road and came in for the home stretch, until he noticed that Axelle's car was no longer parked next to his car.

His stomach twisted with dread as the truth kicked him in the chest. He was too late to tell Axelle how he felt about her, to convince her to take a chance on hi. She was already gone...

Oh lord, what had she done?

Pressing her fingers to her trembling lips, Axelle stared at the photos she'd developed from her weekend with Zeke, which were spread out on the coffee table in her living room. Nearly six hours had passed since she'd left the cabin while Zeke was out on a morning jog. She hadn't heard from him since, not that she expected hum to make any effort to find her after the less than admirable way she'd snuck out on him. 

Her abrupt departure, along with the quick, impersonal note she'd left in the kitchen, thanking him for being a part of her calendar project, had no doubt been as effective as a slap in his face after the intimate weekend they'd shared. At the time she'd convinced herself that she was saving them both an unpleasant confrontation, that a clean break was easier on both of them, but alone in her apartment with only her conscience as company, she was coming to acknowledge her leaving for the cowardly behavior it was.

Her throat tightened with another surge of tears, and she swallowed them back as she leaned forward and fanned out a pile of pictured of Zeke looking sexier and more gorgeous than a mad had a right to. There were phenomenal shots of him chopping wood, and more they'd taken during their hikes. The majority had been taken without a shirt, his chest and shoulders breathtakingly wide and strong and most definitely drool-worthy. She was proud of the shots, and what one could glimpse of his scars only served to make him appear more rugged, like a real outdoor man who lived as one with nature.

He was extremely photogenic, and there wasn't a bad picture in the bunch, which made the task of finding only four for the calendar project a daunting task - the end results of which she'd promised Zeke he could approve. Which meant she'd eventually have to contact him, and see him again in person.

She pushed aside the professional shots and reached for the candid photos she'd taken of Zeke while he'd been sleeping and had gradually awakened. A smile touched her lips as she remembered the playful, flirtatious session. Now she had her own personal storybook in front of her, and there was no ignoring what she saw in Zeke's gaze, in his expression. There was adoration, sensual hunger, and a deeper emotion that made her feel weak in the knees. A blend of trust and caring she'd been so scared to believe in.