I Want Your Love

NINE.

A/N: Peep the image I added above. I think it's so romantic and cute. 

I'm a hopeless romantic at heart (if you haven't noticed by the books written so far). 

Enjoy the chapter!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Meraki watched as Axel's eyes grew wide at the revelation, struggling to comprehend her words. He stood up, rubbing his hands over his face repeatedly as if to wake himself up. "You're telling me, that the guy you were supposed to go on a date with, that William is gay? And his father still made him go on a date with you?", he asked confused, pointing to the door. Meraki tilted her head and gave him a sad smile.

"William's father is not a fan of his only son not reproducing an heir, as if the concept of surrogacy doesn't exist to him. William saw you behind the door and told me in the car that he couldn't hurt my apparent boyfriend by going through with this date, just like how he couldn't hurt his boyfriend by having dinner and spending the night with a woman", she explained, hiding a small smile. 

"Even though we had just met, we were in agreement with each other. So, I suggested that he call Kauri over to the fancy restaurant, and we spent the laughing, giving advice and enjoying Pacific cuisine. That's all, and I was grateful for it. I couldn't lie to my heart and to a nice man like William in one night", she clarified for him, watching for his reaction.

Axel looked at his friend in a new light, one that was completely without jealously, pain or disappointment (the last one was towards himself). He let out a short laugh, followed by another, before he was full-on chuckling - throwing in a few expletives as he let out all of his anger and suspicions. However, the doubt and insecurity surrounding him and her still lingered, but as he glanced at her, her waiting for his response, he exhaled with the confidence to just do it. 

"So I'm your boyfriend now?", he teased, looking at her. Blushing, Meraki looked away, doing her famous shy expression of placing her chin on her hand while simultaneously covering her mouth. Axel became undone at the sight of her side profile, striding towards her, placing his hands under her elbows to lift her up.

Meraki stood, her head coming up to just under his nose before leaning back to look at his eyes - taken aback by the sudden gaze that was filled with emotions that she could not pinpoint. "I was so worried that I had missed by chance by acting like a jealous idiot. I'm sorry, Meraki", he whispered. 

"I should've told you when we arrived here that I was, am in love with you. That I fell in love with you over New Years, and desperately wished that we had kissed then, instead procrastinating that I would get my first kiss with you while on the trip. The trouble that we encountered must have been karma for said procrastination", he said with a light chuckle.

Meraki's heart was racing at the quiet proclamation. He really said it. Well, not directly but the intention was there, she thought. "Love?", she squeaked, while keeping her gaze on him as he leaned in closer. Axel smiled, "Yeah. I love you Meraki. I was just scared that it wasn't reciprocated after what happened in high school, or that I was just a friend to you". 

"You were scared?", Meraki snorted in disbelief. "Axel, my crush and subsequent feelings for you resurrected after the farmers' market, much to my previous horror. Then, they were confirmed when I cried like a baby after you left on my birthday, leaving me with that gorgeous pendant on my neck and the biggest fear that you still didn't feel the same way. I got so much anxiety overthinking about your beautiful eyes that were sucking me in and your warm soul, you big oaf!", she cried.

"Of course I love you. I p--" Axel silenced her with the long awaited kiss, his body sagging as he stole her breath, his tongue finally getting to taste the full lips that he had been dreaming and lusting over. 

Meraki gasped as she felt the taller man's soft lips on hers, surprised that they were soft and that he was actually kissing her. Whether it was to silence her or to declare his love, she didn't care to find out. She simply responded by placing her hands on his chest and kissing back, relishing in the lovestruck feeling she had been wishing for, she just wished they didn't have to pull back from the loss of breath.

Axel slowly pulled away and wiped another tear from her cheek, his eyes softly raking over her emotional state. He was slightly upset that he made her cry, but it was not prioritised, because he got to kiss her, and he went back in for another taste. This time there was more passionate kissing from both sides, as he licked her lips for entry. 

His left hand held her cheek while the other hand moved to her lower back. She eagerly responded, lifting her arms and wrapping them around his neck, running her fingers ran through his hair at the back of his neck as she kissed him back fervently. 

This was a kiss that was more than a decade in waiting, and neither one of them wished for it to end. Axel more so, as he moved back to lean on the table with Meraki lifting her legs to wrap around his waist. 

The pair often had those moments of holding the other's legs by their waist or sitting in their laps, but they always played it down to being affectionate in a friendly way. 

This time - they revealed their emotions and desires into their kisses, Axel making sure Meraki knew as he moved from her lips to her jaw and neck, earning moans and whimpers from her as she craned her neck - it was a known fact just how sensitive Meraki was on certain parts of her body. 

"Ax...Axel", she whimpered, tightening her hold around his neck as he moved to the other side of her neck, making sure she felt the pleasure he wanted to give her. "Axel...we need to move...we'll get sick", she finally managed to whisper out.

Not removing his head from the crook of her neck, Axel displayed his strength and silenced Meraki's anxious forewarnings on her body weight as he lifted her, walking back into the villa and straight to her room, grateful that Haisley opted to sleep elsewhere tonight.

He gently laid her on the bed and quickly moved to remove his clothing, leaning over to kiss her gently in just his underwear before moving back to help her undress. Meraki bit in her moans she looked at the man above her in almost all his glory.

There was a pinch of jealousy that someone else under this roof had seen him in all of his glory but those thoughts immediately faded when Meraki felt butterfly kisses trailing from her chest to her stomach. "Axel...", she gasped in anticipation looking down at the man through a hooded gaze. Axel looked up and smirked before going back to his activity - laying kisses all over her body, enticing her until she couldn't wait, and he could not wait until she unravelled in his arms.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N: Eeek - sorry, I'm not good at writing intimate scenes yet, but I am trying my luck and will probably post a one shot to see if at least I got it down as an amateur for the Wattpad audience.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and enjoy the last chapter!

- M