I arched my spine, writhing against Axel as his fingers continued to dip into me. They twirled, teased, and found my ultimate pleasure within seconds. Next I knew, I was coming all over him.

"Axel," I breathed, shivering. His pants had to be drenched with my arousal. "Axel, you...your clothes..."

He hefted me up, but instead of standing and searching for something to wipe himself down, he spun me and sat me atop him again, but this time straddling him. Face-to-face.

He licked his fingers and his eyes rolled back. "Why do you always taste so fucking good?"

My skirt was riding up my thighs, and with his other hand he gripped me, pressing my leg against his.

"Axel," I sighed, shuddering as I lowered onto him, sensing his throbbing cock against my wet center, "I have—"

"—the meeting, right." He fished his phone out of his pocket, typed something on it, then tossed his phone aside. "Pushed back. We have some time now."

I should have protested, should have used that meeting as an excuse to stop this; but the friction had already gotten the best of me. It was too late to turn back. If I broke this off, neither of us would get the satisfaction we desperately needed.

I rubbed up against him, a devilish smirk taking over my mouth. "Thank you," I said, running my tongue over my lips as he gawked up at me.

"You're, ah," he said, chewing on his lip as I slowed my rubbing, purposely dragging my pussy along his length. "You're welcome. Damn, Vivienne." He gripped my ass and accelerated my movements. "Damn, I was just going to work on you, but now..."

The way he looked at me wasn't romantic. It wasn't emotional or sweet or attentive. It was primal; he was a beast in need of my body, and I wouldn't deny him. Not when the same animalistic urge grew inside of me, too.

This was no fancy couch in a giant penthouse overlooking Beverly Hills. This was my crappy studio in a crappy neighborhood, with stained walls and poor attempts at concealing the cracks in the wallpaper.

This was my place, not his.

A part of me was embarrassed, and almost proposed that we take this to his penthouse. But by the time we fixed our appearances and descended to his car, the mood would be ruined. My mind would be changed. All the consequences of our actions would catch up to us, and this moment, this tension, would disappear.

And I didn't want it to.

He held me tight as I set my lips to his, sensing the fire in his mouth. Our tongues joined, swirling in a dizzying rhythm, my heartbeat thrumming as I put my whole being into the kiss. I gave everything, every breath. I offered myself to him because it was all I wanted. Him, beneath me, grabbing onto me, about to ravish me into not thinking anymore.

The thoughts, the fear—they melted under his touch, drowned by his minty taste. I sensed his erection between my legs, throbbing, yearning, craving to enter me.

He tightened his hold on me as he stood up. I weaved my legs around him, and he carried me the short distance to my bed. Not a lavish, oversized mattress, but a modest Queen-sized one, with squeaky hinges and cheap sheets and blankets.

He didn't seem to care. I didn't care. We could be fucking on trash bags, and I wouldn't care.

He put me down lightly on the edge of the bed, and moved to unfasten his belt, undo his pants. I sat eagerly waiting, my mouth perfectly level with his cock. So when I sighted his boxers, and once he straightened up from removing his trousers, I went for it.

"Oh, yeah?" He chuckled as I slid my hands along his girth, sensing my moisture all over the fabric of his boxers.

"It's been too long," I said, lowering the hem of his underwear, giving myself an impeccable view of his delicious member. "I missed it."

How I'd craved him, craved this; his cock, up close and personal. The smooth skin of his shaft as it popped in and out of my mouth. The feel of his shudders as he came near succumbing to me, but stopped at the perfect moment, before exploding all over my tongue. And his moans, how with every thrust, his legs shook.

I squeezed his ass—round, firm, perfection—before I gently pushed him away and wiped my mouth. "Condoms are in the nightstand drawer."

His eyebrows raised as he set his hands to his hips. "Oh, are they? Look who's prepared." A hint of afternoon sunlight streamed through my half-closed curtains, basking him in a heavenly glow. God, he was perfect. Every curve of his body, every line of muscle, every patch of skin.

"You never know when the god of sex will swoop in for a visit," I said, knowing how cheeky I sounded, but I couldn't help it. His body was a temple, and I needed to worship it.

With everything going on, with all the risks we kept taking, I needed to worship it as much as possible before it was too late. Screw those consequences, screw the rules—Axel was a treasure and I refused to look away. Refused to let anyone else get a hold of him.

He padded over to the nightstand and found my secret stash. I noticed him remove three condoms—how many times did he expect us to go on for?—and rip one package open to roll the thing onto his length.

When he turned to me, lust dripping from his gaze, hunger glistening over his mouth, I stripped my clothes instantly. No wasting time, no more foreplay; I wanted him inside me as fast as possible.

He perched on the edge of the mattress and summoned me over but didn't allow me to straddle him yet. "Let me look at you," he said, as I stood before him completely unraveled, all his for the taking.

"Axel," I whispered, my center pulsating with need for him.

"One second, sex goddess," he winked, "I have to visualize you before I start making you scream." He traced his fingertips along my silhouette; I shivered. "You call me a god, but you...Vivienne, you're the goddess. Pure, flawless, gorgeous. Fuck," he reached up to cup one of my breasts, "how lucky am I to be allowed this?"

I was antsy, eager, couldn't stop moving about. And when he twirled his finger around my nipple, I lost it. "Axel, please."

He leaned back, stroking his cock, tilting his head this way and that. "Touch yourself."

I balked at him. "What? But you—" his eyes hardened, cutting me off, "—ugh, Axel, please, fuck me."

"I will," he said, angling forward, his gaze on my pussy. "But I want to watch you touch yourself first. Real quick. Show me your favorite spot. Let me witness you make yourself come undone."

As excited as I was, and so desperate, I couldn't refuse him. But I'd tempt him in the process, and make him desperate, too.

I propped my foot on the mattress beside him, exposing my slit in all its drenched glory. "Here," I said, sliding my finger over the area that always sent me soaring into pleasure. "Oh, fuck," my legs quaked, "right here."

He observed with widened eyes, as if taking note for next time; but he didn't need to take note. He always hit that spot immediately after he started touching me, and never needed guidance.

He called himself lucky; but I was the lucky one.

Thankfully, he didn't resist me much longer. He tugged me atop him, astride his muscular legs, with his hard penis rubbing against my entrance. He teased a little, making me dig my nails into his arms as I waited; but finally, finally, he guided his dick deep into me.

Every inch of me shook with desire as he filled me up. I savored the sensation for a few seconds before the back-and-forth swaying began.

"Yeah," he said, seizing my upper thighs, helping me find my cadence. "Yes. Yeah. Vivienne. Vivienne."

I shoved him down, his spine hitting the mattress as I continued my shifting, picking up the pace. The grinding was incredibly hot, each twitch of his cock inside me bringing new feelings to my core.

Heat spread up my arms, and sweat drizzled between my breasts as I bounced, chasing my climax. I was close, so close; and from the way Axel's neck grew rigid and his sounds were muffled, he was close, too.

I didn't want it to end, but that high was too near, and I couldn't avoid it.

"Axel!" My thighs were numb from chafing against his.

"Vivienne, don't stop, don't stop." His eyes found mine, and the flames dancing around his irises propelled me into a faster rhythm, one so intense everything became foggy around me.

It was just him, just me, on our cloud of sex, about to plummet into a pool of bliss. I was there, he was there, we were there—

We moaned as we shuddered, unleashing our release in tandem.

I hadn't realized it, but our hands were joined, fingers white and trembling from the pressure. Somewhere in all our movement, we'd taken hold of one another and didn't let go.

I never wanted to let go.

***

We fucked two more times before we were too spent to attempt another round. On the bed, on the floor, against the wall. Missionary, doggy style, and countless other positions that didn't even have names.

I clawed at his arms, he left handprints on my thighs, my ass. Our lips were so swollen that we couldn't tell when we were kissing because we couldn't feel anything.

I wasn't sure when he'd deferred my meeting to, but the afternoon came and went. The sun began to set, sprinkling hues of orange and gold into my bedroom.

Axel lay beside me, deep breaths loading into his chest. He shone, radiating that after-sex glow. Like Apollo who'd just got back from smearing sunlight across the sky.

I couldn't help it—I lounged on my side and admired him. The subtle dip between his pectorals, the firm lines around his belly button, the cryptically beautiful tattoos on his large arms. He was a vision, a naked masterpiece on my bed.

If it were up to me, I'd lay there ogling him for hours, as the sun set and showcased him in moonlight.

"Hey," he said, startling me by turning onto his side, facing me.

"Hi," I said, suddenly shy as his eyes met mine, flecks of gold and amber sparkling within. It felt like he read my mind, or was trying to, and my cheeks flushed as I peered down at my nudity.

"Hey," he said again, this time touching my chin, tilting it up. "So you said you were falling for me?"

I gulped; I hoped he'd have forgotten that by now. Three rounds of passionate sex should have taken his thoughts elsewhere.

"Uhh...well, I mean, I said it in a panic, so I don't know." My cheeks grew hotter, and I wanted to look away, anywhere but at him.

He kept a firm grip on me, though, no matter how I fought it. "No, don't dismiss your feelings. Don't hide, Vivienne."

I sucked my lips in, rubbing them together. "It's...a lot. I worried that it would intimidate you, or disgust you, or—"

"—how could it disgust me," his eyes narrowed, "when I feel the same way?"

I stilled, a fluttering warmth developing in my gut. "You...you do?"

He nodded. "Your presence torments me in so many ways, yet when I kiss you, hold you, make love to you...I've never been happier."

Happier. Happy.

He was...happy?

I scoffed. "But the way you tease me, the disregard for the risk..." I frowned and felt the need to pull out of his grip, but he held on tight. "That's you when you're happy?"

He grinned at me, his thumb caressing the length of my jaw. "I guess I thrive on the chase. More so because deep down, under all your fears, you want me too."

I gulped. "Maybe, but—"

"—maybe?" His eyebrows shot up and his grin widened. "You do, you said so. And the more you push me away, the more I want you."

It was music to my ears; the confirmation of all my feelings, all his feelings, and why we couldn't keep our hands off each other. It wasn't lust, no...it was more. Something deeper, more meaningful, which translated to the hottest, most amazing sex I'd ever had.

But it was the wrong time, the wrong place. Feelings or not, we'd never be together. Even once Estelle's wedding was over, who knew if we'd be on the same page? This soft confession wasn't concrete, it wasn't enough to solidify anything. Except that we were risking too much for nothing certain.

"It doesn't change things," I said, ripping from his grasp and sitting up, tugging a pillow to my chest.

"It does." Axel slowly sat up too, his breath blowing over my bare back. "Because it's more than physical sensations, and you know it. Now I know it, too."

"It's not a guarantee," I said, wincing as I hugged the pillow tighter. "Even if we agree to wait until after Estelle's wedding, something else will come up and block us, won't it? We'll be seconds away from having legal sex, and then Harvey will call you, or someone else that'll need my services and your money, and—"

Axel chortled. "Harvey is already married, so unless he gets divorced..."

"Axel." I squinted as I twisted to him. "Be realistic. This," I cupped his face, "isn't going anywhere, is it? It can't. You can't sit around waiting for me, and I can't hold on to that hope. It hurts."

His face grew red, his eyes like molten steel. "You have no idea what I can or can't do. Nor what I want." I expected him to growl and get up and storm out. Last time I'd made assumptions, he'd declined to stick around and explain himself. But to my surprise, he stayed where he was, glowering at me. "And I just told you—I want you."

"But your sister—"

"—my sister also has no clue what I want or what I can do. She's protective, and I love her for it, but I can pick my own partners. She thought you were a gold-digger and thought I wouldn't know how to perceive that on my own." He huffed. "But that's not what you are, and I knew that within an instant of meeting you. If she can't figure it out, that's on her. I want you, Vivienne Clarke, and that's final."

As persuasive as his speech was, I wouldn't believe it. Not when we were so close to succeeding with Estelle's wedding, and anything could go astray. Anything could go wrong.

Estelle's knowledge of us was a problem, and if that wasn't enough, I still had Olivia to deal with. I had to evade her advances without triggering suspicion, and if Axel and I continued our tryst like this...he'd find out about her.

He couldn't find out.

I let him hold me until the sun disappeared behind the mountains, and the sky switched to a blanket of navy decked with stars. He had work to finish—since he'd all but dropped the project he was working on to come to me—and I had a meeting to attend with his hotel manager, which he promised me I wouldn't be late for.

He also notified me I'd have details about the bachelorette party coming soon. There were clubs and bartenders and performers to interview, and he'd need my help for it all.

When he left, my gaze lingered on the door for longer than necessary. I pictured him there, in a dark suit, smiling at me as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. I pictured him entering, scooping me up in his arms, and taking me away, back to his place. Freeing me from my rags, allowing me to share his riches.

It was an inaccessible dream, but damn, it was a pretty image to lock into my mind as I prepared for my meeting.

☼☼☼