Page 54 of Mister Stark

“A problem?” I asked with annoyance. “What problem, Daxon?”

“They couldn’t locate your luggage at the airport when we landed.” He admitted as he took out the key to unlock the cabin and put his hands out in front of him. “Your luggage got lost.”

“Lost!” I exclaimed in disbelief. “This is just great!”

“Now, calm down, Celeste...” Daxon urged.

“Calm down?” I glared angrily and threw my hands up in the air. “We’re both stuck here when neither one of us wants to be. To make matters worse, I have no clothes and it’s freezing up here!”

I rubbed my arms with my hands and wished I hadn’t worn my winter coat. I only had a long sleeve shirt on with jeans and now I cursed myself. They lost all my stuff except for the tiny bit I had packed in my carry on and I grabbed it with attitude.

“Don’t worry, it will all work out.” Daxon said as he tried to reassure me, but it didn’t help.

“That’s easy for you to say because you have all your damn luggage.” I shot back. “Why didn’t you tell me at the airport?”

“Because I knew you’d lose your shit like you just did.” Daxon admitted as he shrugged his shoulders and came closer towards me.

“Well, no shit, daddy...” I mumbled with defeat.

“Listen, I laid into the driver and told him it’s unacceptable.” He sighed with understanding. “I told him to get the luggage to me right away or else he wouldn’t have a job to go back to.”

His words helped calm my angry unease. “Really? Did he say when it will be here?”

“He said no later than early tomorrow morning.” Daxon explained.

I nodded my head and processed it. “Okay, thank you. I appreciate you standing up for me, Daxon.”

I admitted my gratitude to him and laid my hand on his chest. He looked down at it and back into my eyes. His eyes swirled with something unreadable, and I wished I knew what he thought. My hand burned when I touched him and I wondered if he felt it, too. I quickly removed my hand from him and still couldn’t believe he stuck up for me.

“Anything for you, princess.” He whispered as he turned away from me and I could barely make out the words.

He unlocked the door, and we went inside. We stood there, side by side and took in our getaway. The living area was big and bright, but the floor to ceiling windows helped with that. The furnishings were all distinct tones of brown and gave it a true cabin vibe. I loved every bit, and the fireplace was huge. It stretched across the wall of the room and behind it was the modern kitchen. A huge island took over the middle with a sink right front and center. The gas stove was on the other side of the kitchen counter and they finished it in black sparkle granite. A built-in refrigerator and dishwasher matched the dark wood cabinets. It was a luxurious sight.

“I’ve got to hand it to my son...” Daxon breathed as he stood in the kitchen and took it all in. “This is really nice.”

I followed him as he led the way back down a hallway towards bedrooms that we could choose from. I counted and there were at least five. Lots to pick from and I planned on picking the one farthest away from Daxon.

“I think you should take the one closest to the kitchen and I’ll take the last one down the hall.” I suggested as I looked at him and he looked back at me. “You know, maintain some distance?”

Daxon came closer, and it made me anxious. I swallowed hard and felt unsteady on my own two feet. His scent surrounded me and it mixed with the pine tree's sap from outside.

“It’s a good idea, except for one problem.” He mumbled as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and it made me shiver.

“Oh, ya? And what’s that?” I asked as I licked my lips from the dry air and realized it was a mistake.

His eyes darted towards them. “We’re all alone up here, princess. We should keep close because I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”

His admission threw me off-guard and I couldn’t form a witty comeback even if I tried. His fingers caressed my cheek and trailed down my neckline. I quivered inside with lust at the remembrance of his tantalizing touch. I couldn’t look away from his intensity even though I knew I should, but he captivated me. With him this close, there was no going back.

“Try as I might, princess, I can’t stop thinking about you.” Daxon whispered in the cabin's silence, and his thumb caught my bottom lip. “I can’t fathom being away from these delicious lips.”

Suddenly, Daxon’s cell phone dinged, and I snapped out of his entrapment. I stepped back and pressed my lips together as I looked down towards the floor. He pulled me in and shared with me a truth I couldn’t wrap my head around. Daxon still craved me as much as I did him, but it couldn’t be and shouldn’t be. We both knew it, too.

I glanced at him as he tore his eyes from me and peered down at his cellphone. “Dylan wants his first picture of us together.”

I licked my lips at the remembrance of his touch and wanted to give in. I wanted to send my fiancé a quick snap of our lips locked together and get this all over with. All the lies, the secret acts, and false promises. I was tired of it. Damn it all to hell.

But I knew the stakes were too high. There was too much to lose. Too many hearts to break and too much truth to unfold.

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