Page 17 of Unexpected Boyfriends

Axel kicks the stand down and takes off his helmet but remains sitting on the bike.

When I realize I still have one arm around his waist, I hurriedly let go, in case it's too much. Then take off my helmet.

“Wow!” I breathe. My heart is racing. The sensory overload has my head buzzing. We’re too close. I’m too hard. And I need to say something.

“Oh, man, that was really something!”

Axel turns his head to look at me and smiles, though the smile looks a little strained.

“Yeah, I love taking the bike out at night when there’s no-one on the roads. You did well too. Usually people who don't ride lean the wrong way, which totally unbalances the bike. You didn’t do that.”

His praise warms my insides. His approval is important to me.

“I trust you,” I confess. “I feel safe around you.”

It even feels safe telling him this, especially in the darkness where he can't see my flushed cheeks.

“I’m glad.” Axel speaks the words so softly I’m not sure if he’s saying them to me or to himself.

A minute or two more of just sitting there, then Axel tells me, “You hop off first.”

Oh right. That’s why we’re still sitting here. I swing my leg over the bike and get off. Axel follows. He turns away for a moment without looking at me and… is he adjusting himself too?

That possibility makes me catch my breath, and I turn away to compose myself and give him privacy. When I turn back, Axel is rummaging around in the pannier on the back of the bike. With a grin, he pulls out what looks like a blanket, a bottle and a couple of glasses.

My muscles get a little quivery and my legs threaten to give way. Has he brought me down here to seduce me?

Shockingly, I don’t think I’d object in the slightest.

Still. I don’t want to be just someone he scores with.

“I’m, ah, not sure that's a good idea. I'm a bit younger than you,” I remind him.

“I know,” he smiles softly at me and holds the bottle up so I can see the label. “Sparkling apple juice. I’m not about to get you drunk. Promise.”

I feel a bit ashamed of my suspicions and I’m glad it’s dark enough he can’t read the guilt in my eyes.

“Come on,” he urges me, and leads the way onto the sand. When he finds a spot he likes, he drops the blanket on the ground.

“Can you…?” he gestures at the rug, which turns out to be a picnic rug with a waterproof backing.

I catch his meaning and spread it out on the sand and we kick off our shoes and settle down together. Axel pops the top off the bottle and fills the glasses with apple juice.

He fixes me with an enigmatic gaze and clinks his glass against mine.

“To new things,” he toasts and raises his glass to those beautiful full lips, his eyes locked with mine.

“To beautiful new things and new experiences,” I amend the toast and take a sip from my glass. The juice is cool and sweet, rather like Axel himself, I think. Unconsciously, I run my tongue over my lips at this thought. Axel is staring at me. His gaze flicks down to… my lips? Instinctively I part them. My whole being is drawn to him. I draw in a breath, hold it. I watch him, fascinated. Something burns in the air between us.

His gaze flicks back up to mine. He swallows and turns his head away, breaking the moment.

I look away too. We’re both staring at the ocean we can scarcely see because of the darkness, deliberately not looking at each other. This feels awkward. I don't know what to do.

Axel sighs.

Finally, he whispers, “I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Why not?” I ask, feeling a pang of disappointment in my chest, a little bit of hurt creeping into my voice.

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