Page 31 of Redemption

Kelsey

“Wildcat!” Axel’s steps echo through the house causing my heart rate to spike the closer they get.

All thoughts of the art room vanish as Charlee and I stumble out of the back of the house and make our way to the front. My balance is complete crap right now. We definitely drank a bit more than I thought. When we make it into the kitchen we find all three of the Savage boys’ massive forms taking over the entire space. They’re drenched. Droplets of water dip off their clenched jaws as all of their gazes land on us. Something has them on edge and that thought sends a tingle up my spine.

“I’m right here.” My hip presses against the counter to keep myself from swaying side to side.

He moves forward so fast, that even if I weren’t battling the effects of the whiskey, I wouldn’t be prepared for it. One moment he’s standing there, brooding at me and the next his hands are gripping the sides of my face while his lips devour mine. It’s a bruising kiss. One that’s meant to dominate; meant to own me from the inside out—and it does.

All tension leaves his body when he pulls back. His eyes open meeting mine with an intensity that I feel down to my toes. “They ain’t gonna touch you.” His thumbs continue to stroke small circles against my cheeks, but it’s the thickening of his accent that has me on edge.

“What are you talking about? What happened?” My hands interlace with his as I shake my head clear and take in the full effect of his appearance. His clothes have dark red splotches all over them as does his cheeks, but the cuts on his knuckles are what makes my pulse quicken.

“Is that blood? Are you hurt?” I break our connection and let my eyes roam over his body, inspecting from head to toe for any sign of injuries.

“It’s not mine.”

“What have you done, Axel?” A lump forms in my throat as his words ricochet inside my head.

“Exactly what I told you I’d do—keep you safe.” His fingers dig into the side of my face as he brings me back in and kisses me again. This time the kiss is different. It’s much slower, like he’s taking the time to savor every inch of my mouth. His lips dance across mine a few more times before he breaks away and rests his forehead against mine. “You been hitting the whiskey, Wildcat?”

“Some.” I lick my lips and let the taste of us linger in my mouth, while I do my best not to fall over.

“How much have you had to drink?”

“Not nearly enough.” I can’t think when he’s this close to me. The smell of cedar wood and tobacco clogs my senses.

“Wildcat, I asked you a question and it’s important that you answer honestly.” The fingers wrapped the side of my head stroke against my cheek in small circles. “How much have you had to drink?”

“I don’t know. We had wine and then we got bored and switched to your whiskey.”

“We, Princess?” Asher breaks us out of our bubble and we separate just enough for Axel to wrap his arm around my shoulder.

Charlee’s cheeks heat as she braces against the counter for balance. She holds up her hand and pinches her fingers together to show Asher how much, but her lack of coordination at the moment causes her to sway. “Just a little bit.”

“Y’all are shit faced.” Leave it to Zane to be a buzz kill.

“Are not,” Charlee and I shout back. It feels like we’re a couple of toddlers he’s just scolded.

“Where’s Lily?” Asher cocks his head to the side, ignoring our outburst, as his eyes work something out. Whatever it is causes the blue of his irises to deepen.

“Upstairs sleeping.” Her dark eyebrows pinch together as she answers him.

“Let’s go, Princess.” Asher grabs Charlee by the arm and takes the baby monitor from her hands as he begins to usher her out the front door, but she jerks against him.

“What about Lily?” she asks.

Asher’s steps never falter as he shoves the monitor into Zane’s stomach and shoots both him and Axel a look over his shoulder, doing that weird silent communication thing these brothers do. “Z’s got her.”

Zane doesn’t say a word as he cradles the monitor in his hand and disappears into the living room without a backward glance.

Axel takes advantage of that distraction and spins me around in the direction of the stairs. “Come on, Wildcat.”

“Where are we going?” I hold onto the railing to keep from face planting. Falling while going upstairs won’t help my cause any.

“To your room. We need to talk.”

My stomach twists into a knot at his words. “Can’t we do that out here?”

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