Page 71 of True Blue

We’ve all been sneaking into Axel’s room after everyone goes to bed to sleep in a pile together, but none of us have feltcomfortable going past a slow make out with Axel’s whole family sleeping in the connecting rooms. Knowing that when we get back to West Tower all our built-up tension will finally pop, the guys have been giving me light touches and sly smiles all day.

Layla hugs Uncle Jack before turning back toward me. “See you at school, babes.” I hug her quick while Gwen hugs her father and then pats my shoulder. Both the girls head over to Gwen’s compact SUV, waving to Axel and Bentley as they pass.

“Ready to go?” Axel calls, coming over. I nod, turning toward Uncle Jack who holds out his arms to me a foot away.

I walk into him, hugging him just as tightly as the first night I showed up here again. “Don’t be a stranger, kid,” he whispers in my ear, and I nod against his shoulder.

“Of course not.” We pull back, his hands brushing my shoulders as I smile. “I doubt Axel or Lay would let me, even if I wanted to.” He chuckles, nodding to the guys over my shoulder.

I turn to the side and Bentley reaches forward to shake Uncle Jack’s hand while Axel slings an arm around my shoulders. “Thank you for everything the last few days,” Bentley says and Uncle Jack laughs.

“No problem, son.” He looks between Bentley and me. “You both are welcome anytime. Just give an old man a little bit of warning next time.” He winks at me, and Bentley’s ears go red. I laugh, nodding to Uncle Jack.

Axel squeezes my shoulder, swaying us both a bit. “I called shotgun for you,” he says, and Bentley rolls his eyes.

“You can’t call shotgun for someone else,” he says, stepping to the side as Axel lets go of me and gives his dad a hug.

“Yes, you can.” Axel looks over his shoulder at Bentley while hugging his dad and Uncle Jack laughs.

“Drive safe, son.”

Axel turns back to his father, nodding and squeezing him one more time. “Thanks, Dad, but Bentley’s driving.” He stepsback, slinging an arm around Bentley’s shoulders. “He lost rock, paper, scissors.”

Bentley shrugs him off, looking unamused and I laugh. Axel takes my hand, and we head over to the car. Bentley follows us, getting into the driver’s seat while Axel opens my door and waves his arms dramatically.

“Your chariot,” he says bowing slightly.

I snort, sliding into the front seat and placing my hands in front of the vents automatically. I wiggle my feet out of my shoes, kicking them to the side and stretching my feet out under the lower vents as I get comfortable.

Axel slides into the back, waving to his father as we pull out of the driveway. I take one more look over my old house, smiling at it finally as we head down the street. Mom and I stood outside and noted all the differences together, getting lost in a few memories and crying a bit more the day after Thanksgiving. She had to get back to Georgia the next day, but she mentioned talking to Uncle Jack about us coming up for Christmas.

I pull Axel’s beanie off my head and start tugging at my coat once we get to the highway, the heat cranking up in the car as Bentley drives. I wiggle my feet out of my socks as well, feeling stuffy in their confines. Turning to get more comfortable in my seat, I notice Bentley’s furrowed brows and tense shoulders.

I reach over, sliding my hand over his shoulder to massage the back of his neck. “Mira okay?” I ask. She called Bentley a couple days ago crying and I heard a little bit of their conversation, heart breaking for her as I heard Bentley try to calm her down. I know they spoke again this morning, but too many people were around for me to ask about it back at the house.

Bentley nods, some of the tension leaving him. “Yeah, she’s heading back to the Coast in a couple hours and wanted to know if I’d be back yet or not. I’m going to meet her when she getsin. I think she’s going to need me.” I nod and he shuffles to get himself more comfortable in the seat, eyes never leaving the road.

I look back at Axel, finding him watching my hand on Bentley’s neck before he glances at me. He licks his lips, smiling. “Can I get a neck massage too?”

I chuckle, taking my hand off Bentley’s neck. Bentley glances at Axel in the rearview mirror, eyebrows no longer furrowed, but peaked.

“If I come back there, I better get a massage out of it as well,” I say, folding my arms to appear stern. In actuality, the lingering tension surrounding the three of us the last few days resurfaces, crackling throughout the car.

Axel grins. “You come back here, and my hands will definitely be all over you, Blue.” He leans back, spreading his legs in the back seat and placing his hands on his thighs. My stomach clenches as I stare at him, watching his hands move up and down his thighs twice before he pats his lap in invitation.

I glance at Bentley, noticing how white his knuckles are on the wheel. “You going to be okay up here?”

Bentley smirks before glancing over at me with a deadpan expression. “Just go, sunshine. I’ll be fine.”

I lean over and kiss his temple, unbuckling my seatbelt. Sitting back, I throw one leg into the back, Axel grabbing my calf and helping to pull me toward him till I straddle the center console, halfway between the front and back. I awkwardly try not to kick Bentley in the head as Axel’s hands leave my leg, grabbing me around the waist and tugging me the rest of the way until I'm straddling his lap.

“Hi,” I finally say, wrapping my arms around his neck while his arms wrap around my waist. He hums, leaning in to capture my mouth, groaning as my tongue slips past his lips. His hands wander up my back, gripping my shoulders from behind andholding me against him. I shift, needing some friction to match the ferocity of our kiss, my ass rubbing against the growing hardness beneath me.

Axel breaks the kiss, leaning back and staring at me through hazy eyes. His hands land on my hips, mine still playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. We pant for a minute, letting the cascading tension settle a bit. “I believe I promised you a massage,” Axel says, breathless.

I chuckle, leaning to rest my back against Bentley’s seat. My chest rises and falls between us, matching the pace of his own. “I believe you promised to have your hands all over me.” His hands slide up to my waist then back down, resettling on my hips and leaving me covered in goosebumps.

“You’re right." He dips forward, lips landing on the side of my neck. I stretch my head to the side giving him more room as he licks and sucks at my skin. My hands dig deeper into his hair, dragging his face back up and connecting my mouth with his. He groans, lips instantly responding with fervent movement. Heat revs throughout my body as his tongue moves with mine, hips starting to grind down against where I can feel him growing hard beneath me. His hands move down to grip my ass through my leggings, helping me keep my rhythm as he bites my bottom lip.

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