Page 24 of Dangerous Mission

For a long time, she’d kept photos of Axel and her, but they only broke her heart when she glanced at them and tried to figure out what she’d done wrong. But she’d done nothing. He just didn’t love her enough and did what her dad wanted.

Laughter pulled her out of her thoughts, then they all said their goodbyes and headed toward the exit.

Axel had said he joined the navy to leave his family lifestyle behind. She expected he lived in an apartment or a small house, not one as large as the one he’d grown up in. The large iron gate swung open as they entered his long winding driveway. He parked in front of the house instead of in one of the six garage spaces she spotted to the side.

“Navy pays well?” she asked as she stared up at the mansion.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel before he turned the car off. “My parents gave my sisters homes after their first big breaks. Emily handed me the keys to my place when I graduated from BUD/S, since my parents were in some other country, filming.”

Terri caught the undertone. His parents hadn’t even shown up for one of the biggest moments of his life. She wasn’t surprised. They hadn’t been there to cheer him on when he won the Olympic gold medal in the butterfly event.

“It looks nice.”

Axel shrugged and got out of the car. “The place is way too big for me. I’m gone for months at a time. Hell, the first few years of my career, I lived on base. I’ve thought about selling. The place doesn’t feel like home. Mom had one of her designers decorate when they bought it. Then last year, when I was away on a mission, she thought a good Christmas present was to have the place redone. Needless to say my comfy couch didn’t meet the designer's wishes.”

“Let’s get inside. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.”

He grabbed her hand, and they walked up the steps to his house. Axel pressed his hand to a side panel, and an LCD screen lit up. After he removed his hand, he looked into a small red light. Then the door clicked.

“At least they installed security in the place for you.”

Axel’s lips curled up. “Nope, after what Mom did, I had the place retrofitted with a top-of-the-line security system. Nobody is going to get in here without my knowing. Even had laser sensors added to the grounds. It’s a new technology that Cy, my teammate, worked on. The artificial intelligence can tell the difference between an animal and a human. Let’s go see what the cook left in the fridge for us.”

They walked into his open kitchen. The back wall was all windows that overlooked his pool and the ocean.

Terri sat at the counter and watched as he pulled food out of the fridge. “I thought you’d been in DC for a few days. You sure everything in there is still good?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, I texted the staff on the way here to prepare the house for a guest and take the rest of the week off. I trust them, but I thought it would be easier without them.”

“I’m not staying here while you’re gone.” She understood the threat but could easily stay in a hotel with the Secret Service. “I think you guys are overreacting.”

Axel placed a plate with fresh fruit, cheese, and cold cuts in front of her. “Did you not listen to a thing the commander said? Cy and Tex both think something is going on. Cy planned to use a program to scan your TikTok, but he has to leave tomorrow, and so do I. Xavier's team is going to work with Tex.”

“You expect me to stay locked up here alone until you get back?” She waved her hands in the air.

“No.”

“Good, because I plan to go to the charity event coming up. If I need to stay in California, I will, but I have a life. If I hide away, the bad guys win.”

“You can do what you need, but you will have security.”

“Great. I hope it’s not the assholes I ditched the other day. I think one of them had an issue with me even before I gave him the slip.”

Axel tilted his head to the side. “Angel will be a lot harder to lose. If you fuck up, she might shoot your ass.” He rested his hip against the counter. “So now we have security settled. Nobody is chasing us. You ready to pay up?”

She choked on the piece of cantaloupe she’d shoved into her mouth. “Pay up?”

“Yes, I clearly remember you losing a bet. You owe me a kiss.” His lips twitched in amusement.

Her mouth dried out as she watched his tongue run across his lips. “You really want a kiss?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Okay.” Terri got up walked up to Axel. He towered over her six-foot frame. She went up on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. When she took a step back, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“That wasn’t a kiss.” He held her close, and her eyes were trained on his lips as he spoke. “You know, I watched you for a week. All I could think about was your lips and how I wanted a taste.”

Terri pressed her palms against his chest. His deep, rich voice hypnotized her, and all she wanted was to wrap her legs around him. The world disappeared when she was in his arms. When they were younger, she’d experienced the same thing. She wasn’t the president’s daughter or an influencer at that moment. The longer she let it go on, the harder it would be to see him walk away. Terri didn’t know if she could let that happen.

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