Page 88 of Scarred Savages
“I—” I start, not sure how to explain.
But Axel reads my pause perfectly. “Too closed in?” he asks, his voice matter-of-fact, no judgment.
I nod.
“Come on,” he says, tugging me toward a wooden bench that sits against the shed’s outer wall, facing the tree line. “We can stay outside.”
The bench is rough-hewn but sturdy, clearly Axel’s handiwork. He sits first, then pulls me down beside him.
“Better?” he asks.
I nod again, settling the blanket around us both. Axel’s arm slips around me, drawing me closer.
“I like being able to breathe, thanks.” I try to wiggle away, but he holds me firm. He’s too busy nuzzling against my neck, planting soft kisses.
“The fire,” he says, not a question this time. “You dream about it a lot.”
I tense slightly.
“Yeah,” I admit, because what’s the point in lying? He already knows.
His fingers trace slow patterns on my shoulder. “I get it.”
I turn to look at him, studying his profile in the moonlight. His jaw is tense, eyes fixed on the distant trees.
“Are your nightmares often?” I ask.
His laugh is soft, a little bitter. “Wildcat, I am a fucking nightmare.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s not what I asked.”
He’s quiet for a moment before answering, “Yes. Different monsters. Same fear.” His arm tightens around me. “Same feeling of being trapped.”
I rest my head on his shoulder, and he tucks me closer. We sit like that, watching the stars and listening to the sounds of the surrounding night.
“Thank you,” I murmur, unsure if I’m thanking him for bringing me here, understanding, or just being beside me.
He makes a sound low in his throat, dismissive but gentle, then his fingers find my chin, tilting my face up to his. His lips touch mine. I sigh against his mouth, his hand sliding into my hair, cupping the back of my head. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I open for him, letting him deepen the kiss. He tastes like mint and something wilder, something distinctly Axel. His stubble scratches lightly against my skin.
He pulls back, just enough to look at me, breathing slightly faster than before. “This okay?”
I almost laugh at the question. After all the ways Axel has pushed boundaries, broken rules, and generally been a menace, he’s still asking if this is okay.
“Yes,” I say, and to prove it, I kiss him again.
His laugh rumbles against my lips, a sound of genuine pleasure that makes my heart skip. Then his arms pull me halfway onto his lap as the kiss intensifies.
One of his hands slides beneath my tank top, his calloused palm rough against the skin of my lower back, and I grin against him.
Axel breaks the kiss with a soft groan. “Careful, Wildcat,” he murmurs, his voice a gravelly warning that does nothing to discourage me.
“Or what?” I challenge, feeling reckless and alive, the nightmare completely forgotten.
“Or you might get more than you bargained for.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” I whisper.
“There’s nothing I’d love more than to take you under the stars, but I made a promise to the guys. I’m not supposed to fuck you without supervision.”
