Page 24 of Something to Believe In
The music below continued to blare, and though his body was sated, they wouldn't get a minute of sleep with this disturbance.
Chapter Sixteen
Maddyn turned the water on in the shower and gathered her clothing while it warmed. Axel followed her into the bathroom, a sexy grin on his face.
"Are you joining me?"
His voice was deep and growly and so damned sexy. "I am."
He stepped into the shower first, and she eagerly followed him in. The warm water rained down on them. She filled her hand with soap and slathered it on his body. She enjoyed the plains and ridges his muscles created. He was strong and broad and firm. Years of drumming kept his muscles tight. The entire band tried to eat healthy and keep their weight down. It helped them when hauling equipment and gave them the stamina they needed to perform each night. But feeling just how ripped his muscles were was exciting.
He turned and stared at her, then squirted soap in his hands and began washing her body. His hands were firm, his fingers strong, and he knew just how to touch her. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to feel his hands on her. Some of the words to the song she'd been writing flooded her brain. The feeling of his hands gently enjoying her body, the warm water splashing down on them, the steaminess of the room, and Axel's presence were contributing to her burst of creativity.
She hummed a tune as the words came to her. It wasn't right yet. It was close. She tried a different melody, and that one seemed to fit the words better.
"That's a beautiful melody." Axel's voice was barely above a growl.
She chuckled. "It's a song I'm writing. The words bombard my brain sometimes. I haven't quite narrowed it down yet, though."
He massaged her shoulders with his strong fingers, and she let her eyes close again. The melody played through her head, the words joined them, and she knew this song was going to be great.
Eager to get it recorded while she remembered it, she rinsed the soap from her hair and body. "I have to get this down."
Axel's smile was sexy, and the look in his eyes was so understanding. Musician to musician, they had that knowledge and understanding between them. Doug would have accused her of cheating on him with her music or some other stupid thing.
Wrapping a towel around her body, she hurried to her phone in the bedroom and turned on the recording app. She sang the words with her melody and hoped it would bring it back to her when she sat to write the rest of the song.
Taking a deep breath, she closed the app on her phone. Moving into the bathroom, she began dressing. Axel shut the water off and stepped from the shower. His wet body was sexy. The look he gave her was sexier. Dammit he was handsome. The gray hair at his temples glittered as the bathroom light touched them. They were both in their forties, had been there and done that in life. Especially with significant others. They were musicians and fortunate to have been popular enough to have three to four gigs each week. Their bread and butter had been as a tribute band to big rock bands. But Sean's song, “Born to Be My Baby”, had catapulted them into another level of fame.
He dried off, the music from below seemed to thump along the floor, and her melody disappeared. She frowned, and her shoulders dropped. She wanted to live in that song for a while to see if more of it would come to her.
Axel crossed his arms over his massive chest. "So we have the option to stay here and not hear each other and not sleep. Or, we can go to my place and hope the stalker, or whoever, doesn't try to break in. Or we can go to a hotel."
"I opt for a hotel."
Axel nodded. "You got it. Pack what you need, let's hit the road."
She quickly pulled her overnight bag from the closet, dropped her toiletry bag inside, and pulled a change of clothing from her drawer. She pulled open her top drawer and found a pair of cute pink pajamas inside. Axel's head shook. "You won't need those."
She chuckled. "What if I have to go into the hall to get ice or something?"
He only shook his head. She laid her pajamas in the drawer, and he chuckled.
She finished packing quickly and zipped her bag closed. Axel reached forward and picked it up, kissed her lips, then began sauntering toward the door. She followed behind him, staring at his ass, which looked amazing in the jeans he wore, and admired the backside of the man in her life. The man she'd dreamed of for years, never believing they'd be together.
She grabbed her purse from the hook near the door, then pulled her keys out. Axel opened the door and waited for her to pass before closing it. She locked it from the outside, then turned and descended the steps to the parking lot.
Once outside, he took her hand in his free hand and led her to his Mustang. She hadn't had the chance to ride in it yet, but she had certainly admired him when he did. He opened the passenger door for her and waited for her to get settled. He dropped her bag in the back seat and strode around the front of the car, confident and handsome. Her body tingled thinking about their shower and when they'd had sex, and basically, her brain flooded with memories of Axel and things she'd thought about him over the years. Was truth better than the fiction she'd created in her head, or was it the same? She wasn't sure. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and tried to puzzle out how to navigate this new reality with the dreams she'd had over the years.
He casually slid into the seat, started the engine, which roared to life and put a smile on his face, then he backed out of the parking space and turned southeast, toward the coast. The air was warm, the sun still high in the sky, though it would begin setting soon. Axel turned the stereo on, and the music that poured from the speakers was sultry and sexy. Maddyn relaxed against the seat and headrest, finally, for the first time in a long time, comfortable, warm, safe, and happy.
Axel reached over and took her hand in his and squeezed. She smiled and glanced to see him looking mighty fine driving his Mustang, relaxed and listening to the music. This moment of peace and comfort was what she'd longed for all of her life. Finally, she was with Axel, and they had a future to look forward to. Hopefully. There would be a hurdle they'd need to face.
He turned off the highway. "Where are we going?"
"I have a friend who owns a short-term rental outside of Leesburg. I texted him and it's available, so we're staying there tonight."
"Oh, that sounds fun. What made you think of that?"
