Axel’s hands slide down my back, over my hips, pulling me closer until there is no space left between us, until I can feel exactly how much he wants me and exactly how much he is holding himself back.
My fingers curl into his hair.
His mouth trails from my lips to my jaw, to my throat, to my collarbone, and my head tips back without me meaning to, a soft sound slipping out of me before I can stop it.
“Bella,” he murmurs, his voice thick, “you don’t have to do anything right now. We can just… be.”
I shake my head slightly, pressing closer to him.
“I need you,” I whisper.
His answering growl is low and barely restrained, his hands tightening on my hips as his mouth finds mine again.
The water keeps streaming down around us, heat and steam filling the small space, the bond pulsing betw
