Page 23 of Stalked By Axel

“Brooke—”

“I know you promised my father that you would look after me, and I am grateful, truly I am, but it’s become too much of a burden for you. I want you to have the freedom to live your life, to find the person you want…” She trails off, breaking eye contact as she runs a shaky hand through her beautiful hair. “What I mean to say is I absolve you of the promise you made my father. I’m an adult now. I can take care of myself. You can go back to your life knowing you kept your promise to my father.”

“Absolve me?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest in an effort to stop myself from reaching for the girl spouting such ridiculous words.

“Look, I know my father loved you and considered you his best friend, but he wouldn’t want you to sacrifice yourself—”

“And you think that’s what I’ve been doing?” I ask, stepping forward, making her back up a step. “Sacrificing myself.”

“Axel—”

“I would have done everything the same even if your father hadn’t asked me to look after you.”

“I know you care about me—”

“Fuck that,” I growl, the beast inside me demanding that I take this ridiculous girl into my arms and show her just how much she means to me. The world. She means the fucking world to me. “I care about the Steel Rebels. I care about my bike and the auto shop. I cared about your father. But what I feel for you, Brooke Kane, goes beyond care, or else I would never have touched you.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she fires back. “You told Gray that you care. That’s it. When he asked if you love me, you told him that youcareabout me.”

God, is that what caused this whole thing? Is that what had me breaking traffic laws across the city to get to her? I force in deep breaths, studying the girl that has stolen my heart, and I realize that all this is my fault. Perhaps I should have made things clear with her before speaking to my brothers. I just never imagined it would backfire like this.

“Did you hear the rest of what I said?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“What else was there to hear?” she says in a sulky voice, turning away from me. “You don’t love me. I can’t make you love me. It’s time to put a stop to whatever misplaced sense of obligation led to this so we can both move on with our lives.”

The thought of Brooke moving on without me is not one I am willing to entertain. Maybe I could have let her go if I hadn’t felt her body pressed against mine. If I didn’t know the taste of her lips or how it feels when I am inside of her. No, I never want to share that knowledge with any other man. They belong to me.

She belongs to me!

I close the distance between us and pull her around and against my body. She struggles at first, then seems to melt into me against her will.

“I love you, Brooke,” I say, my voice thick with possessiveness. “I care about you, not because I was tasked to, but because you’re you. I am in love with you, Brooke Kane. There is nothing in this world or any other that I want more than you.”

My words seem to stun her as her jaw drops and eyes go wide with surprise. “B-but you said...”

I cup her jaw, tracing a finger over her soft skin. “If you’d stuck around long enough, then you would have heard me tell Gray the same thing,” I say, wanting to assure her, but the feel of her against me has my body reacting. My heart rate picks up like it never has around anyone else, and all blood rushes south, making my dick harden in my pants.

“If you’re saying this because—”

“Brooke, you don’t really believe that I have been following you around because your father asked me to, do you? We both know that wasn’t what your father intended when he asked me to keep you safe.”

“W-why else would you follow me around?”

“Because the thought of another man touching you made me sick!” I shout, unable to contain myself a moment longer. I wrap an arm around her waist and back her to the wall. “I tried convincing myself that I would be fine, even welcome it if you fell in love with another man, but I was lying to myself. I was there in the shadows watching you, not just to keep an eye on you but to make sure no other man could come close to having you.”

Brooke gasps, and I can feel the rapid beat of her heart. “You wanted me?”

“You are young and beautiful. You have a whole life ahead of you that’s yet to be explored. The last thing you need is someone like me tying you down.”

“You wanted me? All this time?” she repeats.

“I still do. Like my next breath. Is it so hard for you to believe that an undeserving man like me could fall in love with a beautiful woman like you?” I rasp, my jeans getting tighter as my cock pulses behind my fly. “I don’t deserve you, and it’s true that part of reservations were because you’re my best friend’s daughter, but that was hardly the main reason I held back. But I don’t care anymore. I’m not going to let that come between us. If you want me, I’m yours.”

God, I want her. Everything in me wants to wrap around her and claim her, to leave my mark on her so the world knows she’s mine. After spending the better part of a year wanting her, it would kill me to lose her.

“Axel…” I read the conflict in her eyes as she struggles to accept that I have real feelings for her. “Are you sure about this? Please don’t say words you don’t—”

My mouth slams down on hers, cutting off her words. I’m done talking. It’s about fucking time I showed her that I mean every word I said.

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