Page List

Font Size:

“I think you’ve ruined me for anyone else.” Her words were music to his ears.

She sank slowly as he held tightly to her hips. Together they savoured every second of sensation. He held her close as she started to rock against him. Her impatience and the way her head fell back in ecstasy melted him. His mouth on her neck, jaw, lips caused the most delicious moan to escape those rosy lips. She pushed on his chest, and he lay back, letting her take control as she rode him. A slight sheen of sweat covered their skin, and his abs flexed with every rotation of her hips.

“Give me those lips.” With a palm on her nape, he pulled her close, claiming her mouth with his tongue as they moved at the same leisurely pace, lost in each other. When she gasped, he covered her breasts with wet kisses to bring her closer to the edge.

“I think I’m in love with your breasts,” he told her, dragging his teeth over her hard peaks. Her moans made him fall deeper.

“You should, they’re your biggest fan.”

Her giggle turned into a moan as the combination of sensations—him inside her—was becoming too much for both of them. He ground his pelvis against her with each shift of her hips, sending her over the edge. Axel whispered in her ear as she came down—how good she felt, and how he loved watchingher use his body for her own pleasure. The orgasm keeps going, steamrolling over them.

“Fuck, Phoebe, I love feeling you come around me.”

Her reply was an incoherent string of words. He watched her explode around him, never wanting to forget how beautiful she was in this moment. She arched against him; her nails sank into his shoulders as she cried out his name. She shivered, and he held her flush against him as he came so hard everything disappeared except the feel of her pulsing around him. Every muscle in his body tightened and tremors overtook him until he had nothing left to give but a low groan into her neck. Melting into each other, in a collection of satisfied, heavy breaths—he didn’t want the moment to end.

Axel lifted her chin up from his shoulder, forcing her to look at him, and kissed her tenderly, groaning through his final thrust. Her eyes snapped open as he rolled her onto her back, because he had to see those bliss-filled eyes staring up at him. He landed on the mattress, taking her with him, not ready to let her go, until he rolled over gently and eased away from her.

“I don’t think we should leave this bed until we fly home,” he said, kissing her head.

“Excellent, sleep, tired.” She was clearly too exhausted to speak in full sentences.

He laughed as she snuggled into him, already half asleep as he ran his fingers through her hair. A few minutes passed and he was sure she was out cold. Carefully, he reached for his phone on the floor and set an alarm for their last day, wanting to make the most of it before they returned to reality. After turning off the light, he eased his arm under her, and she slipped her leg between his and rested her head on his chest. Caught up in her sweet, post-orgasm blissful sleep, he rested his hand over hers on his ribs and kissed her hair.

In the middle of the night, Phoebe rolled over to see Axel sitting out on the balcony with a cigarette lit and his head hung low. She wrapped the bedsheet around her body.

“Are you okay?” she asked, padding over the cool tiles to kneel in front of him, so he would be forced to look at her.

“I’m sorry.” Axel sniffled, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. It wasn’t like him to smoke. He offered her a small smile, but she saw his bloodshot eyes, and knew he had been crying. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I woke up and didn’t realise where we were, and I was dreaming we were all in the studio together,” Axel explained, his head in his hands.

“The grief can sneak up on you. It’s perfectly normal.” She rested her hands on his knees, letting him talk. It was the first time he had spoken about his feelings since the funeral.

“It’s not just about him, but grieving the future we all expected to share. The tours we played, the hours of practice just for fun. Even the arguments, I miss fighting with the arse.” He rubbed his eyes and smiled softly, which only broke her heart further.

“When I woke up, I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest,” he continued. “Nick had texted me earlier to say they’ve been flying through production on the new songs. I realised when he said ‘us’, that no longer included Cillian. Usually, Cillian would message me complaining about me not getting involved enough with the process, but when I did, he’d be insufferable with all of us. He was a pain, but I miss him.” His leg shook, and she ran her hand over his thigh trying to soothe him.

“Shit, sorry, I shouldn’t even be saying all this to you.” He placed his hand over hers and gently pulled her up onto his lap. He kissed her bare shoulder. “I was just having a pity party. I’m fine, probably the wine at dinner.”

“I’m glad you’re talking to me. You don’t have to hide your feelings from me, ever. I need you to tell me everything if this is going to work. I don’t want you to hide anything from me. How you feel is valid and I won’t judge you for it.” Phoebe cupped his face in her hands. “And please don’t apologise, you’ve nothing to be sorry for. Cill was your friend, and just because you didn’t always see eye to eye doesn’t mean you didn’t care about each other. What happened between him and I had nothing to do with you. You’ve every right to grieve, and I want to be there for you, just as you’ve been here for me,” she said, realising he must’ve been hiding his grief to be present for her.

“Are you sorry about us, about last night?” she asked, wondering if he was having second thoughts.

He pulled her closer, putting her at ease. “Never. You’re the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Even before…” He kissed her, and her heart bloomed. “You’ve been my light since the moment I met you. I could never regret what’s happening between us.”

“But do you feel guilty?” She rested her forehead against his. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re betraying him by being with me.”

“No, I don’t. We didn’t plan this, and who’s to say things wouldn’t have turned out this way eventually? We can only focus on what’s happening.” He met her gaze. “Do you?”

“Maybe, for being so happy so soon? But not because I found something with you. You’re different, we’re different,” she confessed, wanting to be honest.

“Different is good.” He picked up her scarred hand and kissed her gently.

It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They were together because they wanted to be, not because of revenge, guilt or grief. Maybe he was right, and they would have ended up together in the future regardless, maybe in a less unfortunate series of events. As she watched him stare at the stars reflected on the quiet sea, she wondered if he was her silver lining.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

They watched the stars for a while until she took his hand and led him back to bed. Curled up together, they talked about everything and anything until the sun started to rise, and they finally drifted off.

Ihad sex with Axel Adler!Phoebe sat up, her body aching from their late-night sex-capade. She stretched her arms above her head, feeling the pull of the second skin on her tattoo. Forty-eight hours, and so much had changed. She ran her hands through her hair, brushing the strands from her face as she noticed Axel’s side of the bed was cold.