Page 66 of Not Another Rockstar
“That’s a pity.” He shot her a wink as he walked in, and she rolled her eyes.
He appeared unfazed by his conversation with Anita, but she wouldn’t press him about it. She wanted to wait until he was ready to talk.
“Have you seen my phone?” he asked, and she picked it up from the bed.
“Autumn rang.” She handed it to him. “I hope you don’t mind that I answered.”
“Why would I mind?” He leaned in and kissed her good morning. He tasted like oranges, and her insides got excited.
Cillian used to get so mad at me for even glancing at his phone, never mind answering it. Another red flag I ignored.
She reminded herself of what Autumn had said and promised herself to stop comparing them.
“I’ll call her back.” Axel failed to mention the fact that Anita had come to bark at them. “I was thinking we could head to the beach now before it gets too hot. Soak up the sun before we catch our flight tonight.”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
“Wear this.” Axel passed her a clean T-shirt from his suitcase with holes all over it. It looked like a dog had got to it. “It’ll be loose, so it won’t rub the tattoo and it’ll keep it out of the sun. Trust me when I say sunburnt tattoos aren’t fun.”
“I think you should help me; my hand is kind of sore.” She pouted, and lifted her arms.
“Happy to be of service.” His grin made her weak in the knees. He lifted off her T-shirt and replaced it with his, but not before gently pressing his lips to her ribs above the fresh ink. “Why do my clothes look so much better on you?”
She swatted at him, trying not to blush.
“Shoo. Go get ready or we’ll never make it out of the house,” she ordered.
He raised his hands in submission.
“Since we’re going to the beach so early, what will we do this afternoon?” she asked, as he went to the bathroom to put on some sun cream. Watching him, she wished she was the one applying it over his smooth muscles. Getting a grip on herself,she focused on grabbing her things. “Should I bring a change of clothes?”
“The plans I have for this afternoon involve no clothes at all.” Axel came up behind her and kissed her neck tenderly.
She turned around and rested her hands on his shoulders while his settled on her waist. His thumbs brushed beneath the end of the T-shirt, and her muscles tightened at his teasing touch. She rose on her tiptoes and tasted his magnificent lips. He returned her kiss with equal fervour until she was breathless and all thoughts of the beach were forgotten. He eased away from her with a groan.
“Beach,” he stated.
“This afternoon can’t come soon enough,” she muttered, and collected the rest of her things before they headed out.
On the soft sand, Phoebe lay beside him in a tiny pink bikini that forced him to contain his caveman instincts, but it was a good distraction from Anita’s early morning visit. Watching Phoebe read one of the free books left in a small stand by the entrance to the beach, he wished he could be as relaxed as she was. She rolled onto her front, and he felt her studying him.
“Autumn thanked me for the engagement present. It was very generous of me,” she teased, and he pulled his cap over his eyes.
“I had to get them something, and Elijah calls her his black cat. When I saw the painting on your website, I had to snatch it up.”
“And the other two?” she asked.
That was enough to get the truth out of him. “You heard me talking to Anita, didn’t you?” Axel sighed, reminded of Anita’s warning to get his feelings for Phoebe under control or he was going to ruin all of them. She’d seen the receipts for the paintings in his accounts and accused him of trying to buy herlove. Couldn’t have been further from the truth, since Phoebe hadn’t known he bought the paintings—well, until now.
“What does Anita have to do with the paintings you bought?” Phoebe played with the sand at the end of her towel.
“She accused me of trying to buy your love,” Axel admitted, hating how Anita had insinuated that he was out of line by loving Phoebe because of Cillian. She was her own person, and he wasn’t going to let anyone treat her like she was anyone’s property.
“That would be impressive, considering you didn’t even tell me,” Phoebe laughed, taking it better than expected.
“So, you didn’t hear the end of the conversation, but I take it you heard the rest?” He lay on his side and played with the strings on her top. She’d removed his T-shirt, but her tattoo was safely concealed by his shadow.
She nodded. “I didn’t want to interrupt, and I figured making an appearance would’ve made the situation worse.”
