Frustration boils beneath my skin like molten lava.
The confusion, the secrets, the tight-lipped silence of everyone around me, none of it can compare to the sheer rage and devastation that flares inside me at the thought of Axel refusing to touch me right now.
Nothing could possibly kill me more than needing him this badly and watching him turn away.
He stands.
For one hopeful, delirious second, I think he's coming toward me. I can already feel my chest tightening, my heart throwing itself violently against my ribs.
But then... he walks right past me, vanishing into the cave without a word.
Right.
I stand there, burning, every fiber of my body clawing outward, desperate to chase him, to drag him back, to force his arms around me, his mouth on mine, his scent thick in my lungs.
I have dreamt of having a gorgeous man to call mine, and Axel is hotter than any wild fantasy my mind could've conjured.
Everything about him, the way his muscles tense, the way his voice rumbles low and calm, the way he looks at me with those stormy, conflicted eyes, stokes a fire inside me that I can't contain.
I want him.
I need him.
But as much as I feel like ripping off his clothes and baring myself to him, I would never, ever, force myself on someone. That has always been my rule number one, and I'm never breaking it.
The restraint it takes to turn my back on him is monumental. Every cell in my body is screaming at me, begging me to run back to him, to press myself against him until there's no space left between us.
But I force myself to move forward. One shaky step after another. I'm going home. I'll forget everything.
My feet drag heavily through the dirt, the air thick with the scent of earth and burning need.
My skin feels too tight for my body. My throat aches from the effort not to cry out. "Where do you think you are going?"
I hear him ask, but I ignore and keep walking.
I barely notice the footsteps behind me until a hand grabs me, yanking me back.
The sudden force slams me into a wall of heat and strength__Axel's chest.
My hand splays out over his skin through his shirt, and I feel the pounding of his heart, wild and reckless against my palm, matching the frantic beat of my own.
The spark where our bodies touch ignites something primal, uncontrollable in me.
The scent of him fills my head, a dizzying, addictive drug that leaves me gasping. His voice rumbles against my cheek, and even though I barely register the words, the sound of it alone makes my knees weak.
He's so close, and he's not pushing me away. His nearness is a thousand hooks digging into my soul, pulling, clawing, demanding.
Before I can think, before my mind can sabotage me, I rise onto my toes and press my mouth to his.
My very first kiss.
It's messy, desperate, clumsy with need. I pull back, stunned.
For a split second, I see hesitation flash across his face. His hands seize me, pulling me back in, and his lips crash against mine with a force that freezes me.
It's chaos.
Hot, brutal, messy chaos.
I cling to him as he backs me into the cave, our mouths fused together, our breath mingling, heavy and ragged.
The world narrows down to the feverish press of his body, the rough scrape of stubble on my skin, the unbearable pleasure flooding every nerve ending.
He lays me down carefully, reverently, on the dried animal skin. His hands are everywhere, fevered, greedy, mapping my body like he's memorizing it, like he's claiming it.
When he pulls back to look at me, his eyes are black with need, pupils blown wide, and his chest heaves with the effort of holding himself together.
"How old are you?" he murmurs against my mouth.
"Old enough," I whisper back, the words spilling out without conscious thought.
He pauses, visibly battling himself. I see every shred of morality, of control, ripping at him, telling him to stop. But need wins. We win.
His hands move again, tugging my hoodie and T-shirt up over my head in one smooth motion.
The cool air kisses my bare skin, but it's his gaze, hot, feral, possessive_ that truly scorches me.
His touch follows the path his eyes blaze, and I moan, helpless against the rush of pleasure that surges through me at even the slightest brush of his fingers.
His mouth follows_ kissing, licking, nipping, starting at my throat and trailing downward. Each contact leaves me trembling, a raw, aching mess of need.
His teeth scrape lightly against my collarbone, and I arch into him without meaning to, every nerve screaming for more.
When his hand dips to my pants, fingers brushing the zipper, a shudder tears through me.
Anticipation coils so tight in my gut it's painful. He's going to take me. He's going to complete whatever this maddening need between us demands.
I'm ready.
I've been ready, unknowingly preparing for this moment through every meaningless prep, every time I made sure my body was clean even when I had no reason to expect anything.
But just as quickly as the dream builds, it shatters.
Axel freezes.
And then, without warning, he pulls away, standing up, his chest heaving, his fists clenched at his sides.
My entire body lurches toward him in silent, desperate protest. But he doesn't look back. He turns and walks away, his silhouette swallowed by the darkness of the cave entrance.
The moment he's gone, something inside me wails.
The fire inside me doesn't die. It rages hotter, wilder, consuming me from the inside out.
I can't think.
I can barely breathe.
My hands move on their own, sliding into my pants, trying to ease the unbearable ache.
But no matter how hard I try, nothing works. My own touch around my cock, rubbing it__ feels hollow, meaningless. I can't release. I can't escape.
All I feel is that, he is the only one who can satisfy this hunger. Only his touch, his claim.
Why am I even feeling like this? I've jerked off so many times and my hands felt magical, but now... There's literally nothing.
Frustrated beyond belief, tears sting my eyes as I wrench my clothes back on and stumble to my feet, my legs weak, my heart shattered, my body still burning with unfulfilled need.
I walk toward the entrance, determined to go back home, but suddenly Axel walks back before I can step outside, his need now completely evident.
He walks toward me, and all I can see is a predictor.