It wasn’t good enough for Bryson that he’d installed the best security system known to man on Ella’s house. No, his friend wanted to make sure the system was foolproof because, of course, Bryson said the people who had painted a giant target on her back were crafty and he was sure they could get through the alarm.
So here he was sitting in her bushes, making sure no one could sneak up behind him while he tried to bypass the system and break into her house. Not that he was going to actually break into her house, but if the cops happened to drive by he didn’t think that they’d believe he was there for her safety while wearing dark clothes and a hood.
It was close to midnight and all the lights were off, so it looked like the coast was clear. Even the neighbors had all turned in, it seemed. Axel made his way to the back of the house, crept around like a thief in the night, and was satisfied when he saw the windows were all locked and the blinking light on the security box indicated the home system was set.
That alone would put off most criminals. They knew what happened when you tried to breach a security system. Alarms went off, loudly. With the added floodlights he’d installed that would illuminate not only her house but half the block, any criminal would be a fool to try to break in.
Finally for the test, he crept up to the security panel and looked at it. He hadn’t actually installed this part, as it wasn’t his forte—he’d let his friend Maverick do that. So if he ended up setting off the alarm in this process, Axel was going to be pissed at Bryson, because surely he’d spend a night in the slammer.
Carefully, he looked at the box, checked for a back way into it, and was satisfied when he didn’t find one. There was no possible way of overriding the system without setting it off. Any tampering at all, and the lights would flash on, the police would be called, and the culprit would be dragged away to spend at least one night in the county jail.
He could call Bryson with confidence, let him know that no one was getting into this house as long as Ella set the alarm, and she’d promised her cousin, Maverick, and Axel that she would.
Normally there was no way anyone could ever sneak up on Axel. It was his job to know his environment at all times. Maybe it was the fact that he’d been off the job a couple of weeks, maybe it was the fact that he was feeling guilty over sneaking around a young woman’s house. Whatever it was, Axel’s guard was down.
One minute he was packing up his stuff to leave and the next he heard the unmistakable sound of air splitting as something came for him. He only had time to lift a hand, which didn’t help much as solid wood hit the side of his head and stars exploded behind his eyes.
Though dazed, he heard a step, and knew the person swinging was coming in for another blow. Reaching out, Axel found a leg and tugged hard, tumbling the person. He was moving much slower than usual, but he managed to shake off the buzzing in his head and tackle the bat-wielding villain when a piercing scream nearly shattered his eardrums.
“Shut up!” he thundered as he tried to focus on the person struggling beneath him.
His attacker tensed, and they each recognized the other at the same time. “What in the hell are you doing out here in my shrubs in the middle of the night, Axel?”
Ella’s stunned voice left Axel eternally grateful he hadn’t thrown a punch first and asked questions later. He would’ve jumped off a bridge if he’d hurt her.
“Bryson wanted me to check out the security system, make sure you were using it and that the smart criminals couldn’t break in. I was just finishing when you decided to clobber me,” he explained, still holding her beneath him.
“And why am I supposed to believe you?” she snapped as she yanked her arms, having no success at all in getting away from him.
“Your cousin, who is so worried about you, sure as hell trusts me.” He scowled at her. He didn’t like his integrity being questioned.
“Well maybe you’re both morons!”
With the moonlight their only illumination, they glared at each other while lying in the middle of her shrubs in the cold fall night. When the silence stretched around them, Axel quickly realized he was lying on top of her, and she was barely clothed.
“You can get off me now,” she finally said, her voice breathless, her pulse beginning to rise beneath his fingers, which were still gripping her wrists. This wasn’t such a bad place to be after all.
“I’m comfortable,” he replied, easing his head down slightly so not much more than air was flowing between their mouths.
Her breathing grew heavier, and her eyelids drooped the slightest bit—just enough to let him know that their current situation was having an effect on her. Hell, his body was revving to go. The neighbors were asleep. No one would notice if the two of them removed her barely there clothes and he plunged inside her heat.
“Well, I’m not comfortable and it’s cold out here,” she panted.
“I can warm you up, Ella,” he said, giving her a look that left no doubt he was about to kiss her. There was no way he’d make it through the rest of the night if he didn’t have a taste of her.
Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers, just a whisper of skin against skin, a warning of what was about to come. If she truly didn’t want it, now was her time to tell him to go to hell, now was the time to demand he stop.
She said nothing.
Her breathing slowed, her eyes closed, and her pulse accelerated even more. “I’m not waiting any longer.” That was her only warning before his mouth claimed hers, instantly branding her, letting her feel his unmitigated hunger.