"Are you hurt? Rosa. are you alright? I'm so sorry." Axel hugged her tightly, practically crushing the air from her lungs."She was waiting for you. She said you had told her to wait here, that you would meet her here..."Axel looked down at Rosa, his eyes filled with sorrow. "And you believe that? You believe I would do that... to you?"Rosa shook her head and buried her face against his chest. But his fingers fitted under her chin and he lifted her face to look at him. "Tell me you mean that. Tell me you don't believe her crazy lies.""I don't believe her." Rosa spoke the words but something else niggled at her, the scar on Lisa's back and the way she spoke of Axel's dark side. She hadn't been the only one to mention it before. It couldn't be a coincidence... Could it?Rosa sucked in a long shaking breath before untangling herself from Axel's arms. "I'm going to take a walk and clear my head." she smiled at him."Uh, Rosa, after everything I don't know if that is such a good idea."
Darkness ate at her vision. Creeping in around her. Rosa could swear she heard Axel's voice calling her name but it sounded very far away.Darkness claimed her. Her body went limp. The last thought in Rosa's mind was of Axel. She imagined him gathering her into his arms, calling out her name. Begging her not to leave him. Tears seeped out of Rosa's eyes. She wanted to touch his face. Brush the fear and pain from him. But she couldn't. She couldn't fight the darkness and let go. It swallowed her whole. Her one regret was she hadn't told axel that she loved him. She did love him. It had taken her too long to figure it out and now it was too late. She drifted. At least in the dark it didn't hurt anymore.The sound of beeping slowly roused rosa. Her eyes felt heavy, as though they were weighed down with lead. The second she opened her eyes rosa instantly regretted it. Everything about the room was far too bright. The white walls and bed sheets seemed to create a glare that made the poundi
"Where have you been sleeping?" she asked him."It doesn't matter..."Lorenzo's voice cut across Axel's dismissal. "He's been sleeping here. On the sofa under the window. Refused to leave your side."Axel shot Lorenzo a dirty look, shutting him up. The other man shrugged and closed his eyes, settling back against the chair he sat in."Take no notice of him. I just did what I had to do... This is my fault..." Axel said."Axel, I'm a little hazy on what actually happened, but what I am sure of is that none of this was your fault. You didn't do this to me.""I may as well have..."Rosa tried to shake her head but the movement caused her to whimper and close her eyes until the pain subsided. The nurse hurried back into the room, pushing a small trolley in front of her. On it Rosa could see several vials and small sealed packages. Seeing the look of pain on her face she began immediately ripping open little packages and pulled a small vial from the collection. Rosa watched through a fog of
Axel did his best to try and fill in the blanks for her. But without her own memory of that night it was simply him telling her a story. By the third day Rosa was itching to leave. The doctor seemed pleased by her progress but was still a little anxious about her loss of memory caused by the head trauma. The one thing rosa was extremely grateful for was that the headaches had slowly begun to grow further and further apart.The feel of a warm hand brushing gently across her cheek had her stirring. It seemed a little early for Axel to be here. Ever since she had found out about him sleeping on the couch she had insisted he return to the hotel and get some proper sleep. What had finally convinced him was her telling him that he was disturbing her rest.Rosa rolled onto her back and opened her eyes with a smile. The face that stared down at me wasn't Axel but it was very familiar. The curve of his lips and the boyish charm. The way his smile lit up his entire face but failed to reach his
Allen hadn't even given her a chance to scream in surprise and the fact that she was lying on the floor so still sent panic trembling through rosa. He had tried to kill her once before. But what if her summoning help had caused him to kill someone completely innocent? Someone who had nothing to do with the situation. How would she ever reconcile that within herself?Dropping to her knees, Rosa pressed her fingers against the woman's neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. She crawled to the door, the adrenaline still coursing through her body. Pulling it open, She tried to stand but instead slid out into the hall and collapsed back onto her knees."Help!" She found my voice just as I began to sob. The hall quickly became a hive of activity, with nurses, doctors, and orderlies quickly rushing to her aide, but she directed them to her room and the fallen woman. Her sobs were threatening to overwhelm her voice, and her body had started to shake uncontrollably."Get, Axel... Please, get
"Are you cold?" Axel picked her up from the floor as though she weighed nothing. All thoughts of Allen disappeared from her mind as axel pressed her close against his body. Rosa knew what his body could do to her—the way he could make her feel with just the touch of his hands. She longed to trace her fingers across his bare chest, to watch the excitement light up his eyes as she followed her fingers with her tongue."Rosa?" she snapped her gaze back to Axel. He still looked concerned but rosa could tell that he knew exactly what she was thinking about. It was as though he could read her mind. With him near her, her thoughts were never her own. Rosa didn't mind, it was comforting to think that the man who held her in his arms knew her well enough to know exactly what she was thinking.Axel carried her back to the bed and set her on the edge. Rosa looked down at her bare feet and it slowly began to sink in that she was still in her hospital gown. No slippers, no robe. It was at that mom
"You can't mean that... I'm not...""Not what, Rosa? Not beautiful? Don't give me that bullshit. You know how I see you. You know I find you irresistible. It is for that very reason that you are even alive. I couldn't stay away from you that evening. I had business to finish up, calls to make. But seeing you in that dress and knowing what lay beneath it was enough to have me call off all of my business plans for that evening and follow you down to the beach. If I hadn't... Or if I had just gone down with you in the first place... Goddammit, Rosa, but you frustrate me sometimes."He turned away from her and moved to the door."Axel, I...""Just don't say another word. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to show you what I think of you and how beautiful I really believe you are but I'm going to have to figure out a way..."He stalked out of the room and pulled one of the security guards with him. "I need to talk to your manager. What happened here today is unacceptable... I want Miss Zoel mov
The doctors had been reluctant to just sign her out of their care. Private insurance provided the best possible care but it also meant that the doctors sometimes became over cautious. They had fretted that this morning’s ordeal would cause symptoms that might appear later. Shock had a nasty habit of creeping up on unsuspecting victims. But rosa was ready for it. She knew part of her was still in shock after what had happened. And she had no doubt that the dreams would be truly horrific. The more her memory was jogged into place the more the fear of what was to come tried to paralyse her.She took the pen the nurse offered her and leaned down over the papers on the desk. Her hand began to shake making it impossible to scrawl her signature across the box. She clamped her free hand across her wrist and tried to hold it steady but it was no use. The more she tried to steady her hand the worse the shake became. It spread then, up through her arms and down her torso into her legs.She grip
"How did you know to come here?" Rosa asked Axel."You sent me a message from the phone I gave you telling me to meet you here... I came as soon as I had sorted my business..."Rosa winced as he helped her to her feet and her head spun. The feeling of wanting to vomit had passed and for that she was grateful. Officers burst into the apartment and were quickly directed to Allen who still lay unconscious on the floor. Axel and the ambulance crew insisted that she get checked out and reluctantly Rosa agreed.Sitting on the steps of the ambulance she waited for Axel to join her. He stood a few feet from me filling in the officers on what had happened. They had discovered Mike in the alley unconscious. It seemed Allen had taken no chances with anything.Axel moved back over to her side and sat down next to her."I'm sorry the surprise for tonight is ruined," Rosa told him. "I shouldn't have gone, I was so stupid. But I just wanted to go back to my own home and sort out my own business. I t
"Hello, sweetness. Miss me?" Allen's words sent ice skittering down Rosa's spine. Images flashed into her mind of his hands around her throat as he tried to choke the life out of her. The way his hand had clamped across her mouth to keep her silent as she had lain helpless in the hospital bed. And what he had promised to do.Rosa turned with a strangled scream of panic and tried to escape in the apartment but there was nowhere to run—She was trapped. She thought of Axel's face. The sincerity in his voice as he had told her he loved her.Pain blossomed across the back of her neck. She turned to see Allen lift the butt of the gun once more and screamed as he brought it down on the side of her cheek. Pain exploded in her head as she collapsed and the last thing she heard was his manic laughter as the darkness swallowed her up.Rosa's head ached and she tried not to vomit with the pain as slowly she opened her eyes. The light seemed far too bright and part of her hoped she was back in the
Rosa's stomach knotted in excitement. Whatever his surprise was, she couldn't wait to find out more. The words tripped from her tongue before she could stop them even though she had promised herself earlier that she wouldn't ask what he meant."Please, give me a hint?" she begged, looking up at him through lowered lashes.Axel"s chuckle was all male as he let his hands wander down the back to the curve of her ass. Gripping her tightly he pulled her up hard against his body. Rosa whimpered as she felt him press against her stomach. Rosa knew what lay beneath his clothes and the pleasures he could bring. She wanted to feel it, even if it meant him taking her now against the bonnet of his car.He nibbled along her earlobe weakening her knees. "Did you know that patience is a virtue? I said 'later' and I'm the Master." He let her go suddenly but steadied her with his hand. Rosa's knees didn't want to support her and she had to place her hand on the car to hold herself upright. The alarm
Rosa sucked in an angry breath and waited for Axel to answer. "That's it. I don't have to stand for this. Susan and I are never going to happen. The sooner you understand that the better. I'm with Rosa." With that he jerked her forward as he began to stride across the lawn.Rosa looked back over her shoulder as Axel pulled her after him, only to watch his mother's shocked face follow their progress. They made it down onto the gravel and Axel continued walking as far as the garage. His mother had started to follow them. He released her hand as he entered the garage and a few moments later Rosa heard the sound of an engine purring to life. As the large electric door opened wide, his mother reached the place where rosa stood.She never uttered a word to Rosa, choosing to wait until her son pulled out of the garage in a sleek, black Mercedes. The passenger door popped open as it pulled level with Rosa and she slid into the heated leather seats. His mother leaned in over her, treating her
"It was my fault... I was the one who dared Lorenzo. If we had just stayed away...""Axel, it wasn't your fault. You need to realise that. Your sister sounds a lot like you. She would have done it anyway probably just to prove to you all that she could..."Axel sucked in another shaky breath and pushed her slowly back so he could look into her ace. Whatever he saw there must have satisfied him because he dipped his face to hers and kissed her softly."I'm taking you back to the city with me today. I have something special planned for you, something I want to ask you. But first I need to go into the office for a little while. One or two things I need to tie up there."Rosa's mind raced at his words. What could he possibly have meant? What did 'something special' mean? she longed to beg him to tell her but she bit her tongue. Rosa knew if she begged he would enjoy holding it over her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and laughed softly."Rosa, your face is a picture. It's one of
The stairs up through the tower lay off to one side. Stepping over the broken stone floor Rosa picked her way over to the steps and tested their strength. They made horrible groaning sounds but they seemed strong enough to stand on. She took her first tentative step up and then another and another. She edged her way to the banister on the stairs and peeked over. The ground seemed like a long way away but in her head she knew that wasn't really true. It was her imagination playing tricks on her. The sound of splintering wood had her looking up in shock as a chunk of timber broke free of one of the beams and hurtled towards her.Axel's arms wrapped around her and dragged her out of the way before the wood crushed down on her. He pulled Rosa to the wall of the tower and pressed her up against it, his body sheltering hers from any other pieces of debris that might come loose and fall.Fear filled rosa as she stared up into his angry eyes."Who let you in here?" Axel's voice was hoarse w
Padding over to a chaise lounge that stood against the far wall of the room, Rosa picked up the satin robe that was laid out for her. Part of her couldn't help but wonder when Axel'd had the time to set it up. But it had his mark all over it. She pulled it on, the material whispering against her skin with a sigh. Cinching it in around her waist, she walked to the window and stared out at the view. It was truly breathtaking.It was then she noticed it. The room she was in was positioned perfectly to afford her a view of the tower she had spotted the day before. Rosa stared at it hard. The walls were crumbling and some of the masonry had come away leaving the inside brick exposed to the elements. What wasn't damaged and crumbling was covered in a thick layer of red and green climbing plants. The colours were brilliantly beautiful in the light and she could almost imagine that it was a tower from some fairy tale. One where the princess was rescued by her handsome prince and they lived ha
Rosa had never admitted it before to herself. It had always seemed impossible but it was true. She loved him. Every inch of him inside and out. And She would do anything to protect him. It hit her as Axel pounded his cock into her body over and over. She pushed her hands into his hair and tilted his face down to look into hers. His eyes were filled with the fire of his possession of her. What he saw in her eyes spurred him on and he took her harder and faster, his body rocking against hers.She never closed her eyes, instead choosing to stare into his, to lose herself in his gaze. The pleasure continued to build inside her, pushing up into her chest until she was sure it would spill out of her mouth. The tears ran down her cheeks. The sensation of Axel's body in hers and the pleasure he gave her, coupled with the realization that she loved him, was enough to tip her over the edge.Rosa cried out, her voice echoing inside the room and mingling with Axel's shout of release. She dug her
Axel stripped. His shirt was quickly discarded on the floor and his trousers followed. When he stood before her, his naked body silhouetted in the window as the afternoon sunshine poured in around him, he made Rosa heart falter. He was beautiful, almost godlike and he made her feel ashamed of her own body. Rosa knew she shouldn't have been. That he spent all of his time trying to reassure her that her body to him was like perfection. But from where she sat at that particular moment looking up at him, Rosa didn't feel like perfection. In fact she didn't feel right at all. The gravity of the situation began to close in around her and she gasped for air.Rosa wasn't sure how he managed it, but it truly felt as though he knew exactly what she was feeling in that moment. He moved over her, she scrambled back in an attempt to put some distance between them but Axel's hand clamped down on her thigh, pinning her in place.He slid his hand up along her jean-clad legs and it was enough to push h