Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

AXEL

I sat on the back porch of my cabin, enjoying the quiet with the occasional rustle of an animal in the woods. I served my time, home earlier than I had told my family. I needed time to decompress and figure out who I was without the title of soldier.

I did what I was told. I hadn’t had to make any choices, other than where to take my leave, either with my family or, preferably, by myself.

A few years into my service, I bought this cabin and had rented it out for extra income when I was deployed.

The only issue with my view was the neighboring cabin, but I'd never seen anyone staying there.

After I finished my beer, I'd go inside and try to sleep. Then I'd read one of the paperbacks I'd picked up in town. Sleep was difficult.

I didn't want to go into town and risk running into my family.

They'd have questions like why I'd come home early and kept it from everyone. How was I really doing? What were my plans? And the one that kept me up at night: Who was I now that I wasn’t enlisted? I didn't have the answers, and until I did, I'd hide out.

The back light to the neighboring cabin's porch came on.

I tensed, instantly on high alert. Years of training kicked in. Was it a motion-censored light? Had an animal set it off? Was someone looking to break in because they never saw anyone at that cabin?

Then the slider opened, and a small figure stepped out. I squinted to get a better look but was careful not to move.

It was a woman with a towel wrapped around her body, hair thrown up in a careless bun on top of her head, tendrils escaping around her forehead, moving toward the hot tub.

I wondered if she was cold.

Then she dropped her towel.

My gaze was fixated on her breasts, her nipples hard points as she dipped one toe in the water.

I sucked in a breath so hard my chest hurt.

She stepped into the steam; her breasts disappeared below the surface of the water. She untied her hair, dipped her head back, and closed her eyes.

My dick was hard as a rock under the zipper of my jeans. But I didn’t dare move. I didn’t want to alert her to my presence. At best, I’d look like a peeping tom, at worst, a creeper.

I should have gone inside as soon as she turned on her light. Or at the very least, when she'd come outside wearing nothing but a towel. Once she dropped it, I was a goner.

She ran a hand over the surface of the water.

It had been too long since I’d gotten close to a woman for more than a one-night stand wherever I was stationed. I avoided the entanglement of relationships because my life wasn’t my own.

I wondered if she was renting the place for the weekend. A lot of the cabins in this area were primarily rented to vacationers. Almost no one lived here full-time, so it was the perfect place for me to escape from everything for a while.

This woman was interrupting my well-earned solitude. Irritation burned in my gut. I should go over there and ask her what she was doing and how long she was staying. My overactive watchdog brain demanded answers, and the reasonable side reminded me I wasn’t in the military anymore. I didn’t have a right to question her.

But my fingers itched to do just that. I wanted to cross the distance between us and get a better look. Was she my age or younger? Was she here by herself?

What was she doing naked in a hot tub when there was another cabin within viewing distance? Didn’t she have any sense of safety?

Maybe the property manager had told her no one was renting my cabin anymore, and the owner was deployed. I hadn’t told anyone I was coming home. No one would have known I was staying here.

My family was eagerly awaiting my return home, but I wasn’t ready to deal with people yet. And it looked like I was going to have a neighbor for the foreseeable future. A naked one.

I gripped the arm rests of my chair. It took everything inside me to stay in my chair and not take off across the trail between us to confront her.

Music played over the speakers that were mounted on the back of the house.

My heart rate picked up.

She was interrupting my peace and quiet.

I came here to hide out. To disappear. To not have to deal with people and loud noises, and this woman was breaking all my rules.

She turned up the volume, and I saw red.

I set my lukewarm beer aside, then marched in her direction, the blood pumping through my veins. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say when I got there, but I let the irritation build inside me. My fingers curled into fists by my side.

When I got close enough to really see her, her head was tipped back again, her eyes closed, and her legs were floating in the water in front of her. My gaze was quickly diverted to her breasts, the tops of which were just visible above the water.

I saw miles of bare skin. I wanted to know if she was tall or short. If she was sensitive to touch. If her skin was soft.

The jets churned, and the music played. My blood thumped in time with the bass.

Instead of saying what I’d come to say, I was riveted by the sight of this gorgeous woman naked in the hot tub. Didn’t she know how dangerous this was? Anyone could take advantage of her.

My fingers twitched. It had been too long since I'd lost myself in a woman. I'd gotten over the thrill of it years ago. I couldn't make any lasting connections with women in my job so I’d given up.

Her eyelashes fluttered as if she sensed that I was creeping on her. That meant her instincts weren't completely shot.

When her eyes drifted open slowly, I took a step back.

This looked bad. I was standing over a hot tub, checking out a naked woman on private property.

Her eyes widened. Then she screamed.

I scrambled back with my hands up. “I'm sorry.”

“Turn around,” she screeched, and I immediately complied. I shouldn't be here. I should go back into my cabin and shut the door.

I heard the slosh of water as she quickly stepped out of the hot tub. Water splashed near my boots.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked, her tone measured.

I slowly turned, disappointed to find her wrapped in a towel that she clutched with two hands.

Her hair hung wet down her back; her blue eyes looked huge on her face, but it was probably the shock of finding a man standing over her. The droplets clung to her skin, and I couldn't blame them. I would have done the same thing.

“I was surprised to see you here.” My throat was suddenly very dry, and my beer was sitting on my porch.

Her eyes widened even more. “Ya think?”

I tipped my head toward the building. “I didn't know anyone was renting the cabin out. I've never seen anyone here.”

Her eyes narrowed on me. “So you thought it was your duty to investigate?”

“I rented the cabin for some peace and quiet. When you turned on the music?—”

She nodded in understanding, her towel slipping slightly so that the top of her breasts were visible. “I interrupted your peace and quiet.”

“Something like that.”

She waved her hands wildly and, when the towel fell an inch, clutched it to her chest. “You could have called over or really done anything besides get closer.”

I kept my palms up as if I was afraid she'd bolt. “You're right. I was out of line.”

Her eyes narrowed on me.

I sighed heavily. “I recently resigned from the military, and I wanted some time before I told my family I was home.”

Her entire body softened. “I can understand that.”

Did she know someone in a similar situation? “You probably won't believe me, but I was worried about you out here all alone.”

Her brow furrowed. “I was on my property. You're the one trespassing.”

“I should probably stop talking.” This wasn't going over well, but then again, I never thought it would. I'd acted on instinct, which worked in the field, but in real life, not so much. “I obviously need more acclimation before I can be around civilians. I'm going to head home. But if you could please lower the music in the future, I'd appreciate it.”

Her eyes soft, she said, “I can do that.”

I turned to walk away, actually disappointed that I was going back to an empty cabin.

“Wait. What's your name?”

When I told people my name, they either said it was cool or asked whether my parents hated me, and I didn't expect anything less from her. I turned to face her. “Axel.”

I purposely didn't give her my last name, Calloway. If she was from around here, she'd know instantly who my family was. The last thing I wanted was them to know that I was here. They'd be hurt. They wouldn't understand my desire to hide from them

Ever since our mother died, they'd closed ranks, and somewhere along the way, I realized I didn't fit in with them. I was an outsider and always would be.

Her shoulders relaxed slightly, which made the towel drop farther.

My gaze was locked on the inch of skin just revealed.

“Well, Axel, it's nice to meet you. It looks like we're going to be neighbors for the foreseeable future.”

I saw my vision of quiet slowly drifting away. But at the same time, I wondered if her towel would lower even farther, and I'd get another view of those gorgeous breasts.

“I'm Luna. Luna from Florida.”

“Well, Luna from Florida. Try and keep it down.” I would have added something about keeping her clothes on, but that was one thing I didn't want.

I was worried about her security, but she was safe from me. I'd sworn off connections with women years ago, and I wasn't going to change that rule now. I was a worse prospect than before. I didn't have a purpose in life, much less a job.

I was barely more than a caveman at this point. I didn't know how to date a woman.

Whatever she was doing here meant that she wasn't looking for someone like me.

She wanted to disappear just like me. I needed to stay away from her and give her the space she craved.

My phone buzzed on the walk back to my cabin. I pulled it out for something else to occupy my mind besides wondering whether Luna got back into the hot tub or went inside.

Any word when you're on your way home?

I'd been putting off my family because I wanted time to acclimate to society without my family watching and waiting for me to mess up. I needed this time. But I felt guilty for taking it.

I grabbed my beer and headed inside. I locked the door as a deterrent for myself. I had no reason to go back over there. Even if she was interested in something physical, odds were that my seduction skills were rusty.

At this point, she probably thought I was a predator, not someone she could be interested in, even for a night.

Luna was here for a reason, and I wanted to know why that was, even though it was none of my business. I should have respected her privacy. But I couldn't stop my curiosity from running rampant.

Then there was the fact that I'd seen her naked. I wouldn't be erasing that image from my memory any time soon. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her hard nipples. Her waist dipped in and curved out over her hips. She was voluptuous, and I loved every inch of her body.

I felt guilty as hell but there was only one way to deal with my family. I'd block any overtures for a meeting until I was ready to face them, which might be never.

I dropped down to the lumpy couch. Now that I was home for good, I should do something about the decor. My stomach twisted as I prepare to lie to my brother again.

Still waiting on the final paperwork.

Everyone's hoping you'll be home for the holidays.

My chest squeezed. That sounded nice. But it hadn't been the same since Mom died. I had been close to her in a way the others weren't. She understood my need to be quiet, to not say every little thing that was on my mind.

The rest of my family was in everyone's business, always needing to know if we were okay and handling her death. But none of us were okay, and we'd never be again.

If any of the Calloways had moved on, surely it was an illusion.

I'll keep you updated.

That was inaccurate because I wouldn't. I’d told my commanding officer I was going home, and I’d told my family I wasn't officially discharged from the military. I'd lied to everyone. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But I couldn't ignore the guilt that settled deep in my gut.

We can't wait to see you.

That was like twisting the knife. Teddy never talked about feelings or emotions. This must be the rest of the family bugging him.

I didn't know how to respond. They didn't know the Axel I was now. And if they did, they wouldn't like him anymore than I did.