Chapter Thirteen

Star

Christmas morning sunlight filtered softly through the blinds and bathed the room in a warm glow. I was tangled in the sheets, snug against Axel’s warm body, with his arm draped over my waist. He was still asleep, his breathing steady and deep.

I wasn’t.

My mind was running a mile a minute.

Last night had been… perfect. More than I’d ever let myself hope for.

I stared at the ceiling and replayed everything Axel had said to me. The way he’d touched me, the way he’d looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered. My head told me it was real, that he wasn’t pretending. He’d said so in plain words.

But my heart still wasn’t sure. How could it be?

We’d agreed to pretend—act like we were together for my family, putting on a show that felt more real than I wanted to admit. But what would happen when we got back home? Would the magic of this holiday dissolve and leave me wishing for something I could never have?

“I can hear you thinking, honey,” Axel mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. His arm tightened around me and pulled me closer as he pressed a soft kiss to the side of my head.

I startled, and my thoughts scattered. All I could think about was Axel being butt-naked in my bed. The bed I slept in growing up. “We had sex in my childhood bed,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Axel’s laugh was low and easy and rumbled against my back. “Yeah, we sure did, honey. And I plan on doing it again tonight, too.”

Heat crept up my neck at his nonchalance. He shifted and rolled on top of me with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he wanted. His body caged me in, all hard muscle and heat, and his smirk was downright wicked.

“Hell,” he said, leaning down to kiss me, “maybe we could do it again right now.”

Before I could respond and get lost in the way his mouth moved against mine, a small voice shattered the moment.

“Santa came!” Woods yelled from the hallway. His excitement reverberated through the walls and through our closed door.

Axel and I froze, our lips still a breath apart.

“Santa came, Auntie Star!” Woods shouted as his voice was closer now, practically right outside the door.

“Oh shit,” I whispered, and my heart leaped into my throat.

“Whoa, there, cowboy!” Rain’s voice called from the hallway, loud and quick. “Why don’t we head to the living room and wait for Auntie Star and Axel to join us, huh?”

“But how will they know we’re waiting for them?” Woods asked. His voice was earnest and innocent as ever.

“We’re up!” Axel called, his tone calm and steady, as if he hadn’t just been seconds away from devouring me. “Check and see if Santa ate his cookies, Woods. We’ll be right there.”

“You got it!” The sound of little feet pattering away echoed down the hall.

“You’ve got five minutes,” Rain added, her voice quieter now. “I’ll distract him as long as I can, but you two are officially the last ones up.”

“Thank you!” I called back, relief tinged with laughter in my voice.

Axel dropped his forehead to my shoulder with a groan. “So much for having you again.”

I patted his back and grinned despite the heat still coursing through me. “Nothing waits for a six-year-old on Christmas morning,” I said and laughed softly.

“No, nothing does,” he agreed. He leaned back, pressed a quick kiss to my lips, and rolled out of bed.

I sat up, held the blanket to my chest, and watched as he walked across the room, stark naked, to his duffle bag. My gaze trailed over his broad shoulders, his muscled and tattooed back, and the way his body moved with easy confidence.

The man was a walking masterpiece.

He bent slightly and pulled out a pair of black sweatpants. I bit my lip as I watched him slide them on.

“Thank God those aren’t gray,” I sighed and shook my head, “or we’d never make it to the living room.”

Axel chuckled, the sound rich and deep as he reached for a white T-shirt. “Gray sweatpants do it for you, huh, honey?”

“I mean…” I fanned my face with my hand, feigning nonchalance. “Anything on you seems to do it for me, but gray sweatpants would be…” I trailed off, and my cheeks heated as I laughed softly.

“You’re going to be good for my ego, honey.” He tugged the shirt over his head and grinned. “Now get your ass out of bed before Woods busts in here.”

“Fine,” I grumbled and slipped out of the covers.

I grabbed the pajamas I’d planned to wear last night—a dark green pair of pants with nutcrackers all over them and a plain white long-sleeve shirt. As I got dressed, I could feel Axel’s eyes on me, and the weight of his gaze was like a physical touch.

When I turned, his expression was heated but soft, as his lips curled into a smirk.

“God damn,” he muttered with appreciation in his voice. “You even look sexy in a pair of pajamas.”

I laughed and felt slightly embarrassed. “I think you might want to get your eyes checked when we get back to Flagstaff.”

Axel shook his head and stepped closer. “I’ve got twenty-twenty vision, honey. I see you just fine.”

I grabbed the bag of gifts I’d brought, but Axel took it from my hands.

“There’s one in there from you to me,” I told him. “You know, to make everything believable.”

Axel grunted. “I don’t need that. I got you something.”

His words stopped me in my tracks. “You… you what?”

He dug through the gifts and pulled out the one I’d wrapped to look like it was from him. He tossed it on the bed. “I went shopping. No need to open that one in front of your family. The ones I got you are already under the tree.”

I blinked, my heart leaping unexpectedly. “Oh. Uh… okay. I did get you something, though.”

He smiled and took my hand. “I figured you would, honey.”

His words stung, even though he didn’t mean them to. The idea that I’d think of him, but he wouldn’t think of me, was something I hadn’t realized would hurt so much.

“Axel!” Woods shouted from somewhere down the hall.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the urgency in his voice.

“We better get out there before he busts down the door,” Axel said, his grip on my hand firm but comforting.

Together, we walked out of the bedroom, ready to face the chaos of Christmas morning. It was time to get this show going.