10. Aksel

10

AKSEL

I stare at Zara, my arms wrapped tightly around her. Her eyes are wide with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. "What do you mean?"

Everything about her should make me despise her. She talks too fucking much, and she's always so annoyingly happy, even in this godforsaken wilderness.

"Aksel?" Her delicate fingers graze my cheek, snapping me back to reality. "Are you okay?"

I don't answer, lost in the depths of her green eyes. Despite her incessant cheerfulness, something about her draws me in. Perhaps it's the contrast—her light to my darkness, her innocence to my depravity. They do say opposites attract.

"Aksel?" she prompts again, her brow furrowed with concern.

I've never considered sharing my life with anyone. The mere thought of letting someone in, of exposing my true self, has always filled me with revulsion. And yet, as I gaze upon this little bird's angelic face, I find myself yearning to do that. To share every twisted desire, every dark craving, with the one person who might understand. Who might accept me for the monster I am.

Tearing my gaze away from her captivating eyes, the spell is momentarily broken. I clear my throat. "I'm fine." The lie rolls off my tongue with practiced ease, and I release her from my hold.

Zara's brow is still creased with concern. "You seemed distant for a moment there." She chews her plump lower lip, and I can't help but imagine how those soft lips would feel pressed against mine.

Shaking my head to dispel the intrusive thought, I smile reassuringly. "Just got lost in thought, that's all." My fingers itch to reach out and smooth the worry lines from her forehead to trace the delicate curve of her jaw. But I resist the urge, clenching my fists at my sides.

"If you're sure..." Zara's gaze lingers on me for a heartbeat longer before she turns away, busying herself with her equipment.

I watch her movements, mesmerized by the gentle sway of her hips and how the sunlight catches in her golden hair. Every fiber of my being screams at me to close the distance, to pull her lithe body flush against mine and claim her out here in the open.

But I need to maintain control. Because once I've tasted the forbidden fruit, I know there'll be no turning back. She'll consume me, body and soul until nothing remains but the insatiable hunger for her.

So, for now, I'm content with drinking in the sight of her, committing every curve to memory. Zara doesn't realize it yet, but she's already mine—a delicate butterfly caught in the spider's web, destined to be slowly, exquisitely devoured.

After tinkering for about half an hour, she smiles sweetly at me. "We're ready to move higher up the mountain for more readings."

She packs her equipment back in her pack and shoulders it.

I grind my teeth. "That looks heavy. Do you want me to carry it for the next leg?" After all, I'm stronger than her, and it'll be easy.

Her smile practically kills me. "That's so kind of you. It would help. My back is killing me. I'm not used to hiking."

Grunting in response to mask my eagerness to assist her, I slide the pack from her shoulders and sling it over my own with deft movements. The weight is nothing, but I relish the way her eyes widen slightly at the flex of my biceps.

"Thanks, Aksel," she breathes, flushing. "I really appreciate it."

A grin tugs at the corners of my mouth. "Don't mention it, littlefugl."

Turning on my heel, I lead the way up the narrow trail, maintaining a leisurely pace that allows Zara to keep up. I glance over my shoulder every so often, savoring how her chest heaves with exertion, the sheen of perspiration that glistens on her skin.

After a particularly steep incline, she pauses to catch her breath, one hand braced against the trunk of a towering pine. "Mind if we take a break?" she pants, swiping a loose tendril of hair from her flushed face.

"Of course not." I lean casually against a tree a short distance away, allowing my gaze to roam shamelessly over every shapely curve of her body. "We're in no hurry."

Zara shoots me a sidelong glance. She knows the effect she has on me—how could she not when I make no effort to conceal my desire? And yet, rather than shrinking away, she holds my stare, her plump lower lip caught between her teeth.

This little bird may flutter and trill, but she knows her place deep down. She knows that she belongs to me, body and soul.

Pushing off from the tree, I eat up the distance between us. Zara's breath hitches as I loom over her, caging her against the rough bark with my arms braced on either side of her head.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" I murmur. Without waiting for a response, I dip my head to whisper into her ear. "The things I want to do to you?"

A tremor courses through her slight frame, and I inhale deeply, savoring her intoxicating scent. My tongue darts out to trace the curve of her ear, and she whimpers, her nails digging into the bark at her back.

"Aksel..." It's a plea, and I revel in the desperation laced through that single, breathless utterance.

Pulling back to meet her wide gaze, I offer her a feral grin. "Don't worry," I purr, my fingers trailing down to ghost over the swell of her breasts. "Not here, baby girl," I murmur against the skin of her throat.

Zara's pulse flutters rapidly beneath my lips, and I can't resist nipping at the delicate column of her neck, loving the way she gasps and arches against me.

Every nerve screams to take what I want—to claim this sweet, tempting creature. Her scent of vanilla and roses alone makes me ache to defile her.

With a low growl, I capture her wrists and pin them above her head, drinking in the sight of her at my mercy. "You've got no idea how badly I want you, littlefugl." My voice is a guttural rasp as I grind my hips against hers, allowing her to feel how hard I am.

Zara whimpers, her eyes fluttering shut as her hips move upward in a desperate bid for friction. "Please..." The breathless plea falls from her parted lips.

Leaning in, I allow my lips to brush against the corner of her mouth, a mere ghost of a kiss that has her straining against my hold. "You want this?" I murmur, my tongue tracing the seam of her lips in a silent demand for entry. "You want me to take you right here, in the heart of the wilderness?"

Her only response is a needy whine, her body arching as she seeks the friction I so cruelly deny her. Desire courses through my veins like liquid fire, and it's all I can do to maintain my tenuous grip on control.

With a frustrated growl, I tear my lips from the temptation of her mouth, panting harshly as I force myself to pull back. "As much as I want to claim you here and now, we can't risk it." My voice is strained, gravelly with the effort of reining in my baser instincts. "It'll be dark soon, and we must return before nightfall."

Zara's eyes flutter open, hazy with lust and confusion. "But...I thought..." Her brow furrows adorably as she struggles to formulate a coherent thought.

I trace the delicate line of her jaw with the pad of my thumb. "Oh, don't worry. I've no intention of denying myself any longer. But we need to make it back to the safety of the cabin first. After that..." I lean in to nip at the tender flesh below her ear. "All bets are off."

I force myself to remove my lips from her skin with a monumental effort. "Now, let's hike to the next spot and get your data before returning." I ensure my voice is casual and calm despite not feeling in control.

I continue up the mountain trail, Zara's pack slung effortlessly over my shoulder.

The silence between us is charged and electric, neither daring to break it. Zara trails a few paces behind me, her gaze fixed resolutely on the ground before her. Gone is the incessant chatter, the cheerful demeanor that grated on my nerves. In its place is a palpable tension that has my blood thrumming hotly in my veins.

Reaching the next vantage point, I turn to face her. "Here's a good spot."

Zara starts at my voice, her gaze snapping to meet mine. In that single, heated glance, I see the conflict within her—the war between the innocent little bird and the wanton creature I've awoken. Her teeth worry at her plump lower lip, and I have to clench my fists to keep from closing the distance between us and claiming that tempting mouth with bruising intensity.

"R-right," she stammers, moving toward me to retrieve her pack before busying herself with her equipment.

I watch in silence as she works, my eyes tracing the delicate curve of her throat and the gentle swell of her breasts beneath the thin fabric of her shirt. Every movement, every subtle shift of her body, has me aching to pin her against the nearest surface and bury myself in her cunt.

After a few agonizing minutes, Zara straightens. I've got everything set up. It'll be half an hour to collect all the data," she murmurs, her voice a breathless whisper.

"Understood," I rumble, my gaze devouring every inch of her. The knowledge that she'll be standing here, within arm's reach for the next half hour, is almost more than I can bear.

Zara shifts her weight from one foot to the other. She opens her mouth as if to speak but seems to think better of it, snapping her jaw shut with an audible click.

The silence that stretches between us is thick and charged. I can practically taste the tension in the air, as palpable as the crisp mountain breeze that ruffles my hair.

Forcing my features into a mask of casual indifference, I lean back against the trunk of a nearby tree and fold my arms across my chest. The movement draws Zara's gaze like a moth to a flame, her eyes darkening as they trace the flex of my inked biceps.

A low chuckle rumbles in my chest, and I watch in silent satisfaction as her blush deepens. "See something you like?"

She holds my stare for a long, heated moment, her eyes shining with a mix of want and uncertainty.

Then, as if remembering herself, she tears her gaze away. "I...I should get back to work," she murmurs breathlessly.

I hum in acknowledgment before pushing off from the tree and prowling closer, savoring the way Zara's breath catches in her throat. "By all means," I purr, leaning in until my lips graze the delicate shell of her ear. "Don't let me distract you."

Forcing myself to step back, I offer Zara a wolfish grin. "I'll just be over here watching."

Her cheeks flush an even deeper shade of crimson. For a moment, it seems as though she might protest, might demand that I give her space to work.

But then, something shifts in her gaze—a glimmer of defiance, of challenge. Squaring her delicate shoulders, she holds my stare, her chin tilting up in a wordless show of bravado.

A low growl rumbles in my chest as I drink at the sight of her newfound boldness.

Sinking down onto a nearby boulder, I stretch out my legs and make a show of getting comfortable while holding Zara's gaze with a heated intensity that leaves no doubt as to my intentions.

The game is afoot, and I'm a patient hunter, content to wait for the perfect moment to strike. Zara may put on a brave face, but we both know that she is utterly, inescapably mine. It's only a matter of time before the hunt reaches its inevitable, delicious conclusion.

Until then, I'm more than happy to savor every heated glance, every breathless gasp. The anticipation is half the thrill, after all.

So I watch and wait, secure in the knowledge that by the night's end, my sweet little bird will be thoroughly, irrevocably claimed.