جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

The pavilion air grew cold, but I barely noticed. Axel’s lips was warm, firm, and real against mine. This wasn’t the fast, performative peck he had used to blindside Clara upstairs. This kiss was deliberate. It carried an edge of roughness that left my thoughts scattered. Before I could protest, his hand slid up from my waist. His large palm cupped the back of my neck to tilt my head back, deepening the kiss. A soft gasp broke from the back of my throat, a quiet moan that was swallowed by his mouth as his tongue swiped against mine. I forgot how to breathe. The warmth of his tongue sent a sharp sting straight to my core. I leaned into his solid frame, my fingers bunching into the charcoal wool of his suit jacket just to keep my balance. Axel didn’t give me a breathing space, he ate up my lips roughly and deeply like it was candy, his grip on my waist tightening until I was pressed flush against his chest. For a split second, his untouchable control cracked. His touch became frantic

**Axel's POV**The heavy glass doors of the private executive study closed behind me, instantly cutting off the suffocating noise of the ballroom orchestra. I placed my hands flat against the mahogany desk, letting out a slow, controlled breath. The cool mountain air outside the windows did absolutely nothing to soothe the burning tightness in my chest. Hazel’s face kept flashing behind my eyes. When I had returned to the column with those champagne flutes, her expression had changed. Her smile had been too perfect, too smooth, matching the exact fake expression she used whenever she felt cornered. I knew her better than she knew herself. Something had changed during the two minutes I was gone, and the alarm bells that kept me updated in the corporate world were currently ringing."Sir." I turned my head as the study door clicked open. Gerald, my head of global security, stepped into the room, his imposing frame blocking the light from the hallway. He closed the door behind him ca

The silver star lay between us on the white linen tablecloth, catching the sharp mountain sun. Axel didn't say a word. He slowly uncoiled his fingers from beneath the table, leaving the fractured crystal water glass resting on the cloth, its base webbed with a dozen tiny fractures. He didn't look back toward the doorway where Dominic had disappeared. His focus remained focused entirely on me, a heavy, silent storm brewing in his dark features. "Richard wants the bridal party in the west conservatory for the morning portrait rehearsals," Axel said. His voice was completely calm, smooth, and stripped of any emotion, but the skin around his knuckles was white. "We should move."I picked up my clutch, my fingers carefully brushing against the silver star. I left it sitting there on the table, a cold piece of metal from a life that felt like a lifetime ago. "Let's go."The walk to the conservatory was silent. The chalet hallways were packed with busy caterers and shifting florists, but b

"What the h*ll are you doing out here?" Axel’s voice sliced through the dark corridor. I stopped right outside the executive wing doors, my hand freezing against the cold brass handle. I had changed out of my heavy evening gown into a simple, oversized white cotton tee and black running shorts just to get some air. I didn't think any of the guards would be patrolling the west terrace this late. "I was just talking to Leo," I muttered, turning around slowly to face him. Axel stepped out from the shadows of the hallway. He had discarded his suit jacket, his white dress shirt completely unbuttoned at the collar, his dark hair messy from the mountain wind. His gray eyes swept down my bare legs, his jaw locking instantly. "You shouldn't walk around this chalet dressed like that," Axel growled, his voice dropping into a dangerous, freezing register. "Why?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper."Because I don’t enjoy watching other men stare at what’s mine," Axel murmured, stepping direct

The engine of the heavy black snowmobile came to life, vibrating against the thick ice of the staging deck. Axel straddled the seat, adjusting his helmet over his hair before looking down at me. "Get on, Hazel. We're losing the light." I hesitated, looking at the second machine parked by the columns. "I told you I can ride my own, Axel." "You’re riding with me," he countered, his voice flat as he squinted against the rising ice mist. "That’s not a suggestion." I climbed on behind him, my knees framing his legs. I didn't want to touch him, but as he slammed the throttle forward, the machine lunged over the snowbank, forcing me to throw my arms around his chest to keep my balance. He felt like solid iron beneath his winter gear, his back blocking the worst of the oncoming gale. "Too tight, Sterling?" he shouted over the engine's drone, his shoulders leaning into the sharp alpine curve. "You wish, Blackwell," I yelled back, my face buried against the cold wool of his shoulder. T