Completely Yours [COMPLETED, 18+]

Chapter 9

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"You shaved."

It was the first thing I noticed when I opened the front door to my apartment. Never mind the giant bouquet of pink roses in his hands or the way he made a simple pair of jeans look incredibly sexy. I'd become so used to picturing him with a beard that the fresh face threw me for a loop.

A look of surprise crossed Axel's face before it melted away. He met my brown eyes, and there was a charming grin playing on his full lips. "Do you not like it?"

Color suffused across my cheeks immediately. "N-no. You look great. Not that you didn't look great with the beard; I thought you looked incredibly sexy with the stubble, b-but you look good now too," I rambled on despite the fact that my brain was telling my mouth to shut up.

I could tell Axel was amused. His blue eyes twinkled with mirth as he looked down at me, and the expression only made me blush darker. How could a single smirk make me blush so much? So I'm sexier with the beard?" He asked mischievously, quirking an eyebrow.

"No! You're-you know what? That's not the point," I finished, trying to change the topic before I said something more embarrassing. Anything was better than discussing how attractive I found him. "Are those for me?" I asked, looking pointedly at the roses in his hands.

"Yeah, I picked them up on the way here. They reminded me of you," he commented, reaching out to pass the large bouquet to me.

I raised both of my eyebrows, taking the bundle from him. "How so?"

"They're soft and beautiful," he explained. Then his voice took on a husky tone, and he added, "And they smell delicious." Axel's deep blue eyes flitted to my lips and focused on the parting of my mouth. I forced myself to breathe as his gaze slowly trailed back up to my plain, brown eyes.

His smoldering orbs held me captive, and I found myself unable to move as I stood in the middle of the doorway. My eyes widened as Axel's hands suddenly slipped around my waist, tugging me closer to his body. I could feel the body heat radiating off him and smell the intoxicating scent of his cologne. My arms instinctively went around his neck, and the bouquet of flowers in my hands wrapped behind his back as we embraced. I couldn't stop my eyes from fluttering shut as his lips brushed the shell of my ear. "You look beautiful Meredith," he whispered, his arms tightening around me.

My heart started racing at the sound of his confession. What was this effect he had me? I found myself pushing my body closer against him, reveling in the feel of his firm muscles; in the warmth of his skin. My head fell against Axel's strong shoulder, and I inhaled his scent deeply. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him until now. I felt like I was going crazy; we had just seen each other a couple of days ago at IHOP. Why was I reacting to him like this?

"I missed you," I admitted against the soft material of his T-shirt. I'd spent the last two days anxiously waiting for him to call me like a lovestruck fool. God, I hoped I didn't sound too clingy to him. I didn't want Axel to run away before we even had a chance to go out on our first date.

"I missed you too," he breathed back quietly, squeezing me impossibly closer. I found myself momentarily struck by the honesty of his admission, but before I could really process it, he released me from his embrace.

I tried not to frown as a sudden rush of cold air enveloped my body. When I looked up to meet Axel's beautiful eyes, I was surprised to find them staring intently back into mine. For a moment, we just stood there in the entrance to my apartment. I thought I caught an emotion flickering in his eyes, but then it was gone so fast I thought I'd imagined it.