Beyond the Ordinary

Chapter 51

KATE

After my shift ended, I headed into the restroom to change back into the outfit that I'd worn to school. Once I was dressed, I zipped up my backpack and walked out to meet up with Axel.

"Are you ready for our date?" Axel asked me, kissing my forehead and sliding his arm around my shoulders.

"More than ready," I responded, smiling.

Axel smiled back and led me to his usual parking spot.

We hopped into his car and he turned it on before turning up the air-conditioning as well. We both buckled our seatbelts and he handed me his phone.

I scrolled through his playlists, finding one called 'hits' and hit play, curious about his taste in music.

Axel took my hand, singing along to the lyrics softly. To my surprise, I found that he actually didn't have a bad singing voice.

"Where are we off to today?" I asked him, smiling.

"Mall," he replied, turning onto a narrow road.

The song came to an end and another one played shortly after.

"Is this my playlist?" Axel asked, turning up the radio just slightly.

"Yeah."

Axel hummed in response and turned entered the deserted parking lot of the mall.

"Wow, there's like no one here," I said.

"Yeah, people usually only go to the mall when it's still light out," Axel replied, turning down the radio.

"Makes sense," I stated, turning to look at him.

Axel shifted in his seat but didn't move to get out of the car. "Want to play our game?" Axel asked me, his eyes shining under the streetlights.

"Sure, whose turn is it?" I asked.

"I think it's mine," Axel responded, leaning in closer.

"So, what do you want to know, Axel?" I whispered.

His face was now so close to mine that I could feel his nose brush against mine. My heart pounded nervously against my chest.

"I want to know," Axel muttered, running his thumb along my bottom lip.

Feeling confident, I licked his finger. He jerked his hand away, surprised by my reaction, but he quickly recovered and smirked before cupping my cheek. His palm felt warm and rough and without realizing it, I leaned into his touch, looking into his eyes.

"I want to know," Axel said again, his voice sounding slightly rougher than it had before, "if I can kiss you again."

I could sense that he was nervous, I could tell by the way his eyes darted across my face and by how his body was poised, either for my rejection or approval. But I knew what I wanted.

So, I cupped his face in my hands and pressed my lips against his. I felt his lips spread apart into a small smile before he kissed me back, removing his hand from my face and wrapping it around my waist, beneath my shirt. Against my skin, his fingers were long and soothing. I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned toward him more so that I was more comfortable.

Axel put his other hand on my waist and moved me over the console so that I was sitting onto his lap, settled comfortably between him and the steering wheel. He removed his lips from mine and rested his forehead against my own, out of breath.

I slid my hands around his waist, feeling his ribs expand and collapse with his heavy breaths. Once he'd caught his breath, he met my gaze, his eyes wide with emotions that I couldn't decipher.

"You know," he whispered, "for someone who's never been kissed, you're pretty damn good at it," Axel stated, resting his hands on my hips.

My shirt was short enough that his hands were touching my exposed waist, but I strangely didn't feel self-conscious or shy. In a way, it almost felt like they belonged there.

"You're not so bad yourself," I responded back, adjusting myself comfortably on his lap.

An emotion I couldn't read or understand crossed Axel's face and he bit his lip, closing his eyes for a second before saying, "it's your turn."

I nodded. "Okay, what was the first thing you noticed about me?" I asked him, referring to appearance.

"Your eyes," he replied without hesitation.

"My eyes?" I asked, feeling his hands trace designs across my spine, making me shiver.

"Yeah, you have really pretty eyes," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I blushed. "Thank you, but they're just brown. What's so pretty about them?" I shifted on his lap again, feeling the cold metal of his belt press against my thigh.

The same emotion I'd seen moments before crossed his face again and he closed his eyes, sighing softly.

Once he opened his eyes again, Axel shook his head and removed one of his hands from my back to tap my nose with his finger, before putting his hand underneath my shirt once again. "You're only allowed one question, Katie. It's my turn now," he whispered roughly.

I nodded and moved my hands further down his shirt, his skin feeling warm beneath my hands.

"What's the first thing you noticed about me?" He asked, his long fingers now tracing my ribs. I squirmed and he let out a soft groan.

"Fuck, did I hurt you?" I asked him.

Axel chuckled and I could feel his abs shake beneath me. "You're so innocent," Axel stated, shifting beneath me and I suddenly feel something hard poking me in the thigh.

"Um, Axel, your phone is poking me," I declared.

Axel shook his head, smirking. "Baby, that's not my phone."

My eyes widened in shock once I realized what he meant. "Shit, how can I help?" I asked, squirming uncomfortably.

Axel tightened his hold on my hips, holding me in place. "Well, not squirming would be a huge help," he said with a chuckle.

I stayed still. "Um, does it hurt?" I asked him shyly, hoping he wasn't in pain.

"Nah," he replied, shifting beneath me, making his "phone" poke me again.

"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath. "My squirming didn't help either."

Suddenly, without understanding why, I leaned forward and kissed him. I started to pull away when he cupped my face in his large hands and kissed me harder. His hands left my face and roamed around my waist and back, his fingers leaving trails of fire beneath them. I ran my fingers through his hair, marveling at the silkiness of it before tugging on it gently. He groaned into my mouth and I quickly pulled away.

"Did I pull too hard?" I asked, making him chuckle.

"No, it felt good," he replied, cupping my face and rubbing his thumb across my cheek.

"Then why'd you make a sound like you were in pain?" I asked, confused.

Axel shook his head, laughing. "I'll tell you eventually, but not now," he said, reaching around me and turning on his car.

"Why not?" I asked him, poking out my bottom lip in a pout.

"Because I have to take you home," Axel responded, gesturing towards the time displayed on his dashboard.

I reluctantly slid off his lap and turned away to buckle my seatbelt, hearing him shift in his seat behind me. I took out my phone and sent a text to my father saying 'coming home now' before taking Axel's hand in mine.