Chapter Seven

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Axel

I groaned, stroking my hand up and down my cock as the water ran down my body. I'd been hard for hours while holding Novella in my arms. My stiff, aching erection had kept waking me up throughout the night until finally, about ten minutes ago, I rolled out of bed and headed to my room, needing to relieve the ache in my balls before I fucked her before she was ready.

She needed more time. I had to fucking give her that.

But fuck, that kiss had lit a fire in my blood. A need for her so strong it burned. I wanted to be inside of her. Breed her. Fill her up with my cum until she was pregnant with my baby. Our baby. And then, I wanted to continue filling her up just so I could watch my cum leak out of her pretty cunt.

I grunted when my cum suddenly spurted from my cock, painting the shower wall in front of me. I sucked in a deep breath of air, squeezing out the last couple of drops before I continued on with my shower, my balls not so damn full anymore.

Five minutes later, I was out the shower, a towel around my waist as I shaved the scruff off my face. A light knock sounded on my bedroom door, and I called out to whoever it was to come in.

It was Harlan.

"Novella has a huge fucking box that just showed up. Looks like a bunch of clothes. Want me to give it to her?"

I nodded before going back to shaving. "Yeah. Is she awake?"

Harlan shrugged. "No idea."

I sighed. "Just put it in the hall outside her door then. When I finish getting ready, I'll wake her up and give her the box."

He nodded, playfully saluted me, and then slipped back out of the room without another word. I finished shaving and then dressed in a pair of black slacks and a black button-up, not bothering with a tie. After grabbing a blazer and slipping my shoes on, I headed down the hall to Novella's room.

She was still asleep in the bed and only seemed to have moved enough to hug the pillow I'd been sleeping on to her chest. A small smile tilted my lips before I could stop it. Fuck, she wreaking my heart. Ripping everything to pieces. She was changing my life so much and didn't even realize it.

I never wanted it to be the same.

I set my blazer on the end of her bed before dragging the box into the room. It was a huge mother fucker of a box and heavy. I had no doubt Harlan and Griffin had fun dragging this son of a bitch up the stairs.

I'd buy them lunch later as a thank you.

My little angel lifted her head, blinking sleepily at me as I shut her bedroom door. "What's that?" she mumbled, laying her head back down on the pillow, her red hair fanned out behind her.

If I knew how to paint, I'd paint her. Endlessly. So many fucking portraits. She was beautiful.

"Good morning, baby girl," I murmured. Once I was at her bedside, I leaned over her, my hands braced on either side of her body, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Her pretty cheeks flushed pink, and she gazed up at me beneath her lashes, a small pout on her lips. I chuckled. "Need something more?"

She nodded. I hummed and gripped her chin before lowering my lips to hers to give her a soft, sweet, slow kiss. Kissing her was like pure fucking magic; I never wanted to stop. Her soft lips and that tentative tongue were addicting.

Her eyes were a little hazy, and her lips were kiss-swollen when I pulled back from her. "I need you to get a shower and get dressed," I told her. "You're going to be with me today."

She leaned up on her elbow. "With you? But don't you have to work?"

I smiled at her. "I can do whatever I want, baby. I'm the owner. If I want you with me at work, then that's where you'll be." I pressed a kiss to her forehead before standing up to my full height. "That box has some of the clothes you ordered yesterday. Find something to wear once you shower. Then, meet me downstairs to have breakfast."

"Okay," she said softly, getting up from the bed. I ran my eyes over her, taking in her bruises. They didn't look as bad as they had when I'd found her on the bathroom floor, but they were still dark and painful-looking. I made a mental note to make sure she took pain medicine with her breakfast.

~*~*~

Novella's hand trembled in mine as I led her toward the entrance of the prison, her free hand fluttering up to her face nervously. I gently squeezed her fingers. "Breathe, baby," I soothed. "This visit is just like any other visit. You just have me and Harlan in the room with you."

When she swallowed, it was audible. "Kyle is going to freak out about my bruises," she said softly.

I'd thought bringing her to see her brother after everything she'd been through would make her feel more comfortable, but it was proving to be quite the opposite. Novella was a nervous wreck, and it was making me feel like I was crawling out of my skin because I didn't know how to help her soothe her nerves.

She needed to see her brother. He was the one person in this world—besides me—that hadn't given up on her.

"He knows about what happened to you," I gently assured her as Harlan nodded at the guard standing at the door to the private visitation room. I knew her visits with Kyle were normally done with a phone and a partition between them, but not anymore. Not with me in her life. I had pull here, and I intended to use it for her. The goddamn warden was in my pocket, and he owed me.

Novella needed to be able to hug her brother. She needed his comfort. A brother's love was something I couldn't give her.

When we stepped into the room, Kyle was siting at the table, cuffs off, ankles free. He looked at us, his eyes cold and void, his expression flat. But when his eyes landed on Novella, his face changed, a mask he reserved for her sliding into place.

A mask that hid the psychopath he truly was. A mask that helped him blend into society.

Kyle was a snake of the worst kind, but I hoped with Novella as mine—my woman—he would remain on our side.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Kyle snarled, standing from the table. Novella tightened her hold around my hand as Kyle quickly crossed the room before gently clasping her chin in his hand and turning her head so he could get a better look at his bruises. Then, he looked at me, arching a brow. "Well?" he growled.

"Hunting him as we speak," I assured him.

He nodded once. Then, he drew his sister into a hug. She sobbed and sank into his embrace, hugging him close. I slid my hands into my pockets and leaned against the wall, watching as they embraced each other after years of not being able to.

"I can't believe I get to hug you," Novella croaked as she released him. Reaching up, she gently swiped at her cheeks, being careful of her bruises.

Kyle chuckled and led her to the table he'd been sitting at. "Thank your... boyfriend," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear once they were sitting. "I get special privileges now."

She turned her head to look at me, and my cock throbbed at the expression in her eyes. She wanted to thank me—I could see the words lingering on her lips. But I could also tell she thought the words weren't enough. She wanted to thank me in other ways.

In due time, she would. But not until I was sure she was ready.

I just dipped my chin at her, remaining silent.

~*~*~

"You're late for a meeting," Griffin called from his office as soon as I stepped onto our floor. "And I sent your PA home. He was getting on my fucking nerves."

I glared at him when he stepped out of his office. "Who said you could just send my fucking PA home?" I snapped at him.

Novella frowned between us, clearly uncomfortable. Griffin, the bastard, just shrugged. "He kept falling asleep at his desk, Axel. What use was he?"

I pinched the bridge of his nose. "Max suffers from migraines, Griffin," I growled at him. Griffin winced. "If he was falling asleep at his desk, he probably had to take his medication, which makes him fucking tired, asshole. Go to his house right now and bring him back to work. And because of your asshole-ness, you get to make sure he's comfortable in your office to take a goddamn nap."

With that, I strode into my office, Harlan right behind me. "Go on and sit down, baby," I told her, softening my tone as I inclined my head to the couch against the far wall. I let go of her and rounded my desk. "Harlan, do you know what the fuck I need for this meeting? And who the fuck is it with?"

"With the head of the finance department," Harlan informed me, finding my tablet buried under my desk. He pulled up what I needed and handed it to me. "Max made sure to upload everything you needed. Meeting is in conference room four on the 23rd floor."

I nodded, glancing over the notes. It was a routine meeting and probably shouldn't take long. I looked at Novella, who had curled up on her side, her eyes sliding shut. Silently, I shrugged off my blazer and walked over, draping it over her. She snuggled into it, mumbling, "Thank you."

I ran my hand over her hair. "Get some rest. I'll order lunch when I get back."

She nodded, already drifting off. I headed out of the room and to the elevator. Griffin slid in beside me just as the doors were getting ready to close.

"What's his favorite food?" Griffin quietly asked me.

I glanced at him, arching my brows the slightest bit. "Why?"

He sighed. "Because I was a fucking asshole to him. I didn't realize he suffered from migraines and had a med that made him sleepy."

I shrugged. "It wasn't your business," I told him coldly. Griffin narrowed his eyes at me.

"I want to make it up to him, asshole," he snapped at me.

"He likes pho when he's suffering from a migraine," I told him as we neared the 23rd floor. "But he only likes it from Pho Bo. If you call and tell them you want Max's regular order delivered, they'll know."

Griffin frowned at me. "You know a lot."

I sighed as the elevator doors opened. "Because he's my PA, Griffin. He's the best damn PA I've had. He works hard, even with his migraines, which are damn near debilitating most days. He simply asked me one day if I could order pho for him when he has migraines because he forgets to eat and do normal things when he's hurting, so I simply memorized it." I turned to look at him once I was off the elevator. "It's called being a decent boss, Griffin. Try it sometime."

Then, I headed for the conference room, already fed up with the day.