Axel's Therapist: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Blitz Book 2) Read online

  "What's going on?" I asked rolling over, trying to shut the light out by squeezing my eyes closed.

  "My phone," she said. "I guess I had the ringer off. Ethan's been calling me for the last hour. He left like fifty messages." She held the phone to her ear, a worried look on her face.

  "Ethan, what's up?" she asked.

  I slowly opened my eyes at sat up beside her.

  "I knew it!" Kaitlyn suddenly smacked her hand triumphantly on the mattress. She turned to me, a big smile on her face.

  "He got her," she whispered to me.

  "What?" I asked, hope lighting in my heart.

  She held the phone away from her mouth. "He caught Taylor on tape two hours ago buying coke. He's been trying to call me. Good thing I woke up thirsty and decided to check my phone."

  I smiled. This was the break we needed. No way would the courts give Taylor custody now. They'd have to listen to me. Then Kaitlyn's expression changed.

  "What?" she asked, sounding alarmed. Her face had grown pale.

  "What is it?" I whispered, alarmed now too. Kaitlyn's eyes were wide. She just shook her head at me.

  "Is it Taylor?" I asked.

  She nodded. It was driving me nuts that I couldn't hear what Ethan was saying. Whatever it was, I knew it couldn't be good. Cops didn't call people in the middle of the night with good news.

  "You mean right now?" Kaitlyn asked.

  "What?" I asked. This was infuriating. It felt like my head was gonna burst if I didn't find out what was going on.

  "Yeah, okay," Kaitlyn said. "We'll be ready."

  She hung up and scrambled out of bed.

  "Kaitlyn," I said, "what the hell is going on?" She was pulling her shirt over her head. I got out of bed, too, searching for my pants.

  "Ethan and his partner caught Taylor downtown at some sleazy coke house a couple hours ago buying drugs. He got her picture. Even some video."

  "Yeah?" I asked. So far, this still sounded like good news. I wished she'd get to the point.

  "Taylor saw Ethan."

  My heart froze. "So what? That doesn't mean anything. He could have been anyone."

  But Kaitlyn was shaking her head. "Taylor's been using her friends to check up on you. On us. She knew my name. She probably knows that Ethan's my friend. Even if she didn't, she knows a cop when she sees one. She knows that she's been busted. Time's up."

  I didn't like where Kaitlyn was going with this.

  "So maybe she'll leave town now. Run. That would be the smart thing to do, wouldn't it?"

  Kaitlyn was shaking her head. "Ethan trailed her for a bit after the coke house. He saw her go into some dump a few blocks away and waited in his car for her to come back out. Only she never did. He finally got whatever warrant or paperwork he needed to bust down the door and she was gone. Some druggy who lives there told him she owes a lot of money to some pretty hard hitters. They're threatening to break her in half if she doesn't come up with it. The druggy said she was talking about getting the money you owed her." We were fully dressed now.

  "I don't owe her anything!"

  "I know that, but she's drugged out of her mind. She's not thinking clearly. She wants just wants her money."

  "Shit, this is bad. I know Taylor well enough to know if she's was in that kind of trouble, she'll never give up until she gets what she wants. Which means she's not through with Riley."

  "Ethan already sent someone over to watch the house. They should be here any minute."

  "We need to check on Riley," I said, panic seizing my heart. I ran from the bedroom to Riley's room. Her door was open. Her light was off. "Riley?" I asked, turning her light on. She wasn't in bed.

  Kaitlyn ran up behind me. "She's not here?" she asked.

  "No. Riley!" I screamed, loud enough to make Kaitlyn wince. She started screaming too.

  "Riley!" Kaitlyn's voice carried through the air.

  I ran down the stairs, searching the first floor while Kaitlyn checked the upstairs. "She's not here," Kaitlyn said, meeting me in the living room.

  "Oh my God, where is she?" I screamed. "Where could she go? Did Taylor get her?"

  "Did you see any broken windows or doors downstairs?"

  "No."

  "Then it's not Taylor. Riley must be here. She probably heard me on the phone with Ethan and got scared. She might be hiding."

  I wasn't sure that made any sense. Why would Riley hide from me and Kaitlyn? But it was better than the alternative. We ran back to Riley's room, searching frantically for any sign of her. She wasn't under the bed or in her closet. Finally, out of frustration, I threw her pillow across the room. And there it was, written in Taylor's handwriting. A note.

  I can't believe you still leave that spare key in that fake rock out front. You always were an idiot. I've got Riley. She's fine. Sorry, I need my money somehow. And this is it.

  My head exploded as I remembered the key in that stupid fake rock. How could I be so stupid? This was all my fault. Taylor didn't have to break in, she just quietly walked right through the front door.

  "She's got her," I said, sinking onto Riley's bed. "I failed her. I couldn't keep my daughter safe." Kaitlyn sunk onto the bed beside me, taking my hand in hers.

  "Why didn't Riley scream out for us?" she asked.

  "Maybe she couldn't. Maybe Taylor hurt her… maybe..." I couldn't stop my shoulders from shaking.

  Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around me. "It's not over yet," she said. "We'll find her. I know we will."

  But in my heart, I knew I'd never see Riley again.

  41

  Kaitlyn

  I called Ethan back the second Axel and I discovered Riley was missing.

  "Riley's gone! Taylor took her." I resisted the urge to scream at Ethan through the receiver. Axel was already screaming enough for us both.

  "Riley!" Axel shouted, running up and down the stairs, his crutches clacking on the ground. He finally came to a rest in front of Riley's room, panting, his sweat-soaked t-shirt clinging to his perfect body. Then he began to pace. Up and down the hall, up and down the hall, calling Riley's name as if she might just pop out of the woodwork. My heart broke for him, but for now, at least, I needed him to shut up. It was all I could do just to hear what Ethan was saying.

  "Are you sure it was Taylor?" Ethan asked. "Sometimes kids get spooked. If she knows Taylor wants her back, she might've decided to run away."

  But I was already shaking my head. I'd spent enough time with Riley to know that wasn't something she would do under any circumstance. She loved her dad way too much. Axel stopped in his tracks, looking around him with crazy, wild eyes, almost as though he didn't know where he was, then he ran down the stairs again screaming, "Riley!"

  "Look," Ethan said, "just stay put, okay? Don't go anywhere."

  "But we have to find her. Riley's only four, Ethan! We have to go and look for her."

  "We're on it. You just have to trust me. If you leave the house now, you might miss Taylor's phone call."

  "Don't be stupid. We both have cell phones." I felt bad for snapping at Ethan when he was only trying to help, but Axel's frantic screaming was beginning to hurt my head, and my eyes were tearing as worry overcame me. I could hardly see as my vision blurred. Still, Axel's screams echoed throughout the house with no sign they would ever stop.

  "Yes, but does Riley have a cell phone? Does Taylor even have both your cell numbers?"

  "I don't know," I admitted. If Axel would calm down, I could ask him. But he didn't seem able to control himself right now. I was going to have to handle him myself when I hung up with Ethan. If he didn't calm down soon, he was going to have an aneurysm.

  "Besides," Ethan said, "what if Riley gets away? Where's the first place she's gonna run to?"

  "Home," I said, reluctantly. "Fine, we won't move. But you better find out something fast. And call me as soon as you do."

  "Of course I will," Ethan replied. "Don't worry. We'll find her." His voice was strong enough to inspire confidence in me,
if only just a little. I hung up with him and went to find Axel. He was sitting on the bottom step, his head in his hands, and his face red as a radish.

  "Axel, I just talked to Ethan. The cops are already looking for her." He stared off into the distance. His foot kicked at one of the suitcases that still stood on the bottom landing. "Did you hear me? The cops are looking for Riley right now. As we speak. They're gonna find her. This isn't your fault."

  It was as if my words struck some deep, dark chord inside him. Axel's eyes lifted to mine, and he stood up. My heart raced. Anger flashed from deep within him, and I saw Axel's temper begin to flare. He rammed his fist into the wall, ripping his knuckles open and leaving a bloody trail on the wall.

  He hobbled away from me, and I could have sworn I felt the baby kick, though I knew it must have been my imagination. I stepped away from him, terrified, but also a little turned on. I wondered if that made me crazy. Despite the anger in his eyes, he'd never looked so hot.

  His nostrils flared as tears welled in his eyes. "She's all I have. Riley... she's gone. I... I've let her down."

  "No, Axel. Riley loves you."

  "But I couldn't keep her safe. I promised her I would, but I didn't do it. I was too busy fucking you."

  My heart rapped hard against my chest. The situation was already hard; Axel was only making it harder by blaming himself. And there was something in his tone that was beginning to alarm me.

  "Axel, this isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for something that Taylor did."

  "You're right," he said. His voice was almost too low to hear. "This isn't my fault. It's yours."

  For a second, I thought I'd misheard him. "My fault?" I asked. "How can you say that this is my fault?"

  "Nothing's gone right for me since you stepped into my life," Axel said, spinning so that he was facing me now. We stood in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs. The overhead light was too bright and hurt my eyes. My legs felt weaker the angrier Axel became with me.

  "I haven't done anything," I countered. I wanted him to stop this. I knew Riley wasn't mine, but in the time we'd spent together, I'd already started to imagine that she was. That maybe she and Axel and I could be one big, happy family. It sounded so trite in my head, but that didn't stop me from hoping that's how we'd end up. The way Axel was talking now, that image was nothing but a fool's dream.

  "Get out," Axel said, quiet yet forceful.

  "Axel, come on. You're just upset. You don't want—"

  "Get the fuck out of my house! If I'd have just left with Riley when I wanted to, none of this would have happened. I should never have let you talk me out of running. It was a mistake. You were a mistake. Now, get out!" He slammed his fist into the wall again, and I broke down.

  "Fine," I said, trying hard to keep my voice steady. I didn't want him knowing how much he was hurting me. "I'll go, but that won't stop me from helping you find Riley. I care about her, too, you know, even if her father is the biggest prick I've ever met."

  I turned and ran for the door, my eyes unfocused, and the world around me a giant blur.

  "Kaitlyn, wait," Axel said, reaching out for me. I turned around and kicked his shin.

  42

  Axel

  I watched Kaitlyn spin around and run for the door. She was almost outside before my senses returned. Her tear-stained face made my heart ache. I couldn't let her leave like this. God, why was I such an asshole?

  "Kaitlyn, wait," I said. I reached for her, and when my hand brushed her shoulder, she spun around and kicked my bad leg. I had just enough time to recognize that I deserved it before I fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

  Kaitlyn's hands shot to her mouth. "Oh my god!" she screamed, bending over me. "Shit, Axel! I'm sorry."

  She knelt beside me, my pulse racing. My body raged between intermittent bouts of pain and anger, finally settling on the latter as the pain began to subside.

  "Axel, are you alright? Let me look." She tried to pull my hand away from my knee, but I resisted. I was still mad at her. Really, truly, mad. But god, she looked good. Her cheeks were a high pink and her eyes shined like her insides were made of pure sunlight. Anger suited her well.

  "Let me see," Kaitlyn said again, pulling harder at my hands this time as I wriggled on the ground. I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from turning up into a smile. Finally, I let go of my knee so she could examine it. She bit her bottom lip, and I had to stop myself from reaching up and pulling her on top of me.

  "It looks okay," she said. "How does it feel?"

  "I think you're rubbing the wrong spot," I said as her hands ran over my knee. "A little higher." I grinned at her then blinked. What the fuck was I doing? My daughter's been kidnapped, and I'm trying to suck face with my girlfriend.

  Girlfriend?

  I wasn't sure where that word had come from, so I pushed it aside for the time being. There were bigger things to worry about right now than whether or not Kaitlyn was my girlfriend. And anyway, weren't you just thinking that you could see yourself marrying her? Maybe the tabloids were right about me. I was fickle when it came to women.

  "I'm sorry," I said. I knew my cheeks were wet, but I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I hated to cry. It was about the most unmanly thing an athlete could do, but I just couldn't stop myself. I felt my heart break in half at the mere thought of Riley being alone out in the world. Imagining her with Taylor ripped my heart to shreds.

  "Please, don't go," I said. My voice was strained. Every time I tried to speak, my words caught in my throat, fighting with the sobs that were trying to make their way out. "I don't know why I said all that stuff."

  "Because you're upset," Kaitlyn said, laying her hand on my cheek and brushing at my tears with the soft tips of her fingers. "Only someone completely heartless would feel anything less."

  My body shook as Kaitlyn tried to comfort me. Her hands were warm and her arms consoling as they wrapped around me. I tried to sit up, but she pushed me back down. I was still lying on the floor of the foyer. I opened my eyes and saw the white ceiling staring down at me. There were cobwebs in one of the corners, and I made a mental note to remind my housekeeper to dust them next week.

  "Don't move," Kaitlyn said, brushing her lips over mine. Their heat radiated through every inch of me, and for the moment, I felt like things might be okay after all.

  "You know I didn't mean any of that shit I said, right?" I asked. If I ruined things with Kaitlyn, I'd never forgive myself.

  "I know," she said, kissing me again. She lay next to me on the floor, her face inches from mine. I could smell her sweet breath, like candy corn and honey, as she exhaled against me. "I know this is the worst timing ever," she said, "but I have to tell you something. If I don't tell you now, I'm afraid I might not ever tell you."

  I inhaled sharply and started to cough, wincing as I did so.

  "Are you alright?" she asked, alarm spreading across her face. She sat up with me as I tried to get myself under control again. I was terrified of what she wanted to tell me. Had I hurt her too much to stay with me? Was she going to leave me now, like I'd left all the women before her? Perhaps I deserved whatever it was she had to say.

  "Please don't go," I whispered, fresh tears flooding my eyes. "I need you. I love you."

  She looked at me, astonished. "Leave?" she asked. "I'm not leaving. I'm not—"

  I kissed her hard, my heart rejoicing as my worst fears were alleviated. To be alone now would mean complete and total disaster for me. I wasn't sure I could breathe without Kaitlyn beside me now when I needed her the most.

  "Axel, I still have to tell you something."

  "Whatever it is, it's fine. As long as you're here with me now, I don't give a shit about anything else." I pressed my lips to hers, using my body to tell her how I felt. She resisted a moment, then her lips found mine, and together we sank into the abyss.

  43

  Kaitlyn

  I lay next to Axel on the floor, caressing his cheek as his chest ro
se and exhaled once more. His shirt was still damp from running all over the house. I peeled it off him and threw it to the side. My lips burned when they brushed over his skin. His abs tightened against my tongue as I reached out to lick him. I could taste his worry, his passion, and his excitement as my hand reached down and began to stroke him.

  Axel's cock was a thick mass between my hands. His pants were almost too tight as I maneuvered my hand inside them.

  "Kaitlyn," he murmured "I don't know what I'd do if you stopped now."

  "I'm not stopping anything," I whispered back. My heart pounded as I worked his cock slowly between my fingers, teasing his balls as I stroked his thick shaft up and down. His pants were getting in the way, so I tossed them aside. When he was free, there was no hiding his desire for me. Naked on the floor, Axel's member rose toward the ceiling, calling out for me as I hovered over him.

  I grabbed some pillows off the couch and placed one on either side of Axel's hips, slipping out of my pants before straddling him like I was about to ride a stallion. Axel's strong hands weaved themselves under my shirt, lifting it off me, then he unclasped my bra so that I was naked now, too.

  Our hands played with each other's bodies. Axel found new ways to tease me. My pussy was hot and getting wetter by the second. We focused all of our attention on making each other feel good, turning the tidal waves of emotion we'd each felt throughout the day into the force propelling us forward into new waves of gratification. Any hurt, any pain, was but a route to pleasure.

  When Axel's magic fingers found my pussy, already buzzing with energy from the touch of his skin against mine, I shuddered as he slipped them inside me. His fingers were the wand that controlled the intensity of my rapture. Ecstasy was too small a word as his thumb circled my clit and my pussy's temperature began to climb.

  I arched my back, shifting my position over his hips as I maneuvered his fingers out of me, then rose slightly off the ground and fell down onto his cock with my hole wide open for him. His manhood was more than ready to welcome me.