I close my eyes and Axel appears shirtless and covered in sweat. My eyelids snap open and I stare at the blackness of my room. Sleep will not be had tonight without the thought of Axel burning bright in my brain. I toss. I turn. I can’t sleep.
I don’t really know what to do right now. Part of me wants to run over to his house, knock on his door and have him greet me with kisses.
I squeeze my eyes shut tight. No, my goals are my priorities, and I can’t let one extremely gorgeous neighbor deter me from that.
I’ll just have to pretend he doesn’t exist.
Loud banging penetrates my dream, interrupting Axel’s tongue as it makes it way up my calf. I smack the mattress wanting ten more minutes of sleep, but the banging sound is persistent. I hear Felicity's giggling somewhere in the backyard where it seems the noise is coming from.
When I get to the backyard, I rub my eyes, wondering if I’m still dreaming. My barren backyard is now sporting a half-finished play structure, complete with a shirtless Axel hammering away as if he stepped right out of my dreams and into my backyard. Felicity stands next to him. And my breath hitches when I notice she’s swinging a pink plastic baby hammer.
“What’s going on here?”
My mom comes out of the slider with a bottle of water and a sippy cup in her hands. “He showed up this morning and asked if he could start working on it. He felt bad for yelling at Felicity. He explained he didn’t want to be known as the meanie neighbor.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s exactly what this is about.” I cross my arms and glare at him.
“What are you talking about? And why are you attempting to set him on fire with your eyes?”
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. “He came home last night at the same time I did. My shift yesterday was brutal. I was only wearing my work shorts and a tiny shirt which showed the bottom of my bra. He wouldn’t stop staring at me.”
“Can you blame him? I’m sorry to tell you this, Emma, but you’re a little hottie.”
I blush. “Anyway,” I say cutting her off. “He wouldn’t stop staring. And I kind of yelled at him. He knows I’m a dancer, and probably assumes I’m an easy lay.”
“Hmm.” She clicks her tongue.
“What?” I ask, peeling my eyes away from Axel’s muscular back.
“Oh, nothing.” She smiles.
“Mom, I know you. That was not a nothing sound.”
My mother nudges me with her elbow as she passes by to deliver the drinks she’s holding. I follow behind her, nerves fluttering through my stomach as I get closer to Axel.
He turns when he hears my mother’s footsteps. A smile hits his face when he notices me following behind her. I frown at him, and he smiles even bigger.
Oh no, he’s got a dimple. A real-life dimple marring his cheek. And I want nothing more than to kiss it.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” He winks at me. Felicity tries to copy him, blinking both eyes at me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, moving over to kiss Fel as she shows me her hammer with all the excitement of a three-year-old.
Axel drinks half the bottle of water before capping it. And then, all his attention is aimed at me. The butterflies swarming inside my core, flap their wings even harder and I try to remind myself to breathe. “I wanted to apologize to Felicity for yelling at her yesterday. I promise I’m not normally a bear.”
At the word bear, Felicity growls, stomping all over the yard with her hammer clenched in her hand, imitating a big, grizzly bear.
We all smile at her. I mean she’s adorable, how can you not smile at her antics?
Axel clears his throat, focusing my attention back to him. He stares at my face with sheer determination. My face flames bright red and it has nothing to do with the sweltering Vegas heat already pouring down on us. No, it has everything to do with what I’m wearing, or should I say not wearing. It was so hot last night all I could stand to put on was tiny pajama shorts and a white tank-top, and in pure Emma fashion there’s no bra under the tight material.
Yes, it’s all the heat’s fault.
Seriously. If it were winter right now, I’d be bundled from head-to-toe.
My mom smiles, taking off to chase Felicity, giving us time to talk. I’m pretty sure I know what her ‘hmm’ was about now.
“I want to apologize,” Axel says. His eyes still firmly fixed on mine.
I have to hand it to him, he hasn’t checked me out or made me feel cheap in any way.
“For what?” I ask, stepping closer.
He takes a deep breath, his eyes dipping to my chest before bobbing right back up. “For everything.”