Chapter Fifteen

Not edited or proofread.

Novella

Today was the first day in a week that we finally went into the office to work instead of just working from home. And it only happened because both Griffin and Axel had meetings with a couple of different departments in the building. And Axel wasn't leaving me home—not without him there with me. He had more guards on my security detail, but it didn't feel safe enough for him.

Honestly, it didn't feel safe enough for me, either.

I was a mess as we got into the car, too nervous to really even do something as simple as walk, so Axel had carried me, allowing me to wrap my arms and legs around him so I could cling to him. And I didn't let go until we got to our office.

Axel stood from his desk and grabbed his iPad and phone before striding over to me. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of my head that made my heart flutter and my gut flip. Weeks together had done nothing to lessen the way my body and my organs reacted to him and the way he took care of me. The way he doted on me. I'd only come to crave it even more.

"Max is attending this meeting with me."

I frowned, looking at my calendar. "But I—"

"No, baby girl," Axel said, his voice gentle but stern. "You haven't looked okay all morning. You need your rest." He kissed me on the lips this time. "Sit here. Harlan will bring you tea and something light to snack on in a few minutes."

I frowned. "But I feel alright." I mean, I was a little nauseous this morning when I first woke up, but that had passed. I was okay now.

"Don't argue with me." He gave me that look—the Daddy one—that made me pout. He hummed and ran his hand over my red hair. "I love you. Stay in this office, understand?"

I nodded. "Okay, Daddy."

He smiled at me and caressed my cheek. "Good girl." Then, he was striding to the door, leaving me at my desk, feeling like I'd done something wrong. Why wouldn't he want me with him? Usually when he thought something was wrong with me, he wanted me as close as possible. Was he upset that I wasn't pregnant yet?

Tears burned in my eyes, and my lips trembled. I pressed my fingertips into my eyelids, drawing in a shaky breath. Still, a tear ran down my cheek, and I ended up bursting into tears.

Why couldn't I get anything right? Axel was going to toss me aside. He didn't want me anymore. I'd failed at the only thing he'd asked of me.

"Hey—oh, fuck. Novella, what's wrong?" Harlan gripped my wrists and pulled my hands down from my face. When I saw the tea and cookies in front of me, I only cried harder. "Fuck. Fuck. It's okay." He pulled me up from my chair and hugged me to him. A moment later, I heard Axel's voice coming through his phone, and I only cried harder.

"Harlan, you know—"

"She's fucking crying, Axel. I don't know what to do." Harlan truly sounded panicked.

"What the fuck do you mean she's crying?!" Axel barked, making me flinch. Harlan shhed me, his hand rubbing up and down my back.

"Exactly what I said," Harlan snapped. "What the hell did you do?"

The call ended, and I cried harder. He didn't even care to finish the conversation. He was done with me; I knew it.

The door flew open, and Axel stormed into the room. Kyle walked in behind him in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, his freckles prominent on his face. His red hair had been tamed, no longer the unruly mess it had been.

"Kyle?" I blubbered.

He shoved past Axel, knocking their shoulders roughly together. Then, I was in Kyle's arms, and he was squeezing me to him, and he aimed a gun at Axel before I could stop him. Immediately, Harlan and Griffin pulled theirs on Kyle, leaving me in the middle of it. Axel pulled two and calmly pointed them at his best friends. "Drop them," Axel growled, not removing his eyes from Kyle, "or I'll fucking kill you for daring to point a gun in Novella's direction."

My heart skipped a beat in my chest. Immediately, Harlan and Griffin lowered their guns, and Axel slid his back into place beneath his suit jacket as if having my brother leveling a gun at his forehead was a normal, every day occurrence.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" Kyle snarled.

Axel sighed. "I don't know. No one's giving me a fucking chance to find out," he snapped. "If you could release your sister, that'd be wonderful."

"Fuck you," Kyle gritted. "You got me out of prison to protect her. And I will. Even from you. Figure it out right here, right now, or I'll splatter your brains across this fucking room."

"Kyle—" I whispered.

"Novella, baby girl," Axel stepped closer, ignoring Kyle's weapon, his eyes steady on my watery, blood-shot ones, "talk to me. What did I do?"

My gut churned, vomit rising up my esophagus. I shoved Kyle away from me and lurched for my trashcan, throwing up my breakfast. Immediately, Axel was at my side, holding my hair back. He covered my body with his, wrapping me up in his arms protectively as I retched. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I sat back, letting Axel support my weight. "I don't feel good, Daddy," I whispered, my voice wobbling.

"I know, baby girl," he said softly, holding me on his lap. "I told you you didn't look good, didn't I? Daddy always knows best." He wiped my tears from his cheeks. "Tell me what's wrong."

My chin wobbled. "Are you tired of me?"

He blinked in surprise. "What?" he finally asked. "Baby girl, where the hell is this coming from?"

I sniffled and swiped the back of my hand under my nose. Kyle kneeled beside me with a tissue and worked on cleaning my face, then he took a wipe to my hands. "You didn't want me with you, so I thought you were tired of me and were getting ready to get rid of me—"

"Christ, no," Axel growled, squeezing me to him. "You didn't look good, baby. You were pale. You haven't looked right all morning. I wanted to you to rest and try to snack," he eyed the desk, "though cookies wasn't what I had in mind when I said something light."

A soft giggle erupted from my chest. Axel leaned down and tried to kiss me, but I turned my head away. "Vomit breath," I muttered, my cheeks flaming red.

Axel gripped my chin and turned my head back to face him. "I don't care, baby girl. These lips are mine—vomit breath or not." He kissed me then, and something inside of me loosened. And then, I was gagging and ripping my lips from his, reaching for the trashcan again.

Kyle sighed. "Did you knock my sister up?" he asked, holding my hair for me as Axel held me tight to him.

"Hopefully," Axel told him bluntly.

I felt too horrible to care that Axel had just told my brother he was trying to knock me up. I just leaned back against him, my throat raw.

"Jesus Christ," Kyle muttered, shaking his head. "Just got out of prison and might already be an uncle." He sighed and smiled at me. "I guess someone should go buy a pregnancy test for you, huh?"

This time, I did blush. Axel pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Not right now," he told Kyle. "I need to get her home. She needs rest."

I nodded. "Sleep sounds really good," I mumbled, resting my head on Axel's shoulder. "Take me home, Daddy."

He stood from the floor with me cradled in his arms. "On it, baby girl."