The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 68

ASHER

The more I thought about Axel and Juniper making out like they didn't have a care in the world, the angrier I became. I tried to tell myself it didn't matter. She broke up with me. She broke up with me because I screwed up and hurt her, which meant she was free to do whatever she wanted. I tried to justify her actions. I tried to make it make sense, but I couldn't rationalize it. Hardly a week ago she was mine. We woke up in the same bed together. She laughed at my jokes and touched me like I was everything to her.

Even if I hurt her, I didn't understand how she moved on so quickly. It felt like she never even cared about me.

I stared at the picture we took at prom. There was joy and love in her eyes as I kissed her forehead. We looked like the perfect couple in the photo. We were the perfect couple in every way. We were both at the top of our classes. She appreciated my humor. She was caring and sweet.

I couldn't comprehend why we weren't together.

I knew I hurt her. I knew I messed up.

However, I couldn't get over the feeling that if she didn't have Axel to run to, she would've come back to me. She would've given me a second chance to take back the awful things I said to her.

I wanted her to be happy, but I wanted her to be happy with me.

***

JUNIPER

Axel leaned against the hallway across from my new dorm room. His arms were crossed, and he was looking at his phone. My heart leapt at the sight of him. He had been forced on bed rest for the past several days-strict orders from the doctor after he passed out. I was with him as much as I could be, but it still didn't feel like enough, especially knowing there was a countdown to our time together.

"Axel!" I rushed up to him, and he caught me in his arms. At first, I kept my grip on him loose, afraid to hurt him, but he squeezed me, pulling me flushed against his chest. He leaned his head against mine and took a deep inhale.

I hoped my hair smelled okay from the day.

"Did the doctor clear you?" I asked, loosening my grip just enough to crane my neck up to look at him.

"Yep." He popped the "p" at the end of the word, and his face was filled with color. He looked like his normal self again with his hair gelled up and dark clothes. There was just one thing missing. "Like fully cleared?" I raised my eyebrows.

Axel smirked. "Well, I'm not allowed to play wolfball anytime soon, but I wasn't planning on doing that anyway. Now, as for other physical activities, the doctor did order some exercise. He said it was good to make sure my muscles don't deteriorate from lying in bed for days on end."

"What kind of activity?" I asked, my heart racing. I was pretty sure I already knew what he was hinting at, but I was afraid to actually say it. I was afraid I was the only one thinking about our night in the hotel on repeat.

"Well, I had a few ideas." Axel turned us, pressing my back against the wall. He grabbed my chin and tilted my head up to meet his lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him against me. His hand slowly moved down my neck, brushing the hair out of the way.

He leaned down and sucked on my neck, making soft moans escape my mouth. Suddenly, I became fervently aware that we were in a hallway where anyone could walk by. "Axel?" I whispered, stretching my neck back to give him full access.

"Hmmm?" He didn't bother to move his lips off my skin.

"Someone could see us."

He ran his tongue up my neck until he made it to the back of my ear. He placed a soft kiss on the sensitive skin there and then whispered, "Let them see us. Who cares?"

I was about to say, "I care," but then he nipped my earlobe before sucking it, and all that came out was a moan. It felt so good, and the more Axel touched me, the less I cared about the world around us.

Axel was right. There was no point in caring about who saw me making out with Axel in my hallway. I wanted to be with him, and I didn't want to waste another second worrying about what others thought when I had so little time left before I had to leave.

I planned on enjoying Axel as much as I could while I still could.

I twisted so I could find his mouth again, desperate for his sweet taste. I slid my tongue into his mouth, and he eagerly accepted me. We explored each other's mouths, and Axel explored my body with his hands. He grabbed my butt and pulled my lower half closer. His hard length pressed against me, making my core ache for him.

I was ready to strip right there and let Axel do whatever he wanted to me. I wanted and needed his touch like I needed air to breathe.

Axel pulled back slowly, and I whimpered at the lack of contact. He chuckled, looking down at me. "If we don't stop now, then we may end up giving your neighbors a show." He leaned in just enough to whisper while making sure not to touch me. "Don't worry though. I'll give you everything you want soon enough."

Blood rushed to my cheeks, and my entire body felt heated. I still wanted to drag Axel into my room and take advantage of him, or have him take advantage of me, but now that he wasn't touching me, my head cleared just enough to think again.

"I was actually thinking we could look for a new jacket for you today, since you lost your other one," I said. It was one thing on my checklist of things to do in the week before I left this school.

Axel's face softened as he stroked my cheek with his thumb. "Have you been worried about that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "We had to leave so quickly, and you nearly died. You deserve a replacement jacket." I played with the hem of his shirt as I spoke.

"I don't care about some jacket. You're so much more important to me." Axel interlaced his fingers with mine and kissed the back of my hand.

"I also like that look on you." I bit my lip as I thought about the way he looked in his leather jacket. I had never gone for the bad boy look before, but there was something about it on Axel that stirred something in my core.

He raised his eyebrows as a playful smirk danced on his lips. "I didn't know you liked the dangerous look so much."

"I like you," I said, staring up at Axel. As I said the words, it was easier than I expected. It wasn't some profession of love, but there was nothing scary about telling Axel I liked him. I knew that if I gave him my heart, if I let myself fall in love with him, Axel wouldn't be the one to hurt me.

I was going to be the one to hurt him.

"Good, because I like you, too." Axel pressed his hand against the back of my neck, pulling me in towards him. As we kissed, everything felt right. For just a moment, it was like everything would be okay.

I wanted to stay in that moment forever. I wanted to cradle the happiness building in my chest and let it explode into something incredible. If there were no other factors, I knew I could get my happily ever after with Axel.

But I knew this was just a moment that would become some distant memory I reflected on as I wished things were different.

Axel parted from me, but he stayed only a few inches away. "Don't you have class soon?"

I shook my head. "Class was canceled." It was a lie, and I hated how easily it came out of my mouth. I didn't want to lie to Axel about anything.

He smiled, completely oblivious. "Perfect. Let's go get that jacket, and then we can have dessert."

***

I held onto Axel's back tightly as he weaved in and out of traffic to get to the mall. Being on the back of his motorcycle was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. It made me feel alive in a way I couldn't appreciate the other times I was on the back of the motorcycle.

This time I wasn't running away from anything or anyone.

The wind whipped past me, and the roar of the motorcycle filled my chest. I turned my head just enough so I could watch the world flash by me in a blur. It was beautiful and dizzying all at the same time, just like everything that had happened with Axel. He pulled into the parking lot and looked around, as if he was expecting to see someone waiting for us. After a moment, he helped me off the motorcycle. He slid his hand into mine, as if that was where it belonged, and we walked to the mall together.

"Do you think that boutique will have another leather jacket?" I asked. I didn't remember seeing jackets of that sort last time I was there with Axel, but I was also focused on finding a dress for Homecoming. There were plenty of sections I didn't even bother to look

at.

Axel shrugged. "Maybe. If not, we'll just look somewhere else. As much as I like having a leather jacket, I'm not in a rush to find one. Like I said-"

He stopped talking and grabbed my waist, pushing me against the wall outside of the mall suddenly. He hunched over me like a protective barrier. His breath was heavy, and his eyes were wide, instantly putting me on high alert.