As soon as I slid into the passenger seat of Axel's Range Rover, I was hit by the warm, spicy scent sifting in the car. It was a heaven of leather, pine, and something distinctly Axel. It made my head swim a little, or maybe that was just the proximity.
He closed the door with a click before settling into the driver's seat beside me.
Axel's presence beside me was overwhelming. His hands gripped the steering wheel as he started the engine. The hum of the car vibrated through my seat, making me acutely aware of just how out of place I felt.
He adjusted the rearview mirror before speaking in a casual tone as if the past hour hadn't been a whirlwind of humiliation, heroics, and... whatever this was.
"I usually come to that butcher," Axel began, his eyes flicking briefly toward me before returning to the road. "But I didn't think I'd stumble upon you there."
Wait, what?