~LAYLA~
"Hey," I said with a soft smile. "You're back."
Axel stood in the doorway, and the look on his face made my breath catch. It was intense, and heated, like he was seeing me for the first time.
His eyes traced the water droplets on my shoulders, the curve of my collarbone, before meeting my gaze again.
"Yeah," he said in a rougher voice than usual. "I'm back."
The air around us felt heavy. I suddenly became acutely aware of how little the towel covered, how his eyes kept drifting downward before he forced them back up.
"I, um..." I cleared my throat. "I was just getting ready. You said dinner out?"
"Right. Dinner." He seemed to shake himself. "I made reservations at Marcello's. That Italian place downtown you mentioned wanting to try."
"You remembered that?" I asked, surprised. I'd only mentioned it once, weeks ago.
"I remember everything you tell me, Layla."
Something in the way he said my name made heat pool in my stomach. I gripped the towel tighter.
