Page 58 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

Axelle wasn’t stupid, and a satisfied smirk spread across her face at getting him riled up and defensive.

“Insult my date again, and you won’t have a place to sleep tonight, Zacharias.” It was a far cry from snapping his neck and tossing him around the bar like my every instinct told me to, but it was a blow meant to hurt him.

The sprawling mansion was owned by me, but Philetus and Zacharias had lived in it since the day I’d purchased it. It had been just as much their home as it was mine. And I’d threatened to kick him out.

“You wouldn’t!” Zacharias’ jaw dropped.

“Don’t test me. Let’s finish the business so I can leave.” The pulsing beat of the bass and drunken shouts were getting on my nerves.

When Zacharias resumed his negotiations with the warlock, I caught Axelle’s chin and brought her lips to mine. “Don’t contradict me, pet. What I say goes when we’re in public. In private, you can enjoy your games, but outside the safety of our home, you have to trust me to protect you.”

“Mr. Grim, with all due respect, I’m a woman. Not all men are douches, but being harassed or disrespected by pushy men is a common occurrence in every woman’s life. Tonight has been a pretty chill night, actually.”

“My name isn’t Grim,” I growled, irritated at how blase she was acting about men being creeps.

If she was correct, and this happened every time we went out, I was going to end up leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake.

“If the name fits.” She shrugged. “You’ve been grumpy all night.”

“Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact you’re the hottest woman who has ever walked through those doors. The men in here haven’t stopped staring in this direction and salivating like rabid dogs.”

Axelle dropped her sex kitten persona and blushed. There was no denying she was gorgeous in her slinky red dress, crimson lips, smoky just-had-sex eyes, and the sexy heels that practically screamed she wanted to be taken to bed and ride her man all night long. She pulled off the look with a seductive classiness that set her apart from every other woman.

But I’d loved seeing that flash of the woman I’d fallen in love with. The one who wore orc-sized shirts that swallowed her body, ridiculous fuzzy socks, and her hair in a precarious pile on her head. The woman who trusted books more than people because they’d never let her down, and used a ridiculous amount of energy protecting the creature most of the world looked at with disgust.

I worshiped the female who’d attacked a reaper to save those she loved and who’d done what no one had dared to before by showing up uninvited inside my house, but had been too embarrassed by her body’s reaction to me to maintain eye contact.

That was the Axelle I wanted to hold in my arms as she slept each night. Fierce and loyal, but also sensitive and sassy.

“They can only see my back, right?” Axelle asked, the mischief in her eyes making my pulse quicken.

“Yes.” I narrowed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever new torture she’d thought up for me.

“So they can’t see me do this?” she whispered so low only I could hear.

Axelle slid the front of her dress against her waist, and rolled her hips slightly, giving me a glimpse of the black thong she wore.

I tried to breathe, but I’d forgotten how.

“Only you can see me do this, right?” She slid a finger under the edge of the fabric.

I couldn’t have answered even if I wanted to.

“Is it better if I do it this way so you can see?” she asked, keeping her voice too low for anyone else to hear.

Using her right hand, she pulled the scrap of fabric to the side, allowing me to drink in the sight of her.

I was in serious trouble.

Axelle sounded confident as she did her best to seduce me, but I caught the slight tremble in her fingers as she moved the fabric, and the light flickered overhead.

She was being naughty and pushing for me to react. But she was also being incredibly vulnerable with me. Axelle wanted to win this round, but it was written all over her face that she was trying to please me—even if that pushed her outside of her comfort zone.

With her right fingers still holding the thong, she used her left pointer finger to trace her entrance.

My erection jerked, sending a spasm of pain rippling through me. I was too engorged, but I hadn’t been able to get it to go down no matter what technique I tried.

She slipped a finger inside herself and began to stroke. Her movements were tiny, and she was careful not to call attention to what she was doing. Biting her lip, she slipped a second finger into her tight heat.

---