Page 9 of Craving the Bad Boy

She doesn’t respond right away. She just looks up at me with these big, innocent, doe eyes, like she’s analyzing me–trying to read my mind. My heart goes tense when I see the gleam from the hint of tears. The pain there thatIcaused with the mess from my past.

But she doesn’t look away.

After a long moment, she reaches out and offers her hand. I take it, clasping it between both of mine.

“I believe you,” she says softly, drenching me in the warmth of relief. Her voice is somewhat hesitant but solid. And as I look down at her, I make a promise to myself that I will never let Roxy, or anyone else, get in the way of building a life with Tammy. “I’m not going anywhere, Saxon.”

“Good.” I smile, my voice still rough. I kiss her again, this time with a promise of commitment. With the pledge of something deep and real.

My hands move across her body, caressing every naked curve, every silky-smooth inch. She quivers, and as I harden, I lay my body down on top of hers and slide inside. She lets out a soft, tiny gasp as I begin to rut inside her, slow and deliberate, like we’re making passionate love.

But as euphoric as I am, I know this isn’t over. Roxy’s still out there, and unless I’m wrong, she’s planning something. And if I don’t watch out, she’ll ruin everything.

5

TAMMY

The air isthick with the scent of stale beer and spilled whiskey, tinged with the scattered curls of smoke emanating from the ashtrays in the corner tables. Yeah, this is a bar where people still smoke. I doubt anyone in here even knows what a vape is.

The dull hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses is just a faded murmur in the back of my mind as I wipe a wet rag across the countertop. Jayne’s bar may be a place where people come to forget their troubles and lose themselves in the murk of alcohol–a place where I can think of nothing as I go about my job. But tonight is different. Tonight, my mind is somewhere else.

With Saxon…

I can’t stop replaying the events of last night. The way his eyes burned into mine as he entered me, taking me for my very first time while I lay on his bike. The way he was so tenderly dominant. The way he took my innocence so gently and had me feeling like it was alwayshimwho was meant to do it.

And then this morning…

The way he instantly got to his feet when Roxy showed up at his door, clearly upset by her arrival and trying his best to shield me from their drama.

“I only want you.”His words echo through my mind, vibrating through my veins and bones, burrowing deep into my core. I can still feel the stretch from when he entered me. That slight sting of pain from when he claimed me. And the overwhelming bliss from when he brought me to climax.

What an incredible man.

He’s more than I ever could have imagined.

I take a breath and try and focus on the empty glasses in front of me. George just stepped out back for a smoke break, leaving me to fill the orders he’d normally handle. But my mind is overflowing with thoughts of Saxon…

…his callused hands as they moved across my body, the way his lips felt when he pressed them against mine. It’s like we were built for each other.

But will I ever see him again?

I felt truly defended when he sent Roxy away. I felt protected. And when he lay back down on me and looked me in the eyes and told me he only wanted me, I believed him.

But how can I truly know?

I caught a glimpse of Roxy’s reflection in the window when I was pretending to be asleep. She’s got a definite bad girl look to her, but she’s very pretty. There are definitely plenty of guys out there who would be happy to make her theirs. And she and Saxon have history. How am I supposed to compete with that?

“Hey, did that beer end up on Mars or something?” an annoyed voice, like metal on metal, calls out from beside me. I glance three stools down and see Rick, a regular who likes to really knock ‘em back, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

Sighing, I grab him a Budweiser from the fridge and set it down on the counter in front of him with a clink. “Here you go. Back from outer space,” I say, forcing a half-smile. Rick grumbles something under his breath as I turn away.

And that’s when it happens.

The door opens, and Saxon steps into the bar like a storm. The entire atmosphere changes instantly. The dull chatter of conversation fades, and the tension rises as every eye in the place lands on him. His enormous body fills the frame as he stands there, dark and dangerous, his leather jacket stretched tight across his broad, sculpted shoulders. My heart skips a beat, and I could swear the playlist does too.

His eyes find me instantly.

I swallow hard as my heart rate skyrockets.

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