Page 33 of Hard as Stone
“You can sing?”
“As well as a cat when its tail gets stepped on.” I laugh at his surprised expression. “There’s a reason I’m not in a band anymore.”
“Can’t be that bad.”
“Trust me, it was. Our drummer actually cried during our one and only gig.” I take another sip of wine, grinning at the memory. “Though that might have been because I accidentally hit him with the mic stand when I tried to do a cool, spinning move and tripped over the cables.”
His laugh is rich and deep. “Please tell me there’s video evidence of this.”
“There is. And maybe I’ll show you sometime.” I meet his gaze over my wineglass. “When I’ve had more wine and less shame.”
“Careful, trouble. I have no shame and I can get you all the wine you want, so that’s a dangerous promise to make.”
“Maybe I like dangerous.” I hold his stare. “I am on a date with a biker, after all.”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
I pretend to consider. “Well, the food’s good. The company’s...” I wave my hand vaguely. “Decent enough.”
“Decent?” His foot hooks around my ankle under the table. “I’m wounded.”
“Poor baby. How can I make it up to you?”
His eyes darken. “I can think of a few ways.”
The waiter chooses that moment to appear, clearing our plates with practiced efficiency. “Can I interest you in dessert?”
I open my mouth to say yes—the tiramisu I’d spotted on the menu earlier had looked amazing—but Axel’s hand slides higher up my thigh under the table.
“Just the check,” he says, his voice rougher than usual.
The waiter nods and disappears, leaving us alone with the tension crackling between us.
“No dessert?” I manage, very aware of how high his hand has crept.
His fingers brush lightly against my inner thigh, making me shiver. “Oh, I plan on dessert, trouble. Just not here.”
10
AXEL
“Why are we stopping?” Poppy’s voice is both confused and hopeful as I pull the bike off the main road and onto a secluded overlook.
“Thought you might enjoy the view.” I nod toward the twinkling lights spread out below us.
“Oh, wow,” she breathes, as I kill the engine and she slides off the bike, looking out over Stoneheart. “It feels like we’re above the stars.”
I watch Poppy as she moves to the edge of the overlook, her silhouette illuminated by the moonlight. That dress of hers hugs against her curves in a way that has me clenching my fists to keep from tearing it off her body.
“It’s beautiful,” she says softly, turning back to me with a smile as bright as the sun.
“Not as beautiful as what I’m looking at right now. But yeah, it’s nice down there.”
Her smile turns shy. “Axel...”
“Get over here, trouble,” I say, holding out my hand to her.
She walks back toward me, her hips swaying in a way that makes my mouth go dry. The moment she slips her hand in mine, I give it a gentle tug.
