Page 36 of Hard as Stone
She grins. “Maybe I just know what I want.”
“And what exactly is it you want?”
Poppy’s eyes meet mine, full of heat. “You.” Her hands slide down my chest, fingers toying with the buttons of my shirt. “I want to feel you inside me, Axel. Want to know if you feel as good as I’ve imagined.”
I capture her wrists before she can undo my shirt. “Poppy...”
“What?” She tilts her head, a challenge in her eyes. “Scared you can’t handle me, Road Captain?”
I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to pause a beat and meet my gaze. “Sweetheart, I can handle anything you dish out. It’s you who’s not ready for what happens once I get inside you.”
Defiance flashes. “Try me.”
“OK.” I lean in just a little closer, locking eyes with hers until her look shifts from playful to serious.
“Axel…”
“I’m going toclaimyou. The moment my dick is inside you, you will belong to me. And when I do that, I’m gonna do it right. Take my time with you, learn every inch of your body. Make you come over and over until the only thing you know for sure is that youbelong to me and no one else.”
She shivers, her pupils dilating. “That sounds... intense.”
“It will be,” I promise, my voice low and rough. “And when I’m done claiming you, you’ll be mine for keeps. No more handing my leather back at the end of a date.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawns. “Axel...”
I silence her with a gentle kiss. “Let me own you, trouble. Let me claim you properly, show you how a woman like you deserves to be treated. Show you what it means to belong.”
“I… I want that.” A mix of emotions flicker across her face. “But…that’ll make me your old lady, right?”
“That’s the idea.” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “If that’s what you want.”
Poppy bites her lip, her brow furrowing slightly. “It’s a big step. Being an old lady... that means being part of the club, doesn’t it?”
I nod, studying her face carefully. “It does. But it also means you’d be protected. Respected. Part of our family.”
“Your family,” she says quietly, her eyes distant. “Not mine.”
And there it is. The real issue. I cup her chin between my fingers, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Poppy, listen to me. Being my old lady doesn’t mean cutting ties with your family. It just means you’d have more people in your corner. More support.”
She searches my eyes. “But my dad, my brothers... they wouldn’t understand. They already think the MC is trouble.”
“Then we’ll make them understand. Show them that the club isn’t what they think. That we take care of our own.”
Poppy’s quiet for a long moment, her fingers toying with a button on my shirt. I can almost see the gears turning in her head as she weighs her options. “I want everything you’re offering me, Axel,” she whispers finally.
“But?”
“But...” Poppy hesitates. “I need to figure things out with my family, to understand how being your old lady would affect my relationship with them.” She lifts a hand and runs her fingers down the side of my beard. “I want you, Axel. I do. Don’t think for a second I don’t. Because…I…I’m in love with you.”
My breath vanishes. For a moment I can’t even speak, can’t process the enormity of what she’s just said. Love. She loves me. This incredible, fierce, beautiful woman loves…me?
“What?”
She rolls her lips together, then lets out a nervous laugh. “I said I love you, Road Captain.”
My hand wraps around the back of her head, and I crash my mouth to hers, pouring everything I feel for her into it. The desire, the protectiveness, the overwhelming need to claim her as mine—it all comes flooding out, and when we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“I love you too, trouble,” I growl, resting my forehead to hers. “More than I thought possible.”
