Page 37 of Hard as Stone
Poppy melts against me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “Oh, Axel.”
“We’ll figure this out,” I promise. “I’m not letting you go, Poppy. Not now, not ever.”
She nods, burying her face against my neck. I hold her close, breathing in her scent, justholdingher in my arms. For a long moment, we just stay like that, but eventually I shift back.
“Come on,” I murmur, helping her off the bike. “Let’s get you home. Give you some time to think.”
She nods, but I can see the way her hands tremble slightly as she smooths down her dress. “Um. What about my underwear?”
I grin, patting my pocket where her panties are tucked away. “I’m keeping these as collateral. Make sure you come back to me.”
Poppy’s eyes widen, a blush coloring her cheeks. “Axel! I can’t ride home without underwear.”
“Sure you can.” I pat the seat behind me. “Just hold on tight and try not to let too much wind get into you know where.”
“Axel!” she squeals, play tapping me on the shoulder, but there’s laughter there.
I help her onto the back of my bike, and she wraps her arms around my waist, pressing her cheek against my back. “If I spend the next week queefing every time I take a step, I’m blaming you.”
I throw my head back and laugh, the sound echoing across the mountaintop. Her ability to make me laugh, to bring lightness to even our most intense moments, is just one more thing I love about her.
I love her.
Shit. I didn’t see that one coming.
“Come on, trouble. Let’s get you home.”
The ride back to Paradise is torture—having her pressed against me, the taste of her still on my tongue, the smell of her on my beard. Every curve in the road has her thighs squeezing tighter around me, and the knowledge that she’s not wearing any panties is enough to drive me insane. But I meant what I said. When I claim her, I’ll be doing it properly. It won’t be a quick fuck on the side of the road. It’ll be slow, controlled. It’ll be forever.
I pull up far enough from her trailer that we won’t wake anyone, killing the engine. For a moment, neither of us moves.
“I had a really good time tonight,” she says softly, sliding off the bike.
“Even without dessert?” I tease, but there’s an edge of need in my voice.
She laughs, stepping between my legs to kiss me. “I think we had plenty of dessert, Road Captain.”
I pull her closer. “I’m crazy for making us wait, aren’t I?”
Poppy laughs softly against my lips. “Maybe a little. But I appreciate it.” She pulls back slightly, her eyes searching mine. “It means a lot that you want to do this right. I…” She looks back over her shoulder at her trailer in the distance. The silhouette of one of her family members moves past the window. She sighs. “It’s all just so complicated.”
“It’s OK.” I brush my thumb across her cheek. “You’re worth doing right, trouble.”
She blushes, ducking her head. “I really do love you, you know. I wasn’t just saying it in the heat of the moment earlier.”
“I know. And I love you too.”
She glances back at the trailer again, her brow furrowed when she turns back to me. “Can I trust you with something?”
My body instantly tenses. “Of course.”
“I’ve been hearing Dad on the phone late at night. Conversations that stop the moment anyone walks in.” She wraps her arms around herself. “And after what you said about Summit...”
“What kind of conversations?”
“Something about progress reports. Keeping things on schedule.” She bites her lip. “And money. Always about money, but it doesn’t make sense. We’re barely making ends meet—hell, we live in a trailer park. Where’s all this money going?”
The pieces I’ve long suspected fit together start locking into place. Her father’s not just working for Summit—he’s actively helping them while keeping his own kids in the dark. Keeping them dependent on him.
