Page 46 of Hard as Stone
And that’s the real problem, isn’t it? Now that everything’s laid bare, I can’t hide from what I feel for him anymore. Can’t pretend this is just some fling or that I could ever walk away.
“Look at me,” he demands softly, and when I do, his eyes are blazing. “Everything I am is yours. Has been since that first day with the stop sign. But I needed you clear of this mess. Needed to make sure when it all came down, no one could say you were involved.”
“I could have helped,” I whisper, but the fight’s draining out of me with every brush of his thumbs across my cheeks.
“You did help. You showed me what I was fighting for.” His forehead drops to mine. “A future. With you. One where you’re safe and free from all their manipulation.”
“Axel...”
“I love you.” The words rumble from deep in his chest. “And I’m done pretending I can let you walk away. You’re mine, Poppy Bennett. My woman. My future. My everything.”
The last of my resistance crumbles. I surge up, catching his mouth with mine, pouring all my hurt and anger and desperate need into the kiss. His hands slide into my hair, angling my head to deepen the connection as he presses me harder against the wall.
“I’m still mad at you,” I gasp when we break apart.
“I know.” He nips at my bottom lip. “But you’re not leaving.”
It’s not a question, but I answer anyway. “No. I’m not leaving.”
His eyes darken with possession. “Say it.”
“I’m yours.” The words come easier than they should, like they’ve been waiting on my tongue all this time. “I love you, you stupid, overprotective biker.”
His answering growl vibrates through me as he claims my mouth again, and this time there’s no holding back.
“Fuck, Poppy.”
He takes possession of my body with hungry hands, his cock hard against my stomach as he pushes closer, eliminating anyspace between us. I undulate against him, desperate for more contact. My fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt, needing to feel his skin under my palms.
“Too many clothes,” I gasp against his mouth.
Axel growls in agreement, helping me push his shirt off his arms before yanking my blouse over my head and tossing it aside. His eyes darken as they rake over my newly exposed skin. “Christ, you’re so fucking sexy.”
“So are you,” I breathe, my hands reaching out to reverently trace the ink adorning Axel’s skin. There’s barely a patch uncovered, and he shivers, hissing between his teeth as my fingers circle around the club insignia on his chest before landing on the bottom rocker and stopping. I smile. “At least it’s spelled right here.”
Axel chuckles, the sound creating a rumble under my palms. “Duck’s spelling may be shit, but his ink work is solid.”
His hands slide down my sides, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts through my bra.
“Axel,” I breathe. “Please...”
“Please what, trouble?” His voice is rough with need as he nips at my neck. “Tell me what you want.”
“You,” I gasp as his teeth graze a particularly sensitive spot. “All of you. Now.”
He groans, his hips grinding against mine. “Fuck, I love it when you get demanding.”
In one swift move, he lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me to the bed, never breaking our kiss. Myback hits the mattress and Axel follows, covering my body with his. His weight on top of me feels right, like coming home after being lost for so long.
“You have no idea how much I want this,” he whispers, his voice raw as his calloused thumbs brush over my nipples, sending jolts of electricity straight to my core. I moan, arching up as he pulls my bra cup aside and his mouth replaces his hands, tongue swirling and teeth grazing until I’m a writhing mess beneath him.
“Axel...” His name is a chant I can’t stop repeating as his hands skim lower, popping the button on my pants. He drags the zipper down slowly, teasingly, before hooking his fingers in the waistband and tugging them off my hips along with my panties.
The cool air hits my heated skin and I shiver, but it’s not from the cold. It’s from the intensity in Axel’s eyes as he sits back on his heels and just looks at me, laid out before him, wearing nothing but my bra.
“God, look at you,” he rasps, his hands gliding up my thighs. “So fucking perfect. So ready to become mine.”
I blush under his heated gaze, fighting the urge to cover myself. But there’s no room for shyness, not with the way he’s drinking me in like a man dying of thirst.
