Page 49 of Hard as Stone
He grins, nipping at my bottom lip. “What can I say? You bring out the insatiable teenager in me.”
I laugh, but it turns into a gasp as his fingers find their way between my legs. And as I settle back, enjoying the sensation of Axel’s fingers expertly working me up again, I realize that this is what it means to be truly cherished. To be protected without being controlled. To be loved, claimed. His.
Outside, I can hear bikes starting up, brothers heading home for the night. Soon we’ll have to face reality again—deal with my father’s betrayal, figure out what to do about my brothers, handle whatever fallout comes from tonight.
But for now, I’ve made my choice. I’m home. And it’s exactly where I belong.
14
AXEL
“You got me a gift?” Poppy asks from where she sits cross-legged in the center of my bed, drinking coffee and wearing nothing but my t-shirt. The sight of her like this—relaxed, at home in my space—makes my chest tighten with a possessive satisfaction I’ve never felt before.
“Don’t get too excited,” I warn, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to her. “It’s more of a necessity than a gift.”
Her eyes widen as I hold out the box. She sets her coffee aside and takes it carefully, turning it over in her hands, brow furrowed.
“It’s not gonna bite, trouble,” I tease.
She sticks her tongue out at me before slowly lifting the lid and peeking inside. Her breath catches as she pulls out the leather cut. It’s smaller than mine, made to fit her smaller frame, but the patches are unmistakable—Stoneheart MC on the back, with a rocker underneath that reads ‘Property of Axel’.
“Axel...” Her expression is worth every second I spent sewing those patches on the cut at three in the morning. “I love it.” She traces over the property patch, her fingers lingering over my name, and I watch her throat work as she swallows hard.
“Figured it was time you had your own.” I press a kiss to her shoulder. “Though I should warn you—Duck’s still in charge of patch design, so there’s a fifty-fifty chance something’s misspelled.”
She laughs, but I catch the shimmer of tears in her eyes. “Well, at least we’ll be poor spellers together.”
“Together,” I agree, helping her slip the cut on over her T-shirt. It settles on her shoulders like it was already molded to her frame, and something possessive unfurls in my chest at the sight. “How’s it feel?”
“Way better than my orange traffic vest,” she says with a grin, running her hands over the smooth leather. Her expression turns more serious as she looks up at me. “It feels right, Axel. Like it was always meant to be mine.”
I cup her face in my hands, unable to resist kissing her. “That’s because you were always meant to be mine, Poppy.”
She melts into the kiss for a moment before pulling back and tilting her head in that cheeky way that tells me she’s about to deliver some sass. “Though if you think this means I’m going to start following orders?—”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, trouble.”
A quick knock on my door and a throat clearing in the doorway interrupts us. Lee stands there, his usual smirk absent. “Sorry to break up the moment, but we’ve got a situation.”
The tension in his voice has me instantly alert. “What kind?”
“Summit’s guys are at the garage. Duck says they’re making threats about his expansion into the old hardware lot. They’re spouting safety concerns and code violations—the usual.” His jaw tightens. “But they’ve got city officials with them this time.”
“Shit.” I’m already reaching for my cut, but Poppy’s hand on my arm stops me.
“Wait.” Her face has gone pale. “What garage?”
“Duck’s.” Lee’s eyes flick between us. “But that’s not all. Your brothers showed up there too, Poppy.”
Poppy’s face goes pale. “My brothers? Why would they be there?”
“They were trying to warn us about something before the Summit guys showed up.”
The air leaves her lungs in a rush. “My father?—”
“Yeah.” Lee’s expression darkens. “Looks like Daddy dearest is up to something.”
“I need to go with you.” Poppy’s already moving, pulling on a pair of jeans and grabbing her ruby boots.
