Page 20 of Hard as Stone
She shakes her head, but her fingers trail along the chrome almost reverently. “Dad would kill me.”
“Good thing Daddy’s not here then.” I nod toward my bike, holding out my hand. “What do you say, sweetheart? Want to live a little dangerously?”
She hesitates, but I see the hunger in her eyes as she looks at the bike. “Will it tip if I get on first?”
“No. But your dress might ride up,” I warn, watching her debate with herself.
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she says, taking my hand. “It’s more what my brothers will do to you when they find out I did this.”
“Sweetheart, your brothers are the least of my concerns right now.”
She laughs, but lets me help her onto the bike. The dress rides up her thighs, and I catch a flash of pink lacy cotton poking outbetween her legs as she settles onto the leather seat. I suppress my groan and the urge to slide my hand up her thigh. But the sight of her there—all soft curves and dangerous smile—has my blood running hot. She belongs there, belongs to me.
Her fingers trail along the chrome tanks, and my body tightens, imagining those fingers on my skin instead. “Beautiful bike.”
“Beautiful woman.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
She looks up and something in me breaks. All the tension since that first meeting, every charged moment, every heated look—it crashes over me at once, and I can’t stop myself.
“What are you doing?”
I don’t answer. Instead, I swing my leg over the bike, the leather creaking beneath my weight as I settle onto the seat facing her. Her eyes widen, a soft gasp escaping her lips as I cage her body with mine, my hands gripping the chrome on either side of her hips.
Poppy’s breath hitches as I lean in close, the heat of my body enveloping her. “Axel,” she whispers, her eyes locked on mine. “This is a terrible idea.”
“Then tell me to stop,” I growl, shifting my hands to her hips and pulling her closer.
“I should.” But her hands slide between us, hooking into my cut and tugging.
“But you won’t.”
“No.” Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “I won’t.”
I close the distance between us slowly, giving her time to change her mind. But when my lips finally meet hers, there’s nothingslow about it. She makes a small sound in the back of her throat, and I’m lost.
The kiss is everything I’ve imagined, and nothing like I expected. She tastes like whiskey and trouble, her mouth soft but demanding under mine. My hands hook beneath her thighs, tugging her legs so they’re over mine and she’s flush against me, a tangle of limbs and heat and need. She gasps into my mouth as her core presses against my hardness, only thin layers of fabric separating us. I swallow the sound, my tongue delving deeper, claiming her.
Poppy’s fingers tangle in my hair, tugging me closer as she meets my kiss with equal fervor. Her hips rock against mine, seeking friction, and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to take her right here on my bike. I want to bury myself inside her, feel her tight heat clenching around me as I make her scream my name.
But this isn’t the place for that. Not out here in the open where anyone could see. Not for our first time.
With a groan, I force myself to pull back, resting my forehead against hers as we both struggle to catch our breath. Poppy’s eyes are glazed, her lips swollen from my kisses. She looks wrecked in the best possible way.
“That wasn’t very gentlemanly,” she whispers against my lips.
“Never claimed to be a gentleman.”
“Could’ve fooled me with your fancy bike and even fancier kissing skills.” Poppy’s voice is breathy, her eyes still half closed as she leans into me.
I chuckle, the sound rumbling deep in my chest. “Guess that makes me a gentleman, then. If I wasn’t, we wouldn’t still be sitting on this bike.”
Her eyes flutter open at that, dark and hungry as they meet mine. “Is that a promise or a threat, Road Captain?”
“Bit of both.” I brush my thumb over her lower lip, swollen and tempting. “I should get you home.”
Poppy pouts, her bottom lip jutting out in a way that makes me want to bite it. “But you still owe me dinner.”
“Rain check,” I growl, trying to focus past the need burning through my veins. “Because if I don’t get you home right now, this gentleman you’ve brought out in me is gonna snap, and dinner’s going to be the last thing I eat.”
