Page 67 of Bound By Temptation

“For you. Always had my mind scrambled when it came to you. It’s how I know.”

Her voice was so soft it was a whisper. “Honestly, Ax. How on earth am I supposed to just forget you left me out to dry? How am I supposed to not feel that hurt you caused me every time I look at you? Please tell me because I don’t see how this ‘future’ you have for us would work.”

I hit the button on the mixer, switching it off, and turned her around to face me. Cupping the side of her face, she leaned into the touch, and I swiped my thumb over her bottom lip. Her eyes closed briefly on a gentle sigh, then opened.

“All the cards out on the table here, Indie. No one but the club, ol’ ladies, and now you know that Baker was blackmailing Raid. That part is between us. I’m putting my trust and faith in you. I know you can’t do it right at this moment, but I’ll make you see how happy we can be.”

“Since all the cards are out, what about women? If I already don’t trust you, how the hell would I be able to trust you working at a strip club?”

“Full disclosure. I’ve had a lot of women since you. Easy lays to get off on. Never. Not once in my life has anyone ever compared to you. That was how I knew that if you ever gave me the slightest shot again, I wouldn’t fuck it up. I’d grab onto it with both hands and never fuckin’ let go.”

“How do I trust this?” Wetness pooled in her eyes, and I leaned in to kiss each one, hoping to wipe the pain away from them. Fucking hated she felt she couldn’t trust me. Trust was earned, and I had a lot to make up for. I knew I’d hurt her. Fixing it wouldn’t be easy, but I was in it for the long haul.

“Because I’ll prove to you every fuckin’ day that I’m your man. No one else’s. You own me, and if it takes the rest of our lives for you to believe me, I’ll damn well do it.”

The tears began to roll down her cheeks. “You scare me.”

My heart cracked. Fucking hated she felt that way, but she had to know. “You scare me too. Having my heart in your hands to crush to dust is a heavy weight. I’m trusting you to keep me safe.”

“God, Ax. You can stop now.”

My brow quirked. “What?”

“All this mushy shit; I have to make cake. Tears don’t go with frosting.”

A smile graced my face. “Never. Shit will get heavy, but as long as we talk about it, we’ll be just fine.”

“Okay, so let’s talk about the fact you not only work at a strip club but live there as well. How the hell am I supposed to feel about that one?”

I leaned down and kissed her lips briefly. “Soon enough I’ll be movin’ in with you.” Her body stiffened. “And not one lady in that place holds a candle to you. Once you see that, I believe that you’ll know.”

“You are not moving in with me, Ax,” she growled low, making me chuckle. “I’m serious.” She started, and I held my finger to her lip.

“For now I’ll move my shit into your spare room until I get it sorted. That’s one thing off your list of not trusting me. I won’t be living at a strip club anymore.”

“You’ve lost your damn mind. We are not living together.”

“Babe. You fell asleep with my cock inside of you. People can’t get closer than that. We’re gonna do this and ride it out. You’ll see.” I’d make her see that we fit together.

“This is moving too fast,” Indie said quickly. “I just… I don’t…”

Brushing the pad of my thumb over her lips again, I had to bend down and take them briefly. Pulling back, I looked deep into her eyes. “When I left the other day and GramO was still there, what did she have to say?”

Her eyes grew wide, and I knew I hit something there. That old woman had a wisdom that Indie respected. She gave me a piece of her mind before I left that day. She liked us together as long as I didn’t fuck it up again. Because if I did, she’d hang me by my balls. She knew the story the rest of the world knew. Sex tape went out there. I never disputed who was in the tape until it was all over. By then, it was too late.

If I fucked this up, I’d want her to hang me by my balls. Fuck, even rip them off, and that was saying a lot coming from a man. I loved this woman and would do anything for her.

Indie gave me a little push. “Shut up and move. I have cakes to bake.”

My head shook, and I gripped her tighter and held her to me. I licked the side of her face, chewed, and swallowed. “Fuckin’ great cake, Indie.”

She pushed at me. “Stop licking me!”

“But you taste so fucking good.” As I licked the cake off of her, she tried to fight me off but burst out in a fit of giggles as I erased the cake from her face.

“Ax! Seriously! I’m clean!”

My lips attached to hers, and she stopped pulling away from me, kissing me back. I lifted her and placed her on the stainless-steel table and then maneuvered between her legs. Deepening the kiss, Indie didn’t fight me. She took me for everything I had, giving back what I gave.

---