Chapter Eight
Axl
Her lips part and her eyes shine with arousal. And my cock is throbbing so hard I can’t think straight. The wind picks up and a swirl of petals snow down around us and touch the surface of the water. But all I can see is her.
“Um,” she whispers, her eyes skipping away from me. I see her scan the exit as if she’s still sure we’re being followed and something ugly worms through my guts.
“How far are you going to run?” I ask.
Every muscle in her body snaps taut and I swear she’s holding her breath. But I’m not going to let her close up and shut down. Stepping closer to her, I feel the heat of her body as I grab her shoulders. “How far do you have to go to feel safe?” I demand, pushing her with words and not my hands. Lowering my voice to a harsh growl, I ask, “Will you ever be able to stop running?”
Her breathing speeds up and I realize I can see her nipples straining against the fabric of her shirt and bra.
And something in me snaps.
With a growl, I press my lips to hers. She inhales a shocked breath through her nose as her soft lips yield to mine. Her whole body is stiff and I know I need to back the fuck off, but instead, I push. My tongue finds the seam of her lips and I press against it. She parts, but nothing else in her gives.
And I take the fucking hint. Backing off, I take a moment to get a hold of myself. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” I growl, then fix her with a glare. “But I’m not fucking sorry I kissed you.”
Her fingers find her lips and she looks stunned.
I expect her to yell at me. To tell me off or slap me. I’ve got it coming.
Instead, she surprises me. “How about this,” she whispers before finding her voice. “I answer a question, you answer one. Sound fair?”
It does sound fair. But I don’t fucking like it. I don’t want to tell her I’m a fucking ex biker. That I’m a criminal. That I’ve got no business being in her fucking life. And she’s got no reason to trust me. No, it’s worse than that. She’s got plenty of reasons not to trust me. She would head for the hills if she knew the truth. And considering what I’m thinking about doing to her… she should be running from me.
She stares up at me and I notice a little curve at the corners of her lips that fucks with my head. Her eyes are warm and I wonder why I don’t see hate there. Anger. Or at the very least, resentment. I’d just kissed her roughly without permission. I know she’s been through hell. And here I am…
“Deal?” she asks quietly, interrupting my train of thought. More like derailing every thought in my brain.
She’s going to regret this deal. I nod. I’m not going to pull any punches. She wants answers? I’ll give her answers. Brutally honest ones, too.
“Are you going to start or am I?” she asks.
“Go ahead,” I say, gearing up.
“Are you…” She swallows hard, refusing to even look up at me. “Interested in me?” Her cheeks go red and I study her. “I mean sexually?” she adds, the last word a mortified whisper.
“Yes.” The word is sharp and goose bumps race up her arms. “Are you sexually interested in me?” I ask, fully expecting her to back out and refuse to answer. I prep a backup question in case, but she manages to surprise me yet again.
“Yes,” she says, then sighs. Her shoulders lift an inch, as if a weight has been taken off them and I wonder what I missed. That was not the reaction I expected.
“Is that why you’re helping me?” she asks seriously, not a hint of bitterness in her voice.
“No,” I say honestly. “Do you really think that’s why I’m helping you?” I deserve that one. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting. Not that I know why I give two shits what this girl thinks about me. But I know I don’t want her to think I’m only in it if I get to fuck her. Or because I want to.
She shakes her head and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Why did you say you’re not a good guy?” She asks, her eyes darting back and forth between mine. “All I’ve seen is good,” she whispers, her hand reaching up to pull a single petal from my hair. She drops it and watches it flutter away.
“I’m an ex biker,” I say, knowing it’s time to do one more good thing. I’m going to shut her down, push her away and make sure she can get a clean break for her new start. She doesn’t need me to be lingering in her mind when she is in a new place forging new connections. But the thought of her finding a new man twists something in my gut and I growl. “I’m a fucking criminal.”
She doesn’t seem convinced. So I keep going. “I’ve destroyed people. Good, innocent people like you.” I pin her to the railing, holding her captive with my body as she stares up at me. I need her to know I’m all wrong for her. She’s been through hell. But I’d make that look like a treat compared to what I’ve done.
She’s studying me carefully and whispers, “You don’t scare me.”
I growl. “I should scare you very, very much.” Her body is soft against mine and I resist the urge to grind into her. I resist the urge to spin her around, lift her up and bury myself deep inside her. I resist the urge to fuck her and relieve the ache in my balls. Her sweet scent fills every breath and I bend down to bury my face in her neck. Inhaling her, I feel her ragged breaths and speeding heart rate.
“How did you know?” she whispers.
I pull back. She’s not talking about anything we’ve already discussed. I know exactly what she’s saying without coming out and saying it. She’s probing to see if I really know about her past and what she’s running from.
“I think it’s my question,” I say instead.