Give it Up

by Lori Foster

  She sounded equally proud of herself and defiant. And full of spirit. Axel stared at her in wonder, and burgeoning respect. “I had no idea.”

  “Yeah, well, you never bothered to ask. But somehow that doesn’t surprise me. You seem like the thick-headed sort to run wild with assumptions, especially where women are concerned.”

  She dished out more insults than any female he’d ever known. It wasn’t what he was used to. Ready to get some of his own back, he said, “I realize name-calling is a sure sign of adolescence, but do you think we could stick to the point?”

  Temper snapped her spine straight and brought her storming away from the door and back to him. She appeared so livid that Axel braced himself, thinking she might slug him. Instead she went nose to nose with him and snarled, “The point is that I might be young, doc, but I prefer that to being old and set in my ways.”

  “Damn it, call me Axel.” He scowled. “And I am not old.”

  “Forty is old.”

  “Forty! But I’m only—” He caught sight of the satisfaction twinkling in her eyes and knew she’d just gigged him on purpose. “Brat.” And to make sure she knew, he added, “I’m thirty-five as of a few months ago.”

  “Downright ancient.” She snickered. “You old people are so easy to provoke.”

  In soft warning, Axel said, “You’re just begging for it, aren’t you?”

  “No way, buster.” She crossed her arms under her breasts again. “Not anymore. A few weeks ago, sure, you had me to the begging point. But in case you’ve forgotten, you went off in a huff and I didn’t hear from you—”

  “I had no idea how to reach you.”

  Blue eyes fried him. “Like you would have?”

  No way would he admit to anything with her so antagonistic.

  She sniffed. “That’s what I thought. Not that it matters because now I’ve got my sights set on younger game.”

  That bugged him worse than anything else she’d said. “Who?”

  “I don’t know yet.” She went to her bed and flopped down onto the corner, curling her bare legs beneath her. “But it can’t be that hard to find an agreeable guy, right?” With a coy look, she added, “Someone young and open to new experiences, like virginity.”

  Feeling protective again—and, damn it, jealous—Axel circled the bed and seated himself on the edge of the mattress beside her. “Your virginity is something special, Libby. Don’t throw it away.”

  “Yeah, it’s so special it left you speechless and running off like a scared rabbit.”

  “I was not scared. Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?”

  “Whatever. Holding onto my virginity has lost its appeal.” She patted his chest. “Thanks to you and that little taste in the garden, I’m just dying to find out what I’ve been missing.”

  Axel’s guts cramped with the urge to show her. He covered her hand on his chest to keep it still. “Don’t go out with anyone you don’t know well.”

  “Thanks, gramps. But I’m not stupid. I’m not looking to get strangled.”

  Tamping down his annoyance at her continued jabs at his age, Axel gripped her wrist and urged her closer toward him. “I’m glad to hear it. But don’t think birth control pills will cover all the bases. These days you need a—”

  “Condom. Rubber. Raincoat. Yeah, I know. STDs and all that.” She wrinkled her nose. “It almost makes sex unappealing, huh?”

  To his mind, nothing could make sex with her unappealing.

  “I guess that’s one reason I didn’t rush into bed with anyone.” She looked at his mouth, and her voice softened a bit. “I have been busy, and the idea of having to get a clean bill of health from any interested males just seems very unromantic.”

  He could show her appealing. He could show her romantic. Instead he thought of a few questions he wanted to ask. “You don’t live with your uncle anymore?”

  Her gaze came back to his. “Like I said, he kept me housed and fed when I was underage. But he never had children of his own because he didn’t want them—then he got saddled with me. Believe me, he’s made no bones about the inconvenience of raising his sister’s kid.” She lifted a hand and swept it around her. “Hence my apartment. He said he’d prefer to pay rent than have me underfoot, and he figures I’ll learn to take care of myself this way. Like I didn’t already know how to do that. Believe me, between Mom’s crazy lifestyle and my uncle’s disinterest, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

  “So your uncle pays the rent for this place?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve kept a tally of everything he’s spent, and I intend to pay him back as soon as possible.”

  Scowling, Axel looked around at the miniscule efficiency apartment. It wasn’t very close to the local college and it couldn’t be all that safe, considering the neighborhood.

  He decided her uncle must be a real prick.

  “That’s why you were working at the party the other night?”

  “I still take any odd job that doesn’t interfere with my class schedule so I can make headway in paying him back.”

  Somehow, Axel’s free hand had gotten into her braids and he cradled her skull. And even worse, she leaned toward him, her head slightly tipped back, her mouth that close.

  An admission was torn from him. “Damn it, but I hate the idea of you experimenting with some yahoo who may or may not show you the right way of things.”

  Taunting, egging him on, she eased closer still. “I don’t have much choice … now do I?”

  He could give her choices. He could give her mind-numbing pleasure …

  Her small pink tongue came out to lick at her lips. “So … you said you’d thought about it, about me?”

  Every day, damn near every minute. Not that he’d confess such a thing to her. “It was a memorable event.”

  She put her other hand on his chest—right over his now thundering heart. “I have too,” she admitted. “The last few days, I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t even been able to sleep. I’ve barely been able to study.”

  Regrettably, he said the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re too thin to be skipping meals.”

  Her provocative expression gave way to blank surprise, then she rolled her eyes and half laughed. “Too thin, huh? Are you sure you’re good at this seduction stuff? Because from what I’ve seen, you’re batting a big fat zero.”

  Axel locked his jaw, feeling guiltier by the second. He didn’t want to put her in a funk and have her skipping meals on his account—not if he could relieve her. And he sure as hell didn’t want to distract her from her studies, not when they were so important to her. “I’m good,” he assured her. “And you should already know from our first encounter, thin or not, I have no complaints with your body.”

  Her fingers curled, stroking his chest, testing his pecs with sensual curiosity. “Same here.” She looked down at his mouth again. “Never in my life did I do anything as crazy as I did at that party. I’m usually the most levelheaded, circumspect gal around. But that night … everything just felt right.”

  And that described the problem in a nutshell. He wasn’t the type of guy that she should feel right with.

  Axel half turned away, and her hands knotted in his T-shirt, bringing him back around. “For a fling, doc. For an experiment. Not right as in life-altering or earth-shattering or till death do us part.” She tried to shake him, smiling, exasperated. “Just … right for that moment. Between us.”

  Axel closed his eyes. “I am not an honorable man, Libby.”

  “Is that so?”

  He drew a breath, and met her gaze. “Outside of my work, which always comes first, I’m a selfish bastard and I know it. Hell, everyone knows it. But even so, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Libby bit her lip, fighting a laugh. “But don’t you see? I don’t really give a flip if you’re selfish. Be any kind of obnoxious, egotistical chump that you want, it won’t matter to me, because other than sexually, I have no interes
t in you at all.” Her nose touched his. “Now, if you’re saying you’re selfish in bed, then—”

  “No.” He gave up. Hell, to be honest, he’d given up the moment he saw her in his office and knew he’d be able to find her again. “You’ll enjoy yourself, I guarantee it.”

  Her breath snagged on a sigh, her eyes turned hopeful. “Does that mean … ?”

  “Yeah.” He looked at her crazy braids, her teddy bear shirt, and her purple toenails, and was gripped by the most violent lust he’d ever experienced. He was already hard. His hands were shaking. His stomach knotted.

  But he knew it wasn’t just lust. Lust was a familiar thing, and this was … more. Hotter, gentler, explosive and tender. Consuming.

  It left him floundering. Lust he understood. The other stuff … Too unfamiliar to examine closely. “I want you, Libby. Right now. Right here.” He touched her cheek, and was struck by the incredible warmth of her velvety skin. “You okay with that?”

  She came up to her knees and her eyes darkened—with uncertainty or excitement? “Yeah, I am.”

  Axel eyed the short, narrow bed. It didn’t look big enough to accommodate two people, but he’d make do. At the moment, he could take her standing up. Hell, he could take her standing on his head.

  He just really, really needed to take her.

  They stared at each other, Libby waiting for him to make a move, Axel trying to determine what the best move might be for a virgin.

  Getting her naked topped his list, so he asked, “Have you seen any nude men?”

  Her eyes widened. “Not yet, but don’t let that stop you.”

  His grin came reluctantly. She was a cheeky little thing, quick with a comeback, a delightful mix of shyness and bravado.

  Having no modesty to speak of, Axel reached back, grabbed a fistful of his T and yanked it off over his head. Watching her watch him, he dropped it to the floor and simply stood there. He liked the way she stared at his chest and abdomen, sort of agog, her eyes rounded and her lips slightly parted. Her gaze dipped lower still, visually tracing the bulge in his jeans.

  When he didn’t move, she said, “Go on.”

  Axel laughed as he pulled off his boots, then sat on the side of the mattress to peel off his socks. Leaving his jeans on for the moment, he settled back into the corner where she’d been earlier. The back of the love seat served as a headboard of sorts, but with arms. Axel caught her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

  She might be tall, but she didn’t weigh much, and she was soft in all the right places.

  “The braids are cute,” he told her, “but how hard would it be to lose them?”

  Both her hands were on him, stroking through his chest hair with single-minded absorption. “Not hard.”

  “Great.” He lifted one skinny braid and the cloth-covered band holding it slid off the end. Her hair was so thick and silky, the braid unraveled with no help from him. In minutes, he had all eight braids undone. Her hair looked slightly wavy now, but after stroking his fingers through it, it smoothed out. “I love your hair,” he told her, his voice going a little deep with the reality of having her so close, his for the night.

  He just had to keep his cool and make it good for her. From what he remembered—how many years ago was it?—virgins were tricky. They needed more care. More time. More finesse.

  He could handle it. Maybe. If he thought about other things, like getting the oil changed in his BMW, or facing the chief of staff over a reprimand, or how Booker and Cary would react if they knew the predicament he currently faced.

  “Will you kiss me again?”

  “Damn right.” Axel took her mouth, slow and deep and wet, his fingers tangled in her hair, her fingers on his shoulders, kneading like a cat. She squirmed on his lap, distracting him with the way her bottom moved against his boner. And thinking of her bottom … His hands went there without his mind’s permission, and damn, she felt good.

  The television played in the background, but not loud enough to cover the sounds of their deepened breathing.

  Forgetting his own rules about slow and careful, Axel turned and laid her flat beneath him across the bed. One of her slender legs got trapped between his, the other rested alongside his hip. She made a soft sound of surprise, hugging him tighter to her, arching up, provoking him.

  “Shhh,” he whispered, raising his head to look at her. Her eyes were heavy, her mouth swollen and deep pink from their kisses. “Be still, Libby. Relax.”

  “No.” She pushed up again, her hands spread wide across his lower back. Her eyes closed in pleasure. “You feel so good. All hard thick muscle. I like being squashed.”

  He didn’t want to squash her, damn it. “Libby …”

  “Do you ever think about this with your female patients?”

  Appalled, Axel thrust himself away on stiffened arms. “Good God, no!”

  “Really?” With him above her, she explored his chest again, dragging her palms over his nipples, sliding one hand down to his abdomen, making him nuts. “I heard that gynecologists see women the same way a mechanic sees a car engine. Is that true then?”

  “I really don’t want to talk about my work right now.” Talking about it gave him the willies, and made him very uncomfortable. The women he saw as patients … No, he never thought of them in sexual terms.

  Thank God Libby hadn’t been a patient.

  Her hands opened on his jeans-covered ass, slid into his back pockets, and squeezed. “The thing is,” she whispered, suddenly looking shy, “I didn’t feel funny about you seeing me naked until I found out what you do.”

  Oh. Axel relaxed, realizing the source of her questions. He came down to his elbows and pressed a tender kiss to her mouth. She sighed and her warmth drew him again, so he continued kissing her, lingering a little more each time, licking over her lips, then sinking in for a long, leisurely, tongue-twining smooch that left her breathless and grasping at him.

  “What I do at the office,” he said while working his way from her lips to her ear then her throat, “has nothing to do with this. I separate my work from any sort of intimacy.”

  “But …”

  “No buts, honey. I can’t say I see women as engines. I care too much about their well-being to see them as anything other than living, breathing human beings. But I see them with an eye for health, not beauty. There’s nothing sexual in that—and everything sexual in this.” His hand cupped her breast, gently molding, lifting.

  Her lashes sank down, hiding her eyes. She gave a small purr of pleasure and pressed into his palm.

  Her breasts were firm and soft, her nipples already painfully tight. He wanted to see her. He wanted to suck on her and hear her moan and see her writhing in excitement.

  Axel moved to the side of her, ran his hand down to her waist, and traced a teddy bear with his fingertip. “Let’s get rid of this, okay?”

  She bit her lip, then nodded. “You swear you won’t be thinking anything medical?”

  “I promise it’ll be the furthest thing from my mind.” He put his hand on her thigh and slowly dragged the thin cotton nightshirt up, up, up, until he could see her sheer panties and her dark pubic hair beneath. His control slipped.

  Pausing, he bent, kissed her flat belly, a hipbone, then pressed his mouth to those glossy dark curls.

  Libby drew in a deep, broken breath.

  In no hurry, Axel inhaled the spicy scent of her—and growled in response. He couldn’t wait to taste all of her, to hear her scream again with a climax, and most of all, to sink into her tight and hot and his alone.

  A dangerous thought—but undeniable all the same. She would be his, at least for now. And damn it, he liked that idea.

  He liked it a lot.

  Chapter Five

  Libby did her best to hold still as Axel pushed her nightshirt up the rest of the way, dragging his palm over her breast, across her stiffened nipple, until he cupped her shoulder. No matter where he touched, she felt it in other places. Low in her stomach. Between her
legs.

  A sweet, swirling ache filled her and she wanted to tell him to get on with it, even as she enjoyed his casual lack of haste.

  He urged her upright enough that he could remove the sleepwear completely. After tossing it off the other side of the bed, he allowed her to lie back again.

  Excited, anxious, and a little uncertain, Libby watched his face to see his reaction to her nudity. He’d said she was thin, but she knew she wasn’t skinny. He’d probably seen hundreds, maybe thousands of naked women. Between his sexual freedom and his vocation, naked women were nothing new to him.

  Would she measure up?

  Given the hot expression in his narrowed eyes, both intense and scrutinizing, he liked what he saw. His mouth tightened, his nostrils flared … Libby took a deep breath. He looked so sexy, she could barely wait.

  Without diverting his attention from her body, he reached for the snap on his jeans, saying, “Damn, woman, you are irresistible.”

  Relieved, she gave herself over to the experience of watching a man, in her bed, shuck off his jeans. And Dr. Axel Dean wasn’t just any man. Thick with muscle, oozing cocky confidence and blatant sexuality, he was more man than she’d ever met or ever thought to meet.

  He eased his zipper down over a rather impressive erection, and in rapid order the jeans came off, along with a pair of snug black boxers. He retrieved his wallet from the back pocket, dug out a condom that he put close at hand, then turned back to her.

  Libby got her first up close and personal look at an erect penis.

  Truthfully, the whole package was ultra nice. He was firm everywhere, muscular in all the right places, with just enough dark body hair to enhance all his masculinity.

  The silky line of hair below his navel to his erection especially intrigued her. It added nice decoration to a rigid abdomen and led the way to that long, solid penis.

  “Staring is rude,” he told her, smiling a little, balancing himself on his elbow beside her. Biceps flexed with his pose and his heavy, hairy thigh brushed hers, tickling a little. His large dark hand came to rest on her white belly, his fingers idly stroking, as if enthralled with the texture of her skin.