by Tessa Layne
Her tongue flicked out across her lower lip. “You won’t,” she said breathlessly. “My lipstick at least. It’s some kind of non-smudgy lip pigment Millie gave me.”
That meant…
His mind flew back to a previous thought.
Fuuuuuuuuuuck.
He cleared his throat. “You don’t say.” His pulse started hammering, and the silence stretched between them.
“Axe?”
He was mesmerized by her mouth. “Mmm?”
“You can kiss me.”
Right. He could kiss her. His stomach leaped into his throat, right next to his heart. Why in the hell was he as skittish as a colt? He’d kissed plenty of women. Hell, he’d kissed Coop. Countless times. This was not anything new.
But this? This felt different. Bigger. Deeper. Scarier.
“Are you gonna take all night making up your mind?” she teased, smirking a little, and tilting her chin.
He leaned in and grazed her lips, lightly at first. But then she curled a fist into his shirt, giving a little pull. He cupped a hand at the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, flicking his tongue just inside her lip. She made a little noise in the back of her throat, somewhere between a moan and a sigh, and his cock sprang to attention.
Reluctantly, he pulled away.
The last thing he wanted was to give his family a show of the two of them making out in the driveway, although they probably suspected something was up. They weren’t stupid. He hadn’t been himself since she stepped foot on the ranch.
Axel drew his thumb across Haley’s lower lip, soft and slightly swollen from his kiss. So perfect, he ached.
“Well?” Haley’s eyes had softened to deep dark pools of feeling. Was she feeling this too? Like something between them had shifted?
Best to keep things light for the moment. At least until he could figure out where she was coming from. “Impressive. No smudging. I like.” He flashed her a quick smile and kissed her one last time, then shut her in the truck.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled them into the tiny parking lot alongside Gino’s Trattoria. Axel had always liked the Trattoria. It was the closest thing to fine dining in Prairie. Gino’s had been around since the forties and the decor had never changed. Red checked tablecloths adorned each table with a candle in the center. Gino’s son, Mario, who now ran the place and was in his seventies, greeted Axel with open arms.
“It’s been too long, young man. Papa thought you hated my cooking. And who is this beautiful lady?”
“Good to see you too, Mario.” Axel clapped him on the back. “This is Haley Cooper.” My girlfriend nearly popped out of his mouth. His old girlfriend, maybe. Would she ever consider that label again? Maybe they were too old for labels like that.
Mario took Haley’s hand and bent to kiss the back. “You must be special. Axel rarely comes to visit.”
“Unless it’s to grab a meatball sandwich at lunch.”
But he knew what Mario meant. The last time Axel had come for dinner was to celebrate Coop’s twenty-first birthday. The few fancy dates he’d had in the ensuing years, he’d driven up to Manhattan. The memory of their few dinners at the Trattoria had been too special to mar with a new dinner date.
Mario grabbed two menus. “Come, come. I’ll give you our best table.”
In the corner.
Would she remember? He hadn’t planned it this way, but Mario was an incurable romantic. The corner table had seen more proposals and prom dates than any other spot in town.
He followed Haley through the tables, and then slipped in next to her, instead of across the table. She raised her eyebrows, questioning, but he turned to Mario. “Can you bring us a bottle of wine?”
“Wine’s on me tonight. As long as you promise to order dessert.”
“Done.” As soon as Mario left them, Axel turned. “Do you remember the last time we sat here?”
Her eyes grew soft and she nodded. “The night you gave me this,” she touched the solitaire.
“It still looks beautiful on you.”
She pulled in a breath and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Had he said too much? Was it a mistake bringing her here?
“I… I could never let it go.” She flashed him a timid smile, as if embarrassed by her confession. “I wore it the day I received my Ph.D.”
Axel warmed all over. He didn’t know why that meant so much to him, but it did. “Yeah?”
She nodded and dipped her chin so that her hair slipped forward and hid her face from him. Oh, no. He was having none of that tonight. He was in too deep to shy away from total honesty tonight. He reached up and tucked the lock behind her ear.
“Haley…”
Her name rolled off his tongue with an ease that surprised him. She’d always been ‘Coop’ to him. That’s how he thought of her. But the beautiful mystery next to him wasn’t Coop. She was so much more.
Her chin jerked up and she looked over at him with wide eyes.
Axel stroked a finger down her jaw. “No hiding.” The blush that tinted her high cheekbones stirred him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Mario appeared at the table with two wine glasses and a bottle. After he filled their glasses and convinced them to order the evening’s special, Axel turned to her and lifted his glass.
Haley shifted and met his gaze dead on. “Axe, I don’t want to spend the evening rehashing the past.”
“Then how about we talk about the present?” He stretched his arm across the back of the booth, loosely draping it across her bare shoulders. Haley’s skin felt like satin under his thumb as he stroked back and forth, and he felt her relax into his touch after a moment.
But the longer the silence stretched, the more tied up in knots Axel’s belly became. What did he have to lose? She couldn’t bolt again, at least not right away. And they could keep things light, couldn’t they? Enjoy each other with the time they had? He knew how to live for today. Of course, he’d arranged his life so his heart was safely locked away. But then Coop had blown back in and busted the box wide open.
“Axe?” Haley leaned closer, humor in her eyes. “You’re staring.”
“Can’t help it.”
“You’re looking at me like–”
“Like you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, and I can’t wait to take you back to my place and slip off your dress?”
The look she shot him scorched down to his toes. “When you put it like that…” she answered in that husky drawl he liked so much.
“But I don’t want a one-time thing, Coop.”
She pulled back, mouth tight. “We failed at long distance once. I don’t think it’s a good idea–”
“We were young, and you bolted. It wasn’t ideal, but I thought we were managing.”
“But your life is here. And mine is in–”
“Oklahoma. I know. And I’m not suggesting anything permanent, or even long term. Just… for now.”
She took a sip of wine, still looking unsure.
He could see the wheels turning in her pretty head. “Have you ever had the chemistry we have with anyone else?” It was a cocky thing to say, but he’d freely admit he hadn’t.
“What happens at the end?”
He shrugged. “We can decide then.”
“What about my job?”
“What about it?” Why was she still so worried? “Am I doing a bad job helping?”
“Only when you try and rescue me.”
He clenched his jaw at that. Her damned streak of self-sufficiency scared the shit out of him. Put her at unnecessary risk. “I’ll rescue you whenever and wherever you need rescuing. Job be damned.”
“But you don’t understand. I need this promotion.”
“You can’t get it if you’re dead, Haley,” he said flatly. “What kind of a man would I be if I let you put yourself in harm’s way?”
“Plenty of people put themselves in harm’s way every day,” she snapped. “What if I was a firefighter? Or a cop? I have a better chance of getting out
of harm’s way intercepting twisters.”
He sat back, crossing his arms. She had a point. But he still didn’t like it.
Haley’s voice softened. “Can you trust me? I can’t save lives if I’m dead.”
A lump of hot, sticky emotion knotted itself in his throat at the thought of her dead. “Haley, I… just promise me you’ll be careful?”
She cupped his cheek with her hand, giving him a look of pure affection. “You’re such a marshmallow.”
“I’m not,” he denied gruffly.
She leaned in, bussing the corner of his mouth. “You are. And it’s adorable.”
He angled his head and caught her before she could pull back, allowing himself just a tiny taste of her sweetness. “So?” His chest tightened as he waited for her answer.
“Yes, I promise I’ll be careful, and…” she gave him an impish smile. “We can try this out, for a while.”
A big bubble of light grew to bursting against his ribs, and he gave a mental fist-bump into the air. “Yeah?” Axel couldn’t help the answering grin that spread across his face.
“Yeah.”
“So should we get dinner to go?”
CHAPTER 18
Haley rolled her eyes. “No. Besides, we promised Mario we’d order dessert.”
Axel lowered his head nuzzling her ear. “I think you’re on the menu for dessert, darlin’.” And this time, he’d make sure they were in a proper bed. His bed. In his bunkhouse. He didn’t care if they were the latest subject of gossip at Dottie’s Diner. He was moving back into his bunkhouse. “You don’t know how badly I want to slip my hand up your thigh.”
She shivered against him and gave him a look full of dirty promise. “Why don’t you?” She shifted closer and pressed her thigh against his and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
His cock liked that. A lot. So did the rest of him. Her suggestion set his head spinning. His fingers itched to move. Discover if she was as hot for him as he was for her. His pulse started going double time and he swallowed, bringing his focus back and casting a quick glance around the room. The restaurant was half-full this evening, and they were ensconced in the most secluded spot. Someone would have to be right on top of them before they noticed any shenanigans.
He dropped his hand and skimmed it down the slippery material, searching for the edge. Her quick intake of breath hit him the same time his fingers encountered soft skin. He peeked over. She held herself very still, and a pale flush began to creep up her neck.
He shifted his legs a little wider accommodating the growing bulge in his jeans. Fuck, this was hot. He slid his fingers under the fabric and down to the delicate skin in between her limbs. Slowly, inch by inch, he worked his way up to her center. Caressing and massaging slowly. Haley’s lips had parted and her breathing became shallow. God she was so gorgeous all quivery and wound up. He was so close to his treasure. Just the tiniest bit further and he could sweep against a silky barrier. Would it be lace this time? Or maybe that see-through netting? His cock twitched at the thought of what he’d discover, and a corresponding rush of heat bloomed low in his belly.
He slipped his fingers higher, searching. And met slick, wet, heat.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Coop,” he muttered, sweeping against her slick folds again.
She gave him a look so hot he thought he’d combust. “You still had my panties.” Her voice was low and breathless.
God, he wanted to drag her onto his lap and fuck her silly right here. And now she wanted him to stay here and eat dinner? And dessert?
The whole time knowing there was soft, wet, pussy just waiting for him to bury himself?
He gave a strangled cough. “I swear to God, Coop. You’re killing me.”
She gave a little roll of her hips, pushing herself against his fingers. “You can’t die until after dessert.”
So she was intent on torturing him through dinner? Well, two of them could play the teasing game. He pulled his hand away, registering her little sigh, and brought his arousal slicked fingertips to his mouth and slowly ran his tongue over the pad. Her taste burst in his mouth, a heady combination of dusky salty sweet with a sharp tang. More amazing than he’d remembered, and so, so much better than dessert. All he wanted was to feast on her until she shattered.
“Now who’s killing who?” Her voice stuttered and sent a hot itch curling down his spine.
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave? Now?” How in the hell were they supposed to make it through dinner? He was already burning up.
She smiled at him wickedly and took another sip of wine. “Mhm… am I too distracting? Shall I move over?” She began to scoot away.
His hand shot out to stop her. “Hell, no,” he practically growled. Now that he had her, she wasn’t going anywhere.
Mario appeared with their plates and a platter piled high with ravioli, acting like a shot of ice to his inflamed libido. “You eat family style tonight, yeah?”’
“Sure, Mario.” Axel scooped the squares onto a plate and pushed it in front of Haley. “Eat up. You’re going to need your strength.”
“Take your own advice, cowboy.”
Coop cut into the ravioli and popped a bite in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back and she let out a little moan of delight. “Oh my God, this is so good. I haven’t ravioli had this good since New York. Gino’s is the real deal.”
Wait. What? That got Axel’s attention. “When were you in New York?” He’d never been east of the Mississippi, and it dug at him that there was so much of her life he’d missed.
“Meteorology conference I attended in grad-school.” She took another bite and shut her eyes, obviously savoring the flavor. “It was great. So big and loud. So many different smells and flavors. I tried everything. Indian, Somali, Nepalese, Polynesian.”
Of course she tried everything. Her spirit of adventure was boundless. But worry niggled at him. How could he compete with the excitement of New York? “Would you ever want to work there?”
She cocked her chin at him, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth. “Me?” She shook her head. “Nah. I’m a country girl at heart. I want to come home to the sounds of the outside.” She took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Besides,” she waggled her eyebrows. “Not enough tornadoes in New York.”
Relief washed over him. And hope. Maybe, just maybe, they could figure out something more than a temporary love affair. As they continued to talk and eat, Axel peppered her with questions about her graduate activities, and warming every time she giggled at one of his humorous interjections. Time stopped. Before he knew it, both the ravioli and the wine were finished.
Haley pushed her plate back and shot Axel a look full of meaning. “I’m ready for dessert. How about you?”
Just like that, his libido kicked into high gear. He’d always be ready for her. “Cannoli or spumoni?” Axel already knew the answer. She’d done this to him once before. He’d never forget at her twenty-first birthday dinner how she picked up a cannoli and slowly devoured it, never taking her eyes off him.
“I was thinking we could get dessert to go.”
“Done.”
He signaled Mario, who bustled over. “Let me guess. You want dessert to go. I know that look in your eye. I was young once, too.”
Axel took care of the bill and a few minutes later Mario returned with a box. “From my wife. Tiramisu. She says it goes great with breakfast coffee.”
Axel slid out of the booth and offered his hand to Haley. She entwined her fingers with his, and stood, eyes shining. “Ready to go home?”
Home. The word slid over him and settled deep in his bones. Could she ever consider Prairie her home?
The fifteen minute drive back to the ranch crept by. Axel gripped the steering wheel tightly the whole drive back. Electricity crackled between them, like a storm brewing, ready to unleash its power. By the time they paused at the bunkhouse door, he vibrated with anticipation.
He lifted his hand, studying her delicate fingers, suddenly
unsure of himself. “Are you sure you want this?” He tried to keep his voice as light and neutral as possible.
She tilted her face up in the moonlight. “So chivalrous.”
He wanted to be anything but chivalrous at the moment. “Well?”
She turned the handle and pushed open the door, tugging him along behind her. He kicked it shut behind him as he crossed the threshold and pulled her flush to him, mouth crashing to hers. His hand bunched the material of her dress at her hip, sliding it up until he could slip under it and cup her bare ass.
So soft. So sweet.
He teased and licked at her mouth until she moaned. Slowly he walked her back to his room, pausing only to flip on a small light on his dresser. When the question appeared in her eyes, he answered. “I want to see your face when you come.”
The look she gave him scorched him.
She kicked off her shoes and backed up to the bed, sitting when the edge hit the back of her knees. Slowly, she raised the hem of her dress over her hips and opened her knees.
He swallowed, mouth going dry, and met her eyes as he sank to his knees between her legs.
So fucking naughty.
God, he loved her.
Shit. Yes. He loved her. What now? Nobody ever believed declarations given in the heat of the moment.
He cleared his throat. “You’ve been busy.”
“Like?”
“Hell, yes.” Her bare pussy, pink and swollen, glistened in the soft light. “Fucking gorgeous.” His cock strained against his jeans. He tilted forward, inhaling the scent of her arousal. His balls tightened as something deep inside him twisted and pulled. Slowly, he took a long swipe with the tip of his tongue, lightly invading her slick folds and giving a little flick over her clit.