“Ready?” I lifted my hands.
Her eyes scanned my abs and chest before she lifted her hands and said, “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”
We both hit paper and went again. I won rocking her scissors.
The next round she won because she cheated, but whatever, I hesitated and she used that to her advantage, covering my rock with her paper.
“Ooh, final round.” I teased.
“Ready?” She moved to her knees so she was as close to me as she could get without falling off the bed.
“Ready.” I walked towards her, careful not to let my towel drop, and held out my hands in front of me.
“Paper.” Me.
“Rock.” Her.
“Scissors.” Us.
“Huh?” She pointed at my hand. “What the heck is that?”
“Oh, right.” I had my finger pointing at her and sliced her paper in half. “It’s a knife, I’m mafia. We don’t play by the rules.”
Amy scowled, her cute little eyebrows knitting together in frustration. “You can’t just make up rules.”
“I believe—” I leaned forward. “—I just did, now are you going to be a sore loser or let me have the middle?”
“Sore loser.”
“You’ve always been fair,” I teased. “You gonna start changing my opinion of you?”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms and huffed “But I’m asking people when I get back if that’s something you guys do.”
“Us guys?” I repeated.
“You know.” She waved me off. “The mafia.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh we have tons of rules, special codes, bad ass hand shakes, seriously takes me like ten whole minutes to even meet up with someone at the bar because I have to go through so many movements. One of them involves a spin, just in case you were wondering.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “You’re lying.”
I shrugged. “I’m mafia sweetheart.”
“And Sicilian.” She rolled her eyes. “Double X.”
“And Sicilians are liars?”
She grabbed a pillow and held it to her chest. “My dad was.”
“Your dad is a piece of shit,” I spat. “He doesn’t even deserve the title of dad and when I see him I’m going to cut off his hands for ever laying a finger on you.”
Amy hissed out a breath.
“Sorry.” I looked quickly down at my feet, semi-embarrassed that I’d just gone all killer on her. “It’s only fair though. Why should he deserve the honor having hands when he doesn’t even know how to use them properly?”
“Do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Use yours properly?”
Load my gun and tickle the trigger why don’t you? Did she even realize what she was asking? The connotation behind it? The absolute restraint it took for me not to throw my towel to the ground and pin her arms against the mattress until she screamed out in pleasure?
With a practiced grin, one I knew made girls stutter — only because it pissed Sergio off to no end whenever I did it — I leaned forward and tilted my head, flashing my smile. “Honey, I use all things properly… especially my hands, wanna see?”
“Even if I said yes…” Amy’s eyes narrowed again. “You’d still chicken out.”
“Chicken out? What is this?” I laughed. “We play paper, rock, scissors for real estate on the bed and now you’re calling me a chicken?”
“Fine.” Amy licked her lips. “Then touch me… with your hands.”
I froze.
My hands clenched at my sides, unwilling to follow through with what she asked and pissed off that I had to keep them there lest I lose all self-control and ruin everything. “I can’t.”
“Because?”
“It isn’t right.”
“Because?”
“Damn it, Amy.” I turned around and put my hands on my hips. “I can’t just touch you and not do more. One touch is worse than a tease, it’s like giving me a crumb of bread after I’ve been starving in the jungle for weeks. I’m just going to eat the whole thing and do whatever I can to get more.”
She was silent. When I turned back around she had a satisfied grin on her face, like I’d just made this huge confession. Panicked, I retraced what I said. She kept smiling.
Scowling, I asked, “What?”
“Honesty…” She shrugged. “It’s better than you lying to me… mechanic my ass.”
“I did work as a mechanic…”
“Fancy word for a made man.”
Yeah, she had me there. “We should sleep if we’re going to get an early start tomorrow, alright?”
Nodding, she turned on her side, careful to slip all the way to the end of the bed, and didn’t say another word.
I quickly dropped my towel and put on my boxers then turned off the lights. Slipping my gun under my pillow, I slid into the bed and lay across the middle, just because I could.
Unfortunately two hours into what should have been a dead sleep I was awoken by Amy’s hand, and then her arm, and then her leg as it snaked around mine.
Sleep was going to be hell.
And just as I was getting used to the fires singeing my body — she started to purr in her sleep.
Wide eyed, I stared at the ceiling and repeated all the different reasons I couldn’t take advantage of her — all the reasons I couldn’t kiss her.
She purred again.
To hell with that — all bets were off when she was ready… and I was going to be there, waiting. I couldn’t care less if I had bullet holes in my body; my mouth was going to be the one to claim hers forever.
CHAPTER NINE
Amy
I WOKE UP in the middle of the night to find myself basically plastered to Ax. His warm muscled body was like a beacon to mine. With his arm wrapped possessively around me, and his breathing even, I was able to stare at him, stare at the beautiful man who had rescued me — the beautiful man who had abandoned me.
His eyelashes were so long it was impossible not to notice them. They were black and had a slight curl at the end. His jaw was covered in a bit of dark stubble — I’d forgotten how dark his hair was, or how silky it had always felt between my fingers. It was shorter than I remembered it being, but it was just as wavy, shiny. Too pretty to be boy hair, too tempting for me not to want to reach out and thread my fingers through it.
But I knew I’d either wake him up and be on the opposite end of his gun, or he’d use it as an invitation we both knew I wasn’t ready for. I craved him, but I didn’t want to get lost in him and then suffer the absolute torture of having to say goodbye once he finished his job and dropped me off in Chicago.
I had no home to go back to.
No job.
Nothing.
Where was I even going to live?
I pulled back from his body and chewed my lip in thought. It didn’t help that the bed was so soft and expensive. I was used to my crappy mattress, used to lying on the floor.
Finally, after I couldn’t fall back asleep, I grabbed two pillows and tossed them onto the floor next to me, then I pulled one of the throw blankets from the bed.
Once I was settled on the carpeting, I was finally able to relax a bit. Worry still plagued me, but at least I wasn’t wrapped up in Ax. I shivered. The only problem was the floor was colder than I had realized. I tugged the blanket tighter around my body and closed my eyes.
Two seconds after they closed, cloth rustled behind me and the mattress shifted, and then footsteps shuffled across the carpet. Ax’s warm body joined mine; the comforter from the bed fell on top of both of us. He pulled me into the cocoon of his warmth and kissed the top of my head. “I couldn’t care less about the middle, Ames… I just want to be by you.”
Unshed tears stung my eyes as I clenched them shut, my breathing uneven as I tried to keep myself from sobbing against his chest.
“Sleep.” He kissed my head again. “I’ve got you.”
I woke up to the sound of Ax yelling into his phone
. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and then managed to find my way out of the massive amount of covers and down the hallway.
A spread of more food than I’d ever seen in my entire life was on the table; hot coffee was already poured for me. Ax continued yelling, but pointed to the seat.
Not wanting to argue with someone who was so clearly against mornings, I went to the table and fought the urge to clap my hands in excitement.
Toast! Jam! Sausage! Bacon! I could seriously have died happy in that moment, and I even had orange juice. I didn’t appreciate things like that until I suddenly couldn’t afford them. Until that first day I went to the store and couldn’t buy orange juice because it was out of my budget.
I reached for the juice with one hand then grabbed my coffee with the other.
“Double fisting?” Ax sat down across from me and tossed his cell onto the table; it landed with a clatter.
“Who was that?” I set down both drinks then bit into a piece of toast and stifled a moan as the raspberry jam hit my tongue. I closed my eyes in ecstasy, licking my lips then took another bite.
Pretty sure I finished the entire piece of toast with my eyes closed. When I opened them again Ax’s mouth was open, his face flushed, and he was staring at my mouth.
“Do I have something on my face?” I reached for the napkin and wiped across my lips while Ax pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a pitiful noise I could only assume was irritation.
“Nah.” He swallowed, looking away. “Just enjoying the show.”
“Show?”
“Eat something else.”
I frowned. “You’re weird.”
“More toast?” He offered. “Jam?”
“I think…” I looked around the table as he took a sip of coffee. “I’ll eat the sausage.”
Ax choked on his coffee then started pounding his chest. “Sorry, wrong tube.” He ran his hands over his face and cursed, then reached for his coffee again. “And to answer your question, it was Sergio.”
“Oh.” I looked down at my plate, pushing the sausage around with my fork. “How is he?”
“Cranky as shit.” Ax laughed. “But he’s my brother, so I can’t really kill him even though the idea has merits… at times.”
I smiled. “Like when?”
“Like when he rescued you then put you in foster care.” Ax spoke so softly I almost didn’t hear him. “Like when he kept my best friend from me. I’m not blaming him. I take full responsibility, but let’s just say he’s lucky he still has both legs and a tongue.”
“Graphic.” I poked the sausage with my fork and lifted it to my lips. Ax leaned forward, watching my fork like he was a cat and I was holding his only toy. I moved it in front of my face, his eyes followed, completely captivated. I bit slowly into the meat, letting my teeth sink in. His eyes hooded as he watched me chew. I wasn’t sure if he was just really tired or for some reason found me eating breakfast fascinating. My last bite was the juiciest, causing some of the grease to run down my chin.
Ax shot to his feet, his knees banging against the table. “I uh, I’ll be right back.” He walked down the hall like I was chasing him with a knife and slammed the door to the bathroom.
I shrugged and finished my breakfast.
When Ax came back ten minutes later, his face was visibility relaxed but his hands were still clenched tightly at his sides. He held out his hand. I took it and stood.
“I won’t ask again.” He cupped my face. “I won’t demand it, I won’t ask it, I’ll try my damndest not to think about it. I won’t kiss you until you ask me… a second time.”
“A second time?”
His mouth collided against mine, his fingers pushing past my chin and diving into my hair, tugging me closer to his warmth. I gasped when his tongue entered my mouth. I could taste him, I wanted more. I flung my arms around his neck, he grunted his approval and then let out a moan when I opened my mouth wider, our teeth almost colliding against each other.
His hands moved down my back, resting just above my butt. I wiggled a bit, it was all the invitation he needed to push up the cotton shirt and touch my skin.
I felt every fingertip as they grazed my hipbones.
His kiss turned less frantic as he sucked on my tongue, and rocked me back on my heels, creating some distance between our scorching bodies. Ax tilted his head, nipping my lower lip before biting down and giving it a little tug. It sent a thrill all the way down to my toes.
Ax’s mouth was like hot velvet, every time our lips touched it felt like a caress, I shivered as he deepened the kiss one last time then pulled back.
His chest heaved. Eyes dilated, he whispered near my mouth, “That was going to be your eighteenth birthday present, me keeping you warm, keeping us warm, showing you that I wasn’t ever just your friend, Ames. I wanted to be so much more… I still do, but you don’t trust me and I don’t blame you. So, that’s it. I won’t kiss you again, I won’t attack you with my mouth, I’ll try not to fantasize about the way your tongue felt against mine — I’ll wait. Until you ask me, I’ll wait.”
“What if I never ask you?”
He smirked and tilted his head, tipping my chin with his thumb before kissing my nose. “After that kiss… do you really think I’m worried about that?”
“Arrogant ass!” I said breathlessly jerking away from his tempting touch.
“That almost sounded like an invitation,” he teased. “If you want me to kiss you again, just ask.”
“No.” I folded my arms across my chest and shivered. “You’re, you—”
“—So damn sexy.” He eyed me up and down. “It’s a shame you can’t walk around like that — then again I’d have a really high body count, and I’m trying to keep my total under 100 before I turn thirty so…”
I gasped. “What’s it at now?”
“Somewhere between holy shit and I lost count.” He winked. “I take it you’ve finished your… sausage?”
“What is it with you and sausage?”
He just grinned and walked away holding his hands in the air. “We should probably get going, we have some shopping to do before we road trip it.”
“I’ve never road tripped.” I said, feeling suddenly panicked. Did I have to entertain him? Tell stories? Oh no, did I have to sing songs?
Ax turned around, “Wow, that’s a confidence booster. I talk about being in the car with you alone for hours on end and you pale.”
“Sorry.” I shook my head. “It’s not that… I mean, won’t you be bored… driving?”
“Of course not.” He grinned and strode over to the sideboard and grabbed his gun. He stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans and turned back around, flashing me a smile. “I’ll have you next to me, safe. It’s all I need. You could sleep the whole time and I’d be content just to know I was the one keeping you safe, returning you home, where you belong.”
“I have no home.” I crossed my arms and tried not to panic as I felt the walls closing in around me.
“Hey.” Ax was suddenly in front of me. “I’m your home. Never forget that.”
CHAPTER TEN
Axton
AMY WAS WEARING one of my white t-shirts and a pair of running shorts I’d brought with me at the last minute thinking I’d hit the gym in my free time. Right. Free time my ass. Taking care of her was a full time job, not that I was complaining.
I didn’t know the first thing about shopping for girls, but I had expensive taste, and the small town area wasn’t cutting it. I ran into Walmart with Amy in tow, grabbed a t-shirt, some workout stretchy pant things, flip flops, and called it good. She didn’t complain at all, and I’d half expected her to. I just needed to clothe her so I could take her somewhere nicer.
Though when I mentioned that she looked at me with horror-stricken eyes. “What’s wrong with the clothes you just got me?”
“They aren’t… you.”
“My clothes aren’t me?” she repeated in a deadpan voice. “And you know me so well because?”
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“I know you,” I snapped. “And I want you to be in… satin… silk… Italian leather… shit, I don’t know. I want you in something worthy of you.”
“They’re just clothes.” She shrugged.
“They’re touching your body. Never say they’re just clothes.” I growled taking the next exit the navigation instructed. The mall was supposed to be big enough to have a few department stores and some smaller ones that would do just fine.
When I pulled into the parking lot Amy gawked at the giant buildings, “Are you sure these clothes aren’t okay?”
I sighed. “You can’t wear the same clothes every day.”
“Fine.” She opened the car door and got out. I was still trying to figure out why she seemed so upset when I reached for her hand and grasped it within mine. She didn’t pull away but her entire body was tense.
I walked into Nordstrom, recognizing the store only because it had some of the brands I was looking for, and walked over to the directory.
Personal shoppers were on the top floor, but I could dress her, right? I mean, I was a guy, I knew what looked good. I stole a glance at her, right, style I could do, sizes? I would be crap at finding sizes; we’d be stuck there for a lifetime.
“Women’s is on the third floor.” Amy pointed.
I nodded and pulled her onto the escalator, refusing to let go of her hand as we went up to the third floor and started walking around.
I felt hot all over. I could shoot a man in cold blood but looking at pretty clothes with shiny things had me ready to puke and find the nearest bar. I gripped her hand tighter.
“Are the clothes scaring you?” Amy whispered.
“Shut up.”
Laughing she stood with me in the middle of the main aisle, her eyes widening as she looked around.
Where the hell were the sales lady’s? The ones every store had to help relieve customers or guys with panic-stricken eyes and the sudden need to drink away the pain of the credit card swipe? Ah…nice, a female employee turned towards us and started walking. Thank God someone finally recognized the look of horror. She paused in front of us, “Do you need help?”
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