I stepped forward. “What is it?”
Brenna exhaled a soft sigh and then wrapped her arms around me, nestling her head into the center of my chest. “I didn’t get a chance to say thank you.”
Gritting my teeth, my heart banging like a drum, I stood motionless for a second, then one arm was sliding around her waist, and the other across her shoulders, my hand stroking her hair.
I rested my chin on her soft head and inhaled her scent. “Forget about it,” I half-teased, but I was suddenly very aware of her heartbeat, the way her fingers laced into my shirt, and how she was pressing her entire body closer and closer.
I squeezed her hard for the span of another breath, then took a deliberate step back, and that same excruciating, tearing sensation of letting go of Brenna ripped through me.
Holding her forearms so she couldn’t get any wise ideas and go in for another hug that would most definitely poke the bear, I looked her straight in the eye, and in a tone that brooked no resistance, said, “Good night, Brenna.”
With that, I turned and went into my room, closing the door behind me. For a moment, I resisted the urge to bang my head against it.
I got ready for bed, crawled in, then kicked off the covers – I was too hot, too restless – in spite of wearing just a pair of boxers and opening the window. Part of me knew I should draw the curtains closed if I wanted to get to sleep. The moon had risen over the tops of the mountains and was filling the room with an ethereal, but bright kind of light.
Yet I lay there and watched the night sky. Today had been too much and my heart refused to settle down. My mind flashed from the shooting range, Brenna’s back pressing into me, her out-of-the-blue confidence and deftness with a gun, her sudden coyness, then to dinner and discussions of war with my family...
Then, right back to Brenna again.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to relax, not think of anything at all.
Which worked to an extent. I’d stopped replaying the day over in my mind and now my entire body was only hot with desire for Brenna. I found myself thinking about the way she tasted, the way her sweet skin smelled, the softness of her dark hair, the glow of her unusual teal eyes.
Rolling onto my side, I clutched at a pillow, burying my face into it and clenching my jaw. Now I couldn’t help but remember every last one of her sexy little gasps, then her breasts pushing against my chest, her foot sliding up my calf, her luscious lips begging to be kissed.
So lost in my thoughts of Brenna, I’d fallen into some sort of restless half-dream state, when I heard a soft knock at the door. Blinking away the pull of my fantasies, I sat up and watched it swing open.
There she stood in the doorway, her naked body bathed in moonlight.
Brenna.
All the reasons I should make her go…
All the reasons this was a terrible idea sizzled away under the heat of my need.
Tonight there would be no stopping.
Brenna would be mine.
Chapter Thirteen
Brenna
Neither of us spoke when our eyes met.
Icy air from the open window whispered across my naked skin, which instantly pebbled with goose bumps. But I barely felt the cold. I was drowning in a steady, pulsing, intoxicating heat. One that had kept me awake until I wound up here, unable to stay away.
Axe swung his legs to the floor, stood up, and stalked towards me. Seeing him shirtless, wearing only boxers, sent a shiver racing up my spine. The moonlight filling the room threw his body into sharp relief – as though a painting of a dark, chiseled god had come to life.
I committed every hard line of him to memory. His strong legs, the sharp v of his stomach, his broad chest and shoulders, the outline of his girth straining against the cotton of his boxers.
And as his eyes ran unchecked over me, wicked delight pooled into my stomach and I trembled in anticipation.
What am I doing? My mind suddenly reeled and panic spiked through me. I was throwing myself at Axe again? Stark-naked? But that feeling vanished the second he touched me. He shut the door and leaned down, with one hand still on it, and tipped my chin up with the other.
I wasn’t going to stop until your voice was hoarse from screaming my name.
Our eyes locked and that urgency reared up, blistering straight through me, overtaking everything else.
I want it to be because you want me…
Because you want me so bad, you ache with it, like I do.
I wanted him.
No, I needed him.
And judging by that swell I’d seen – throwing an impressive shadow down on his legs as he walked towards me – he was more than ready.
A shiver of apprehension rocketed through me. Would it hurt? I’d always read it would, but I didn’t care. This ache that had been building for days was a whole other level of suffering. My body knew what it needed, and it needed Axe.
“Tell me you’re not lost,” Axe breathed.
Taking a deep breath, I summoned that badass feeling I’d felt when firing a gun, and snaked two hands around his neck. “No… I just can’t sleep,” I said.
Axe leaned down further and heat pooled between my thighs. I squirmed a little, rubbing them together to try to release some of the tension. He was still holding my chin, looking at me. His chest heaved and his breathing grew harsh.
Without meaning to, I licked my lips nervously and his hold on my chin became tighter. Dark lust flashed into his eyes and my own desire peaked – the kind that made my toes curl, made me smile up at him boldly, made me want to learn each and every hard curve of his body, made me want to forget my own name.
Axe traced my smile with the tip of his fingers, sliding them down my neck, to my shoulder, and then hooked them around my waist, pinning my body to his. My mind zeroed in on his hand splaying across my back, his bare skin meeting mine, and his solid length pressing into my stomach—a move that stole my very breath.
I was overwhelmed by each new and delicious sensation tumbling through me – the way the hair on his chest rubbed against my naked skin, the throbbing of his heartbeat, the roughness of his hand, and the way his cock seemed to stiffen even more the closer he pressed.
“I guess everything is just going my way today,” Axe murmured.
His mouth met mine, insistent and hot. I let out a shuddering gasp and curled my fingers into his hair.
He didn’t hold back. His tongue was dominating, seeking, needing – as though last night had been just a taste of his want and skill.
His other hand pushed into my hair, tipping my head further back as he deepened the kiss. A tiny part of me was nervous. I was still clueless when it came to kissing and all the rest, but my body was taking over. I let my instincts guide me, nipping and teasing back into his mouth. And when a groan rumbled through him, my heart swelled with triumph.
He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
Thank God.
Hours or minutes or days later – we broke apart, gasping, and Axe pressed me back against the door.
“Fuck, Brenna,” he rasped. “What’re you doing to me?” He seemed to be struggling and when I met his eyes, I saw a flash of uncertainty amidst all that alpha intensity.
“What do you want me to do to you… Angelino?” The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
A slow, sexy grin spread across Axe’s face. “I knew teaching you how to fire a gun would be a good idea.”
Before I could respond, he had buried his face in my neck, his soft lips caressing the hypersensitive skin there.
“Axe,” I gasped, eyes fluttering shut.
“So responsive…” he murmured. “You’re a fucking gift, Brenna.” His hands were alternating between gripping my shoulders so hard, it almost hurt – before trembling, then relaxing.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew he was holding back and I wanted to tell him to knock it off, to dive in – but that tiny, terrified voice was still whispering, Clueless virgin.
Who
knew if I was asking for more than I could handle?
His hands slid down, eliciting another gasp from me, and kneaded my ass cheeks without mercy, crushing me against him hard. Here was a delicious pleasure, teased with pain, of which I’d never experienced before. My mind started chanting, Yes! Yes! Yes!
He dipped down even further, trailing kisses and love bites across my chest. I felt his lips circle the swell of my breast, then a soft tongue laved my nipple, before he pulled it between his teeth and gently bit down.
I writhed, a series of moans erupting from my throat.
Part of me wanted to watch him, but I kept my eyes shut – I wanted to get lost in these sensations he was causing – each and every one rocking me to my core.
I had never known pleasure like this.
One of his hands left me and I whimpered at the loss. Then I moaned – Axe had gripped my other breast hard – his hand big enough to envelope it completely in calloused warmth. Short, choppy breaths escaped my lips now, and he began to massage it, pinching the nipple every so often. Then he switched his mouth and hand.
Pressure was building higher – a powerful, delectable pressure between my legs that I couldn’t quite comprehend. Helpless, needing more, so much more of him – and fighting to get air into my lungs – I pushed closer to Axe, gripping him tightly.
One of his bare thighs slid between my legs, and without meaning to, I bucked my hips. Rubbing against him, all I could feel was the heat and ache of my center against his chilled, hard thigh.
A low growl escaped him as he stilled.
I did as well. A raw kind of humiliation burrowed deep into my gut. Was I not supposed to do that? I wondered, swallowing deeply. Opening my eyes, I peeked up at him.
But Axe was just staring down at me, his lips parted. “You’re driving me out of my mind,” he muttered in a harsh voice and his lips were on mine again, kissing me senseless. He lifted me up, his arms locking around my waist, as my legs circled around him.
I sensed we were moving through the room, before Axe dropped me and my back hit the soft mattress. Then he was on top of me, his firm body keeping out the cold, and I clutched at him, his scent rolling over me, making the blood rush to my ears.
Had I ever wanted anything more than this? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I was desperate for more.
My hands moved over his body, following the lines of his warm, solid muscles up and down his back, then across his chest, his shoulders, his arms…anywhere I could reach.
It all felt even better than it looked.
Axe gave me a sizzling grin and I realized I’d said that last part out loud. “Well, I better lay off the pancakes, huh?” he whispered, then nipped at my earlobe.
I lay my fingers across his biceps and rubbed my cheek against the scruff on his face, and teased, “You’d do that for me?”
Propping himself up so I could see his face, Axe looked down at me, and suddenly, something beyond our heated desire shot through me.
Something like an explosive, deep, and soul-shattering kind of excitement – all tangled up with an almost-unbearable longing.
“I’d do anything for you, Brenna,” Axe said, his face serious and eyes burning.
My eyes widened, but then Axe’s mouth was on mine again. Now our kisses were a mix of gentle and urgent, and I could feel something else pulling between us – something that made me want to ensure there was not one iota of space between us.
Somewhere in the haze of my brain, I knew whatever it was, it was something that had been there all along, but I couldn’t quite name it.
I broke our kiss, the words tumbling out between gasps, “Please, I-I need this… I need you.”
Axe kissed me deeply once again. Then he broke away, looking at me. “Be right back,” he said, his voice rasping. “Two seconds.”
I shuddered with the loss of his warm body as he got out of bed. Sitting up, I watched as he rummaged through his luggage, then I heard the crinkle of foil.
As he turned around, he stripped off his boxers in one movement. Molten heat rushed into my cheeks as I stared at his fully naked body.
Axe was truly nothing but hard lines and planes, all rippling muscles from head to toe. His thick, hard cock jutted up toward his flat stomach and I couldn’t drag my eyes away as he rolled a condom over it. It was a lot bigger than I’d imagined.
He’s so fucking gorgeous. And huge.
“Whoa,” was what I could get out. My center was quivering by the time I met his eyes again and his eyes went fierce.
“I’d never hurt you, Brenna,” he said, his voice so solemn, his face so fierce, I didn’t doubt him.
He crawled into the bed beside me and I sucked in a deep breath as he cupped my face, teased my lips with his, and pressed me back against the soft mattress.
Swallowing hard, I nodded and watched as he shoved a pillow under my lower back, tilting my hips up into the air. For a second, he just stared down at me, his face a mask of pure need, and I resisted the urge to cover myself.
Then he spread my legs apart and knelt between them. He loomed over me – one hand landing next to my head, the other on my waist. He trailed it lower, caressing the top of my thigh as he smiled down at me.
An erotic smile full of sinful promise.
Need flooded me even as that tiny voice wondered how on earth well-endowed, Alpha Axe, could possibly fit into my small body…
“Relax, Brenna,” he commanded, his voice calm and deep.
It was so sexy, so masculine, so captivating that it took me a second to realize that I’d been clenching every muscle tight in expectation. Slowly, I forced myself to relax, and electricity sparked between us.
He leaned down, his chest brushing mine, skating fire across my nipples as our foreheads met.
“Trust me,” he said.
My arms had been limp at my sides and I lifted them to hug his torso. Axe was still holding back, and I could see it was killing him.
“I’m ready, Axe,” I whispered, not breaking eye contact. Then I moaned, bucking a little, as his hard shaft stroked my outer folds.
“Not quite, pecorelle,” he muttered.
He dropped his head low and took my nipple in his mouth as his fingers slid to my aching core. His teeth nipped me, but before the sensation even registered, the heel of his palm ground against my clit. Every nerve-ending surged and my back arched.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, clutching his hair in my hands, not sure whether to pin him in place or pull him away. It was almost too much…the need almost too keen.
His fingers began to move, sliding through my folds, up and down, gentle at first, and then harder, pressing deeper. His tongue batted at my stiff nipple, and he paused to suck hard as he slid one finger inside me.
It wasn’t even close to enough, but God, it felt good. I tugged at his hair, and groaned in response as his cock pulsed heavily against my hip.
That’s what I wanted. What I needed so badly.
“Axe, please. Please, take me.”
He lifted his head and took a steadying breath before growling, “Not yet, Brenna. Trust me. A little more time.”
“But, I just w-oh!” A second finger slid deep to join the first and he curled them upward to ride against some secret place inside me that sent hot, white light through my whole body.
I tensed, letting out a keening groan as his fingers slid away. Before I could protest, they were back again. In and out, taking, giving, sliding, thrusting. My hips began to bounce in time and I was helpless to stop it. The ache had reached a fever pitch and if the levee didn’t break I was going to weep.
“Axe, Axe, Axe!” His name became a chant. A plea for sweet relief. The chant became a cry and his hips ground harder against me. I reached my hand down and closed it over his molten hot length, mind reeling at the feel of him. Steel wrapped in velvet. So hard, so thick. I needed him between my thighs, stroking in and out like his magic fingers were doing.
He bucked against my hand, growling deep
in his throat as I worked his shaft in firm, long strokes. A drop of hot silky liquid coated my fingertips and I squeezed my eyes closed. “I can’t take it anymore!”
He reared back, releasing my nipple. I vaguely heard the tear of foil over the sound of the breath sawing in and out of my lungs. Then he centered himself over me, his gaze piercing mine in the dim light. His fingers left me and, with excruciating slowness, he pressed the broad head of his cock against me. Like a heat-seeking missile, I arched reflexively against him. His scruff abraded my tender skin as he pressed his face into my neck and I squeezed my eyes shut again.
He groaned, deep in his throat, “Oh, fuck. You’re so tight, you feel amazing.”
Suddenly, for a brief moment, there was a fleeting pain twisted up with panic – and my body seemed too stiff and unfamiliar to handle his girth. But then, almost immediately, there was a sudden release of pressure, a sharper pain, and then nothing…
Biting my bottom lip, I looked up at Axe as he raised his head, his eyes meeting mine.
Nothing…
Nothing but cascading, building ecstasy as Axe moved against me, pulling out, and then sliding back in, dragging against my flesh, leaving a trail of heat behind with every pass. It took me a second to realize I had barely even taken half of him before.
Clutching at him, I clamped my legs around his waist, and hooked my ankles, squirming against him. My body searching for more…for something only he could give me.
His eyes blazed in the moonlight and his hips thrusted forward, entering me more deeply now, stretching me, filling me, pulsing inside me.
I let out a high-pitched mewl of complete and utter bliss. Vaguely, I realized I could feel his thighs trembling against my own, the slick sweat sliding between our skin, while his breathing grew more shallow.
All I could think about, all I could feel and focus on, was that length piercing me – enticing some deep source of unbelievable, wild pleasure.
I stared up at him, silently begging him for more. I needed more.
I needed harder and faster and...
“Axe, please!”
Axe
Better to Eat You Page 27