Chapter 7
7
HAZEL
I f I were back in the city, in my parents’ house, I probably would never have the courage to do this. Out here, I do.
Cuddling into Axton’s chest, I’m grateful for every decision that brought me to this point. Going to university and living in the dorm for a while. Meeting people in school who weren’t all directly connected to the business world. Applying for my dream job and securing the position with a kick-ass video interview.
Being brave enough to drive all the way to Hope Peak to hide out and work in a cabin.
Logically, Axton’s life is not set up to have a partner. There’s no way two of us could live in this small cabin. I don’t know how long it would take for me to be able to afford another place, and just visit him here.
But right now, logic doesn’t matter. In this moment, I want to continue being brave. Continue exploring this heat with the man who is unlocking my sensual side piece by piece. I’ve been insanely curious about sex for the past few years. What the hell – I might as well finally test the waters with the hottest man I’ve ever seen.
I slip down from the counter, letting my body brush straight down his front. “Where do you think you’re going, Goldilocks?” His low growl sends tremors through me and his warmth burns through my clothing where he is touching me.
“The counter’s a little hard.” I trail my fingers through the side of his hair, looking up at him through my lashes. “I was thinking maybe we could snuggle somewhere softer.”
There’s a grinding sound in the back of his throat. “You mean, like the bed?”
I nod slowly. “Like the bed.”
His hands skims down to grip my ass, squeezing firmly and holding me in place. “Tell me what you have in mind…exactly, precisely, what you’re thinking.”
I stretch up on my toes, my lips hovering beside his ear as I whisper, “Well, I went on the pill while I was in university, just in case. But none of those silly boys interested me. You , on the other hand…”
His fingers dig into my skin as his other hand grips the back of my shoulder. “Keep talking.”
I walk my fingers along the top of his shoulder. “You’re interesting. Definitely the kind of guy who would know how to treat a girl.”
His eyes have darkened as he keeps staring. “Tell me what you want, gorgeous. Every detail.”
I love that he wants me to say it.
With my lips to his ear again, I breathe, “Axton, I want you to take me to your bed, strip all our clothes off, and fuck me. Is that too much to ask?”
He hesitates for only a few seconds, then I’m lifted in the air as he strides five steps from the kitchen to the bed. I laugh when he drops me gently from a foot above the blankets so that I bounce.
Axton strikes me as the kind of man who is capable of anything and everything. So I’m not surprised when he completely takes charge, his thick fingers moving quickly as he pulls off my shirt and my bra, and slides a pillow under my head.
I can almost feel his eyes raking over my skin as he studies my half-naked body. Maybe I’m a project to him. Like a motorcycle that needs fixing. Except instead of old broken metal, I’m a young woman who desperately needs to know what it feels like to have a man take her. I’m sure the curiosity is written clearly in my eyes.
My entire body shivers as his palm skims gently around my waist, then teases against the bottom of my breast. His skin touching mine always makes me quiver, but now his thumb against my nipple…his breath over the top of my breasts as he leans in… It’s so intimate. It feels like I’m giving myself to him.
It feels right.
My heart is pumping harder as his hand moves slowly, as if examining a new toy he just bought. No: two adults who have both been alone too long reaching for each other because it just feels so darn right. Maybe that’s a better way to explain this bizarre situation.
Axton looks so serious in the dim light of the bedside lamp. His jaw is shaded by his dark beard, but I swear I can see it clenching.
His head dips and the scent of his pine soap fills my nostrils as my peaked nipple disappears between his lips. I did not expect my body to react so instantly, but my spine arches, fingers grabbing the back of his hair as I hold him close, choking back a moan.
“You needed this, didn’t you?” His voice is scratchy. Deep. This is crazy: he’s not just a backwoods brute, he’s also a total stranger. And yet, he’s the person I’ve clicked with the most in my entire life.
He switches to the other side, his tongue dragging roughly over my skin. I drop my right hand from his hair to wander around his broad shoulder. His eyes crinkle with a slight smile as his teeth shift, biting my nipples so gently it almost tickles.
“Mmm. Delicious.” His breath makes my skin prickle.
His left hand skims down my stomach, making me shiver again. Then he unbuttons my pants, always watching my eyes for my nod. The air is cool on my skin as he slips off my jeans, and he lets out a strangled groan as he stares down at my white cotton panties.
My fingers are still on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Don’t get shy on me now, big guy.” I don’t know what possessed me to be so bold, but it definitely breaks the tension.
“Hazel…” My entire body heats up from the way he says my name. Why does it turn my blood to fire knowing that I affect him this much?
“Yes?”
His fingers toy with the waistband of my panties. “If I take these off, there’s no going back. I’m going to bury my mouth in your pussy until you scream my name. And then…” He eyes me. “I’ll be burying something else.”
Nerves jangle through my lower belly as I nod far too eagerly. Then I remember he likes hearing me say it out loud. “Yes. That’s exactly what I want.”
A wicked gleam flashes through his eyes. “Your call, sweet girl. You don’t care that I’m some random stranger?”
“But that’s the thing… You’re not.”
His palms are surprisingly steady as he pulls off my panties, then spreads my thighs. My giant hunk of a mountain man looks like he’s ready to devour me whole. Yes, I can’t help but think of him as mine. Even if it’s just for now, in this moment it honestly feels like we belong to each other.
His hands are so warm on my skin as he strokes my inner thighs, spreading me wide while he shifts into position. When his lips brush softly against my bare pussy, something ignites within me, spilling golden light through my veins. I swear I’ve started floating as his tongue, his lips and his fingers explore every inch of my folds like a starving man.
“Sexy and sweet,” he murmurs. “Delicious.”
My hands are completely clenched. I shake them out, then place them at the sides of his head, swirling my fingers through his hair as his tongue swirls around my inner lips. Then he teases my entrance with one finger, tracing my clit with his tongue as I quiver and quake.
It feels like he’s studying me, listening to my breath as he licks softly, then firmly, then flat across my button. When I twitch hard he growls, his free hand gripping my waist.
“Stay still. Come on my tongue, baby.”
My stomach drops, shoulders melting. I had no idea I liked a bossy man in bed.
I almost whine when he flips my leg over his shoulder to delve deeper, and his finger disappears inside me.
His mouth skims along my slit, then he shudders. “So fucking wet for me.”
His tongue finds my clit again as I cry out, a deep, humming vibration rippling from my shoulders to my knees.
His thick middle finger teases at my entrance again, sending all kinds of chaos through my nervous system. But it’s his intense, dark eyes that really help me over the edge. One stern nod…almost a glare…and then I’m falling, liquid heat washing through me as I come so hard my back teeth rattle.
It’s not enough, though. I need him – all of him – inside me.
It takes a few seconds for my boneless body to come back to life. Then I’m already tugging at his t-shirt.
He stands up, staring down, as if memorizing every inch of my pale skin against his sheets. When he pulls off his forest green t-shirt, revealing the ink down his entire left arm, I have to press my lips together so that I don’t whine.
So sexy.
His jeans hit the floor. In those snug black shorts, it’s the same view as when we met. His almost naked body looks savagely powerful as he stares at me.
But this time the look in his eyes isn’t shock.
It’s… hunger .