Page 57 of Axe-ing for Trouble
This felt right.
So I kissed her back, meeting her firm pressure, showing her how good this felt.
I wrapped my arms around her, craving the feel of her skin as I deepened the kiss.
She let out a whimper and grasped a fistful of my shirt, pulling even closer, and I was fucking gone.
It was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.
A fire ignited inside me, burning only for her. For this moment, this kiss. This was so much more than attraction. So much deeper than lust.
It was possibility.
The instant that word registered, logic kicked in. There was no possibility. Only danger and heartbreak.
I pulled back and steadied her, putting space between us.
This was wrong. She was hurt. She was reliant on me in so many ways. My job was to protect her.
I took off my glasses and cleaned them, averting my gaze. Even when I put them back on, I couldn’t look at her. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to carry her straight to my bed, and if I saw even a flicker of need in her expression, I was worried I’d give in.
“What. The. Fuck. Jude?” she hissed, stepping into my line of sight.
Fuck. It was impossible to avoid looking at her now. Her eyes were lit with a fire that burned with a combination of need and fury.
The anger there did nothing to extinguish the desire building inside me.
She stood in the dim light of the kitchen, her hip cocked, focus fixed completely on me.
I loved her confidence, her bluster. But beneath it, there was exhaustion. She couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes. This woman had been through hell. She needed a safe place to heal. I wouldn’t take that from her.
“We wouldn’t stop at just a kiss,” I said, hoping that explanation wouldn’t result in her kicking me in the balls. Thankfully, the kitchen knives were on the other side of the counter.
“And that’s a bad thing?” She bit her bottom lip, still glaring at me. The expression was the equivalent of waving a red flag at a bull. Fuck, I wanted her. But this wasn’t right.
“Yes.” Though it pained me, I forced the word out.
Her face fell, but the hurt quickly morphed into an angry scowl.
“We didn’t stop last time. And if memory serves, it was pretty great.”
Great didn’t even begin to cover it. It had been the best night of my damn life. But there was too much at stake now to go back. And although Mila brought out every one of my animalistic caveman urges, my honor won out.
“I won’t take advantage of you,” I said through gritted teeth.
She huffed, sending the little hairs at her temples flying, and stalked toward me. “I’m no damsel in distress.”
I clutched the countertop behind me to keep from reaching for her.
“Fuck, I’m an idiot,” she said.
My gut sank. “No, I’m the idiot, Trouble. It’s not you. Trust me, it’s not you. My job is to protect you. Keep you safe. I can’t cross the line.”
When her eyes narrowed to slits, I wished I could take the words back. “Yourjob?” She huffed. “I can protect myself. And it’s not taking advantage if I’m ready and willing.”
I couldn’t move or speak. My self-control hung by a thread. All I wanted was to protect her, but by shutting her down, I was hurting her instead.
I didn’t operate at this speed. I needed time to process and understand. In every aspect of life, with every decision, I took my time, did things right the first time. I did not shoot from the hip and I never took big risks.
