Page 13 of Anyone And You

“Holy fuck, you like it,” I repeated.

“I hate it,” he said finally. “It’s fucking awful.”

“Liar.”

He pinched my side as I took the drink from his hand, and I laughed, squirming away. But when I looked at him again, he was genuinely smiling. My heart melted to my stomach. It was so cute I almost said something about it, but I decided I wouldn’t tell him and instead kept that image to myself.

Axel Connors, smiling and lying about liking a pumpkin spice latte.

I nudged him sideways and scooted closer just as the first firework blew into the sky. And for a few seconds, I forgot myself as I laid my head against his shoulder and hugged my whiskey drink back to my chest. All colors of fireworks blazed high above us, creating various designs and winding together to create a kaleidoscope of imagery.

Axel shifted in his seat, his arm wrapping around the back of me to my waist. My breath caught as he massaged my hip, and it took everything in me not to look up at his handsome face. I could feel his nose nuzzling in my hair, his hand traveling up beneath my sweater to draw circles on my bare skin.

I was a puddle on that table.

I wanted his hands everywhere.

I wanted his mouth everywhere.

I wanted him to bend me over the table and cover my mouth with his hand as he fucked me blind and the sound of the fireworks muffled my screams.

My legs squeezed at the fantasy just as his beard grazed my hair. But even as I started to reach to his thigh, the thoughts from earlier invaded my mind. His smile invaded my mind. And I was once more paralyzed that this one night would be it.

It wouldn’t be enough for everything I wanted. Not enough of him, if there was even such a thing. I wanted more of this. More of his touch. More of his mouth. His rough hands. His body hard against mine. I wanted the feel of his beard scratching my sensitive thighs. His hands holding me in place and his words paralyzing me into the bed.

I wanted more dates like this. I wanted to get to know the real man behind that stern exterior. I wanted to know the man that few others knew. I wanted his days, his nights—all of them, or at least a chance.

“Axel…” My head rolled against his shoulder as he continued his soft movements. “Tell me what you want here.”

“I want to take you home,” he said in my hair. “I want to finish what we started back at those cups. I want to taste more of you. Take my time with you. Make you come over and over until you can’t feel your own body.”

I sank further into his arms, further under his spell.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“More than what you’ll give me,” I replied, my eyes still closed as I tried to memorize every second of this.

His finger tugged my chin to look at him, and I was met with his darkened, lustful gaze.

“How do you know what I’ll give you?” he asked.

“Because I know you well enough to know that you haven’t had a relationship in years,” I said.

“Maybe things changed,” he said before leaning forward. His lips brushed mine, and my heart dropped. I nearly gave in.

But I wanted more.

And I was terrified of getting hurt again.

“Why? Because you finger fucked me on some carnival ride?” I snapped.

He balked, letting go of my waist. “I thought you were looking for fun, like your usual dates,” he argued. “Is it more than that?”

“With you? Yes,” I admitted as I pushed off the table. “Anyone else, I would have been fine with a one-night stand. Anyone else, and I would have welcomed kicking him out of the apartment in the morning. But with you…”

Fireworks rocketed over the Ferris wheel, so loud they nearly drowned out my thoughts.

“Des…” Axel’s hand grazed my own, but I jerked away from him.

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