Page 17 of Hard as Stone (Stoneheart MC #2)
“Because as much as I want to bury myself inside you right now”—I brush my thumb across her cheek—”when I finally get my dick in you, it’s gonna be more than a quick fuck on my bike.”
She lets out a breathless laugh. “I don’t know. Fucking on your bike sounds pretty good to me right now.”
I let out an erotic hum, bringing my thumb back to her mouth and running it along her bottom lip. “One day very soon, trouble, I’ll be putting this sassy mouth of yours to better use.”
Poppy’s eyes darken, her tongue darting out to lick my thumb. “Stop threatening me with a good time, Road Captain,” she teases, nipping lightly.
I groan at the feel of her teeth on my skin, desire pulsing through me. “Christ, Poppy. You’re going to push me till I break, aren’t you?”
She grins. “Maybe I just know what I want.”
“And what exactly is it you want?”
Poppy’s eyes meet mine, full of heat. “You.” Her hands slide down my chest, fingers toying with the buttons of my shirt. “I want to feel you inside me, Axel. Want to know if you feel as good as I’ve imagined.”
I capture her wrists before she can undo my shirt. “Poppy...”
“What?” She tilts her head, a challenge in her eyes. “Scared you can’t handle me, Road Captain?”
I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to pause a beat and meet my gaze. “Sweetheart, I can handle anything you dish out. It’s you who’s not ready for what happens once I get inside you.”
Defiance flashes. “Try me.”
“OK.” I lean in just a little closer, locking eyes with hers until her look shifts from playful to serious.
“Axel…”
“I’m going to claim you. The moment my dick is inside you, you will belong to me. And when I do that, I’m gonna do it right. Take my time with you, learn every inch of your body. Make you come over and over until the only thing you know for sure is that you belong to me and no one else .”
She shivers, her pupils dilating. “That sounds... intense.”
“It will be,” I promise, my voice low and rough. “And when I’m done claiming you, you’ll be mine for keeps. No more handing my leather back at the end of a date.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawns. “Axel...”
I silence her with a gentle kiss. “Let me own you, trouble. Let me claim you properly, show you how a woman like you deserves to be treated. Show you what it means to belong.”
“I… I want that.” A mix of emotions flicker across her face. “But…that’ll make me your old lady, right?”
“That’s the idea.” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “If that’s what you want.”
Poppy bites her lip, her brow furrowing slightly. “It’s a big step. Being an old lady... that means being part of the club, doesn’t it?”
I nod, studying her face carefully. “It does. But it also means you’d be protected. Respected. Part of our family.”
“Your family,” she says quietly, her eyes distant. “Not mine.”
And there it is. The real issue. I cup her chin between my fingers, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Poppy, listen to me. Being my old lady doesn’t mean cutting ties with your family. It just means you’d have more people in your corner. More support.”
She searches my eyes. “But my dad, my brothers... they wouldn’t understand. They already think the MC is trouble.”
“Then we’ll make them understand. Show them that the club isn’t what they think. That we take care of our own.”
Poppy’s quiet for a long moment, her fingers toying with a button on my shirt. I can almost see the gears turning in her head as she weighs her options. “I want everything you’re offering me, Axel,” she whispers finally.
“But?”
“But...” Poppy hesitates. “I need to figure things out with my family, to understand how being your old lady would affect my relationship with them.” She lifts a hand and runs her fingers down the side of my beard.
“I want you, Axel. I do. Don’t think for a second I don’t. Because…I…I’m in love with you.”
My breath vanishes. For a moment I can’t even speak, can’t process the enormity of what she’s just said. Love. She loves me. This incredible, fierce, beautiful woman loves…me?
“What?”
She rolls her lips together, then lets out a nervous laugh. “I said I love you, Road Captain.”
My hand wraps around the back of her head, and I crash my mouth to hers, pouring everything I feel for her into it. The desire, the protectiveness, the overwhelming need to claim her as mine—it all comes flooding out, and when we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“I love you too, trouble,” I growl, resting my forehead to hers. “More than I thought possible.”
Poppy melts against me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “Oh, Axel.”
“We’ll figure this out,” I promise. “I’m not letting you go, Poppy. Not now, not ever.”
She nods, burying her face against my neck. I hold her close, breathing in her scent, just holding her in my arms. For a long moment, we just stay like that, but eventually I shift back.
“Come on,” I murmur, helping her off the bike. “Let’s get you home. Give you some time to think.”
She nods, but I can see the way her hands tremble slightly as she smooths down her dress. “Um. What about my underwear?”
I grin, patting my pocket where her panties are tucked away. “I’m keeping these as collateral. Make sure you come back to me.”
Poppy’s eyes widen, a blush coloring her cheeks. “Axel! I can’t ride home without underwear.”
“Sure you can.” I pat the seat behind me. “Just hold on tight and try not to let too much wind get into you know where.”
“Axel!” she squeals, play tapping me on the shoulder, but there’s laughter there.
I help her onto the back of my bike, and she wraps her arms around my waist, pressing her cheek against my back. “If I spend the next week queefing every time I take a step, I’m blaming you.”
I throw my head back and laugh, the sound echoing across the mountaintop. Her ability to make me laugh, to bring lightness to even our most intense moments, is just one more thing I love about her.
I love her.
Shit. I didn’t see that one coming.
“Come on, trouble. Let’s get you home.”
The ride back to Paradise is torture—having her pressed against me, the taste of her still on my tongue, the smell of her on my beard.
Every curve in the road has her thighs squeezing tighter around me, and the knowledge that she’s not wearing any panties is enough to drive me insane.
But I meant what I said. When I claim her, I’ll be doing it properly.
It won’t be a quick fuck on the side of the road.
It’ll be slow, controlled. It’ll be forever.
I pull up far enough from her trailer that we won’t wake anyone, killing the engine. For a moment, neither of us moves.
“I had a really good time tonight,” she says softly, sliding off the bike.
“Even without dessert?” I tease, but there’s an edge of need in my voice.
She laughs, stepping between my legs to kiss me. “I think we had plenty of dessert, Road Captain.”
I pull her closer. “I’m crazy for making us wait, aren’t I?”
Poppy laughs softly against my lips. “Maybe a little. But I appreciate it.” She pulls back slightly, her eyes searching mine.
“It means a lot that you want to do this right. I…” She looks back over her shoulder at her trailer in the distance.
The silhouette of one of her family members moves past the window.
She sighs. “It’s all just so complicated. ”
“It’s OK.” I brush my thumb across her cheek. “You’re worth doing right, trouble.”
She blushes, ducking her head. “I really do love you, you know. I wasn’t just saying it in the heat of the moment earlier.”
“I know. And I love you too.”
She glances back at the trailer again, her brow furrowed when she turns back to me. “Can I trust you with something?”
My body instantly tenses. “Of course.”
“I’ve been hearing Dad on the phone late at night. Conversations that stop the moment anyone walks in.” She wraps her arms around herself. “And after what you said about Summit...”
“What kind of conversations?”
“Something about progress reports. Keeping things on schedule.” She bites her lip. “And money. Always about money, but it doesn’t make sense. We’re barely making ends meet—hell, we live in a trailer park. Where’s all this money going?”
The pieces I’ve long suspected fit together start locking into place. Her father’s not just working for Summit—he’s actively helping them while keeping his own kids in the dark. Keeping them dependent on him.
Anger burns in my gut, but I force my voice to stay gentle. “You think something’s not right?”
“I didn’t want to believe it before,” she admits.
“He’s my dad, you know. But after what you said at dinner about your family and.
..” She bites her lip, worrying it between her teeth like she’s not sure what to say.
“I don’t think Dad would deliberately hurt people, but he’s always been focused on the bottom line.
On ‘making it big’ someday. So I think that maybe…
maybe… he’d be willing to take cash in return for looking the other way. ”
I have to hold my breath to stop myself from growling and blurting out everything I know about Summit’s real plans, their cartel connections, about how her father’s greed is helping destroy our town. But the vulnerability in her eyes stops me.
“Come here,” I say instead, pulling her close. She comes willingly, burying her face in my chest. “Whatever’s going on, you’re not alone in this. You understand?”
She nods against my shirt. “I should go. Before my brothers send out a search party to Maria’s.” She steps back and smiles. “She was my cover for tonight. Let me change clothes there and everything.”
“She’s a good woman,” I say, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead, hating that I have to let her go. “Say thanks to Maria for me and get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Love you,” she whispers.
“Love you too,” I return, waiting until she’s safely inside. I’m about to start my bike when movement in the shadows catches my eye. JJ emerges from behind a nearby trailer, glancing around before approaching me.
“Here.” He thrusts a handful of crumpled papers at me. “I heard you asking Mom to keep her eye out for anything going on at the trailer your girl lives in.”
“JJ. You shouldn’t be involved in this.”
“I’m not. Found these in the dumpster behind their trailer when I was taking out trash. Looks important.”
I scan the documents he’s given me—invoices, some print-outs of emails that had been shredded but taped back together, notes in Bennett’s handwriting. The kid’s right. This is exactly the kind of evidence we need. “You tape these up yourself?”
“Sure did.”
“Where’d you learn to spot stuff like this?”
He shrugs, but I catch the pride in his expression. “Dad taught me to pay attention. Said sometimes the most important stuff is what people try to throw away.” His eyes flick to my cut. “So... does this make me a prospect now?”
I chuckle, tucking the papers safely inside my jacket. “Give it a few years, kid. But you did good. Now get your ass back inside.” He nods and rushes off.
As I ride toward the clubhouse, guilt churns in my gut. The information about her father’s late-night calls, combined with these documents, could be crucial to our investigation. But all I can think about is the trust in Poppy’s eyes when she confided in me.
Trust I’m betraying by taking this information about her father straight to the club.
Fuck.