Page 36 of Sweet Hate (If You Dare #1)

AXEL

I don’t know which of us surges first—all I know is the feel of her soft lips on mine is like heaven. It calms the raging beast, raw with jealousy at the sight of her arms wrapped around my best friend's neck.

I lift her up, my hands gripping her delicious butt tight.

Deepening the kiss, we moan loudly as our teeth and tongues clash wildly.

Her damp core rocks against my dick, her heat seeping through to me.

After the little stunt she pulled in the parking lot, leaving me more desperate than ever before, it’s determined to rip free of its confines and bury itself in her tight little cunt.

I can’t stop touching her, kissing her. My hands roaming the curves of her body, working to draw out any breathy moan from her I can.

All too soon, she pushes back, breaking our kiss, both of us breathing ragged.

“Lucas. Bakery. Rules. Stop.”

A groan rips out of me, not unlike that of an injured animal, as I bury my face into her neck. Her hand rakes my hair, running her nails over my scalp, soothing me.

This girl consumes my every thought—both asleep and awake, but it’s still not enough.

I sit her on top of the counter so I can get a little distance, but I can’t seem to let go of her completely, my hands still locked on her hips.

“Goddamned fucking rules. I don’t like them.”

She tilts her head as she studies me, a devious little smile on her face. “You don’t have to like them. You just have to abide by them like a good boy.”

Good boy ? What the hell is that. If her breathing and that pretty pink flush on her cheeks didn’t give away her arousal, I’d think she was just enjoying torturing me.

We’ll see just how good this boy actually is.

“Your rules didn’t say shit about our games.

So, Sprinks, I dare you to give me those naughty panties.

” The image of that scrap of pink lace that left her exposed to my touch has been burned on my retinas ever since we left her apartment.

I’ve kicked my own ass six ways to Sunday for not just fucking her there and then like we both wanted.

Her eyes open wide in alarm.

“Wait, what? I’m only wearing yoga pants. Have you heard of camel toe? My tank top won’t cover that. Hell no.”

“Haven, are you about to refuse your first dare?” I crook an eyebrow at her. I love the stubborn defiance now filling her features.

“You’re a total dick, you know that?”

“So I’ve heard.”

She jumps off the counter and glances nervously at the doorway. We can hear Lucas whistling in the kitchen, so there’s no way in hell he hasn’t heard what’s gone on in here, which means I think it’s safe to assume rule number five has been handled.

Suddenly, my girl straightens to her full height, pushing her shoulders back proudly .

“Fuck it. You want them so bad, go right ahead and take them.”

She pulls down her yoga pants just enough to expose the flimsy straps curled around her creamy body. I slide my hand to the exposed skin of her abdomen and slowly trail my thumb under the lace to stroke her clit just once, making her gasp.

Turning my palm, I grip her panties and rip them straight off her body.

“Shit,” she mutters quietly, her wide eyes fixed on the tiny damp scrap in my fist.

“You’re so wet for me, baby, I could probably wring them out.

” She blushes furiously at my words as she watches me bring them to my nose.

“Mmmm, now I’ll have my girl's scent with me everywhere. Maybe I’ll disappear upstairs to wrap them around my hard cock while I jerk off, feeling how wet I made you. ”

I need to stop before I bang her right here. I’ve gone without her for almost eleven years, I am desperate to take care of this burning need that’s not allowing me to focus on anything else. There’s only so much I can take.

Tonight. We’ll handle it tonight.

I don’t want this to just be about sex with her. I know that’s what I’ve sold her on, but I want it to be everything we had before and so much more. I need to get my shit together and stop acting like an animal.

Lost in my thoughts, I don’t notice Haven shift.

“OK, well. This has been fun, but we should get back to work. The bakery isn’t going to fix itself.

” Haven takes a step away, and I hate it immediately.

She pauses for a second, her eyes dancing as she looks back at me.

“I just hope Lucas doesn’t look too closely at my legs today. ”

My eyes flicker down to her legs. And that’s when I see it.

Fuck me. She’s got me again. Why the hell didn’t I listen to her?

These pants leave nothing to the imagination. And I mean nothing . How did this tiny scrap of lace stop them from doing that.

Hell no. There’s no way I’m going to allow Lucas to see my girl’s pussy.

I ram the panties into the pocket of my jeans and shrug off my leather jacket, tossing it to the floor. Without a second thought, I rip off my shirt and hold it out to her.

“Put this on.”

She’s momentarily distracted, her eyes roaming my bare chest, so I give my pecs a little flex before she realizes what I said, and she stares up at me with a glare.

“What? No! I can’t wear this, it’ll look ridiculous. Besides, you can’t work like…that!” She waves her palm at my abs, her cheeks bright pink now.

“Haven, put it on before I do it for you.”

“Ugh, fine, you ridiculous Neanderthal,” she rips it from my hand and pulls it on over her head in angry, jerky movements.

You don’t know the half of it.

I love that she’s now in my shirt, smelling like me, with my firehouse logo draped across her big tits. Lucas or any other asshole around here will have no doubt who this woman belongs to.

Maybe there is a method to my madness after all.

We just stand there staring at each other silently until Lucas shouts from the other room.

“Uh, are you guys decent?”

Haven mouths, What the hell? at me, her eyes widening in alarm, before pointedly looking at my abs.

The urge to laugh bubbles up inside me again. I feel lighter than I have in years.

“Yeah, man. What’s up?”

He strides in, stopping short in the doorway, his eyes flicking between Haven and my bare chest.

“Well, I mean, one of you is decent, I guess?” a shit eating grin spreads across his features. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask. I have ears after all. I thought it might be fun if we all went to the diner and grabbed some breakfast. I’m starving, and I’m pretty sure you two worked up an appetite.”

“I could eat,” I grin at Haven. Not sure it was a diner breakfast I had in mind, though.

If I thought Haven was blushing before, that’s nothing on how red her face is right now. But I won’t lie—I love the idea of us sitting at the diner with her in my shirt for the world to see.

“Count us in. Let me just run upstairs and grab a shirt.”

I toss a wink at Haven, who is rooted to the same spot, her mouth open in a perfect little O, and run out the door before she gives me ideas.

I quickly toss a new shirt on and open my apartment door to find Haven waiting on the staircase.

“Are you out of your damn mind, Axel? Why the hell would you agree to breakfast when I’m dressed like this?”

“You look fine to me. Better than fine, actually.”

“Axel, be serious. I’m in your firehouse shirt with no freakin’ panties on. What’s the whole town going to say? I need to learn to say no to your stupid ass.”

I prowl toward her and grip her chin.

“Haven, I’m past caring about what anyone thinks about me in this town, and I suggest you do the same. You look fucking beautiful. Besides, no one but us will know you’re sitting there bare and dripping for me. They’ll just assume you spilled something on your top and borrowed a shirt.”

I hope they don’t. I hope they take one look at her and arrive at the correct assumption that this girl is mine.

She chews her damn kissable lips nervously, and I can’t resist pressing mine to hers in a quick kiss before I break away and start walking down the stairs.

My willpower is hanging on by a thread, and with my bed right behind the apartment door, anymore time alone with her, and I won’t be able to control myself.

Because you’ve done an upstanding job of that this morning.

“Come on, Sprinks. Lucas is waiting and I’m starving.”

I flash her a smile and hold out my hand, relief filling me when she slides her smaller one into mine.

Something switched in my brain the moment she told me she was considering staying. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was until I saw her wearing my T-shirt.

I know now that six weeks won’t be enough. Forever won’t be enough with this woman.

It’s time I face up to that fact so I can figure out a new plan.

This time, I’m going to do everything in my power to make her want to stay.