Читать книгу When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys - Lori Foster - Страница 9

Damn, she was sweet, Axel thought, watching the way her thick eyelashes lowered over her blue eyes and her lips parted. Sweet and so damn ready. He’d never tortured himself before. It sucked. But he felt a vested interest in her now. In a way, he’d gotten things started and now he felt compelled to involve himself further. He owed her that much.

The feeling was odd because, other than sexual satisfaction, he’d never really felt he owed a woman before. He stuck with experienced women who knew the score and wanted no more than he offered. He avoided virgins and young hopefuls, and kept a clear conscience because of it.

But not this time.

Libby slowly went on tiptoes, putting her mouth level with his. She clasped her hands around his neck and in a husky, take me voice, said, “What do you suggest?”

Oh, he had suggestions, all right.

No. Get a grip, Axel.

He caught her elbows and moved her back, putting some necessary space between them. That spontaneous kiss he’d planted on her mulish mouth was unfortunate. Sure, it had shut her up real quick, but it also gave her the wrong idea.

“As I started to say earlier, I know who and what I am.”

“So enlighten me.”

He intended to. “I’m a man who enjoys his freedom, a man who takes his job seriously, but not much else, including commitment. I would make a lousy significant other and an even worse husband.”

“Did I propose and forget about it?”

“No, but women your age—”

Her eyes narrowed, but he didn’t let it put him off.

“—they tend to get emotionally involved in physical relationships.”

“And naturally, you don’t.”

“No. Never. If you don’t believe me, you could ask my brother, Booker, or my best friend, Cary. They both succumbed to marriage years ago, but I like variety—in women and in everything else.”

“Bully for you. So what exactly is it you think to offer me?”

“Advice.”

She blinked. “Come again?”

“I’d like to offer you some advice.”

Her neck stiffened. Her shoulders went back—which drew his attention to her breasts, barely concealed by a cotton nightshirt with teddy bears decorating it. Christ, teddy bears?

“Advice on…?”

Pacing away from her and her girlish—and somehow super sexy—nightwear—Axel finally noticed his surroundings. He stumbled to a halt. A bed. Right there, within easy reach. “Uh…Why do you have a bed in the middle of the floor?”

“It’s where I sleep.”

Had she been curled up, warm and cozy, when he knocked? He gulped. He glanced at his watch. “You were already in bed?”

With a shrug in her voice, she said, “Watching a movie.” She gave an evil grin. “About a woman who beats up men.”

Axel looked around and frowned.

“Yeah, I know, the place is small. The bed folds up to a loveseat, but since I never have company, I don’t bother with it very often.”

So she always had a bed, right there, in the middle of her floor? He cleared his throat and tried to put that cozy-looking nest of blankets from his mind. Facing Libby, he clasped his hands behind his back and tried to appear impersonal. “You came to me today for birth control. I assume that means you intend to become sexually active.”

“Wow. You are so perceptive.” Arms crossed and head tilted in a challenging way, she said, “So?”

Damn. She didn’t even deny it. He struggled for the right words. How in hell did fathers handle this stupid talk? It was harder than he’d ever suspected. “Since, as you claimed, I gave you your first orgasm, I feel responsible.”

Red-hot color flooded her face. “Good grief, you’re ballsy!”

“I know.” He shrugged, not really repentant since it was true. “But you did tell me it was your first—”

“I told you that when I thought things were going to happen between us. Since they’re not…They’re not, right?”

Say no, say no… Axel rubbed the back of his neck and spouted his well-rehearsed speech. “Young virgins have a way of assimilating sex with love. Since, like I explained, I’m not in the market for anything serious, I don’t want to mislead you.”

Disgust washed away her embarrassment. “Yeah, don’t mislead the poor dumb virginal child.” She turned away, heading for the door as if she thought he’d follow. “Rest assured, my private business is no business of yours. You owe me nothing. But in case you’ve forgotten, I already told you I wasn’t in the market for serious involvement either. I’ve got my life all planned out and some bozo with overcharged hormones doesn’t figure into things, even if he’s stupendous in the sack—which you sure as certain haven’t proved.”

She kept challenging him, and damn it, he kept rising to the challenge, in more ways than one. He hoped like hell she wouldn’t notice his Jones pushing against the stiff fabric of his jeans.

She went on, thankfully keeping her narrowed eyes on his face. “Between college and work and an uncle who wants me out of his life, I don’t have time for distractions, at least, not a distraction that takes more than a night or two.”

She reached the door and put her hand on the doorknob, looking at him expectantly. Axel stared back. Oh no, he wasn’t about to leave. Not yet.

“A night or two?” he questioned.

“That’s right.” She shrugged. “I’m twenty-one. Since Mom died six years ago, I’ve spent every available minute working toward independence. You might see me as a naïve babe, but let me tell you, doc, there’s nothing naïve about a fifteen-year-old girl left homeless.”

Fifteen. Damn. Overwhelming sympathy damn near choked him up. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to hug her and console her six years too late. “I am so sorry—”

“Don’t you dare.” She raised an imperious hand. “The last thing I want from you is pity. I don’t need it. My uncle eventually took me in so I had a roof over my head and food to eat.”

Eventually? What the hell did that mean? And she mentioned the basics, but had she been given love? Had she gotten all the things a young girl needed from her parents? Axel didn’t know, and looking at her set face didn’t tell him a damn thing.

Regaining his attention, she said, “But understand something here, doc.”

“Call me Axel.”

She did a double take. “That’s your name?”

He half grinned. “Afraid so.”

She ignored that to continue on her tirade. “Right. So anyway, Axel, I worked my tush off and graduated high school when I was seventeen. Thanks to my GPA, I earned several grants and scholarships, but not enough to pay for a four-year program to get my BSN. Because my uncle wanted me to feel financially responsible for good grades, he insisted that I pay half of my remaining college expenses.”

“You’re working your way through?”

“In a way. I took a year off before starting college and took any job I could find. Other than what I paid my uncle for room and board—”

“He charged you?” No way could Axel hide his incredulity. What type of abnormal relative was he anyway?

She rolled her shoulder. “Sure he did. I was still living with him then. But other than what I had to give him, I saved every dime until I made enough to get started. Working part-time has slowed me down a bit, so I have one more year of nursing school before I graduate. But don’t think for a single second that I’m going to let you or anyone else get in my way.”

She sounded equally proud of herself and defiant. And full of spirit. Axel stared at her in wonder, and burgeoning respect. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, well, you never bothered to ask. But somehow that doesn’t surprise me. You seem like the thick-headed sort to run wild with assumptions, especially where women are concerned.”

She dished out more insults than any female he’d ever known. It wasn’t what he was used to. Ready to get some of his own back, he said, “I realize name-calling is a sure sign of adolescence, but do you think we could stick to the point?”

Temper snapped her spine straight and brought her storming away from the door and back to him. She appeared so livid that Axel braced himself, thinking she might slug him. Instead she went nose to nose with him and snarled, “The point is that I might be young, doc, but I prefer that to being old and set in my ways.”

“Damn it, call me Axel.” He scowled. “And I am not old.”

“Forty is old.”

“Forty! But I’m only—” He caught sight of the satisfaction twinkling in her eyes and knew she’d just gigged him on purpose. “Brat.” And to make sure she knew, he added, “I’m thirty-five as of a few months ago.”

“Downright ancient.” She snickered. “You old people are so easy to provoke.”

In soft warning, Axel said, “You’re just begging for it, aren’t you?”

“No way, buster.” She crossed her arms under her breasts again. “Not anymore. A few weeks ago, sure, you had me to the begging point. But in case you’ve forgotten, you went off in a huff and I didn’t hear from you—”

“I had no idea how to reach you.”

Blue eyes fried him. “Like you would have?”

No way would he admit to anything with her so antagonistic.

She sniffed. “That’s what I thought. Not that it matters because now I’ve got my sights set on younger game.”

That bugged him worse than anything else she’d said. “Who?”

“I don’t know yet.” She went to her bed and flopped down onto the corner, curling her bare legs beneath her. “But it can’t be that hard to find an agreeable guy, right?” With a coy look, she added, “Someone young and open to new experiences, like virginity.”

Feeling protective again—and, damn it, jealous—Axel circled the bed and seated himself on the edge of the mattress beside her. “Your virginity is something special, Libby. Don’t throw it away.”

“Yeah, it’s so special it left you speechless and running off like a scared rabbit.”

“I was not scared. Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?”

“Whatever. Holding onto my virginity has lost its appeal.” She patted his chest. “Thanks to you and that little taste in the garden, I’m just dying to find out what I’ve been missing.”

Axel’s guts cramped with the urge to show her. He covered her hand on his chest to keep it still. “Don’t go out with anyone you don’t know well.”

“Thanks, gramps. But I’m not stupid. I’m not looking to get strangled.”

Tamping down his annoyance at her continued jabs on his age, Axel gripped her wrist and urged her closer toward him. “I’m glad to hear it. But don’t think birth control pills will cover all the bases. These days you need a—”

“Condom. Rubber. Raincoat. Yeah, I know. STDs and all that.” She wrinkled her nose. “It almost makes sex unappealing, huh?”

To his mind, nothing could make sex with her unappealing.

“I guess that’s one reason I didn’t rush into bed with anyone.” She looked at his mouth, and her voice softened a bit. “I have been busy, and the idea of having to get a clean bill of health from any interested males just seems very unromantic.”

He could show her appealing. He could show her romantic. Instead he thought of a few questions he wanted to ask. “You don’t live with your uncle anymore?”

Her gaze came back to his. “Like I said, he kept me housed and fed when I was underage. But he never had children of his own because he didn’t want them—then he got saddled with me. Believe me, he’s made no bones about the inconvenience of raising his sister’s kid.” She lifted a hand and swept it around her. “Hence my apartment. He said he’d prefer to pay rent than have me underfoot, and he figures I’ll learn to take care of myself this way. Like I didn’t already know how to do that. Believe me, between Mom’s crazy lifestyle and my uncle’s disinterest, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

“So your uncle pays the rent for this place?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve kept a tally of everything he’s spent, and I intend to pay him back as soon as possible.”

Scowling, Axel looked around at the miniscule efficiency apartment. It wasn’t very close to the local college and it couldn’t be all that safe, considering the neighborhood.

He decided her uncle must be a real prick.

“That’s why you were working at the party the other night?”

“I still take any odd job that doesn’t interfere with my class schedule so I can make headway in paying him back.”

Somehow, Axel’s free hand had gotten into her braids and he cradled her skull. And even worse, she leaned toward him, her head slightly tipped back, her mouth that close.

An admission was torn from him. “Damn it, but I hate the idea of you experimenting with some yahoo who may or may not show you the right way of things.”

Taunting, egging him on, she eased closer still. “I don’t have much choice…now do I?”

He could give her choices. He could give her mind-numbing pleasure…

Her small pink tongue came out to lick at her lips. “So…you said you’d thought about it, about me?”

Every day, damn near every minute. Not that he’d confess such a thing to her. “It was a memorable event.”

She put her other hand on his chest—right over his now thundering heart. “I have too,” she admitted. “The last few days, I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t even been able to sleep. I’ve barely been able to study.”

Regrettably, he said the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re too thin to be skipping meals.”

Her provocative expression gave way to blank surprise, then she rolled her eyes and half laughed. “Too thin, huh? Are you sure you’re good at this seduction stuff? Because from what I’ve seen, you’re batting a big fat zero.”

Axel locked his jaw, feeling guiltier by the second. He didn’t want to put her in a funk and have her skipping meals on his account—not if he could ease her. And he sure as hell didn’t want to distract her from her studies, not when they were so important to her. “I’m good,” he assured her. “And you should already know from our first encounter, thin or not, I have no complaints with your body.”

Her fingers curled, stroking his chest, testing his pecs with sensual curiosity. “Same here.” She looked down at his mouth again. “Never in my life did I do anything as crazy as I did at that party. I’m usually the most level-headed, circumspect gal around. But that night…everything just felt right.”

And that described the problem in a nutshell. He wasn’t the type of guy that she should feel right with.

Axel half turned away, and her hands knotted in his T-shirt, bringing him back around. “For a fling, doc. For an experiment. Not right as in life-altering or earth-shattering or till death do us part.” She tried to shake him, smiling, exasperated. “Just…right for that moment. Between us.”

Axel closed his eyes. “I am not an honorable man, Libby.”

“Is that so?”

He drew a breath, and met her gaze. “Outside of my work, which always comes first, I’m a selfish bastard and I know it. Hell, everyone knows it. But even so, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Libby bit her lip, fighting a laugh. “But don’t you see? I don’t really give a flip if you’re selfish. Be any kind of obnoxious, egotistical chump that you want, it won’t matter to me, because other than sexually, I have no interest in you at all.” Her nose touched his. “Now, if you’re saying you’re selfish in bed, then—”

“No.” He gave up. Hell, to be honest, he’d given up the moment he saw her in his office and knew he’d be able to find her again. “You’ll enjoy yourself, I guarantee it.”

Her breath snagged on a sigh, her eyes turned hopeful. “Does that mean…?”

“Yeah.” He looked at her crazy braids, her teddy bear shirt, and her purple toenails, and was gripped by the most violent lust he’d ever experienced. He was already hard. His hands were shaking. His stomach knotted.

But he knew it wasn’t just lust. Lust was a familiar thing, and this was…more. Hotter, gentler, explosive and tender. Consuming.

It left him floundering. Lust he understood. The other stuff…Too unfamiliar to examine closely. “I want you, Libby. Right now. Right here.” He touched her cheek, and was struck by the incredible warmth of her velvety skin. “You okay with that?”

She came up to her knees and her eyes darkened—with uncertainty or excitement? “Yeah, I am.”

Axel eyed the short, narrow bed. It didn’t look big enough to accommodate two people, but he’d make do. At the moment, he could take her standing up. Hell, he could take her standing on his head.

He just really, really needed to take her.

They stared at each other, Libby waiting for him to make a move, Axel trying to determine what the best move might be for a virgin.

Getting her naked topped his list, so he asked, “Have you seen any nude men?”

Her eyes widened. “Not yet, but don’t let that stop you.”

His grin came reluctantly. She was a cheeky little thing, quick with a comeback, a delightful mix of shyness and bravado.

Having no modesty to speak of, Axel reached back, grabbed a fistful of his tee and yanked it off over his head. Watching her watch him, he dropped it to the floor and simply stood there. He liked the way she stared at his chest and abdomen, sort of agog, her eyes rounded and her lips slightly parted. Her gaze dipped lower still, visually tracing the bulge in his jeans.

When he didn’t move, she said, “Go on.”

Axel laughed as he pulled off his boots, then sat on the side of the mattress to peel off his socks. Leaving his jeans on for the moment, he settled back into the corner where she’d been earlier. The back of the love seat served as a headboard of sorts, but with arms. Axel caught her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

She might be tall, but she didn’t weigh much, and she was soft in all the right places.

“The braids are cute,” he told her, “but how hard would it be to lose them?”

Both her hands were on him, stroking through his chest hair with single-minded absorption. “Not hard.”

“Great.” He lifted one skinny braid and the cloth-covered band holding it slid off the end. Her hair was so thick and silky, the braid unraveled with no help from him. In minutes, he had all eight braids undone. Her hair looked slightly wavy now, but after stroking his fingers through it, it smoothed out. “I love your hair,” he told her, his voice going a little deep with the reality of having her so close, his for the night.

He just had to keep his cool and make it good for her. From what he remembered—how many years ago was it?—virgins were tricky. They needed more care. More time. More finesse.

He could handle it. Maybe. If he thought about other things, like getting the oil changed in his BMW, or facing the chief of staff over a reprimand, or how Booker and Cary would react if they knew the predicament he currently faced.

“Will you kiss me again?”

“Damn right.” Axel took her mouth, slow and deep and wet, his fingers tangled in her hair, her fingers on his shoulders, kneading like a cat. She squirmed on his lap, distracting him with the way her bottom moved against his boner. And thinking of her bottom…His hands went there without his mind’s permission, and damn, she felt good.

The television played in the background, but not loud enough to cover the sounds of their deepened breathing.

Forgetting his own rules about slow and careful, Axel turned and laid her flat beneath him across the bed. One of her slender legs got trapped between his, the other rested alongside his hip. She made a soft sound of surprise, hugging him tighter to her, arching up, provoking him.

“Shhh,” he whispered, raising his head to look at her. Her eyes were heavy, her mouth swollen and deep pink from their kisses. “Be still, Libby. Relax.”

“No.” She pushed up again, her hands spread wide across his lower back. Her eyes closed in pleasure. “You feel so good. All hard thick muscle. I like being squashed.”

He didn’t want to squash her, damn it. “Libby…”

“Do you ever think about this with your female patients?”

Appalled, Axel thrust himself away on stiffened arms. “Good God, no!”

“Really?” With him above her, she explored his chest again, dragging her palms over his nipples, sliding one hand down to his abdomen, making him nuts. “I heard that gynecologists see women the same way a mechanic sees a car engine. Is that true then?”

“I really don’t want to talk about my work right now.” Talking about it gave him the willies, and made him very uncomfortable. The women he saw as patients…No, he never thought of them in sexual terms.

Thank God Libby hadn’t been a patient.

Her hands opened on his jeans-covered ass, slid into his back pockets, and squeezed. “The thing is,” she whispered, suddenly looking shy, “I didn’t feel funny about you seeing me naked until I found out what you do.”

Oh. Axel relaxed, realizing the source of her questions. He came down to his elbows and pressed a tender kiss to her mouth. She sighed and her warmth drew him again, so he continued kissing her, lingering a little more each time, licking over her lips, then sinking in for a long, leisurely, tongue-twining smooch that left her breathless and grasping at him.

“What I do at the office,” he said while working his way from her lips to her ear then her throat, “has nothing to do with this. I separate my work from any sort of intimacy.”

“But…”

“No buts, honey. I can’t say I see women as engines. I care too much about their well-being to see them as anything other than living, breathing human beings. But I see them with an eye for health, not beauty. There’s nothing sexual in that—and everything sexual in this.” His hand cupped her breast, gently molding, lifting.

Her lashes sank down, hiding her eyes. She gave a small purr of pleasure and pressed into his palm.

Her breasts were firm and soft, her nipples already painfully tight. He wanted to see her. He wanted to suck on her and hear her moan and see her writhing in excitement.

Axel moved to the side of her, ran his hand down to her waist, and traced a teddy bear with his fingertip. “Let’s get rid of this, okay?”

She bit her lip, then nodded. “You swear you won’t be thinking anything medical?”

“I promise it’ll be the furthest thing from my mind.” He put his hand on her thigh and slowly dragged the thin cotton nightshirt up, up, up, until he could see her sheer panties and her dark pubic hair beneath. His control slipped.

Pausing, he bent, kissed her flat belly, a hipbone, then pressed his mouth to those glossy dark curls.

Libby drew in a deep, broken breath.

In no hurry, Axel inhaled the spicy scent of her—and growled in response. He couldn’t wait to taste all of her, to hear her scream again with a climax, and most of all, to sink into her tight and hot and his alone.

A dangerous thought—but undeniable all the same. She would be his, at least for now. And damn it, he liked that idea.

He liked it a lot.