She might call him a thinker, but Axel thrived on the long game, on strategy. Rena, for all her sweetness, couldn’t back down from a challenge. His backup plan, had she said no to a date, would have to be put into play.
Hell, everyone at the bar placed wagers on everything from how much Big J could guzzle in one sitting to how poorly Foley threw darts. For ten months, Axel had watched his pretty Rena bet with the best of them. Time to go big or go home.
She didn’t look scared of him, but he wanted to make doubly sure before he made a move he couldn’t take back. “Are you sure I don’t frighten you?”
Her eyes narrowed. Perfect. Now she looked angry. “Why? Because you’re huge? So what? I can defend myself, and I have friends.”
He couldn’t help a small smile. “I would never hurt you.”
“You’re damn right.” She crossed her arms over her chest, too peeved to be worried now. Falling right into his clutches.
“I think we should date.”
Rena sighed. “I just told you—”
“I bet you a kiss you can’t resist me.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. “Excuse me?”
“One kiss.” His heart threatened to thunder out of his chest. “When it’s done, if you’re not impressed, I do not bother you again.”
She blinked. “You want to kiss me?”
“I want to prove to you that you can’t resist me.” Then, to stoke the fire, he added, “I’m too much for most women to handle. I’ve seen you looking at me. And I know you say you aren’t, but really, you’re afraid of how you feel.”
“I’mfeelingannoyed. But go ahead and pucker up.” Her eyes blazed. “Because I’m resisting you just fine—forever.” She stuck her face out and pursed her lips.
And he still found her unforgettably beautiful, even looking like a fish starved for oxygen.
Axel let himself smile and threw his all into the kiss, knowing he had everything on the line.
Three
Rena wanted to punch the arrogance off his face. In the time she’d known him, Axel had never come across as the typical macho jerk like half the guys in the bar. Too bad she’d been mistaken about him for so long.
She readied for his kiss that likely would be all slobbery lips and forceful tongue. A man with his lack of social skills wouldn’t know the meaning of the wordfinesse.
Disappointed and angry with him for ruining the fantasy, she waited.
The kiss, when it came, shocked the hell out of her.
His lips were firm but soft, learning the feel of her as he deepened the contact. He placed his hands on her cheeks, those hot, callused palms cradling her tenderly while he caressed with a skill that turned her into a mindless mess. All from a simple, closed-mouth kiss?
Good God.Axel wasdangerous.She leaned into him, wanting more. As if he read her mind, he angled his head slightly and slid his tongue between her lips, stroking with a delicacy that made her tremble.
She heard herself moan and clutched his strong forearms for support, feeling weak at the knees.
Before she could fall against him, he pulled back and stared down at her, one brow raised in question. “So, I win,ja?”
It took her a moment to realize she was clinging and dizzy. More, that her body was on fire to have him. Yet Axel seemed barely fazed, his breathing a little faster than it had been, but the rest of him might as well have been untouched. She couldn’t even tell if he was aroused because he wore jeans and an overlarge shirt that covered his fly.
Embarrassed she’d even looked there, she met his gaze and saw what looked like victory.
“Double or nothing,” she offered.
He frowned. “What?”
“If I win…” She paused, mortified to have to work to catch her breath. “You have to admityoucan’t resistme.You win, we go on not one but two dates.”
