Every inch of exposed skin started tingling. My nipples peaked against the thin fabric, and I prayed he couldn’t see the goose bumps racing down my arms. This was supposed to be revenge, not … whatever the hell this electric current was.
“Do not tempt me, Sunshine.”
His voice was low, dangerous, like a tiger giving its last warning before it pounced.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I managed, though my voice came out breathier than intended.Traitor.
His eyes dropped to my mouth, then lower, scanning the curves barely concealed by lace and satin. When his gaze lingered on my peaked nipples, his jaw clenched so hard, I thought he might crack a tooth. The evidence of his arousal pressed more insistently against his pants, and I had to fight the urge to stare at just how affected he really was.
“You’re playing with fire,” Axel warned, stepping even closer. So close that if I shifted just slightly, my barely covered breasts would brush against his chest.
“Oh?” I tilted my chin up defiantly, even though my heart was hammering against my ribs. “And what exactly are you going to do about it?”
Why did I just challenge him?What is wrong with me?
His jaw ticced. Once. Twice. A muscle in his neck strained like he was fighting some internal war. His eyes dropped to my lips again, and I could practically see him imagining what it would feel like to crash his mouth against mine. I mean, my word, the tension between us was so thick, I could barely breathe.
“Get. Changed.” His hands clenched and unclenched into fists at his sides again.
“Make me.”
Did I just say that out loud?Jesus, Dakota, what are you doing?
Something dark and hungry flashed in his eyes. For a split second, I thought he might actually do it. Thought he might grab me, pin me against the wall, and show me exactly what kind of fire I was playing with. His gaze dropped to my lips one more time, and I swear I saw him lean forward slightly before he caught himself. The bulge in his pants was now impossible to ignore, straining against the expensive fabric in a way that made my mouth water.
Even more alarming, part of me wanted to reach out and touch it.
What in the actual hell?
It was probably just hormones. After all, I hadn’t been with a man since Mathew and I had broken up.
Instead, Axel took a step back, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. But not before I caught the way his eyes lingered on my body one last time, drinking in every curve like he was memorizing them for later.
“Put on some goddamn clothes before I do something we’ll both regret.”
Whoa …
What if I didn’t want to? What if I wanted to?—
No, Dakota!
I stumbled backward, suddenly desperate for distance. This was Axel Pierce. My brother’s best friend. My enemy.
So, why did I want to find out what those hands would feel like on my skin? Dipping beneath my bra, my panties?
I thought I’d won this prank. But suddenly, I felt like the loser as I watched him storm down the hallway. Not because he left. But because I didn’t want him to. And because the way he’d looked at me, like he wanted to devour me, was now burned into my memory forever.
An unsettling feeling rocked my core, but I swallowed it. Whatever had happened between me and Axel was nothing. Hormones, fueled with wine. That was all. Him looking at me like he wanted to taste? Was just his hormones, nothing more.
I forced the thoughts out of my head and went into my room and changed into an appropriate outfit: a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt and sweatpants.
There. Crisis averted. No more tingling skin, no more traitorous thoughts about Axel’s hands, and definitely no more wondering what those lips would taste like.
I was winning this internal battle. Totally in control.
Until I walked into the kitchen and found Axel leaning against the counter.
Shirtless.
