Heat rushes to my cheeks. My body remembers it all too well.Nik’s hands on my waist. Axel behind, gripping my hips like I was his to claim.Even now, the memory makes my thighs clench.
“It was fine,” I mumble.
The rumors at school have died down. There’s nothing that gets the gossip mill going like being the filling in the Oreo sandwich between your hot step…cousin and his best friend.
“Justfine?” He shoots me a knowing look, one brow raised in disbelief.
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “It was… fun. I had fun. Happy?”
“Yep!” He flashes one of those smug, dimpled grins thatshould be illegal.
I try to refocus on my jog, but the images won’t stop playing on repeat in my head. By the end of our session, I’m flushed, sweaty, and shaking, and not just from the cardio.
Afterward, I take the first shower like always, but I’m too worked up. The second the hot water hits my skin, I press my back to the cool tile and slide a hand between my thighs. My fingers move in slow, practiced circles, and I let myself remember.
Nik’s hands skimming my swollen, heavy breasts from behind.
I moan softly, my own hand teasing a nipple, heightening the pleasure.
Axel pulling me flush against his hard body, gripping my hips so hard it left marks for days.
I rub faster, chasing the edge.
And then,Axel’s tongue licking the foam from my lips, lazy and possessive like it was his right.
That image shatters me. Axel’s name spills from my traitorous mouth, as the orgasm pulses through me in sharp, beautiful waves. I slap a hand over my mouth, heart pounding.
Please God, let him still be downstairs.
I finish up quickly and throw on clothes for school. Finals and graduation are looming, and I need to finish strong. Early acceptance or not, my future still depends on my grades.
Downstairs, I run smack into Johnny in the kitchen. He gives me a curt nod before disappearing out the door without a word. I stare after him, my stomach tightening. I hate this version of us. No more quiet jokes. No more lingering touches. No morehoney… it’s like he flipped a switch and changed his entire personality.
Fine. If he wants to pretend it didn’t mean anything,that’s on him. But I remember. And unfortunately, my body definitely remembers, too.
Ugh.
I pull out my calculus notes and start reviewing them while eating a bowl of cereal. Around eight, Axel strolls in looking like a damn snack in a black leather jacket.
Men in leather.Huge weakness. Huge.
“Why, God?” I blurt before I can stop myself.
He pauses mid-stride. “What?”
“I hate you.”
His brows draw together. “What? Why?”
“Because you make that”—I wave my spoon at his infuriatingly hot body— “look so damn effortless. It’s unfair to the rest of us mere mortals.”
He laughs at my dramatic ire, dimples flashing like a trap. “Now, now, my fellow Goddess. Your radiant beauty could bring us Gods to our knees.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is that so?”
His voice drops, tone thickening like warm honey. “If you want me on my knees, Princess, all you have to do is ask.”
The look he gives me is indecent. I make a strangled noise, abandon my half-eaten cereal, and bolt. He laughs, unapologetic.
