There’s a knock. Green silk slides against my bare skin, like a whisper of what I hope is to come, like the butterflies in my stomach. I open the door.
A short while later we’re sitting at a table at the nightclub. Hibiscus Alley is busy, as it usually seems to be. Music plays over the sound system, a mix of Top 40 and heavier rock. A couple of waiters work the tables, a delicious smell of food in the air.
“I thought we were going to the restaurant.”
Axel, looking like a dream in a fitted black T-shirt and low-slung khaki cargo trousers, blinks. “Oh. Did you want to? I just thought this was easier. And the food here is really good.”
“No, this is great. As long as Mish doesn’t show up.”
“I’ll keep her away.” He grins. “Not that it looked like you needed my help. You do martial arts?”
“Yeah. I’ve been training for a couple of years now. Got my brown belt a few months ago. Zach—” I stop talking. I do not want to bring up my ex while I’m on a date.
“Zach?” Axel’s head tilts slightly.
I shrug. “He does martial arts too. Karate. Thought I might enjoy it. And he was right.” I take a sip of my drink. It’s another of those coconut daiquiris. I have no plans to throw it on anyone. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about him.”
“I do.” Axel folds his arms, the muscles flexing. “Look, I don’t know what your arrangement is, but I don’t do the sharing thing. I want you, Jade. But I want to be the only one.” His storm-grey gaze is clear and direct.
I frown, wondering what he means. “You are.”
“So you’re not with him?” Still so direct. “Because cheating is a deal-breaker for me.”
Realisation washes over me. “I broke up with him. On the way here. It’s why I’m here. And… uh, I don’t like cheating either.”
He visibly relaxes, his broad shoulders dropping. But there’s a line between his brows. “Fuck. Really? On the way here? And now I’m dropping in and?—”
“You’re not doing anything. Except— What was that thing you said? Wooing me.” I grin. “And I hope you don’t stop.”
“I have no plans to.” He leans forward, reaching for my hand. “Not unless you ask me to.”
“I have no plans to do that, either.”
Axel
When Jade opened the door of her cabin and I saw her standing there, clad in green silk, I knew I was done for. That I had to have her.
It was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. I was half-joking last night, when I said no underwear. But now I can’t stop wondering what she’s wearing under her skirt. If anything.
Now she sits opposite me like some sort of dream, candlelight gleaming on her smooth shoulders, the low neckline on her dress revealing the valley between her breasts. I want to run my tongue up it, want to peel back the silk and suck her nipples until she cries my name. It’s as though I’ve been unleashed.
I’ve kept myself apart, controlled, for almost two years. There’s been no one, and I’ve been happy that way. Until Jade blew into my life. And all I want now is to fuck her until we both pass out.
I could have done so, last night. Why the hell did I make a big deal about wooing her, like we were back in the nineteenth century or something?
Because she’s worth it, my mind whispers.She’s more than just a fuck.
And that’s crazy in itself. But I suppose it would take something this big to shake me out of my self-imposed exile. And Jade is some sort of stormy fucking temptress. I watch her mouth as she talks, try not to sigh with relief when she confirms that she and Zach are over. Unleashed as I am, I still don’t think I would have crossed that line.
Now nothing stands between us.
Except dinner, I guess. The waiter arrives with steaming bowls of noodles, crisp spring rolls piled high, dipping sauces and more. A feast. But all I want to eat is Jade. Still, I dig in and so does she, asking the waiter for another of the frosty cocktails. I add a beer to the order.
“I’ve been thinking about the cave,” she says, after a few minutes.
So have I. About the kiss we shared there. But I don’t say that. “You have?”
“Yeah. I might have a couple of ideas.”
