Just One Wish (The Kingston Family #4.5)(23)

Though Dakota greeted everyone warmly, she was good at getting a sense of people and turning her back if she didn’t like how she was treated. No worries here. If her paws on his shoulders were anything to go by, she and Axel were now best buds.

Amused, Tara leaned against the wall, watching them for a minute before she was ready to move things along. “Let’s relax in another room or she’s going to think you’re her new playmate.”

Axel’s gaze met hers and laughter danced in his eyes. “Jealous that another girl is paying attention to me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously asking me if I’m jealous of my dog?”

He rose to his feet and walked toward her. She took one step back and came up against the wall, aware of his large body so close to hers.

“I’m sorry about Walter,” she said softly.

He nodded. “I should have listened to you. You know what you’re talking about, and you know what? Maybe a part of me did want the dog to get your approval, at least at first.”

It impressed her that he admitted the truth. “Until you met him,” she murmured, lifting her hand and cupping his cheek. “Pets have a way of burrowing into our hearts.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “Not just pets.”

They remained like that, their breaths mingling, so many words between them unsaid.

Maybe they needed to be spoken out loud. “It feels like this is moving so fast I can’t keep up,” she said.

“Because when we’re together it’s like no time has passed.” He placed his hand beneath her chin and tilted her head up so she met his gaze. “Stop overthinking, Tara. Let those walls down,” he said in a husky voice.

Oh, God. She really couldn’t resist him. Rising onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his, and he let out a low groan. Next thing she knew, he lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent, one she dreamed about every night when she was alone.

“Bedroom?” he asked.

She directed him, and he carried her to her room with determined strides. “Close the door or we’ll have company you don’t want.”

He kicked the door shut behind them. “Unless you’re replacing me as your girlfriend with Dakota?” She laughed at the thought but sobered quickly as her chest rubbed against his, her nipples feeling the pressure of his hard body as she moved.

“You’re irreplaceable,” he said, tossing her onto the bed.

She bounced and glanced up to find his expression filled with yearning.

He clasped her legs and yanked her closer to the edge of the mattress, making her wonder what he had planned. Nothing prepared her for the moment he grasped the sides of her button-down shirt and yanked, sending the buttons flying.

She gasped in surprise but had to admit she found his determination hot, and her core pulsed with need. He pulled one cup of her bra down and latched on to her nipple with his mouth, sucking until her sex practically vibrated with each tug of his lips and scrape of his teeth.

Writhing on the mattress, she tried to hold on to the covers but couldn’t get a grip, so she pulled on his hair instead. She couldn’t decide if she was urging him on or trying to escape the intensity of feelings he aroused. As if he knew she couldn’t take any more, he switched to the other breast, giving it the same treatment until she thought she might come from his mouth on her nipples alone.

“I need you inside me.” Her body wouldn’t let her deny what it wanted.

“I like you bossy.” He stood upright, pulling her to a sitting position. “Now strip.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Now who’s bossy?” she asked as he watched, waiting for her to move.

She shrugged off her blouse, unhooked and slid off her bra. Only then did he shed his T-shirt, unbutton, unzip, and tug down his jeans and boxer briefs. His shoes were already kicked to the side, and his clothes quickly joined them.

Trying not to get sidetracked by his thick, erect cock, which she desperately wanted to feel inside her, she worked on her slacks and managed to slide them, along with her underwear, down to her ankles. He grabbed hold and pulled, adding them to his garments on the floor.

Then he stood between her legs, his erection gripped in his hand, when it dawned on her.

“We need a condom,” she said.

He winced. “Shit. I didn’t bring one.” He studied her intently and then spoke. “I haven’t been with anyone in over six months, and I’ve had a physical since then. I’m clean.”

She swallowed hard. When they were together last, they’d always used protection. They’d been young, not stupid. And she’d never slept with a man unless he wore a condom.

“I’m on the pill,” she whispered.

“So I guess the question is, do you trust me?” As he asked, he lazily pumped his cock in his hand, his jaw tight as he worked his grip up and down.

His lean, strong, muscled body exuded want and sex appeal, but beyond the physical, what he was asking her went deeper. If she said yes, if she felt him bare, it would change her. It would change them.

“I trust that you’re telling me the truth.” She swiped her tongue over her lips. “I’m struggling with what saying yes would mean.” He deserved nothing but honesty.