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“Sure,” I replied.
“When you’re giving me directions back to your place, take the long way home, all right?”
I laughed softly, hooking my chin over his shoulder. Then we sped out of the parking lot and onto the open road.
Chapter Two
Axel
With Beth’s soft, gentle hands clasped around my middle, and the faint heat of her breath against my neck, I didn’t give a damn where we were going. She could have asked me to drive in aimless, wandering circles all night long and I would have gladly obliged her.
My club would undoubtedly tease me later, claiming I was falling hard and fast for yet another girl who was gun-shy about commitment. I had a long history of being a hopeless romantic, dreaming of a future wife, while the girls I dated already had one foot out the door before I could get down on one knee.
It was different with Beth though. I could feel it. Every touch, every look sent an electrical current coursing through me. Judging by the way Beth had kissed me back—and the fact that she couldn’t keep her hands off me—it was obvious she felt the same way.
But would it last? Or was this chance encounter nothing more than a shooting star, burning hot and bright until it fizzled out?
Before I could come up with an answer to that question, I realized where we were. Living in Merry Field, California for the last few years helped me get well acquainted with the small, dusty town that flirted with the edge of the desert. Instead of picturesque and quaint, it was a sleepy little place that was more like a speed bump on the map to somewhere else. I’d called it home for a while now though and I’d developed a fondness for it, even if it might be a bit shabby around the edges.
Within the past ten years, a few affluent families had developed a wealthy neighborhood amongst themselves, with manicured, bright green lawns despite the dry, desert heat. Gleaming, brand-new cars were parked in the weed-free, smoothly paved driveways. In-ground pools were a common sight in this part of town, and the houses were huge. Nothing like the trailer parks I was accustomed to.
When Beth indicated the house where I could drop her off, I rolled to a stop in front of it, staring up at the pristine glass facade.
“This is where you live?” I asked, incredulous.
“It’s my mother’s house, actually,” Beth replied.
She made no move to dismount my bike though. Her arms remained around my middle, with her cheek pressed against my shoulder blade.
A small voice in the back of my mind whispered that I’d been played for a fool. A girl who lived in a house like this would never be serious about a guy like me.
Then Beth nuzzled at my ear, brushing her lips along my neck, and my eyes slipped closed. Blocking out the wealthy mansion and the rich neighborhood.
As long as my eyes remained closed, I could pretend that my world consisted of nothing more than me and Beth and my bike. She could kiss me again and again, anywhere she wanted to.
Beth unclasped her fingers and slid her palms down my chest, down my torso, until she reached the hem of my shirt. I didn’t stop her, didn’t say a word of protest as she slipped her hands beneath my shirt and her warm fingers met my bare skin. My pulse raced at her touch and my cock surged in my jeans.
“Beth,” I groaned. “You should be going inside, baby girl.”
She hummed, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to my neck that made me shift on my bike.
“I don’t want to,” she murmured, her lips ghosting my skin as she spoke.
It was tempting to think about taking Beth home. Peeling off her clothes. Making her mine.
It was too soon though. Her ex-boyfriend wasn’t even out of the picture for an hour yet. And I had no desire to be the rebound guy she had sex with…no matter how tempting it was to think about making Beth come so hard that her ex was nothing more than a bad memory.
When her hands drifted down to my belt, I caught her wrist with a gentle but firm grip. Angling my head, I glanced back at her.
“I like you, Beth. I really do.”
She went still and her eyes shadowed, guarded and wary.
“You just broke up with your boyfriend though,” I continued. “Don’t rush into anything right now. Go home. Get some sleep. Eat some ice-cream and take a hot bath. Call me in a few days when you’re ready to start fresh.”
Before Beth could respond, the door of her house opened and the silhouette of a woman—her mother, I assumed—emerged on the porch.
“Bethany Marie,” she called, sharply. “It’s late. Come inside.”
