Mystery shivered at his tone. God, she wanted to hear more of that—a whole lot more as he pumped his big cock inside her and made her scream.

The devil on her shoulder poked her again. She grabbed the bottle and stepped out of his reach, staring at him defiantly as she unscrewed the cap and poured a big gulp into her mouth.

She swallowed and smacked her lips. “Now what are you going to do, big man?”

For a long moment, he did nothing but stare at her as if she’d made some grievous error she would come to deeply regret. Slowly, he uncrossed his arms, then sighed, sizing her up like an animal considering its prey, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

Her heart pounded. Her nipples beaded. Her whole body lit up. Not once had any of the admittedly stupid string of boyfriends she’d had made her feel this much like a woman. Her breathing speeded up. She swayed a bit closer. Would he touch her? Would he lay his lips over hers and claim her mouth before he delved into her body?

She exhaled a ragged little sigh. “Axel . . .”

Her whispered entreaty put him in motion. His eyes went dark as he skirted the bar, sidled closer—and kept coming at her.

A dizzying wave of desire swept through her as he reached for her. His fingers brushed her waist. She swayed. Her back hit the wall. She gasped. He pinned her with his big body, his hands braced on either side of her head. Heat seeped into her. His erection pressed hard and massive into her belly. She closed her eyes, her head falling back as she offered him her vulnerable throat.

“Princess . . .” he murmured low and soft in her ear.

Her entire body trembled. “Yes.”

When he didn’t say anything right away, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her. He hovered right over her, his face so close. Lust ripped across his expression, darkening his eyes, firming his lips. She couldn’t wait to feel him . . .

“Yes.” Mystery positioned her lips just under his.

But he didn’t kiss her.

Instead, he swallowed hard, body taut. His nostrils flared. He clenched his jaw. “Wait here.”

He turned on his heel and left the bar, marched through the kitchen, and out the back door.

Wait? If he was a Dom, maybe he needed rope or some way to restrain her. Or maybe he looked for some other instrument with which to give her pleasure or pain. The thought made her breathless.

Axel slammed back in a moment later, returning to the bar with a bucket in his hand. She frowned. What the hell?

After he set it on the floor beside him, he returned to cage her body against the wall with his own. If anything, his face loomed closer, his lips an aching breath away. Mystery tried to inch closer and seal her lips over his. Before she could even blink, he grabbed her wrists and held her against the wall. She gripped the neck of the bottle, kind of wishing he’d pour it all over her body and lick it off.

“You’re saying yes?” he asked in a rough whisper.

“Yes.”

“Whatever I want?”

To all the erotic ways he could take her currently spinning in her head? “Yes.”

He grabbed the bottle from her grip and took a step back. “I’m saying no, Mystery.” Before she could sputter a reply, he turned the bottle upside down and poured the tequila into the bucket, onto a mound of dirt he’d scooped inside.

“What the hell are you doing?” she screeched.

Axel shook the bottle a couple of times to make sure every last drop emptied out. “No, Mystery. I don’t think you’ve heard that word enough in your life. No, you cannot get wasted. No, you cannot check out when you’re in the middle of danger. And no, you cannot have sex with me just because you want it.”

He dumped the empty bottle into the bucket and turned his back on her.

Shock pelted her, then quickly morphed to anger. She charged after him. When he whirled to face her, she poked a finger into his steely chest. “You wanted me. I felt it.” She stared pointedly at his tented towel. “I still see it.”

He stiffened. “I’m just a man. You’re a pretty girl. But I don’t need to fuck someone every time I have an itch to scratch. Do you?”

“No. I just thought—”

“I was a novelty? I’d thank my lucky stars that you’d grant me use of your famous pussy for an hour or two so you could wrap me around your little finger?”

“No!” That he’d even imagined she felt that way horrified her.

He narrowed his eyes, and she felt chastened. “Then what did you think, girl?”

Tears welled. Her mouth turned down, and she knew an ugly cry was coming. She couldn’t stop it to save her life. “That I liked you and wanted you. I hoped you liked and wanted me, too.”

Something in his face softened, but his stance didn’t. “I like you just fine. You’re easy to talk to. You learn fast. You’ve got backbone and a tender heart—an appealing combination.”

“Then why—”

“You need to finish growing up. And you can’t handle what I’d demand from you in bed, especially after the trauma you’ve just been through. Besides, you’re too damn young for sex.”

“I’m not fucking five. I’m a legal adult.”

“So you think that means you should exercise your right to spread your legs?”

“You don’t have to be an ass about it.” She swiped away the unwanted tears scalding her cheeks. “What’s your hang-up, anyway? It’s not like I’m a virgin.”

His expression became a fortress, the windows to his soul slamming shut and cutting her off from his every thought. “So you think I should corrupt you more?” He raised a brow at her. “The absence of a hymen doesn’t make you a woman. We’re done here. Take your lantern, get in bed, and try to sleep.”

With just a few sentences, he’d turned her down cold, embarrassed the hell out of her, and dismissed her utterly. A part of her wanted to call him names, argue and rail. The other part felt too humiliated and just wanted to escape.

But she couldn’t resist a parting shot. “Fine. Just don’t talk to me anymore. Don’t act nice or pretend you give a shit. Just do what my father paid you to do and get me home.”

Chapter Six

Present day

EARTH to Elise.” Axel snapped his fingers.

His words didn’t jar her back to the present, but the sharp sound following did. Mystery started and blinked at him. Crap, how long had she been drifting into the past?

“Sorry. I . . .” What did she say now? She didn’t really have an excuse other than a trip down memory lane in which he’d been the star. Not that she could tell him that. He’d turned her down flat once. Despite their promising exchange at the bar, Mystery feared he’d do it again.

“You having second thoughts?”

“No.” Hell no. “Last I recall, I asked you if we could hit your bedroom and you could lose some clothes.”

“We were kissing. You in some hurry?”

He couldn’t begin to imagine how done she was waiting for him. Just being in the same room with him excited her beyond belief—unlike the last time they’d shared space.

After he’d rejected her in the old hotel’s bar, Mystery had felt two inches tall. She didn’t think he’d intended to hurt her feelings as much as he’d wanted to put distance between them. In retrospect, she would have turned herself down, too. She’d been a stupid kid playing adult games. And she hadn’t been in the right mind-set for sex. He’d known that. But his rebuff had dented her pride and wounded her heart. She’d stomped up the stairs to bed, expecting to spend a few hours alone to cry out her confusion and heartache. Instead, he’d followed right behind her and plopped himself onto the chair in the corner, then spread his big-ass gun across his lap.