Strip Search

by Erin McCarthy

Axl didn’t look like he wanted to get her into the gym. He looked like he wanted to get her into bed.

  “You’re going to kiss me again, aren’t you?” she asked, because she had basically implied she didn’t want him to and now was regretting that more than anything ever in the history of her life.

  “Absolutely. Unless you tell me you don’t want me to. Say no and I will keep my lips to myself.”

  His hand on her back was very distracting. It was a light touch but my God, his hand was huge. It spanned almost the entire width of her lower back. The teasing strokes gave her goosebumps and her nipples had hardened. It was ridiculous that he could draw that kind of reaction from her with such light contact.

  “I want you to,” she said because everyone back home was always telling her they were living their best life and damn it, she wanted to live her best life.

  She was one hundred percent certain her best life involved being kissed by Axl Moore.

  He erased the distance between them and took her mouth in a sexy, deep kiss.

  Actually, her best life probably included sex with this man.

  Because the things his mouth did to her with a simple kiss were amazing and she couldn’t even imagine how she could survive without knowing what it felt like to have him inside her.

  Zach was right. She needed to get naked with Axl.

  She practically owed it to herself.

  Without any hesitation, she parted her lips for him and his tongue swept inside, teasing and tangling with hers. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feel of their embrace. He had a manly scent. Like wood chips and skin. Just masculine and sexy as hell. She had read once that if you don’t like your partner’s scent you have a fifty percent higher chance of splitting up. Axl would have passed that test with flying colors. He smelled so much like a man should smell she wanted to lick him everywhere.

  Her thoughts were so wild and scattered that she wrapped her arms around his neck to ground herself. To hold on to him. She was leaning forward, wanting more of him. All of him. His grip on her back tightened and his thigh pressed against hers. They were kissing deeper, more passionately, and she wanted him. All of him. She sighed, giving a little gasp when he unexpectedly nipped at her bottom lip.

  “Leighton,” he murmured.

  She pulled back and opened her eyes. “Yes?” Oh, my God, whose voice was that? She sounded like a porn star. Breathy and excited.

  Which she was. Breathy and excited, not a porn star.

  “You drive me crazy.”

  Part of her was embarrassed. Part of her wondered if this was some kind of elaborate con. Men weren’t driven to madness by her kisses. It just didn’t happen. She had pleasant relationships with pleasant men. And not even recently. It had been eighteen months since she’d had a boyfriend. The last year she hadn’t even dated much.

  So this was all out of left field and really hard to wrap her head around.

  But part of her, a part she hadn’t even known existed, felt very pleased that she was having this effect on Axl. She felt naughty and sexy and she didn’t want that sensation to go away.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever driven a man crazy before.”

  “Then you’ve been hanging around the wrong guys because you are so damn sexy. Your body was built to drive a man crazy.”

  That also pleased her. Because she knew for certain her body was not built for rock climbing.

  Suddenly she realized the bartender was probably hearing every word they were saying. Awkward. Maybe that’s what made her say, without warning, even to herself, “Do you want to go to my room? I feel like this moment should be private.”

  His eyes darkened with desire. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip. “Are you sure?”

  She knew what he was actually asking. That if they went to her room and started kissing they might end up having sex and was she absolutely sure she wanted to do that? It wasn’t her usual style. She wasn’t impulsive and she wasn’t a woman who could take what she wanted from a man and move on without a backward glance. In fact, she’d always envied those girls who could.

  But she’d never met Axl Moore before.

  She had damp panties from one kiss.

  She wanted him.

  There was no reason not to other than her pesky anxiety and right now, it was nonexistent. She should have damp palms, a tight throat, and heart palpitations the way she usually did when she was in an unexpected situation.

  Right now, she felt nothing but a burgeoning desire that shocked her with its intensity.

  “Yes,” she said simply. “I’m sure.”

  He leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. “You’re beautiful.”

  Wow. Maybe her mother had hired him as a gigolo. Or Zach had. Because this was just crazy. Axl seemed so sincere, like he really thought she was gorgeous. She was cute. She wasn’t gorgeous. Her mother was beautiful. Leighton benefitted from makeup contouring. It was that simple.

  At the moment she didn’t even care if he was a con artist, or a liar, or a male prostitute hired by a well-meaning loved one.

  She just wanted to get that shirt off of him and feel those pecs.

  She really didn’t believe he was any of the above. Maybe that was naïve, but she didn’t care. And hell, maybe Axl did think she was gorgeous. Everyone saw different things when they looked at someone. Maybe she spent too much time around body-conscious people.

  There was something freeing about being with Axl. He made her want to throw caution to the wind.

  Reaching behind her, she pulled her purse off of the chair where she had hung it, intending to pay for her wine. Axl was already dropping a twenty on the bartop. It didn’t seem like enough for two glasses of wine, but she didn’t want to sound rude.

  Instead she made eye contact with the bartender, who was grinning, clearly entertained by the dynamic between her and Axl. He didn’t seem to think he was getting stiffed on the tab. In fact, he gave Axl six singles back, which Axl used to return four to the bar. He was a decent tipper, she liked that.

  Minnesota was much more affordable than LA, big shocker.

  “Thank you,” she said to the bartender. “And thank you,” she added to Axl.

  He gave her a wink.

  She was pretty sure she’d just gotten pregnant.

  That’s how masculine he was.

  He looked at her, winked, and bam. Everything inside her wanted to get naked and ride him.

  Leighton never wanted to ride anything. Not horses, not the train, not a wave.

  Yet she wanted to ride Axl.

  She took one final sip of her wine and stood up.

  She was going to the rodeo.

  Five

  Axl wasn’t sure what had changed Leighton’s mind about having sex with him but he was not going to question it. He had asked her if she was sure, she’d said yes, and now it was go time. She actually looked determined. Like she had made up her mind and now she wanted to grab him with both hands.

  He wasn’t usually so aggressive with women. Out of his group of five friends, he was the least likely to have a one-night stand. He had in the past, but not nearly with the frequency of his buddies. It just wasn’t his thing. He felt fucking awkward expecting a woman he just met to take her clothes off for him. But with Leighton it had been lust at first sight and he couldn’t wait to get her naked.

  Following her out of the bar, he thought about her attempts to be flirty with him when she thought he was a stripper sent to entrap her and he had to grin. “Hey, big boy” comments just weren’t her style. He wasn’t sure what her flirtation style was. Maybe straight forward, just like his.

  Leighton was fast-walking, which was fine by him. He had a long stride and he wanted to get her alone as soon as possible.

  She took him to the elevator. When the doors opened, he put his hand on the small of her back again and followed her inside. She hit the button for the third floor and turned to say something to him. Whatever it was going to be got swallowed by his mouth drop
ping over hers. He kissed her hard, deep, dragging her up against his chest so he could feel the press of her luscious tits. He buried his other hand in her wavy hair, kissing her intently.

  She gave a little moan and threw her arms up around his neck. She rose to her tiptoes. Axl lowered his arm behind her firm ass and hauled her up even tighter against him. They kissed like the end of the world was minutes away. Like everything depended on this kiss. With depth and passion and urgency. It was like with each press of their lips they were resuscitating each other.

  He wasn’t sure where that thought came from.

  He just knew that he felt alive and in this moment.

  Axl lifted her completely off the ground. She gasped.

  “Oh, my God, put me down!”

  But he ignored her. “Wrap your legs around me.” He had her easily. He’d been working out since he was twelve. It wasn’t a hardship to hold her up, his hands under her ass. He gave her a little bouncing lift to get her higher up on his hips. She was holding onto her shoulders and giving him a look of wide-eyed horror.

  “Kiss me, Leighton,” he murmured into her ear, before turning to meet her lips with his.

  She kissed him obediently, her fingers trembling on the back of his neck. “This is insane,” she whispered, pulling back slightly.

  “Insanely hot.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  He pursued her lips with his and they both got lost in the wild passionate embrace. Her curves were pressed everywhere against him, her tight ass resting on his forearms, her full tits crushed against his chest. He had a rock solid hard-on already.

  The door swung open and he knew they should exit the elevator but that meant ending their kiss and he didn’t want to do that.

  “Oh, my God!” a strange voice said in shock.

  Shit. They’d been caught. Axl dragged his mouth off of Leighton’s and turned to see who was witness to their elevator intimacy.

  It was two women in their sixties. Great. He was keeping it classy. “Sorry, we’re just getting a room.”

  “I should hope so,” the one with enormous black glasses and rich red lipstick said. “Maybe you should have ten minutes earlier.”

  She didn’t actually look offended. She and her friend, who had short white spiked hair and a stylish scarf on, exchanged amused looks. “Are you a cop?” the second woman asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. Off-duty, obviously.” Why the hell hadn’t he changed? This was not helping his current problem with his chief. There were most likely surveillance cameras in the elevator.

  “I may need to get arrested,” the first woman said and they both laughed.

  Axl cleared his throat. He was mildly embarrassed, mostly amused. “Pardon us, ladies. Enjoy your evening.” He reluctantly set Leighton back down onto the floor. She wobbled a little and he steadied her with his hands on her waist.

  She tossed her hair back off of her face, her cheeks tinged pink.

  The elevator door kept trying to close and Axl kept sticking his arm in front of it. Leighton darted past the women and he shifted, still holding the door until the pair of ladies moved inside the elevator.

  “Have fun,” one said.

  “I can guarantee that, ma’am.”

  They both seemed to think that was hilarious. But he meant it very sincerely.

  Leighton pressed her hands to her cheeks as the doors closed, leaving them alone in the hushed hallway. “I should be embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “I said I should be.” She gave him a sly smile. “But I’m not totally embarrassed because I think they were jealous of me. What woman wouldn’t be?”

  Now he was the one who was actually mildly embarrassed. He cleared his throat. “Which way?”

  “Left.” She pointed and started walking. “Three twelve.”

  It was a short way which helped because his cock was rock hard and he wanted her naked yesterday.

  Leighton fished her key card out of her purse and waved it in front of the touchpad. The green light went on and she opened the door and quickly stepped inside. Axl followed her, taking out his service revolver and setting it on the counter by the coffeemaker. Handcuffs went next to it.

  Her eyes widened.

  He realized he had probably just scared her. That looked sketchy as hell. Like he might do something threatening or abusive. He was about to tell her he would take them back down to his car when she sat down on the edge of her bed and started undoing her sandal strap.

  “I’ve never been handcuffed before this afternoon,” she said.

  He wasn’t going to lie. He was happy to hear that she wasn’t getting cuffed on a regular basis, either criminally or sexually. But he wasn’t sure whether she was freaked out right now or not. “I promise not to handcuff you tonight.”

  She actually gave a nervous laugh. “Oh, geez, that never entered my mind. I’ve led a very, uh, vanilla life.”

  Her sandal fell to the floor and she moved on to the second one, working at the buckle.

  Axl felt a wave of tenderness toward her. Hell. He didn’t know if she wanted this or not. Fuck. “I’ll take the gun and the cuffs to the car. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Leighton.”

  But she shook her head. “That’s okay. I think it’s kind of hot, actually. I mean, just sitting there. Not, you know, in use.”

  All right then. Fuck yeah. Every time he thought he was going to have to rein it in she surprised him.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said, her hand fluttering over her chest.

  “Do whatever you want,” he said. “There are no rules.” Yanking his shirt out of his pants, he undid the buttons. She was perched on the edge of the bed now, just waiting for him to make a move. Fine by him. He moved in between her thighs, forcing her knees apart. She stared up at him, her chest rising and falling rapidly with her excited and anxious breathing.

  Bending over, he cupped her cheeks and kissed her deeply. Instantly she wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him back with enthusiasm. Axl eased her back down onto the bed, running his hand over the bare skin of her thigh. Her blonde hair fanned out on the mattress and her t-shirt was caught beneath her hip, stretching it so that her cleavage was on full display. It was a gorgeous sight. He couldn’t resist caressing up her side and lightly brushing over that swell of pale skin peeking out at him before burying his hand in her hair.

  He kissed her lips, her neck. Leighton tasted sweet like the wine she’d been drinking and he stroked his tongue over hers, wanting even more. Having her splayed out like this before him was an unexpected gift he hadn’t even known he’d wanted until the second he’d seen her at Tap That. She was making little soft sounds of encouragement, her nails digging lightly into his arms.

  Axl explored her every soft inch with his hands, teasing at her nipples through the fabric of her shirt, and dipping briefly between her thighs to stroke at the front of her denim shorts. Her waist fascinated him. She had such a full chest, curvy hips and tiny waist, that the S shape gave him endless entertainment. He could run his hands over that all night.

  Her tank top gave under his sharp tug and he exposed her bra, a basic pink cotton that was straining against the volume of her tits. The bounce they gave at his movements made him groan just a little before he lowered his head to suck at the swell spilling out of her cup. It tasted as good as it looked. She gasped. Axl flipped both cups down simultaneously. Freed the nipples. Fuck yeah. The raspberry buds were taut and he drew one into his mouth, enjoying the sharp intake of breath from Leighton. He sucked and lathed it with his tongue, before moving to the other to give it the same treatment. Testing the weight of her tits, he cupped them, and felt his cock harden even further. Her chest was amazing.

  He had to see her without the tank top and bra interfering. Sitting back, he shoved at the wrap thing she had on over her shirt. It was a sheer fabric and caught behind her. There was the unmistakable sound of a rip. “Fuck. Sorry, Leighton.” Sometimes he
didn’t know his own strength. He had big hands.

  She gave a soft laugh. “It’s okay. Now I can say I’ve had a man rip my clothes off of me.”

  Damn. She’d let him off the hook and turned him on even further. “Is that a fantasy of yours?”

  “It is now.” She looked excited by the idea.

  Holy. Shit. Axl didn’t even hesitate. He ripped the wrap thing from both shoulders so that it was nothing to ease it off.

  “Oh, my God,” she murmured, sounding scandalized and aroused.

  He took the neckline of her tank top and gave it the same treatment, turned on by the gesture. It was probably a first for him too, that he could remember. But damn, it was hot, just to tear that shirt apart and give himself full access to her luscious tits.

  Shrugging out of his own shirt, he tossed it aside and went for the snap on her denim shorts. Those had to go. He tugged, she wiggled, which gave him a view of her tits he would remember to his dying day. He wanted to frame that perfection and hang it on his fucking living room wall.

  Once her shorts were down, he shifted her thighs apart and lowered his head.

  Every inch.

  He was going to taste every inch of her.

  * * *

  Leighton was in a haze of desire and shock. First he had taken her teasing about tearing her clothes literally and had torn her tank top like it nothing more than thin paper. His hands were huge, something she had noticed before, but not thought about what they were capable of. He had been using them so tenderly, stroking over her body. Then bam. Shirt gone.

  It was very, very sexy.

  She had never realized she would be so turned on by a manly man throwing his strength around. But first him picking her up in the elevator and now this? She wasn’t sure her panties had ever been this damp. But it didn’t matter because he whisked those off too and he had all her important parts freed of fabric.

  It would be nice to feel his rock-solid chest, but before she could make a move to do that Axl was between her thighs placing a teasing kiss on her clit. She moaned, instinctively drawing her legs together a little. This wasn’t something she did on the regular, have a man go down on her. It was the one time she felt a little self-conscious about her weight, which made her annoyed with herself. But the men she had dated had always been on the skinny side and seeing them buried in her full thighs brought to mind thoughts she didn’t want to be having in the middle of sex. Her last boyfriend had been happy to be let off the hook. He had always offered it reluctantly, the way Zach did when she asked him for some of his fries. There was no way to say no without looking like a dick, so it was the world’s most lukewarm yes.