Most every guy he knew would ask him why the fuck he bothered questioning a beauty so willing to go to bed with him. Axel didn’t like unanswered questions. His gut told him to keep digging.

Finally, the woman reached him, and he dragged his knuckles across the firm globes of her backside. Arousal gripped his chest, tightened his groin. He cupped her butt in his hands, thumbs brushing from the insides of her thighs and up her soft crease.

Maybe he should fuck her now and ask questions later.

She jumped, seemingly rattled by his soft caress.

“Easy . . .” he murmured, then leaned in and placed his lips on her right cheek, nipping it lightly with his teeth.

Her little gasp went straight to his dick. He did it again. This time, he watched her squirm, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, as if trying to create a little friction in her pussy to ease the ache.

Axel gripped her hips. “Don’t be a bad girl. Stand still. Spread your legs.”

She gave him a whimper that told him she clearly understood giving in meant the end of any possible relief, but she still did it.

With his hands on her hips, well . . . that touchable ass just begged for his fingers and palms. How could he turn that down?

Axel plucked at the bow over her left hip. The barely there wisp of black cloth fell, revealing one hip completely, along with more of her succulent butt. As he caressed the skin he’d just exposed with one hand, he tugged on the bow over her other hip. Instantly, her thong fell into a heap between her feet. His first view of her bare ass made him suck in an oh-holy-fuck breath.

Rounder than he’d originally thought, her cheeks protruded, juicy and ripe and ready for his plucking. No doubt about it, he intended to bend her over the nearest piece of furniture and have his wicked way with her before the night ended.

He adjusted his stiff cock in his jeans. His hormones seemed to be having a temper tantrum that he wasn’t balls deep inside her yet. He’d fix that right quick—as soon as they got a few other things out of the way.

“Face me,” he demanded.

She turned and looked down at him. Her blue eyes seemed almost too brilliant . . . not quite real. Another glance at her face told him that red definitely wasn’t her natural color. When the color of the drapes had been altered, he could usually tell what nature had given her by checking the carpet. Axel stared at her bare pussy for the first time. Plump, a deep flushed rosy that pouted for his attention, like the side of a ripe peach. He could see every pore and every goose bump because she’d removed all hint of the carpet here. And she hadn’t simply shaved. No stubble to impede the flow of his tongue or reveal the coloring nature had given her. But Axel didn’t worry. The night was young. He’d figure her out.

He dragged a finger from her navel down to her cleft. Her entire body jolted. She shuddered. Moisture coated his finger. Her clit was already hard.

Why would a woman as gorgeous as this one be so hungry for sex? Certainly, she could get any heterosexual man to fuck her just by crooking her finger. For that matter, he’d found over the years that women tended to be more responsive with men they knew, trusted, cared for. Was that why she hadn’t found anyone to satisfy her? But then, why choose him? She didn’t know the first fucking thing about him beyond his name and address. Hell, he’d had more intimate verbal exchanges with his insurance agent, and yet not-Elise seemed incredibly eager to slide between his sheets. She just got more intriguing, and Axel wanted to solve her. But with every second, his hunger rose. He definitely had to fuck her and relieve some of this crazy tension she’d built inside him first.

He stood, steadying her against him with a firm grip on her hips. He looked down at her, and that pleading look in her eyes went straight to his cock. He could imagine her on her knees, at his mercy, begging him with that stare. Everything about her revved his libido, but that expression . . . Shit.

“Let’s go,” he demanded.

“To your bedroom?” She sounded breathless.

“Yeah.”

He took her hand and led her out of the TV room, down the hall, stopping only when they’d reached the side of his sleigh bed. He hadn’t made it this morning, and his beige sheets were tangled up with his chocolate comforter. Not-Elise didn’t seem to give a shit about his décor or his lack of tidiness.

Instead, she inched in front of him and fingered the hem of his T-shirt, her fingertips brushing his abdomen. God, she really did have some of the most delectable breasts. He’d been so busy looking at her ass that he’d missed out on something special. Wow.

“Please,” she asked softly, tugging up on his tee.

At once, he had two thoughts. First, she’d learned already that demanding would get her nowhere with him. And second, that if he didn’t get naked with her soon, he’d fucking explode.

Axel grabbed the hem and yanked the black cotton from his chest, tossing it across the room. He took hold of her wrists and fastened them onto his pecs. He wanted her touch, needed to feel her skin, her desire.

The beauty curled her fingers into his flesh, urgent, seeking. Her mouth fell open. Her face filled with something like wonder, and Axel couldn’t figure out for the life of him why something so basic should seem so new to her. No freaking way she could be a virgin.

He tucked a finger under her chin. “I need you to be honest with me. You’ll do that, yes?”

She flinched, then tried to cover it with a faint smile. “I’ll do my best.”

Not a perfect reply, and certainly not the one he wanted, but she didn’t understand the rules—yet.

“Good. That’s all I ask. Tell me the last time you had sex.”

She recoiled. “Why?”

“You look pretty damn nervous.”

“It’s been a few months,” she admitted. “And it’s always nerve-racking getting naked for a new lover.”

Her answer made sense, but Axel still wanted to press her for details. She insisted she had sexual experience, but her jumpiness seemed like more than typical nerves. All these incongruities just kept mounting in his head . . .

He tried being brutally honest with her. “I seriously don’t think I’ve ever met a woman who intrigued me as much as you. And you’ve got the most beautiful body I’ve ever touched.”

She wrinkled her nose in disagreement.

“You do,” he insisted. “And the most kissable mouth. Give it to me.”

Without hesitation, she tilted her face up to him, her expression wide open in offering. Her desire to give to him was absolute, so pure it reached inside his chest and tugged.

He’d spent so long helping Sweet Pea, Club Dominion’s submissive receptionist, scaling the walls of her defenses so he could tear them down. No matter how much she wanted to submit her all so she’d be ready for the day she met her One, he always hit her hard emotional limit well before her physical one. It frustrated him. It frustrated her. He often wondered if he couldn’t reach her because they were friends—lovers on those rare occasions she needed to be held—but they weren’t in love.

Never had Sweet Pea offered him the sort of complete, unvarnished sincerity this woman presented right now. She might be lying to him about her name and why she’d come to his favorite beer dive. But her expression gave him a glimpse inside the gates to her soul.

Why?

Her thumb flicked across his nipple as she explored every bulge and ridge of his torso. She caressed his shoulders, skated her fingertips down his ribs, bisected his abs with one nail, and flirted dangerously close with the screaming head of his cock, trying to make its way out of his jeans.

His every muscle went taut as she continued with her casual touches. The innocent way she attempted to learn his body, as if being with him was a wonder and the moment they shared felt reverent to her. He’d agreed to a one-night stand . . . but she wasn’t treating it as a throwaway at all. On some level being with this woman whose name he didn’t actually know felt important, which made no sense at all.