her storming away from the door and back to him. She appeared so livid that Axel braced himself, thinking she might slug him. Instead she went nose to nose with him and snarled, “The point is that I might be young, doc, but I prefer that to being old and set in my ways.”
“Damn it, call me Axel.” He scowled. “And I am not old.”
“Forty is old.”
“Forty! But I’m only—” He caught sight of the satisfaction twinkling in her eyes and knew she’d just gigged him on purpose. “Brat.” And to make sure she knew, he added, “I’m thirty-five as of a few months ago.”
“Downright ancient.” She snickered. “You old people are so easy to provoke.”
In soft warning, Axel said, “You’re just begging for it, aren’t you?”
“No way, buster.” She crossed her arms under her breasts again. “Not anymore. A few weeks ago, sure, you had me to the begging point. But in case you’ve forgotten, you went off in a huff and I didn’t hear from you—”
“I had no idea how to reach you.”
Blue eyes fried him. “Like you would have?”
No way would he admit to anything with her so antagonistic.
She sniffed. “That’s what I thought. Not that it matters because now I’ve got my sights set on younger game.”
That bugged him worse than anything else she’d said. “Who?”
“I don’t know yet.” She went to her bed and flopped down onto the corner, curling her bare legs beneath her. “But it can’t be that hard to find an agreeable guy, right?” With a coy look, she added, “Someone young and open to new experiences, like virginity.”
Feeling protective again—and, damn it, jealous—Axel circled the bed and seated himself on the edge of the mattress beside her. “Your virginity is something special, Libby. Don’t throw it away.”
“Yeah, it’s so special it left you speechless and running off like a scared rabbit.”
“I was not scared. Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?”
“Whatever. Holding onto my virginity has lost its appeal.” She patted his chest. “Thanks to you and that little taste in the garden, I’m just dying to find out what I’ve been missing.”
Axel’s guts cramped with the urge to show her. He covered her hand on his chest to keep it still. “Don’t go out with anyone you don’t know well.”
“Thanks, gramps. But I’m not stupid. I’m not looking to get strangled.”
Tamping down his annoyance at her continued jabs on his age, Axel gripped her wrist and urged her closer toward him. “I’m glad to hear it. But don’t think birth control pills will cover all the bases. These days you need a—”
“Condom. Rubber. Raincoat. Yeah, I know. STDs and all that.” She wrinkled her nose. “It almost makes sex unappealing, huh?”
To his mind, nothing could make sex with her unappealing.
“I guess that’s one reason I didn’t rush into bed with anyone.” She looked at his mouth, and her voice softened a bit. “I have been busy, and the idea of having to get a clean bill of health from any interested males just seems very unromantic.”
He could show her appealing. He could show her romantic. Instead he thought of a few questions he wanted to ask. “You don’t live with your uncle anymore?”
Her gaze came back to his. “Like I said, he kept me housed and fed when I was underage. But he never had children of his own because he didn’t want them—then he got saddled with me. Believe me, he’s made no bones about the inconvenience of raising his sister’s kid.” She lifted a hand and swept it around her. “Hence my apartment. He said he’d prefer to pay rent than have me underfoot, and he figures I’ll learn to take care of myself this way. Like I didn’t already know how to do that. Believe me, between Mom’s crazy lifestyle and my uncle’s disinterest, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
“So your uncle pays the rent for this place?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve kept a tally of everything he’s spent, and I intend to pay him back as soon as possible.”
Scowling, Axel looked around at the miniscule efficiency apartment. It wasn’t very close to the local college and it couldn’t be all that safe, considering the neighborhood.
He decided her uncle must be a real prick.
“That’s why you were working at the party the other night?”
“I still take any odd job that doesn’t interfere with my class schedule so I can make headway in paying him back.”
Somehow, Axel’s free hand had gotten into her braids and he cradled her skull. And even worse, she leaned toward him, her head slightly tipped back, her mouth that close.
An admission was torn from him. “Damn it, but I hate the idea of you experimenting with some yahoo who may or may not show you the right way of things.”
Taunting, egging him on, she eased closer still. “I don’t have much choice…now do I?”
He could give her choices. He could give her mind-numbing pleasure…
Her small pink tongue came out to lick at her lips. “So…you said you’d thought about it, about me?”
Every day, damn near every minute. Not that he’d confess such a thing to her. “It was a memorable event.”
She put her other hand on his chest—right over his now thundering heart. “I have too,” she admitted. “The last few days, I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t even been able to sleep. I’ve barely been able to study.”
Regrettably, he said the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re too thin to be skipping meals.”
Her provocative expression gave way to blank surprise, then she rolled her eyes and half laughed. “Too thin, huh? Are you sure you’re good at this seduction stuff? Because from what I’ve seen, you’re batting a big fat zero.”
Axel locked his jaw, feeling guiltier by the second. He didn’t want to put her in a funk and have her skipping meals on his account—not if he could ease her. And he sure as hell didn’t want to distract her from her studies, not when they were so important to her. “I’m good,” he assured her. “And you should already know from our first encounter, thin or not, I have no complaints with your body.”
Her fingers curled, stroking his chest, testing his pecs with sensual curiosity. “Same here.” She looked down at his mouth again. “Never in my life did I do anything as crazy as I did at that party. I’m usually the most level-headed, circumspect gal around. But that night…everything just felt right.”
And that described the problem in a nutshell. He wasn’t the type of guy that she should feel right with.
Axel half turned away,
