Axel (Men of Mirror Lake Mountain, book 1): A Penny Dee Spicy Bites Novella

by Penny Dee

  I think about yelling. Not because I want to, but because in these instances yelling would be expected. My screams would echo throughout the lodge and alert everyone to what was going on. But something tells me it wouldn’t be in my best interest to do so.

  We slip outside and it’s a starry night, even with the full moon. It’s also biting cold, and I can feel the chill whipping against my skin as we move quickly around the main building. Silhouetted against the light, the man who is taking me looks even bigger. Broader. His shoulders are wide, and his impressive bulk moves with athletic precision through the darkness.

  We’re just about to make our way along the cobblestone path toward the parking lot when two shadowy figures appear out of nowhere. It all happens so fast. One minute three men in black appear out of nowhere, the next, they are lying on the floor thanks to the man I only know as the handyman, and some of his pretty fast and lethal moves.

  He grabs my hand and pulls me deeper into the darkness. But more men appear, and again he takes them both out with powerful force, dropping them to the ground. One grabs me, and my instincts force me to jam my elbow into his ribs, and when he lets go, I slam my foot into his groin. He groans, clutches his balls as he sinks to the cobblestone driveway.

  “Nice work, Princess,” my kidnapper says, grabbing my wrist again and leading me through the shadows and down the long driveway. Up ahead I see the shadow of a vehicle among the trees, and as we get nearer, I can see it’s a Jeep with a lot of antennas and lights on the outside.

  Just as we get to it, I slip on the frost-soaked grass and fall over. But big hands haul me effortlessly to my feet.

  “Get in,” he says.

  And I do.

  I climb in because it hasn’t skipped my attention that the men who attacked us weren’t the usual security patrol my daddy had on his payroll. Like my kidnapper-slash savior, they were men dressed in black with balaclavas. Daddy’s security team doesn’t wear balaclavas. Only people who don’t want to be recognized do.

  Like the man who is taking me.

  Fuck.

  “Who the hell are they?” I cry as we take off into the night. “And who the fuck are you?”

  Despite maneuvering the vehicle through dark mountain terrain without headlights on, he answers calmly, “I’m the guy who just saved your ass.”

  Chapter Four

  AXEL

  Okay. That didn’t exactly go to plan.

  Distracted by lust, I’d spent more time in the lodge than I’d intended to, and as a result, I had to deal with the spooks hired to kidnap the heiress.

  Now I’m sporting a knife wound to my shoulder that’s a giant pain in the ass as I steer my Jeep through the darkness, while trying to navigate the rough mountain terrain.

  My cabin is on the other side of the mountain. At least a half-hour drive through the secret trails and off-roads only a local would know.

  There is no chance we are being followed. Back at Mirror Lake Lodge, when I saw the black SUV slowly pull up with its headlights turned off, I had moved stealthily in the dark and plunged the knife I always carried with me into the two rear tires before slipping back into the darkness.

  The spooks were sloppy and slow, which told me they weren’t professionals. They didn’t have the same training as I did. I could move fast and quiet without detection because I had lived in the shadows for too many years to remember. They were still outside when I had slipped into the lodge and made my way up the grand staircase to her room. They were still circling the lodge while I stood in the darkness watching her with ferocious desire as she made herself come.

  Fuck.

  I can’t afford to think about that now.

  The adrenaline pumping through me is just enough to keep the pain of a knife wound at bay. But not my raging hard-on.

  I need to keep my focus. Need to get off the road and lock Lauren safely inside my cabin.

  I glance over at her. She is staring out the window. She is eerily calm, but I can see the gentle thud of her pulse against her lovely throat.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I say.

  She turns to look at me but doesn’t say anything. She is weighing every possible scenario in her head. I see her throat work as she swallows slowly and lets out a shaky breath. Her silence is welcome because I don’t have time to explain anything yet. I need to focus, concentrate, and get us out of harm’s way.

  The night gets darker with an approaching storm as we drive deeper into the mountain. I can’t rely on the moonlight here, so I switch on my low beams and take it easier through the rutted trails leading toward my cabin.

  Mist hangs low among the pine trees. Here the shadows are deeper. Eerier. I feel her body go rigid beside me.

  “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” she says.

  I glance at her. “Kill you? Princess, I’m trying to save you.”

  By the look on her face, she doesn’t believe me.

  “So you say.”

  “Do I look like I’m trying to kill you?”

  “Maybe not right now. But who’s to say you’re not going to do all kinds of things to me once you get me to your cabin.”

  “I’m not going to do anything to you.”

  “Excuse me if that doesn’t exactly reassure me. I don’t know you. For all I know, you’re going to kill me and use my skin to make lampshades.”

  “I’m not going to do that.” I raise an eyebrow at her. “Well, not today, anyway.”

  She rolls her eyes. She seems more agitated than scared. “At least tell me your name.”

  I think about it for a moment before replying. “Axel. My name is Axel.”

  Up ahead, I can see my cabin through the shadows. The porch light is on, otherwise it is completely dark out here. If anyone had breached the perimeter of my property, there would be red lights glowing in the darkness. It’s a necessary security set up I need, considering who I am and what I’ve done.

  I pull up to the front of my cabin. But when I climb out of my Jeep, she doesn’t follow. Instead, she remains belted in her seat with a look of pure stubbornness on her face.

  “You need to get inside,” I growl because I’m in pain. I haven’t told her about the knife wound, but now it’s beginning to hurt like a bitch. Plus, I still have to do a perimeter sweep and check out the inside of the cabin before I can tend to my wound.

  But instead of moving, Lauren shoves her arms across her chest. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!”

  She is frustrating.

  “I will explain everything once we get inside.”

  “No. You’ll explain it to me now!”

  Did I say she is frustrating?

  I mean, annoying.

  “Listen, Princess—”

  “And stop calling me Princess!”

  I take a deep breath to calm the flash of irritation I feel surge through me.

  “Listen, Lauren…you can stay out here or come inside, I don’t give a goddamn. But the truth is, it gets down to freezing out here at night, and a storm is coming. They’re even talking about an early snowfall, so you’re better off coming inside where it’s warm. And safe.”

  She raises an eyebrow at me and I start to think that she is going to be more of a handful than I thought.

  She raises her chin slightly but doesn’t budge.

  I lean into the door frame.

  “The woods are active at night. No telling what’s out there lurking through the trees and the low fog.” Her arms loosen and her glare changes to alarm. “Now you might want to take your chances, but the odds are against you. Two legs aren’t nearly as fast as four fur-covered ones.”

  We stare at each other before she finally huffs out an unimpressed breath and unbuckles her seatbelt.

  Turning away, I walk toward the cabin, and she follows grudgingly. At the wooden steps leading up to the porch, I pause to let her pass, and our eyes meet. Again, she glares at me and I can see the contempt in those beautiful lav
ender eyes.

  Yep.

  She is going to be a handful.

  Just as well, I have a lot of experience handling rich, spoiled brats.

  Chapter Five

  LAUREN

  Once inside, I try to get a handle on my bearings.

  I’m in a cabin, deep in the mountainside. And I have no idea what the hell is about to happen.

  When we first left the lodge, I tried to take note of where we were driving. But he drove so fast it was impossible to keep up with all the twists and turns he took on the mountain trails.

  Now we’re here, somewhere among the alpine forests and darkness.

  And so far, he has ignored my every plea for an explanation.

  To be honest, it’s more frustrating than frightening. It’s strange. But I’m not frightened at all. Just … confused.

  And excited.

  I stand just inside the door and look around the cabin. With its logged walls and high ceilings, it looks pretty much like your typical alpine cabin. To the left is a small kitchen with granite countertops, to the right, a living room with a couch and two armchairs, and ahead is a small set of steps leading to the split level. Across the room, dying embers glow in a river stone fireplace. It’s cozy. Charming.

  And safe.

  I think about what he said in the car.

  The woods are active at night. No telling what’s out there lurking through the trees and the low fog.

  If that is true, escaping on foot will be a problem. I will need to pick my moment to grab his keys and steal his truck.

  I watch as he hangs the keys on a hook by the front door.

  Our eyes meet and he knows exactly what I am thinking.

  “Don’t even think about it, Princess. We’re deep in the valley. You’d never find your way out of here, even in a vehicle.”

  I don’t say a thing.

  But inside I’m tingling.

  I look at him. “Now that you’ve got me here, what are you going to do?”

  Across the room, he raises an eyebrow. “Do?”

  “Yes, do. You’ve brought me here for a reason.”

  “Like I said, it was for your own protection.”

  “From who?”

  He shakes off his jacket. My eyes shift to his white t-shirt. It strains over his broad chest, and in the corner near his round shoulder, a bright red stain seeps into the fabric.

  He is bleeding.

  Badly.

  “You’re hurt,” I say.

  “One of them got me.”

  He rips his t-shirt off to expose a chest that is nothing but a wall of thick muscle and dear God, the sight of all that flesh detonates something in me.

  Fires light up my body, and a new throb takes off between my thighs.

  I know I should be scared and it is ridiculous that I’m not.

  My eyes trail down to the impressive six-pack of rippling muscles, and farther down to the deep V disappearing beneath his black pants.

  He is magnificent.

  I stare at him, trying desperately not to notice his wide shoulders or the broad chest, or the way the dim light bounces off his golden skin.

  Instinct takes over. I close the distance between us to inspect the wound. “Let me have a look.”

  He says nothing, but I can feel his gaze on me as I check it out.

  “It’s not deep,” I say. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

  “You’re a nurse?” he asks skeptically.

  I raise an eyebrow at him. “Hello, have you met me?”

  A small smile tugs on his lips. “It’s under the kitchen sink.”

  In the kitchen, I get the first aid kit, but pause as I pass the center island. There is a knife block on the countertop. A knife block with lots of big knives in it. I could arm myself with one and get out of here. I know where the Jeep keys are, I’m a good driver, even if I don’t know where I am, I’d eventually make it off of the mountainside.

  But what are you going back to?

  And what the hell is out there hiding in the shadows?

  And who the fuck were those men back at the lodge, and what were they doing there?

  Thinking better of it, I return to the living room with the first aid kit. Axel sits at the small table, shirtless, and dear mother of God, I don’t think I’m going to get used to how damn fine he looks.

  You know…

  … for a kidnapper.

  He looks at me and I feel the heat in his eyes all the way through to my bones.

  “Are you going to tell me who those men were?” I ask as I place sterilized strips of surgical tape over the cut to close the wound. He probably needs stitches, but I can’t even bait a hook, let alone stitch up a human being.

  “I don’t know exactly, but today I overheard them talking—” He hisses in a breath when I accidentally press too hard against the wound.

  I raise an eyebrow. “And you call me a princess.”

  He raises an eyebrow back. “Touché.”

  He is staring at me. And I am acutely aware of how much I like it.

  I want to look at him.

  But I think if I do, I’m going to do something ridiculous.

  Like kiss him.

  Or reach for his big hands and secure them on my body.

  Because being this close to him is doing crazy things to me, and I want him to touch me.

  His heat is wrapping itself around me, caressing me, seducing me. Making me want to feel all of him on me.

  I am aroused. Which I know is crazy. But either I am drunk or I am having a moment of insanity, because I am not scared of him. In fact, I feel safe and … excited.

  But I’m not going to show him that.

  I look up and I swear I see his eyes fill with molten heat. The air between us snaps. A shiver races through me and my mouth is suddenly dry.

  I clear my throat to hide my reaction and go back to fixing his arm. “Who did you overhear talking?”

  “This morning when we were setting up for your wedding, I heard a couple of wait staff talking. They were discussing a kidnapping plot.”

  I lift my head. Kidnapping?

  A sinking feeling settles in my stomach.

  “That’s crazy,” I say, dismissing it. I seal a gauze dressing to his massive biceps and refuse to look at him because I don’t want him to see the fear in my eyes.

  “I know what I heard, Lauren. They mentioned your name.”

  His words are sobering.

  Terrifying.

  I’m here because he just stole me from my bedroom on the other side of the mountain.

  While three men lurked outside planning to do the exact same thing.

  Not the exact same thing.

  Axel isn’t going to hurt me. But those other men? I couldn’t be so sure.

  The situation is pure insanity.

  Finished bandaging his arm, I take a step back to lean against the sofa.

  “I think you’d better redress.” My voice is foreign and strained. “And then tell me everything.”

  Chapter Six

  AXEL

  I’m hard as fuck.

  Because of her.

  Because of her touch.

  Because of the way she is looking at me. Because of the way she dresses my wound.

  It’s the foreign sensation of human contact. The brush of her fingers against my skin. The heat of her body caressing the bare flesh of chest as she leans closer so she can see what she is doing. For a moment, it’s easy to forget why we’re here. And it makes me wish she was here for very different reasons.

  It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to a woman.

  Let alone been touched by one.

  Trying to ignore the strange sensations crashing through me, I tell her what I overheard earlier this morning.

  I had just unloaded the truck full of chairs and other furniture needed for the ceremony when I went looking for a bathroom. As I rounded a corner, I overheard two men whispering.

  Now, in my experience, whispe
ring stands out more than a normal tone. It means someone has something secretive to say, and I’m trained to notice. I pick up on hushed tones like a hunter picks up on prey.

  “And it’s absolutely going down tonight?”

  “Everything is in place. I have three good men on it. They’ve done this before.”

  “And the location they’re taking her to is secure? No one will find her?”

  “I assure you, the men hired to take care of her will make sure she can’t be found until your client wants her to be found.”

  “Okay. But I need to offer my client absolute certainty. This is big money.”

  “I understand. You can tell your client that just before midnight, Lauren Carmichael will disappear.”

  I can see she’s affected by it. Her beautiful face shimmers with emotion and she struggles to swallow before she speaks. “Why didn’t you speak to my father’s security detail?”

  “I planned to. But when I saw the men talking to your father’s head of security later on, I couldn’t be sure who was involved and how deep the conspiracy went.” I hold her gaze. “My experience told me there was more to this than two men discussing a half-assed plan. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk you being hurt.”

  “What about the police? You could’ve gone to them.”

  No, I couldn’t.

  Because they would’ve slapped handcuffs on me and hauled my ass off to jail.

  Not that I was going to share that little detail with her.

  “Mirror Lake is a small town, Lauren. I’ve heard things. Heard how law enforcement can be paid off. Like I said, I didn’t know how deep this conspiracy went and I wasn’t willing to risk it.”

  Which is the truth.

  Her face softens and a truce seems to settle between us.

  But only for a moment.

  Because seconds later, a look of hurt washes over her and my chest tightens, because I can’t imagine how it feels, knowing someone had plans to kidnap you.

  “I’m not making this up,” I say gently, because right now this is what she needs. A bit of gentle.