by Carnal, MJ
~~*
“Are you sure that’s him?” I ask, leaning across Kenton, who is sitting in the driver’s seat of our truck so I can get a better view out his window.
“I’m sure, baby,” he says gently, running a hand down my back.
I look from the young man I’m supposed to be meeting in a few minutes to my husband. “What if he hates me?” I ask. It’s the same question I’ve asked every time we have spoken about this moment.
“No one could ever hate you, and if he does, I’ll kick his ass.”
“You better be nice,” I say firmly. I know him, and he will do just as he says.
“You know I will be. Now, are you ready to go over there?”
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head and looking back out the window at the young man.
He’s handsome, with dark hair, golden skin, and a long, lean frame that makes me think of his dad. I watch him as he takes a drink of coffee before setting it on the table, lifting his wrist to look at his watch.
“He’s waiting for you, baby.”
“I’m so scared,” I say quietly, sitting back in my seat. My stomach in knots from the anxiety.
“My warrior is never afraid of anything, and if she is, she knows I will be there to fight along with her.”
I look into his golden eyes, the same eyes I fell in love with all those years ago, and smile, feeling tears fill my eyes. I have no idea how I got so lucky. I lean forward, this time putting my hand behind his neck and pulling his face forward so I can reach his mouth.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.
“Anything for you.”
I smile and open the door to the truck, hopping out before he can make it around to my side.
“What did I tell you about waiting for me?” he grumbles, grabbing my hand.
I shake my head but don’t reply; we would be arguing for the next hour if I did. We walk across the street, and the second we hit the sidewalk, Dane’s head lifts, his eyes lock on mine, and I see for the first time that his eyes are blue.
“Autumn.” He says my name, and tears pool in my eyes.
I nod and squeeze Kenton’s hand so hard that I’m surprised it doesn’t break.
“Kenton.” Dane’s says, sticks out his hand, and gives it a shake before pulling back. “Can I get a hug?” he asks me, and I feel my body shake but nod anyways.
His arms come around me and I realize how big he is. I would guess his height to be around six two; it’s hard to think that he was once growing inside me. Our kids now are still so small being just ten and seven. I start to cry harder and feel myself being transferred from him to Kenton, and as soon as I smell my husband’s familiar scent, my anxiety starts to ease and the tears start to lessen. I pull my face out of Kenton’s chest and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.
“Sorry,” I whisper, shaking my head.
“It’s okay.” He smiles, rubbing my shoulder.
Tears sting my nose again as I wonder what his parents must be like to have raised such an amazing man.
“Let’s sit down.” Kenton says and I feel his hand on my lower back as he leads me to a chair.
“Tell me about you,” I say as soon as we’re seated.
“Well, I’m in law school and work part time at a firm. I play soccer and run track. Really, I’m kind of boring.” He shrugs.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I ask.
He laughs, running his hand along his jaw. I can’t imagine girls his age not falling at his feet.
“What?” I ask when he doesn’t reply.
Kenton says, “Babe.”
“You sound like my mom,” he tells me. Then he looks like he thinks he shouldn’t have said that.
“Tell me about your parents,” I say softly. I hate that I couldn’t raise him, but I hope that the people who adopted him really wanted a child and loved him fiercely.
“Mom’s a schoolteacher and Dad’s a fireman. They met when my mom’s house caught fire and my dad rescued her. They were married not long after they met and started trying to have kids soon after, but it never happened for them, so they gave up and decided to adopt.” He shrugs, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Funny thing is, about a week after they brought me home, they found out my mom was pregnant, so I have a younger sister.” He smiles, and I can see how much he loves his family. “They’re really great parents.”
I nod and feel Kenton’s hand give my thigh a squeeze. “I’m so happy you had a good childhood.”
“Kenton told me a little bit about what happened and why you gave me up for adoption. I want you to know there are no hard feelings or anything.” His hand moves to his hair, running through it. “I’ve had a really great life.”
“I’m glad. I just never wanted you to hate me,” I tell him quietly.
“I didn’t, and I don’t. My parents have been upfront with me since I was little, explaining that I was adopted. I was always curious about you, but I have never been upset when I’ve thought about you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, all the fears I’ve held inside since the day he was taken from me releasing with the words he spoke. I was so worried that he hated me, and I never wanted that.
“Kenton told me you have two kids, a boy and a girl?”
“We do.” I smile at him then over at Kenton, who leans in, kissing the side of my head.
“I would love to meet them. And maybe bring my sister with me, if you don’t mind.”
“I would love that.”
“We’ll set it up for a weekend when I have time to hang out for a while.”
“Okay,” I agree with a smile.
He stands and so do I. Then he pulls me in for a hug. I hug him back, memorizing the feeling. He steps back and gives Kenton’s hand a shake.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Talk to you soon,” I say as I watch him walk away before facing Kenton.
“Cool tattoo!” I hear yelled from behind me.
I turn around, seeing Dane standing on the other side of the street with his hands in his pockets. I put my finger to the skin behind my ear and bring it to my mouth, kissing it before waving goodbye to him.
We get into Kenton’s truck and I lay my head back against the seat before rolling my face in his direction. “Thank you for that.”
“Anything for you, babe,” he says, and I nod and look out the window as I listen to the truck start up.
I sit forward and put my hand over his on the gearshift. “Anything for you too. You know that, right?”
“You’ve already given me everything,”
I press my mouth to his and kiss him with every ounce of love I have for him. Then I pull back and get back in my seat. “Let’s go home.”
“Home,” he mumbles, squeezing my leg.
I wrap my hand over his and lean my head back, giving a silent thank-you to whoever makes unknown dreams come true.
Obligation
An Underground Kings Novel
Kai’s Story
Coming 2015
I feel the sun on my closed eyelids and something sharp poking me in the face. I move my hand, trying to get away from the pain, and whimper when it scrapes against my cheek. I lift my head and run my fingers along the side of my face, feeling something wet. I open my eyes; a light smear of blood is on my fingers. I flip my hand over and see the gaudy ring that is now taking up residence on my ring finger.
“Great.” I whisper, closing my eyes and laying my head down again. I prayed earlier when I went to sleep that, when I woke up, the ring I’m wearing now and the man who’d put it there were nothing but a bad dream.
No such luck.
Other books by this Author
The Until Series
Until November-NOW AVALIABLE
Until Trevor -NOW AVALIABLE
Until Lilly -NOW AVALIABLE
Until Nico-NOW AVALIABLE
SECOND CHANCE HOLIDAY -NOW AVALIABLE
Underground Kings Series
Assumption-N
OW AVALIABLE
Obligation – NOW AVALIABLE
Distraction – Coming Soon
UNTIL HER SERIES
UNTIL JULY --- COMING SOON
UNTIL HIM SERIES
UNTIL JAX --- COMING SOON
Alpha Law
Justified –NOW AVALIABLE
Liability – Coming Soon
Verdict – Coming Soon
Acknowledgements
First, I want to thank God.
Second, I need to thank my fans. You are all amazing! I couldn’t ask for any better; You are the reason why I do this.
Next, I need to thank my husband for being my biggest fan and supporter. Your love and encouragement and daily inspiration means the world to me, and without you, I would not have followed my heart and started writing.
To everyone on my team thank you so much.
Mommey and Daddy I love you both.
To each and every blog, reader, and reviewer this wouldn’t be anything without you. Thank you for taking a chance on an unknown author. I wish I could name all of you but this would go on forever just know that I love you guys.
To Hot Tree editing. Thank you so much Kayla for all your hard work and pushing through to meet my deadline. I know it was a lot of work but you came though for me. XOXO girl.
To Mickey your so very, very awesome thank you.
To The Rock Stars Of Romance you ladies have been Amazing and I’m so lucky to know and work with you.
About the Author
Aurora Rose Reynolds is a navy brat whose husband served in the United States Navy. She has lived all over the country but now resides in New York City with her husband and pet fish. She’s married to an alpha male that loves her as much as the men in her books love their women. He gives her over the top inspiration every day. In her free time, she reads, writes and enjoys going to the movies with her husband and cookie. She also enjoys taking mini weekend vacations to nowhere, or spends time at home with friends and family. Last but not least, she appreciates every day and admires its beauty.
For more information on books that are in the works or just to say hello, follow me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AuroraRose-Reynolds/474845965932269
Or Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7215619.Aurora_Rose_Reynolds
Or Twitter
@Auroraroser
Or E-mail Aurora she would love to hear from you
[email protected]
And don’t forget to stop by her website to find out about new releases.
AuroraRoseReynolds.com
ALL AMERICAN ROOT BEER.
8 oz root beer
2 oz Jack Daniel's® Tennessee whiskey
1 oz vanilla schnapps
4-5 ice cubes
Garnish with cherry
Pour the schnapps, whiskey, and root beer, in that order, over ice. Stir well, and serve with a cherry or two, and for that additional panache, a small American flag pick in the cherries.
Axel
Corps Security, Book 1
A novel by Harper Sloan
Text Copyright © 2013 by E.S. Harper.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior express, written consent of the author.
This book is intended for mature adults only.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9903456-0-2
This book is intended for mature adults only.
Cover Art Designed by Sommer Stein with Perfect Pear Creative Covers
Photographer FuriousFotog
Model Steffen Hughes
Editing by Mickey Reed
Formatting by Brenda Wright
You can contact Harper Sloan here:
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/harpersloanbooks
www.authorharpersloan.com
Axel
Corps Security, Book 1
A novel by Harper Sloan
Acknowledgments:
Author Notes:
Dedication:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Acknowledgments:
To my husband for dealing with my scattered mind and messy house while I was ‘dreaming’. Thank you for all those times you watched our girls while I created this book. I love you.
To my girls, dreams can come true. Dream big and don’t ever stop! This is for you.
To my mom, the best damn mommager EVER!
To all the family and friends that helped me along the way. I don’t think I would have been able to make Axel what it is without!
To Angela-here’s to wine, cold pizza, and basement zombies. I love you! Thank you for answering my every text, email and call during this process! **Cheers to Dee**
To my ‘Bookettes’ for inspiring me to write this book and keeping me calm along the way. (The daily dose of half-naked men emails helped too!) If it wouldn’t have been for one email that said “you should write a book” I don’t know if Axel would be here. So, I owe y’all!
ALL the girls who read every single page that I wrote during this process. This book is what it is because of every single bit of help from you ladies! (A special thank you to Katie, girl I fear your frying pan skills! And Kelly for the support, hunky picture and your mad google image searching skills! You two girls, I heart you!)
Brenda, thank you so much for taking my book and making this process possible! <3
Sam, you made the editing process as painless as possible! Thank you for all of the reading, editing, and best freaking commentary ever!
My ‘second eyes’, Angela Cetrangola and Dana Dean. Without y’all I might have pulled my hair out during the editing days! My brain loves you!!
SPECIAL THANKS TO: My BBG Pher (xoxo), Melissa (you perv…you rock!), Megan Williams, Wendy O’Hera-Perry, Allison, Tokies, Alisha, Tessa, LB, Nicky, Penny, Molly, Maria, Jolene, Andrea, Cathy, Misty, Felicia, Brittany, Deborah, Jen, Paula, Angel, Felicia, Ashley, Ruthie, Tarrinasha, Jenny, Amanda, and Ashleigh. To each and every one of my Goodreads friends and loyal supporters. Y’all never doubted me & in turn made it possible to not doubt myself. I have, hands down, the best GR friends in the world! Lastly, my IG mommas, I effin’ love y’all!
If I forgot anyone, this is for you—THANK YOU!
Author Notes:
It is my personal belief that music can turn any ordinary situation into something magical. I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of losing myself in a song. When I was writing Axel, there wasn’t a second that my iTunes wasn’t rocking away. There were songs that I had to set on repeat a few times because they just made me feel the scene at a whole new level. Especially when I needed to step into psycho. SO—this is my Axel playlist. Some songs mean more than others, so
me just made me smile, and some made me feel.
Ed Sheeran-Lego House
Ben Harper-Walk Away
Rihanna-Stay
Tim McMorris-Overwhelmed
Fall Out Boy-My Song Know What you Did in the Dark
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis-Can’t Hold Us
Christina Aguilera-Just a Fool
Incubus-I Miss You
Dave Matthews Band-Crash Into Me
Lady Antebellum-Need You Now
Rascal Flatts-Stand
Zedd-Clarity
Miranda Lambert-Over You
P!nk-Try
Maroon 5-Sad (particularly the version Amber Carrington sang on The Voice)
Train-Marry Me
Taylor Swift-Mean
Emeli Sande-Next to Me
Gavin Degraw-More Than Anyone
Coldplay-Fix You
Christina Perri-A Thousand Years
NSYNC-Gone
Disturbed-Down with the Sickness
Eli Young Band-Crazy Girl
will.i.am ft. Miley Cyrus-Fall Down
Author Warning:
As a reader myself, I know how important it is to be aware of ‘hot button’ issues that could trigger painful memories for some. Axel is a story about love. The greatest love that you could find in a lifetime, the undying kind. But, Axel and Izzy didn’t have an easy road and unfortunately to tell their story, I had to tell the story of Izzy’s hard times. There is a scene that shows the darker side to a bad marriage. There is a scene, however brief it may be, dealing domestic violence. I feel it is my job to advise the reader of this violent episode. With that in mind, please note that this is not a book that focuses on that violence but the strength within Izzy to overcome and the love between her and Axel.
