Axe's Fall: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 4)

by Chiah Wilder

  She was early. A smug smile whispered across her lips. How’s that, Logan? He was probably still stuffing his face with a ton of carbs. The man could eat. The first time they went out for lunch, she’d been amazed how much he could pack away. He was lean, so she figured he worked out a lot. Baylee didn’t know too much about Logan, and she wanted to keep it that way. Since they were on the same career path, it wasn’t a good idea to become too friendly, especially when it came to promotions and the like. Logan was very competitive, as was she, and they often clashed.

  Baylee just didn’t trust Logan, and she presumed he didn’t trust her, either. The next few months in Pinewood Springs would prove to be more than challenging for her. She had to watch Logan, make sure he couldn’t sabotage her efforts. Claudia, who kept begging her to arrange a “meeting” with Logan, thought she was paranoid, but Baylee knew how cutthroat the corporate world could be, and Logan gave off slimier-than-average vibes.

  “May I help you?” a pleasant-looking woman in her mid-fifties asked as she walked through the door.

  “I’m Baylee Peters. I’m the architect from Denver, and I’m having a meeting with Stanley Danesk.”

  “Yes, Ms. Peters. You are expected. You’re the only one here so far. Let me show you to the conference room.”

  Baylee followed the secretary down a long hall lined with generic paintings of mountain scenes, boats, and ocean landscapes. The woman opened a door and invited Baylee into a medium-sized room with a long table and eight plush chairs covered in a burnt orange, geometric pattern.

  “Would you like something to drink? Water, coffee, tea, or a soft drink?”

  Baylee smiled warmly at the woman. “A cup of black coffee sounds great.”

  “I’ll be right back with your coffee, Ms. Peters.”

  After she left the room, Baylee took in the spectacular views outside. Pinches of green, purple, indigo, yellow, and pink carpeted the base of the sky-piercing mountains. Below the rock skyscrapers, the town thrived. Iron streetlights and elm trees dotted the sidewalks on the streets around the firm. A small park with a white-wood gazebo lent a nostalgic feel, and Baylee half-expected a brass band to start playing.

  “Here you are.”

  Baylee turned around and saw the secretary placing her coffee down on a coaster on the table.

  “Thank you. What is your name?” she asked.

  The woman smiled. “Tina Lambert. Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “No, I’m fine. Thanks, Tina.”

  At a couple of minutes to nine, Logan entered the conference room with three gentlemen. “That’s a good one, Stan.” Logan’s loud laugh grated her nerves.

  Can always count on Logan to be the first one with lips puckered to kiss ass. Baylee grinned to herself, standing as the men entered the room. Logan gave her a quick glance, disappointment registering on his face.

  “Good morning, Logan.” She smiled sweetly. That’s right. I’m not late, jerk.

  “So, you made it okay.”

  “Of course.” Baylee turned away from Logan and greeted the three gentlemen who were at various stages of checking her out. She extended her hand. “I’m Baylee Peters, an architect with Derry, Decker, and Vale.”

  A man in his late thirties with short, blond hair and brown eyes grasped her hand and shook it. “I’m Stan Danesk. I’m a partner with Machol, Greenberg, Norton, & Danesk Engineering Firm. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His eyes scanned back down to her bust.

  “I’m James, lead engineer,” a bearded man with twinkling blue eyes said as he shook her hand.

  “And I’m Fred. I’ll be working with Stan and James. I’m a newer addition to the firm.” A man about twenty-eight with red hair and big, brown eyes smiled and took her hand.

  After a few minutes of small conversation, Stan said, “Everyone, take a seat. The client should be here shortly.”

  Baylee chose the seat facing the magnificent view, her back to the door. She opened her briefcase, spread out her notebooks, pens, bottle water, and laptop, and took a sip of her still-hot coffee. As she turned on the laptop, she heard the jingle of chains behind her.

  Stan stood up and cleared his throat. “Ah. Here he is. Come on in and have a seat, sir.”

  From the corner of her eye, Baylee observed black biker boots and denim pass by her, and the glimmers from dangling chains pricked her field of vision.

  “Good, everyone is here. Since we’ll be working on the strip mall project as a team, I’d like to go around the room and have everyone say something about themselves. It’s important that we have a human aspect to all the metal and steel.” He laughed as though he’d said something clever. Logan practically guffawed while James and Fred chuckled.

  “I’ll start,” James volunteered.

  Baylee logged in to her computer. This is totally lame. Why do people do this touchy-feely shit?

  “My name is James McKnight, and I went to M.I.T. to study engineering. I joined with…”

  Baylee tuned him out as she checked the temperature. Holy shit. It’s one hundred and one degrees out. Maybe I’ll take a dip in the pool when I get home from work. She looked up from her computer as James rambled on. Her gaze snagged on the dark eyes of her one-night stand. His surprised look was quickly replaced by an impassive one.

  Baylee sucked in her breath, her eyes widening. Everything in the room went blank. The only sound she heard was the beating of her heart. What the fuck was he doing at the meeting? The room spun around her, and she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that he was in her space, staring intently at her. His lips barely concealed the beginnings of a smirk. What the hell is going on? How can he be here, of all places?

  Then he spoke with the mouth that did so many wicked things to her the previous week.

  “Name is Axe.” His eyes never left her face.

  Axe? Who names their kid Axe?

  All of a sudden, she was aware that the room was silent. Baylee glanced around. All eyes were on her.

  “Did I miss something?” she asked in a soft voice.

  “We’re sharing something about ourselves,” Logan said.

  Pink streaks colored her cheeks, and she saw Axe smile at her discomfort.

  “I’m Baylee. Baylee Peters.” Her voice was raspy, and she wished she could disappear.

  “Hello, Baylee,” Axe said in a husky tone, making her name sound dirty.

  She swallowed hard, nodded, and stared at her computer screen.

  “Is that all you’re gonna share, Baylee?” Axe licked his lips.

  He’s mocking me. “Yep.” She stared at him defiantly.

  “That’s no fun.” He leaned forward on his elbows, then said, “Do you like to have fun, Baylee?” His deep, smooth voice caressed her while small shivers shimmied down her spine.

  “I think we should move on to discussing the project,” Stan said, breaking through the sexual tension.

  She ripped her eyes away from Axe’s and pretended to concentrate on what Stan was saying, grateful he’d turned out the lights so they could see the PowerPoint presentation better. At least I can’t see Axe’s eyes on me. I can’t believe he’s on the project. Of all the people in this damn world, he is the one I have to work with. What are the odds of that? And what the hell is he doing in Pinewood Springs? I thought he lived in Denver. And a biker? Shit.

  Stan spoke of structural issues, possible construction problems and how they could be remedied, and all Baylee could do was remember how big Axe was, how delicious he tasted. She crossed and uncrossed her legs as she remembered how his lips, his tongue, and his fingers felt on her skin. She had come so hard so many times under his expert and sinful moves. Damn, I’m getting turned on just by thinking about how awesome our time together was.

  Even though it was dark, she didn’t dare glance over at him; she could feel his stare boring a hole in her. His nearness was driving her insane. So much so that, by the time the meeting was over, she had to hold herself back from yanking him across the c
onference table and riding him right in front of all of them. Damnit! Get a grip. She reached for her bottle of water, hoping the coolness would extinguish the heat that had been building inside her for the past hour.

  How was she supposed to make it through the summer with Axe on the project? Having him that close—the man she’d been dreaming and fantasizing about—would be pure torture. It also made it impossible for her to connect with him, since it was against firm policy to date a client. But even if office policy was lax, she could never date him because he made her panties damp, and her body tingle. He was danger in leather. She already knew what he could do to her, and she couldn’t risk her heart to a leather-clad Casanova.

  After the meeting ended, Baylee jumped up, gathered all her belongings, and zipped out of the conference room. She didn’t stop until she found herself in a small café across the street, a few storefronts down from the firm. The aroma of freshly baked muffins hung heavy in the air, and Baylee flopped down on a red-painted wooden chair. She brushed her hair from her face and stared out the windows. The last thing she wanted was for Axe to see her if he came out looking for her.

  “Are you ready to order?” a college-aged woman asked.

  Baylee craned her head to read the menu board. “Bring me a lemon poppy seed muffin and a cup of coffee—black.”

  She couldn’t believe any of it was real. It was like she was still in the comfy bed at the hotel, and any minute now, Logan’s annoying knocks would wake her up. It couldn’t be true. Axe didn’t look like a biker at the wedding. She sighed. Not only was he a biker, but he was an outlaw biker. When she’d found out the Insurgents MC was the client for the strip mall project, she’d read up on them, and the reputation they had made the hairs on her nape stand up.

  The young waitress placed the muffin and coffee in front of Baylee. As she sipped, unwanted images of Axe’s mouth on hers made her stomach lurch and twist. His mouth and hands were all over my body. How can I go back? How can I work with him? Remembering his touches and his hardness plowing into her, she squirmed in the chair as a sweet sensation formed in her pussy. Damnit! This is a mess. Axe was nowhere in sight yet her body was misbehaving. How would she control it when they worked together? Damn, damn, damn!

  How could she go back? What would she say to him? “Uh… what have you been up to since we last saw each other? You remember, the night we fucked each other’s brains out?” It was beyond awkward—it was downright embarrassing. When he was a nameless sex god, it’d been fun, titillating, and exciting. There was now a name to her sex god, and it was enough to make her give up her chance at partnership to Logan. She should call Gary and tell him she wasn’t feeling well, that she had to quit the project.

  What I ought to do is high-tail it back to Denver and hide out until all of this is nothing but a bad memory.

  But then Logan’s sneer flitted through her mind when she thought of how he’d react if he made partner. He’d be insufferable. No, she’d worked too hard to let a sexy biker dash her chances of securing a place around the partners’ table, even if he had given her a night to remember. She could do this. She was a levelheaded professional, and even though the situation was not ideal, in time, everything would work itself out.

  It had been a shock seeing him at the meeting—that was all. She was already becoming used to the idea of him being there. Anyway, it wasn’t like they were working together in the same office like she was with Logan. She and Axe didn’t have to see each other every day.

  Baylee took a deep breath. It’s going to all right.

  She jumped when a thunderous rumble diverted her attention. She noticed Axe revving the motor of an electric yellow Harley, the chrome pipes, handlebars, and tire rims gleaming under the sun’s rays. She watched as he put on his sunglasses, swung his corded legs out, and made a small U-turn. The glistening straight pipes roared as he blasted past the café. Just when she’d convinced herself she had it together, he had to ride past her on his Harley, exuding sex from every pore of his perfectly sculpted body. This is going to be way harder than I thought.

  Back at the office, Baylee forced herself to put Axe out of her mind and concentrate on her work. She was relieved to see him go. Now she could work without any worries of running into him.

  After thirty minutes, Logan came by her office and poked his head in. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why’d you run out of the meeting this morning?”

  “I didn’t feel well. I needed to get some fresh air. I feel much better now. Thanks for asking.” She turned back to her computer.

  “Do you know the client?”

  Baylee bit her inner cheek then feigned surprise. “No. Why do you ask?”

  “It looked like you may have recognized him, or something. And the way he stared at you throughout the whole meeting made me think he knew you.”

  Her laughter was too shrill. “Well, he is a man, and a biker at that, so I kind of expected him to act without much decorum.”

  Logan chuckled. “I see what you mean. I can’t say I blame him, though. You’re a beautiful woman. If I ever stared at you like that, you’d probably slap my face.”

  Red tinged her cheeks. She wasn’t sure what to say. An awkward silence settled around them, and when Stan walked into her office, relief spread over her once again.

  “How are things going? Are you settled in?”

  “Pretty much. Thanks for giving me an office with a view.”

  “You’re welcome. If you need any help, Tina Lambert will be your secretary. She’s great, and she said you two had already met.”

  “Yes, we did. Thanks, Stan.”

  “Give me a shout if you need anything.”

  Baylee nodded and watched as Logan and Stan headed down the hall. Leaning back in her desk chair, she sighed. She couldn’t get Axe on his bike out of her mind. It was going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Seven

  What in the fuck is she doing on the strip mall project? The hottest one-night stand he’d ever had was the club’s architect? A wide smile broke out over Axe’s face as he raced his Harley toward the clubhouse. The slight gasoline fumes, waves of heat coming up from the engine, and the rush of the wind all made his heart pump. There was nothing like riding a Harley, hugging the curves and swallowing up the asphalt.

  Having the hot piece of ass who had taken his mind and dick hostage for the past week might make this one of the better summers he’d ever had. Remembering the look on her face when she recognized him made him laugh. Bet she never expected to see me in the conference room. Too fuckin’ funny.

  The Harley rolled into the clubhouse’s parking lot. Axe entered the club through the back door, making his way to Banger’s office.

  “How did the meeting go?” Banger asked as he shoved some papers on his desk to the side.

  “Not bad.” Axe then told him what had transpired earlier that morning, but he left out his acquaintance with the sexy architect. He didn’t think Banger would see the humor in it, especially since he was still pissed off at him for zoning out at church the previous day.

  “Keep an eye on those suits. Make sure they do what they’re supposed to do and they don’t pad the bill. They all think we’re dumb biker fucks. I know their kind. Watch ‘em.”

  “I’ll watch over the project real good,” Axe answered with a smirk.

  After leaving Banger’s office, Axe went to his room in the basement. The clubhouse had several club members living there. The third floor rooms were reserved for board members, but the basement had rooms for members who lived there as well as extras for visiting members or brothers who drank too much or just wanted to crash.

  Axe had lived at the clubhouse since he’d patched in eight years before. He loved being in the middle of all the action and camaraderie. There was always something going on: a pool game, the fights on TV, or a party. Being able to walk up a flight of stairs and get good pussy with one, two, or three club whores was his idea of living.
Up until recently, Rosie had been his favorite fuck; she knew how to give a blowjob, and her cunt was real tight considering she’d been with many of the brothers.

  Axe knew he was one of her favorites, and she’d always come up to him whenever she saw him, hoping to have a little fun. All the women—club whores and citizens alike—were crazy about Axe and his sexual prowess. He knew the club whores appreciated that, especially. Some of the brothers just banged into them—like the women were draining holes—until they jerked off. Then they were done before the women were even heated up.

  Not Axe. He was into pleasing a woman for the time he was with her, and he did a damn good job of it. But once he was done, he’d push them away. Yeah, he was a bastard, but he didn’t pretend to be anything else. Every woman knew what they were getting before he stuck his dick in them—a great fuck, but nothing more.

  His motto with citizens was to never fuck them more than once. He found out the hard way that they read way too much into anything more. Club whores knew their place. They were there to please the brothers, no risk of any complications. But sometimes, club pussy was too familiar, boring. Then Axe would venture out into the citizens’ world and hook up with a hot-looking chick. Right up front, he’d make it perfectly clear it was a one-fuck deal. They always agreed then they’d pout or throw him attitude whenever he walked away without a backward glance. Axe hated that shit. It wasn’t like he wasn’t honest with them.

  Citizen women always thought they could change him, and that one night of fucking would blow his mind and make him bend his rules. Well, it didn’t… until he pulled a one-night stand with Baylee.

  Baylee. Her name fit her. He liked it. Axe’s brow creased; Baylee was making him bend his rule. He wanted to fuck her again in the worst way. The way she pretended everything was cool that morning, even though he saw her eyelids twitching, told him she was bothered by him, and that made him hornier than hell.