by Nana Malone
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Only when I don’t want you to see me.”
Axel heard the song change, but he didn't release her. He’d keep her here as long as he could. Because for the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel so alone. “Something tells me you're hard not to see.”
“My mother used to tell me that.”
“Are you two close?”
She blinked rapidly. “We were.”
Shit. Way to go Nicholson, bring the mood down. He’d always been accused of being too serious. Think, before she wants to go. “Okay, back to serious topics, Batman or Superman.”
She scoffed. “Clearly Batman.”
That surprised him. First, because she clearly understood the question, second she didn’t mind that he geeked out for a second, and third, she picked right. At least according to him. “Why Batman?”
Cara rolled her eyes as if he were a moron. “Because Superman is just too extra. All those gifts just handed to him on a platter and he can’t really get hurt. There’s less inherent risk. Now Batman, he could die on any given Sunday.”
“Tell me you just used a sports reference while you're talking about superheroes.”
“Oh I did. I love college football. Go Ducks!”
Axel stared down at her, his heart rate speeding up. “Shit, I might be in love with you.”
“Slow your roll, Superman. I don’t even know if you’re a boxers or brief guy. I’m gonna need the essentials before I commit myself to someone.”
Shit, he liked her. For the first time in a long time, he didn't have to try hard to connect. With her, this shit was easy. And he was having fun. Maybe Bo was right. Sometimes throwing a little caution to the wind was a good thing.
“Okay, deal breaker question, cake or pie.”
“Rookie mistake, Clark Kent. Both. No person in their right mind would choose. Especially if there’s a break up involved. Then you add ice-cream to the equation.”
His curiosity pricked. Had some asshole broken her heart? Whoever he was, Axel was gonna find the guy and thank him, because he might be keeping this one.
For the next thirty minutes, they danced together and laughed. She was smart with a quit wit that kept him on his toes. Not to mention she was just this side of outrageous because honestly, who thought that Rogue from the X-Men would win in a fight against Wonder Woman? With her, he barely noticed that aching, empty space in his chest that he carried around.
Women had called him stubborn, stuck in his ways. He’d been told his whole life he couldn’t let shit go, that he was too rigid. But none of that mattered here. And he knew it was because of her.
If she gave him another one of those wide-eyed, mock exasperated looks, he could easily lose himself. Shit. What was wrong with him? Maybe it had just been too long since he'd gotten laid. That had to be it. You know it’s more than that. That should scare him right? So why didn’t it?
He twirled her in his arms and when she gently turned to face him again Axel tried to resist, but then she smiled. Hell.
The slow caress of her fingers at the nape of his neck robbed him of the ability to think properly. His instincts screamed to bolt. Everything about her set off the danger signals in his brain.
But he couldn’t let her go. Instead, his head dipped down to hers. She was so damn soft. Her body heat wrapped around him like flames. His scent mingled with hers, and the combination of citrusy musk, spice, and flowers made a potent combination.
His body was on autopilot, and his hand scooted to the top of her ass to tuck her body flush against his. She gasped when she felt the full length of his arousal throbbing and pulsing against her belly. Fuck, he needed to get his shit together.
She smirked. "Axel, did you want to introduce us?"
He chuckled low. "We'll get to that."
He tried to resist, but when she parted her lips, his mouth covered hers.
The fire that had licked at his skin was only a precursor. When his tongue coaxed hers into a dance, his blood boiled. The voice in his head that screamed at him to run, was drowned out by the one that begged him to get closer. Combustible didn't even begin to describe it. Someone had filled his veins with napalm.
Axel growled low and she whimpered, sinking into the kiss.
But then something went wrong. Instead of pressing closer, cool air drifted between them and she was tearing her lips from his.
He dragged open his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
She licked her lips and his gaze pinned to the tip of her pink tongue as it peaked out. “I have to go.”
“Wait.” What the hell? “I don't even know how to reach you.”
“Trust me, it’s better that way.”
Axel could only watch as she darted through the crowd and out the exit.
2
One year later…
"You know that time you said that the house only needed a little bit of work?" Axel slid his brother a sidelong glance.
Bo shrugged. "So I may have understated the amount of work needed. Look," he clapped his brother on the back. "You’re home for the next two weeks, for the first time in like ever. You can help me. Honestly, most of it is just cosmetic. I had a friend who's a home inspector come through. The roof is good, foundation is, fine. All the major stuff is okay. It just needs a little updating and we can get some decent money to rent it."
Axel looked around the home he’d grown up in. The sun streamed in to the bay windows in the living room and from the massive kitchen window. His mother loved this house.
She’d painstakingly picked out all the furniture, curtains, cabinetry. Their father had built it for her from the ground up. It was all dated now. But it held the threads of his childhood. He didn’t want to change it. Granted, he wasn't one for change. He liked his life just the way it was. You sure about that?
No, fuck that. He refused to give in to that lonely shit. That burning hole dead center in his chest. It had been following him around for a fucking year. All because of some woman he’d never see again.
It took him a moment to realize Bo was talking to him. “You okay, Axel?”
“Yep, fine.”
His brother frowned. “You broke up with Michelle?”
“Who?”
“Miriam? Fuck, some M name. Brunette. I met her a few months ago in San Diego?”
“Melissa you mean?”
Bo’s eyes went wide? “Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure I called her Michelle that whole day. Might be the reason the ice queen never warmed to me.”
Axel laughed. “That would do it.”
Bo chuckled. “Whatever. My point is, you’re doing that thing. The one where you rub at your chest like you have heartburn or something. I told you not to date your neighbor.”
Yeah, his brother had warned him. But at the time it had felt so convenient. That was one way of looking at it. “I’m fine.”
“Yo, man, you forget, I know you. You still busy chasing a ghost?”
He hated how well his big brother knew him. “I’m not searching for her. It was one fucking kiss.”
“Uh huh. You think I don’t notice you date a handful of girls that are nameless and could pretty much all be the same girl. Beautiful, because you're not blind and have impeccable taste, but blonde, brunette, black or Asian, they are in essence, the same girl. Someone forgettable. Someone you don't have to get close to. I know how you get. Fixated. That girl you met in a bar is gone, man.”
“It’s not about her.” Bo looked like he was about to argue and Axel charged on. “It’s about a feeling I guess. I wish I could explain it. It’s like a spark…something.” Okay, yeah, he sounded ridiculous. “I met a girl and I felt…something. I’m looking for that same feeling again.”
“You really think you’re gonna find it or is this the Vision Steele Comic Book all over again.”
Damn, he wished his family would stop bringing that thing up. He’d had a first edition of his favorite comic. The house had been broken into w
hen they were little and it had been taken. He’d scoured the Internet and collections for years looking for the exact one. Not another first edition. The one he’d had.
His grandfather had given it to him. It was special. The old man had put a note in it in the back. It made the thing worthless, but it wasn’t about the money.
That same unwillingness to let things go made him an excellent agent. But it made him a pain in the ass to live with.
“Let it go. It’s fine. I’m fine." He tried to change the topic. “Do you have a comprehensive list of all the things that need fixing?”
Now that he was looking around, he could see the cabinet doors and their handles were pretty much falling off.
The carpet needed replacing in the living room. And, if he had his own way, he'd swap the carpet with hardwood floors. Everything needed a coat of paint. And he was pretty sure some vents needed an upgrade.
Bo looked around. "Stop being such a Debbie Downer. It’ll be great. The Nicholson brothers together again."
"And just how are we going to be doing this together? Are you still working?"
Bo shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Okay, about that. So I've got court a couple of times this week. But the other days I’ll close up shop at like three so I can come and help you with whatever you’re working on at the time. And I'm off both weekends. It’ll be great."
Axel looked around again. "Yeah, great." He wasn't too enthusiastic about doing most of the work himself, but, he knew his parents needed help.
They'd moved down to Florida over five years ago. For the most part, the house had sat empty. Bo had stayed in the house for a while, but he'd eventually moved out into the apartment above his office downtown.
"Oh come on, stop making your Axel serious face. You're on vacation. I haven't seen you in months. Relax."
Axel narrowed his gaze at his brother. "Oh, this is my relaxed face."
Bo frowned. "It looks an awful lot like your kicking ass face."
Axel shrugged. "That's just my face." His brother had a point though. He spent the last few months undercover and he was exhausted. He was finding it difficult to slip back into his old skin again. For six months, he had done nothing but distrust everybody.
Letting that go was difficult. Sliding back into normal life was difficult. But he was home now. He'd adjust. It was summer in Hope Falls so maybe he’d head out to the lake, grab the jet skis. Go for a run with the mountains of Tahoe in the distance. Pure relaxation. A swinging door in the background had him frowning. "What was that?"
"Our tenant remember? God, why are you so freaking jumpy?"
Axel rolled his shoulders. "Sorry. Comes with the territory." He hadn’t told Bo much about the last assignment he’d been on. He tried to keep to their weekly calls casual.
Axel hated lying, but he knew that Bo was going to be way too curious about any undercover activities. In any case, that was over now. Time to start acting like a normal human being.
He nodded towards the slim figure marching through the backyard towards a side exit. "Can I meet him?"
Bo shrugged. "Sure." His brother leaned out the front door and called out, "Corin, can you come here for a sec? I want you to meet my brother."
The kid, nodded and headed on over. Jesus. They rented to twelve-year-olds now? Axel judged the kid's height to be about five feet, eight inches with an extremely slim build. Dark shaggy hair flopped into his face. If the kid was old enough to shave, Axel would eat his own razor.
As he approached, he smiled. "Hey, Bo."
His voice, while low, wasn't especially deep. But there was something about the cadence that was familiar. The kid’s gaze flickered over to him and froze. Axel saw the light of recognition in his eyes. Had they met before? Maybe. But more likely because he and Bo looked so much alike.
Automatically, Axel's brain started doing the memory shuffle trying to fit that face to anyone he’d ever met or talked to. The kid’s hair fell into his eyes and obscured them a little, but from what Axel could see, they were dark.
Nothing remarkable, though the kid had lashes to make any girl jealous. He was just an average kid. So why the fuck did he make Axel tense? Why was his brain trying to take hold of the kids face and make him fit into a slot? Something was off. Axel just didn't know what it was that was tripping up his senses.
Bo nodded towards Axel. "'Sup. This is my brother, Axel. He's going to be staying in the house for a couple weeks. Figured you guys should meet since you're going to be bumping into each other."
Axel nodded. "What's up? Good to meet you."
Corin nodded, but kept his distance and didn't come to shake Axel's hand. "Same here. I gotta get to work. See you around." Then he headed for his bike by the main gate. Axel noted his stride was stiff. As if he was hyper aware of being watched.
Something was up with him. "Did you do a proper background check on him?"
Bo threw his hands up. "See, this is what I mean. What is wrong with you? He’s a kid. Twenty. Showed up in town a couple of years ago. Needed a place to rent. Background checked out. You practically scared him off.”
"I did not."
Bo nodded as he laughed. "Yes, you did. Man, you gotta learn to chill the fuck out."
“Where’s he from?”
“Moved here from LA. Pays the rent on time, even in advance some months."
"Where does he work?"
"Some medical transcription place online. He works some hours from home, and then he's got another job down at Sue Ann's Café in town. He's a quiet tenant. Never had any trouble." Bo shoved Axel's shoulder almost pushing him off balance. His focus was so intently on the kid riding off down the street towards the center of town that he almost lost his balance.
"Maybe I should dig into his past a bit."
Bo landed a palm on his shoulder. "You will do no such thing. Like I said, I've already done a background check. The kid isn't bothering anyone. I'm sorry if your FBI senses are going off or whatever, but let it go. For once in your life. You're home on vacation. Get into the spirit. Stop worrying about the tenant next-door. Can you do that?”
Axel's gaze shifted back to the street, the kid had already disappeared down the hill. Maybe Bo was right. It is time to relax a little. After all, wasn't that what Melissa was always telling him?
He’d lost his girlfriend because he'd been unable to leave behind the vestiges of undercover work. No. You dumped her because she wasn't her.
He’d been wound too tight, seeing dangers around every corner. It made him kind of a pain in the ass to be with and he could tell it frustrated her. Also, she was meant to be fun and temporary. So that made it easy to break that off.
"Okay, consider this letting go." And for the most part, he meant it. Maybe he’d just have one discrete little look into the kid’s background. Just to make sure he had no felonies. Bo had the tendency to believe in people at face value.
Lucky for him, he didn’t suffer the same affliction.
"I have to leave."
Cara paced the length of her best friend's apartment. "I mean, what the hell is he doing here?” She tugged the wig off and tossed it on Sam’s couch before aggressively running her hands through her own hair. She dragged off the bushier eyebrows wincing as the glue stuck in places. And finally yanked out the filaments pieces in her cheeks. “And I could tell he knew something was off."
Sam sat cross-legged on her couch and watched her thoughtfully. "Okay, I get it, you're scared. But listen, Axel will only stay, what, a couple of weeks? It's not like he's here forever. You just need to be careful. Spend as much time here as possible. You can up your hours at the café so you're not sitting at home working. You just have to be careful. I mean it's not like you don't know your background story backwards and forwards.” Her friend dragged in another breath. “And even if he starts digging into your background, all he’s going to find is the trail that you left right?"
Some of Sam’s calm rationality started to sink in. "Yeah, I guess so. The backgrou
nd is solid. It's been established. I've been here for almost two years. And before moving to Hope Falls, Corin Michaels from Los Angeles, never got into any trouble. I even made school records for him in the Los Angeles High database. So, I'm fine. In terms of background. But I'm telling you, there's no way this guy is going to let it go."
God, she’d been so stupid going out that night a year ago. She’d been so homesick and missing the woman she was so busy hiding away.
She’d missed being feminine, wearing clothes and make up and damn it she’d missed being held. But that decision had cost her. It had been one kiss. She was never supposed to see the guy again.
"Maybe you'll think twice before you head to Tahoe without me."
"It was so brief. We kissed. That's all. I never expected to see the guy again."
Sam chuckled. "Leave it to you to find an FBI agent is your one hook up in years."
Cara stop pacing. "What did you say?"
Sam frowned. "He's an FBI agent. Didn't you know?"
The bottom fell out of Cara's stomach. "N-no. We didn't exactly talk much."
Her friend snorted. "Yeah, I'll bet you didn't. Kind of hard to find out what someone does for a living when his tongue is in your mouth."
"Sam, be serious. This is a disaster. I have to run. Shit, I don't want to run. I’m not ready to leave yet."
Her friend softened her voice. "No one is running. I keep telling you, you're freaking out over nothing. You haven't seen him, in what? A year? You clearly look and present like a grungy college kid right now. You were sure to modulate your voice right?"
Cara scoffed. "What, I'm not an amateur. I played the part. But you should've seen the way he was looking at me. Like he was trying to figure out what’s not meshing. Why can’t he be more like Bo. Nice and sort of oblivious?” That would've been so much more helpful. But no, this brother had to be shrewd. She’d seen the way he looked at her, like he wanted to pry off the whole disguise.
Sam sighed. "Look. If you honestly think your cover’s about to be blown, then I one hundred percent support you. I know the deal. The first time I saw you I knew.”
