“Are you okay?” Beauregard asked, reaching for her.
“I’m fine, I think,” she said hoarsely, backing further against the wall.
“Good. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” he suggested gently.
Charlie didn’t expect kindness from Beauregard. It was disconcerting. “Okay.”
“And Ms. Nash, this is another one of those things that stays between us.”
“I understand,” Charlie said, before she hurried out of the room.
As impossible as it sounded, her father’s murderer had just saved her life.
***
Axel had texted Charlie the night before and asked her to meet him for a debriefing on the Beauregard situation at Hades in the morning. They were about to debrief over eggs and home fries at Hades, but he wanted to make it sound like a meeting.
Not a date.
He’d avoided her for days and as much as he hated to admit it, he missed her.
It was six in the morning and starting to get busy. There were a few townies at the counter, some of his brothers in the booths. The hellions were hopping, delivering plates of food as fast as Voodoo got the orders up.
Axel watched as Charlie walked in the diner, and he couldn’t help but stare. He hated to say it, but he had a thing for her maid uniforms.
It wasn’t particularly revealing, as it came down to the mid-thigh, and she wore tights to cover her legs. The white cuffs and matching crocheted collar even covered her wrists and neck.
Yeah, it was perfectly decent, but it did indecent things to his body.
She looked damned good and it unleashed some kinky French maid fantasies. Oh, yeah, he could get into a little maid action. Maybe if she wore a pair of thigh-highs, some garters, and a little feather duster to complete the look?
“Morning,” she said, sliding into the booth. She shrugged off her hoodie as Wendy ran over with a cup of coffee for Charlie and refilled his mug as well.
He took a sip and nearly scalded his tongue.
“You okay?” she asked.
Charlie’s eyes were still at half-mast and she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. She didn’t wake up until she’d had at least one cup of coffee. Axel had been getting up at five in the morning for years, so it didn’t faze him.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he got out, though his tongue was on the critical list. Damn shame, too. He’d love to lick…
Stop it!
He noticed she kept tugging at her high collar. “Something wrong with your neck?”
“No, I’m fine.” She stopped touching it, wrapping her hands around her coffee instead.
She’d just lied to him, but he didn’t know why. “Are you sure?” he pressed. “You can tell me anything.”
Charlie looked at him and for a moment, he thought she’d spill, but she licked her lips. “Positive.”
Axel wanted to pull the collar down and have a look for himself. “Are you hurt? Did Beauregard…do something?”
“No,” she said firmly. “Let’s move on.”
Axel sighed. He couldn’t make her tell him anything. “Have it your way. How’s the maid gig going, Robin? Any luck with the vault?”
Her lips curved into a small smile. “No, but I’ve had the opportunity to inspect every freaking toilet in the place.” She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Did you know he has six of them? Why the hell do you need six bathrooms?”
“Rich people,” he said with a shake of his head. He was still trying to understand why someone would throw away money on a Hummer.
“I know, right? It’s just him and the staff in that huge house.”
Axel took another sip of coffee. “He grew up with a passel of brothers and one sister…I think. They needed all the bathrooms. Trust me.” There’d only been one bathroom in the Rollins household and getting in there had been a problem. Mainly due to Ryker’s fussy-ass grooming habits. If Elizabeth was smart, she’d get an extra bathroom.
“I guess,” she grumbled. “You know what? Having a real job is craptacular. He wants me there by eight every morning. Every. Single. Morning. And then I have lunch at a certain time, and I can’t leave until five o’clock. It’s like he owns me or something.”
“Yeah, that’s what a real job feels like.” Axel’s lips twitched. “You aren’t cut out for the daily grind, are you?”
At Seventh Circle, he might be the boss, but he worked himself into the ground. Or he did before he added the president gig to his list of responsibilities. Axel usually got in early and stayed late but for the most part, he loved it. He could pretend that’s what he was–a small business owner, trying to make it. It had a nice, normal ring to it. Much better than the King of Hell AKA the president of the Four Horsemen.
“No, I’m not. It makes me want to start stealing from Beauregard now. Do you know he a Rolex? And he leaves it lying around. I’ve found it on his desk, and in the master bathroom, too. It’d be easy to slip it into one of my pockets. Or that black American Express card of his. I’m gonna take that thing from him if I see it next time.”
“No stealing until you get into the vault,” he ordered. One false step and she’d blow this operation.
Charlie leaned forward, raising her brows. “And if I don’t take that paricular order?”
“Then I’ll spank you, Robin.”
After he’d said the words, Axel groaned. Where the fuck had that come from? Personally, he blamed the maid uniform. And his unruly dick that’d been surviving on hand jobs.
He wished he could take the words back. So much for maintaining his distance from her.
Charlie gaped at him while Axel floundered for a response.
The little bell above the door rang, interrupting their conversation, and Axel heard the clack of familiar high-heels. “Guess what? I’m back…”
He turned in the booth to see his mother standing in the doorway with a travel mug of coffee and a big grin. Saved by the bell on this one.
“Who’s that?” Charlie asked.
“My mother.” Then Axel was on his feet and across the room in a flash. He grabbed Eddie and pulled her into a big hug.
“I’ll talk to y’all in a bit, but right now, I gotta see my firstborn,” she said to the room. “Hey there, kid,” she greeted him, kissing his cheeks. “I missed you. Saw your bike outside and I had to drop in on my way to Perdition.”
“I missed you, too.”
And then she scowled. “But don’t think you’re off the hook about Shep. I’m still pissed. He’s family, your family, and we protect our own. No matter what.”
He’d known this was coming. “Ah, shit. That was a stupid call on my part.”
After Shep had dropped the gay bomb, he’d quit the club and got picked up by the Raptors. Axel hadn’t been Johnny on the spot to ride to Shep’s rescue. Mostly because Axel had felt misled and a little betrayed. Voodoo had called Eddie to talk some sense into him and thank God he had. If he’d let anything happen to Shep, Axel would’ve regretted it the rest of his life…which wouldn’t have been long, judging by Eddie’s fierce expression.
“We squared away?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
She looked damn good–suntanned, relaxed, and best of all, content. Lit from within somehow. She had green eyes and dark hair, except for the twin streaks of gray on either side of her temples. But the trip had taken ten years off her.
Axel clasped her hand in one of his. “What’s this?”
“Uh, Captain gave this to me the night….the night you became president,” she finished hastily. “A lot was going on, so I’m not surprised you didn’t see it. And while we were in Corpus Christi, he asked me to marry him.” She said this carefully, without inflection, obviously waiting for his reaction.
But Axel didn’t need to think about it.
Eddie had been through hell over the past few years. Joker had cheated on her, tried to leave her for another woman, and spent the rest of his miserable life in jail, leaving her to raise Axel and his
brother by herself. But Eddie finally had a good man who loved her. Axel wouldn’t think of ruining her happiness. She deserved every bit of it.
“Congratulations,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Captain’s a very lucky man.”
She blew out a breath and a smile formed on her lips.
Axel chuckled, marveling at how much had changed over the past few months. “So, both you and Ryker are getting hitched. Daisy and Cowboy sealed the deal in front of the justice of the peace. Duke’s livin’ with Rose. How the fuck that happened, I’ll never know. I swear there’s somethin’ in the water, besides sulfur.”
“And Shep hooked up with Pretty Boy. Finally. I thought I was going to have to lock those boys in a room together.” Eddie laughed.
“Actually, from what I’ve heard, Lexi did just that.”
“That’s my girl,” Eddie said, proudly.
Axel thought about the implications of Eddie and Cap getting married. That meant Cap would be his and Ryker’s stepdad. How weird was that shit? And Lexi, Cap’s daughter, would be their new stepsister.
But Eddie had already moved on to a new topic. “Speaking of marriage potential.” She glanced around his shoulder to see Charlie sitting in the booth. “Who’s that?”
Dammit.
She had a catlike curiosity when it came to other people’s love lives. Eddie had been trying to pair him up with a woman for years, ever since he’d gotten his heart crushed by Nancy. “Uh, don’t mind her. It’s a business thing. She’s working for the club.”
“And you’re having breakfast with her? That’s awfully friendly.”
“I have breakfast with Voo to talk club business and it don’t mean a damn thing. He’s my new VP.” That’s it. Distract her with club news.
“Wait. Voo’s VP? When did that happen? Why’d it happen?”
Axel smirked. Mission accomplished.
And then her nostrils flared. “Nice try, but I’ll get the story from Voo and Shep in a bit. Does Ms. Club Business have a name?”
Growing up, Ryker and Axel used to call Eddie CIA because she snooped around in their personal lives. She wanted to know everything about the people they associated with to keep them safe. And while it came from a good place, it could be intimidating. Especially when it came to potential dates.
Oh, fuck it. Holding back info would make her even more curious. “She does. Her name is Charlie Nash.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to meeting her. I’m inviting both of you to dinner tonight. Along with Elizabeth and Ryker. Captain will be there, too, and he’s inviting Lexi as we speak. It’ll be a nice family supper.”
Axel groaned. “Like I said, Charlie and I are all business, not—”
“Pleasure?” Eddie supplied, green eyes gleaming. “What a shame.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Don’t say it like that….”
“Like what?” she asked, eyes wide with imaginary innocence. “Bring her with you tonight.”
Axel didn’t see a way out of it. Eddie could be relentless when it came to fixing people up. “I’ll ask her, but I don’t know if Charlie has plans. What time?”
“Seven. Don’t be late. Now, I’ve got to go. I need to check in with Ryker and see how Perdition did without me.” She kissed his cheek again then turned on her heel and walked out of the diner.
Axel fired off a text to Ryker: Heads-up. Mom’s engaged to Captain. Don’t be a dick.
Axel turned to see Charlie watching him. He shuffled over to the booth and tried to think of a way to make dinner with his family not sound like a big, date-like deal. Well, at least she’d forget all about that frisky spanking comment once he brought it up.
Well fuck me. I’m so screwed.
Chapter Twelve
When Axel pulled up at Hades that evening, he found Charlie sitting at a bench outside her room. She was zipping a leather jacket over a respectable black dress with a red flower print. Again, she had a high collar, buttoned to the base of her throat. Her silver pendant necklace draped over the dress, and her hair was a tumble of curls. He had an urge to run his fingers through it.
“I’m ready to meet your mother,” she said, standing up.
“Don’t say it like that,” he told her, standing up, thighs still holding the bike in place beneath him. He kept trying to put distance between them, but the universe just kept on chucking them together.
“Like what? You’re the one who invited me to dinner with your family. Jeez. Give a girl a chance to get to know you. We haven’t even kissed yet,” she said, winking at him.
Axel instantly regretted giving her permission to hit on him. A man could only withstand so much temptation.
“What makes you think we’re going to kiss?” he asked gruffly. Like he hadn’t been fantasizing about it since he’d first clapped eyes on her.
Charlie smirked as she strolled over to him. “I don’t know. Maybe cuz you asked me for my underwear.”
“That was a club tradition,” he grumbled.
She squinted at him. “A likely story.”
Then he saw the sparkle in her eyes, the mischievous grin. She was teasing him. The girl had a wicked streak about a country mile wide. “You like provoking me, huh?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s my new favorite hobby. And don’t blame me,” she said, holding her hands up. “You gave me permission to harass you.” Charlie laughed.
He closed his eyes, soaking in the sound. Damn, it’d been a long time since he made a woman laugh. He already wanted to do it again. Axel found himself grinning at her like an idiot and immediately pulled it together. He forced himself to frown. “We need to be serious now. I’ve gotta warn you about tonight,” he said as he handed her a helmet.
“Worn me about what?” she asked, pulling it on and fastening the chin strap. “I thought we were going to your mom’s place.”
“My mother is…well, you’ll see. She’s going to grill you.”
“About what?”
“Uh…” He paused, trying to find the right words. “She thinks we’re an item. She doesn’t have a clue what you’re doing for the club and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Did you tell her we’re dating?”
“No, of course not. She saw us at the diner, and she’s mighty curious. You’re the first woman she’s seen me socialize with since my ex.”
“Because you don’t date,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
“Nope.” No point in it. He wouldn’t be interested in any wicked ones who could handle it. Except for Charlie…but he wouldn’t go there. “Just for the record, I’m not gay,” he said.
After Shep had come out of the closet, Steele had ribbed him about his monk ways. Both Axel and Shepherd hadn’t been seen with hellions, so it was only natural for the brothers to give him a hard time.
“Where the hell did that come from? I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t have to,” he replied defensively. For some reason, it mattered to him. He wanted her to see him as a sexual possibility, but didn’t want to get involved with her, as fucked-up as that sounded. “When you’re a certain age and you haven’t gotten married, most people assume…”
“I didn’t assume.” She smirked. “And I know you’re into women. It’s pretty obvious how you feel.’ She glanced meaningfully down at his crotch.
And damn, if he didn’t start to swell under her gaze.
Axel shut his eyes. Why didn’t he keep his big mouth shut? “Okay. Good. We cleared that up. For the official record, I’m very straight.” He started up the bike, revving it a bit harder than he had to.
“Not just a little straight, then?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “Very straight…does that mean you wear flannel and crush beer cans on your forehead?” She mimed the action, hitting her palm against her forehead.
“Shut up.” His lips twitched and he tried like hell to be annoyed with her. She was a thief and a liar. And so damn beautiful she made his head spin.
He couldn’t remember the las
t time he’d felt so lighthearted. She reminded him of the women in the club–feisty, funny. And without thinking about it, he reached for her sides, intending to tickle her like he would’ve done with Lex or Dani, but they both paused as soon as their bodies came in contact.
Axel stared at her mouth. More than anything in the world, he wanted to taste it. Tip her head back and explore her lips, bury his fingertips in her honey-colored hair.
With a growl, he reached for her, pulling her in close before he captured her mouth. He cupped her face and held her still as he kissed her. He shouldn’t do this. Any second now, he’d stop.
When he would’ve pulled back, she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him, and he made a strangled sound, giving in to it.
When he finally pulled away, her lips were swollen and red. Her teeth sunk into her full lower lip.
Axel groaned. He wanted to bite her lip, too.
Charlie released a breath. “Well, at least we kissed before I met your mom.”
Oh, hell. “I didn’t mean to—”
She rolled her eyes. “Your lips must’ve slipped and fell on mine. Come on, let’s go. Dinner’s getting cold.”
Shaking his head, Axel started the motorcycle. Charlie got on behind him and snuggled against his back, pressing her breasts into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her thighs splayed on either side of his. He wished he could ride around all night like this and just enjoy her touch.
The ride over to Eddie’s was way too fucking short.
***
When they arrived, they found Eddie, Captain, Ryker, and Elizabeth sitting on the front porch together in his mother’s matching rocking chairs. In the front yard, the charcoal grill was smoking and the delicious aroma of charring beef wafted through the air. It was a cool night but still warm enough to barbecue.
After they dismounted, Axel flashed a smile at Charlie then bounded up the stairs as she trailed reluctantly after him.
He squeezed Eddie’s shoulder and then shook Captain’s hand. “Congratulations!” Axel wanted to clear the air between them, since Cap was going to be his stepfather.
Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) Page 14
