Another part of him wanted to make gentle love to Charlie, show her how attractive he thought she was. How special, how important.
But he couldn’t decide which mode he wanted more. Maybe a bit of both.
His hands shook as he gently pushed her back on the bed. She spread her legs for him and he groaned at the sight. It’d been so long since he’d been with a woman.
God, she was so stunning it nearly hurt to look at her. She was swollen for him, the pink folds puffy and picture-perfect. Axel wanted to tattoo his name on her inner thigh, snug up against her sweet pussy. Charlie had shaved her pussy so the lips were completely bare, and they matched her scrumptious mouth. The tender folds were slick, ready for him. Eager.
Axel bent over her and fisted a hand in her hair. He drew Charlie closer, invaded her mouth. Kissing her impatiently. When he pulled back, her eyes were heavy-lidded, a bit dazed. Axel wanted her to always look at him like that. Like she couldn’t get enough of him.
He ran his fingers down the length of her body, admiring the swell of her breasts, the flare of her hips. Her skin was smooth and supple, so different from his roughness.
He knelt between her legs, spread them wide apart and devoured her. It’d been years since he tasted a woman, but she was worth the wait. He licked her, loving the way she tilted her hips up for him, the disjointed sounds she made. Axel sucked her clit into his mouth while he pushed a thumb in her pussy. Charlie gasped, arching. He nipped the hot flesh, grazing it with his teeth. She was so hot inside, so tight.
When he couldn’t stand it anymore, Axel buried his face in her mound. Charlie bucked. She cupped his head, holding him closer as he devoured her. Fuck, he could do this all day, loving how she responded to him.
He thought he might never get enough.
Axe; glanced up to watch her as she stroked herself. The surprised ‘o’ of her mouth, the way she ran her hands over her body, cupping her own breasts, toying with her nipples. He loved the look in her eyes—wanton, a bit animal.
And he needed to hear her scream.
His cock felt like it was made of metal right now. He needed to fuck her hard and deep. With a growl, he crept up her body and kissed her hard. Then he pulled a condom from the bedside table. Thank God for the prospects and their condom duties. He rolled it down over his dick. Yes, it offered protection, but he needed the fucking thing to slow down his pace.
Axel pulled her legs up to her chest then over his shoulders. He slid a hand between their bodies and placed himself at her entrance. Savoring the moment. This’d be the first time he was inside her.
Axel slid in slowly, watching her face the entire time. She melted for him, eyes closing, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. He thrust into her hard, delighting in the way her breasts bounced for him. Her desperation matched his own.
He didn’t want it to end, but he was going to come any minute. Axel deliberately moved against her, grinding against her clit with his pubic bone until she moaned his name, throwing her head back. When he couldn’t wait any longer, with a howl, he came.
After Axel tied off the condom and chucked it in the trash, he yanked the covers over them both and pulled her into his arms. Charlie drifted off to sleep. She seemed exhausted. Sad, somehow. And he couldn’t put his finger on the reason.
Something was wrong, he knew that much. But she hadn’t said anything yet and he didn’t push. No one could make Charlie do something she didn’t already want to do in the first place.
So, Axel held her while she slept, content with the chance to touch her, be this close to her. There were dark smudges beneath both of her eyes. She hated having a day job, even a pretend one. Not to mention working for the man who’d murdered her father. Posing as a maid had taken a toll on her, but she hadn’t complained. She’d thrown herself into the role.
Charlie was the woman he’d been waiting for all his life. He’d been too stupid to see it at first. She had all the qualities he needed and wanted in a woman. He’d placed barriers between himself and any woman he met, but Charlie had crashed right through those and into his heart somehow. She was a mixture of wicked and honorable, like she’d been made for him alone. Charlie was strong, loyal, and she could handle a crisis. No matter what came at them, they’d cope with it together. She wouldn’t run from him when things got difficult.
But she could rest tomorrow.
Axel had already hardened again and was straining against her thigh. Tonight, he wanted to persuade her to stay. With his body. Gently, he kissed her awake, pressing his lips to her temples, her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally her mouth.
Her lashes fluttered open and she smiled at him drowsily. “Axel.”
“Charlie.” He bent down for another sleepy kiss. And when he pulled back, his heart twisted. There was something raw and emotional in her gaze. Dread? Fear? He couldn’t tell, but it scared him.
Charlie grasped his hand and squeezed. “Axel, I…”
“What?” he asked, sitting up and rubbing her smooth cheek with the back of his other hand. “Tell me, Robin. You can tell me anything.” He’d do anything in his power to help her.
Her eyes filled with tears.
And he felt like one of his brothers had kicked him in the teeth. “What’s wrong?”
“I…can’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Not right now. I’ll tell you…tomorrow.”
“Do you promise?” he asked.
She nodded.
Axel couldn’t tell if she was lying or telling him the truth.
“Will you make love to me again? I need you, Axel.”
But that wasn’t a lie. “I need you, too.”
After grabbing another condom from the drawer, Axel knelt on the bed and wrapped Charlie around him, so she straddled his hips. That time, he went slow, cradling her against his body, cupping one breast as he slid into her at a lazy pace. He wanted to take his time, pleasure her.
Axel wrapped his arms around her, buried his head in the curve of her shoulder. “I’m here, Charlie,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re not alone.”
Charlie had stopped crying. Instead, she moaned, slowly arching against him.
Axel wanted to tell Charlie how he felt about her, but the words wouldn’t come. Words never came easily, but she was worth the risk. Tomorrow, he’d confess to her. And then he’d find a way to make her stay in Hell.
They rocked together, holding on to each other like their bodies were one. If Axel could freeze the moment, stay with her, within her, he would. He’d been so lonely all these long years. And she had been, too. Both of them going it alone.
With a cry, she came for him and he spilled in her soon after. Afterwards, he held her close, until she fell asleep and he started to drift off.
The next day, he’d talk her into staying. And while his life might not be normal or suburban, he’d finally own it.
With Charlie at his side, all things were possible.
***
Charlie stood staring down at Axel, watching as he slept.
She had to get going, but couldn’t seem to make her feet work. She should’ve been heading to Dallas so she could get the jump on Cotton, but this might be the last time she got to see Axel and she wanted to savor the sight of him, disheveled and delicious from their lovemaking.
He was lying on his back, an arm tucked beneath the pillow. The covers had rolled down his body and clung to his lean hips. She wanted to crawl back into bed with him, make love to him one more time. But if she did, she wouldn’t be able to leave him.
While she didn’t have a clue where he’d been or what job the club had pulled, it must’ve been a difficult one. The way he’d clung to her last night, kissed her. It’d been full of passion, but there’d been a desperation in the way he clutched her. A desperation she felt, too, a need for comfort. And something infinitely more tender, which she couldn’t afford to think about right now.
She’d let him down, failed him, as well as the club. More than any
thing, she wanted to give him the gun Beauregard had killed the FBI agent with, so he could save Eddie. She’d wanted to be his heroine but she’d blown it.
Charlie had wanted to confess everything last night, tell him Beauregard had discovered their plot. But she didn’t dare. If she said Beauregard had forced her into murdering Cotton, he’d go with her and do it himself. Charlie couldn’t put that on him. Axel was a good man, and she didn’t want him to bear that burden.
But more than anything, Charlie was afraid to let another man she loved be anywhere near Cotton Krug. He’d already taken her father from her. She’d be damned if she gave him the opportunity to kill Axel.
No, she had to do this alone.
And needed to leave now. Charlie had to get dressed, grab the pistol with the filed-off serial numbers Beauregard had given her, steal one of Hades’ trucks, and get to Dallas in time to case the joint and formulate a plan for that night.
Charlie knelt and brushed a kiss against his lips. “Goodbye, Axel.”
She walked out the door, ready to face her father’s murderer. One of them wouldn’t be alive come nightfall.
***
Axel woke to find himself all alone.
The light filtering in the window was gray. It had to be around five in the morning. His bed was empty, but Charlie had left a note on the nightstand. Why hadn’t she woken him? Axel picked it up.
Have to take care of something important. I’ll see you tonight. ~Charlie.
Axel grabbed his cell and dialed her number, but she didn’t answer. He wondered if she had it on silent. Had she gone over to Beauregard’s? Had something changed with her father’s case?
Damn. He needed to talk to her. Axel had planned to wake up in her arms and then have that heart-to-heart they’d been putting off for forever. Although he wanted to chase after Charlie, he had other responsibilities, too.
Namely, a felonious amount of heroin in a warehouse to distribute.
He ran a palm down his face and checked the time. Nearly six. He had to haul ass over to the warehouse anyway, so he could relieve Steele and Coyote. They needed to get the shipment to Cotton. The sooner that shit was on its way, the better off they’d all be.
And then he’d have a nice long chat with Beauregard. This’d be the last time the club would be drug-muling for the bastard.
***
Axel arrived at the warehouse to find the side door hanging open.
Not a good sign.
He shut off the engine, looping his helmet across the handlebars. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and his heart started to pound harder. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears. Axel grabbed his phone and dialed Steele, but he didn’t hear the ringer inside.
Steele wouldn’t have turned off his phone. For any reason.
Axel thought about calling for backup, but he had a bad feeling whatever the damage, it’d already been done.
He slid his gun out and slowly walked toward the warehouse, ready for anything. The door creaked open and he Axel found Steele lying on the floor in a bloody pool.
Axel did a visual sweep of the room, didn’t see anyone. But the van was gone, so were the Rubbermaid tubs filled with the drugs, and he didn’t see any sign of Coyote. Shit.
He couldn’t check Steele’s prone body immediately. Not yet. Fuck, Axel hoped he wasn’t dead, but he couldn’t think like that. Not right now. He had to make sure the place was empty, or he’d end up lying right beside his brother.
He searched the space, gun out, until he was sure it was empty. Then Axel knelt by Steele, feeling for a pulse, and found one. Thank God, he was still alive! His eyes were swollen shut, and dried blood caked his mouth. His nose was at an odd angle, as if it’d been broken. His cell phone was lying next to him, the screen smashed into tiny spider-webbed pieces.
Axel pulled out his own cell and dialed Duke’s number. “Brother, I’m at the new warehouse on Devil Run. Steele’s been beaten unconscious. Coyote’s missing. Bring your medical bag and a couple of brothers with you.”
“On it,” Duke said before hanging up.
Steele was a tough bastard. He’d be okay. Duke would see to that. But what about Coyote?
Axel slumped to the floor. He couldn’t shake the thought that he was a piss-poor leader. Captain wouldn’t have let this happen. Or Royal. And the guilt was crushing. Captain must’ve lived with this all the time, agonizing over every club decision and the possible fallout. If they killed Coyote, he’d never forgive himself. Coyote was twenty-five and he had his whole life ahead of him. The kid didn’t deserve to die over Beauregard’s greed.
Who’d taken Coyote? Axel had a good idea, but he needed confirmation.
That’s when he took a good look at Steele’s bloody, and his tattered shirt. Someone had cut through it. Axel peeled back the edges to reveal an eagle carved into Steele’s chest.
Yeah, the Raptors had done this.
The club should’ve handled those dickheads before they started this drug operation.
As soon as his brothers arrived, Axel would order the Horsemen into lockdown mode. All of the club’s children and old ladies needed to be placed under guard. They’d also secure the businesses. And then, they’d send out a search party to find Coyote. Hopefully, the Raptors hadn’t gone into hiding and the Horsemen could plan an assault.
After Axel got all that under control, he’d take off for Beauregard Manor. And then he’d go three rounds with Hell’s resident devil.
***
Hours later, Axel sat across from Beauregard in his study, waiting for the bastard to say something. Anything.
He’d laid it all out for him. The drugs were gone, Coyote had been kidnapped. Any minute now, Cotton and the cartel would be on their asses, demanding the shipment.
Frankly, Axel had expected more of a reaction.
But Beauregard swiveled his leather chair back and forth. It made a creaking noise every time he moved, and Axel wanted to heave the thing out the window. Beauregard had placed a fingertip on his chin, and he seemed lost in his own thoughts.
Coyote was still missing. Steele was in stable condition, although he’d gotten the shit beat out of him. He’d been awake briefly before the painkillers kicked in and he hadn’t said much about the attack, only confirming the Raptors had done it.
After what felt like years, Beauregard spoke. “Well, now, that is interesting, but I have somethin’ more pressing on my mind.”
“What the hell could be more pressing than this?” Axel gritted out.
“You’d be surprised,” he drawled. “But let’s deal with your problem first. I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”
Axel snorted at that. “Are you going to help me go after the Raptors, or not?” They should’ve run those dickheads out of town weeks ago. It ought to have been his first priority when he took over the presidency.
“Easy now. Don’t go off half-cocked,” Beauregard said.
Axel jumped out of his chair and started pacing the floor. What if they killed Coyote? Tortured him? What if they came after the club next? And burned Hell to the ground around them? And every second he stood there jawin’ at Beauregard, everyone’s chances got smaller and smaller. “This is all your fucking fault.”
He raised a brow. “My fault? They didn’t attack me. They perceived the Horsemen as the weak link in this chain of command, and rightly so.”
No one had ever called them weak before. “Where the fuck do you get off? We’re—”
“Still operating under the delusion that you’re good men?” Beauregard countered. “You don’t follow the law any more than I do. But you have some pathological need to be respectable.”
“We’re all good men. I am a good man.” Mostly. Axel had doubts about some of the things he’d done in the name of the club, but he’d always had good intentions.
That had to count for something.
Beauregard cocked his head to the side. “Yes, I suppose you are, despite your upbringing and the position you hold. But so
metimes, a man needs to step up. The world is a complicated place, Axel. Sometimes, you have to do terrible things for the greater good.”
Axel didn’t want to hear any of this mass murderer psychobabble. Beauregard could justify the terrible things he’d done, but that didn’t mean Axel had to listen to his line of bullshit. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“What are you prepared to do to get rid of the Raptor problem?” he asked. “We need a permanent solution.”
Beauregard was talking about murder. “I’m not a killer.” He’d never gotten the Pale Rider patch and didn’t want one. Sure, he’d dole out some ass whuppin’s, put a few of them in the hospital, but it wouldn’t come down to homicide.
The Raptors would turn tail and run after they figured out the Horsemen wouldn’t let any more of their illegal activities slide. “I don’t know what kind of crazy-ass notions you have, but I’m not going to kill anyone. I’m not you,” he growled.
“Not yet, no.” Beauregard picked up his silver letter opener, flipping it between his fingers. “You know,” he said, gesturing with the opener. “You shouldn’t have taken the president job unless you had the stomach for it.”
It bothered him the way Beauregard had set yet. “I—”
“Captain was a good leader,” he interrupted. “Yes, he ultimately betrayed your club, but he had greater goals in mind. He could see past the easy route and take the hard one. Your position comes with a lot of responsibilities.”
“Go on.” Axel had the distinct impression Beauregard had an ace in the hole.
Beauregard stood then paced the length of his office, hands behind his back. “Now, I’d call Machiavelli a genuine psychopath, but he was a smart man. He believed it was better to be feared than loved as a leader. I’ve taken that piece of advice to heart in my business,” he said, placing a hand on his chest, where his heart would be, if he had one. “And I suggest you do the same. The Raptors don’t love you, which you already knew, but they sure as shit don’t fear you. They think you’re a joke, easy pickin’s. And they’re right.”
Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) Page 23
