The Beckett Boys- The Complete Series Box Set

by Olivia Chase

  “ Heck no.” He rakes his hand through his hair. “You’re misunderstanding me. You have a lot of amazing qualities. I just don’t want to see you hurt by someone who doesn’t deserve you.”

  “It’s up to me to determine that,” I whisper. “Not you.”

  He shakes his head. “I know you think he’s amazing. But I’m unconvinced of his potential. I think you should aim higher, not with someone…”

  “Someone who’s poor like him,” I finish. “Without money.”

  “No, someone who can’t ever possibly be good enough for you. He isn’t motivated, he isn’t driven to succeed in life.”

  “For someone who never bothers to ask me what I want, who just makes assumptions, you sure think you know a lot about me and the kind of person I want to end up with,” I say hotly. I step away from the table—my stomach is too sour to eat now.

  “Where are you going?” my dad demands. “We’re not done talking about this.”

  “I can’t be here right now. I need space.” I leave the dining room.

  I need distance, time to think. But more than that, I need to be around Axel. Someone who cares about me for who I am on the inside, not for what I offer him. We haven’t talked about my family’s money at all, so unless he’s playing the long con, I’m right in my opinion of him. He isn’t after our fortune. He likes me.

  I go to my room and pack a small bag, then leave the house without saying goodbye, hop in my car and dial Axel on the way. My heart is in my throat, and it’s hard to swallow. “Hey,” I say when he picks up.

  “What’s wrong?” He instantly detects my mood.

  “I just… Can I come stay with you? For a day or two? Is that asking too much?” I didn’t think ahead, just blindly jumped in the car and drove. But if it is, I’ll get a hotel and figure shit out.

  “Of course you can.”

  The fact that he doesn’t hesitate makes my chest warm with gratitude and relief.

  When I arrive at his house, my tummy is a mess of knots once again. I sling my bag over my shoulder and stride toward his door, unsure what to expect. What if this is a bad idea? What if Daddy is right and I’m reading into things, and Axel really doesn’t care about me the way I think he does?

  I stand in place, hovering in front of his door, when it suddenly opens, and Axel is there, his bold eyes on mine, hair mussed in that sexy way I love. He’s wearing a faded black T-shirt and pair of jeans, and he tugs me toward him.

  “C’mere,” he murmurs, and then I’m against his chest, and my eyes are watering again and I cling to him. Breathe him in. Relish the feel of his comfort. He closes the door behind me then wraps me in his arms in a full embrace.

  We don’t speak. I just remain in his arms. He presses soft kisses to my brow, giving me space and time without pressing me to speak. I’m so grateful for that. I just lean into him, absorbing his heat and strength.

  Finally, I pull back. “Axel,” I say in a low whisper. “What…” I struggle to find the words I’m seeking. “What are we? I mean, I don’t want to make assumptions. But…it feels like we are more than just, um, friends with benefits, or a random hookup.”

  Axel draws in a slow breath. Exhales. He takes my hand and leads me to the couch. I drop my bag at my feet and curl against him on the cushions. “Do we need to define it?” he asks. I can tell he’s being sincere in the question.

  I shift to snuggle closer to him. “I… Look, I’m not asking you for anything. I just want to know this isn’t only sex.” There. I said it. I pull back to eye him. I can’t read the expression on his face. “What is this to you? For real.”

  Axel scrutinizes me then huffs a sigh, scratching his jaw. “If I were smart, this would be only sex. Nothing complicated. But…”

  “But?” I nudge, needing to hear what he’s thinking and feeling.

  “But no, the way I think about you isn’t just sexual,” he finishes. “We’re very different people from different worlds, so I don’t know what it means or where we go from here. That’s all I got right now, sweetness.”

  At this moment, that’s enough. It proves to me that I’m not crazy. That he feels it too. I lean forward and press a soft kiss to his mouth.

  He deepens the kiss, digging his fingers into my hair and opening my mouth for him in the process. I let my troubles fade away with him, just feel, without censoring myself or worrying about what will happen.

  I need him.

  Axel strips off my clothing with slow, purposeful movements. I do the same for him. Then we’re both naked, bared to each other. I feel vulnerable, but not in a bad way. In a way that makes my heart soar. He takes my hand and leads me to his room, lays me down on his bed.

  When he enters my wet pussy, we’re locked together, eyes and bodies and hands entwined. The energy between us is potent, almost tangible. Intimate. And for once, I allow myself to just feel. To not worry about what it means. We’ll figure that out in the future. For now, it’s enough to know that Axel views me as more than just a booty call, despite both of our misgivings.

  We’re not just fucking right now. We’re connecting on a deep, intimate level. And I desperately needed that with him. I needed the comfort only he can give me.

  When we’re done, we remain tangled in each other, legs entwined, bodies slick with sweat, breaths panting. I draw swirls on his skin as he regales me with stories of the crazy things he and his brothers did in the past.

  His voice soothes me. Relaxes me.

  I fall asleep in his embrace, feeling lighter and happier than I have in ages.

  The next morning, I awaken to an empty bed. I pause and stretch in between the sheets. Morning light is glinting through the windows, casting a golden glow in the room. I pause and listen for him.

  Downstairs I can hear movement in the house. I toss on a T-shirt and pair of shorts from my bag then go toward the noise, which is in the kitchen. Axel is there in nothing but a pair of jeans, cracking eggs into a bowl and whipping milk into them. Is there anything sexier?

  When he sees me, his whole face gets warm, and I’m filled with a sudden flush of emotion I don’t expect. Something about the intimacy of this morning makes my heart skip. I need this man on a level deeper than I’m ready to admit.

  “Good morning,” he says. “I have coffee ready. You want some?”

  “Yes, please,” I groan, sliding beside him and pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder. He smells like our sex, and it just makes my head light.

  He pauses to grab a chipped mug and pours me a cup. “Creamer, sugar?”

  “Sugar would be great.” A sudden bashfulness hits me as I realize we don’t yet know each other’s morning routines. There’s a strange intimacy in sharing this with him. Does he feel it too? The casualness in his body language indicates not.

  Stop overthinking, I demand myself. I told myself earlier that I wasn’t going to do that. That I was just going to enjoy the moment.

  “Um,” I say after he hands me the container of sugar. I pour it into my drink. “So, what are you up to today?”

  “I’m off. You?”

  “No plans. I’m taking off work. I need a break.” The words are delivered lightly. I can’t tell what he’s thinking about what I say or if he even wants to hang out with me.

  He doesn’t respond.

  I bite my lower lip and focus on stirring my coffee. My heart is sinking. “Well, if you want me to head out, that’s no problem. Thanks for letting me crash with you last night—” A hand stroking my hip causes me to stop talking.

  Axel’s mouth glides along my throat, shoulder. “Don’t go. Let’s do something together today.”

  I can’t fight the brilliance that explodes in my chest at his words. “Yeah?” I spin and face him.

  His warmth emanates from him. “Yeah. So you’re free the whole day?”

  “I’m taking a sick day,” I declare. I will text my dad and let him know. I need space from him, anyway. I’m still hurt by last night’s argument, and I don’t want to see h
im yet. Not when I’m so raw.

  “Let’s do something fun,” Axel says with a grin. “I have an idea.”

  “Oh?” I’m buoyed by excitement. “That sounds promising.”

  “After we eat, you should get ready. Wear light clothes if you have any with you.” He swats my ass, and I laugh at the gesture, which feels so familiar and relaxed. “Now, let’s get breakfast done.”

  We eat in comfortable silence and then get ready. I shower with Axel, which turns into a heavy make out session. As badly as I want to have sex and linger in bed with him for hours, I’m more excited to see what he has planned for us. So we pull away and get dressed, then head to his motorcycle.

  Axel pauses and grabs a bag on the back. “I…got you a helmet,” he says. He’s speaking casually, but there’s more in his words than that.

  He bought me a helmet.

  Because he’s planning on me riding with him more. It’s not just sex between us. You don’t buy a helmet for someone you’re only interested in being in bed with.

  And all my doubt slips away at this one small gesture. I’m suddenly comforted, relieved, heady with happiness. I take the bag and grab the helmet out of it. It’s blood-red, and it fits perfectly.

  Before he closes the visor, Axel smiles. “You were wearing a dress this color when I first met you.” He drops a kiss on my nose, then closes the visor.

  I hop on the back of the bike, resting against his warm form, and feel the rumble of the vibrations as he starts the ride. It’s easy to curl against his back as we weave down the roads, the wind whipping around us.

  Being on the motorcycle with Axel, I feel…free. Lighter than air. No responsibilities, no pressure. Just existing in this moment with a man I like, wrapped around him, feeling the solidness of his body between my legs and trusting him to drive us wherever we’re going.

  We head through the national park, and I try to stay still as I look at the beautiful scenery flying by. Brilliant green leaves filling out on trees everywhere. Michigan has some incredible views for those who take the time to explore its wealth.

  At the far end of the national park, Axel guides the motorcycle to a small parking lot and backs into the spot, and I hop off, putting the helmet in the bag. I fluff my hair while he gets off the bike.

  “So where are we going?” I ask him.

  He motions to me. “Just come along.” He takes my hand, and our fingers weave together.

  We walk down a wooded trail for a good half mile, checking out the flora in silence, before Axel suddenly tugs me off the trail and branches left.

  We continue on our way, stepping over tree trunks and various hazards in our way. The path is faint, but there, and Axel is unfailing in guiding me through it. It’s clear he’s been here before, more than once. I can’t help but be curious—where is he leading me?

  We start escalating as the path winds up the side of a mountain. My breath comes in pants the higher we walk. God, I’m out of shape, though it feels good to do nothing but hike right now. Not worry about whatever is going on at work. Hell, I don’t even have cell phone reception out here, which makes me smile unnaturally large. Out here, it’s just the two of us, lost in our own world. We’re isolated, in our own bubble.

  About a mile into our trip, I see a plateau and a clearing. When we step into it, the sunlight dapples through the trees and shows a lovely meadow, with a stone cabin on the far end of the clearing. Brilliant-colored flowers speckle the grounds between us and the cabin.

  “Oh, what is this?” I ask softly. Something about the serenity of this place makes me not want to disturb the peace. “It’s gorgeous here.” I smother a laugh at my sudden, strange thought. “This isn’t some sort of Blair Witch thing, right? No nasty little surprises lurking in there trying to kill me?”

  Axel chuckles and snakes a hand around my waist, pulling me close as we cross the clearing. “No, this is an abandoned cabin someone started several years ago but never finished. I discovered it by accident a while ago, but it’s become one of my favorite places to hide when I want to be left alone.”

  The fact that he brought me here, to his place of respite, touches me more than I can say.

  “Look,” he continues as he tugs me toward the cabin, pointing forward. “You can see whoever started this knew what he was doing. The exterior is built to allow for large windows to be added, maximizing the view. I’d love to buy this place and own it someday. I’d finish it. Bring it to its full potential.”

  “You should,” I tell him. I walk toward the gray stone exterior and run my fingers along the surface. “It would be gorgeous. It deserves to be finished.”

  And it does. The rough outline is here, and this place could be incredible if completed. I’d love to see it that way, and I can imagine Axel lingering around here, grilling and bringing food inside, windows open and exposed, bringing the light in.

  “Come inside,” he says, and I follow him through the gaping front hole where a door should go.

  The ground is a flat cement slab, so there’s at least a decent foundation built. But nothing much else beyond the exterior and roof has been done here. Still, there’s a charm about the place that warms me, makes me feel comfortable. The main room is spacious, and I can see a couple of other nice-sized rooms off this area.

  “So would you live here?” I ask Axel, who’s wandering around, peering through open windows. I’m trying to imagine him as someone who eschews city life for the wilds of the forest. What would that be like?

  “I’m not sure. I think I’d use this more as a…rest from the city. Maybe an artist’s getaway.” He doesn’t look at me, but I hear the vulnerability in his words. He’s shy, sharing something that’s important to him.

  And I’m touched. I try to not make a big deal out of the moment, not wanting to embarrass him.

  We exit the cabin and make our way back down to his motorcycle. Not a lot of words are exchanged; I’m too busy absorbing what I’ve learned about Axel, trying to wrap my brain around all these details I know. Piecing them together to figure out what kind of a man he is.

  He’s not what I expected when I first met him at the wedding reception, that’s for sure. An artist with a sensitive soul who wants to escape deep in the woods? I never would have imagined that.

  This place clearly has meaning for him. He’s escaped here more than once.

  And he showed it to me. Revealed more about himself.

  Once we get to the parking lot, I put my helmet back on, clinging to his back as we navigate our way back through the woods. There’s a serenity in me that wasn’t there before. I don’t know why, but Axel brings it out of me.

  He gives me a peace I didn’t even know I was seeking.

  I rest my helmeted forehead against his back, trying to calm my racing heart. What does all of this mean? Am I starting to fall for him? And if so, is that insane?

  And could I even stop it if I wanted to?

  I don’t know any answers. I just know I want more of him, need more. I want to dig deep beneath the surface of this man, find out what makes him tick, what moves him. What he wants out of life. If he can reveal his secrets to me, then I can reveal mine to him. I can bare myself like I never have before. Be vulnerable.

  That connection and intimacy is what I crave so deeply.

  But not just intimacy. Intimacy with him.

  Axel

  It’s nice outside as I drive toward the prison. Been a while since I saw Butch. Admittedly, I have mixed emotions about my father. I want to be loyal to him, but he makes it tough sometimes.

  Years ago, Smith’s father, now deceased, borrowed a chunk of money from Butch to start Outlaws and signed an agreement—if he didn’t pay the money back, he’d forfeit the bar. Butch says that debt was never repaid. Hence the beginning of the vendetta between my brothers and my cousins. We tried a variety of efforts to get them to hand Outlaws over. But eventually, our two factions made peace with each other.

  Butch was pissed. Stabbed Smith. Got his
ass thrown in jail.

  While I understand his frustration over not getting what he justly deserves, shivving Smith was a crazy fucking move, especially since Butch was out on parole. Not to mention he didn’t bother to include me or Hale in on his plans. We might have convinced him to try a different approach…or, better, to just let it go.

  Then again, Butch was never much for letting shit go.

  Oh, well. I turn my bike down the road and back into the parking lot space, kill the engine. It doesn’t matter. Butch will do what Butch does. And now that he’s back in prison, he isn’t a part of my daily life. I really am alone out here.

  Except…with Kendra, I don’t feel so alone.

  As I walk through the security checks at the prison, sign in for my visit, I can’t stop thinking about her. I don’t know why, but I feel this urge for her to know me. To see me.

  It’s crazy.

  I try to not think about it as I’m led to the bland cement-block room and sit down at a dingy table, waiting for Butch to be brought in for our meeting.

  A man and woman are at the table beside me, whispering. He’s looking at her with intense love in his eyes. Kinda makes me wonder about their story. Did they know each other before he landed in here? What did he do? Is she going to be around when he’s released, if he ever is?

  This place is fucking sad, pain soaked into the very walls. Nothing happy about it. It reeks of loneliness, frustration.

  Butch is let in, wearing an orange jumper and wrist cuffs. He’s led to my table and settles into his seat, and I’m struck by how different he looks even since I saw him a couple of months ago when he was out on parole.

  His face is gaunt, skin sallow and almost yellow in tone. His flinty eyes are hard, untrusting, unyielding as he stares at me. There’s scraggly scruff on his chin, his hair far more gray than it was before. He looks bad. Sickly. I’ve never seen Butch this rough…or this weak. It’s unnerving.