Axe's Fall: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 4) (23 page)

A sky-blue linen
sheath was the only dress she had which showed no cleavage. With simple, low-heeled pumps, she hoped her outfit would keep Palmer’s mind on business.

At seven o’clock sharp, Palmer arrived in a gleaming, silver Porsche. Dressed in an expensive camel-colored sports jacket, white pants, and a blue pin-striped shirt, he looked like he’d just stepped out of
GQ
.

Baylee wondered how he afforded his expensive tastes. After all, he was only a government employee.

“You look beautiful,” he said as he approached.

She gave him a half-smile in return.

Driving in his Porsche wasn’t near as much fun as riding on Axe’s Harley, and it wasn’t all because of Axe. The space inside the sports car was small, and Baylee missed the rush of wind around her. Thinking about Axe made her chest tighten—he hadn’t called her all day.

“Here we are,” Palmer said as they pulled up to the restaurant.

Greyston Restaurant overlooked the picturesque Aspen Grove Valley, offering refined seating filled with upscale class and elegance. It was a popular eatery among Pinewood Springs’s rich and sophisticated elite.

Seated at a small table for two, Baylee admired the valley covered in wildflowers which glowed with bright-colored butterflies searching for nectar. On the horizon, the mountains rose, jagged rocks dotted with clusters of evergreens; on the base, white-trunked aspen trees softened the sharpness of its angles. Sherbet-pink and orange hues from the descending sun reflected off the crystalline lake.

“What a beautiful setting,” Baylee said.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Palmer countered.

Ignoring his comment, she looked at the menu, her stomach twisting. She wasn’t very hungry, and she wanted a quick dinner so she could go back to the hotel, curl up under the covers, and watch a sappy love story. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Puck’s colorful tattoos and smiled inwardly, guessing the tough biker hated this part of his assignment.

“Are you from Denver?” he asked.

“Yes, born and raised.”

“Which part of town did you grow up in?”

“Southeast Denver. Greenwood Village area.”

“Nice.”

“Why?”

“I was born and lived in Denver until my parents divorced and my dad moved me up here.”

“I didn’t know you lived in the city.”

“My dad used to be head of the zoning department. He transferred up here, and when he retired, I took over his job. I’m young to be running the department.”

“How old were you when you moved?”

“Eleven.”

“Well, you’ve done well for yourself.”

“I have. Having a rich dad didn’t hurt.” He laughed.

I wonder if Axe is with another woman. He wouldn’t do that to me, would he? We agreed to be monogamous, but he was so mad at me…

“Baylee? Am I boring you?”

Her cheeks flushed. “No, of course not. I’m just so busy at work with the strip mall, and a few new projects I picked up today. I can’t seem to turn my work brain off. Sorry.”

He reached over and held her hand, squeezing it. “I get it. You need to slow down. Life isn’t all about working. You have to have some fun. I’d like to show you around the area, and we can throw a little fun into the mix. What do you say?”

“I can’t commit to anything right now. My whole focus is on the strip mall, and the sooner it gets finished, the easier it will be for me to explore the area with you.” She pulled her hand gently away from him. “And have some fun.” She gave him her best doe-eyed look.

He swallowed hard then put his hand inside his jacket, taking out a legal-sized envelope. “Here’s my contribution to speeding the process along.” He handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said as she opened it and inspected the permits.
Perfect. I wish I could leave now.

“You know, I did this for you, not that loser, Axe.”

Her muscles tightened. “He’s not a loser.”

Palmer shook his head. “You don’t know him. I went to high school with him, and he was nothing but trailer trash, a real bum. He thinks he’s something just because he belongs to that motorcycle gang.” He leaned closer to her. “If it were up to me, I never would’ve given a zoning permit to an outlaw club.”

“I thought it
was
up to you,” she said sweetly, biting back her bitterness.

“Normally, it is, but the go-ahead came from higher up. I think the club is keeping hard drugs out of the county, so the officials rewarded them with the permit. I’m not a hundred percent sure, but someone did them a big favor.”

“So, I’m thanking the wrong person?”

“No, I made sure you got them fast. Anyway, I’m giving you some friendly advice. Stay away from Axe. He’s a jerk who isn’t worth spitting on.”

“I disagree. I think he’s a great guy. It’s probably time you left high school behind.”

“He charms the ladies then, when they fall for him, he treats them awful. I can see he’s charmed you.”

“We’re friends and colleagues.”

“If you’re smart, you’ll keep it that way.”

If I were smart, I’d be having dinner with Axe instead of you.

For the rest of the meal, Palmer told her what a great catch he was, and Baylee feigned interest.

After Palmer signed the credit card receipt, Baylee pushed back her chair, gearing up to leave.

“I thought I’d show you a bit of the landscape,” he said.

“In the dark? I’ll take a raincheck.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “I have a few more hours of work ahead of me, and I’m exhausted.” She pretended to yawn.

“That’s too bad.” He grabbed her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’d like to get to know you better.”

She slid her hand out of his and smiled. “Let me make some headway with the strip mall, then we can have some time.”
That oughta keep him satisfied for a bit
. Of course, she had no intention of starting anything with him. Axe was the one she wanted. It was her bad luck that she had to go and fall for a bad boy who didn’t know what the word
commitment
meant. The man in leather was definitely going to break her heart, she just knew it.

They arrived back at the hotel, and when Palmer leaned over to kiss her, she jerked back, his lips grazing her cheek.
Shit. Puck is watching.
Rolling out of the car, she said, “Thanks, I had a nice time.”

“Let me walk you up to your room.”

Fat chance.

“I’m good. Thanks again, Palmer.”

“I’ll call you,” he said at her retreating figure.

She acted like she hadn’t heard him. Passing through the thick glass doors, she entered the hotel.

Back in her room, she spied through the peephole until she saw Blade take Puck’s place. Her heart sank, knowing Blade’s presence meant Axe wasn’t coming. She bit her lower lip. Axe must’ve really been mad at her and, in her opinion, for a silly reason. Men were such babies at times. Maybe she should have postponed Palmer for the next night. He still would’ve given her the permits, but she hadn’t wanted to take the chance. She needed to one-up Logan; she let ambition make the decision.
A lesson learned.
She’d hurt Axe’s feelings, and he was too proud to ever admit it. What was a business decision for her was a betrayal for Axe. She should’ve been more sensitive.

Of course, none of this would’ve happened if she’d stuck with her plan of a casual, summer fling. She’d let one night of random sex turn into casual sex then into an emotionally charged relationship. And then she went and fell for him.

If he doesn’t call tomorrow, I’ll text him.
The mature thing to do would be to call him and tell him goodnight, but she was afraid if she did, he’d be with another woman. Her mind couldn’t go there. She wouldn’t let it.

After changing into her nightshirt, she turned off the light then cried herself to sleep.

*     *     *

The moment Puck
entered the great room, Axe motioned him over.

“Anything?” Axe asked.

“Nah. Same as always. Oh, I saw your uncle Max at the restaurant she had lunch at.”

Uncle Max? Wasn’t he at the hotel last week?
His uncle rarely came to town, yet within the past week he’d been at two of the same locations as Baylee. Something was off. What, if any, connection did his uncle have with Baylee?
What the fuck has Uncle Max gotten himself into?
Axe didn’t know, but he was sure as hell going to find out.

“What happened with the motherfucker she had dinner with?”

“Nothing. They had dinner.”

Axe hated transforming into a pussy in front of any brother, let alone a prospect. He despised that the spell Baylee cast over him made him ask pathetic, stupid questions, but he couldn’t fucking help himself. “Did anything happen between them? You know what I mean.”

“Not that I could see. He kept coming close to her, but she always pulled back. And he tried to kiss her when he dropped her off, but she pushed him away. Your woman was good.” Puck smiled.

“She’s not my woman,” Axe grumbled.

“Really? Would’ve guessed she was.”

Axe glowered at the prospect; he was out of line with that comment. “Go.” He waved his hand, dismissing Puck, and the prospect ambled away.

In his mind and heart, Baylee was his woman, but he wasn’t ready to admit it to the brotherhood, not until he knew how she felt about him. He doubted she wanted anything past the summer. The way he saw it, she wouldn’t have gone out with Palmer for dinner if she cared anything for Axe. It was a slap in his face, and it pissed him the hell off. Since she’d broken their date to go out with Palmer for the fucking permits, he’d felt funny, like a small piece of him shattered. He’d never felt like that before. She did wrong, and she should have called or texted him, telling him so.

Axe scanned the great room, checking to see if Rock had come back yet from some club business—the dude owed him a pool game. A busty blonde caught his eye, and she headed his way, her hips swaying, licking her lips. He grabbed his beer and slipped away, snaking through throes of people until he reached his room.

After he finished his beer, he took out a bottle of Jack and poured it into a water glass. His aim was to get good and drunk so he could forget about long, dark hair falling down an elegantly curved back, soft, full lips, and big, hazel eyes that pulled him in every time. He wanted to hear her voice, should call her, but he didn’t. This was all new to him. For so long, he’d numbed himself on mindless sex, never giving himself enough time between fucking to think. Up until Baylee, the only one he had to care about was himself. Love and tenderness had been dead inside him for such a long time, he’d forgotten how they felt. He hated change, and this was change in a big way. The wall he’d built around his heart a long time back was crumbling, and he couldn’t fucking stop it even if he wanted to.

B
aylee turned left
into the clubhouse parking lot, relieved to have found it after thirty minutes of driving up and down the same stretch of highway. It was only after Banger had guided her on the phone as she drove that she’d discovered it down a narrow road off the highway. It was set so far back that no one could see if from the road.

She’d filed the permits with the court earlier in the morning, but Banger needed to sign a few documents before the construction crew could start breaking ground. Since she’d agreed to go to the clubhouse to see him, her stomach had been rolling and gurgling. She hadn’t heard from Axe, and she wondered if he’d be at the club. She hated she’d taken extra time fixing up before leaving the hotel; she’d even curled her hair, and she hated doing that. In her pretty coral dress and strappy wedge-heel sandals, Baylee looked amazing. The high-low hem showed enough leg, and her sleeveless arms were toned and golden from the spray tan she’d had the day before. Finding a salon that offered spray tanning had made her day—a bit of cheer in an otherwise “Axe-less” day.

Her gold bangles jangled as she opened the heavy front door. For a few seconds, she couldn’t see anything. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the low lights, she saw men in jeans and leather on bar stools, at a couple of pool tables, and at a few regular tables. The minute she locked eyes with a couple of them, the hoots and wolf-whistles began.

“Fuck, what a hottie,” a tall, bearded man said as she passed.

With head down and cheeks flaming, she made her way to the bar, praying Banger wasn’t one of the men in the room leering at her. As she waited for the bartender to finish serving some of the men, she surveyed the room and noticed a few women kneeling in front of a few guys, their dicks in the women’s mouths. Baylee turned away in embarrassment and focused on a pretty dark-haired, busty woman who wore a scrap of material which barely covered her rounded butt. The woman, hunched over a seated man, was saying something in his ear, her breasts practically in his face. He turned his face away then his dark eyes locked with Baylee’s. Covering her mouth with her hand, she watched as Axe leapt out of the chair, knocking the brunette against a tall man who caught her, his arms wrapped around her waist.