Axe's Fall: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 4) (33 page)

“Yeah. Jack, this is Baylee. Baylee, this is Jack. He’s Chas’s son.”

“Nice meeting you,” Baylee greeted before following the two.

After reuniting Jack with his parents, Axe grasped her hand and led her over to the Harleys on display.

“I didn’t know Addie and Chas had a son,” she said.

“They have a daughter together. Jack is Chas’s son from another marriage. His ex was such a bitch. Since they got hitched, Addie’s been in the process of adopting Jack.”

“What about his mom?”

“She doesn’t give a shit. She signed the papers. Not sure how it works. Cara’s helping them with that.”

“Addie seems like she’d be great mom.”

“She is. Jack’s crazy about her. You want kids?”

Baylee sputtered then coughed. “Where did that come from?”

“We were talking ‘bout kids. Just wondered. Do you?”

“Someday, it’d be nice, but I’m not even thinking about it now.” She swallowed. “How about you?”

“Yeah. Someday.”

They stopped in front of fifty Harleys gleaming in the sun. As Axe whistled and admired them, Baylee mulled over Axe’s question. Why had he asked if she wanted kids? Did he plan on spending his future with her? Even though he’d told her she was his forever, the fact remained that she lived in Denver and he lived there. How were they ever going to resolve that problem?

Axe spoke with a few guys in leather, and Baylee noticed several women in short skirts and shorts wearing halter tops stood at a distance, giggling and pointing at Axe. Soon, a few of them came over and spoke with them, a blonde one constantly touching his upper arm. Clenching her teeth, Baylee’s hands curled into fists as she watched Axe laugh and talk with the women.

“Hi, Baylee. I thought I might run into you” Palmer greeted.

“Palmer. How are you?”

“Good.” His gaze slowly moved up her body. “You’re looking hot.”

Ignoring his comment, she pulled down her crop top in a vain effort to cover her belly button.

“What’ve you been up to? You haven’t returned any of my phone calls,” he said.

“Busy with work.”

“And with me.” Axe’s arm hooked around her waist.

A dark scowl replaced Palmer’s smile. “I wasn’t talking to you,” he spat.

Axe walked away with Baylee close to his side.

“You have a real attitude problem, jerk,” Palmer called after him.

Axe continued walking, but Baylee winced as his hand tightened around hers. Turning sideways, she noticed his jaw was clenched.

“I can’t believe my dad married your trashy mom.”

Before Baylee could think, Axe dropped her hand and marched toward Palmer.

“Fuck off. Stay away from my woman,” Axe hissed.

Palmer snorted. “You
wish
she were your woman. She’s not the type of woman who goes out with trash.”

Baylee blanched, the tension around the two men thicker than fog on a rainy day. She spotted Banger, Hawk, and Chas watching them. She moved forward but a hand held her back; looking up, she recognized Jax, relief washing over her. Palmer took a step back and Axe took one forward.

“Aren’t you guys going to stop this?” she asked.

Jax replied, “Axe can take care of himself real good. This isn’t our business.”

Palmer then turned to her and questioned, “Are you this guy’s woman?”

Everything stopped for her. It was like she was looking down on the scene from above: Palmer tight-lipped and staring at her, Axe’s fists clenched with hatred in his eyes.

“Turn the fuck around. We’ve been gunning for this day for a long time.”

Baylee knew who would win this fight. If she didn’t do something, Palmer would leave on a gurney and Axe in a squad car. She couldn’t let it happen.

She ran between the two men.

“Baylee, get the fuck out of the way,” Axe commanded, his voice sharp like a whip.

“No.” Axe’s predatory growl sent shivers down her back, and her pulse pounded in her ears. Sucking in a deep breath, she turned to Palmer. “Yes, I’m Axe’s woman. I love him, and I don’t appreciate you calling him trash. He’s a wonderful man.”

If a pin dropped, she could’ve sworn she’d be able to hear it. Palmer stood before her, lips parted and brows together, as if the reality of her choosing a foul-mouthed, leather-clad outlaw over him was incomprehensible.

Axe came up behind her, his hands on her shoulders, moving her to the side. “That was sweet, babe. Now, stand away.”

In one fluid move, he punched Palmer right in the jaw. The blow knocked his opponent on the dirt. Shaking his head, Palmer jumped up and turned away. “Neither of you are worth it.”

“Stay the fuck away from me and Baylee,” Axe said in an icy voice.

Palmer walked away, disappearing into the crowd. The group of people who had stood around waiting to see a fight broke apart, wandering off in many directions. Baylee gazed downward, watching the tufts of grass shiver in the breeze.

“Get over here.” Axe gripped her wrist, yanking her against him.

Baylee nuzzled his neck, kissing him, her tongue flicking his earlobe. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear.

He placed both hands on the side of her face, her gaze latching onto his. “You are everything to me.” Then he kissed her savagely with his hot mouth, sending spirals of pleasure through her.

With his arm wrapped around her, Baylee leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked around the rally. Several women waved to Axe and, to his credit, he either ignored them or gave them a curt nod. When they sat at one of the tables under the oak tree, enjoying the coolness of the shade, Baylee took Axe’s hand in hers.

“You seem to know a lot of women,” she said, her heart pounding.

“I do.”

“It kind of bothers me,” she admitted.

“I get that. It’d bother me if you had a bunch of guys you knew flirting and waving at you. You gotta understand they don’t mean anything to me. We were only having fun. You’re the one who means something to me. We’re gonna run into chicks who fucked me. I can’t change that. It doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

“I know it’s your past, but there are so many. I guess I don’t like seeing the women you screwed because I know they’ve had the same things I do with you.”

His eyes bored into her. “Not true. What I had with them was just fucking. You and I make love. I hold you all night, and when you’re not awake, I fuckin’ watch you sleep. Don’t ever think I gave what we have to other women. I never have. You’re my woman. My love.”

Baylee jumped up and plopped in his lap, feathering kisses all over his face and neck. She wriggled against him, giggling when he blew against her ear. He captured her neck’s soft flesh, biting and sucking it while he caressed her thigh. She squirmed as shivers of pleasure zinged through her. As she jiggled her butt, she felt the bulge between his legs grow long and thick against her ass.

“You better stop all your fidgeting unless you wanna fuck against a tree again.” His thick voice caressed her from head to toe.

As he rubbed her thigh, her pulsing sex ached for him to touch her, enter her, and bring her over the top.

“I’m horny for you,” she whispered.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go back to the clubhouse. I can show you my room.”

“Won’t there be people there?”

“They’re all here. We’ll be alone for a few hours. Later, there’s a barbecue then the club party. That’ll be wild. Can’t wait to show you off to the visiting members.” He sucked her bottom lip while his hand slipped under her thigh.

Catching his glance, a sensual thrill rode her spine as she saw hunger blazing in his dark eyes. “What are we waiting for?” she rasped.

He scooped Baylee up then set her on her feet, tugging her along as they went to his Harley. Pressed against his back, the cool, early evening breeze rolled around her as they drove to the clubhouse.

The great room seemed different without the usual chatter of the brothers. Blade was behind the bar, making sure the liquor was in order for the club party that night. A few of the old ladies had also come back early from the rally to finish last-minute preparations for the family barbecue.

“The food smells fantastic,” she said as Axe led her by the hand to his room. “How many are coming to the party?”

Axe peeled off his t-shirt and kicked off his boots. “A lot, like a hundred, but that includes the women.”

Baylee looked around his room. It was simple with just a queen-sized bed, two tables, one desk lamp, a computer, one desk chair, one recliner, and a forty-two-inch flat-screen TV. The room did not show any markings of a home; the white walls were bare, and cheap plastic blinds covered the large garden-level window.

“How do you like my place?”

“It seems convenient.”

“It serves its purpose. Now, get your sweet ass over to the bed.”

“There must be mostly men at the party, since there’s only a handful of women in the club,” she said as she shuffled to the bed.

Seizing her hand, he pulled her on the bed, and Baylee landed half on him and half on the mattress.

Tugging her top up with urgency, Axe answered, “The barbecue is for the family, brothers, charter and affiliate members. After the dinner, the women clean up, go home, and the party starts. The women who come to the parties are the club whores and the hoodrats. You know what they are?”

“I remember reading about them in my research. I didn’t think it was real.”

“It’s real. It’s the way the club works. The old ladies know it, and they’re cool with it as long as their men don’t stick their cocks in another chick’s pussy.” He twisted her top over her breasts. “Damn, babe, help with this.”

Baylee flung off her top. “Am I going to the party?”

“Yeah. You’ll be with me, but you gotta stay with me so there isn’t any problem.” He pulled her shorts down, taking her sheer panties with them.

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave your side.”

Hovering over her naked body, Axe bent forward so his face was inches from hers. “Good girl. Now, give your man some love.”

She yanked him on top of her, his hard dick flat against her belly, and covered his mouth with hers.

Tuesday

“Y
ou want to
meet for lunch?” Baylee asked as she snuggled in Axe’s arms.

“Today isn’t good. I got stuff to do. We can go out to dinner, though.”

In a soft voice, she said, “I’ll be going back to Denver soon.”

“I know, babe.” Axe squeezed her tighter.

After holding on to each other, and Baylee hitting the
snooze
button several times, she groaned as she untangled herself from Axe’s arms then rolled out of bed. She padded to the bathroom so she could get ready to start her day.

When she arrived at her office, there was a new floral arrangement on her desk. She opened the card, and the brief “Can you forgive me? Let’s have dinner” note from Palmer turned her stomach.
Doesn’t this guy ever give up?
She picked it up and marched over to Tina’s desk, setting the bouquet of carnations and roses on her desk.

Tina smiled widely. “Thank you, Ms. Peters. I’m sorry you’re allergic to flowers.”

“I’m very allergic, especially to these. Enjoy.”

When she went back to her office, she was surprised to find Gary sitting in it, since he’d gone back to Denver the past weekend.

“Hi, Gary. What brings you back to Pinewood Springs?”

Gary looked up from the document he was reading. To her, he looked tired—weary, really. He was probably over-worked since the firm had taken on more projects than they should have. Baylee was going crazy juggling several jobs they’d given her in addition to the strip mall gig. The newest assignments were all in Denver, so at least being back in the city would help make her workload more manageable. Her stomach lurched, as it always did, when she thought of leaving Axe.

She knew he wanted her to stay in Pinewood Springs, but how could she give up her career, something she’d worked so hard for? It’d be like her asking him to leave the Insurgents. He’d told her it wasn’t the same since the club was his family, not a job, but there was a Denver chapter he could be part of. For the past two weeks, she’d been musing over possible ways for them to make their relationship work long-term, but it looked like nothing would help. They’d decided on taking turns visiting each other, but Baylee knew from a past relationship with a fellow architect she met on a project in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that it would only work for a while. Then life came up and one or the other party couldn’t get away until the whole relationship fizzled out.

For her, the difference with Axe was that she adored him. She loved him more than she’d ever loved any other man, so she’d try hard to make a go of it. She worried Axe would grow restless. Without her around, would he succumb to the advances of the women who seem to always make a play for him?
He is very sexual, and he
is
a man.
She shook her head, not wanting to think about
that
. What were they going to do?

“Baylee?” Gary’s voice transported her back to her office.

“I’m sorry, Gary. I was thinking about the projects I’m working on. Is there something wrong with the strip mall?”

Gary darted his eyes around, as if to avoid her gaze. Baylee sensed something was wrong. He seemed more nervous than usual, and he wouldn’t look her in the eye.
Maybe he’s come to tell me I didn’t make partner.

“What is it?”

“Stop asking me that,” he snapped.

Taken aback, Baylee leaned back in her chair, the sting of his comment weaving its way through her. She’d not say anything more and let him take the lead, since he obviously wanted to tell her something. They sat in awkward silence which seemed like hours to Baylee, but was only a few minutes before Gary, locking his fingers together, leaned forward.

“You’ve been a great employee, Baylee. A real asset to the firm, and we’ve been impressed with your fresh, creative designs. You have your pulse on the look for the future.” He paused. “I’ve enjoyed watching you grow as an architect. Your mother would’ve been very proud of you.” His voice caught.

Is he leaving the firm? Is he sick? What’s going on?