Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) (18 page)

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 last 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.

“Thanks.” Captain grinned, clasping his hand. Axel sighed. Maybe he’d been worried for nothing. Like his mother, Cap looked good–suntanned and happy. There didn’t seem to be any hard feelings about Axel replacing him as president.

“If you’ve got a minute, I’d like to talk to you tonight. Some club business.” And Axel wanted to ask for some advice. Cap had held the role of president for years and his council would be appreciated.

Axel gestured to Charlie who walked up the porch stairs in slow motion. “This is Charlie Nash. She’s helping out the club.”

Cap raised a brow.

“Yeah, that’s one of the things I wanted to talk with you about,” Axel said quickly.

Eddie shook Charlie’s hand. “Good to meet you. I’m Eddie Rollins, and I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Her eyes widened. “You have?”

Axel felt sorry for her. If Charlie thought going through a little Q-and-A session with himself and Voo had been difficult, she was in for a big surprise.

“Dani and Lexi filled me in, but gossip is a club hobby. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” Eddie winked at her.

“No, you won’t,” Axel put in.

Cap shook Charlie’s hand. “Good to meet you. Lex is my daughter and she seems to have taken a shine to you. Unfortunately, she couldn’t come tonight. She has a huge research paper due tomorrow. But she said she’d be calling you.”

“I think we hit it off.” Charlie smiled. “Please tell her I said hello.”

Elizabeth nodded to Charlie. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Elizabeth Williams, Ryker’s fiancée.”

“Hello,” Charlie said.

His brother waved. “I’m Ryker.” Ryker draped an arm around Elizabeth, holding her against his side. And he leaned down kissed her temple. They looked so content, wrapped in each other’s arms.