Three Kings, One Night (Lost Kings MC #2.5) (2 page)

“Oh! It’s so heavy. Can I open it now?”

A slow grin spreads over Axel’s face. He seems awfully fucking charmed by my little Bug. “Yeah, of course,” he answers.

She squeals and rips the paper to shreds, letting it fall all over the floor. It’s a book. A big, heavy, textbook looking book. What kind of douche gives a girl he’s into a fuckin’ school book?

“Oh my God! Axel, this is so cool!”

The little fuck grins. “It’s the same one they use at Hudson Valley, so you know, you can have a head start on everyone.”

Tears. Actual fuckin’ tears glitter in Heidi’s eyes and I want to gut this kid, but I don’t know why.

“Thank you so much. This is really awesome. Now I’ve got something to read over winter break.” She glances at him shyly, then at me. Well fuck, I guess she’d like me to get lost.

Too bad.

“Umm. Let me grab my coat so I can walk you out, Axel.”

Brushing past me, Heidi sets the book down on her grandmother’s coffee table, then yanks her coat from the rack behind the door.

“I’ll be right back, Blake.”

She takes Axel’s hand and leads him outside.

I’m left with two shitty options. I can follow them out like some creepy old man. Or I can stay inside watching them through the window so I seem even creepier.

Since it’s like twenty degrees out, I assume they’ll keep their clothes on, so I flip the outside light on for them and head into the living room.

Glancing at the book Axel brought, I’m even more confused. Anatomy and Physiology? What the fuck?

***

“Thanks so much, Axel.”

“No problem. You okay, Heidi?”

I shrug. “Yeah.”

My stomach is flipping like crazy. Axel and I are friends. We were paired up as lab partners in physics class. That’s the only reason our worlds ever intersected. Axel’s a senior. I’m a junior, but taking advanced science. I thought that would intimidate a guy like Axel, but it doesn’t. He’s listened to me yap endlessly about Radiologic Technology, which is what I want to study when I graduate from high school. That’s how he knew I’d like the book so much.

Wow.

In talking to Axel, I’ve learned how much he likes motorcycles and I’ve been waiting for the right time to introduce him to my brother. Unfortunately he met Blake first. I can’t believe how rude Blake was to one of my friends. He’s never acted like that before.

But then again, I’ve never had a boy friend before.

Not that Axel is my boyfriend. He’s just a friend who happens to be a boy. That’s what I meant.

“I feel bad. I don’t have anything for you.”

Axel grins at me. “That’s okay. I’m just glad I got to see you open it.”

Ohmygod. He’s so sweet! I can not wait to go inside to call Penny and Skye and tell them about this! My best friends think it’s stupid to take Physics, but they’re just jealous of all the time I get to spend with Axel.

I really hate that he has to leave so soon. “Are you doing anything fun for Christmas?”

He shrugs. “We’re going to visit my older sister. Her husband just left and she needs some help with the kids and stuff.”

“I didn’t realize you’re an uncle?”

“Yup,” he answers with a lot of pride in his voice. “Got a niece and nephew. They’re a handful, though. Don’t know how she does it.”

I want to stay out here talking to him longer. All night really. I love talking to Axel. But it’s freezing and I’m pretty sure Blake will flip out if I get in Axel’s car, even if it’s only to talk.

“Can I call you when I get back?” he asks suddenly.

“Yeah. Of course.”

“Cool, maybe we can see a movie or something?” he asks the question casually, but his eyes are drilling into me, waiting for my answer.

“I’d like that.”

He tips his head toward the house. “So, Blake is just a—”

“Family friend,” I answer quickly. “I’ve known him my whole life.”

Axel steps a little closer. His hand reaches out and runs over my hair and I almost faint.

Next thing I know, he’s leaning in close, brushing his lips over my mine, in a soft feathery kiss.

I’m not cold any more.

No way. I’m burning up.

Axel’s hand moves from my hair to the back of my neck as he leans in closer, kissing me harder. His tongue brushes my bottom lip, which makes me gasp. Then he slips inside, licking and tasting. My hands grip his coat, clutching him closer. I want to press every inch of myself against him, but he’s holding himself back.

He pulls away, searching my face. I think he’s worried he did something wrong. I don’t want him to worry. I want him to kiss me some more.

Fisting my hands in his coat, I tug him close again. I want to reassure him that I liked his kiss, and that I want more. But I don’t know what words to use, so I reach up and kiss him. My hands leave his coat and land on the sides of his face, holding him. He responds immediately, stroking his tongue against mine. His hands cup my face, brushing his thumb along my jaw. Oh my god. I want to kiss and lick every inch of him. I want…I want…I don’t know what I want because I’ve never felt this before. I’ve imagined it. Fantasized about it. But never.

Oh. My. God.

We’re both breathless when he pulls away. It’s so cold I can see our breath. The heat rising between us.

“Heidi? I…don’t want to mess up being friends, but I’ve wanted to do that for awhile.”

Wow.

My skin tingles. Not from the cold. From his words and the sound of his voice. So sincere, with an edge of roughness. My heart feels like it will burst.

“Me too,” I answer, while looking at the snow under our feet.

His fingers settle under my chin, tipping my head up. “We’ll talk when I get back?”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

He starts walking toward his car, but he looks like he’s having trouble leaving. I know the feeling because I don’t want him to go.

“It’s gonna be crazy…with my family and all…but I’ll try to call you?”

“Okay.”

He opens his car door, then slams it shut and jogs over to me. This time he drops a soft, sweet kiss on my lips.

“Merry Christmas, Heidi.”

Heidi’s got me pacing the living room like a lunatic. What the fuck is taking them so long?

Good bye Axel. Get lost.

It’s not that hard.

Even though I swore up and down I wouldn’t, I take a peek out the window, and wish to fuck I hadn’t. It’s dark. But not so dark I can’t see the awestruck expression on Heidi’s face as she skips back up the sidewalk. Something happened.

Thank fuck I didn’t see whatever it was.

I open the door before she even sets foot on the porch, and watch Axel drive away. Heidi turns and waves.

Christ.

“Everything okay, Bug?”

“Yes,” she answers with a dreamy tone that I’d find charming if I didn’t suspect that horny dickwad was the cause of it.

She slides off her coat and absently bends over to pick up the wrapping paper she’d dropped earlier.

Stop staring at her ass, motherfucker. She’s sixteen.

I glance at the ceiling, because if I try to walk past her and any part of me comes into contact with any part of her, something bad is going to happen.

“Blake?”

Shifting my focus from the ceiling to Heidi, I find her staring at me.

I jerk my thumb in the direction of the front door. “So, he your boyfriend?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

I follow her into the living room, where she stops to touch her book.

“Anatomy and Physiology? Kinda nerdy gift, isn’t it?”

Heidi stares up at me with wide eyes. “Yeah, but he knew I wanted it.”

I want to ask her how he knew something that seems so personal, but I don’t know how to say it in a way that won’t make me sound like a jealous dick. I’ve known Heidi almost her whole life and it would never occur to me that a big ol’ textbook would be something she’d want as a gift.

“Why?”

She cocks her head at me. “You’ll think it’s dumb.”

“No I won’t. Tell me.”

“Well, I want to go to school to be a radiographer, and that’s one of the first classes you have to take. So, I mentioned I’d love to get my hands on one of the textbooks.” She glances down at it again and shrugs.

That was a lot of information for me to take in. The last I knew she wanted to be a fashion designer.

“What the heck is a radiographer? I thought you wanted to be a fashion designer?”

Her face twists.

I mime an imitation of sewing in the air with my hands. “I remember you used to sew all those little dresses and—”

“Ugh. For my Barbies, when I was like, ten, Blake!” she yells, stomping her foot.

I’m used to her dramatic little outbursts, so it comes naturally to ignore the whole stomping her feet thing. “So what? You were good at it.”

“I also wanted to ride a unicorn to school. Geez, Blake. It’s a medical job. Taking x-rays and stuff. But I can be done in two years and make good money when I finish.”

“Why not just go to med school then?”

“Because it takes too long and costs a fortune.”

“Bug, you know between your brother and me you can go wherever you want? You know that, right?”

Her face softens a little. “I know and I appreciate that. Honestly though, I don’t think I could hack all the years of med school. This seems manageable and there are a lot of jobs to be had when I’m done.”

“Well, sounds smart then.”

Fuck, she impresses me. Heidi could sit on her ass and do nothing if she wanted to and we’d take care of her. In fact I always assumed…Well it doesn’t matter what I thought. She wants to make her own way. I respect that.

“So, how come you never told me this before?”

She shrugs. “We don’t talk the way we used to.”

Now I feel like shit. Between my responsibilities with the club running me ragged and me trying to avoid getting into an inappropriate situation with Heidi, she’s right. I’ve been avoiding her for awhile now.

“I’m sorry. You can always call me, you know.”

“Yeah. I don’t want to be a bother, though.”

Aw fuck. That’s probably my doing. “You never bother me.”

She snorts because how many times in her life have I teased her by saying she’s a pain in my ass?

“So, you like this Axel guy?”

A shy smile passes her lips. “Yeah. He’s fun to talk to. He’s my physics lab partner.”

Something painful shifts in my chest, but I reach out and ruffle her hair to distract myself. “Good. That mean you’re not crushin’ on me anymore?”

Heidi pushes her lips into a pout. Six years ago, that face annoyed the crap out of me. Mostly because it made me give into whatever demands she was making at the time. Now, the expression is somehow sexy. And while I know it’s not designed to get me hard, it does.

Great. Just what I need.

Sixteen, motherfucker. She’s sixteen. Knock it off.

Tears shimmer in her big brown eyes, digging the stab of guilt I already feel even deeper.

“Sorry to tell you, but I’ve been over that for awhile now, Blake.”

Well fuck if that doesn’t knock the breath out of me.

When I don’t respond—because I have no fucking idea what to say to that—she spins away, storming into the kitchen.

The sound of pots and pans banging around reaches me all the way out here, so I decide I better go fix this shitty situation I just caused.

Her back is to me when I walk in the kitchen and her shoulders clearly shaking.

“Heidi, I’m sorry.”

“You know how many times I’ve seen you with those skanks that hang out up at your club?”

“Heidi—”

“Or when I walked in on you and—”

“Heidi!” Fuck, I don’t need the reminder of that clusterfuckin’ nightmare.

She turns, but she’s not crying. She’s pissed.

There’s something about a beautiful, pissed-off woman, that’s always excited me.

Girl. Sixteen-year-old girl. Not woman.

Fuck!

“You’ve been pushing me away for years. And now you’re gonna act jealous ‘cause I like a guy I go to school with?”

For a kid, she’s got me pegged a little too well.

Frustrated, I rake my fingers through my hair. Christ, she makes me want to rip it out in fistfuls. “Fuck, Heidi! You’re sixteen. I’m eight god damn years older than you. Your brother is my best fuckin’ friend. What do you want from me?”

Heidi’s never been one to hide her feelings, so she yells right back at me. “You didn’t have to be so mean. You didn’t have to hurt—never mind.”

“What’d you want me to do,
wait for you
, sweetheart?”

Her eyes narrow at my sarcastic tone, and in that moment I really hate myself.

“No, Blake. Not at all. But don’t be surprised if I don’t wait for you either.”

Like fucking hell.

“Bug!” Someone shouts from the front of the house.

Great,
now
Teller shows up.

Teller’s boots thud over the hardwood floors. “Murph, you here too?”

“Yeah, man.”

Heidi turns away from me, leaning over the sink to splash water on her face.

Teller enters the kitchen all smiles. “Where ya been, fucker?” I grumble at him.