Axl (Sons of Chaos MC #1) (3 page)

He reached into his vest pocket and produced it. But instead of tossing it to me, he put it back in his pocket. “Sorry. Had to make sure you wouldn’t call the cops.”

It dawned on me that class might be on hold for a while. “I just want to go home,” I said.

“Yeah,” he said slowly, his brow furrowing. “Can’t let you. Not yet.”

A hotness welled up inside me. “Am I being kidnapped?” I said, looking into his eyes angrily. I couldn’t believe the mess I was in.

“Wouldn’t toss around accusations if I were you,” he said, crossing his arms and staring straight into my eyes. “Without me, you might be rottin’ in the desert right now.”

“I told you,” I said, shifting uncomfortably, “I don’t know who you are and I don’t care. I was filming for a class project. That’s it.”

“What the hell kind of project takes you to the middle of the fuckin’ desert?” he asked.

“A documentary of Coppertail.”

He scoffed. “Oh, of Coppertail. Great idea for a video.”

“It’s my home town,” I said, feeling defensive. “You don’t have to be a dick.”

He stared at me for a moment and then erupted in laughter. “I didn’t know they had people like you in Coppertail.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Why was he such a jerk?

“Nothing, darlin’,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes. Then his expression turned serious and I noticed the weariness on his face again. “You’ll get your chance to explain to the club tonight. Then you can get outta here, or do whatever. But right now I need some sleep.”

“This is your room?” I asked incredulously.

“Yeah.”

“So I’ve been sleeping in your bed?”

“Yeah,” he smirked. “Lucky you, huh?”

Who did this asshole think he was? I was angry that my circumstances were so far out of my control. And that he was such a smug dick. And that despite everything, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. At best, I guessed he might be generously willing to use me for a fuck before throwing me away. That’s probably what his whole “darlin’” routine was about. Ugh.

“Gross,” I said, but I had to force my face to make a convincing frown.

A faint flicker of a grin crossed his face. “Bullshit,” he said.

“I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Axl. Axl Archer.”

I opened my mouth to shoot back another smart-ass reply, but before I could, he said, “Just do something with yourself so I can catch some shut-eye.”

I glanced around the room again. There was only a small desk with an uncomfortable-looking wooden chair. “I have to sit at that thing?”

He sighed, visibly annoyed. He shrugged off his cut, tossed it onto the desk, and bent over to unlace his boots. His sculpted shoulders and biceps bulged under his white undershirt. “I don’t give a flying fuck. But I highly suggest not leaving this room if you know what’s good for you.”

I crossed my arms, annoyed, and scooted over to the very edge of the bed. I sat up against the backboard. “That enough space for you, princess?” I said.

He stared at me for a second, then chuckled under his breath. “Whatever, darlin’,” he said, collapsing onto the opposite side of the bed. He turned away from me, lying on his side. He grabbed a pillow and tucked it under his head. “Don’t wake me up.”

I silently glared at the back of his head, my arms still crossed. After only two or three minutes, his back began to rise and fall regularly.

I didn’t want to, but I thought back to my dream as I watched him lie an arm’s length away from me. The feeling of him on top of me, claiming me, about to fill me up.

I wanted it so bad. And that
really
pissed me off.

When I finally woke up, it was pitch black outside. I’d slept all day since passing out at noon. Good. That’s how I fucking liked it. My kind of schedule.

No light came through the cracks of the window. My head throbbed, pounding from a concoction of violence, booze, and sleep deprivation. It’d been a long night at the bar downstairs while Holly slept in my bed. I always heard that civilians slept like the dead after seeing club shit go down—just ‘cause of pure adrenaline. I guess it was true, ‘cause she’d been out for almost 18 hours. Me, I could drink it off, but not everybody’s got the stomach for this shit.

So yeah, she’d been in my bed, and goddamn was she gorgeous. I didn’t know what’d possessed me to allow it, though. I didn’t just let furniture crash in my bed for the night. They put out and then got out. Those were the rules and every club slut knew them.

But fuck, there was just something about Holly. It wasn’t just her tight body teasing me, getting my gears turning. There was something else. Something in the way she carried herself, something about the quiet confidence. Civvies usually turned into a blubbering fuckin’ mess in a position like this. But she held it together. And there was something under that shyness that suggested a kind soul.

And that was worth something to me. I mean, shit, ever since Ryker had gotten me off the streets and into the club, I’d done some fucked up shit. To people that deserved it, of course. But Holly didn’t seem capable of that garbage, and that refreshed me. Even I could appreciate a woman who didn’t stoop down to the club lifestyle. Not like the hanger-on and beggar sluts that came and went.

Or maybe none of that was true, and I was just another horny piece of shit.

Nah. There
was
something about her.

I rubbed my eyes and flipped onto my back. A dull glow came from the corner of the room. Holly sat at my desk, the lamplight on, her legs pulled up to her chest as if to isolate herself from her surroundings. On the desk was her phone and she was poking at it. She must’ve heard me stir, because she turned toward me, her face angry as the devil’s.

“You changed the passcode,” she said hotly.

I grimaced, my temples on fire. It was too fucking early to get sassed. Shit just never fucking ended around here. “Already told you,” I said, “You gotta lay low while we deal with this.”

“I need to call my roommates. They’re probably worried to death.”

“Thought college was about independence,” I groaned, shutting my eyes and applying pressure to my forehead.

“I went into the desert and didn’t come back. They’re gonna be worried. What do you know about college, anyway?”

I chuckled. “A college degree don’t do much for you in this lifestyle, darlin’. Don’t remember a spot for that on the club application.”

“Shocking.”

I got out of bed, stretching my muscles. I caught Holly staring out of the corner of my eye as I grabbed a bottle of aspirin from the dresser. She stood up and walked over to me, holding out her phone.

“You said I’m not being kidnapped. So let me text them.”

I thought for a minute and groaned. “Give it to me,” I said. She handed over the phone and I unlocked it.

“What am I supposed to say, anyway?”

“That you’re fine. Not to worry.”

She eyed me. “Will I be fine?”

You’ll be more than fine if I have my way with you.

“Everyone wants this to blow over as fast as possible.”

I watched her text her roommates and dial her parents, ready to snatch the phone out of her hands if she called the heat. But she played by the rules. When she hung up, I held out my hand.

She handed over her phone again with a scowl, and as she did so, our hands touched. She didn’t withdraw, though. Energy seared through me like a solar ray.

Maybe I really was losing my fucking mind. I didn’t understand why she had this effect on me, and I didn’t like that. It was fucking dangerous.

I stepped closer to her, her knees touching my legs. She looked up into my eyes, her expression suddenly shy. But I knew it wasn’t the fucking time to make a move on this chick. She’d slopped enough shit on our plates already, and part of me felt like it’d just be a damn shame if any of my scumbaggery rubbed off on her. Not that I knew it’d work anyway. Yeah, she couldn’t help staring at me, but that didn’t really mean shit. She probably hated my guts for keeping her here.

Breaking our gaze and stepping away from her, I took the phone from her fingers and hit the lock button. The screen powered off with a click.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed my boots, pulling them onto my feet and lacing them up. I looked at the clock: 7:29pm. “Club meeting at eight,” I said. “We’ll figure out what happens to you then.”

“And what do I do until then?”

“Stay here,” I said. “And don’t fucking leave until I come back.”

I walked to the door, opened it, and slipped out of the room. I needed a fucking reality check, and I was going to get it.

I thundered down the stairs to the clubhouse common room, where the bar and pool table were. At least a dozen guys were mingling there, already waiting for the meeting. My buddy Dash caught my eye. Dash was my bro. He’d been with me through thick and thin, ever since the beginning. He’d saved my ass on more than a few occasions.

“Yo, VP, how was she?” A couple other guys looked over and snickered.

Normally I’d have laughed it up with the guys. But with this chick it just pissed me off for some reason.

I shook my head. “Didn’t take advantage of her, I’m not a fuckin’ brute,” I said. “And don’t say another fucking word about that girl.”

The guys stared, their expressions shellshocked.

I walked over to the bar where I recognized a blonde with big tits that I’d hooked up with before. She was sitting with another piece of furniture. Couldn’t remember her name, but I slung my arm around her shoulder.

“Hey doll,” I said, putting on my winning grin, “Something’s going on with the pipes... downstairs. Need you to come take a closer look.”

She grinned back at me, proud to have been singled out by the club VP, understanding my intentions. “Hey Axl honey,” she said, “I’m an expert plumber. Just show me where the problem is.”

I held her hand as she got off the barstool and took her into a curtained-off side room that we called the VIP room. Shit, I wanted Holly, not this bimbo. I had to clear my fucking head, though. But before I could make a move, I was interrupted by someone ripping the curtains aside.

It was Holly. She looked at the scene in front of her, then shook her head, turned around and stomped toward the club exit.

When Axl left the room, I was scared and angry. Scared to be going on trial in front of a gang of motorcycle-riding thugs and killers. Angry that I was a prisoner in this tiny, dark room, my every move being watched and controlled.

But even worse, I was angry at my heart for beating out of my chest every time I touched him. I mean... honestly. He may have been handsome, but how different could he really be from the loser drunkards that populated Coppertail? He was nothing but a more handsome version of them.

My best course of action would be to explain everything to Ryker and the club—yet again—clear my name, get out of here as fast as possible, and put this all behind me. I shuddered to think what would happen if my parents found out about this.

In my head, a vision played of me introducing Axl to my parents and—God, what a ridiculous notion. Not only was I developing an idiot crush on a criminal, I was becoming delusional. As if he’d ever use me for anything more than a fuck.

After he left me alone, I sat stewing on the hard, uncomfortable wooden chair until I’d had enough. I was going downstairs, finding Axl, and demanding that we get this “meeting” underway. If I was going to die, I might as well get it over with as soon as possible.

I stormed down the stairs into the main clubhouse, a large open area with a high, peaked wooden ceiling. On one side of the room there was a long bar, and on the other side there were various tables and booths, as well as a pinball machine and a couple sofas. There were at least two dozen bikers milling around, drinking. As soon as I entered, it felt like all heads turned to me. There was a lot of snickering. I felt my face redden.

“Where’s Axl?” I demanded of a fat, leather-clad biker with a round face. He laughed at me, showing his yellow teeth, and pointed at a closet behind the bar area. I stormed over to the closet and threw the curtain open.

Knowing that I shouldn’t care made it that much worse when I saw Axl in the closet. The blonde bimbo was on her knees in front of him, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going to happen next.

It wasn’t my business, and I had no right to be upset. It wasn’t like I’d walked in on a cheating husband or boyfriend. Axl Archer was the absolute furthest thing from my boyfriend that a guy could get. And that only made it worse. It was just plain, ugly jealousy, and it was completely in spite of myself. Of course an asshole like him would be into big-titted blondes.

They both looked at me in surprise when I threw the door open. “What the hell?” said Axl. “Do you
always
butt into other people’s business?”

I put my hands on my hips, ready to reply, but uproarious laughter from the bikers behind me drowned out my thoughts. Instead of replying, I slammed the curtain shut in that asshole’s face, turned around, and stomped through the crowd of laughing bikers. I beelined for the main club exit, and walked right out into the night. I expected someone to come out and grab me, but no one did. Apparently leaving was as easy as just walking out.