Axe’s Fall(58)

“There’s a problem with the lead architect who’s almost got the permit situation solved.” Axe continued to tell Banger about Baylee’s dilemma, stressing that she was the one whose design would be used for the restaurant.

Banger listened, no expression crossing his face.

“So, you can see she needs some protection. I can handle most of it, but I’ll need the loan of one of the prospects. Maybe Puck?” Axe slumped back in the chair.

“You done?” Banger asked.

Axe nodded.

Banger stared at Axe, wiped his hands on his faded blue jeans, and said, “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”

Axe glared into Banger’s clear blue eyes. “What the fuck does that have to do with it?”

“Everything. When a man’s got his dick in a woman’s pussy, he’ll do anything for her.”

Axe’s face turned dark. “Whether I’m fuckin’ her or not isn’t the point. She’s in danger, and if we’re gonna get this goddamned strip mall finished, we gotta keep her safe.”

Banger guffawed. “Bullshit. Don’t try to pass some lame excuse over on me. Another architect could step in and finish the job. You got the hots for this one. Now I gotta check her out, ‘cause I wanna see what the woman who made you fall looks like.”

“What the fuck? No bitch made me fall. If you don’t wanna help, then just say it. Don’t tell me all this shit.”

Banger stared at him. “Are you fuckin’ her? Yes, or no?”

Axe rubbed his face. “So what if I am? I could walk away in a second. It’s just good pussy with a great pair of tits. Shit, I could go out now and tell Rosie I wanna fuck, and we’d go at it.”

“But you won’t ‘cause you haven’t given Rosie or any of the other club whores the time of day for the past few weeks. This architect’s got you by the balls.” Banger smiled widely.

“You finished? You enjoying this?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I am. I just wanna see the woman who has you all fuckin’ twisted.”

Axe blew out a long breath. “You gonna help, or not?”

“I need to make sure the other members are on board with this. Using one of our prospects for guard duty for a week or two when shit may hit the fan with the fuckin’ Skull Crushers may not be the wisest move.”

Axe nodded. “That’s fair. Let’s call church and take a vote. I gotta know.”

“Okay. I’ll let the members know we got an emergency church this afternoon.”

Axe walked to the door. Before opening it, he turned to Banger, arm straight up, fist in the air. “Thanks, brother.” Then he left.

Later that afternoon, all thirty members voted to have Puck watch over the architect—who had Axe by the balls—for a week. It wasn’t a smooth vote, but Axe put up with the ribbing because, at the end of church, an enormous sense of relief washed over him when his brothers voted to help him and his woman.

And she was his woman, even if she didn’t know it yet. He’d never have guessed their one-night stand would turn into him loving her.





Chapter Seventeen





For the next few days, everything was quiet, and Baylee and Axe fell into a routine: Puck watched her during the day, Axe was with her each night, and in the morning he’d take her to work on his cam-screaming Harley. They grew closer, but Baylee was still afraid to let Axe know how she felt, unsure of his feelings since he never told her if he cared about her more than a summer romance.

Securing protection for her had to mean he cared, but she’d heard some of his club buddies refer to her as “his woman,” and Axe would bristle. At least she wasn’t apprehensive all the time since Puck and Axe were around. The fear which strangled her a few days before dissipated whenever she saw Puck. Tall, muscled, and tatted over every inch of skin Baylee could see, Puck was an intimidating figure—she was glad he was on her side. He never smiled at her, rarely looked her in the eye, and seemed perpetually bored, but she knew he’d rip the head off anyone who came near her. For the time being, he was her protector. He’d stay outside her door at the office, sitting in a black leather chair, messing with his phone all the time, but whenever someone came into her office, his eyes were alert, his body tense.

Explaining him to Stan took a lot of creativity, but in the end, he was fine with Axe hanging around her. She knew the secretaries were petrified of him, but after a couple of days they were used to it and didn’t pay him any attention.

Baylee glanced up from her computer screen when Gary came into her office. Bob had returned to Denver the day before, but Gary stayed on to make sure the permit was secure before returning to the city.