Axe held her in his arms, stroking her upper back, and with each stroke his desire for her grew. Each time he came near her, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman in his life, and if it was the last thing he did, he’d keep her safe. In a short time, she’d become very important to him, and he wasn’t about to lose her to anyone or anything.
Baylee’s heavy breathing filled the room.
“Baylee?” he whispered, nudging her a little.
“Uh?” she said groggily.
“You sleeping, babe?”
“Took a sleeping pill a half hour before you came. I need to sleep without the nightmares.”
Soon, she was fast asleep, and Axe’s hard-on would have to wait.
Shit.
He turned off the lights and watched the boxing match on television.
* * *
The following morning, Axe woke up with a raging case of morning wood, hornier than hell. Reaching over, he patted the mattress. He rolled on his side and stared at the empty space. Thinking Baylee was in the bathroom, he shimmied out of his boxers and waited for her to come back to bed.
The minutes ticked away, and Axe padded over to the bathroom door to see if she was feeling all right. A sudden coldness hit to the core as he shuffled back a couple of steps. Dashing over to the nightstand, he took out his phone and called Baylee.
“Don’t be mad at me,” she said.
“Where the fuck are you?”
“I’m fine. I went for a drive. I had to have some time to myself.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Axe ground his teeth.
“Everything is a jumble of emotions for me right now. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster speeding down hills and curves, never able to just stop and think.”
“I thought we resolved this last night. Come back home. Do you realize the danger you’re putting yourself in? Fuck, Baylee, you’re alone. Damnit!”
“And that’s the point—I’m alone. I don’t have anyone around. I need this for a while.”
“You may not be as alone as you think. Hell, if you wanted to be alone today, you should’ve told me. I was gonna tell you last night, but you fell asleep. I’ve gotta help a buddy of mine who’s doing a charity poker run. I’ll be gone for about four days. I got you covered with Puck and Blade. You’ll have four days of alone time.”
“I’ll have my bodyguards. I just wanted to feel free, that’s all. I needed to think about us, too. I’m not sure how the ‘casual sex’ plan went so off-kilter.”
“ ‘Cause we found out we really like each other. That we’re connected. Were you listening to anything I said last night? Fuck.”
“I feel like I have to regroup, that’s all. At work, I’ve done a half-assed job on the project because I’m distracted by you.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” He laughed.
“It can be. I want to make partner. I just have to regroup.”
“Regroup, my ass. What we have blows my mind, too, but I’m not running away from it. I thought I’d be the last person who’d be tied to one woman, and I’m getting plenty of shit about it from the brothers. As far as your career, I’m not stopping you from your goal of partnership.”
“I think about you all the time,” she said softly.
He chuckled. “I like hearing that. I think about you, too.”
She groaned. “My job is important to me. How can we have anything living so far apart?”
“I don’t know, but we got something now. We’ll have to see how it plays out. You’re in danger, babe. Come back to the hotel.”
“Okay, but we need to slow down a bit. If what we have is real, then bringing it down a notch won’t hurt.”
“When it comes to women, I don’t know how to slow down.” He exhaled. “You’re afraid to give your heart to me ‘cause you think I’ll be taken away like your mom was. That’s not gonna happen.”
“How do you know? When my mom kissed me goodnight, she definitely didn’t think that was going to be the last time. She didn’t know she’d be dead an hour later.” Her voice hitched.
“Life is fucked sometimes, I know, but you can’t hide from it because of something that might happen. If we did that, none of us would be living—we’d only be existing. Come on back. Come on, babe.”
“I’m on my way back. I have a question.”
“What?” His stomach tensed.
“What’s a charity poker run?”
As he roared with laughter, all tension seeped from him. “This one’s for charity. Some of ‘em are to raise money for the club. Bikers must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one. The point is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. You gotta pay fees to be part of the event, and sometimes people sponsor you. It’s fun, and money is raised. I wasn’t sure I was going to go with all the shit goin’ on, but my real good buddy organized it, and it’s for his son who has cancer. Fuckin’ sucks.”