Axel (6 page)

“Sweetheart. You don’t know Julio Juarez or the Black Death M.C. If he’s looking for you, it isn’t going to be a sweet reunion. I’d be willing to bet that he intends to use you as a pawn to broker some deal, sweeten the pot with his only daughter. The only way you’re going to remain relatively safe is if we get you inked tonight, well and truly fucked, and patched in the morning. My scent has faded from you and they’ll never believe you’re my old lady.”

She nodded. “I don’t like to think of my dad as some sort of monster, but if my mother ran from him, she had a reason. She never backed down from a challenge.”

The clubhouse door swung open and Slim sauntered in, his bag clutched in his hand. The M.C. had ink done so frequently, they’d set up a small room in back for Slim and he already had a machine set up. He always brought his inks with him though. He grumbled once that if he left everything here some gung-ho youngster would decide to ink himself. And he was probably right.

“Slim.” Axel shook the man’s hand. “This is Amelia. My mate.”

Slim smiled at her. “Pleasure to meet you. The two of you ready to get this deed done?”

Amelia nodded and took Axel’s hand. He led her through the clubhouse to the back room and patted the empty leather chair for her to have a seat. Slim set up his station while Amelia fidgeted in her seat.

Axel placed his hand over hers. “It’s going to be fine. It’s going to feel like carpet burn.”

“Carpet burn hurts.”

“Don’t be a baby.” He smiled to soften the words. “You can squeeze my hands if you want.”

“Where are we putting this stamp?” Slim asked.

“Do you want it across your lower back or on your arm?” Axel asked her.

“Back. My arms aren’t very big.”

Axel nodded and eased her over onto her stomach, reclining the seat as she laid down. He rolled her top up, exposing her back all the way up to her bra, then tucked the material under the band. He told Slim his idea, of adding roses with thorns and maybe some bumblebees around the blossoms.

“I can do that. Going to take a while.”

Amelia blew out a breath and squeezed Axel’s hand. “Let’s do it.”

Axel let her squeeze his hand as hard as she needed to while Slim inked her, and when the man was finished, his mate had a very bad ass tattoo. Red roses, some blooming some not, green thorny stems, and little bumblebees surrounded the blocked words PROPERTY OF AXEL. He fucking loved seeing his name inked on her and knew he was going to take her from behind every chance he got, just so he could stare at those letters while his dick worked its magic on her.

He watched Slim cover the ink with paper towels and tape, then he paid the man. Helping Amelia to her feet, he escorted her back down the hall to his room, where he promptly shut the door, closing out everything going on around them. Amelia faced him, folding her arms in front of her. But it wasn’t a stance of defiance, more one of uncertainty.

“I can’t very well lay you down and fuck you senseless, not with that ink on your back. Maybe I should have rethought the order of this grand plan.” He studied her. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Her eyebrows rose. “You’re asking me?”

“You’re my mate, Amelia. I’m not going to tell you that you’ll always have a say, but you’ve been through a lot tonight, and you have to go through even more tomorrow. I don’t want you stressed and upset.”

Amelia pulled off her clothes, never taking her eyes off him. When she finished, she slid his cut off his shoulders and tossed it onto a nearby chair, then reached for the hem of his shirt. He helped her pull it over his head and then watched in amusement as she continued to undress him. Axel stood before her completely bare and waited as she perused him from head to toe, lightly running her fingers over his body. His cat was urging him to mate her, claim her, make her theirs in every way possible, but he held the beast at bay as she did her exploring.

“Lie down on the bed,” she said, pointing at the mattress.

He would play her game for the moment. He stretched out, folding his hands behind his head. The bed dipped at Amelia clambered up beside him, then she straddled him and all his thoughts flew south. His cock twitched at the thought of her warm, wet pussy, but she didn’t take him inside of her, much to his chagrin.

Amelia leaned down and pressed her lips to his. The soft, plush feel of her succulent lips had him threading his fingers through her hair to hold her closer. Her mouth moved against his, caressing, teasing. When he felt the flick of her tongue, he opened, letting her in. Her taste exploded on his tongue and he groaned as he deepened the kiss. She was intoxicating and Axel wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of her.

As Amelia kissed him, with a passion he’d never felt before, he gripped her hips, lifted her, and then lowered her onto his aching cock. She encased him like a glove and he felt like he’d come home. Her hands braced on his shoulders, she sat up and rode him. Axel had always been in control, but as Amelia’s body rose and fell above him, he realized that perhaps he’d been missing out. Or maybe it was just the fact he was with Amelia that made the moment so perfect.

Their bodies slapped together as she pushed both of them toward orgasm; sweat coated them. Axel reached between them and pressed his thumb against her clit, rubbing it in small, tight circles. Her breathing came out harsh and frantic as she rode him harder. As he pinched her clit, she cried out—a long, keening cry. Her pussy convulsed around his cock and Axel gave a shout as he emptied inside of her.

Amelia collapsed onto his chest, panting for breath.

“Do I smell like you now?” she asked.

He sniffed at her, making her giggle. “Definitely. Although I probably should have bitten you too, just to make sure.”

“No biting. I think the ink is enough.”

“Let’s get showered. And take care of that tattoo of yours. I think I have some A&D ointment in the bathroom.”

“If I let you take care of me, will you feed me after? I was too nervous to eat before the mission earlier, and now I’m starving.”

He kissed her softly. “I’ll feed you.”

Axel liked the idea of taking care of Amelia, perhaps a little too much. He couldn’t afford to get soft, not if he wanted to keep his position in the M.C. But maybe it would be okay to be soft with Amelia, and only with her. He could show her a side of himself he’d kept buried most of his life. Only his mother had ever seen that side of him. Maybe taking a mate wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Six

Amelia’s heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the two Hispanic men from the Black Death M.C. Her father’s men. There was a coldness in their eyes, as if their very souls had withered up and died ages ago, leaving nothing but an empty killing machine. She wanted to grip Axel’s hand, hell maybe even Crimson’s, just to have something to anchor her and make her feel safe. Despite the amount of firepower to the rear of her as the M.C. stood behind them, she felt like something was going to go horribly wrong.

“Your father sent us to bring you home.” The man cracked his knuckles. “So pack your shit and let’s go.”

Axel growled.

“I’m not going with you,” Amelia said. “I’m mated. My father, a man I didn’t even know was alive until last night, has no say over what I do with my life. If he wants to see me, he can come here. I’m not leaving Ashton Grove. Especially not without my mate.”

The biker with
Secretary
across his chest glared at her. “You didn’t have permission to take a mate. Your father has plans for you. It was set up years ago that you would mate with Rodrigo Cabrera.”

The change in the bikers surrounding her was subtle, but she saw it. No, she felt it. Whoever this Rodrigo was, he must be bad news. Axel reached over and took her hand, pulling her closer to his side, as if he was going to shield her from harm. Crimson moved closer on her other side, a blade in his hand.

“She’s my old lady,” Axel said. “My fucking mate. She’s not going with you and she sure as fuck isn’t mating with Rodrigo-fucking-Cabrera.”

“We’ll just see about that.” A dark SUV pulled into the lot with a motorcycle right behind it. “I think Mr. Cabrera will have something to say about it, as well as the Pres.”

Two more Hispanic men approached. One was a biker in every sense of the word. The other was dressed in a pinstripe suit with a blue tie. They exuded power and authority, and Amelia had a sinking suspicion she knew who they were. It seemed daddy dearest didn’t want to wait for her cooperation. But if he thought she would just fall in line, he’d better think again. She’d die before she’d leave with either of them.

The biker wore a cut that said President. She stared at the man who had sired her and wondered what her mother had ever seen in him. She’d never been more thankful that she’d taken after her mother, both in coloring and looks. Amelia didn’t want anything to do with this man. Axel squeezed her hand.

“Amelia, I’ve brought your future husband to collect you,” her father said.

“Fuck off, Juarez. She’s my mate and isn’t going anywhere,” Axel said.

“You would go to war over one little woman? As Sergeant at Arms, you can have any pussy you want. Now, hand her over before things get ugly.” Juarez bared his teeth.

“It got ugly the minute you pulled up on your bike,” Crimson said. “Like my brother said, she’s not going anywhere. And if we start a war, so be it.”

“You’re not taking my mate, the mother of my child.” Axel growled. “If you lay so much as one finger on her, I’ll cut it off and shove it down your throat.”

Juarez laughed. “And if he lays a finger on her?” he asked pointing to Cabrera.

“Oh, him we’ll send back to Mexico in pieces,” Crimson said. “That way, if any of his cartel family decides to take revenge, they’ll know what’s waiting for them when they get here.”

Juarez smile broadened. “You think you have the upper hand here, but you don’t.”

Axel arched a brow. “Really? Because it looks like I have twenty brothers standing behind me. Twenty to four does not exactly put the odds in your favor.”

Juarez lifted his hands. “You’re absolutely right. But if you take me out, and take out Cabrera, you’ll have both the Black Death and the cartel on your asses. Now I could be wrong, but I don’t think you want this quaint little town caught in the middle of a war they would never survive.”

Amelia slid her hand behind Crimson’s waist and pulled his knife from its scabbard. Her eyes never left her father’s face, but the bad ass biker was too busy locking horns with her mate to notice her. She glanced at Cabrera and he was oblivious to her as well, probably having written her off as a helpless female. Well, to hell with that! She was about to show these two assholes exactly how harmless she was.

Keeping the knife partially behind her, she let loose of Axel’s hand and stepped closer to her father. The man gave her a triumphant smile, as if he’d just won the argument.

“I knew you would be a good girl and do the right thing,” Juarez said. “Your mother brought you up right. You’ll make a good, obedient mate for Cabrera.”

Crimson snorted. “Obedient. Uh-huh.”

Amelia flashed her father a smile, then pulled the knife from behind her and jabbed it up between his legs. His eyes widened in shock a moment before he fell to the ground screaming. She kicked him in the ribs then jerked the knife free. Amelia heard the sound of guns cocking, but paid the M.C. no attention. She circled her father, knife clutched in her hand, then spit on him.

“I’m not your daughter. I will
never
be your daughter. My mother was right to leave you, and I’m only sorry she isn’t still alive to witness me ending your life.” With the knife held over her head, she fell to her knees and shoved it deeply into his chest. He gasped and choked, blood trickling out of his mouth. Hatred burned in his eyes, but Amelia stared him down, wanting to watch as the bastard took his last breath.

When her father lay still, she rose to her feet and faced Cabrera. “I’m not some meek, biddable, young woman. If you ever think of laying a hand on me, if you so much as
think
you’re going to come after me, I’ll flay the skin from your body, crucify you, then set your ass on fire. My home is here, with the M.C., and with my mate. I don’t care what my father promised you. It’s never going to happen.”

Cabrera smiled with a spark of amusement in his eyes. “You are fierce, little one, and would make the perfect mate for one such as me. But I have no desire to tame you. Now that you’ve taken your father out of the picture, my deal with the Black Death has also come to an end.” He reached out and curled her hair around his finger. “Pity. I looked forward to taking you to my bed.”

She hissed at him, a trait she’d picked up from Axel.

“But I do not wish to wake one morning with a knife in my heart, and I would always wonder if my food was poisoned. So you may keep your mate and your life here, and you needn’t worry that I’ll come for you.” Cabrera nodded to the M.C. at her back. “I believe it’s time I returned to Mexico.”

Amelia watched in disbelief as he strode back to his SUV, climbed inside, and drove away. “That’s it? He came all that way and now he’s tucking his tail and running?”

Crimson slapped her on the back. “Well, when you essentially cut off a man’s dick, it tends to make one think things over.”

She rolled her eyes and shrugged off Crimson’s arm, turning to face her mate. She couldn’t read the expression in his eyes and it worried her. Yes, she’d kicked that slut’s ass what felt like a month ago, and yes, she’d delivered a little justice to the assholes who tried to take her captive again. But this? She’d killed her father in cold blood, and not in a nice way. Her hands were literally stained with blood now. Would Axel look at her differently?

She approached and stopped in front of him. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

He stared down at her another moment, then placed his hands on her waist, jerked her against his body, and laid siege to her. His lips claimed her with a ferocity that should have frightened her, but all it did was melt her bones. Axel’s tongue darted into her mouth as he deepened the kiss. Amelia gave as well as she got, and before long, she was trying to tear his shirt from his body so she could have her wicked way with him.