Axel (Ride Series Book 3)

by O'Brien, Megan

  “What do you want?” Sal cut in again, having far less patience for her and her presence here.

  Suddenly, her eyes shot wide before she composed herself. “You’re…expecting?” She swallowed, looking at Kat.

  Kat nodded as Sal put a protective arm around her.

  My mother clenched her hands more tightly around her coat, seeming at a loss for what to say. “You didn’t come to the funeral,” she commented finally, her eyes shifting to me and then to Sal.

  “No,” I shook my head simply, as though daring her to challenge us.

  “I understand,” she nodded, surprising me. “He’d alienated nearly everyone we knew toward the end. But he was my husband,” she shrugged dejectedly, showing a rare moment of vulnerability. “He was my husband,” she repeated quietly as though to herself. She took a moment, straightening her shoulders and clearing her throat.

  “I told you the last time I saw you that I’ve had time to reflect since you’ve been gone,” she murmured, looking to me. Then her eyes swept to Sal. “And for you,” she swallowed. “I lost you so long ago.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to realize how important it is to make that right. You two and the families you’re building, well, you’re all I have left,” she spoke quickly, as though rushing to get the words past her lips.

  “Is this because you’re broke?” Sal cut in harshly.

  “Sal,” Kat murmured in an effort to calm him. I was relieved she stepped in. Though I understood his hostility, it wasn’t helping at the moment.

  “After everything your father did, that’s fair,” she allowed. “But no, I’m not broke. I started saving my own money years ago when I first suspected Richard was doing some questionable things,” she shared, referring to my father. “I had no idea you weren’t getting your money,” she shook her head.

  “We know,” I assured her.

  She sighed, her body deflating in relief that I seemed to believe her.

  “I went to see your father,” she shared, turning to look at Sal.

  Well, that was certainly a surprise. Sal’s father lived in Spain. I didn’t know the whole story other than she’d had some type of affair with him when she was young and fell pregnant with Sal.

  “Why the fuck did you do that?” he demanded.

  “Sal,” I murmured in a quiet plea for him to lighten up.

  “That’s between him and me,” she answered defensively, her crisp demeanor returning in a bid to protect herself, no doubt.

  In a weird way, I was relieved to see that cool attitude return. It was what I was familiar with at least.

  “What I want you to know is that I’m trying.” She cleared her throat demurely, looking uncomfortable with so many eyes on her. “I’m trying to repair the damage I know I’ve done. It started with Gael and the way I treated him. It was important to me that he knew I’ve always regretted it.”

  I’d never heard my mother admit regret or admit wrongdoing. The fact that she’d flown all the way to Spain to apologize to Sal’s father really said something. It was then I felt a glimmer of hope that maybe she’d really changed.

  “I want a chance to be in your lives,” she stated firmly. “I’m your mother. I’m the only surviving family you two have. You’re certainly all I have.” She clasped her hands together, standing stiffly as she looked to me and then to Sal. “Please,” she finished, her tone strong despite the fear in her eyes.

  You could have heard a pin drop as the tension coiled thick. Even Maddox who constantly babbled and squealed was silent, seeming to sense the strain in the room.

  Hurt flickered over her face as the silence stretched. “Okay,” she nodded, seeming to accept our silence as rejection. “I’ll go,” she swallowed, turning to leave.

  I looked to Sal, my eyes pleading. A silent understanding passed between us. If we were doing this, it would be together and it had to come from him.

  “Fuck,” he muttered, hanging his head for a moment. “Wait,” he instructed her gruffly.

  She turned on her heel looking at him wearily.

  “I don’t know if it’ll work after all the shit you put us both through,” he began, looking to me briefly before his eyes shot back to our mother. “But I know something about needing redemption.” He pulled Kat close and I knew he was thinking about having to fight his way back to her. “So I’m willing to give it a shot,” he added brusquely.

  Axel put his arm around my waist pulling me closer, telling me without words that he’d accept any decision I made.

  “Me too,” I spoke up when the eyes in the room had turned to me. Axel squeezed my hip in support.

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “How long are you in town for?” I asked.

  She gave a small shrug. “Indefinitely. Things are a bit up in the air right now.”

  “Why don’t you come by tomorrow?” I offered. I wasn’t ready to invite her for dinner. We’d need to do this a little bit at a time. “We could have coffee or something.”

  Her eyes lit with a spark of hope. “I’d like that,” she replied. “I’ll let you get on with your evening,” she added, heading toward the door. I followed her toward the door opening it to the chilly evening air. I watched her thin form move to her rental car and sent a silent plea that she wouldn’t make us regret giving her a chance. It was huge for Sal to give her this opportunity – I didn’t want to see him hurt.

  She gave a small wave before driving off down the road.

  That evening, Axel and I cleaned up together. Dinner had been a success, well no one had died anyway and the meal had been somewhat edible. After my mom left, we hadn’t talked about the visit; instead, we kept the mood light.

  “It was good, babe,” Axel’s deep voice assured me as he moved in behind me to kiss my neck. He smelled like beer and pumpkin pie, a surprisingly delicious combination. “You taste good. I’ve been waiting all night to get my mouth on you,” he growled against my skin.

  I froze mid-rinse from my place at the sink and leaned into his mouth.

  His arms wrapped around my middle pulling me back against his firm body.

  In one quick movement, my leggings were pulled down and off. He moved us quickly to the opposite counter, his large body imposing and deliciously hard behind mine.

  “Spread,” he ordered, his mouth against my shoulder.

  I shuddered with anticipation as I followed his demand. His hand immediately moved to my core, his fingers sliding through the moisture that he’d immediately created as his other hand moved to my covered breast.

  His fingers moved expertly, bringing me to the brink of orgasm within seconds. I leaned my head back against his shoulder and moaned.

  “That’s right, baby. I want to hear you,” he rasped in my ear as he quickened his movements.

  His other hand found my nipple through my clothes, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure. The man could play my body like an instrument.

  I erupted with a cry that echoed off the walls, shuddering in his arms.

  He held me for a second before pushing me back to the counter guiding me to lay my top half down. I spread my arms out in front of me and pressed my cheek against the cool counter top.

  The anticipation was heady as he moved in behind me. Hearing the sound of his zipper was just about the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.

  “Oh, God,” I croaked, more than ready for him.

  He moved my legs farther apart seconds before he entered me in one fluid thrust.

  He felt impossibly big and deliciously deep as he found a rhythm set to make me lose my mind.

  I loved the feeling of his jeans against my bare thighs, of his hands at my waist in a grip so tight it was sure to cause a few bruises.

  They’d be worth it.

  His hands moved to my shoulders pulling me back into him as he thrust deeper and faster. “Fuck,” he bit out, his breathing labored and harsh as he took me hard.

  I groaned low and loud, close to another climax
.

  “That’s right,” he responded, knowing I was close. “God, you’re so fucking hot, baby,” he rasped.

  His words were enough to send me over, pulling him with me.

  He collapsed on top of me, pressing me harder into the counter as we caught our breath.

  He kissed the side of my neck before he lifted off me, leaning down to pull my leggings back up my legs. “You should wear these more often,” he commented as I turned to watch him tuck himself back in his jeans.

  I smothered a smile. “Oh?” I asked quirking a brow.

  He nodded. “I get to stare at that sweet ass all night and then…easy access,” he grinned, pulling me in for a kiss.

  “Right,” I laughed, throwing my arms around him. He lifted me so my legs followed suit.

  “Let’s hit the shower,” he said, walking us toward the bedroom. “I’m not done,” he added, biting my earlobe before licking away the sting.

  “No?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Far from it,” he growled into my neck, making my tired limbs come alive once more.

  He spoke and my body answered; it was that simple.

  It was hours later and we were lying tangled in each other’s arms, satiated and exhausted. My eyelids were heavy as I moved closer to sleep. “You think I did the right thing?” I asked quietly, my hand moving over the plane of his chest.

  Without explanation, he knew what I meant.

  I felt him shrug. “No way to know, babe. She’ll have to prove it. If you weren’t so strong and you didn’t have the kind of support you do, I’d worry more about it.”

  “But I have you,” I smiled up at him.

  “You have me,” he affirmed gruffly, pulling me up for a kiss. “Always.”

  Chapter 24

  It was three days before Christmas when I was awoken unexpectedly from a deep sleep. “Babe, your phone,” Axel’s voice cut through the darkness.

  “Hmm?” I mumbled. Lately, I’d been sleeping like the dead.

  “Your phone, it’s ringing,” he repeated, moving into the room. He was still up so I couldn’t have been asleep for very long.

  My hand reached blindly for the nightstand, noting blearily that it was only 11 p.m. I had just fallen asleep but it felt like hours ago. “Hello?” I rasped.

  “Kat’s in labor. We’re headed into the hospital. Can you meet me there?” Sal’s voice came urgently through the line.

  I sat up abruptly, suddenly wide-awake. “Yes! I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I answered, thrilled that my niece was on her way.

  I disconnected and clicked on the light, moving at hyper speed to find my clothes.

  “Can you stay with Mad?” I asked urgently.

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I want you to be really careful driving down the mountain. The roads are slick,” he warned.

  “I will,” I nodded. I’d been driving regularly in what I affectionately called “The Tank.” Axel had claimed my ginormous SUV was safer on the mountain and had plenty of “space.” That man and the brood he wanted.

  I rolled my eyes at the time, but I had to admit I did feel safer in it.

  He kissed me tenderly, his fingers running through my hair. “Relax for me a bit. I don’t want you driving like this,” he said against my lips. His methods for relaxation usually worked like a charm and this was no different.

  “Okay,” I sighed, wishing I could delay for a bit longer.

  He grinned knowingly, delivering a swift smack to my ass.

  “Hey!” I protested with a grin.

  “Later,” he nodded, his eyes full of promise.

  My knees went weak. “Later,” I agreed breathlessly.

  Thirty minutes later, I was pulling up to the hospital and running through the halls like a madwoman.

  When I spotted Jill looking adorable in her hospital scrubs, I immediately sighed with relief. We hadn’t known if she’d be on shift when Kat went into labor. She’d been working at the hospital for a few weeks and seemed to love it. Her divorce was ugly but we’d gotten her a kickass lawyer. The outlook was good for her to get full custody of Mason.

  “You’re here,” I breathed, hugging her.

  “My only swing shift this week,” she nodded with a smile. “Piper’s with Mason so I can stay until the baby comes.”

  “That’s great. Kat will be so glad,” I smiled. “Ry still seem interested in her?” I asked as we headed down the long brightly lit hallway.

  She looked thoughtful. “It’s more than that. We all may have misjudged him on this one,” she admitted. “I think he really cares about her. I feel badly for giving him so much shit,” she smiled ruefully.

  Well, that was something. I wanted to meet this Piper.

  “How’s Kat?” I asked as a baby’s wail ricocheted off the walls.

  “Great. She’s progressing relatively fast with it being her first baby,” she explained as we arrived at their room.

  Kat was sitting up in bed with Sal leaning over her. His forehead was pressed to hers and I waited quietly, not wanting to interrupt the moment between them.

  “Hey, you’re here,” Kat smiled when she saw me.

  “I’m here,” I nodded with a grin. “Okay?” I asked, my eyes shooting to Sal.

  “I’m just telling this guy to chill,” Kat replied, quirking her thumb at my brother.

  “I am chill,” he argued.

  “Right,” I nodded, trying to keep the sarcasm from my tone as Jill moved around the room checking vitals and noting a few things in Kat’s chart.

  As it turned out, my brother was the epitome of calm. He was an unyielding source of support for his wife throughout her relatively short but intense labor.

  It wasn’t until my niece came screaming into the world, the top of her head a mass of dark hair that I saw him take a shaky breath, his mask of calm slipping.

  “She’s gorgeous,” his voice rasped with emotion as he looked down at his daughter in awe.

  “What’s her name?” I asked as I peeked over his shoulder at my niece. I was biding my time until I got to hold her.

  “Wren,” he answered, winking at Kat.

  “That’s so perfect,” I clapped my hands together. Sal had affectionately called Kat “birdie” for as long as I’d known them as a couple. No one could say how it started. It was just one of those things. It was perfectly fitting that they’d name their daughter after a bird.

  It wasn’t long before it felt like the entire club was filling the room, everyone waiting their turn to meet the new arrival.

  When Axel walked in, I beamed at him wanting to share this incredible moment with him.

  “She’s so beautiful,” I announced proudly after he’d pulled me into his arms and kissed me soundly.

  “Oh, yeah?” he grinned.

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “Mad?”

  “He’s with Ry,” he replied, his gaze turning to the littlest member of our extended family. “Look at that hair,” he chuckled.

  “There’s a lot of it,” I agreed with a grin as Sal finally placed her in my arms. I’d been waiting, rather impatiently, since she’d been born.

  “She looks so much like you, man,” Axel said, looking down at the tiny bundle nestled in my arms.

  “You think?” Sal grinned, practically bursting with pride.

  “She’ll be gorgeous just like her mama,” I winked over at Kat who was smiling tiredly at us all. “I think we should let these two ladies get some beauty sleep,” I added, noticing exactly how exhausted Kat looked. It was a lot of commotion after having just given birth.

  “Good idea,” Sal nodded. “You’ll stay?” he asked Jill as she swept by checking on Kat.

  Jill had been amazing throughout the whole birth and I didn’t blame Sal for not wanting her far. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to convince her to move in.

  “I’ll stay awhile longer,” she assured him, grasping his hand briefly with a warm smile.

  She was completely in her element. I was so proud of her.
>
  “We’ll be by tomorrow if you’re not discharged by then. Otherwise, we’ll bring some food by the house,” I told Sal, giving him a quick hug. He wasn’t typically much of a hugger but I couldn’t help myself. “I’ll buy some prepared food,” I added with an eye roll when I saw the look of apprehension on his face.

  “Thanks, sis,” he replied, hugging me back briefly before turning his attention to his family.

  I looked at Sal and marveled at how much he’d changed from the brother I’d caught glimpses of as a kid. He was still gruff and at times distant, I had no doubt that would always be the case to some degree, but he was also centered in a way I hadn’t seen before. He was happy from the inside out; he just showed it in his own way. Love had done that for him. It had done the same for me.

  “Want to go home?” I murmured to Axel as he wrapped an arm around me.

  “Yeah, baby,” he nodded. “Let’s take the bike. Someone can bring your car back later,” he added.

  “Sounds perfect,” I replied with an exalted grin. I freaking loved that bike and the man who rode it.

  “I think we should start the expansion project on the house,” I mused as we walked down the hospital halls toward the exit.

  “Oh, yeah?” he cocked a brow.

  I shrugged innocently, knowing my suggestion resonated with him. It meant my letting go of the past and moving toward our future.

  He stopped me as we reached the parking lot, stooping to look into my eyes. “You lettin’ it go?” he asked.

  I swallowed against the ball of emotion suddenly choking me. I wouldn’t ever fully get over the loss of my father and we still didn’t know who’d killed him. I still had a long road with my mother. But with Axel by my side, propping me up, I felt like I could do anything. The truth was that with the love of a great man I could do anything.

  “Yeah, babe,” I grinned. “Now are you gonna take me for a ride?”

  He licked his lips, his eyes perusing my form in a way that made my heart pound and knees go weak.

  “We’ll take the long way,” he growled into my neck.

  In so many ways, we had taken the long way around, but in that time, we’d come together far stronger than I’d ever thought possible. It was time to hold tightly to my man for whatever the future held and always remember to enjoy the ride along the way.