Axle: A Military Bad Boy Mercenary Romance (The Bang Shift Book 5)

by Mandy Harbin

  She blinked, not sure how to respond. “That’s sweet, but the only way I’m getting a break is if I’m in my room.” From the moment she left the barracks until she returned, she had to focus on work. Not that she took a break when she was alone in her room either, but if there was a time, it’d be then. She glanced at Axle, sweat beading on his temple. Her gaze traveled down slowly, and she quickly jerked her attention back to Lorenzo before her eyes ate up more. Okay, so she didn’t only focus on work during the waking hours.

  “Well, now, that’s a little more like it,” Lorenzo said, taking a step toward her.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake,” Axle growled, and raised an arm between them, stopping Lorenzo’s advancement. “I gotta watch her twenty-four-seven, and I sure as shit don’t wanna suffer through thirty seconds of you humping her leg like a horny stray dog.”

  Lorenzo turned red. Caitlin gaped at him.

  “Er, Commander, the pilot wants to know what time to meet in the morning,” one of his guys asked.

  “Oh-eight-hundred. Give the locals more time to rise and shine before we show.” Then he took Caitlin’s arm, pulling her along, but looked over his should as they walked. “Make sure Lorenzo gets safely to his hotel.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  She heard Lorenzo cussing behind her, but she was too stunned to form words. Axle practically dragged her all the way to the barracks. When they neared, he veered to the side of the building, and she yanked her arm loose as soon as they were clear of other people.

  “You wanted to talk,” he said, and crossed his arms. She knew a fight stance when she saw it.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you?” she asked. Of all the ways she’d envisioned this conversation starting, that wasn’t one of them.

  He huffed and ran a hand through his hair. His frustration was palpable, but so was her determination.

  “You.” He leaned against the wall, bending a knee and propping that foot against it. “You don’t listen.”

  “Ha! My job is to listen,” she said, pointing at her chest. “I’m very good at it, actually.”

  “Really? Then why do you have such a hard time doing what I say?”

  She took a deep breath, wanting this conversation to be productive and not a battle. “Look. I get you’re trying to protect me, and I appreciate it—”

  “Sweetheart, I’m not doing this for your benefit. I have orders. Orders,” he said again, pushing himself off the wall. He took a step toward her, and her heart raced. There was a fire in his gaze that sparked an echoing answer deep in her core. It excited her. It worried her. All the reasons were the same, but logic didn’t have a place. Just when she started to open her mouth, he shook his head, breaking the electric connection and walking a couple feet away from her.

  Caitlin shut her eyes briefly and made her way to the wall he’d just vacated. It was either use it to keep herself upright or crumble to the ground. She felt weak in the knees and needed the support that surface would give. Part of her hated this attraction she felt toward him, but she was smart enough to keep it at bay. At least she tried to.

  With a fortifying breath, she turned and leaned into the building’s façade.

  Axle paced.

  “I have to be able to do my job,” she said slowly in an effort to bring down the combative tone she’d had earlier, and it was the truth. She was here for work.

  “Me, too,” he said without looking at her. Crap. He wasn’t making this easy at all, not that she expected him to.

  “I’m a big girl,” she said, trying to be funny.

  He laughed, but it didn’t hold the humor she’d been shooting for. The husky sound was fuel to that spark she’d felt earlier in the base of her spine.

  “Axle,” she said, with more authority, trying to both pull his attention back to her and command her own errant thoughts to focus on the task at hand.

  He stopped and looked at her finally.

  “I understand the danger. Believe me, I’ve heard all the warnings about working in a war zone. My boss, my dad, my friends. Hell, even the guy I had the hots for gave me a list of do’s and don’t’s.”

  That look.

  If she wasn’t already up against the wall, she’d take a step back. The urge to retreat was almost overwhelming because that look told her she was in serious trouble.

  Why?

  He moved toward her slowly. “The guy you had the hots for?”

  Another step.

  Uh-oh.

  “Umm…”

  “He must be pretty important to you if you’ll listen to him, but not me. The guy who’s actually trying to keep your ass safe.”

  Holy crap. Is he jealous?

  There was no doubt she was attracted to him. He was tall, handsome, and protective. Any woman with estrogen would find him sexy. Hell, she wouldn’t be surprised if those without did too. She figured the interest wasn’t one-sided. There’d been a few times when he looked at her, touched her, that seemed he struggled too. Even if there hadn’t been those moments, she was funny and not awful to look at. She’d had her share of advances from the opposite sex. Lorenzo had just asked her for drinks, and she was filthy from working in the dust all day. But this? The possession radiating off Axle screamed more than a passing fancy.

  “I’ve known him since I was a kid,” she tried to explain.

  “So you two have a history.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she felt the need to answer anyway. “No, I mean, yes. I trust him, but no, we don’t have history history.” He continued taking slow steps toward her as a predator stalking its prey would, so she spoke faster. “I grew up in a really small town, and he’s my best friend’s brother. She freaked out when she found out I got an assignment outside the wire, and he just so happened to be there when I told her. He’s the one who got you assigned to protect me.”

  That stopped him.

  It stopped everything.

  No more advancement. No more jealousy.

  No more heat.

  “What’s his name?” She opened her mouth to answer, but something told her Hunter needed to stay out of this. Should’ve thought of that two seconds ago, dummy. “Caitlin,” he said, dragging out her name.

  “It’s not important.”

  “The hell it isn’t. I want a name.”

  “That’s not what I needed to talk to you about.” Jesus, she had to get this conversation back on track immediately. “I wanted to talk to you about you letting me do my job. We need to work together, find some kinda compromise that lets me work on my story without unnecessary setbacks.”

  He stopped right in front of her. “You don’t get to call the shots.”

  “And I don’t report to you.”

  His smile was slow and full of self-confidence. “You’ll do whatever I say.”

  “This is what I’m talking about. You’re not the boss of me.” Gah, she sounded like a twelve-year-old. “But I think we can find some common ground here. Something that’ll let me get good material for my piece while you still do your thing.”

  “And how do you propose we do that?”

  Her eyes popped, but she quickly masked her surprise at him willing to compromise. “Um, for starters, you can talk to me about the agenda before it’s set in stone. That’d help me better plan the segments and schedule time to work when we’re back.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah, you can stand several feet away when I’m interviewing witnesses. It weirds out the locals when you’re right there, and it freezes up other military personnel too. You’re intimidating.”

  “Good.”

  She sighed. “But it’s counterproductive.”

  “I’ll work with you on the agenda. No promises, though. It’s not like scheduling an appointment with a doctor. I don’t have a lot of leeway to begin with.”

  “I understand that.”

  “I won’t compromise on your safety.”

  “Axle—”

  “But,” he stressed, “I’ll try an
other formation technique tomorrow, and we’ll see how that goes. That’s the best I can offer.”

  If she was honest with herself, she knew it was probably the best she was going get out of him. “Thank you.”

  His face suddenly hardened, and his hand quickly landed on each side of her, caging her against the wall, trapping her where she stood. “Give. Me. His. Name.”

  Crap. She’d hoped he was going to drop that. She couldn’t tell him who Hunter was. What if he’d overstepped in getting Axle assigned to her protection? She didn’t want him to get in trouble. She figured Axle would find out eventually, but hopefully not until this assignment was over.

  She shook her head, trying to think of what to say, of how to stall.

  “Caitlin, I’m not letting you go until I get his name.”

  “I don’t see how that’s—”

  “Do you know how many years I’ve studied interrogation techniques? Do you have any idea how skilled I am at torture? How long I can go without food or sleep?”

  This wall of muscle meant to scare her. She knew that, but she was not going to take the bait. “No, why would I? I don’t know if you’re a dog or a cat person. I don’t know if you’re married.” Then she quickly added, “Hell, I don’t even know how old you are.” She shrugged, trying to make light of her questions.

  He smiled again, and it was sexy as sin.

  “I love dogs.” His head lowered, and his heat bathed the side of her neck. “I’m single.” Her air became very shallow and goosebumps exploded on her skin. “And I’m old enough to know how to get exactly what I want, darlin’.”

  The world spun, and she squeezed her eyes shut to help get her bearings. She could feel him all over, and he wasn’t even touching her. How was that even possible?

  His nose nuzzled her hair and his hot breath tickled her ear, “Tell me.” His lips very lightly brushed her lobe, and a shiver rocked through her. “Give it to me.”

  Jesus, at this moment, she’d give him the shirt of her back. Hell yeah I would. And her bra…and her pants…

  She swayed into him. “Ishmael,” she whispered. It wasn’t a complete lie. Hunter had called himself that on his profile, and technically, Hunter wasn’t his name either.

  Axle pressed into her then and buried his head in her hair. God, she didn’t know what was going on with him, but she didn’t want to be reasonable anymore. She reached for him, needing more contact, but in that moment, he pulled back slightly. She gripped the sides of the wall instead and immediately missed his warmth. When she opened her eyes, he was staring back, watching her. His gaze was almost soft, but his jaw twitched as if he was gritting his teeth, the two responses at war with each other.

  He was battling himself.

  After what seemed like an eternity, he took a step back, then another, putting more distance between them, severing the connection that hadn’t just been physical. “I’ll have Acker bring you some chow, so you can work.”

  Was he going to ignore what happened just now? It wasn’t the first intense moment they’d had since meeting, but there was no denying something was going on between them. She couldn’t explain it herself, but she was done trying to. “You’re just gonna walk away?” she asked, mainly out of shock, but with a little bit of anger thrown in. “Got nothing to say about what just happened?”

  “Nothing happened,” he said flatly. “Get some sleep. Don’t work all night. We’ve got another long day tomorrow.”

  She laughed, a quick mirthless sound. “Right. You’re absolutely right.” She moved then, needing to get away. “But I can’t work right now. Think I’m gonna take Lorenzo up on his drink offer.” Drowning her sorrows sounded like a perfect idea right now.

  He grabbed her arm, stopping her. “I did you a favor earlier. Don’t be stupid.”

  Whether or not he saved her from Lorenzo was irrelevant. “I don’t need anything from you.” She yanked her arm free with unnecessary force and stomped away. She fought the urge to look over her shoulder to see if he followed, but once she reached the ATV and climbed in, she saw he’d stayed rooted in place, watching her.

  Only now he was on the phone. Probably calling in reinforcements since he was too chickenshit to face her himself.

  She reached the chow hall, doubtful there’d be a nice wine selection, but willing to take whatever they had. Some men were already there eating, and they glanced up at her when she walked in. She gave a few of them a flat smile before looking around.

  “I hear you can use this,” someone said from behind her.

  She turned around. “He calls and you come running,” she said to Brooks.

  “That is how it works.” He raised an eyebrow and then lifted a bottle of whisky.

  “Wow, I’m surprised he approved this,” she said, grabbing it.

  Brooks chuckled. “Believe it or not, he likes to pick his battles.”

  She rolled her eyes and walked to the drink station for a cup. She grabbed one and a soft drink, and took a seat nearby. Brooks sat across from her right when Acker materialized with a tray of food. He put it on the table in front of her and stepped back.

  “Right on cue,” she said to him, and then added, “I’m not hungry.” She got to work mixing her beverage.

  “If you don’t eat, I have to tell the boss,” Acker said, almost jokingly, but she knew he was giving her fair warning.

  “Fine,” she breathed. She took two bites, gulped her drink, and winced at how strong it was. “Happy?”

  “Damn skippy.”

  She poured a little more soda into her glass. “Food’s not bad, but the wine selection is lacking. Three and a half stars,” she said to the man in front of her, joking a Yelp review.

  Brooks laughed. “It’s definitely not Salsa Night at Kandahar Airfield.”

  She smiled. “Right? I got to experience that when working on a story last year. Totally different vibe.”

  “This area isn’t known for its nightlife.”

  “I’ve noticed.” She took a few more bites of her food. She hadn’t been hungry, but once she started eating, her stomach cheered her on. She glanced at Acker to make sure he saw she was being a good little girl and eating her dinner, but he’d left. Or he was standing somewhere incognito, watching her from a distance. Probably the second one.

  She focused on her dinner companion. He was cute, but there was no attraction. There was only one man she wanted, and that was a problem. She took another sip. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Because it feels weird calling you by your last name.”

  “Brooks is my first name, ma’am.”

  “Oh. I just figured it was your last since everyone around here tends to favor those.”

  “My commanding officer does.”

  “I’ve only heard him call you Brooks,” she said, taking another bite.

  “Landry isn’t my normal CO. This is a special operation.”

  Right. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.” She reached across the table, and he shook her hand. “Caitlin Cooper. At least you’re not a dick too.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” he said before releasing her. “And I have my moments.”

  “Don’t we all, Brooks. Don’t we all.”

  She continued eating her meal and sipping her soda…the one in the can, not the one mixed in the glass. The few sips of alcohol had given her a slight buzz, and that was more than enough to take the edge off. She didn’t want to get shit-faced, or rather, she didn’t want a doozy of a hangover tomorrow. There was no telling if Axle would keep his word and be more accommodating or if he’d continue being completely and totally unreasonable. She couldn’t take the risk of not being able to focus with whatever time he allowed her to interview the townspeople.

  Brooks ask her a couple of questions about her job and growing up while she ate. By the time she was finished eating, she knew more about him than any other person there. When she rose to leave, he stood. “Thank you for the company.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “No, i
t was mine,” she said. “I think you’re the first person who hasn’t been irritated at my presence. It’s nice to make a friend.”

  “Well, you’re welcome,” he said, and it looked like he might be blushing.

  “Do you know if Lorenzo is still on base?” She checked her watch. If he was, she could meet up with him and get in a couple of hours of viewing footage before she turned in for the night.

  “No, ma’am. He was escorted back to his hotel.”

  “Crap. Okay. Guess I’ll head back to my room then.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “None of that ma’am business. We look like we’re the same age.” She laughed.

  Brooks drove her to the barracks, and she waved him off before entering. She glanced at Axle’s closed door, but didn’t veer off course to her own room. They were probably alone in this building and that possibility stirred her anger toward him. It was irrational, she knew. Not the anger part—she had every right to be irritated with him—but the thought they could be alone here, and he’d still avoid her.

  Just as well. She needed to work, but she felt too keyed up to concentrate on her story. A shower. That’d help. The hot water would relax her and get her mind where it needed to be.

  On work.

  Not Axle.

  She kicked off her shoes and shed some of her clothes. When she walked toward the dresser to get clean pajamas, something sharp suddenly dug into her foot. She gasped and hopped on one foot the last couple of steps. She leaned into the dresser to support herself, and grabbing her injured foot, she looked down to see what had been the culprit.

  She saw red.

  Not blood, oh no. That was not the red clouding her gaze.

  It was anger.

  Pure and hot.

  Chapter Ten

  Axle sat at the edge of his bed with his laptop open, waiting for his sister’s call. His elbows rested on his knees, head in his hands, as he tried to shake off the enigma that was Caitlin Cooper.

  “You’re fucking losing it,” he muttered to himself.