“That’s not what they asked. They didn’t recognize you somehow, did they?” Axe demanded from behind me.
“What?” I turned around. My heart twisted in my chest at the concern on his face. Then I caught myself and shook my head. “No. They wanted to know about you. Apparently they think you’re yummy.” Axe barked out a laugh and I shrugged. “And they wanted to know if you were my boyfriend, okay?”
He went still suddenly and stepped closer. “What’d you say?”
“I said… We’d been dating for years.” My mouth went bone dry and I swallowed hard before I continued, “Yep, so I told them what a great guy you are, so nice, and how you used to be fat. I wanted them to know that muscles aren’t everything.”
Axe looked down at me, his throat visibly working. His expression was almost pained. As his eyes searched my face, tension tugged between us, sharp and tangible. I felt my body lean in towards him.
I wondered if he could hear my heartbeat, as it was thunderous in my own ears. Heat was filling my body and I was fairly certain I was blushing.
But more than any of that, I could not look away.
Axe bit his lip and began to lean towards me…
“Clean up on aisle seventeen!” a voice blared through the loudspeakers.
I jerked backward and stood there, stunned.
“Well, this is good enough. We’d better go.”
I scurried toward the checkout lines, shaking from head to toe. He might not be cruel like Ruffino, but being near him was just as dangerous. I had to be more careful. The last thing I needed was to get involved with a guy who had family like his. It was a recipe for heartache and pain, and I’d already had my share of that for a while.
We paid for the items and were silent as we emptied the cart into the vehicle.
When we exited the parking lot, Axe floored it. His shoulders were hunched up and he didn’t look back over at me. An awkward silence fell. My entire body felt like it was on edge, but oddly enough, the overwhelming feeling wasn’t so much terror as anticipation that no amount of self-recriminations could seem to quell.
“Where to now?” I finally asked. I couldn’t stop looking over at him, even as my mind flailed helplessly. My flustered heart was in control now.
“Somewhere safe. Trying to get up to Vermont or as far as Canada, maybe. I’m waiting on a call.”
At any other time the mention of Vermont would have filled me with unbearable excitement. I loved the mountains and I had always wanted to go there. But I was too busy trying to slow my heartbeat and figure out what was happening between us.
“So, you speak fluent Italian?” I said, to break the awkward silence.
Axe seemed reluctant to answer. “Yeah,” he said flatly.
“Do you only speak it when you’re mad?”
“Yes and no,” he said after a moment. “Usually, when I’m pissed, yeah. I get that from Mama Ange and my aunts. But also when I’m drunk or running a fever, or just around family.”
“What’s that word you kept calling me? Pekko-relle? Is that a swear?”
Axe shook his head. “No, I try not to swear too much– but that’s hard in my family. The guys are really bad. But that’s a Mama Ange rule.” He shuddered in mock horror. “Santo cielo, I never swear around her.”
I nodded, leaning on my hand, elbow resting on the center console. “Mama Ange sounds like a woman to be reckoned with. That’s your grandmother, right?”
“Yeah. She’s the best.” His hard face softened and his cheek dimpled. My breath caught as he looked over again. “I think she’d like you, Brenna.”
For some reason, the way Axe said that, the warmth underneath his gruff voice almost undid me. Flustered, I leaned away, fidgeting in my seat, feeling both pleased and embarrassed. “Aw thanks, that’s just what every girl wants to hear – that Gramma would like them.”
“She would,” Axe replied lightly. “And they should.”
I looked out the window and realized dusk was already falling. I wondered where we were. Hours away from Ehlrich, that was for sure.
Axe spoke up. “And, for your information, I called you pecorelle.”
I turned back, tilting my head. “Does that mean nosy?”
“It means ‘little sheep’, actually.” Axe’s voice was gruff, which I was starting to suspect was a way to hide when he was feeling uncomfortable.
“I make you think of a sheep?” I asked, trying not to sound teasing.
Axe shook his head slowly. “No, not exactly. You were surrounded by those guys like they were wolves and you were the sheep, but I thought, that’s not a sheep they should be messing with. I could tell you were going to make a move.”
“So, I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing?” I tried to follow his logic.
He snorted. “No, definitely not. Just forget it.”
“Oh, no, you have to tell me. And I also want to know why they call you Axe. That can’t be your real name.”
Axe drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his jaw set stubbornly.
“Robert? Tom? Anthony, but you used to want to be a lumberjack when you were little?” I asked.
“Oh, God,” he groaned. “No. None of those.”
“I’m not stopping until you spill it,” I trilled and then continued to guess names.
The tension that had crept up from the time those girls had approached me slowly melted away as we joked. The rest of our ride passed quickly as I pestered him with names and questions. Sometimes he’d answer, usually he would glower, and every so often he laughed. At some point once night had fallen, he turned off the highway toward a cheap-looking motel.
“Sorry, it’s not the Ritz, pecorelle. But they take cash and don’t ask questions. And it’s clean.” Axe pulled in a spot right in front of the office and hopped out. “Stay in the car, keep an eye out.”
He went in, leaving me in the van with my thoughts. My fingers started tapping on my knees as they instantly turned to tonight. We’d probably be in the same room – it was safer that way. My foot tapped out a nervous beat now, too. It would be fine. Everything had been fine to this point and there was no reason to think that would change.
Axe climbed back into the car and we drove around back. “I want to park out of sight of the road just in case.” Once he found a spot he liked, he looked around and nodded. “Grab a couple bags, put your sunglasses back on and try to keep your head down,” he said in a low voice.
I peered out the window. “No one’s around.”
“There’s a clerk and cameras. A busy Walmart is one thing, but this place doesn’t see a lot of people,” he responded, sounding like his mind was a million miles away. “If somebody gets a bead on our location and comes asking questions, you don’t exactly blend in with that body or face.”
I whirled around, but Axe was already out of the car. It had been an offhand comment to him, but it would stay with me for the rest of the night. Was that his way of saying he thought I was beautiful? The way my fingers tingled and toes curled when he’d said it, I had a feeling it was.
“Kid!” he barked from the back, where he was loading up with bags. “Let’s go.”
I scrambled out and grabbed a handful of bags. We climbed a set of stairs, then walked a short way down the landing, and stopped at a door almost at the end.
He shoved in the key, swung the door open, flicked on a light, and then started to walk in.
“We gotta organize this stuff. So, I grabbed two more duffels. One can be for you, one can be for food…” Abruptly, he trailed off and stopped.
I bumped into him and then nudged him in the back. “Hey, you’re in the way, Muscles McGee.” Silently he moved aside, as I asked, “What’s wrong, is it--”
I looked through the door and understood instantly.
Staring back at me was a queen-sized bed.
One.
My heart went wild with what should’ve been fear but was a low pulse of adrenaline as I turned to face him.
“Don’t
even think about it, Capestrana.”
Chapter Six
Axe
I was definitely thinking about it.
Christ, I couldn’t stop thinking about it since the second I saw her, and as much as I was trying to make it go away, it wasn’t working.
Instantly, an image of the two of us tangled in those sheets shot through my mind. I pushed it out with a vicious string of mental curses and turned to face her.
“This is what they had. I don’t like it any more than you do. But if you promise to keep your hands to yourself, I have no problem sharing.”
She looked shocked for a second and then grumbled, “Fine, but I’m building a wall between us.”
Apparently, my little joke had diffused the situation for the moment, and that was good enough for me. “Whatever. Come on, shut the door and lock it.”
I put my own bags down and stretched. Driving for so many hours had my body in knots.
“I’m gonna go change,” she announced, not meeting my gaze. “These clothes are feeling gross.”
I tossed her the new duffel. “You should pack all your stuff in there. Also, we can burn that hideous sweater tomorrow, if you’d like.”
She grabbed up her bags and the duffel, and vanished into the bathroom.
Quickly I went through all our food, leaving out what I wanted to eat and what I thought Brenna might like. I checked my phone, but I had no messages. Relief and unease mingled deep in my gut. No news in this case was not good news. I fully expected to hear from Pop or my brother, and the fact that I hadn’t yet had my gut twisting.
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to loosen the tension building there. Then I heard the bathroom door creak open and I looked up as Brenna came out.
She was wearing a silly tank top that said DIVA on it and a pair of black leggings.
I must have seen a million women wearing something similar. But none of them had looked like Brenna.
I couldn’t move. I knew I was staring at her and she’d notice in a second and probably be pissed, but I couldn’t help myself. As she turned and tossed the duffel and then swung her hair around, lifting her brilliant eyes to mine – I swore it happened in slow motion.
This gave me plenty of time to take in every detail. The tank top lovingly hugged her breasts and flaunted her cleavage, while those leggings emphasized every curve. I couldn’t help but stare at that gorgeous ass when she’d turned around.
Damn it, Brenna. Don’t make this easy on a guy.
Her face instantly pulled into a wince when she saw me looking at her. “This stupid tank top is too small,” she murmured, I looked away.
“You could put the sweatshirt back on,” I suggested, hoping I didn’t sound as opposed to that idea as I felt.
“I don’t like sleeping in long sleeves. You’re just not coming under the covers. And you have to promise to keep your hands to yourself.”
I shook my head. “See,” I said, “that’s why I call you pecorelle.”
Brenna crawled under the covers and tilted her head at me. “Say what now?” Long hair spilled over her shoulder. I had the sudden urge to run my hands through it, and focused on a spot on the wall behind her to stay on topic.
“You might seem like a sheep to some people, but you’re more than that. Pecorelle che morde. A sheep that bites. People should know to watch out.”
Pulling her knees up to her chest, Brenna folded her arms and rested her chin on them, while studying me. “You are by far the most fascinating person I’ve ever met.”
At a loss for words, I tossed her a bag of cookies. She opened the bag and began to eat, but even that seemed sexy somehow. This was going to be freakin’ torture.
I kicked off my shoes and thought about changing, but Brenna in that bed was far too tempting. I walked over and asked, “May I?”
Brenna tugged the blankets around her and continued to eat, not responding.
I grabbed a pillow and stuck it next to her. “Here’s your wall. We good?”
“Oh, fine. I just hope you don’t starfish. You’re so damn big, you’ll knock me off the bed.”
Hopping in, I stretched out and let the bed support my aching back. It was pretty comfy for a cheap motel. “You sound like Trina. That’s what she always says about Wes.”
Without even thinking, I used the high-pitched voice we all used to imitate my sister, “Freakin Wes, he’s so big and sprawly, like I have no room to myself in the bed. So, I go ahead and slap him awake, okay, and I’m like, is that any way to treat your woman, Wes?”
It was almost worth embarrassing myself to hear Brenna erupt into giggles. She looked surprised and delighted too, with her eyes glowing at me. “Who’s Trina?” she asked, laughing.
I froze. I had done it again. Told her more than I’d meant to.
Swallowing, I glanced over at her, and tried not to move closer when I saw her beautiful little face looking up at me. “Trina’s my older sister. She’s loud and complains a lot, but she means well.” I paused, not sure what else to say. “You have her sweatshirt. She wouldn’t care, though. Trina’s generous. Even if she’s a pain in the ass.”
I watched as comprehension dawned on Brenna’s face. “You have a couple of sisters, huh?” Her eyes were big with that curious look.
That damn look she kept giving me all day – ever since I confessed what I’d done in the kitchen. How I had never had two mil, how we had to run, how I’d wanted to save her...
I was starting to wonder if the old, angry Brenna wasn’t safer for my sanity. Whatever this new Brenna was up to, it was fucking unnerving as all hell. It made me say things I didn’t mean to say. Feel things I didn’t want to feel. I’d already spilled more Capestrana secrets to this girl than I had to some of my closest friends, hell, even some of my cousins.
Why does she have this effect on me? And why don’t I notice it until it’s too late and I already opened my big fat mouth?
Slowly, I nodded. “Three. Trina and two little sisters. Twins. They’ll be sixteen, soon.”
“And an older brother?” she prompted.
“Yeah. Colt.”
Brenna rolled her eyes. “What is with the nicknames?”
I shrugged and shifted around, then glancing over at the night table, saw a clicker. “How about we watch some TV?” I said, burnt out from the drive and trying to dance around all the landmines this conversation seemed to be setting me up for. “I’m pretty beat, so put on what you want.”
As I handed her the clicker and our fingers touched for the briefest of moments, I felt a shock of electricity go through me – burrowing deep into every bone. Her eyes seemed to flash up at me, and I knew she felt it too. But then she looked away and quickly flicked on the TV.
I saw her shoulders relax. My heart squeezed as I wondered if this was the first time she’d been able to watch TV and eat snacks like this in over a year. Be all normal and shit.
Well, sort of. If being in a motel, sharing a bed with me, and going on the run from the Ruffinos could be considered normal.
I heard Dante’s voice in my head. Life is stunata, cuz. Whacked out bizzaro world, I’m tellin ya. God for sure laughs when we make plans.
Dante, spitting wisdom. Who’d have thought it?
Because I sure as shit didn’t plan it but, man, this girl did something to me.
My cock strained against my zipper as she let out a happy sigh. I sucked in a deep breath and said a silent prayer that she wouldn’t get too close in the middle of the night, or she would find out exactly how I felt about sleeping next to her.
“Oh, I used to love this movie,” she said with a grin. I glanced over and with a start, saw that she had angled her body away from me, but in doing so, her head was only inches from my shoulder. I could smell her – that sweet, light scent that drove me up the fucking wall.
Tearing my eyes away, I saw that she had found Pretty Woman.
“Oh, yeah. This isn’t bad.” Again, I cursed my tell-all tongue. If admitting to having s
een a Julia Roberts movie wasn’t the un-manliest thing to say to a girl in bed, especially after talking about my sisters – I didn’t know what was.
But for Christ’s sake, I did have three sisters. I was Italian. Control of the TV was not something I was often granted, never mind anything else in our house.
Brenna tilted her head up at me. “You’ve seen this?”
“Sisters, remember?” I grunted, folding my arms.
“Well, I can change it.”
“Watch whatever you want.” A wry smile touched my lips. “As you can imagine, I’m used to women dictating the TV situation. Italian women are bossy. It’s why I read.”
“You read?” Brenna asked, that eager, curious note flashing into her eyes and voice.
I nodded and curtly said, “Shh, watch the movie.”
Yawning, Brenna dropped the remote and shifted her body, curling closer. I held my breath, wondering if she even knew what she was doing.
“You’re not getting off that easy, Capestrana…” she murmured, her eyes half-closed.
My back was starting to cramp from the position I was in, so I moved over the slightest bit, and let my head fall onto the pillow, almost above Brenna’s.
Brenna seemed to notice and she moved as well – but not away from me as I had expected – but toward me.
Her head nestled onto my shoulder.
I almost said something, but then bit my tongue. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouse, Angelino, I heard Mama Ange say in my mind. We’d always laugh that she said it wrong, but right now, it seemed like the most appropriate thing for this bizarre situation.
In fact, as Brenna snuggled even closer, I felt that overwhelming protectiveness course through me again.
With every last inch of me, every breath – I would fight for this girl.
At the same time, I also felt lightning sparking up and down my skin and tingling through my body. My heart was skipping in my chest.
A sudden buzzing jerked me back to reality as the phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out as stealthily as I could without disturbing Brenna, and squinted at it.
Axe to Grind Page 6