Chosen
Fallen Idols MC 5
Axel and Paige Book 2
Savannah Rylan
Chosen
Published By Savannah Rylan Books
Copyright © 2015 Savannah Rylan
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
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Cover art by Cover Up Designs
ONE
PAIGE
Forty-five days. It’s been forty-five days since I last laid eyes upon Axel Cook. Since his hands roamed over my body, touching every inch of yearning flesh. Since his hot lips scorched my own with the sweetest burn…
I shook the thought from my head, gathered my purse, and walked out the infirmary door, glad my shift was over for the night. “Don’t look for him. Just walk out, don’t torture yourself,” I mumbled, as I made my way down a back hallway. It was sad that I had to give myself the same pep talk every night, but I was weak where Axel was concerned.
Ever since our tryst last month, guilt ate at me for acting so unprofessionally, but no matter how hard I tried to tell myself that what we did was wrong, thoughts of him weaved their way into my mind every day. It’s only the idea of forbidden fruit, I told myself, He’s obviously not a good person if he’s in prison. I’ll get over him once I realize what a creep he is. So, I found out everything I could about him. I Googled his name, I read his police report, and I even tried to find him on Facebook, though he didn’t have a page that I could find. I wanted to find something—anything—that would make me hate him, make me never want to even think his name again.
I never found squat. There was no reason out there for me to hate him besides the fact that he was in a motorcycle club, and as much as tried to convince my mind to be on board with that, my body and heart weren’t giving in.
So to avoid temptation, I did everything I could to distance myself from him. I changed my shifts to ensure I had the least possible chance of running into him. I took back hallways away from where the prisoners were housed, and I avoided the windows in the infirmary, practically hiding in the back office most of the time, in case he happened to pass by. I even went on a few dates with Jimmy, knowing he would brag to anyone who would listen, and word would spread to Axel that I was no longer available, hoping he’d forget about me.
Even though I couldn’t seem to forget about him.
The last month and a half was a miserable cross between reliving our night while I masturbated over and over, and scolding myself for even thinking his name. I did everything I could to keep busy, but the quiet nights, when I was alone with my thoughts, were the worst.
Gina certainly did her best to help keep my mind off of him. After quitting nursing school a few years ago to hook up with Chubs—who demanded that she be available for him twenty-four seven—she never found a new job. Now, at twenty-five, the only time she’d ever worked was a waitressing job in college where she ended up being fired for spilling hot soup on the owner’s wife. Her parents had always supported her financially, but she was too ashamed to go to them after distancing herself for the last several years, because they never approved of Chubs. Now that she was living with me, I helped her put together a resume, apply for jobs, and drove her back and forth between various interviews.
She finally landed a job last week working as a nurse’s aide at an assisted living center. She hated it, claiming it was just a glorified babysitter, but there was only so much she could do with limited education and skills.
Living with Gina had been a lot more challenging than I expected. A week after she moved in, we’d had a ton of complaints from the neighbors about the motorcycles driving up and down the street at all hours, and revving their engines just to remind us they were there. Chubs wasn’t giving up on Gina without a fight. In the end, we decided it would be better to leave my apartment in Pineview, knowing that was prime Las Almas territory, and head one town over to Brooks Landing. The Las Almas weren’t really welcome there, so we thought we’d stand a better chance of getting away from Chubs’s harassment.
So, between unpacking, setting up our new house, and ignoring the, now-daily, phone calls from Jimmy, I barely had time to think about Axel – or so I told myself.
“We’re going out!” Gina declared, bouncing up and down in the entranceway of our home, as I walked in from work.
I threw my keys in our designated bowl, and made my way to the couch. “Ugh, it’s almost midnight, and I’m exhausted. I don’t want to go anywhere but my bed.”
Gina ran over, hooking our arms. “C’mon, Paige! This is when things are just starting. You do realize you’re twenty-four, not a hundred and four, right? It’s Friday! Just come out for two hours, I promise I’ll let you sleep as late as you want tomorrow, and I’ll even make French toast in the morning.” She gave me her saddest puppy dog eyes, but I wasn’t budging. “I’ll let you borrow my purple backless dress that I know you’ve been ogling for weeks.”
I sighed. I was beat, but I also was starting to feel like an old person who fell asleep to Wheel of Fortune every night. “And your Louboutin pumps?”
“Oh come on! You’re not fighting fair.” She’d just bought the shoes as a present to herself for finally leaving Chubs once and for all, practically maxing out her credit card to do so. I don’t even think she’d had a chance to wear them herself yet.
I held strong, crossing my arms defiantly. “The pumps, or I’m going straight to bed. Your choice.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re so lucky you’re my best friend. Fine. You can wear them. But I swear to God, if you get a single scuff on them, you’re buying me two new pairs.”
I laughed, knowing I’d get my way, and made a beeline for her closet to get the dress and shoes. Thirty minutes later, with touched up makeup and hair, we were on our way to a new club Gina had been dying to go to. It supposedly had a rotating dance floor – like I needed another obstacle in my way of attempting to stay upright in the five-inch heels.
We parked the car two blocks down, and headed to the back of the line. Club Thirty-One was the hottest place to be these days, and the line that was almost a block long showed it. “The place is going to close before we get a chance to get inside,” I grumbled.
“Relax, we’ll get in before you know it, once they realize how hot we look. I mean, I bought that dress for me, but girl you’re rockin’ it. That color looks amazing on you.”
“At least buy a girl dinner first,” I mocked, as I smoothed down the violet lace, and glanced over my shoulder. The back was completely cut out, a scalloped edge connecting the very top. I’d never worn anything so risqué before, but I had to agree. It fit me like a glove, and I looked great in it.
Suddenly, the all too familiar roar of motorcycles filled the street. Gina instinctively sank against the brick wall, hoping to hide in the shadows, in case it was Chubs, as I glanced nervously around.
Five motorcycles pulled right in front of us, making their own parking
spots before cutting their engines. Their black leather vests didn’t have the skull on them, so I knew it wasn’t Chubs; instead, each of the vests had a raven. My eyes were fixed on them as they dismounted, realizing that these were probably Axel’s friends. I took a step closer, leaning in to eavesdrop. Because, yes, I was glutton for punishment.
“Damn, girl, you are looking fierce tonight,” one of the guys commented, whistling. He was staring at a female biker, who was wearing a leather jacket. It surprised me that a girl would be a gang member, but he was right, she was beautiful. Dark brown hair flowed down her back, and a she had a perfect hourglass figure that was accentuated by her skin-tight pants and tight leather top.
“Shut it, Rocco,” she called, securing her helmet to the bike. “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other pussy here for you to lust after. I don’t know why you’re bothering buttering me up.”
“She’s got that right, Roc. Look at all this sweet pussy here tonight.” Another one of the guys smirked, looking my way. I turned away, not wanting to catch his attention. “Besides, Roc, her bed is reserved for Blaze these days, ain’t that right, Trista? Your daddy know about that yet?”
She threw him a look so harsh it wiped the smirk right off his face. “You need to shut your mouth before I shut it for you, Rev. And don’t let me hear you talking about things you know nothing about again, got it? God, you almost sound like Ace. Just because he’s not here doesn’t mean you get to take his place with that shit.”
The rest of the group got quiet. She signed heavily. “Too soon? Why didn’t somebody make sure he came out with us tonight?”
One of the other guys hung his head. “He’s just not the same since they grabbed him. He’s all embarrassed and shit. We’re lucky he’s just down on himself. They could’ve killed him.”
“Yeah, we are,” she said. She shook her head, looking sad. “I just don’t understand what happened. I’ll be glad when Axel is out. Maybe he knows more, about that girl, and why Ace was taken.”
A smoking hot guy with a faux hawk stepped forward, putting his arm around her and planting a long, languorous kiss on her lips. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out.”
The girl, Trista, looked flushed after that kiss, and I couldn’t blame her. It was hot. “Alright, boys, let’s go party. I only turn twenty-six once.”
The group hooted, cheering as they made their way toward the entrance of the club, not bothering to wait in the line like the rest of us. “We get to celebrate twice in one week,” the guy they called Rocco announced. “Your birthday today, and Axel getting out tomorrow!”
I froze at the mention of his name. He was getting out? It hadn’t been three months yet. Did he get time off for good behavior or something? And I had to know who the girl was… they couldn’t be talking about me. Could they?
Without even realizing I was doing it, I took a few steps following them, needing to hear more, until a bony hand wrapped around my arm.
“What the hell are you doing, Paige?” Gina whispered loudly. “Get back here.”
Shaken out of my stupor, I re-joined Gina in line. “Sorry, I just…”
She pursed her lips at me. “I know exactly what ‘you just’. You’re thinking about that prisoner again, aren’t you?”
I nodded guiltily. “I’m pretty sure those bikers were part of his gang.”
Gina sighed. “Club. Not gang. We’ve gone over this a million times. Not all bikers are bad, Paige. And yeah, I heard them say his name too.” She pulled me closer, and lowered her voice a little. “Listen, if you want to try to talk to him after he gets out, then go for it, girl. Or better yet, no talking, just go knock boots for a few hours. Or days. You get no judgment from me. If he’s as hot as you describe, and the sex is that good, then I actually encourage it. Besides, I know how miserable you’ve been for that last few weeks, but you made me swear that I’d smack you if you even looked like you were thinking of him. Tough love and cold turkey, right? So, which is it? I just want you happy, no matter which way that is.”
I leaned my head onto her shoulder, moving up a few steps with the line. After a few days of feeling mopey, Gina finally dragged the whole story out of me… and then promptly demanded every sexy detail. “You’re a good friend. Thanks, sweets. But I need to get him out of my system, that’s all. Seeing him after he gets out would only make that worse.”
“So, that prison guard wasn’t helping you work him out of your system?”
I scrunched my face in disgust. “God, no. I could barely tolerate the three hours I did spend with him. I kid you not, he literally droned on for almost forty-five minutes about his hair plugs. Hair plugs! I mean, who brags about that shit?”
We finally made our way up to the bouncer, who took one look at our skimpy outfits and nodded in lusty approval before removing the rope for us to go inside. Gina grabbed my hand, dragging me in, as she followed the beat of the music. “Well, girl,” she yelled over the loud thumping of the bass, “Let’s see if we can’t find someone else to help you work him out of your system. Work you real good until you can’t even remember Axel’s name! Woo!”
I laughed at her, rolling my eyes, but she was right. I needed to find someone else to rock my world for one night so I’d have something else to think about and I wouldn’t be so damn horny! Maybe tonight I’d find such a guy.
TWO
AXEL
“You got someone to pick you up?” Marcus asked, as I gathered up the few personal effects I brought, mostly pictures of my mom and my bike. As far as cellmates go, Marcus ended up bein’ a great one. Quiet, tidy, and kept to himself. He even let me vent when I told him about the “girl back home” who was off limits, but I couldn’t seem to get out of my mind. And by vent, I meant he talked me out of punching multiple holes in the wall at least twice.
I kept Paige’s identity secret. I didn’t want to jeopardize her job in any way, but these last six weeks had been torture. Especially after hearin’ from Max that she’d started goin’ out with that fucker Jimmy Westmore. I almost added a few years to my sentence, needin’ to pummel the shit out of him for even thinking about touching her. I didn’t, Pops helped me see reason, but I wanted to—bad. That piece of shit bragged to anyone who would listen about his hot new girlfriend. It took everything in me not to break every bone in his body while chanting “mine, mine, mine” as I tore him limb from limb.
It didn’t matter. Today, I was a free man, and I could finally have Paige see me as an equal, not inmate number 28497-B. I planned on findin’ her and beggin’ her to give me a chance. A real chance to show her who I actually was, and not the idea she had in her head. I had no clue what her deal was with hating MCs, but I knew that, if I could just explain, she’d give me a shot. She felt what I felt, I know she did, and that couldn’t be ignored.
Unfortunately, that would have to wait until some club business was taken care of. When Trista came by a few weeks ago to fill me in, I was floored. I knew things were bad with parts missin’, but a rat? No. I couldn’t believe it. Every member of the Fallen Idols was a brother. Family. They wouldn’t betray us like that. No, I needed to find out what was really goin’ on. It had to be a set up, right? Those goddamned Feds trying to get us to turn on each other. That was the only thing that made sense.
“Let’s go, Cook,” one of the prison guards bellowed. “Gotta get to processing and retrieve your possessions so I can finally be done with you.”
I rolled my eyes, but resisted the retort on the tip of my tongue. I didn’t need to give him a reason to retract my early release. Thank God for prison overcrowding. Instead, I turned to Marcus, and held out my hand.
“It’s been real, man. Stay sane in here, yeah?”
He grasped my hand in his before bringin’ me in for a man hug. “Go get that girl. And keep your nose clean, so I don’t end up seeing you again, you hear me, boy?”
I patted him on the back and chuckled. “You know it.”
Thirty minutes later, my eyes were peer
ing out into the bright California sunshine without the restrictions of barbed wire fencing. I took a deep breath, relishing the moment.
“Hey hey! There he is!” Rocco called. “How’s it feel to be a free man at last?”
I shook my head at Rocco. You’d think I’d have been inside for years rather than a month and a half with the way he acted. “Good to see ya, Roc.” I walked up to him, givin’ him a quick man hug, and a sharp pat on the back before lookin’ around for… ah! There it was. “You brought Lucille.” I strode up to my treasured FatBoy, runnin’ my hands over her smooth chrome. “Aw, I missed you, girl.”
Rocco chuckled. “Yeah, I had one of the new prospects follow me up with the flatbed. I knew you’d want to get reacquainted with your lady. And here,” he tossed me my cut. “I’m sure you’ll be wanting this, too.”
I caught it with one hand, and slipped it on, finally feelin’ like myself again. With my cut on my back, and Lucille between my legs, everything was right with the world.
“Alright, man. Let’s ride. We’ve got church this afternoon.” Rocco mounted his own bike, securing his dome.
Chosen (Motorcycle Club Romance): Axel and Paige 2 (Fallen Idols Motorcycle Club Book 5) Page 1