The Survivor and his Safe Place

by Rebecca James

  “Oh my God, I couldn’t call him!” I protested, horrified at the thought.

  “Text him, then.” Lake keyed Axel’s number into my contacts. I wondered if he noticed it was one of only seven.

  Morgan handed the phone back to me, and I stared at it.

  “Go on,” Lake urged.

  “What do I say?” I asked.

  “How about that you missed him at Sunday dinner?”

  I hesitated. “Do you think he’d mind that you gave me his number?”

  “I am positive he wouldn’t. Be sure to say it’s you, though, or he won’t know.”

  Gathering my courage, I tapped out a message.

  Hi, Axel, this is Caleb. I hope you don’t mind Lake gave me your number. I missed seeing you Sunday and hope you are okay.

  I showed Morgan and Lake the message, they nodded, and I sent it, feeling like I’d just pressed the red button in the presidential office and was seconds away from the world exploding.

  “It’ll be fine.” Morgan patted my hand, and I realized I was trembling. Duke got up from his bed and ambled over, whining. He leaned against me, and I buried my face in his soft fur.

  “Are you okay?” Lake asked.

  I nodded against Duke’s back. “I just need a minute.”

  God, what if Axel didn’t reply?

  My phone pinged, and my head shot up. Morgan and Lake were both grinning. I snatched my phone off the side table and looked at the screen.

  Of course I don’t mind. I’m okay. Are you?

  I frowned, wondering why I wouldn’t be okay, and Lake and Morgan started pestering me to tell them what he’d said. I read it to them.

  “I guess he means because I walked in on the fight.”

  I’m fine. I was worried about you. Did you get hurt?

  Axel didn’t answer right away, and when Morgan and Lake saw my message, they both cackled.

  “You’ve just implied Dante bested him in a fight,” Lake said.

  Horrified, I quickly typed another message.

  I mean, I know you can handle yourself. You’re built like a steamroller.

  I immediately sent the message, wanting to reassure Axel right away, and then blushed when I reread it.

  “God, I’m so bad at this,” I said, tossing my phone on the couch where Morgan and Lake pounced on it.

  Lake snorted. “I’m sure he’s all puffed up like a peacock after reading that.”

  I groaned and leaned back in my chair, shoving my fingers through my hair.

  “I love your hair,” Morgan said. “All those curls.”

  “I look like a boy Shirley Temple,” I said flatly.

  “They’re awesome,” Lake said. “Axel probably thinks about pulling on them while he plows into you.”

  My eyes widened and I barked out a laugh. “Oh, my God.”

  “But you like the thought, right?” Lake looked at me knowingly.

  “Shut up.” I threw a pillow at him, and Duke barked, ready to play. I got out one of his toys, and we all spent some time playing tug of war with the Great Dane.

  When there were no more texts, Morgan and Lake helped me clean up.

  “This was fun. Would you be willing to come to my house next time?” Morgan asked.

  “I could pick you up,” Lake offered.

  I considered. I really wanted to do it, but I was afraid.

  “No pressure,” Morgan said. “Just think about it.”

  “I want to,” I said. “It’s just that I never go anywhere. I used to work at the library, but it was quiet there. Since I came here, I’ve been a hermit.”

  Morgan shrugged. “Like I said, no pressure. But if you decide to do it and then find out it’s too much halfway here or when you walk in or whatever, I won’t be upset if you call it off, okay?”

  “Okay.” I smiled. As they prepared to leave, I thought of something. “Uh, would you guys mind coming with me to get the dogs? They’re in the kennel.”

  It was dark out, and I didn’t relish doing it on my own. They agreed amiably, and we headed outside.

  Once I had the shelter dogs in and had watched Lake and Morgan drive away in Morgan’s car, I rechecked the locks and flopped down on the sofa.

  A light on my phone was blinking, and I eagerly opened my messages.

  I’m glad you noticed.

  There was a winky face emoji afterward that sent my heart racing and blood to my cheeks. Emboldened and feeling way more courageous than I had earlier, I typed out a reply and sent it before I could chicken out.

  Believe me, I definitely noticed.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Axel

  Holy shit, Caleb had texted me, and not just that—he’d flirted with me. And there I’d been thinking he’d never want to see me again. I’ll admit my ego was a little busted that Caleb had assumed Dante had hurt me in our little scuffle in the kitchen, but Caleb had quickly texted again, saying I was built like a steamroller, which had sent my deflated ego soaring. Knowing Caleb seemed to appreciate the way I was built did crazy things to my heart as well as my cock, and the conversation had gotten even better when he’d assured me he’d noticed my body.

  As I sat in the living room re-reading the texts for the dozenth time, the front door of the clubhouse opened, and Lake walked in. When he saw me with my phone in hand, he gave me a smile I couldn’t read. Kind of knowing and sly. Blaze walked in from the kitchen and pulled Lake in for a kiss before I could ask Lake what the hell he was smirking about, although I knew. Caleb had said Lake had given him my number.

  I got up to go to bed, thinking I’d beat Hung in there and if he tried to bring somebody in to fuck, I’d tell him to get a hotel. I was sick of being ousted from my room. Then I heard Lake tell Blaze he and Morgan had been eating pizza a Caleb’s.

  “Wait. I figured Caleb called and asked you for my number. You were at his house?” I asked, sitting down again.

  “Yep.” Lake grinned. “He invited us over.”

  Blaze looked from Lake to me. “What are you two talking about?”

  “Caleb texted me. I hadn’t realized Morgan and Lake were there with him,” I explained.

  “Doing a little matchmaking?” Blaze asked his boyfriend. “Put the big guy out of his misery and tell him everything that happened.”

  Wrapped in Blaze’s arms, Lake looked at me over his shoulder. “Caleb’s been worried because you haven’t been around since you fought with Dante. He likes you.”

  “You fought with Dante?” Blaze asked.

  “He pissed me off,” I said. “And Caleb walked in on it. I figured I’d ruined things with him and took off.”

  Lake shook his head. “He’s very into you.”

  I couldn’t believe it; I was blushing.

  “So, you guys talked about me?” I asked, not sure what to do with the weird, squirmy feeling in my stomach.

  “Oh, yes. We certainly did.”

  Blaze smacked Lake’s ass. “You’re bad.”

  Lake grinned. “All I’m saying is that you should go for it, Axel. He really likes you, and Morgan and I had only nice things to say about you.”

  I know my face was beet red, and I could only stare as Lake and Blaze headed for their bedroom. Lake still had an apartment, but he spent more time at the clubhouse than there. Too late, I heard Hung’s voice talking low and sultry to someone, and I jumped up. The bastard had come in through the back door. I’d barely made it into the hall before our bedroom door shut behind him and whomever he’d brought home this time.

  With a sigh, I flopped back on the couch and resigned myself to another shitty night’s sleep.

  ****

  I woke to pounding and shouting.

  “Wake up, you big-dicked bastard!”

  Rubbing my eyes, I rolled off the couch and shuffled into the hall to find Nick, Julianne’s cousin and Hung’s new ‘personal assistant,’ banging his fists on my bedroom door.

  “What’s going on?” I growled. “It’s the ass crack of dawn.”

&nbs
p; “Jeovanni has a shoot. I told him last night to set his alarm, but do you think the thick-headed Brazilian did it? No, of course not. I might as well be talking to a tree. Blaze is mad as a hornet and wants Jeo at the warehouse now.” Nick rattled the doorknob, which Hung had evidently locked, and we should probably be glad of that.

  When I’d come up with the plan of siccing Nick on Hung, I’d never imagined it would work out this well. Although I didn’t like being jerked out of sleep so early, the fact that Nick was screaming like a fishwife outside Hung’s bedroom more than made up for it.

  I nudged Nick out of the way and reached for the bobby pin I kept above the door. “You might get an eyeful,” I warned. “I don’t know who he’s got in here.”

  I pushed the door open.

  Nick huffed and shoved past me like I wasn’t almost a foot taller and three times as broad, and I shook my head and leaned on the doorframe to watch the dark-haired firecracker climb onto the bed where Hung lay naked and snoring loudly. Grabbing the biker’s shoulders, Nick shook hard. A red-headed twink sat up on the other side of the bed, covers falling to reveal a dozen or more love-bites covering his pale skin.

  “Hey, what the fuck’s going on?” the twink complained.

  “None of your business,” Nick said before smacking Hung’s cheeks with both hands. “Get up! You’re holding up the shoot! I told you to set your alarm.”

  Hung sat up, toppling Nick onto the floor in the process.

  “Quit hitting me!” he roared.

  Nick stared up defiantly at the naked man, whose morning wood stood out from his body like a baseball bat.

  “I wouldn’t have to hit you if you didn’t sleep like the dead. Blaze is waiting for you!”

  The twink flopped back on the pillows and covered his head with the blankets. “Who is this crazy bitch?” he mumbled from underneath them.

  “Who are you calling a crazy bitch?” Nick jumped up, and before he could dive for the bed, I grabbed him around the waist. He yelled and waved his arms and legs around as, grumbling, Hung headed for the bathroom.

  “Was it your idea to appoint that banshee as my personal assistant?” Hung accused, pointing his finger at me before slamming the door. When I heard the shower come on, I turned back to the bedroom. Setting Nick on his feet, I said, “Play nice.” Nick immediately yanked the bedclothes off the naked twink.

  “Up and at ‘em, Huckleberry!” he sang.

  “Hey, what’s the big idea?” The twink tried to grab the sheet, but Nick held it out of reach.

  “Time to get back on your raft and sail down the Mississippi.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? You really are crazy.” The twink slid off the bed and grabbed a pair of sparkly pants from the floor, almost falling when he slid one leg into them as Nick stood watching, arms crossed over his chest.

  When the guy had left, Nick turned to me. “How do you put up with being roommates with Jeovanni?”

  “I spend a lot of time on the couch.” Scratching my bare stomach, I headed for the kitchen. Thank Christ somebody had made coffee, and it was still hot.

  The bathroom door opened, and I heard Nick, who had gone back to the bedroom, yell at Hung to hurry the fuck up.

  “You don’t have to stand there with your hands on your hips like you’re my mother; I can dress myself!” Hung hollered back.

  “Are you sure about that?” Nick asked. “Right now you don’t look capable of doing much of anything. And did you jack off in there? How are you going to get that snake ready for the shoot?”

  “Don’t you worry about my snake,” Hung answered, then switched to Portuguese and what I assumed to be cursing.

  Nick sauntered into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee before snatching a bottle of pain medicine out of the cabinet. I got the feeling it wasn’t the first time he’d done it. When Hung came through wearing only a robe and his boots, Nick handed him the cup and pills, and Hung swallowed the tablets down.

  “How the fuck did you manage to pick up the ginger between the studio and here last night?” Nick asked, tapping his fingers on the counter. “Oh, nevermind. Hurry up, would you?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief when they’d gone but couldn’t resist a peek out the window. I laughed when I saw Nick herding Hung across the yard to the warehouse like the biker was a goose that’d got out of its pen.

  I had to be at work at five. Since I couldn’t stop thinking about what Lake had said the night before, and I was up so early, I decided to go see Caleb. Before jumping in the shower, I sent him a text.

  Okay if I come by before work?

  I stripped and stepped into the stall, hurrying with my washing before the hot water ran out. Once dried off, I checked my phone and smiled.

  Sure.

  I brushed my teeth and hair and went to get dressed. Nick, who everyone at Hard Time had quickly learned was obsessive compulsive about cleaning, had made Hung’s bed and picked up the floor while Hung got dressed. I needed to talk to Blaze about the bedroom situation. I was sick of the couch. One of the other guys could have a turn sharing a room with Hung.

  I dressed carefully in one of my favorite shirts and a clean pair of jeans. Since I was going to work from the shelter, I folded my club clothes and stuffed them into a backpack.

  The approach of autumn gave the morning air a slight nip and a crisp scent that made me think of a dozen first days of school back in Jersey. As I drove, I tried to plan out what I was going to say to Caleb, but nothing sounded right. By the time I parked my Harley in front of the shelter, I’d chosen and discarded at least a half dozen options and was starting to panic.

  Until Caleb walked out of the kennel wearing a low-slung pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and nothing else. My mouth went dry at the sight of his lean body, perfect nipples, and delectable hip bones. I spent several seconds imagining his long legs wrapped around my waist before snapping out of it.

  “Hey,” I said, dismounting my bike.

  A breeze blew Caleb’s curls into his eyes, and he pushed them away as though they irritated him. I loved them.

  Noting the broom in his hand, I asked, “Been cleaning the kennel?”

  “Yeah.” Caleb bit his bottom lip and looked toward the shelter, and it was as though I could see the thoughts tumbling in his mind.

  “We can sit on the porch and talk if you want. It’s a nice morning.”

  Caleb’s shoulders relaxed, and I felt like I’d won the lottery. “Um, I made some lemonade. I’ll get it.” We stepped onto the porch, and I took a seat while Caleb went inside. A moment later, he let two small dogs and Duke out the front door.

  “Will you watch them while they go to the bathroom?” he asked.

  “Sure.” I got back up and walked a few feet onto the grass, calling to the dogs. The two small breeds came running, sniffing the grass until finding the perfect spot to squat and pee. Duke walked sedately to a tree, lifted a hind leg, and urinated a stream onto the bark. Caleb returned with two glasses of lemonade and called the dogs to sit with us on the porch.

  The sun had risen considerably in the sky and cast golden rays through the trees surrounding the property. Birds chattered in the trees, and a few ate from a feeder hanging on the corner of the porch. A large black cat sat in the window of the shelter, looking out the glass at the birds with alert eyes.

  Distant laughter from the woods drew my attention.

  “Someone moved into Deirdre’s old house,” Caleb explained. “I met them when I was walking the dogs.”

  “Did they make you uncomfortable?” I asked, ready to go pound the guys if they had.

  Caleb gave me a mildly exasperated look. “Everyone makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” I teased. “I hear you had company last night.”

  Caleb’s cheeks pinked.

  “I hope you don’t mind about the texting thing.”

  “I told you I didn’t. I liked it.”

  Caleb stared at me, wide-eyed. He was so
damned cute, and my body was definitely noticing. He’d put a shirt on, but the memory of his smooth chest and those perky nipples remained. Other than the one time with Mick in the parking lot, I hadn’t had sex in a long time, and my dick was on a hair trigger. I moved my glass to cover the bulge, but that drew Caleb’s attention. For a few tense seconds, I waited for him to move away or run inside, but he only looked his fill and met my eyes again, and fuck, if that didn’t make my dick even harder.

  “I like you, Axel,” he said in a husky tone that caused sweat to break out on my forehead.

  I looked into his gray eyes. “I like you too.”

  He smiled an infectious grin that made my insides all tingly. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but whatever it was, I liked it.

  The sound of a car pulling up the drive had Caleb tensing. I stood ready to shield him if necessary.

  “It’s Hugh,” Caleb said a few seconds later. “Dr. Silvers, the vet.”

  Hugh? I seemed to recall Isaac going out with that guy, which meant Hugh Silvers was gay. He spent a lot of time at the shelter around Caleb. I hadn’t realized I was flexing and unflexing my arm muscles until Caleb touched my elbow tentatively.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Forcing myself to relax, I let out a breath. “Nothin’.”

  Silvers got out of his car and strode across the lawn to us, a friendly smile on his face. Tall and blond with hazel eyes, he was too attractive for my liking.

  “Gorgeous morning, isn’t it?” Hugh asked as he stepped onto the porch.

  Caleb remained quiet, so I nodded and agreed.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac approaching from the main house.

  “Sorry!” he called to us when he was close enough for us to hear. “I tried calling you, Caleb. I asked Hugh to check on the new cat.”

  “It’s okay,” Caleb said, looking embarrassed.

  “I’ll just slip in and do my thing,” Silvers said. “She in the cat room?”

  Caleb nodded.

  Isaac looked a little uncomfortable, and I knew it was because of how we’d left things, so I pulled him into a bear hug, happy that he relaxed against me.

  “Sorry,” he whispered to me, and I tugged his ponytail.