Axel Summer Shifters Season 2

by Raines, Harmony

  “Sure.” He put his arm out but didn’t touch her as he ushered her into the group. When his friends looked up in question he said, “Someone was harassing her.”

  “Oh, I hate that,” the woman who had gone to the bathroom said.

  “I just need to get my boyfriend to come and meet me. So sorry to trouble you all.” Jenessa reached for her phone and kept her head down as she left the bar. Out in the street, she didn’t look around, not wanting to seem obvious to anyone who might be following her. Perhaps there was no one and she simply had an overactive imagination. Or perhaps there was. She couldn’t take the chance, but she hated the thought of possibly putting these people in danger.

  “We’re walking toward the Cloud Height apartment buildings if you want him to meet us there.” The guy she’d bumped into was sweet, he kept looking over his shoulder to see if the guy from the bar was following them.

  “Thanks, that would be perfect.” Jenessa quickly texted Axel to tell him.

  See you there. I was worried, came back the reply.

  “Do you live in the city?” the guy asked.

  “No, I’m here for a couple of days on business. I was at the bar meeting an old friend when she left, I went to the bathroom and that’s when the guy started hassling me.” She lied smoothly but the woman who had gone to the bathroom shot her a strange look. Damn, had she seen Jenessa enter the bar? “You know how it is, you have a drink and it’s not until you get outside that you realize you need the bathroom.”

  “Not really.” The guy chuckled.

  “Anyway, thanks so much. I’m very grateful.” She wrapped her arms around her shoulders to ward off the chill. She still didn’t want to put on her jacket.

  “The apartment building is just up here. I’ll wait outside with you until your boyfriend arrives,” the guy offered.

  “We’ll all wait,” the suspicious woman insisted.

  “Thanks, he shouldn’t be long.” She could see a tall apartment block on their right. Would Axel find it okay? Her nerves were assayed when the rumble of a motorcycle reached her. He was here.

  Unless it was another bike with a gang member riding it. Her heart raced as she looked along the street. The motorcycle was slowing to a stop outside the apartment building and as she stared, he took off his helmet.

  “Is that your boyfriend?” the suspicious woman asked.

  “Yes, that’s him.” She nodded and let out her pent-up breath as relief flooded through her.

  “Nice bike,” one of the others said.

  “Yeah.” She wanted to break out of the group and run to Axel, but she kept her cool and stayed with them. She wasn’t out of danger yet. Although, from Axel’s relaxed body language, she figured there must not be an imminent threat, which meant her ruse had worked. “Thank you all so much again.” She dashed sideways and retrieved the spare helmet from the back of the bike. After letting down her hair and putting her jacket back on, she hooked her leg over the back of the saddle, slid into the seat, put her helmet on, and said, “Let’s go.”

  Axel cast a questioning glance over his shoulder before he put his helmet on and drove off down the street. Jenessa held onto him tightly, her head resting on his back as she closed her eyes. Relief swept over her. But it was momentary. They were in more danger than before and they still had no real way to know where Tyler was. But at least they knew what he’d stolen and why the Hell Fire MC would never let this go.

  But she would find a solution. First, though, she needed to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Axel

  “Are you okay?” Axel asked when he pulled into the parking lot of the Whistling Hotel and took off his helmet.

  “Yes.” She nodded as she stowed the helmet in the back of the bike and got off.

  “Are you sure?” He slung his leg over the bike. As he stood next to her, she flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

  “I was scared. Thank you for coming for me.” She sniffed and lifted her head to look at him. “What happened?”

  “Let’s get inside first.” He nodded toward the hotel.

  “What about our stuff?” She let go of him and stood on shaky legs but the look in her eye was steely. Jenessa might be upset but she was not going to fall apart on him.

  “I went back and got it.” He opened the compartments on the side of the bike.

  “You went back there?” she asked in surprise.

  “Of course.” He carried the two packs toward the hotel, wanting to get inside as fast as possible. “I was told they had gone there for you. They didn’t seem interested in clothes and a toothbrush.” He tried to make light of the situation but failed.

  “And had they been there?” she asked quietly.

  “Yeah. The room was tipped over, but they had left. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to hear your voice and know you were safe. I grabbed all of our stuff and straightened the place while I waited for your text.” He pulled open the door to the hotel and held it for her as she went inside. “You’re sure you’re okay.”

  “Yes.” She nodded and looked around. “Do you think we’ll be safe here?”

  “I don’t know. But we have to sleep and eat and figure out our next move.” He went to the receptionist, but Jenessa stepped forward and pulled out her purse. Axel’s jaw tightened but he let her pay. He was just going to have to get used to his mate having more money than him. If things were the other way around, he would treat her the same. He’d pay for the essentials. It wasn’t as if Jenessa made a big thing of it.

  It’s our primal need to care for our mate and provide for her, his bear said.

  “I called O’Malley and asked him to move our parents.” Axel waited until they were inside their room before he broke the news.

  “I guessed you would.” Jenessa appeared calm as she dumped her bag on the bed and slumped down next to it. “Thanks for taking care of them.”

  “Are you really okay?”

  She looked up at him. “Yes, I really am. We just need to get through this. And I knew you would take care of everything. Thank you.” She pushed herself off the bed and went to him. Sliding her hands up his chest, she hooked them around his neck before pressing her lips to his. “I like having someone to count on.”

  “I thought you’d replaced me when I saw you walking along the street with those people.” Axel held her close, his hand on the small of her back.

  “I thought I was being followed.” She looked up at him. “Can we get into bed and then I’ll tell you everything that happened?”

  “Sure.” She looked beat as she opened her bag and took out her toiletry bag and PJs.

  Jenessa went to the bathroom and Axel took a moment to go over what had happened that evening while he texted O’Malley to check in on things in Cougar Ridge. Relieved when the message came back that they were all fine and that he’d gotten people to watch Paula’s house for any signs of disturbance, he sat down on the bed and pulled off his boots. He was tired, both physically and emotionally. When he thought Jenessa was in danger, his adrenaline had kicked in. He’d ridden the bike to the hotel and run inside only to find the room empty. His first thoughts had been that Hogg’s men had taken her. The sense of loss had been overwhelming and he’d blamed himself for leaving her.

  When she answered his call, the relief had been like someone sticking a pin in a balloon and his energy had seeped away as his adrenaline rush faded.

  All he wanted to do was fall asleep with Jenessa in his arms and wake up to find this was all over. But he suspected things would get worse before they got better. Tyler still had to be found and the Hell Fire MC pacified.

  “I found a friend of Colleen’s,” Jenessa told him as she slipped into bed next to him.

  “Is that where you went?”

  “Yes, I traced her on social media to a bar called Teasers. She let slip that Colleen was with Tyler. She’s mighty pissed because she and Colleen were planning on running away together and she feels as if she’s been dumped.” Jenessa
snuggled up close to Axel. “She says she has no idea where they have gone, and I believe her.”

  “That makes sense since Colleen must know her father would search for her.” Axel stroked Jenessa’s arm. “Do you still think Tyler would have gone to the campsite you mentioned?”

  “I have no other ideas. None.” Jenessa sounded dead tired.

  “Then we’ll go there next. We need to get out of here and I think we both know Tyler and Colleen wouldn’t have hung around. This is not one of those times to hide in plain view. I think they would both know that.” Axel kissed the top of Jenessa’s head.

  “Yeah, the Hell Fire MC has eyes and ears everywhere, it wouldn’t take long for someone to spot Colleen or Tyler on the streets.” She sighed and relaxed into him. “Can I talk to my dad in the morning?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry, we haven’t stashed them somewhere with no cell phone reception.”

  “Where have you stashed them?” Jenessa lifted her chin off his chest and looked him in the eye.

  “They’ve gone to the local sawmill. The guy who owns it has plenty of spare rooms there and no one is likely to sneak up on them. There is plenty of help around if anything does happen and Kelos will come down and breathe dragon fire on anyone who does poke their head up above ground.”

  “It pays to have friends,” Jenessa said. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank everyone.”

  “I’m sure we’ll find a way.” He eased himself down the bed and pulled the covers up. “Right now, we need to sleep. Tomorrow we’ll grab some supplies for the journey. We need to make sure we aren’t followed.”

  Axel fell into a sleep filled with dreams of him and Jenessa being chased by men with wolf heads on motorcycles. Every time they thought they had escaped, the wolf gang caught up with them. It was a never-ending game, one that he could not win, one where no matter how hard he tried he could not keep his mate safe,

  “Axel.” He woke to the sound of his mate’s voice and the touch of her hand on his skin. His eyes flew open and he reached up to cup her face in his hand, needing to touch her and know she was real. “You were dreaming.”

  “But this is real.” He kissed her lips and she snuggled up to him, her fingers trailing across his chest.

  “Very real.” She stroked his skin, igniting his desire for her. Not that it was ever fully quenched. He was aware of her every second of every minute of the day. When she wasn’t with him, it was as if his senses were constantly searching for her. Life without Jenessa was unthinkable.

  “We should grab some breakfast and get on the road.”

  “We should.” She slid her hand down between their bodies and curled her fingers around his hard length.

  “Maybe we need to work up an appetite first.” He slipped his hand around to the nape of her neck and pulled her head down toward him until their lips were a breath apart. “I love you, Jenessa.”

  “I think I love you, too, Axel.” She kissed him, her mouth warm on his as their tongues entwined. For now, this time was theirs, they could spare a few moments of bliss before the day began and the worries and fears for their families invaded their thoughts. It was too early to call his mom to check in on her. As for Tyler, the guy was either where Jenessa suspected or he was not. The minutes they spent in each other’s arms would not change that.

  He slipped his hand between her thighs and caressed her mound. Jenessa inched her thighs apart to allow him to push deeper, to stroke her inner walls, and drive her arousal higher. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. And he wanted her very much. More than anything in his whole life.

  Axel rolled her onto her back and slotted his body between her thighs. She guided him into her, her hands slipping over his butt as he entered her. Urging him on, she wrapped her legs around him and angled her body so he brushed her mound with each thrust. Jenessa bit the sensitive skin on his neck before covering the tortured skin in light kisses as her breathing quickened. Axel pulled out of her and lunged forward, burying himself deep inside his mate. He longed to fill her with his essence and make a child with her. He longed to raise that child with his mate. His mom had given up hope of ever having a grandchild to dote on but maybe this was a possibility now.

  With Jenessa, everything was possible, nothing was out of their reach as long as they were together. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together.

  He groaned, claiming her mouth as his orgasm sped toward him. Being with Jenessa, being inside of her was more exciting than any bike ride, the feel of her beneath him more thrilling than the rumble of an engine. Before Jenessa, being on a motorcycle had been his most incredible experience. You could turn the handlebars in any direction and ride the road until its destination. Being on a bike meant freedom. Being with Jenessa meant being part of something bigger than himself, something he never wanted to be free from.

  He came, jerking his seed into her as her inner muscles tightened around him. She pulsed and throbbed, milking his seed, claiming him as much as he claimed her. They were equals in the bedroom, as they were in every area of their lives. As his orgasm faded, he finally accepted that. He was big enough and strong enough to accept that she had more wealth than he would ever have. It wasn’t a competition. They were meant to support each other and raise each other up.

  “So have you worked up that appetite yet?” Jenessa asked as she nuzzled his neck, her fingers stroking the sparse hair across his chest.

  “I think so.” He groaned as he inhaled her scent. “Unless you want to...”

  “Oh, I do.” She rolled away from him and he felt the loss of her heat. “But we need to get going. The longer we hang around here, the more chance that we’re going to be spotted. I don’t want to leave the city in a high-speed chase.” She glanced down at him over her shoulder. “We could always go back to Cooper’s and get my car.”

  “No, we’re going on the bike,” he told her firmly. “It’s more maneuverable if they do catch up with us. Plus, in expert hands, we can get higher into the mountains.”

  Jenessa reached for one of his hands and leaned down, pressing it to her lips. “You certainly do have expert hands.”

  “You say the nicest things.” He sat up and leaned forward, cupping her breast with his free hand. Pinching her nipple, he elicited a gasp from her, and she leaned back against his body.

  “This is so not fair.” He kissed the hollow of her neck, licking her skin as she rested against him.

  “I don’t always play fair.” He slipped his hand down over her soft belly and stroked her sensitive mound before slipping his fingers inside her. She closed her eyes and shuddered in excitement as he pushed his fingers in and out, stroking her inner walls.

  “Oh. There. Right there.” She whimpered as he pushed another finger inside her. “Definitely an expert.”

  He changed the angle of his body and lowered his mouth to claim her nipple. Jenessa tensed, her body rigid before her hips moved, pushing down on his fingers, circling her hips as he drove her to the edge of her orgasm. She reached up and circled her arms around his neck, stroking the nape of his neck as his hard length pushed into the small of her back. He was desperate to take her again, desperate to bury himself deep inside her until he came.

  Jenessa placed her hand over his as her breath quickened. Small mewling sounds escaped her lips as her inner muscles tightened around his fingers. Axel kept his rhythm steady, moving with her as she moved her hips, in a dance of pleasure. As she moved, his own arousal grew until he was ready to burst. Witnessing his mate in the throes of ecstasy was incredible.

  As she came, her body brushed against him, her warm skin teasing him. He longed to bury himself in her slick heat. If not, then he would need to take a very cold shower.

  Reading his need, Jenessa slumped forward as her orgasm passed then turned around, crawling over the bed toward him. Her hand on his shoulder forced him to lie back. He obeyed and she hovered over him, straddling him before lowering herself down onto his painfully hard leng
th.

  He groaned, gripping the bedcovers as he fought for control. Her slick inner walls clamped around him and the friction of skin against skin was too much. Then she started to move, her hips circling around as she inched up and down. Axel slid his fingers into her hair and curled them around the silky tendrils before pulling her head down so he could kiss her lips. Jenessa thrust her tongue into his mouth, and their tongues entwined as their kiss deepened. She excited him on every level and as he came inside her, he could not wait to see what future they made together.

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Jenessa

  After a quick breakfast, they were on the road heading out of the city. Axel took a serpentine route, doubling back on himself several times after which he would stop and use his senses to try to figure out if they were being followed. After a couple of false alarms, he was happy that no one was tailing them, and they finally headed toward the mountain region where Jenessa guessed her brother would take Colleen.

  She could be entirely wrong, and this might be a wild goose chase but right now it was their only lead. If this failed, she was stumped. The thought of going back and attempting to get new information from any of the motorcycle crews didn’t bear thinking about. She hated the idea of Axel being put in any more danger.

  Or either of their parents.

  If she thought it would help, she would give herself over to the Hell Fire MC and let them use her as bait, but she doubted that plan would end in a happy ending for anyone.

  Pushing her worries to one side, she focused on the scenery around them. After leaving behind the stores and high-rises, and then the family homes that filled the suburbs, the kind of homes she had once wanted for herself, the world around them had grown steadily greener. Fields filled with cattle or sheep, with the occasional horse grazing in a paddock, mingled with belts of trees. They passed through an occasional small town but wherever possible, Axel shied away from human habitation. If no one saw them then no one could tell the Hell Fire MC where they were.