She reached over to me, squeezing my arm. “Seems like it’s all working out okay, honey.” She smiled warmly.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
I heard the rumble of Axel’s truck and turned my head toward the sound. I had to admit, I missed the sound of his bike. Since we had Maddox, most of the time the truck had become his main source of transportation.
I’d ridden the bike a few times with him and it had been a thrill to wrap myself around him as the wind whipped through my hair.
When he walked in, I felt that familiar flutter I always felt when it came to him. He was wearing his standard Levis and a black t-shirt under his cut. He swept his brown hair from his face as his expressive eyes met mine.
“Hi,” I murmured with a shy smile.
“Hi,” he replied, his gaze sweeping over my face, landing a beat longer on my lips. I could feel my face heat again and I licked them involuntarily, watching his eyes turn dark. He moved through the room to Maddox, lifting him up in his strong arms.
The sound of a bike rumbling to a stop made Gracie’s face light up.
“Daddy,” Scarlet grinned to her.
Cole walked in a moment later to grins from both the ladies in his life. He delivered a kiss to his wife and scooped his squealing daughter up in his arms.
I rose up off the couch, gathering the diaper bag and any stray toys we’d left lying around. “We’ll see you soon.” I hugged Scar in parting.
“You’ll see me the day after tomorrow along with everyone else,” she informed me.
“What?” I asked.
“The club wanted to welcome you home, Soph,” Cole told me, his blue eyes warm on mine.
Sal and Axel both assured me that the reasons why I’d left had been shared and were understood, respected even, by the Knights. It showed in the much warmer way Cole treated me since I’d returned to town.
“Wow, okay,” I stuttered, beyond moved at the gesture. I looked to Axel with a question in my eyes. He hadn’t mentioned this.
“Let’s get you two home,” he said by way of answer.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked quietly as he backed out of their driveway and gunned the gas, headed for the highway.
He shrugged. “I wanted it to come from Scar. Figured that way you wouldn’t say no,” he chuckled. “You seem to argue with me about everything.”
“Good play,” I replied dryly and he laughed harder, reaching over and putting his large hand over mine. I turned it over, palm up and laced his fingers with mine.
Electricity zinged down my spine as I felt his gaze on me. He was looking over at me with surprise as I turned to meet his gaze.
He grinned. The man was beautiful on any occasion, but when he smiled, he was breathtaking. “She’s gettin' it,” he muttered to himself, his eyes turning back to the road.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “She is.”
I put Maddox to bed and Axel and I sat out on his large back deck eating a casual dinner and sipping beers.
“It’s beautiful here,” I sighed, loving the smell of the pine trees, the orchestra of crickets and the occasional owl.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Scar offered to babysit.” His pose was casual as his boots rested on the railing, crossed at the ankle.
“Oh?” I asked, my heart beating a little harder in my chest.
“Yeah, I want to take you out to dinner.”
“Like a date?” I asked incredulously. “Ax, we have a kid together. I think we’re past the first date.”
“Well, it can be our second date then,” he replied easily.
“All right, second date,” I clinked his bottle with mine.
I slinked off to bed like I had since we’d been staying with him. I was still so nervous about taking things to a romantic level between us. I couldn’t place where the anxiety came from. Lack of experience? Fear of rejection? Whatever it was, I was like a freaking skittish cat when it came to being close to him.
“Night, baby,” I heard him call. He knew I was running away from him. He’d allow me this for the time being, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever.
When my phone rang with a call from Jill an hour later, I smiled, excited to catch up with her. I’d been reading in bed after having a hard time falling asleep.
“Hi, there,” I greeted warmly.
Her reply was full of concern. “Hi, Soph.”
I sat up straighter in bed at hearing her worried tone, knowing immediately that something was wrong. “What happened?”
“Some men were here looking for you,” she told me.
“What?” I demanded.
“They looked sort of like your friends…” She trailed off. “So at first I thought it was okay.”
“What do you mean they looked like my friends?” I asked, confused.
“They looked like bikers. At first I thought maybe they were the same guys who were here last week.”
My blood chilled as I tried to understand what the hell was going on.
“They didn’t bother you?” I asked, immediately concerned for her safety.
“No – they went straight for your door. Do you know who they were?”
“No idea. Did you see any names on any of them?”
“The Black something or other? At least I think that’s what their jackets said.”
I knew of the Black Riders through the Knights, but I didn’t have any idea why the hell they’d be looking for me.
“Did they take anything?” I asked, my teeth biting at my lip nervously.
“No, they were in and out really fast. I heard one guy say , ’she isn’t here’.”
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Are you safe?” she asked worriedly.
“Clearly safer than if I had stayed,” I sighed. “I’m okay, Jill. Axel’s taking good care of us.”
“I’m glad. You deserve it,” she replied quietly. “Keep me in the loop of what you find out and kiss that baby for me.”
“Thanks, I will.” I hung up, trying to calm my raging nerves.
I was suddenly frantic to check on Maddox. Though rationally, I knew he was sleeping soundly in his crib, I had to lay eyes on him.
I stood over his crib for an indeterminable amount of time just watching his little chest rise and fall. My mind was racing thinking that we could have still been there and what that could have meant.
When Axel’s warm hands gently gripped my upper arms from behind, I jumped about a mile in the air, letting out a squeak of alarm. I turned to him, my eyes wide, hand over my heart. “I didn’t hear you,” I whispered.
“What are you doing in here? Is he okay?” he asked, his eyes shooting beyond me to the crib.
“He’s fine,” I whispered, my voice hoarse and before I even thought about it, I was throwing my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. My body shook with emotion as I clung to him.
He scooped me up without another word and carried me into his room, depositing me on the bed and crawling up over me, effectively caging me in. Instead of the posture scaring me, his weight and closeness soothed my raging nerves.
“What is it?” His expression was tight as he peered down into my face.
“Jill called,” I explained, looking off to the side.