Chapter Nine
“Already been to hell,” Axel muttered beneath his breath. Her retreating figure hit him harder than the slap and was a reminder of how easily he could still lose her.
Even in anger, she was a vision. Her fiery hair gleamed beneath the afternoon sun and her determined march, her fists clenched, was a stark reminder that perhaps he’d pushed things too far.
He let out a heavy sigh. Yes, he’d definitely overstepped.
Still, he hadn’t been able to ignore the undeniable sparks of desire he had seen in her eyes, and the way she’d leaned into him of her own accord.
He’d just wanted to tap her on the tip of her nose telling her that was payback for the slap, but things had just totally gone out of control.
Her nearness was all the invitation he’d needed. Resisting Jenna had always been futile.
He reached up and swept his fingers across the tender spot on his cheek where she’d slapped him. The sting grounded him, pulling him out of the haze of adrenaline and desire.
Ouch was right. That hurt.
Then he touched his mouth. The echo of her kiss lingered, stirring up years of longing he’d tried to bury. His lips were swollen and throbbing from her kiss. He licked his lips and tasted her on him.
She tasted just as good as he remembered.
And his shaft felt heavy with desire, pressing tightly against his pants.
Axel winced as he bent over and picked up her cowboy hat. Holding it felt like holding a piece of her, familiar, fragile, and far too easy to break again. He put it up against his nose. It smelled of Jenna. Pretty. Fresh soap and female.
He plopped the hat on his head and made his way to the ranch house, the persistent ache between his legs a reminder of what had just transpired.
Man, he’d been so close to ripping off her clothes. So close to making love to her right then and there. So damned close. It had been too long for them to be apart. Too damned long.
He knew that’s what she wanted. What they both wanted. It had always been that way between them. The attraction between them hadn’t changed. It had only grown.
Entering the ranch house, he lifted the cowboy hat off his head and placed it on the peg just inside the door where he’d seen it earlier.
Then he spotted Nick standing by the sink, casually leaning against the counter, sipping on a glass of water.
The sight of Nick steadied him. He was a reminder of the life he’d survived, and the one he was trying to build now.
Nick looked much better than earlier. The blood that had streaked his face was now gone, and he seemed to have regained some of his composure.
“You clean up quite good,” Axel complimented.
“Thanks to Jenna. It’s amazing what some pain killers and tender touches can do for an injured man. She told me about what happened here last night. She figures it’s the same guy.”
A flicker of something sharp twisted in Axel’s chest. Protectiveness, jealousy, guilt, it was all tangled together.
“Yeah, guess we should have gone over and warned you.”
Nick shrugged, unconcerned.
“Hey, you guys didn’t know he was still around. And the conk on my head might have been worth it as Jenna plays nurse very well. By the way, your food was quite delicious. Had two helpings.”
“I can tell you what that meatloaf would taste good with,” Axel growled, knowing Nick would understand his meaning. Back in prison they’d done some mighty fine taste testing by smearing food on their intimate parts after they’d smuggled some form of rare delicacy or another out of the cafeteria.
“And she wanted me to lie down in the back bedroom and play patient,” Nick remarked with a grin.
“That worked out well,” Axel grinned back, feeling his cock swell even harder at the appealing thought that they could have some alone time in that bedroom with Jenna being outside.
Nick’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“You know me, I can’t sit still for too long. And when I heard the truck coming back…I didn’t expect to see you and Jenna kissing. That was one hell of a kiss, I’m surprised you’re still standing,” Nick’s gaze flicked pointedly to the juncture of Axel’s pants, his teasing clear.
Heat crept up Axel’s neck, not from desire, but from the raw vulnerability of being seen.
“Didn’t figure you a voyeur,” Axel grumbled as he strolled toward the table attempting to regain his composure.
Yeah, some alone time with Nick would certainly alleviate his immediate problem.
Things sure didn’t turn out the way he’d wanted for the three of them. He’d thought they would have enjoyed a nice meal together, discussing what repairs needed doing, but he’d screwed it up quite nicely by taking off and then pissing off Jenna.
“Actually I believe I’m jealous,” Nick said as he moved in behind Axel and wrapped his arms around Axel’s waist. The familiar weight of Nick’s presence grounded him, pulling him back from the edge of his spiraling thoughts.
Axel’s breath caught and he swore softly at the feel of Nick’s burgeoning erection pressing intimately against the crack of Axel’s clothed ass.
“Easy, there, cowboy,” Axel muttered as he tried to concentrate on heaping food onto a plate. He swore if Nick pressed himself even closer, Axel would forget the food, turn Nick around, and take him right there against the table, using the butter he’d set on the table earlier, as lubricant.
Thankfully, Nick moved away with a chuckle.
“Where’s our stuff? I didn’t see them in any of the bedrooms,” he asked.
“We’re sleeping in the hayloft in the barn. More private. So you hold onto that erection as it appears you got mighty turned on watching us,” Axel said as he fixed his gaze onto Nick’s tented pants.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Nick replied.
Just then a low rumble of thunder whispered into the kitchen. The sound echoed the turmoil still churning inside him.
“Oh oh, sounds like a storm coming. Going to go out and see how bad it might be,” Nick said and headed for the door.
Axel nodded and popped his plate into the microwave. He was starting to get a bit hungry, and he couldn’t wait to devour the food he’d made. It smelled so good.
“Storm’s coming this way,” Nick said as he rushed back into the ranch house.
“Looks like Jenna is bringing in the horses.
You better go out and help her . I've seen plenty of horses get hit by lightning during my time on the prairies.
I'll head back over to Sam's place and take care of the horses there. I’ll do more repairs if the rain subsides. And I look forward to a roll in the hay tonight,” Nick teased as he snapped up the truck keys from the table where Axel had just placed them earlier.
“You bastard,” Axel said softly as he and Nick headed out the door.
As they stepped outside, sure enough Nick was right. There were some nasty looking dark clouds accumulating in the western sky, and it appeared to be heading this way. The air was heavy and smelled of ozone, hinting at the severity of the storm.
Man, it had seemed decent weather when he’d come back in. Weather sure did change fast around here and maybe he would have noticed had he not been busy kissing Jenna.
Nick turned to Axel, concern evident in his tone.
“You’ve probably got about half an hour.
Remember what I told you about horses in prison?
You’ll need to get the halter and lead ropes out of the tack room in the barn so you can bring in the horses.
When you approach the horses, you don’t come at them from the front or the back.
They have blind spots. Approach them from their shoulder area and talk gently to them.
Remember they don’t know you, so they might be scared.
Make sure they see you coming, so they don’t get spooked and kick you where the sun doesn’t shine,” Nick said.
Axel couldn’t help but grin at Nick’s last few words.
“Don’t you worry. I remember everything you’ve ever told me about horses. And I’ll keep my family jewels intact. You make sure you do the same, my man. From here on out expect trouble around every corner. Watch your back,” Axel warned.
Nick responded with a playful salute and Axel watched him saunter to the truck. He was met by the white dog he’d come with, and Nick opened the door and the dog jumped in. It was just as if the two of them were old friends.
A swell of emotions filled Axel’s chest, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how much he cared for Nick and think on how impossible prison life would have been without that man by his side behind those bars.
Not just as his cell mate, but as his lover as well.
* * * * *
Jenna could barely contain herself. When she’d run from Axel, she thought she would cry.
Instead, she felt as if she was going to self combust. Axel’s kiss had been lethal crashing through any barriers she thought she might have built against him.
The reality was overwhelming. The guy hadn’t even been here one day, and she wanted to go to bed with him.
How unprofessional!
How unbelievably arousing!
It had to her pregnancy hormones at play. Yes, that must be it. What else could account for such overwhelming feelings? Especially since she was supposed to be a grieving widow.
Or maybe she was mad. Insane. Out of control.
The man was wildly irresistible. One look into his eyes and she’d been magnetized yet again, leaning into him, wanting to kiss him.
A low rumble of thunder rolled through the air, capturing her attention.
Glancing to the west, Jenna saw a tumble of dark clouds amassing.
A storm was coming.
When thunder roars, go indoors.
She’d heard that saying countless times over the years and had adopted the safety adage for her ranch too.
But with all that had been going on, she had forgotten to check the radio for the weather update.
She was about to head toward the barn in order to get the halters and lead ropes for the horses when she spied Axel hurrying toward her carrying the items she needed.