3. Axel
Chapter Three
AXEL
Sami’s mouth drops open at my words, and her eyes flash with a mix of shock and outrage.
“You’re out of your mind.” She snaps. “I don’t know what kind of groupies you’re used to dealing with, but I’m not interested in being another notch on your guitar strap.”
I can’t help but smile.
My kitten has claws. Good. I’d be disappointed if she made this easy.
“Not asking you to be.” I lean against the bar, making myself comfortable. “And I don’t have groupies.”
“Right.” She rolls her eyes and grabs a cloth to wipe down the already clean counter. “Because rock stars are famous for being celibate.”
I chuckle at the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She’s trying to put distance between us, but I can see the way her pulse flutters at the base of her throat. Her body knows what her mind is fighting.
“I’m selective.” I watch her hands move as she wipes down the same spot for the third time. “Haven’t found what I was looking for before.”
“And what’s that exactly?” She tosses the cloth aside and crosses her arms again.
“You.”
It’s true. I spent all day looking for her. After Sami left the diner this morning, I followed her out and watched her climb into that ridiculous green Beetle. I remember thinking it was perfect for her. It’s small, bright, and a little quirky.
I’d jumped in my truck and tailed her, keeping a few cars between us, not wanting to freak her out by pulling up alongside her at a stoplight. But then a delivery truck cut me off at the intersection by the grocery store, and by the time I got around it, her car was gone.
Fuck, I’d been frantic. I drove up and down every street in Cooper Heights like a madman. I checked every parking lot and every business. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
When I finally spotted that green Beetle in the parking lot of The Summit hours later, relief crashed through me. Then came the realization of where she worked, and that relief morphed instantly into rage.
Everyone in Fit Mountain knows what happens at The Summit. The first floor is tame enough. It’s mostly just a restaurant and a night club that serves overpriced drinks and mediocre food. But the second floor is high-stakes gambling, and the third floor... Christ.
The third floor is the kind of adult playground that makes me see red thinking about my woman anywhere near it.
I’d sat in my truck for ten full minutes, trying to calm myself down enough to go inside without causing a scene. I told myself she probably just worked in the office or something. Maybe she was a hostess.
But then I walked in and saw her behind the bar in that tight black tank top with men’s eyes all over her, and it took everything in me not to vault over the counter and carry her out of there.
“Are you even listening to me?” Sami’s sharp voice pulls me back to the present.
“Every word, Kitten.” My eyes snap up to meet hers, and I grin. “You said you don’t date customers. I respect that.”
“Yet you’re still here.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, which only draws my attention back to her gorgeous tits. I force my eyes back to her face.
“I told you, I’m not here as a customer.” I reach out and take the cloth from her hand. The contact sends a jolt of electricity up my arm. From her quick intake of breath, I know she feels it too. “I’m here for you.”
“But you don’t even know me.”
I hold her gaze. “I know you deserve better than working in a place like this.”
Her eyes narrow. “And how exactly do you know what I deserve?”
“I told you before. You’re mine. And what’s mine gets nothing but the best.”
Sami snorts. “Do these lines actually work on women?”
“They’re not lines, Kitten.” I lean closer, close enough to catch the scent of her. She smells like a light, floral scent mixed with the stronger smells of alcohol and bar soap. “And I don’t care if they work on women. I only care if they work on you.”
A flicker of uncertainty crosses her face, just for a second, but it’s enough. She’s not as immune to me as she pretends to be.
“Look,” she says. Her voice is a little softer now. “I appreciate that you think you’re... interested in me or whatever. But I have a job to do. So, unless you’re ordering something, I need to help actual paying customers.”
I glance around the bar. It’s busy, but no one is actively trying to get her attention.
“Jack Daniel’s. Neat.” I pull out my wallet and place a fifty on the bar. “And your full attention for five minutes.”
She looks at the bill, then back at me. “I’m not for sale.”
“Didn’t say you were. I’m buying a drink and a conversation.” I push the money toward her. “Nothing more.”
After a moment of hesitation, she takes the fifty and turns to pour my whiskey.
I watch the movement of her hands, the slight tensing of her shoulders as she feels my eyes on her. When she returns with my drink and change, I wave off the money. Then I take a sip of whiskey, letting the burn slide down my throat.
“So, Sami Holland. Tell me why you’re working in a place like this.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “How do you know my last name?”
“I asked around.”
“Gee, that’s not creepy at all.” She rolls her eyes, but there’s less heat in it now. Then she sighs. “I work here because the tips are good, and I need money. Mystery solved.”
“For what?”
“Excuse me?”
“What do you need the money for?” I press. “College? Medical bills?”
Sami blinks at me like I have three heads.
“Um, for this crazy thing called rent. And food. And keeping my car running. You know, survival.”
With every word she speaks, every flash of defiance in those green eyes, I become more certain. This is the woman I’ve been waiting for my whole life without knowing it. She’s strong enough to stand up to me, beautiful enough to steal my breath and smart enough to hold her own.
“Even still. You could do better than this place,” I tell her.
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion on my career choices.” She straightens up. “And your five minutes are up.”
Before I can answer, a hand lands on my shoulder. I whirl around, ready to tear apart whoever dared to touch me while I’m talking to Sami, only to find Ruby’s husband, Clay, standing there.
“Hey, Axel.” He extends his hand, and I grasp it firmly. “Heard Highland Rye was back in town. Didn’t expect to see you here, though.”
Sami appears beside us, relief washing over her face.
“Clay, thank goodness.” She gestures toward me with obvious frustration. “This guy has been harassing me for the past twenty minutes. He won’t take a hint and leave me alone.”
Clay’s eyes flick to me. “Who? Axel?”
“Yes.” She crosses her arms. “He came in here, told me I shouldn’t be working here, and then had the nerve to say he’s ‘my man now’ whatever that’s supposed to mean. I told him I’m not interested, but he won’t back off.”
I watch her face as she reports my behavior, enjoying the fire in her eyes even when it’s directed at me. She’s magnificent when she’s angry.
Clay chuckles knowingly. “Is that right?”
Sami’s expression falters. “It’s not funny, Clay.”
“Axel Ruins is many things,” Clay says, clapping me on the shoulder. “But dangerous to women isn’t one of them.”
The betrayal on her face is almost comical. “You know him?”
“Of course, I know him. He’s best friends with my wife. Actually, speaking of which…”
Clay trails off, and I turn to my left just in time to see Ruby barrel toward us.
“Axel!” She squeals my name and launches herself at me.
I give her a friendly hug. “Hey, Red. Long time, no see.”
Ruby pulls back and looks me over.
“You look good! When did you get back? How was the tour?” Then she slaps me on the shoulder. “And why haven’t you called me?”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Clay’s growls as he slides an arm around Ruby’s waist and pulls her back against his chest.
The movement is smooth, but I recognize it for what it is. The same instinct that’s been hammering through my blood since I first laid eyes on Sami this morning.
Ruby rolls her eyes but settles comfortably against her husband.
“Ignore him. He still gets growly when I hug other men.”
I glance at Sami, who’s staring at all of us with undisguised confusion. Her eyes dart between me and Ruby, then to Clay, trying to put the pieces together.
“Wait.” She holds up her hands. “So, you all really do know each other?”
Ruby finally seems to notice Sami’s presence.
“Of course! Axel and I have been best friends since high school. Plus, he dated our other best friend, Lainey, before she married his dad.”
She says this like it’s the most normal thing in the world, which in our small mountain town, it kind of is.
Sami’s eyes widen with recognition. “Lainey Ruins? From the Piney Creek diner?”
I nod. “The very same.”
“So, when you said you knew my last name because you ‘asked around’...”
“I asked Lainey this morning after I saw you there.”
“Wait.” Her eyes narrow. “Did you follow me here?”
“You’re my woman. Of course, I followed you.”
Ruby’s eyebrows shoot up, and she looks between us with growing delight.
“Oh my gosh! It’s finally happening!”
Clay tightens his grip on Ruby’s waist. “Let them figure it out, babe.”
“But it’s the curse!” Ruby continues, ignoring her husband’s warning. “The Fit Mountain curse!”
Sami frowns. “What curse?”
“It’s not important right now.” I step closer to her. “What matters is that I’m not some stranger, Kitten. I’m friends with Clay, Ruby, and Lainey. I’m part of this community.”
Her chin lifts defiantly. “That doesn’t give you the right to tell me where I should work or what I should do.”
“No,” I concede. “But it means you can trust that I have your best interests at heart.”
Clay checks his watch. “Sami, your shift ends at two, right?”
She nods, still wary.
“You shouldn’t be walking to your car alone at that hour.” He looks at me meaningfully. “The parking lot gets sketchy late at night.”
I seize the opening. “I’ll wait and drive you home.”
“That’s not necessary.” Sami’s response is immediate. “I’ve been handling myself just fine for months.”
“You’ve been lucky.” Clay’s tone turns serious. “We’ve had three incidents in the past month alone. Cars broken into. A waitress followed to her door.”
Fear flashes briefly across Sami’s face before she masks it. “I carry pepper spray.”
“I’ll be at that corner table until your shift ends.” I point to a spot with a clear view of the bar. “Then I’m driving you home.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
I chuckle darkly. “Trust me, Kitten. I’m not offering to babysit you.”
“But what about my car?” Sami asks.
“I’ll have it towed to Boone Pierce’s auto body shop up in Cooper Hills to have it looked at,” I tell her, already pulling out my phone to make the call. “I don’t like the sound that engine is making.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “How did you?—”
“I heard it when you started it this morning at the diner.” I scroll through my contacts until I find Boone’s number. “Sounds like a timing belt issue.”
“I can’t afford a mechanic right now.”
“I’m paying for it.” I hold up a hand before she can protest. “Consider it a welcome to Fit Mountain gift from a friend.”
Sami’s mouth opens and closes like she’s trying to find words. Ruby squeezes her arm gently.
“Let him help, honey. Boone’s the best mechanic in three counties, and his prices are fair.”
“I don’t take handouts,” Sami says quietly, but there’s less fight in her voice now.
“It’s not a handout,” I assure her. “I’m just making sure you’re safe. That car isn’t reliable.”
Sami looks at Ruby, then at Clay, clearly weighing their vouching for me against her own reservations. I can see the moment her resistance softens, just slightly.
“Fine.” She sighs. “But just a ride home. That’s it.”