Chapter Five
Axel
Axel makes his way back to the front desk, regretfully leaving Chloe on the couch. Levi steps away from the computer as he walks up.
“All checked in?” Axel asks.
“Yup.”
Axel sees on the computer two rooms booked for two weeks.
Danielle Wilkshire and Chloe Barker. Chloe.
It’s the best name he’s ever heard in his life.
Such a beautiful woman. Soft red hair coming past her shoulders, big doe brown eyes, curves that he wants to grab and rut into.
He clears his throat to stave off his impending erection.
There’s no time for that now, he has a job to do.
“One of the ladies, Ms. Barker, the airline lost her luggage. I let Ms. Wilkshire know I can go to town to get it once it’s delivered.”
No luggage. Her one heel had broken, leaving her with no shoes, and she was clearly cold in her outfit. It definitely isn’t proper Montana fall clothing.
“Thank you, Levi. I’ll see what we can do.”
Levi raps on the counter with his knuckles and walks away.
Axel takes a deep breath. He can still smell the honeysuckle scent wafting through the lodge.
His mate. Now that he has a moment, he can really think about this.
She’s his mate, no doubt about it. At first, he had attributed the scent to the other woman, Danielle, but after he saw her, he knew.
She’s everything he and his bear want. A soft form, long pale neck, plush lips.
His pants tighten, and he knows he needs to stop thinking about fucking her before he gets so hard it hurts.
Making his way back over to the women, he sees Chloe’s head is laid back on the couch, and her eyes are scrunched tight. He never wants to see his mate upset, it tugs on his heart that she’s upset here in his home.
“Chloe,” he says softly, sitting down across from her on another couch.
She brings her head up immediately, locking eyes with him. He can’t help the smile on his face, and she matches it with her own.
“Levi told me you lost your luggage?”
“Ugh, yes, unfortunately.”
“It’s ok, Chloe, you can borrow whatever from me. You know I always pack more than I need,” her friend Danielle tells her.
Chloe’s eyes flit to Danielle, then down to the ground.
“I can’t, we don’t wear the same size, I’m too big.”
Axel can scent Chloe’s embarrassment, and he wants to pull her to him and tell her that she’s perfect, that he loves her size. That he wants nothing more than to bundle her up in his clothes so she smells of him. His fingers twitch, but he holds himself still.
“Ma’am, I’d be happy to take you to town. We can get you some new clothes and shoes. My treat.”
She blushes again, and he can tell he’s flustered her.
“I’ll buy my own clothes, but a trip to town would be great.”
“I’ll stay here, look around, and get acquainted with the place,” Danielle says, and not so subtly nudges Chloe in the side.
Chloe purses her lips at her friend as Danielle scampers from the couch.
“Shall we go then?”
“Are you going to carry me again?” Chloe asks, before snapping her mouth shut. He guesses she didn’t mean to say that out loud.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll carry you everywhere.”
Chloe blushes again and stands as Axel scoops her up. She pulls the blanket with her as Axel makes his way back outside. He takes them over to his beat-up old red truck, and she helps him open the door. He sets her in like she’s precious, which she is. The most precious thing he’s ever touched.
In the driver's seat, he texts Gunner, one of his younger brothers, and lets him know to watch the front desk, that he’s running a guest to town.
In the cab of the truck, it’s quiet. He’s always been a quiet man, but now he struggles with what to say.
“You’re from New York?”
“Yes, the city, both Danielle and I are. And you’re from...here?”
“Yes, ma’am, born and raised in the cabin I live in now.”
“And your parents? Are they here too?”
He clenches his jaw. It has been a long time since he’s talked about his parents. He hadn’t needed to, all the townsfolk knew, and guests never ask.
“I’m sorry,” she says, “I don’t mean to pry.”
She has clearly sensed his discomfort, and he wonders how long he’s been silent for.
“It’s ok. It’s just not something I talk about much. My father, he...umm...passed away a few years ago. My mom lives in Florida now. She likes it there.”
There’s silence, and he wonders if he said the wrong thing.
“My dad, he’s gone too. Heart attack when I was a teenager. My mom and I don’t talk much. She and I disagree on what I should be doing with my life.”
“You should do what makes you happy,” he says, glancing over to her.
She’s looking at him with uncertain eyes, and for a second time, he wonders if what he said upset her.
They make their way slowly to town in mostly silence. Both are content to sit and watch the wilderness as they pass. Chloe would occasionally ask him questions about the lodge or Montana, and he would answer as best he could, but he still felt awkward.
When they arrive in town, Axel pulls in front of the hardware store. Chloe looks at him dubiously, and he knows it doesn’t make sense to an outsider.
“This is Bud’s Hardware, but they sell all sorts of things, including boots and clothes. I figure we’ll go here and get you some things.”
Chloe peers out the window at the storefront with confusion still evident on her face.
“I’ll carry you again, ma’am, if that’s ok?”
“I don’t want to go in there like this!” The anxiety’s clear in her voice, and he begins to rumble in his chest, his bear wanting to comfort its mate. But he quickly stops, humans don’t rumble, not in the same way.
“Ma’am, if I may. This town is full of good people, and they won’t judge you one bit. Everyone has a hard time now and again.”
She turns her eyes down towards her blanket and fiddles with it. He can smell the salt of her tears again, and he wants to reach out and pull her to him. When she nods, he takes that as approval and moves out of the truck over to her side. Opening the passenger door, she’s still looking down.
“Chloe?” Her eyes find his and seem to brighten a little. “You ready?”
She says yes, and he scoops her up, careful to keep her blanket wrapped around her. He carries her easily. Loving the feel of his mate in his arms, he could hold her forever.
“You called me Chloe,” she says quietly.
“Would you prefer ma’am?” he asks, wondering if he overstepped addressing her by her first name, even though she’s his mate, she is still a guest at the lodge.
“No,” she shakes her head, and he finds her looking up at his face. “Chloe is good.”
He can’t help the grin on his face as he carries her, and too soon, he’s making his way into the store and setting her down.
“This way,” he motions for her to go in front of him, but she stands looking uncomfortable and lost. He takes the lead and she follows, taking her to the back of the store where he knows the boots are.
Axel has her sit in a chair while he busies himself with getting her some wool socks.
He kneels in front of her and holds the socks up in a silent ask if it’s ok.
She nods again and smiles a little. His heart warms that he’s able to take care of her this way, that he’s able to provide.
Pulling on the socks, he feels how cold her delicate feet are, even wrapped in the blanket, her toes seem frozen, and he has to stop himself from rubbing them warm.
“How do they feel?”
“Good, warm,” she says, wiggling her toes in the socks.
She tells him her shoe size, and he goes to grab a couple of types.
He slips one pair on her and explains how to tighten them.
She listens closely, and he likes the attention.
He has her stand and walk around a bit, and she drops the blanket down on the chair.
He loves seeing her body. Without the blanket, he can see her curves again, the way her calves dip and move when she walks.
“These are a little tight, I think.”
He motions to the chair, and she sits again.
He pulls out another pair of boots and begins to unlace the current ones.
She’s letting him take care of her, and his bear preens.
She could easily have undone the boots herself, but she’s letting him help.
He laces up the new pair, and she walks around some more.
“Better?” he asks.
“Yes, thank you.” She seems shy again, like she doesn’t know how to let someone help her. He never wants her to feel that way again.
He shows her the clothes and suggests what she should pick out.
She needs everything: pants, shirts, sweaters, a jacket, and even underwear.
He shows her where those are and leaves her to pick them out, holding the rest of her clothes for her.
She tries some things on, but the majority she just piles in his arms. He doesn’t mind the least bit.
She grabs some toiletries too, and other things she needs.
When they head to the register, Bud’s wife, Sue, is there to check them out. A stricken look comes over Chloe’s face, and Axel immediately bristles, feeling his hackles rise.
“What’s wrong?” he asks her. He’s concerned, he wants to know what is making her upset.
“My purse, I think I left it in Levi's truck.” She bites her lip and turns her head away from him. She’s embarrassed and frustrated, he can tell.
“It’s ok,” he tells her.
Turning back to Sue, he tells her to put it on his tab.
“No,” Chloe protests, “I can pay. Can we go back to the lodge and then come back?”
He hesitates, and her face drops. It’s a forty-minute drive into town, and while he doesn’t care in the least about driving her back and forth, he wants to be able to buy her these things. His bear wants it.
“You can pay me back. How about that? I can add it to the bill.”
“Yes. Ok, yes, that’s great. Thank you.” He can tell that resolution makes her happy, and he’s glad.
“I’m going to go change real quick, so I’ll be warmer.” He nods at her, and she scoops off clothes from the counter and heads back towards the dressing room. He turns back to Sue, who has a smirk on her face.
“What?” he asks her.
“Pretty lady you got there, Ax.”
“She’s a guest, she’s not…”
“You sure do look at her like she’s something.”
He turns away, ending the conversation there. Chloe is his mate, the other half of his soul. But if Sue can see the way he looks at her, then Chloe can too, and he doesn’t want to scare her off. He has two weeks, two weeks for her to want to be with him. Two weeks to fall in love with him.