Chapter 10
AXEL
I lean against the wall outside Hailey’s room, my mind racing with thoughts I shouldn’t be having. It’s unlike me to be this distracted, especially over a woman. My friends look to me as a leader, the steady one who keeps his head on straight. But right now, all I can think about is Emily.
Tanner and Jace aren’t subtle about their interest in her, and I get it—she’s beautiful, strong, and has this way about her that draws you in.
But knowing they’re into her doesn’t stop the ideas creeping into my head, things I’d like to do if I ever had her to myself.
The thought of her pressed up against me, her body warm and soft, her breath hitching as I kiss down her neck.
..It’s enough to make me grit my teeth, while trying to push those thoughts aside.
The door creaks open, and Emily steps out, her eyes widening slightly when she sees me. I straighten up immediately, pushing off the wall and walking towards her. “How’s she doing?” I ask.
Emily gives me a small smile. “I convinced her to take a nap. She’s pretty shaken up, but I think she’ll be okay.”
Hailey’s like a sister to me, and I’d do anything to protect her. But right now, I’m more focused on the woman standing in front of me. There’s a pause, and Emily hesitates before speaking again.
“Were you…waiting for me? I was in there for a long time.”
“Yeah,” I admit, trying to sound nonchalant. “I was just making sure Hailey was okay, she’s like my sister.”
Emily nods, but I can see the flicker of disappointment in her eyes. Damn it. I hate that I might’ve let her down. The truth is, I was waiting for her, but admitting that would make things more complicated than they already are.
There’s a tension between us, a pull I can’t ignore, and I wonder if she feels it too.
I should walk away, but I can’t seem to make myself move.
I want to reach out, touch her, see if she’ll lean into me the way I’ve been imagining.
But instead, I stand there, fighting against the part of me that’s ready to cross a line.
What is it that pulls me to her? I don’t understand it myself, but I know something irrevocably changed when I held her in my arms for the first time, when she called me her angel, when I’m the furthest thing from that. I wish she could call me that again.
Damn, you’re majorly fucked up man, I think to myself.
The silence stretches on, and I know I need to say something, do something, but all I can think about is how badly I want her.
How much I want to see her breathless, with my name on her lips.
I force myself to take a step back, putting some distance between us, but it feels like the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time.
She rubs her forehead, clearly exhausted from everything that’s happened. Despite my better judgment, I step closer, drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
“You’ve been through a lot,” I say, my voice low, trying to keep the concern from sounding too personal.
Emily gives a small, tired laugh, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Not as much as Hailey. She’s really broken up about everything, and I don’t blame her.”
“Yeah,” I reply, nodding. “She’s been through the wringer.”
She sighs, rubbing her forehead again
“Are you okay?” I ask softly.
She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she says, but I can hear the weariness in her voice, the way it trembles just a little.
“I know just the cure for that,” I say. “Nothing a little warm spirits won’t help.”
A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth, and for a moment, the tension between us shifts into something lighter, something almost playful. “Isn’t it a little too early for alcohol?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.
I can’t help but grin, leaning in slightly. “Not if you’re with the right company,” I quip, my voice dropping to a murmur. “Besides, we could both use something to take the edge off.”
She hesitates for a second, her eyes flickering to my lips before she catches herself. A part of me is ready to take advantage of this moment, to see how far she’ll let me go.
Emily finally nods, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “Alright, you’ve convinced me,” she says, and her gaze drops to my lips again as she sucks in her breath. I harden immediately.
Fuck me.
I can feel the tension between us crackle like a live wire. She’s into Tanner, not me, but God, it feels like she wants me as much as I want her. I’m not a gentleman—I never was—but I have clear rules when it comes to my friends. I’m not making the first move here, even if it kills me not to do so.
“Good,” I say, stepping back to give her a little room. “Let’s go find something to warm you up.”
The bar area is almost empty, its usual bustle replaced by an eerie quiet.
The dim lighting casts long shadows across the wooden floor, and the low hum of the heater is the only sound breaking the silence.
The bar itself is a rustic setup, with polished wood and rows of bottles glinting in the faint light.
The stools are high, with worn leather seats that have seen better days.
The air smells faintly of spilled whiskey and old wood.
We wait for a couple of minutes but it doesn’t look like anybody is arriving soon.
“The staff were up late yesterday,” I say. “Helping clear the snow off the front porch.”
Emily glances around, then turns to me with a resigned look. “Well, there’s nobody to serve us,” she says. “We should go.”
“We don’t have to,” I say.
She raises a brow. “What do you mean?”
I step behind the counter and give her a wink as I reach for a bottle. “What would you like to have, ma’am?”
She smirks at me. “Part-time firefighter, part-time bartender? Is there anything you can’t do?”
I grin, glancing up from the bottles I was surveying. “Well, I can’t make a decent soufflé to save my life, but I can mix a mean drink. What’ll it be?”
“It’s up to you,” she says. “Surprise me.”
I chuckle as I grab a glass, pretending to polish it like a seasoned pro. “One mean Axel Special coming your way.”
She slides into one of the high tools and watches me as I prepare her drink, a neat mix of lime soda and gin, but I make sure it’s not too bitter. Once I’m satisfied, I slide the glass towards her.
“You do this often?”
“Only when I’m trying to impress a beautiful woman,” I reply smoothly.
What the fuck am I doing? I was supposed to be establishing boundaries, not flirting. But I convince myself that this is a test. I need to know.
Emily doesn’t seem to be offended. She gives me an impish smile. “Well, you’re definitely impressing me,” she says, taking the glass from me.
I can’t help but smile back, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at her reaction. “That’s the idea,” I say, leaning against the counter and watching as she takes a sip. “I aim to please.”
She gives me a playful look over the rim of her glass, and I can feel the tension between us shifting into something warmer, something almost comfortable. But beneath that comfort is an undercurrent of something else, something electric that crackles between us every time our eyes meet.
Fuck, I want her bad. Suddenly Tanner and Jace don’t matter anymore.
I grab a bottle of whiskey for myself and pour a glass, then join her on the other side of the counter. The bar is quiet, save for the faint hum of the overhead lights and the occasional creak of the wood as we shift in our seats.
As I take a sip of my drink, I can’t help but steal glances at her.
The way her wavy brown hair falls over her shoulder, the curve of her lips as she smiles, the way her eyes light up when she’s amused—it’s all making it harder to keep my thoughts in check.
And those damn curves…they’re fucking unreal.
I wonder how it would feel to squeeze her hips as I pump into her.
“So, what’s the story with you and bartending?” she asks, pulling me out of my depraved thoughts. “Do you moonlight at dive bars when you’re not fighting fires?”
I grin, leaning back in my seat. “Something like that,” I say, my voice teasing. “You’d be surprised what skills you pick up when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of guys and nothing to do.”
“So what does life as a firefighter look like?”
I shrug. “Most days are not exciting but they do push us to our limits.”
“I think you’re being modest,” she says.
I chuckle. “Swear it’s not as romantic as it sounds.”
Emily takes a slow sip of her drink, her expression thoughtful. “Have you ever felt out of sorts?” she asks, her voice a bit hesitant. “Like no matter what you do, everything seems to be going wrong?”
I nod, understanding exactly what she means.
“Yeah,” I say, my tone more serious. “There was this one time…we were out on a call, just a routine fire, but everything went south. The wind shifted, and suddenly we were surrounded. It was like the world was closing in, and no matter what we did, it felt like we were just making things worse. It was terrifying, not just for us, but knowing that if we didn’t get it together, people could die.
But we did what we had to, adapted to the moment. That’s all you can do sometimes.”
She looks at me with a mix of admiration and something else I can’t quite place.
“I guess that’s kind of how I feel right now,” she says quietly.
“Hailey’s my best friend. I just adore her, you know, and I want everything to be perfect for her, but it’s like the universe is conspiring against us.
She’s been my best friend since forever, and I’d do anything to save her wedding.
But it feels like everything is going wrong.
The snow, the flowers, the avalanche blocking the roads… it’s all falling apart.”
I take a sip of my drink, watching her as she speaks. There’s something in the way she talks about Hailey—this fierce loyalty, this determination—that makes me admire her even more.
“Well, that,” I add, trying to keep the tone light, “and the minister not being able to make it up the mountain.”
She blinks, then swears under her breath, which makes me chuckle despite myself.
“Sorry,” she says quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I’m not usually one to lose my shit, but everything is so overwhelming right now. I feel like…I don’t know, like I’m failing as a maid of honor. And now the minister isn’t coming either? That’s as good as the wedding not happening.”
“Hey, hey, calm down, Emily.” I shake my head and reach out, placing my hand on her arm. The contact is meant to be reassuring, but as soon as our skin touches, there’s a spark—something that hums between us, making the air feel heavier and charged.
“You’re doing good, Emily,” I say, my voice low, my thumb brushing over her skin.
She looks up at me, her eyes wide and searching. The space between us seems to shrink, and for a moment, it’s like we’re the only two people in the world.
“It’s easy to feel like you’re failing when things don’t go as planned, but you’re here, you’re trying. That’s what matters.”
I can see how her breath catches, how her gaze drops to my lips and then flickers back up to my eyes. It’s the kind of moment where anything could happen, where a simple tilt of the head could bring us together, close enough to kiss.
And damn if I don’t want to kiss her. The urge hits me hard, this primal need to close that distance, to feel her lips against mine. That’s why I keep talking instead.
“Sometimes, you just have to adapt to the moment,” I say. “That’s what we do in the field. You can plan all you want, but when the wind shifts, you’ve got to move with it, make the best of the situation.”
I’m still touching her, my fingers lightly tracing patterns on her arm because I can’t bring myself to stop.
Just as I’m about to close the distance between us, the door to the bar creaks open. Emily and I both jerk our heads up to see Collie standing in the doorway.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Collie says, but the twinkle in her eyes says she knows exactly what she walked in on.
Emily, flustered, quickly waves her hands. “No, no, you didn’t interrupt anything,” she insists, her voice a bit too high-pitched, betraying the tension that had just filled the room.
Collie’s smile widens a fraction, but she doesn’t push it. “I was just passing by and saw the door ajar. Thought I’d investigate, make sure everything was alright.”
I raise my glass, trying to play it cool. “We helped ourselves,” I say, flashing her a grin. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Collie replies, glancing at the bar. “Though if you’d like something special, I can send someone down to mix up some proper drinks.”
Emily shakes her head, still looking a bit frazzled. “No, really, we’re fine.”
Collie nods, about to turn away when she pauses, something clearly on her mind. “You know,” she says, her tone casual but with that same twinkle in her eyes, “couples in Colorado can just marry themselves. No need for an officiant.”
“Really?” Emily asks, her voice almost a whisper.
Collie nods. “Really. All you need is a marriage license, and you can just say your vows wherever you like. Could be an option, given the circumstances.”
Collie leaves before either of us can say anything.
“You know, she’s not wrong,” I say. “You could save Hailey’s wedding after all. Just get her and Sam to say their vows up there. It could work.”
“Really? What about everything else?”
“Don’t worry. Me and the guys will help you with the other stuff.”
“Really?” she says, looking hopeful.
“Yeah, of course.” Anything for you, I almost say.
She smiles, but I can see the gears turning in her head. Whatever just happened here is not something either of us will forget easily. But for now, we both know we’ve got bigger things to focus on.
“Now, come on. Let’s go save that wedding.”