Chapter 8
WREN
What a fucking day.
Not only was I still upset about what happened with Dylan, but then Axel and Luke showed up at Lenny’s office and confronted me about it. Now, the club thinks it’s best for me to fake date Axel and I don’t know how I feel about it.
Part of me understands where they’re coming from. Axel isn’t a guy you want to fuck with, so it could keep Dylan from coming around. It could also just piss him off more. I’m willing to take the risk, though, if it keeps them from getting more involved in my life.
I love the club, but there has to be a limit to the extent that they are in my life. I’m not a member. I’m not an old lady. My dad isn’t an active member of the club. I’m just me.
I came home from work and showered before putting on an oversized t-shirt for bed. I’m getting hungry, so I pull out two chicken breasts, fettucine, and some cheese and cream, deciding to make chicken fettucine alfredo for dinner.
I bread the chicken breasts and then set them in a hot pan with oil before boiling some water for the fettucine. When the chicken is done, I put the fettucine in the boiling water and start on my sauce. It’s almost finished when there’s a knock at the door.
I stiffen. Is Dylan back? Would he try that again so soon? Fuck. I go to my phone and pull up the doorbell app, sighing in a mixture of relief and frustration when I see Axel on the other side.
I put my phone down and walk to the door, unlocking and opening it, coming face to face with Axel.
He’s so fucking hot and he knows it. His broad frame is covered by a rust-colored Henley and his cut.
His dark washed jeans conceal his thick thighs and he’s wearing brown boots.
He has a fresh haircut, and I want to run my hands over it.
I love the feeling of a freshly buzzed head.
The combination of his buzzed head and neatly trimmed beard is just perfection.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
He ignores me and walks inside, gently pushing me aside as he enters. “You shouldn’t answer the door without knowing who it is,” he chastises me.
“Uh, I didn’t,” I mutter as I follow him into the kitchen. “I have a doorbell app.”
I walk over to the alfredo sauce and give it another stir before adding the last of the cheese and a scoop of the pasta water.
“That smells incredible,” he groans as he walks over to see what I’m making.
“Hungry?” I ask.
He nods his head eagerly and gives me his best puppy dog eyes.
I’ll admit, they work. I gesture toward the table, and he takes a seat while I turn off the burner.
I strain the fettucine and add it to the saucepan, coating the pasta in alfredo sauce.
Then I get a cutting board out and slice the chicken breasts into strips before grabbing two plates.
I scoop fettucine onto each plate and then add the strips of chicken on top.
This was going to be my lunch tomorrow, but I’ll figure something else out.
I turn around and find Axel watching me quietly. I give him an awkward smile before setting down his plate.
“Is water okay?” I ask.
“Yes, thank you,” he murmurs.
I put my plate down and walk over to the fridge, grabbing two bottles of water before coming back to the table. I hand one to him and find that he’s waited to eat with me.
I sit down and open my water bottle, taking a sip. “I hope it’s good,” I murmur with a nod in his plate’s direction. “Eat up so you can tell me why you’re here.”
I watch as he picks up his fork and jabs a piece of chicken before twirling it in the pasta.
He brings the fork to his mouth and groans around it.
The sound is sexual and brings me right back to that night and the way he consumed me.
I shake my head and pick up my fork, getting a bite of everything. I’ll admit, it’s delicious.
“This is really good,” Axel murmurs before digging back in.
I smirk as he devours his plate and looks longingly at the stovetop. “Go ahead.”
He jumps to his feet, hitting his knee on the table before walking over and getting more food, making me laugh at his eagerness.
We eat in silence. A comfortable silence that we’ve never known.
I grab a napkin from the holder in the center of the table and wipe my mouth before putting it on my plate.
“So, why are you here?” I ask, waiting for Axel to finish chewing.
He picks up his napkin, wiping his face and beard before crumpling it up and discarding it on his plate. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I sigh. “I’m fine, Axel. It really wasn’t a big deal,” I say as I push back my chair before grabbing my plate and taking it to the sink.
I hear Axel’s chair scrape across the floor behind me. “How can you even say that?” He asks from behind me. “A man put his hands on you. That’s never okay.”
My shoulders slump for a moment as I replay what happened last night. My breathing picks up and my heartrate increases. A hand lands on my shoulder and I whirl around, cocking my arm back.
“Whoa,” Axel murmurs as he grabs my arm, making me wince.
“It’s just me.” He notices my wince and looks down at my arm, finding the bruise that Dylan left behind.
It was hidden by the sleeve of my shirt today, only the red mark visible.
Now, the red mark and bruise are on full display in my t-shirt.
“He left a fucking bruise on you?” Axel growls.