Page 23 of Axel

Kicking it away, I jumped. I was wearing a very expensive pair of light jeans and did not need grease stains ruining them. “Hey, I don’t want to get dirty,” I squealed, as Axel came after me, ready to attack.

He picked me up in his arms and began swinging me around as I kicked and screamed with delight.

“So, you work security for the clubhouse, work at the bar, and now you work as a mechanic. Is there anything you don’t do?” I ask.

I am so impressed with how hard Axel works. Most people look at these guys and think they are just a bunch of arrogant, cocky assholes. When really, they are sweet, caring, hardworking guys.

“You two lovebirds stop that,” one of the guys yelled, from underneath the car he was working on. “If you break something, I am kicking Axel’s ass,” he grumbled.

Still laughing, Axel put me down and held up his hands, showing me he was surrendering. Fixing my shirt and my hair, I shouldered past him while giving him a sly smile.

***

Hours later, Axel and I stumbled into my empty apartment. With Lacy gone with Drake, the place felt empty. Axel and I were laughing about a comedy we had just watched. We had stopped to watch a movie and get another drink before returning back to my place. The sounds of our laughter filled the empty space.

Holding onto one another, we lost our balance and began to tumble onto the couch. Axel turned so that he fell first, his back bouncing off my soft sofa. I landed against his rock-hard chest with a thud, but my laughter softened the blow. As our faces came mere inches apart, our eyes locked and I could seethe wildfire blazing inside his eyes. He was drinking me in and I was about to give him a taste.

Suddenly, our laughter subsided and the mood in the room swiftly shifted from fun to dark and heavy. Axel and I had been pretty hot and heavy since becoming official. I have been in committed relationships before, but with Axel, everything felt different.

I felt different.

Axel leaned his head up and I could feel his hot and heavy breaths against my quivering lips. The bulge in his pants rubbed against my sensitive area and I could feel my body tingle with desire.

“Ivy,” he breathed. That one simple word said so much and had so much meaning. Something told me tonight would be more than just wild and lust filled sex. We were ready to make love. I allowed my head to fall closer to his and just as our lips were about to collide, a pounding against my front door startled us both.

“What the hell?” Axel yelled, as my door burst open.

Standing in front of us was Blaze, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Don’t you answer your phone?” Axel yelled, as he stood in my doorway.

“What is going on?” I asked, my eyes darting between the brothers.

Axel helped me stand and I noticed as he shifted himself to hide his hard-on.

“I have been trying to call you for an hour. Someone caught the bar on fire,” Blaze said, his voice shaking as he spoke. “ is leaving work now to come and see what we need.”

My heart sank to the pits of my stomach as his words sank in. Their bar was on fire?

“What are you talking about?” Axel yelled, as he reached into his pocket for his phone.

I did the same and retrieved my phone from the purse I had dropped when we stumbled into my apartment. We both had several missed calls and texts.

Shit, this was bad.

Axel ran his hand through his hair as he began to pace the floor. I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Everything will be ok,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure if it would be.

“Axel, we need to get to the bar. Drake is there and Ryder is on his way. He should get here later tonight,” Blaze said as he turned to leave.

We followed closely behind him and I could feel Axel shaking in my arms. I grabbed his hand and held on, letting him know I was here and wouldn’t leave his side. I may not be someone’s ‘old lady’ like those classic biker movies portray, but I am a committed girl who is a ride or die chick.

Jumping onto his bike, Axel handed me my helmet and we took off speeding through the streets. The smell of smoke filled the air and a sense of dread hung heavy over us. The night sky had a haze to it and I knew it must be from the fire.

Flashing red and yellow lights met us as we turned the corner for the street where the bar was located. Fire Trucks, police cruisers, and what looked like hundreds of bikes were scattered all along the road. After quickly parking, Axel ran to the scene with me quickly in tow.

“What the hell happened?” Axel screamed as he fell to his knees.

Dropping next to him, I held his head in my hands as he cried. I couldn’t hold back my tears either. The bar was completely destroyed. All that was left was the outside brick walls, a shell of a building that housed so many memories for the Raven Boys.

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