Page 17 of Redemption

Axel

I’m so amped up afterthe shit went down in the bar that I’m wide awake the rest of the drive home. Kelsey does her best to fight sleep, but her adrenaline crash hits her hard and she’s out like a light before we even reach the state line.

We pull up the dirt drive, through the thick Georgia pines and up to our two-story cabin next to Asher’s silver pick-up. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen those windows that align the front wall, separated by a stone fireplace, and a wraparound front porch. Three wooden rocking chairs are lined along the front as well as a matching small table, but it’s the one behind it that looks like an exact replica and the pile of baby toys in front of it that settles me down.

“You going to wake Sleeping Beauty?” Zane asks.

“In a minute.” I hop out of the truck and stretch my legs. There’s no stopping the smile that appears on my face the second I inhale the fresh Georgia air. It’s good to be home. It’s our own slice of heaven out in the woods and away from all the bullshit of the city. I walk around to her side of the car and take a minute to enjoy her sleeping form.

Reddish-brown lashes rest against her porcelain skin as her red hair hangs in a curly mess around her face. There’s not an ounce of makeup on her face showing off the light dusting of freckles that cover her small nose and her pouty lips are pursed. She looks like a kitten all cuddly and shit, but I know once she’s awake the claws will come out in full force.

The muscles in my face twitch at the thought. I open the door and lean in until my lips are close enough to feel the softness of her cheeks. “Wake up, Wildcat. We’re home.”

It takes another few moments of coaxing before she finally stirs. Those blue eyes open, warm and welcoming.

“Already?” She stretches her arms over her head causing her tits to stick out in the process, making my mouth water at the sight.

I ache with need to suck on her dusty pink nipples until they’re hard and pinch them with my fingers. Great. Now, I’m hard. I shift to hide the bulge in my jeans and outstretch my hand to her.

“Come on.” I avert my eyes before she can catch me staring and help her out of the cab into the fresh summer air that doesn’t do dick to clear away the tension in my balls.

We walk to the front of the truck where Zane is standing and pause. He pulls out a pack of smokes from his pocket and offers me one. That should have been my first clue we were in for a world of shit, but I was too busy dreaming of soft tits in my mouth to pay attention to the signs.

As I’m lighting up, Asher storms out of his house like a wild boar about to be mounted. Nothing new there.

Kelsey tenses up next to me, looking like a scared kitten. I can only imagine what this must look like to her. Asher’s a big fucker at six-two and considering majority of it is muscle he would intimidate most people. If that didn’t do the trick then it would either be his tattoos or the fact that he still looks like he’s fresh out of prison that might do it. Good thing I’m not most people.

“Hey, big brother.” I pinch the cigarette between my lips at the same time I squeeze Kelsey’s hand, pulling her deeper into my side.

His blue eyes bounce from me and back to Zane as his dark eyebrows pinch together. “What the fuck happened to you?”

“Axel happened.” Zane wipes at the dried blood on his lip that I must have missed in all the excitement last night.

“It was not my fault.” I whip my head back and forth between the two of them. They always gang up on me.

“It’s never your fault.” Asher shakes his head as he lights up a cigarette and stares me down.

“He grabbed my woman’s ass. What would you have done?” I grind my teeth at the same time Kelsey gasps next to me, drawing our eyes to her.

A muscle ticks in Asher’s cheek as he blows out a cloud of smoke letting my words sink. He let’s it go and gives Kelsey a quick once-over. If it were anyone else it would piss me off, but this Asher. He’s hesitant of anyone new into the fold. Old habits die hard and all that shit.

“That’s what I thought.” I rub it in deeper because I know damn well he’d do worse. Has done worse.

He opens his mouth no doubt about to rip into me some more when the sound of a baby crying shuts all of us up.

“You’re back.” Charlee bounces the dark headed bundle in her arms as she comes near us. Her long dark hair is up in one of those messy knots that Zane likes to put his mop in. “Kels?” Her green eyes water against her olive skin the moment they land on the fiery red head standing next to me.

“Hey.” Kelsey’s fingers tremble against my hand as she clears her throat a few times. Emotions war on her face and I know this hard for her, but it can also be the thing I need to convince her to stay.

Charlee hands Lily off to Asher before she wraps her arms around Kelsey so hard the two of them stumble back, breaking our joined hands. “It’s really you.”

“It is.” Kelsey lets out a laugh that doesn’t reach her eyes as she pulls at the end of her top. A small ounce of pride course through me as the green color that I picked out looks hot as shit on her.

“We’re going to go catch up. You got her?” Charlee asks as she grabs Kelsey’s hand and pulls her along.

“I got her, Princess. You go on inside” Asher nods.

We watch the girls disappear into the house without a backwards glance, leaving the three of us and one squirmy little dark-haired nugget outside.

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