Perfection
Elena
Lips softly touch mine.My eyelids flutter open to Axle leaning over me.
He inches back. “Happy birthday, babe,” he says with a big goofy grin.
I smile back, because how could I not? I know I made the right decision to stay home with him. Axle makes me happy. “Thank you,” I reply, my voice still sleepy.
“I’m taking you out to lunch, then I have a surprise for you.”
My chest warms and excitement bubbles inside of me. I wonder what it could be. “I’ve got work today, so we could have breakfast and do everything in the morning.”
He shakes his head, smiling mysteriously. “I called your work to say you’re having the day off for your birthday. Seriously, who works on their birthday? And you’re not having something like ramen noodles or a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.”
I’m a tad annoyed he called my work, but I know he just wants to make today special for me. “A poor person like me still has to work. But I’ll enjoy my day off for my birthday with you.”
A small frown tugs at the corner of his lips. “I told you I’ve got money.”
“I want to work.”
“But... you don’t have to. I’ve got heaps of money.”
I raise my brow. “Hmm... being an MC member earns you a lot of money, does it?”
He averts his gaze, so I put both hands on his cheeks, the way he does to me when he wants me to look at him.
“I have plenty of money because Victor gave me his business when he passed away.”
Oh, my heart cracks open for him. “Why don’t you run the business if he gave it to you?”
With a subtle shake of his head, he says, “I struggle to read and write. I know nothing about running a business and I’m not a qualified mechanic, so I can’t do it. I sold everything but kept his pride and joy—the motorcycle that’s in the clubhouse.”
I put my arms around him, pull him to me, and hug him tightly. He leans in, and his mouth grazes the side of my neck. He chuckles. “I’m okay... It’s just difficult to talk about him sometimes.” Beneath the cocky exterior, Axle knows pain all too well, but he masks it with quips and an I-don’t-care attitude.
He pulls back. “I think you should move in.”
I giggle and lightly whack his arm. “Yeah, right.”
He smiles wickedly. “You belong in the clubhouse... in my bed... with me.”
I stare at him, waiting for him to laugh or say he’s joking, but he doesn’t. My heart races. “We haven’t been together long enough, and I’m sure you’d get sick of me.”
He scoffs. “Get sick of you, baby girl? Never!”
I haven’t stayed at home with my roommates for a while now. If I stayed here at the clubhouse, I’d get to see Axle every day. We’re like Velcro, spending as much time together as we can. When I’m with him, everything feels right.
“Since it’s my birthday... how about you inspect my car again,” I suggest.
He scrunches his nose. “Nah...”
My lips part. “What do you mean, nah?”
He raises his head higher. “I enjoy taking you to work and picking you up.”
“I need my car fixed. Please look at it for me.” I’m being polite, but my voice holds a warning. He’s a mechanic, after all.
Axle rolls his eyes. Cheeky devil. “It’s time for your first present.”
