“Your name is Ax?” I ask without thinking, as I wipe down the bar.
“That’s what my men call me,” he answers, his eyes never wavering as he takes his drink.
“Like a lumberjack? That’s the most original offering your men could come up with?” I blurt out. Ax looks at me for a split second like he almost doesn’t know what to say. Then that same amusement I saw earlier lines his eyes. He brings his shot up to his plush lips and knocks it back in one go, never breaking eye contact. I watch him as he licks his lips after and uses one ring finger to swipe along the bottom one. I swallow as he sets the glass down on the bar and waits, spreading his hands wide, his muscled arms flexing.
I raise an eyebrow. Theaudacity.
“Would you like that filled, Your Majesty?” I ask.
He nods once with the hint of a smirk. I lift the bottle up and pause.
“I don’t enjoy being told what to do with just a look,” I say hotly. I should probably tread carefully with him; I have no idea who he is, but I also get the strange sense that he wouldn’t hurt me, and right now he’s just pissing me off, wasting my time, costing me both customers and tips.
A line is forming behind and beside him, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care because he just walks around everywhere like he owns the fucking place.
“Filled.Please.” His emerald eyes burn as he assesses my expression while I pour the bourbon.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I ask him as though he’s a small child to whom I’m teaching a lesson.
“You’re not afraid of me,” he notes with a curious fascination as I finish pouring the amber liquid. I let out a small laugh.
“Ax?” I ask. His name on my lips feels as dangerous as the weapon it symbolizes, and I slide his drink to him. “I’ve been through more than you can guess, and it takesa lotto scare me.” I look him up and down. “But if scaring me is your thing, by allmeans, do your best,babe.” I offer him the same nickname he called me and my lips pop on the B, making my words sound sort of like an invitation. Instead of walking it back I continue, my body tingling. “Oh, and if you happen to cost me any more tips tonight, then it’syouwho should be afraid,” I add before looking away, straightening the glasses under the bar. I know nothing about this man, but I know I can’t just stand still in front of him or he’ll notice the trembling in my hands.
Ax smiles wide and tips his head back, a deep rumble of laughter vibrating through his chest, and as I swipe a ten-dollar bill left on the bar from earlier his hand comes down over mine. His palm is warm and his fingers are thick and wide enough to make my hand disappear under his. It’s dominant and … settling. I try not to let him see me shudder as I feel the power behind it. Thewarning.
He’s close enough for me to smell his delicious scent again and it’s clouding my senses along with those eyes. Heaven mixed with the beckoning call of the devil himself.
“You use your pretty mouth as a weapon,” he muses. “But that won’t deter me. In fact, it only serves to tempt me, so be careful what you wish for.” His voice is low, stunning me. The way he looks at me almost makes me feel like I’m someone else entirely. I don’t quite know who she is, but the feeling spurs me on.
“You havenoidea what I do or do not wish for, Ax,” I rasp, almost breathless.
“Mmm,” he hums. “I think I do, little dove.”
He gives my hand a light squeeze before backing away and disappearing into the heavy crowd with his freshly filled glass. I blink and blow out a breath, quickly working to serve the line that formed around him, trying to keep my head straight the whole time.
What the hell was that?Little dove?I’m still trembling as I look in his direction.Shit, did that just turn me on?
A few minutes later, when the line is finally tamed, I motion to Tyler at the other end of the bar that I’m sneaking out back for a few minutes.
“Can you bring some limes up when you come back?” he calls out.
“Sure thing,” I answer, just trying to get out of there as the storm rages outside. It has nothing on the one that raged in Ax’s eyes when I challenged him. Just the thought sends my heart racing.
Damn. I definitely need that break now.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sean
Sweat and dust sting my eyes as I lie waiting, focusing on the bird not hindered by space or time. It can fly away any time it chooses, unlike me, and I’m jealous. Itshouldfly away. It should get the fuck out of this fucking desert, but it doesn’t. Instead the music plays. Over and over it plays while the dove looks down on me as if it’s guarding me, and I use it to keep my focus for as long as I can, willing myself to stay awake as the sound of the chopper gets closer.
“Why don’t we come here more often? Fuck.” Kai cuts into my flashback as I arrive at our pool table from the bar with my drink in hand. My back is tight after riding so far and I know the whiskey will soften the tension there for me, even if it’s only temporary. I watch as Kai takes his shot and sinks the yellow ball in the side pocket, glancing back over his shoulder at two brunettes in the corner.
“All this uppity pussy just does something to me, bro.” He shakes his head with his bottom lip between his teeth and smiles wide. “Mmmm-mmmm-mmmm,” he hums as he takes in thewoman and her friend. Both of them look to be in their mid-thirties, older than he is. I scrub my face with my hand. Fucking whore.
Mason chuckles and stands to line up his shot. “I think maybe I hooked up with that one once. I swear I’ve seen her at the club.” He nods to the blonde leaning over the bar. She’s smiling at the woman who stole my attention and hasn’t let it go since the moment I walked through the door. Something was leading me to her, telling me to seek her out. It wasn’t just her beauty; it was something more. I never doubt my instincts, and the second she turned to reach for my bourbon, and those long copper tresses trailed off her shoulder, Isawwhy. Call it an epiphany of sorts, but I knew I wasn’t done with her yet.
So I watch her work now, planning my next move. The curvy hips that lead up to her small waist and full tits that would fill my hands so fucking perfectly. The long copper waves, high cheekbones, big brown doe eyes and a heart-shaped face with full pouty red lips. Her soft skin is tanned and silky-looking. She’s got a highbrow way about her, like she was raised on the upper-class side of town, but she’s full of a sass and feistiness I didn’t expect when I first saw her. I can’t tell whether it’s real or if it’s just the armor she wears. But real or fake, watching her in the dim bar lights I find myself imagining all the ungodly things I could do with those full hips, namely gripping them tight while she rides my fat cock.
