Chapter One
Axel Rules couldn’tbelieve he was in Adeline’s Coffee Shop once again.He had attempted to avoid this place for one reason—the owner, Joey Sinclair.The moment he stepped foot in the coffee shop, his gaze was drawn to her, like it had been for so long.Joey was a beautiful woman.She took his breath away.Long, blonde hair that was always pulled back into a clip at the back of her head.She rarely wore any makeup, and of course, her usual jeans and a short-sleeved shirt were in place, with it being summer.If it was winter, she would often be in a sweater or long-sleeved shirt.The fact he knew this ...alarmed him.
He was not a man to notice these things about women.He never got close to women as he took his name seriously.Axel Rules followed three of his own rules:
One, never kiss a woman.This one was simple.He used his mouth on women, but never to kiss them, especially not on the lips.He could kiss their body, lick, suck, all of it, but not on the lips.
Two, he never slept over.Sex was sex, and he didn’t fall asleep.Once the deed was done, he was out of there, which meant no woman ever slept at his place.It made them become too attached, and that was the last thing he wanted.
The third and final rule—never, ever date single mothers.
Joey Sinclair was a single mother.Adeline, who the coffee shop was named after, was her nine-year-old daughter.
He already knew too much about this woman, but then, living in a small town, it was hard not to notice these things.He was the town handyman, following in his father’s footsteps.He was aware of what people called him.The town “bad boy,” the “rebel,” and also “the guy most women wanted to fuck.”
The notches on his bedpost were extensive, but it stopped him from ever getting hurt.This is what his father warned him about.It was why, even to this day, he lived by these rules.
Of course, a lot of people knew, including himself, that his father had been in love with Axel’s mom.She had died giving birth to him, and since that moment, his father had fallen out of love.That was when Axel came up with the rules.
His father never found love again.He just danced his way through woman after woman, until he had died a couple of years ago from cancer.It had been a brief illness.His father had given up.Axel knew the only person his father had wanted was his wife.
Axel stuck with his father’s teachings.He saw what happened when a man fell in love with a woman and then lost her.It broke his soul, shattered his being.And he was never going to fall for that, which is why he had avoided coming into this fucking coffee shop, and yet here he was.
He was a few customers away from looking into Joey’s smiling face.She always seemed to be smiling.He didn’t know her complete history, but he knew enough.Adeline’s father was no longer in the picture.That was because the asshole had started to beat the shit out of Joey.He had heard the rumors of a bruise here and a cut lip there, and then one day, Joey was pregnant and ended up in the hospital.
Once she got out, within a week, the sheriff was called to her home, and it turned out Joey had stood up and hit the fuck back.Axel had never seen or heard of that fucker since.George Moseley.Piece of shit.
He was ten years older than Joey, and he’d gone to school with George.That prick had been a bastard even then, hitting girls, hurting them.There were a few times Axel had stopped him.He’d never been afraid of the little shit, but that little shit had been afraid of him.
Axel didn’t hurt women.He simply didn’t fall in love with them.
“Well, hello,” Joey said.“It’s a shock to see you here again.What is this, five days in a row?”
“You’re counting down the hours until you see me next?”he asked.
She laughed.“Not at all.I heard through town rumor that you don’t even like my coffee.I seem to recall you think I serve shit coffee.”
Axel chuckled.He’d used that excuse quite a few times.“Don’t you know you can’t believe everything you hear?”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got a bit of a hunch this one is accurate.Anyway, your usual, or do you want to try something different?”
His usual was a strong black coffee.He wasn’t very adventurous with his drinks, but when it came to the bedroom, he was on fire.Axel looked at her and knew he shouldn’t even be considering anything with her, yet that was exactly what he was doing.He wanted her, badly.This was a big fucking mistake.
“You got it,” he said.
She turned to her coffee machines, and he couldn’t help but look down the curve of her ass.She was absolutely stunning.Full ass, rounded hips, and he knew she had a nice pair of tits.Joey was a walking dream.This is why he kept coming here and breaking his own damn rules.
It had been nearly six months since he was last with a woman.He was surprised some of the women in town hadn’t called the hospital to get him checked in.The simple truth was, after a small encounter with Joey six months ago, he had lost all interest in the other women throwing themselves at him.
Joey hadn’t.She’d just wanted to enjoy a nice cold beer, alone.He asked her to dance, and she refused.She thanked him and said she just wanted to have a drink and leave, and that was exactly what she did.
Since then, he’d been hooked.No woman had ever turned him down, and yet Joey didn’t even look his way.
****
“Mommy!”
Adeline’s excited squeal pulled Joey out of her cleaning as she crouched down toward her nine-year-old daughter and pulled her into a hug.She loved this little pumpkin and wished she could cover her in bubble wrap for her whole life, so no one ever hurt her.
