AX (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 10) Read online

  But then she realized, Ax was newly back in town, and then there was Jill. She was a creature of the night that worked on the outskirts at the strip club. Neither of them were regulars down on Main Street so, of course, they would catch some attention.

  Ax slowed down even more as they approached a small group of other bikers who stood by their motorcycles at the side of the road.

  “Hey,” Ax said as he nodded to them and they waved back.

  Jill recognized one of them from the club and she dipped her head even further down, hoping he wouldn’t realize it was her. Even though there was no reason for her to be wary, she felt as if with it being connected to her job, she didn’t want to make a bad impression. Even if Ax was the new boss of Tanner’s, she had no idea how some of the older guys she had known a long time would react.

  He zipped slowly through town and out the other side of Main Street. As they began to leave the hustle and bustle behind, his speed crept up again and Jill found herself holding onto him tightly, breathing him in and wanting to kiss the back of his neck.

  They passed another police car and this time, Jill found herself really looking at them, as if she couldn’t believe they would just ignore them. But low and behold, even with them clearly breaking the speed limit, nothing was done. No car chase, no sirens, no movement, no nothing. The cop car just stayed exactly where it was and Ax kept on riding fast to the outlaw’s part of town.

  As the roads got more built up on either side, and the buildings got darker, Jill knew they were getting close to The Bleeding Bullet, and her spine tingled with excitement. She had heard many things about the bar from the girls at work who had had the nerve to enter. And she also knew of some of the girls who had crossed over to work there, or bagged a biker of their own and now treated the bar like a second home. For some reason, the idea of it always intimidated Jill. She had a good idea of what it would be like in there, dark and full of booze, drugs and sex. She knew they committed crimes within the walls of The Bleeding Bullet. Things that used to go down when the club was Red X and much, much more. Since the strip club had converted to Tanner’s and the fateful night had changed everything when the old owner Marv and Tanner himself had been killed, now all of their illegal dealings were handled over at The Bleeding Bullet. And for that reason, it made Jill uneasy. And yet, she couldn’t wait to see it.

  There were burned out cars lining the streets as they neared and the smell of smoke was heavy in the air. Music thumped along the ground and pulled them toward it, creeping up their bones and making them feel more alive. Jill could see the beginnings of men and women heading there for the night. They were scantily dressed and all on show and Jill couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. At least when she took her clothes off she was doing it for her own financial gain, she wasn’t acting desperate in the bid to bag herself a boyfriend.

  Many of the women looked older. They wore tight leather skirts and had fading tattoos and wrinkled skin from over exposure to the desert sun. Jill averted her eyes as they zipped through them and she could hear the cat calls already starting. They had seen Ax and they wanted him. Jill was going to have her work cut out for her if any of them tried to catch his attention. She was going to be seriously outnumbered. But she had to remind herself, he had come for her, not the other way around. If his eyes wandered, Jill would be out of there without thinking twice.

  He turned one more corner and there it was, looming up out of the darkness and lit powerfully with two big red spotlights. A tingle rolled through Jill’s body as she looked up at it and at how the whole building had been painted black, even the windows. It was tall, around four stories high, and it was nestled between two warehouses that were smashed out and derelict. It was a real sight to behold. And it was everything she had hoped for.

  Ax stopped the bike and climbed off before holding out his hand and helped Jill down too. He gripped her hand in his and she allowed herself to knot her fingers up with his, as he pulled her forward towards the steps of the bar. As they climbed them, her nerves were mounting, but only because of excitement. And when Ax pushed the doors open and the thick fog of smoke, the heavy vibrating music and the smell of liquor hit her, Jill felt like she had just stepped into her own little version of twisted hell. And she loved it.

  “Come on,” Ax said as he pulled her with him through the crowds.

  For a week night, it was still incredibly busy, and it was hard for Jill to see two feet in front of her, the place was so overcrowded and dripping with sweat.

  “It’s so busy,” she shouted to Ax over the background noise and he looked down at her and smiled.

  “Monday they do music in here,” he said. “Some rock bands from out of town come and play late hours.”

  Jill couldn’t believe she didn’t know about it, and was even more confused that she had never come here on one of her nights off. It was nowhere near as scary as she had imagined. Sure, the place wasn’t a cocktail bar, but it was damned good fun. And all of the men and women, no matter how outwardly sexual and on display they were, were all having a great time.

  Ax led Jill away from the bar area and to a booth in a quiet corner that had been cordoned off and was being guarded by another biker. He rose to his feet as they approached and Ax slipped him some money discreetly.

  “Monday’s, huh,” the other guy said to Ax and Ax snorted and nodded.

  He stood to the side and waited for Jill to climb into the booth and sit down and she smiled shyly and did so.

  Instead of sitting opposite her as he had done the previous evening in Tanner’s, he slid in beside her and pushed himself up close. Jill liked having him against her, the feeling of his thigh pressing into hers made her feel safe and warm.

  “You reserved the table?” she asked with a smirk.

  Ax reached into his pocket for a packet of smokes and slid one between his teeth.

  “That’s not really how it works in here, babe,” he smiled.

  “Well, you know what I mean…” she said as she waved his comment away.

  He lit the cigarette and exhaled several smoke rings. They were thick and perfect, and Jill had never understood how anyone was able to do that, but apparently, it was all down to the way they jutted their jaw. She felt herself growing hot again.

  “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before,” she said, feeling the silence more than she’d hoped to.

  “And why’s that?” he asked seriously.

  Jill shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe because I work at Tanner’s. I guess I see enough of this kind of thing day in and day out.”

  “Are you criticizing my choice of venue?” he asked jokingly.

  Jill smiled and shook her head.

  “And you said I was going to be hard work…”

  Ax licked his top teeth and grinned.

  “I think we’re more alike than you realize,” he said seriously. “I think we’re going to have a lot in common and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.”

  He held her gaze and Jill found herself wanting to reach out and touch him. She had wanted to since she had seen him leaning against the bike at the end of her road, but now, the feeling was overwhelming. She wished with everything she had that he would kiss her.

  He turned his head to look into the main body of the bar and he caught the eye of a waitress who was serving. The girl was small and blonde, pretty and petite. Jill instantly wanted to crawl into herself and hide.

  “What would the lady like?” Ax asked as he turned to Jill.

  Her mind had gone completely blank, even though she always ordered vodka, for some reason, she couldn’t find the words.

  Ax shrugged and turned back to the waitress.

  “Well, I’ll take a large whiskey, on ice,” he said.

  “Vod, vodka,” Jill finally managed to chirp.

  The girl gave a false smile and walked back to the bar and Ax turned back to Jill and started to laugh.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.
r />   “Well, I was,” Jill said. “And then you start being all cryptic and confusing me.”

  “Oh come on,” he said, “you’re not that easily confused.”

  Jill felt a smile work its way across her lips and she nodded her head in agreement.

  “Okay, well, maybe you just feel like this big mystery and I’m wondering what I’m doing here. Or what you’re doing here, for that matter. But I get the feeling you’re never going to tell me.”

  She looked at him again and she was caught heavily in the trance of his deep, dark eyes.

  “A wise woman once said all good things come to those who wait,” he said with a wink. “So maybe you just need a little patience.”

  Jill knew exactly what he was referring to. She had been the wise woman who had said those words back at the club the previous day. She shrugged and wagged her finger at him.

  “You’re good, Ax,” she smiled. “Real good.”

  “That’s what they’ve told me,” he winked and took another drag on his cigarette.

  The waitress arrived back at the table with the drinks and set them down in front of them. Ax slid Jill’s across to her and she picked it up and took a huge gulp.

  “Nerves getting the better of you?” he asked.

  “Not nerves,” Jill replied cockily. “Just trying to catch up to everyone else in here.”

  She scanned her eyes around the room and at all the drunken men and women dancing and flirting, grinding and kissing in all the dark corners. It was like a den of lust hidden right there in the derelict part of town. If you had any reason to be in this part of Slate Springs during the day, you wouldn’t have even noticed The Bleeding Bullet was there. It was so inconspicuous from the outside. But at night, it really came to life, especially with the huge red lights powering down and illuminating its frontage.

  “It’s funny,” Ax said as he moved in closer to her. “When I was gone, I never missed this place once. But now that I’m back, I honestly don’t know how I didn’t go crazy being away.”

  Jill looked into his eyes.

  “Where have you been?” she asked him with sincerity.

  Ax looked up at her and went to speak but faltered. He smiled and shook his head before he took another drag on his smoke.

  “It’s not important right now,” he said, and then he took a gulp of whiskey and slammed the empty tumbler down on the table in front of them.

  For a moment, Jill thought he was angry with her for asking, but he smiled at her and reached out and squeezed her hand.

  “I’m glad I managed to convince you to come out with me anyway,” he grinned.

  “Convinced?” Jill laughed. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a say in the matter.”

  Ax ran the tip of his thumb along his bottom lip and Jill focused in on the tattoos and rings adorning his knuckles. The rings were so big and thick and some of them were skulls, whilst the others were black and dark. When she had first seen him when he’d rode back into Slate Springs at dawn those few days ago, she had initially thought the ink on his knuckles was a word. But she could see now that it was numbers, and she turned his hand over so she could get a better look.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  On his right hand, he had the numbers 2, 1, 1, 0, 7. Jill traced her index finger across them.

  “That’s the date I joined The Forsaken Riders,” he smiled. “21st of January, 2007.” He looked lost in his thoughts for a moment as he stared at them, one by one.

  “So you’ve been with them for ten years,” Jill smiled. “That’s a lifetime.”

  “I know,” he said. “As an adult, it’s been all I’ve ever really known.”

  “What was before?” Jill asked cautiously. She was already getting the distinct impression that Ax was going to be a tough nut to crack when it came to talking about his private life.

  “Before, I was a regular kid,” he shrugged. And Jill was pleasantly surprised he had offered some information.

  “What’s regular, anyway?” Jill laughed.

  “Well,” he began. “I grew up in a solid family. My dad’s a logger, hence the name.” he laughed and stubbed out his cigarette.

  “A logger?” Jill asked. “In Slate Springs?”

  Ax laughed and rubbed his beard.

  “Hell no,” he smiled. “I didn’t grow up here. I found my way to the desert almost by accident, but when I found it, I knew I never wanted to leave.”

  “So where is home?” Jill asked with wide eyes.

  She had never heard of one of the bikers being from out of town before. She was sure it must happen, but it was exciting to know that she was sitting beside a chosen member, not one who had been born into an old Slate Springs family.

  “I’m a mountain boy,” he said with a wry smile. “I grew up in a place very different to this, but a small town all the same.”

  “The mountains…” Jill mused. “Wow… I never would have guessed.”

  “Even with the beard?” he laughed. “Hell, you have no idea what cold really feels like until you’re trapped in a snow drift in the middle of ski season.”

  “Wow,” she whispered. “I’ve never even seen snow before.”

  Ax looked at her as if she was crazy, and then it turned to a look of sorrow.

  “Well, we’re going to have to fix that,” he smiled. “I’m not having no woman of mine not knowing what it’s like to experience that wonderful mountain air.”

  Jill felt herself blushing again. He had just called her his woman. She looked down at the table and bit her bottom lip.

  “I’d like that,” she said. “The mountains, I mean. It would be good to get out of this town for change.”

  Ax winked at her and then he raised his hand and motioned for the waitress to come over and serve them.

  “Same again?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Jill said before she lifted the glass to her lips and drained the rest of the contents.

  When the waitress returned with their drinks any nerves Jill may have been experiencing had certainly vanished. The alcohol was warming her from the inside out and she felt at ease and confident.

  “So what’s it been like, working at the club since it changed over to Tanner’s?” Ax asked.

  Jill thought for a moment, conscious that she didn’t blurt out the wrong thing.

  “I’ve loved it when it’s been both,” she admitted. “But I guess now there is a difference about it. The girls come and go much faster, there isn’t such a sense of family. Everything seems structured, even down to the lame costumes we’re encouraged to wear for our stage shows. It’s not the dingy strip club in the desert anymore, it’s like a chain. And I mean those security dudes? Come on. It’s not as raw….” She trailed off, surprised by her own rant. She felt as if she had just stuck her foot right in her mouth.

  “Wow,” he said with raised brows. “So, it’s just as great as ever…”

  Jill laughed.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” she said sincerely. “I do love it. It’s fun, and it’s liberating, and it makes me feel empowered. But I don’t know… It’s definitely lost some of its charm. But I know it can’t be helped. Especially after what happened.”

  “How much do you know of what happened?” he asked seriously.

  Jill looked deep into his eyes and she could see the worry. He wasn’t as hard edged as he had been when they had first started the evening. He was slowly letting his guard down and she was too.

  “I don’t know much,” she admitted. “But I know Tanner and Marv were killed. And I know I’m glad I wasn’t there when it happened… it could have been so much worse. Not that it wasn’t bad enough.”

  Ax nodded.

  “I’m glad you weren’t there too,” he said. “That night changed everything for all of us. It marked a new beginning and a very violent end.”

  He took hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly in his.

  “I want you to listen to me now, Jill,” he said seriously. “If I ever tell you
that you need to stay home, don’t throw that sass at me and insist on coming into work, do you hear me?”

  She sat up straight and looked at him with confusion.

  “What do you mean?” she asked. “Do you think it could happen again?” Her eyes were wide and her heart started to race once more.

  “In these times, anything is possible,” he said. “Why else do you think I’m back in Slate Springs? My brothers need me. We all need to band together.”

  “Uncertain times? Can you elaborate on that?” she was half laughing and half gearing up to get mad. She didn’t understand why he had to make everything so complicated and cryptic.

  “I can’t tell you much, right now,” he said. “But I want you to promise you will trust me and you will listen to me, and obey what I have to say. If you can promise me that, I can promise I can keep you safe.”

  He was being deadly serious, and the fact he was so intense and protective was seriously turning her on.

  “Okay,” she whispered, their lips only centimeters apart. “I promise.”

  “Good,” he breathed heavily.

  He was so close she could feel his breath on her face and it made her spine tingle with anticipation. She wanted to feel him even closer. She wanted to feel him naked, to run her fingers all over his muscles and let him devour her. The look in his eyes only told her he was thinking of something along the same lines, and when he squeezed her hand again and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in so that their lips touched, Jill knew it was the beginning of something real.

  Their first kiss was incredible. She felt as if she was floating on air. Ax let go of her hand and reached up to her throat where he held her tight and squeezed gently. The sensation of him holding her made her whole body tremble. His touch was heavy but it was experienced, and he was making her head spin and her loins burn. She let him dominate her as he pushed her backward and pressed himself right up against her. She gasped as he thrust his tongue in her mouth and she felt as if her breath was being taken away, his touch was so strong and his kiss so powerful.