Junior didn’t come back to the bar for a while. Cory didn’t either. A dozen times over the next two hours, I tried to find a way back into the alley to see if Cory was all right. When I was sure no one was watching me, I made my way back out to the alley and went to the other side of the dumpster. Cory was gone. The only sign of what happened here was a small puddle of blood. The smell of it turned my stomach but part of me felt relief. Cory had probably gone home to lick his wounds. I just hoped he hadn’t tried to drive. I jumped when I heard an empty glass bottle hit the ground a few blocks further down. This late at night, you could always count on a drunk or two staggering home from one of the other bars. I hurried back into the bar before I encountered anyone else.

Finally, about twenty minutes before I left for the evening, Junior emerged from his office. He looked cool and calm, but his color seemed ashen. He had his right index finger wrapped in a white bandage and he’d changed his shirt. Other than that, he showed no outward signs that anything was wrong. I caught him staring at me once as I helped Marcus wipe the last of my tables.

I finished my cleanups, avoiding Wendy, Aimee, and Junior. The sooner I got the hell out of there, the better I was going to feel. The other girls left before me as I finished up in the break room. As I slung my purse over my shoulder and tried to clock out, Junior came up behind me. My heart raced as he put a hand on my shoulder. I jumped.

“Hey, take it easy, baby,” Junior said. Every muscle in my body went rigid. Ice shot through my veins.

“Sorry,” I said, painting on a smile. I turned to him. “I just need to get going.” I clocked out and tried to brush past him toward the door.

“Everything okay with you?” he asked. “You seemed upset earlier in the evening. I saw you talking with Aimee. She said you came looking for me. Is there something wrong?”

“What? Oh. No. Just a little misunderstanding. We’ll work it out.”

Junior’s eyes flashed with dark knowledge. “Well, I hope so. I don’t like disharmony among the wait staff. You girls keep this place going. Don’t think I don’t know that. You’re good, Maya. I’ve been watching you. A little rough around the edges, perhaps. But I think you’re going to do really well here if you can learn to get along.”

“What? I mean, yeah. I’m getting along fine. Promise.”

Junior wore the sleeves of his pale yellow dress shirt rolled up. As I looked closer, I noticed more than the bandage on his finger. Faint red lines crisscrossed his forearms as though someone had tried to scratch him there. Alarm bells clanged in my head and I wanted desperately to get the hell out of there.

“Really,” I tried again. “It’s all good, Junior. I hope you don’t mind, but I need to get going.”

“Hot date?” he asked.

I forced a smile and acted coy. He didn’t try to bar my path as I headed for the door. Instead, his eyes had a slightly dead look as he stared at me.

I made a beeline for the front door. As I stepped into the sweltering night air, I realized I was about to do everything I’d promised Axle I wouldn’t. I was about to walk to the bus stop on my own in the middle of the night dressed in my skimpy Cups uniform. But there was no one in the entire restaurant I felt comfortable walking with at that moment. The only silver lining I could find about the whole night was the fact I didn’t have to go back there for two days.

* * *

In just two short days, it was as if my body became tuned to the sound of a Harley’s engine on some cellular level. It woke me up out of a dead sleep. Well, not so much dead. No. In my dreams, I was wrapped in leather and sin. Axle lifted me, his strong hands cupping my ass as I straddled his waist. His rough denim scratched the inside of my thighs as I spread myself wide and lowered my head to kiss him. He tasted like salt and spice and heat. God, the heat. It poured through me as I let him brace me against the wall of my apartment and work those luscious lips of his down and down.

Gordon let out a sharp meow that cut through the fog of my mind. The motorcycle engine in the parking lot revved again and my heart raced. Axle. I woke drenched in sweat and desire, the cotton sheets tangled around my legs. Stumbling, I managed to work my way out of bed and went to the window.

Axle sat on his bike, typing something into his smartphone. He’d parked in the empty spot where my Toyota usually was. Gordon startled me as he brushed against my bare leg.

“Oh, pipe down,” I whispered to him, rubbing his ears. I pulled my own phone off the charger and checked the time. It was almost nine o’clock. I’d overslept. On the lock screen, I had three text notifications from my mother again. Last night, I’d promised her I’d call today though it was the last thing I felt like doing. I tossed the phone on the bed and pulled a clean t-shirt over my tank top and found a pair of denim shorts. Racing to the bathroom, I scrubbed my teeth as quickly as I could and finger-combed my hair. It billowed around me in blonde ringlets from the humidity but for now there was no help for it. Stabbing my feet into a pair of flip-flops, I headed out the door.

Axle straightened in his seat as he saw me come out. The morning sun shone off the chrome of his handlebars. Dismounting, he came toward me taking slow, confident strides.

I ran my fingers under my eyes, hoping I’d done a proper job washing my face last night and that I didn’t have streaks of yesterday’s eyeliner running down. Axle’s sultry half-smile damn near stopped my heart. What was it about this guy that got my juices humming like that?

He reached out and tucked an unruly strand of hair behind my ear. When his fingertips brushed my cheek, my breath hitched.

“Did I wake you up?” His voice had a low, smoky quality. The way his eyes flashed, I wondered if the expression on my face betrayed the dream I’d just had.

“It’s all right,” I said. “It’s late enough. What are you doing here?”

Axle looked toward the blue sky and scratched his chin. “I figured you might need a ride today. Plus, I thought you’d like to know what happened with your car.”

I cleared my throat. “Oh. Right. Thanks. And wow. I didn’t realize you’d have an answer for me so quick.”

“As much as I hate to give him credit for anything, Murray was right. It’s your starter. I’ve got my guys working on it. We need a part, but they should have it running good as new soon enough.”

“Oh my gosh. Thanks. What do I owe you?”

A devilish glint came into Axle’s eyes that set my blood racing all over again. Dammit. I needed to go for a run or do something else sweaty and physical. Soon.

“How’d it go last night?” he asked.

My breath caught. I didn’t have the first clue how to answer him. It had gone terribly. But something made me hold back. Instinct told me the problems with Wendy and Aimee would only get worse unless I figured out a way to handle them myself. Then there was Junior and Cory. A pit formed in my stomach as the vision of Junior’s fist slamming into Cory’s jaw replayed in my mind. He’d taken such sadistic glee out of inflicting pain on Cory. And Cory had just stood there taking it. There was no doubt in my mind Cory could have flattened Junior with one punch. But he didn’t. He was afraid. But of what?

My lips quivered as I debated telling Axle about what I saw. But what could he do about it? Both Junior and Wendy had warned me to stay away from Axle. Axle had warned me to watch out for Junior. On the face of things, I didn’t know who to trust but knew my place in the middle was precarious. Still, as Axle stood before me, a mountain of sexy leather, muscles, and ink, I wanted nothing more than to trust him.

“Maya?” He cocked his head to the side, seeing the turmoil behind my eyes. I put a smile on my face and laid my hand flat against his leather vest.

“Don’t you get hot wearing that?” I’d meant it as an innocent comment, something to change the subject from everything that happened last night. But the minute the words flew out of my mouth, I recognized them for the double entendre they were and my cheeks flushed with heat.

His low laughter skittered over my skin, sending gooseflesh down my arms. Axle took his sunglasses out of the pocket of his vest and slid them on. I saw my face reflected in the mirrored lenses. My mouth formed a surprised “o” and from his vantage point, Axle could pretty much see straight down the vee of my loose-fitting t-shirt.

“You got plans?” he asked.

“What?”

“For breakfast. You gotta eat, right? Come on. I know a little diner just outside of town. Best waffles you’ve ever tasted.”

Axle turned and climbed back on his bike, confident that I wouldn’t say no. I should have. I knew it. Every moment with him emboldened me. I wanted to do things the Maya Ballard of a year ago would never have dreamed of. But oh, I dreamed of them now. A thin sheen of sweat still clung to me from just how vivid a dream I’d had. As he revved that engine again, it worked on me like a tractor beam. My breath coming in quick pants, I climbed on the back and wrapped my arms around him.

My hair flew back as Axle hit the throttle and sped down Vista Drive going west. He took the winding highway along the coast. With emerald-blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico beside us and the wide open road ahead, I felt freer than I had in years. Maybe ever. Riding with Axle was reckless, exhilarating, and broke every rule I knew. God, it felt so right.

The diner Axle spoke of was a truck stop off the main highway. My heart sank a little as he pulled into a parking spot in the back. Riding with Axle worked on me like a drug. I could forget everything and just focus on the feel of his hard muscles beneath my cheek, the power of the machine he maneuvered as if it were a part of him. And Axle himself. I knew so little about him other than his name and the patch he wore. Still, I felt drawn to him in ways I knew could lead to trouble.

When Axle dismounted, he ran a hand through his unruly dark hair, shaking it out. I couldn’t imagine the wreck mine was. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hair tie to deal with it.

“Don’t,” Axle said.

“Don’t what?” I asked, my voice muffled as I held the hair tie between my teeth.

Axle reached for me and brought my hands down away from my hair.

“I like it down.”

A tremor of desire went through me at the command in his voice. God, I just knew he’d be like that in the bedroom too. He’d know exactly what he wanted and my body would respond, almost as if he’d trained me. I dropped my hands, letting my wild blonde curls fall around my shoulder. Axle’s eyes glinted, then he turned, holding the door to the restaurant open for me.

The diner was small, just a row of booths along one window and a long counter with round leather stools. Axle picked a booth at the very end of the room and jerked his chin toward the waitress behind the counter. Her face brightened with recognition and she turned to pour two cups of coffee.

Axle slid into the booth, taking the seat facing the doorway. I sat opposite him. The waitress, a middle-aged woman with a plump, kind face and big brown hair that she wore in an out-of-style bouffant, came with our coffees.

“You want your usual?” she asked Axle. Sliding his cup closer, Axle nodded.

“What about you, honey?”

“He says the waffles are something special. I’ll have an order of those,” I answered.

“Good choice. Gimme a few minutes and I’ll have it right out.” She shot a familiar wink toward Axle that unsettled me for some reason. Clearly, she was used to him being here. I wondered how many other women he’d brought to this exact booth and a strange twinge of jealousy burned through me. I poured creamer in my coffee and blew over the top before taking a sip.

“So what are you doing here, Maya?” Axle said, leaning back in his booth. Texas born and bred, Axle pronounced my name as if it had one syllable. He draped one arm casually over the back of the booth and ran his thumb along the handle of his coffee mug.

The question took me off guard. Setting my own cup back into the saucer, I swallowed the hot liquid and tried to formulate an answer. “You mean in Port Azrael in general, or here at this diner with you?”

The corner of Axle’s mouth flickered with a hint of a smile. It thrilled me. He shrugged and looked out the window before answering.

“I guess both. But I meant in Port Az. It’s not a place most people choose. You’re either raised here, or you just end up here on the way to someplace else.”

“Is that your story? You were raised here?”

Something hard went through Axle’s eyes as if he remembered something painful. I felt the strongest urge to reach for him and try to smooth the lines on his forehead.

“I was born here, yeah,” he finally answered. It seemed deliberate that he changed the word “raised” to “born.”

“So your whole family is still in Port Azrael?”

He looked at me dead on and his eyes narrowed. He could send a chill through me with just that flicker in his eyes. Again, my eyes were drawn to the “enforcer” patch on his breast.

“My club is my family.”

I took another sip of coffee. The way he uttered that sentence, it felt like the slamming of a door. I didn’t pry.

“What about yours?” he asked.

Even as he did, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. It had to be my mother or Josh again. “Mine are back in Monroe, Michigan,” I answered. “I came here to go to school. I take classes at TAMCCU.”

Axle’s face finally softened. “College girl.” It almost sounded naughty the way he said it and that familiar heat flared through me. It seemed to invoke the second meaning for his initial question. What was I doing here with him? I knew the answer, but I wasn’t bold enough to share it. I was here because this man drew me in. But what was I to him?

“That’s me,” I answered. “That’s why Cups has been such a boon for me. I’ve never earned so much money in such a short time in my life. I’m saving to get a place of my own. In a year I’m hoping to transfer to the main campus.”

“What are you going to be when you grow up, Maya Ballard?”

There was soft humor in his tone and I resisted the urge to remind him I already was grown. But it would be a lie to pretend I knew exactly what I was doing where he was concerned. Before I could answer, our waitress came back and set down our plates filled with heaping stacks of flaky, golden waffles dusted with powdered sugar. Axle thanked her, then reached across the table for the maple syrup. I did the same when he was finished with it and it gave us both a reprieve from the probing questions I knew we each had on our minds.

There was something deliciously wicked about watching Axle Hart wolf down a plate of waffles. His tongue darted out to catch the syrup and it sent my hormones into overdrive. I did my level best to focus on the plate of food in front of me but as he watched me, I knew the same thought crossed his mind too. It was a dance. Each of us wanted something else from the other in addition to the food and the conversation. I wanted it so badly my legs quivered just sitting across the table from him. Every sensible bone in my body told me I was in over my head with this guy. He wasn’t the type to play it safe.

“You were right,” I finally said. “These are the best waffles I’ve ever tasted. Definitely worth the ride out here.”

He set his fork down with a clang and settled back in his seat before fixing those penetrating dark eyes back to mine.

“So what about you? You didn’t answer my question. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Smiling, I knew the coy routine wouldn’t work with him. I sat back in the booth and crossed my legs. “I’m not sure. I suppose I should be since I ran so far away from home.” The minute I said the word “ran,” I wanted to swallow it back. It wasn’t lost on Axle and I realized nothing had been since the moment he laid eyes on me.

“And why was that? Did somebody hurt you?” Axle leaned forward. The casual posture he’d held vanished and tension went through him. Again, my eyes were drawn to the “enforcer” patch on his vest.

“It’s complicated,” I said, giving the most honest and yet evasive answer I could. “I’ve got a big family and I just needed some distance. You see, nobody ever leaves the Ballard family.”

“How big?”

I downed the last of my coffee and waved the waitress away when she offered to refill it. “Five older brothers. My parents. A handful of aunts and uncles. Cousins. A real three-ring circus.”

That dark look passed through Axle’s eyes again. He’d evaded my question about his family too. I wanted to ask how he ended up connected with the Dark Saints M.C. I wanted to ask if the hushed rumors I’d heard about some of the bad things they did were true. And I desperately wanted to know what was going on between him and Junior DiSalvo.

Thinking about Junior stopped me cold. I couldn’t close my eyes without thinking of the dead-eyed look he had when he went after Cory last night. Why had Cory just stood there and taken it? I knew he had to have needed the job at Cups as much as I did. Without it, I never would have been able to afford to stay out here. The thought of having to go back to Monroe with my tail between my legs kept me up some nights. But in Cory’s case, was it worth it?

“So,” I said, folding my napkin and setting it next to my plate. “What does this mean?” I grew bold; leaning across the table I ran my fingers along the rectangular patch. “Enforcer. What are you enforcing?”

Axle’s hand went up, catching mine. He ran his thumb along my palm, sending gooseflesh up my arm. “I told you. My club is my family. You’d do anything to protect your family, wouldn’t you?”

My breath hitched. He couldn’t know how painful the question was for me. The answer was both simple and complex at the same time. “I used to think so,” I answered, not sure why I felt comfortable enough to share that much with him. “But sometimes, you can be pushed too far, you know? Sometimes you have to accept the fact that you can’t save everyone and even if you could, there are some people who just don’t want to be saved. So, in the end, you can only really save yourself.”

“I guess so,” he answered, but I wasn’t sure he understood. He still held my hand in his and I traced the fine scars across his knuckles. They were strong hands with a brutal beauty, just like the rest of him. I wondered just how many battles he had to fight to protect the only family he knew. What lines had he crossed? Instinct told me it was better not to ask.

Axle’s face softened when the waitress came back and brought our check. Axle threw down two twenties, leaving her at least a fifty percent tip. Then we walked out of the diner and into the scorching sunlight.

“Come on, college girl, I’ll take you home.”

I climbed on the back of Axle’s bike feeling as if I belonged there. I wanted to ask him to take a longer route back to my apartment or to not go there at all. I could lose myself in this man and this bike. I could forget everything waiting for me on the other end of my phone and back in Michigan. Junior, Wendy, Aimee, Cory ... all of it could just blow away as the wind whipped through my hair and Axle picked up speed. Everything about him intoxicated me. That was the problem. I didn’t feel sober around him though I hadn’t had a drop to drink. He made me feel wild and bold. I didn’t want that feeling to ever end. But before I could even catch my breath, Axle pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex and cut the engine. For a moment, I kept my cheek pressed against his back, inhaling the scent of warm leather, relishing the feel of his hard abs beneath my fingertips.

Slowly, I climbed off the bike and removed his helmet. Once again, my hair was a wild mass of curls. Axle reached forward, twirling a lock between his fingers. The sun baked down on us now that the wind of the ride was gone. Axle climbed off his bike and started to walk me to my door. I knew what would happen if I asked him to follow me up. My need for it burned through me, taking my breath away. I turned though, cupping my hand above my brow to shield my eyes from the sun as I looked up at him.

I had my back against the brick wall of the apartment building and Axle came to me. His look dark and savage. A muscle jumped in his jaw as I paused, debating how far I was willing to take this. I raised my hand, smoothing my thumb along his cheek. Axle flinched, lust written plainly in his smoldering gaze.

“This is going to be bad for me,” I whispered.

His face cracked into the first full smile I’d seen him give. “I reckon.”

Then I went up on my tiptoes as he tilted his head and kissed me. A groan escaped from me as Axle pressed me against the wall, just like in my dreams. I sank into him, my nipples pressing against his leather cut with only my thin cotton t-shirt and tank top between us. Heat flared through me, settling in my core. It happened so fast. Just one touch and the dart of his tongue. It was just as delicious as I imagined. He pulled me close and ran his hand up my bare thigh, stopping just below the frayed hem of my denim shorts. I felt myself opening to him, spurred on by the tantalizing touch of his fingers playing just a few inches from my panties. So much. So fast. So good.

I explored his body with my hands, slipping them beneath his vest, tracing the hard-cut muscles over his shirt. I wanted to see him naked, study the intricate patterns of the tattoos that covered him. I was wet, more than ready for him. Gasping, I clawed at his back and pulled him even closer. I think I might have let him take me right there in the parking lot in broad daylight. This man was temptation and sin. I wanted to indulge in it all.

“Maya.” My name on his lips broke me open. I could lay myself bare to him. No consequences. No judgment. I could just feel, for once.

Never in my life had I done anything so reckless or carefree. It felt so good. I felt pulled under like the ocean waves and the undertow. In Axle Hart’s arms, I could let myself get carried out to a sea of pleasure.

“Axle,” I gasped. Yes! I wanted to scream it. Dare him, dare myself to do the very thing I knew I could never take back. I think I might have. Then something happened. It was a simple, ordinary noise. Street sounds. The light changed on Vista Drive and one car honked at another. But it pulled me back into myself and my body went rigid.

Axle sensed the change and let me up for air. His eyes were hooded with the lust coursing through him. He held his arms tight against me and searched my face. He saw something there that made him pull back. I wanted to bring him back, but my head took over. Staggering sideways, I put my hand to my swollen lips and reached back for the doorknob.

“I have to go,” I said, breathless.

Axle stood there, with one palm pressed against the wall as if he needed it to steady himself. His chest heaved with exertion and I saw the slight bulge in his jeans. Oh God. The need to touch him there and free it swelled within me again. But I couldn’t. Not now.

“I’m sorry.” I meant it. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was a tease. He straightened and his eyes flashed with kindness. Reaching for me, he ran his index finger along my jaw then leaned down to put a quick, chaste kiss on my lips.

“Don’t worry about it, Maya.”

“No, I mean it. I’m not like this. I wouldn’t jerk you around. At least, I didn’t mean to.”

“And I want to see you again.”

His hand left my face and he ran it along my bare arm. It was a possessive move and it churned my insides all over again. Oh yes. I wanted this man to claim me. But not now. Not when I wasn’t thinking straight. There were only so many risks I could take in one day.

“God help me, but I think I’d like that.”

Axle laughed at my answer then pushed himself off the wall. “I’ll see you around, baby. I’ll be back in a few days when your car is done.”

“Thanks,” I said, wishing I had the presence of mind to say something more clever. Axle’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me full on again. The sight of it was just as thrilling as I’d imagined. I wanted to make this man smile often. I wanted to let him rock my world. As if the universe meant to step in and bring my head back into my body, my phone vibrated in my back pocket and my mother’s ringtone chirped.

“See you around,” Axle said. He turned and climbed on his Harley, leaving me breathless in his wake.