Hell, I bet the girl has never even been to a party.

And that shit is partly my fault. I can’t keep holding her back. As soon as Beast has been dealt with, I’m letting her go. Hell, if there was a way I could let her go sooner, I would...

I stare down at my hands. There is one person who could take care of her until all this is sorted, but I don’t know if she’s willing to do it. I look up just as the door opens, and Colt comes in. I meet his gaze.

“Colt, I got somethin’ for you to do.”

He narrows his eyes, and crosses his big arms across his chest. “What’s that? If it’s got somethin’ to do with hurtin’ Meadow, you can forget it.”

“Stop your bullshit, and listen to me. I need you to go into my office, and get my phone, scroll through until you find a number with the title Lady Matilda. Get it, dial it, tell her I’m bringing someone to see her tonight.”

Colt raises his brows. “Lady Matilda?”

“Yeah,” I grunt, turning and meeting Cobra’s confused expression. “Lady Matilda.”

~*~*~*~

MEADOW

My entire body is on fire. Everything I touch is sensitive. My lips are swollen, my breasts are full and achy, and my pussy is still damp from having Axel deep inside me. I feel my body shiver as I step underneath the shower, feeling the cool water wash down over my overheated body. If you asked me what the hell just went down in there, I’d tell you I have no idea, but it was fucking hot.

So damned hot.

I fill my palm with soap, rubbing my hands together before pressing my palms over my breasts, lathering them up. I keep thinking about Axel and why he won’t allow himself to show that kind of pleasure to a woman. It’s like he’s keeping it so alpha, so male. Maybe he’s afraid of getting one pregnant, and not being in the right place to deal with it—not that he even asked to use a condom. Thinking of that has my heart picking up a few paces. I hope he’s clean...I mean...what if he’s not?

God, what the hell was I thinking, just letting him screw me like that?

I push the thought from my mind, adding it to the many things I have to ask him while I’m here. I close my eyes, lathering my hair up, and I am taken back to the feeling of having his hands on me, his cock deep inside me, his lips on mine. My pussy clenches, and I find myself sliding my fingers down and over my sensitive nipples. A small moan escapes my lips as I pinch the hard buds, and then slip my fingers down lower, gently spreading my folds.

“If you’re gonna put your fingers inside that sweet pussy, I’m watching, darlin’.”

I jerk my head up, and see Axel standing at the bathroom door, wearing only a pair of faded black jeans. I move my fingers from my throbbing sex, and turn my eyes away quickly. “I was just...ah...washing...”

“That was some pretty fuckin’ seductive washing. If you wash yourself like that every night, I’m not gettin’ out of this shower.”

I flush, and press my arm over my chest, hiding the fact that my nipples went from hard to so stiff they ache. A grin appears on his devastating face, and I want nothing more than to go over and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him until we both can’t breathe. But Axel doesn’t just kiss. He doesn’t peck. He doesn’t hug. He fucks, and he fucks good, but that’s where the connection lies. There is no affection.

My heart aches at that realization.

“Get outta there, and come and eat with me. We gotta talk, Cricket.”

I feel my body tense, just slightly. Something is lying in his gaze, something like...sadness? No, Axel Wraithe doesn’t get sad, so what could it be? Has something happened? Did they catch Beast? Am I able to go home? Do I even want to go home? My heart, which was before only filling my body with a dull ache, is now thudding.

I don’t know if I can walk away.

“O-o-okay,” I whisper.

His eyes search my face before he turns and walks out, leaving me standing there, confused. I quickly get out of the shower and dry myself, before throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank.

Then I walk out into his room. Axel is sitting at the office desk in the corner, and when I walk in, he looks up at me. He’s got two sandwiches, and he slides one toward me. I take a seat next to him, and stare down at the food with no interest.

“So,” he begins, his voice not giving away any emotion, “you know I got shit to deal with, and I can’t keep my club on lockdown. I need to get out, and I need to finish this with Beast. I can’t have you here while that shit goes down. It’s club business, and it ain’t safe for you here. I can’t just let you go home, either, because you’re in too much danger. Until I’ve sorted this, I’m sending you to stay with a very good friend of mine.”

“What?” I say meekly, shaking my head. “I don’t want to go and stay with someone I don’t know, Axel.”

His expression hardens just slightly, enough to push his authority. “You’re not getting a choice, Cricket.”

I skid my chair back, still shaking my head. “You can’t choose how I live my life, Axel. I don’t even have to be here. If you’re done with me, then just send me home, but I’m not going to stay with someone I don’t know. I do get a choice, because it’s MY life. So if we’re finished whatever the fuck it is we’re doing here, I’ll be on my way.”

Axel is out of his chair before I can take one step toward the door. His fingers curl around my arm, and he spins me around. I stop, nearly nose to nose with him, and his eyes are telling me he’s not happy with me deciding how this is going to go. Well, fuck him, he can’t choose what I do with my life. If he wants to chase that no-good son-of-a-bitch across the countryside, that’s up to him.