Page 41 of Axel (Belles & Bratva Beasts #2)

“Fine,” I huff. “I’m going to Delta’s with Scarlett and Zar.”

“Fine.” He nods. “Delta’s is always secure. And after that, I’ll take you shopping.”

“For what?”

“A surprise. And you’ll wear the new bracelet I bought you, too. ”

I clap. “From Tiffany’s?” I might’ve been raised in a trailer, but I know those robin egg blue boxes.

He chuckles. “No. With a hidden panic button.”

“Oh well,” I sigh, “a country girl can dream.”

Reaching for Sparky, I give her some attention, then turn to find his eyes sparkling at us. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?” I ask. “Me, letting you be in control.”

“No, I love this.” He plucks kittens off his chest. “Me, about to fuck you.”

His lips aim for mine, and I don’t interrupt.

Not like I could. Axel gives me more than a kiss.

He takes me hot and hard like an animal.

Then he licks, devouring me like his last meal, and moaning at our flavor.

But when he takes me again, deeply with our sweating bodies and gasping breath intertwined, he takes me…

Like I’m the only one he trusts.

“You should let your Dom choose your collar.” Zar shakes his head, full of advice. “And your nipple clamps. Any of your bondage, he picks.”

“But, I want to surprise … him .” Admiring a gold collar, I make sure not to say names. “I want to get a piercing for him.” I turn, asking Vale, “Is your piercer here today?”

It’s bittersweet for now.

I know who Vale is—the manager of Delta’s, Alena’s best friend, and Nash’s next queen. But she doesn’t know me yet. Well, not that I’m Axel’s next queen.

She knows me as Scarlett Mercier’s little sister and Zar Rollins’s friend. As Luca’s subs, they’re here often.

And they’re super close with Stacey Evans, the owner of Delta’s, who met us here to help Scarlett outfit the sex room in her new beachfront house. Not that Scarlett’s in the mood for anything with her secret morning sickness.

But she and Zar promised they’d help me shop for my reunion with “Michael Cummings,” aka Axel King, aka Aleksi Kholodov.

God, I have to constantly remind myself not to slip up with his name. I mean … names .

So, we’re gathered as clandestine networks, half revealing our interconnected worlds, in the lavish showroom on the second floor of a sex store, while Axel patiently waits outside.

“Sure, our piercer is here,” Vale answers, considering which lingerie set to wear tonight.

I hope she picks the black lace one for her initiation.

With her sexy Wednesday Addams vibe, it will look stunning on her alabaster skin.

“But just know, whatever you pierce, you can’t play with it for six to ten weeks. It has to heal.”

“Spoken like Doctor Sex,” Stacey adds.

“Six to ten weeks?” I huff, disappointed. “Never mind.”

“Sorry.” Vale smiles with a sweet shrug.

“What about kink jewelry?” Zar suggests, perusing the cock rings.

“Uh, that didn’t go well the last time I wore it. Men asked how much I cost.”

“That’s right,” Zar remembers, chuckling. “Who knew NFL players could spot fetish jewelry?”

“NFL?” Vale sounds intrigued, asking me, “Is that your new Dom, an NFL player?”

“No.” I turn toward the display shelves featuring every high-end sex toy imaginable.

I can’t lie to her face while I confess a half-truth, “I dated a quarterback over a year ago. He was closeted, and I was sort of his beard. He took me to events, and I was happy to help him, but the poor guy tried too hard. He started buying me way-too-revealing dresses and kink jewelry. I started to look more like his escort and his teammates gave him shit for it. So we,” I air quote, “broke up.”

“It’s sad he couldn’t be out,” Vale says. “A lot of athletes can’t. But I get it. Sometimes, secrets are kinder than the truth.”

Silence falls over the room.

I swear, you could hear a flea fart as all glance around, each hiding dark secrets for good reasons and no one asking about them.

There’s too much respect in the room. Friendship, too.

“How about these?” Stacey breaks the awkward silence. She gestures toward a table of lingerie with accessories and suggests, “Vibrating panties: they’re not just for Doms.”

Zar nods. “Perfect.”

“I agree,” Scarlett adds before touching her lips. “Uh, excuse me.” She rushes out of the showroom, and we exchange silent glances again.

Even with Stacey Evans, looking like she’ll have her baby any second, no one breaks the compassionate code: Never ask a woman if she’s pregnant.

Taking Stacey’s suggestion, I select a pair of panties and wait downstairs for Scarlett. Zar joins me, clearly excited about the stainless steel cock ring he bought.

“Are you wearing that tonight?” I whisper.

His brows bounce. That’s all he’ll reveal. Zar’s too good at keeping his secret worlds separate, and I guess I’ll get used to it, too.

It makes my nerves sizzle with anticipation for tonight, because Jace sits on a stool at Delta’s door. Wearing a fitted black suit barely containing his muscles, he greeted me as a customer, completely ignoring that I’m his brother’s secret queen.

It makes me wonder who his queen is. I don’t think Jace has one. He said he dated gallery openings, not women. Lucky galleries. Still, it’s sad because he’s so sweet.

But when Vale comes downstairs with her racy selection in hand—she picked black lace lingerie—I catch their silent exchange.

Did Vale just blush?

Did Jace just fidget, grabbing his crotch?

Oh my god , I’m too good at this. Or maybe it’s just obvious; Jace will be Vale’s second king.

I know she belongs to Nash. They’re madly in love, though it was forbidden for so long. Axel said he’s known it for years.

Still, I haven’t met Nash yet. I suspect Axel’s hiding me from him. Not out of shame. It’s something else.

Does Axel suspect Nash betrayed the family?

I’m not sure. I need to meet someone to get a vibe on them, and when I do, I’m usually right.

We leave Delta’s, giving Stacey and Vale hugs, and I try really hard to ignore Jace while he holds the door open for us, but he’s too cute. I cut him a glance, and barely smile … and he winks back.

Nope, I don’t get a bad vibe from him.

I get a “he’s a huge man with a big heart, fist, and dick” vibe, like all of his brothers.

Speaking of…

Grant’s joined Axel, standing with him on the shaded sidewalk outside of Delta’s. They smoke cigars, stifling their smiles when I hug Scarlett and Zar goodbye, and aim their way.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Jones.” Grant leans down, pecking my cheek.

“Hey, Reacher One.”

“One?”

I thumb toward the door of Delta’s. “Jace is number two. I mean… not like shit… like he looks just like Reacher as well and?—”

“We got it, Wildfire.” Axel chuckles before cocking his brow. “What did you buy?”

“Another business of None of Yours.”

Grant laughs. “Damn, I can never get enough of you busting his balls.”

Axel licks his bottom lip. “She does something to my balls, that’s for sure.”

For our next shopping venue, we walk, weaving through the historic city using narrow cobblestone alleys, private parking lots, and hidden gardens.

I’m not surprised they’ve mapped every hidden inch of this city. But what does surprise me is how Axel reaches for my hand, holding it when he’s sure no one’s watching.

No one except Grant, who leads the way, and checks over his shoulder. When he glances down and sees Axel clutching my hand, he smiles.

But what surprises me is the love I feel with Axel, and the safety I feel with Grant, too.

I went from never trusting a man to loving one and caring for his six brothers.

I just can’t believe one would ever betray another.