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Chapter ten

Axel

“ W hat the fuck?” I shout as the door slams against the wall, throwing the comforter over Lennon’s head out of instinct. “That camera better not be on.”

“Of course, it’s on. What’s the point of having it in my hand otherwise?” Trevor’s voice is full of mischief.

“Jace is gonna kill you when he finds out you have it, if I don’t kill you first.” The bed shifts as I sit up and check that the covers are fully shielding Lennon from view.

“He knows. He needs off-bike footage, and I said I’d take care of it since it’s raining and we can’t shoot outside today. So, who’s your friend?”

“Friend?” Nick pokes his head through the doorway. “Ah shit.”

“Aw, shit?” Trevor casts a sideways glance at Nick, turning off the camera when he starts to pick up on the tension in the room. “Why didn’t you tell me he had company?”

“I didn’t think he still did.” Nick aims a sheepish look my way.

“That’s not…” he trails off as his eyes drop to the floor, realizing the hole he’d be digging for himself if he finishes that thought.

Though tr uthfully, I’d cut him a little slack since he evidently didn’t tell everyone else who’s in my bed.

“Well, now I really need to know,” Trevor says. “Who’s your friend?”

“He’s coming.” Nick elbows Trevor with a glance toward the hallway.

“What the hell are you doing with my camera, Trevor?” Jace storms into the room.

“You said I could shoot off-bike footage,” Trevor pouts as if he’s done nothing wrong.

“Off-bike footage of the bike . Like what you do to maintain it. I didn’t tell you to barge in on Axel,” Jace growls.

“You didn’t tell me not to,” Trevor retorts.

“Everyone get the fuck out, now!” I roar, cutting them all off before they can get even more awkward. Unfortunately, my outburst only piques Jace’s interest since it’s so unlike me.

As Trevor and Nick’s bickering fades into the hallway, Jace’s gaze travels from my face to the floor, where Lennon’s clothes are still in plain sight.

The skirt and black lacy briefs don’t seem to phase him, but I can tell the moment he spots the combat boots, since his eyes dart back to mine with what can only be described as betrayal.

I’ve heard the expression about how a look can feel like a punch to the gut, but I’ve never experienced it myself until just now. The confusion and raw hurt on my best friend’s face robs my lungs of air, leaving me helpless to do anything but sit guiltily in the bed.

“No filming today.” His voice is barely above a whisper when he finally speaks. “I’ll see you later.”

The room is so quiet the click of the door shutting is like a gunshot, and I flinch even though I watched it close. But I make no move to go after Jace. As shitty as it is to say, he’s not my main concern right now .

Fuck!

I scrub my hand over my face, giving myself a brief moment to feel like a jerk. Then I focus on the man beside me, pulling the covers back just enough that I can place a soft kiss on Lennon’s shoulder.

“Sorry about that. I won’t pretend they don’t do stupid shit for the camera, but they’ve never barged in like that before.”

He leans over the edge of the bed with the sheets clutched to his waist and starts to gather the clothes he had on last night. “My alarm was about to go off, anyway,” he says stiffly. “I have to get to work.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No need.” His voice is eerily level as he talks to the floor.

“You heard the guys, it’s raining. We won’t get any film today and I’ve got nothing else to do.” That’s a lie, there’s always something to do when we’re gathering footage for a movie, but all of that takes a back seat to the man in my bed.

In his time of need Lennon sought me out, and while I know that scares him—hell, it scares me too—I know it means something. Sexuality be damned, career be damned, there’s more than just chemistry between us, and I won’t let the man get rid of me because he’s out of his element.

“Really it’s fine.” Lennon rolls back into the bed with an armful of clothes, meeting my eyes for the first time since we were startled awake. It’s criminal that he wakes up looking that good . “I prefer to go on my own.”

“Don’t do that.” I shake my head

“Do what?”

“Run.” I drag my hand through my hair with a heavy sigh and decide to take a gamble. “You may have been trying to fuck away your pain last night but we both know that’s not all that happened. We don’t have to define it, but I’m not going to ignore it. ”

“I’m not ignoring anything. I have to go.”

“And I’m still coming with you.”

“Axel, I’ve got a ton of shit to do today…”

“I’m sure you do,” I interrupt. “I won’t get in your way, unless you need the distraction.

” I shoot him a playful wink, and my heartbeat accelerates when I catch him trying to bite back a timid grin.

“But you haven’t slowed down since I met you and I’m not sure how long you can keep this pace up, so I’m coming with you. ”

“You’ll be bored.” He makes a final attempt to protest.

Lennon sucks in a breath as I pick up his hand and link our fingers together. “Do you know what I’d do if I stay here? Watch dirt bike videos and drink beer, not because I want to, but because Jace thinks footage of me watching video and talking about what I see will be good filler.”

“That’s not fun for you?” His voice sounds a little breathless as I rub my thumb over the back of his hand.

“Sometimes. But if I’m gonna sit on my ass all day today and drink beer I’d rather do it where I can watch something other than the guys whooping at the TV.” My gaze locks on Lennon’s, leaving no doubt what I plan on watching all day.

“Suit yourself.” He goes to pull his hand away, but I grip it harder.

“Unless you’ve changed your mind about the walk of shame, you might want to borrow something to wear.”

Lennon glances at the clothes in his hand before meeting my eyes with an uncharacteristically bashful expression. “I liked the look of those black jeans you had on the other day.”

** *

After stocking the food in the cooler, and properly re-enacting our first encounter there, I settle in at the bar. Choosing the last spot on the far end, it gives me the perfect view of Lennon without having to turn my head from side-to-side.

People start to trickle in as soon as the doors open, the ladies with shopping bags opting for tables and the empty-handed folks heading for the barstools. I split my time between watching the crowd and the baseball game on the TV above the bar. That is, when I’m not focused on Lennon.

He’s behind the counter, filling drinks and running credit cards, spinning left and right faster than I rev my engine before the start of my run.

It looks exhausting, but he wears a smile on his face the entire time, chatting and laughing with his staff and every customer that sits down.

I don’t know why I find that so mesmerizing, but I can’t take my eyes off him.

As the clock hits noon, more people file in, and the seats closest to me are filled with a group of guys in bike shorts and ballcaps, just like my crew usually wears. It makes me feel right at home.

“You watching this game?” The guy closest to me asks, pointing at the TV.

“Not really, it was just on.”

“Mind if we change it? There’s a mountain biking event we want to watch.” He jerks his head toward the two guys that came in with him.

“I’d actually prefer biking to baseball.” There’s a lot of similarity between mountain biking and dirt biking. While I’m better with a motor, I like keeping up with everything on two wheels.

“Lennon, throw on Red Bull Rampage, will ya?” the guy hollers.

Lennon casts him a knowing smirk and changes the channel, then shouts to one of the servers. “Pay up, Beck. I called it. ”

A brunette server slaps a bill into Lennon’s outstretched hand and turns to glare at the guy next to me.

“Seriously, Blake. It’s Two Dollar Tuesday.

That's the only reason you're drinking here instead of The Underground. You couldn’t order a drink before commandeering the TV? That cost me twenty bucks.”

“But… Red Bull Rampage,” Blake stutters. “It’s the premiere bike event. Invite only. The top fifteen riders in the world.”

I happen to be familiar with this event, which features some of the gnarliest terrain you could ride on with two wheels, so I feel almost compelled to defend the guy. “If I’d known this was airing today, I’d have asked to change the channel nearly an hour ago,” I tell him.

“See?” Blake points to me as evidence. “He gets it.”

“He rides for a living,” the server, Beck, says, as Lennon slips his winnings in his pocket and goes to help another customer.

Blake looks at me from the corner of his eye. “Dirt bike?”

I nod and take a sip of my beer, hoping that discourages him from asking questions. Normally, I love talking about the bike, but today I’d rather enjoy the scenery behind the bar.

“Thought you looked familiar. Wait.” He turns back to Beck. “How do you know what he does?”

“He came in here a few days ago dressed like he just got done on the track.” Beck lifts a shoulder in a “duh” sort of way.

“That means he rides a bike for a living?” Blake shakes his head at him as though he should know better. “Half the town dresses like that.”

“They don’t have a camera guy,” Beck retorts without missing a beat. “But I’m out twenty and I need you to help me win it back.”

“Why do I have to be involved? I didn’t tell you to make that dumb bet. ”

“Says the guy who makes a game out of stringing dirty drink names together. And you have to help because I won’t wait on you before the other customers if you don’t.” He jabs his finger at Blake’s chest.

Blake rubs at the spot with his palm, ignoring the two friends who laugh at his predicament. “I didn’t invent the game. I’m not even the top scorer.”

“But you still play, so you’re clearly not opposed to making bets that will help me win my money back.” Beck shoots Blake an evil grin before heading off to check on his tables.