Page 13 of Quadruplets for the Vipers (Never Just One #3)

Leah

T he fight has been forgotten, and the party is in full swing when I return. There’s a live band performing, which helps to keep people happy and distracted.

“Everything okay?” Axel asks me, his handsome face furrowing with concern as he comes over.

“Yeah, he’ll have a sore head tomorrow, but he’s fine.”

Axel nods in approval, and we both fall silent, watching the band.

“They’re good,” I say, gesturing to the band. “The lead singer is something else, he’s got some real stage presence.”

“Yeah, they’re gonna be looking for a new lead soon, though. He’s been scouted for a record deal but isn’t gonna take the guys along for the ride.”

“Wow, good for him. I mean, sucks for the guys, but getting signed is a big deal, it’s not easy,” I say wistfully.

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Axel observes, taking a swig of his beer and looking at me.

“I am,” I reply, surprised that I’m telling him. My failed music career isn’t something I often divulge. “I moved here to try to make it as a singer. But, well, life had other plans.”

“What happened?” Axel asks, seeming genuinely curious. “Why’d you stop trying?”

“I just realized I wasn’t good enough,” I say with a casual flick of my wrist, trying to play down the heartbreak that revelation once caused me.

“Who told you that?” he asks, astutely realizing I didn’t come to that conclusion alone.

“What makes you think someone told me?” I throw back, lightly teasing, not wanting to offload just yet.

“You don’t strike me as the kind of person to travel halfway across the country to pursue a dream you didn’t have a chance of fulfilling,” he states seriously.

I’m flattered that he didn’t simply assume that I might actually just be bad.

“My ex,” I admit. “He didn’t like me going out working at all hours in bars when I had gigs or auditions, said I was wasting my time since I wasn’t good enough to make it anyway.”

When I say it out loud now, it sounds so typical, so mundane, a stupid reason to give up on my dreams, and yet that’s exactly what happened. However, there’s still part of me that believes he did me a favor, making me realize it was an unattainable pipe dream.

“He sounds like an idiot,” Axel says bluntly. “Even if you don’t become famous, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pursue your dream and make a career out of it. Sounds to me like he just didn’t want you to succeed.”

“You’re right, I suppose. He was jealous… controlling. It was easier just to quit than to handle the arguments every time I had a gig,” I admit.

“Well… you’re not with him now. Why not give it another go?”

“It’s complicated…” I explain, not wanting to go into details as to why I can’t.

How can I explain that I need to remain invisible so he can’t find me?

The first place he’d look for me is live music venues.

If I joined a band or pursued a solo career, it wouldn’t take him long to find out about it and track me down.

If I admit this, Axel will know that the only reason I agreed to the surrogacy was for the protection the club offered.

I doubt that he would look kindly upon me bringing trouble to their door, especially since the club is already dealing with enough trouble.

“I’d like to hear you sing sometime,” Axel says.

“You don’t even know if I’m any good or not,” I deflect, feeling hot under his intent gaze.

It’s rare to be the sole focus of someone’s attention. But when Axel talks to you, he actually listens.

“You are. I can tell,” he replies, so confidently that I almost believe it.

How could my ex make me feel like I’m worth nothing, make me so small, and yet just a few words from Axel have the complete opposite effect?

Hiding the blush of pleasure that Axel’s words bring, I simply smile at him but make no promises. I’m not sure I’m ready to sing for anyone else again just yet, not even him.

“I’d better get back to work.”

I return to work, enjoying the music and being around the gig atmosphere again for the first time in a long while. The whole night, I can feel Axel’s eyes on me, and when I look over, he doesn’t shy away or pretend he isn’t studying me with naked curiosity.

It’s Axel’s turn to stay over in my place tonight to keep an eye on me—despite the overall discomfort we all feel about me living in Donna and Zeus’ home without them, we had few other options, their room remains off-limits, and the guys rotate between staying in the guest room so that someone is always close by should I need anything.

It’s overkill—I told them as much—but Axel was adamant, and the rest backed him up.

For the most part, I barely notice when the guys are there, but I feel a thrill tonight knowing that Axel and I will be alone in the house together.

It’s late by the time we make it back to the house, yet neither of us is ready to go to sleep.

“Would you like a nightcap?” I ask Axel as we hover in the living room.

“I’m not usually in the habit of drinking alone… and you can’t drink,” he replies, nodding to my still flat stomach.

I wonder how quickly I’ll start to show. Will I be one of those women who you can barely tell is pregnant at six months, or will I rapidly balloon? Seeing as I’m already a curvy girl, will I look obviously pregnant, or will people just think I’ve put on weight?

“I can have a cup of tea or something,” I suggest, wanting the time alone to get to know Axel better.

He considers this, weighing the implications of us staying up alone together. “Alright then.”

I fix our drinks, and we sit on the couch together. I feel acutely aware of his proximity, despite the fact that we’re not touching, sitting on opposite ends of the couch.

“It was a good send-off,” I comment, referring to the funeral and wake.

Axel nods in agreement. “It was, I think. Zeus would have approved. He’d mostly be pissed he missed out on the fun,” he says with a rueful smile.

“What happens now? With the Steel Vipers, I mean. How do you decide who becomes the next president?”

Axel’s brow furrows as if he’s been worrying about this. “Usually, there’s a clear successor lined up, but we don’t have one. If Levi were still alive, he’d be the obvious choice. A few guys are vying for the position, so it will probably be put to a vote.”

“What about Knox? If Levi was the obvious choice, would Zeus’ other son not be the next choice?” I ask, curling my legs underneath me and holding my mug in two hands.

Axel shakes his head. “I love Knox, he’s like a brother to me, but he’s not leadership material. He’s too much of a wild card, even he knows that.”

“Okay then, what about you?”

“The guys think I’m the next president, but there are men who have been here far longer who would be just as good at leading the club. It’s a big responsibility,” Axel says cautiously, scratching the stubble on his chin.

“Well, I think you’d be great at it. I think Zeus did, too, that’s why he trusted you with the secret of wanting a surrogate to carry Levi’s child,” I reason.

“Perhaps, but there are those who don’t like me. There are some guys who think we should be more like the Hellhounds, that Zeus made us too soft.”

“Well then, all the more reason for you to be the next president, to uphold the club’s values,” I insist.

“Maybe,” he replies with a small smile before changing the subject. “So, tell me, what’s home like?”

“Another planet compared to here. It’s quiet, peaceful, and very green with rolling hills, prairies, and cornfields—and lots of cattle,” I add with a smile, recalling long walks around our farm as a girl with my grandfather.

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes. I miss how green it is. Perhaps that’s why I feel so comfortable around you, your eyes remind me of home,” I muse aloud before realizing with utter mortification what I just said.

My cheeks flush, and I expect him to politely but firmly shut me down. But instead, he smiles at me.

“I’m glad. When we were away serving in the military, the guys were my connection to home, they made it a lot more bearable.”

“You served together?”

Axel nods. “Two tours, Levi, Knox, Jace, Rider, and me. I was our squad leader.”

“Ah, I knew it, I told you you’re a natural leader,” I say with a grin. “That’s why the guys do as you say, they still think you’re the boss. Is that why you get so frustrated with me? Because I don’t automatically agree with you?” I gently tease.

“You do seem determined to do the exact opposite of what I ask you to do,” he says ruefully, his tone light. “Although I do recall you didn’t take much convincing to do what I wanted when we first met,” he adds seductively.

All of a sudden, the energy in the room shifts, becoming charged, and I’m painfully aware of the fact that we’re alone together. During our conversation, we’ve automatically shifted closer together. Now it would only take the smallest of steps to close the gap between us.

I take the leap.

“What makes you think you were the one calling the shots?” I retort, shifting closer so our thighs touch. “Maybe you don’t want to be the one taking the lead for a change.”

“So lead,” he challenges, his voice thick as he wrestles to maintain control while also wanting to relinquish it.

Before I can allow myself to overthink it, to tell myself why it’s a bad idea, I follow my instincts and give in to the hunger I’ve felt since we first met. I’m pregnant, so the rule I had to follow doesn’t apply—and even if it did, there’s no one to police it now.

I press myself close to his chest, looking into his eyes before kissing him.

He passionately kisses me back, his strong hands snaking around my waist, and I straddle him.

I can taste the whiskey on his tongue. The kiss is every bit as ferocious as the first time, but with no one to interrupt us now, we’re not stopping.

I tear my shirt off, feeling grateful that I’m wearing a nice bra and forgoing my comfortable panties today.