Sweet Hope

Suddenly I felt like crying. Axel should feel welcome in his own family’s house. He shouldn’t have to keep what he felt for me a secret, for fear of my friends turning their backs on me... because of the man I’d chosen to lo—

My hand flew to my chest as I realized what I’d been just about to admit. I couldn’t… I didn’t, not yet, right? It was impossible… it was…

Shit… it was true…

I glanced up to check no one had noticed my strange reaction, and nobody had… until I locked gazes with a familiar pair of golden eyes, Molly Prince’s golden eyed gaze was firmly glued on me.

Forcing my attention back to the darkened hallway, I was convinced Axel would refuse to come in. He’d make some lame excuse and bail. I knew this was his idea of hell, so I had to prevent my mouth from dropping open when, rather awkwardly, he walked fully into the light. He looked so damn sexy and brooding that, for a moment, I couldn’t catch my breath.

I did love him. I loved this tortured man before me with a breathless intensity.

Austin, clearly also in shock at his brother’s appearance, threw an arm around Axel's shoulder and led him toward a bucket of beer, handing over a bottle of Bud.

“That’s Axel?” Cassie whispered from beside me. Swerving in my place on the couch to face her, I silently nodded my head. I wanted to tell her it was my Axel, my Elpidio, the man who’d brought me to life with his deep soul and magnetic dark force, but I couldn’t.

Watching Cass assess my man, I braced for her to talk shit about him, feeling like she’d be stabbing me with a dagger in the process, but in typical Cassie fashion, she did the opposite.

“Fuck me, that guy is sin on a stick!” Cassie exclaimed with an impassioned sigh.

Molly and Lexi shook their heads at Cassie whose eyes bugged out at Axel. Her blue eyes tracked every inch of his built body, a body I now knew better than my own, his every tattoo etched in my memory.

“I mean, that long almost-black hair, the beard, the tattoos on his neck and face… the whole I’m an ex-gangster, I could kill you on the spot and I’ve served hard time thing? Whew!” Cass fanned herself with her hand, “If I wasn’t pregnant and married I’d be all up in that bad boy shit! I’d sure as hell rehabilitate him!”

Jimmy-Don was staring at Cass in exasperation. After all, she was being her typically loud self. I forced down a swig of my wine for fear I‘d burst out laughing… especially when I looked at Austin and Axel who were staring at Cass with mutual expressions of disbelief. At least Austin was; Axel just glared at her, his jaw clenching.

Austin, deciding to ignore Cass, nodded to Axel in the direction of JD, Rome and Lev. When Axel reluctantly looked over at the three men, they were all watching him with wary expressions, none of which exactly looked welcoming.

Axel pointed his beer at the seat nearest to me, under the TV. “I’ll just watch the game,” he said gruffly. He sounded his usual hard tough self, but I could detect the pain and hurt in his gaze and his voice. Levi's actions made it clear he wanted Axel nowhere near him.

Hearing Cass sigh again, I looked in her direction and she was still fanning herself, staring hungrily at my man. She turned to me and mouthed, “That voice!”

Part of me was glad that Cass felt the way she did. It gave me hope that Axel and I weren’t a lost cause.

“So, Ally,” Cass said, leaning back against the couch as Axel slumped into the chair… the chair that offered a perfect view of me. Hell, he was sat exactly opposite.

I turned to Cass. “Yeah, darlin’?”

“Rumor has it, you got yourself a new beau?” Cass’s eyebrows danced, but my cheeks flamed when I saw Axel freeze in my peripheral vision.

“Yes,” I whispered and took a sip of my wine, trying to avoid follow-up questions.

“So, what’s he like? Some reclusive artist, right?”

Feeling my breathing hollow out, I nodded my head. “Yes.”

Cassie slapped her thigh loudly and groaned in frustration at my short answers. “Ally, I’m pregnant and have been with JD for what seems like forever. Molly’s knocked up too and Lexi and Austin, well, she’s his little Pix and he’s her bad boy. They don’t see anyone else, so we need to live the single life vicariously through you. So spill it, I need details! Mama needs some gossip!”

Flashing a glance to Axel, I debated what to say. I was worried I would be too transparent and our secret would be found out. Axel raised his bottle of beer to his mouth and cast a glance back at me. That one hungry look alone melted me on the spot. I thought I caught a flicker of amusement in his dark eyes, but from here I couldn’t be sure.