Page 91 of Wild Card
I half turned from the grill to look at him directly. “You really believe that? Don’t you and your brothers look out for one another?”
“We do,” he said, “but…”
“But?”
He lifted his beer, took a slug, and shrugged. “Well, Gray left once. Who’s to say he wouldn’t leave again? Hell, Bailey is gonna go off to college soon. I can’trelyon anyone but me to be there for the long haul. That’s just not how my life works.”
He said it all matter-of-factly, but there was a hint of something in his voice…a ragged edge he was trying to hide. Axel hid a lot, I was coming to realize.
“Well, I know everyone has their own life to live, but you’ve got three brothers. I’d say your odds are pretty good there will always be someone in your corner.” I hesitated. “And they’re not the only ones who would be there for you.”
His gaze met mine, searching. Had I said too much too soon? Probably. Axel was like a wounded dog, wary of any hand coming near him.
He took another gulp of beer, then got up. “I’m grabbing another. You want?”
My beer was still half-full, but I nodded anyway. “Sure, thanks.”
Axel slipped inside. I wasn’t a fool. I’d pushed, and he’d run. But at least he hadn’t left. I’d just have to be a little more patient. He didn’t ever date. He’d told me as much. And even though I didn’t either, our reasons were very different.
I hadn’t wanted conflicts that would complicate my job. But Axel had been hurt by so many people. He was afraid of getting close to someone. If I pushed him too hard, he might just tell me to fuck off.
Hell, maybe we’d both be better off that way.
There was just something about him that I couldn’t ignore. The wild streak should have turned me off. His reckless attitude was the last thing I needed in my line of work. But beneath it all, there’d always been this wounded man that called out to my urge to protect and serve.
Axel would tell me to get fucked if I admitted I wanted to take care of him. But damn it, someone needed to do it because he was doing a shit job of it on his own.
I checked the steaks and turned the corn over. It only needed a couple of minutes more. By the time Axel returned, I was ready to plate our meals.
“Just put my beer on the table,” I said. “Food’s ready.”
“Damn, that looks great,” Axel said, joining me by the grill.
We’d set the table while I was still grilling, so everything was ready to go. We each plated up and dug into the food. I’d seasoned the rib eye with a smoky rub and seared it to a nice medium rare. It damn near melted in my mouth.
Axel rumbled a sound of pleasure that tempted me more than all those come-ons ever had. Damn. I wanted to know him better, wanted more than a fuck buddy, but I was still looking forward to the inevitable conclusion of us getting naked and sweaty together.
“I guess this dating thing isn’t so bad if it comes with steak,” he admitted.
“I can feed you other things too,” I said with a wink.
He snorted. “Oh, now he brings out the flirting.”
I grinned. “Gotta make sure you want me for more than my grilling prowess.”
He gave me a searing look. “There’s no question about that. But you put me in the hot seat earlier, so it only seems fair I get to do the same.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you asked why I’d want to be alone in the junkyard, but you’re even more isolated out here.”
“Mm. Yeah, guess so. I deal with people all day. Not the most pleasant interactions sometimes. It’s relaxing out here. Peaceful. I can decompress.”
“But that’s not the whole story.”
I popped another bite of steak into my mouth, chewing slowly to stall. I hadn’t counted on Axel pushing for more than the story I gave to everyone.
And it wasn’tuntrue. It just wasn’t the whole story, like he said.
