Love Nip (17 page)

I removed his hand from my arm
, but he began running it back and forth down my arm. Never in my life had I been so uncomfortable. I tried to walk away and he grabbed me by the arm again.

“Whoa, where are you going
? You have to take your shot,” he said as the bartender sat the shots down.

I removed his hand again, walked over, and tossed the shot back. It burned the entire way down my throat. I gave a small smile and began to walk away. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back. The shots I had taken with De
e-Dee had kicked in. I could feel liquid courage seeping from my pores. I grabbed his hand and slammed it on the bar. Even over the loud music I could hear the sound of his bones hitting the wood. “Thanks for the shot, but if you grab me again I’ll break your arm off and beat you with it.”

He pulled his hand back and cradled in it in his chest, “You don’t have to be such a bitch about it
.”

Anger had taken over
; my hands were shaking. My chest was aching and my head was spinning. I wanted nothing more than to punch the guy in his ugly face. I began to walk away to calm myself. I knew I wasn’t able to control my magic when I was angry. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I knew I was about to ruin girls’ night out. I turned around to face the guy.

“I bought you a fucking shot and this is how you treat me?” he demanded. His hands were now balled in fist
s at his side.

“I’m going to give you one more chance to leave me alone
. Trust me, dude, you don’t want to mess with me,” I snapped.

“You’re going to come back over here and talk,”
he yelled. We had caught the attention of a few people standing around. Some just sipped on their beer and watched like we were the entertainment. Others smiled as if they knew a fight was brewing.

I rolled my eyes
; the guy was surly drunk. Men don’t normally talk to me like that. I was outraged. I turned around to walk away and he grabbed my dress and pulled me back. I tripped and fell to the floor. I don’t know what made me angrier; the fact that he ignored my warning, or the fact that my butt was planted firmly on the dirty bar floor.

I stood slowly, dusting
off my dress. I had a wet spot on my butt, which infuriated me even more. I put my hands on the center of his chest and pushed with everything I had. He stumbled a few feet back. Our dispute had now caused quite the scene. The bartender yelled at us to cut it out. The man began to run full force at me. We both flew to the ground. My eyes were shut tightly but I was punching with everything I had. I came in contact with something hard and cried out. Pain radiated through my arm. The man yelled curse words at my face.

Suddenly he
was pulled backwards with a power that was not humanly possible. I stood and looked over to spot Axle dragging the guy by his shirt out of the bar. I ran to catch up. As I reached the door I ran out just in time to see Axle toss the guy to the curb as if he was weightless.

“Hey
, babe.” Axle grinned.

“Axle,” I breathed heavily.

“You have a crazy life, you know that?” He laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the bar. He strolled over to the bar. The bartender recognized him and smiled. He walked over and they did a strange handshake. The bartender pulled a beer from a cooler, and cracking it open, he handed it to Axle. “It’s on the house. Thanks for taking out the trash, Axle.”

“Just watching out for my girl
.” Axle winked at me.

The idea of being Axle’s girl sent chills down my spine. He was a dangerous mix of sexy and
amazing. I smiled with glee. He knew exactly what to say to make my knees buckle. We listened to the band play a few songs as Axle drank his beer. I was suddenly feeling the room sway back and forth. I regretted that double shot with that jerk.

“Honey, I think you’ve had a little too much
. I should get you home,” Axle said into my ear.

I didn’t argue as I
followed him to his car. The warm, humid air made it harder to breathe as we walked. Axle placed his hand on the small of my back to keep me upright. Once we arrived to his car he opened the passenger door and I got in. After closing my door he joined me and started the car.

“Thanks for that,
” I murmured. There was a distinct ring in my ears from the music being too loud.

“What are you doing here by yourself?”
he asked, exhibiting his bright smile.

I licked my lips in response. My libido was in overdrive
. “I wasn’t alone, it
was
girls’ night out but I lost the girls.”

“You are so adorable,”
he stated as he merged onto the highway.

My heart fluttered.
“I met my grandmother today,” I told him. It felt so amazing to be with Axle again.

“Is she single? I’m in the market,” he joked.

I shot him a fake glare. “Ha, ha.”

“
I’ve met your grandmother before and she is a wonderful woman. She reminds me of you,” he answered.

“I’m flattered,” I slurred.

“I talked to Ezra today, he told me you came by and talked to him about you guys and us.”

I waited for him to continue. When
I decided he was waiting for me to say something, I spoke, “Well, I wanted him to understand that we had been over for a while and my interest was elsewhere.”

He thought about what to say next
. “So was the loser from the bar your elsewhere?”

“What? No!” I was
appalled that he could even joke about that situation, “I know I should keep business and pleasure separate, but I have a thing for my partner.”

He smiled proudly
. “I’m glad to hear it.”

We pulled into my apartment
and he helped me out of the car. We walked hand in hand to my door. He took my keys from me before unlocking the door. I let go of his hand and threw my purse on the table. He followed my lead and threw the keys down. He grabbed my hand, pulling me into his chest. His hand grazed my chin and gently raised my face to his. Plush warm lips laid on top of my own as I breathed in his fragrance. His tongue found mine and we kissed with an intense passion. Warmth was building up within me. He picked me up and walked over to the nearest wall.

“Ouch,” I cried out when a picture frame dug into my back.
I could feel my face grow red.

He laughed.
“Sorry.”

I pulled the picture frame from the wall and threw it to the floor. Our eyes met for a minute before his lips found mine again
, and he pushed himself against my body. I struggled with the buttons on his shirt, giving up I ripped the shirt apart. Buttons went flying through the air. Warm hands lingered on my thighs, guiding my dress up. He squeezed my butt, which caused me to moan aloud. My head tilted up as his lips crept across my neck. Sensual kisses and slight suckles sent jolts of pleasure through my body. Wetness was forming below. My nails dug into his back, pulling him closer. I could feel his hardness pressing between my legs sending me over the edge. He reached around, pulled me into his chest, and carried me to the couch. After gently laying me down he pulled my dress off and began to pull my shoes off. I was thankful that I had worn nice undies. White granny panties with rainbow polka dots would have definitely ruined the moment. He pulled a boot off and stopped when he saw my socks.

“
Pink socks?” He laughed.

“
Just forget you saw them,” I demanded. I wanted his skin on mine and now.

He smiled and pulled of
f the other boot and both socks. His body ran over my legs as he pulled himself back to me. His lips found my neck again and he gently nibbled. His mouth moved down over my cleavage; his teeth gently scraping against my breast. I let out a moan and ran my hands through his short hair. His hands found the latch that held my bra together. He fumbled with the strap for a moment until it loosened, slid down my arms, and fell to the floor next to my feet. His hands felt warm on my breasts as he teased my nipples with his fingers. I yearned for him to be inside of me. The ache I had for him was almost painful, it felt like a thirst I had to quench. I could feel his desire for me as his hands ran down my stomach. His fingers played with the cotton seam of my panties, teasing my skin.

Axle’s phone began to ring,
and he sighed. Suddenly, he jumped up and answered it. Talk about a buzz kill. He didn’t say hello he just silently listened. He began dressing himself quickly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked
, becoming worried.

He slammed his phone down and raced to get dressed. He threw my dress at me
. “Get dressed. There is an alarm going off at work.”

I ran into my room and grabbed jeans and a hoodie. I pulled on my jeans and slipped some shoes on.
Wiggling into the hoodie, I walked back out to the living room. Axle grabbed his keys and we were off.

I had never seen Axle this anxious before. He swerved in and out of traffic, and what normally took me twenty to thirty minutes to get to work took him five. Stopping the car at the door of the building, he threw it into park. After hopping out, I followed his lead as he walked to the back of his car. He opened the trunk and I gasped. The assortment of shiny silver guns increased the adrenalin coursing through my veins. I almost had to fight the smile that was creeping out. This could be a false alarm or it could be a serious situation.

We crept inside the front door and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place except the front guard. We had a security guard posted up at the front desk around the clock. I saw a navy shoe at the corner of the desk and ran over.

“Emily,” Axle snapped.

As I
rounded the desk, I immediately recognized the guard; it was Bob. I ran to his side and began shaking him. He didn’t seem injured, but he wasn’t responding. This meant we had a legit alarm. It only took three seconds for things to click before I went into overdrive. Number one, Kimmy was in the building and number two, so was Ezra. I ran over to stairwell and tried to open the door. The levels are accessed through a card reader. Each person had to get clearance and carry an ID badge. In the excitement I had forgotten mine at home.

“Axle, your badge,” I yelled.
I held my hand out, waiting for him to throw me something.

He reached in his pocket and came out empty
. “It’s in the car. I’ll be right back, don’t move.” He took off running.

I went back over to Bob to check on him while I waited. His
face smiled up at me from the picture on his badge. Grabbing it, I yanked it off his jacket. I swiped the card and pulled at the door. The door clicked and I began down the stairs three at a time. I stopped in the basement and swiped the card again. I pushed the door open and began to sprint.

I yelled for Kimmy as I rounded the corner. I could see her welcome mat in front of her jail cell. She wasn’t answering and I prayed with every step I took that I wouldn’t find her dead. I grabbed the bars to stop myself. The cell was empty. As if no one had ever lived there.

I took off down the hall and back through the stairwell. I ran as fast as I could to Ezra’s floor. I threw the door open and was greeted by an eerie silence. The hallway was cold and the lights were dimmed. By now I should have been stopped by a nurse. No one came out.

“Ezra?” I called out
, afraid to go into his room. I didn’t know if I could handle what I knew awaited me.

“Em,” I heard
his voice call out softly.

I sprinted the last few steps to his room and rushed in. He was sprawled on the floor
, lying in a pool of blood. I could smell the rusty aroma, my senses felt on fire. I knelt down beside him, tears streaming down my face. While I assessed his injuries I held his hand in mine. There was puncture wounds in his neck and blood trickled out. His arms were scratched and the red marks on his face said he put up a fight.

“Emily,” He croaked again. I could hear bubbling in his voice, I knew his lungs were filling with blood.

“Shh, it’s okay Ezra,” I lied to comfort him. The sad truth lingered in my thoughts, I was alone with him and he was dying. There was nothing I could do except be there while he passed. I ran my hand down the side of his face and his eyes shut tightly. He turned his head and coughed. As his eyes met mine I noticed the blood on his lip.

“I’m so sorry
, Ezra. I shouldn’t have left you here alone,” I cried out.

“Em, I’ll be fine
. It’s just a flesh wound,” he tried to joke.

I couldn’t
laugh, I barely got out a tiny smile. I didn’t know what was taking Axle so long.

“Ezra, who did this?” I asked.