Bruised MC Bear (Beartooth Brotherhood MC Book 3) Read online

  It was the blonde.

  His face froze as the vixen tightened her grip on the coffee cup, opened the flip-top drinking section of the lid, and pressed her blood red lipstick-covered lips against his cup. Swallowing hard, he took an involuntary step forward, mind fixated on an image of this gorgeous creature’s lipstick smeared all across his cock. Fuck, he needed to get a grip. He shook his head, trying to wipe the visual.

  No such luck.

  “You have my coffee,” he blurted out, too busy mentally skull-fucking the petite platinum blonde to be courteous.

  “Um, no I don’t,” she answered, eyeing him up and down. “I’m pretty sure this is mine, buddy. Unless your name is Angel too?” She twisted the cardboard cup and showed him the side with the name ‘Angel’ scrawled on it with a Sharpie.

  “Oh,” he said, still tongue-tied for reasons he could not understand.

  Angel’s lips stretched in a wide, cocky smile, light blue eyes dancing with all kinds of sauciness he could get behind in a big way. “You kinda look more like a ‘Candy’ to me, personally, but what do I know? Maybe next time, you can shelve your biker gear for something a little less caveman, and you might just be able to pull it off as an ‘Angel’.”

  “But—” he started.

  She lifted a hand, gesturing for him to let her speak. “Wait your turn like a good boy, okay?”

  If she had dared to pat him on the head, he’d probably end up lifting her over his shoulder and carting her off to somewhere more private to show her what a caveman he really was.

  Or cave bear.

  “How in the hell could you have ordered the same thing I did?” Axe asked, then regretted coming up with such a dumb opening question. “I mean, I’ve never noticed anyone else ordering their coffee exactly like mine.”

  “Really?” she asked, head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed with skepticism. “You think I don’t have better things to do than hijack your caffeine fix? You saw my name, honey. I can assure you this is mine, so hang back and wait your turn, all right?”

  Angel lowered her free hand to her hip, posing in a one-sided stance with a pelvic tilt action that only confident, aggressive, flirtatious women could pull off. That move had his cock straining against his zipper in no time. Not breaking away from her gaze up at him, she took a long, slow sip of the coffee, then she winked at him. “I’m sure you’ll get yours soon.”

  Axe gaped at the saucy little vixen. He cleared his throat and darted his stare around the still bustling coffee shop. Was this really happening? When was the last time a woman got in his head this way?

  Definitely never.

  Without thinking twice about where they were, Axe took two steps forward until he was mere inches from her, towering over her as she raised her brows in challenge.

  “You may want to wipe that look off your face, before I take you over my knee, little lady.”

  Her laughter tinkled across the crowded, claustrophobic space, but he could tell that sound was all for show when her breath caught and she swallowed hard at the end of the semi-gleeful giggle.

  “I’d like to see you try that, baby,” she answered. “You’d have to catch me first, and trust me, I don’t make it easy.”

  He smirked. “Sign me up, sweet thing. A good chase makes it all the more worthwhile. Just be careful, though. When I finally snatch you up, I’m liable to devour you whole.”

  She cocked her head again, examining him up close and personal in light of this new information. Her eyes lingered a little too long on his fly, and hell if her inspection didn’t make his cock twitch in acknowledgment. Angel turned away just then, glancing at the pickup counter. The move brought Axe back to the reality of where they were.

  “Looks like you’re forgetting your coffee,” she said, gesturing in the barista’s direction.

  “What?” he asked.

  Her red lips pursed and she made a raspy purring noise in the back of her throat. “They just called out the same order.”

  “You’re trouble, aren’t you Angel?”

  She nodded and took another sip of her drink. “Better believe it, sugar.” Batting her long eyelashes one more time, she pivoted on her high heels and sashayed her luscious ass as she headed toward the door. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” she said over her shoulder.

  Axe grabbed his coffee, quickly checking to confirm his name was indeed on this order.

  “Not so fast,” he called out, maneuvering through the crowd after her. He was not letting this one slip through his fingers so easily. Not when a simple wink, head turn, or slight smile from her had done what no other woman had been able to manage.

  She stopped at the front door and whipped around. “What’s up, slugger?”

  “One second. After you,” he said, opening the door so the pretty little thing could slip outside onto the sidewalk.

  “I see now that someone at least tried to raise you right,” she said with a grin.

  He nodded. “Damn straight.”

  “Except they didn’t quite succeed at getting you to speak without cursing.”

  “Maybe so.” He dragged out his phone and quickly keyed in his unlock password to get to the contact list screen. “Let’s make sure I get my chance.” Smiling broadly, he held up the phone. “Name and number, doll…unless your bark is bigger than your bite.”

  “Real smooth…what’s your name anyway?”

  “Call me Axe.”

  Angel raised her eyebrows and bit down on her bottom lip. “Of course it is,” she said, rolling her eyes as she took the phone into her free hand and passed him her coffee cup to hold. “So what makes you so sure I won’t just put in some fake number to get you off my case?”

  He leaned forward until his lips were almost pressing against her ear. “Because, you already know what you’ll miss out on if I don’t see you again,” he growled out through his teeth.

  Axe didn’t have to wonder about how Angel would respond. He had her right where he wanted when she moaned out a hot, sultry breath at his suggestion. Sure, he’d have to wait a little longer to make her scream his name until everyone in the clubhouse knew exactly what was going down. She was more than worth it, and hell, she herself would probably regret every second she’d lost without knowing the feel of his hands all over her curves. His very own Angel had just dropped from heaven right into his sinful arms. He planned to show her what hell was all about, one scorching hot lick at a time.

  Without another word, she keyed in her contact details. Because his hands were busy with the two coffee cups when she was done, the feisty little thing grasped his left jeans pocket and slowly slid the phone down into the opening.

  “My kind of girl,” he drawled, returning her coffee cup. “How about a drink? Tonight.”

  Angel’s phone rang from somewhere inside her purse before she could give him an answer to his offer.

  “Hang on a second,” she said, biting down on one side of her bottom lip as she fished around through her things. Her hand emerged with the phone, and the second she caught sight of the phone screen, her disposition changed. Her face transformed from flirty and sexy to full-on panic mode. The color drained from her already pale skin, her shoulders slouched forward, and her confident posture vanished.

  “Hey, you okay?” Axe asked her, gently resting a hand on her upper arm.

  “Sorry, I’ve got to run.” She let out a nervous giggle. “Family errands and all that jazz. Maybe a rain check?”

  He wasn’t buying that attempt at laughing off whatever had just alarmed her, but he didn’t know her well enough to push the issue.

  “Sure. Rain check it is.”

  “Thanks. See you, Axe.” Angel spun around and bolted off, and Axe vaguely noticed something flutter from her purse onto the ground. His eyes couldn’t look away long enough to check it out while Angel gave a cursory glance in each direction and darted across the street. It took everything in him not to follow her, but that type of stalker-like behavior was creepy at best. He continued t
o watch until she climbed the steps of the public library and disappeared inside.

  Taking a few long gulps of his coffee, he refocused on his surroundings. Right. Something had fallen from her purse. He checked the ground. Damned if he would let that go without a proper investigation. It was a tiny pink square of sticky note paper, still stuck to the concrete pavement a few feet away. The non-stick end waved slightly, threatening to get picked up by a light breeze. He snatched it up and flipped it right side up to read.

  Fuck.

  He should have known someone like that sweet-looking, mouthy minx had to come with complications. Axe stuffed the paper in his pocket and threw a look over his shoulder at the coffee shop patrons. The note had simple handwriting with the words ‘Meet Dean Roman for Sonya, Hell Valley Saloon, 215 Ponderosa Drive, Red Ridge, Tuesday at 7:30p.m,’.

  What kind of dealings did Angel have with Dean?

  Dean Roman.

  Also known as Death Adder, President of the wolf shifter MC, a club that had gone from allies, to neutrals, to possible rivals of the Beartooth Brotherhood, at a time when the allegiances were constantly shifting.

  I have got to be out of my fucking mind.

  Axe nearly spilled his coffee all over his boots as he rushed inside the front door of the clubhouse. Fuck. Silas and Sabrina were still around. They would definitely rip him a new one for being late, but meeting Little Miss Curvy made it all the more worthwhile. He’d already made up his mind about what he’d do tonight. Some reconnaissance was at the top of the agenda, starting with the address that fell out of Angel’s purse. Sure, tracking her down was a real no-no, considering he’d only just met her. And yes, he was thinking with his dick. Still, this Dean Roman meeting, tacked on to her reaction to that phone call, made him curious to find out more.

  “Axe, are you coming or what? Prez has been pacing around like a caged zoo animal,” Tate asked from his seat closest to the meeting room door. That proud papa had been wound tight since his old lady, Molly, had their kid a few months ago.

  Axe rolled his eyes and stepped into the meeting room. “I’m here, ain’t I? Got held up in traffic. Are we waiting for Cole?”

  Sabrina explained she had a client to contact, and left the meeting room.

  Silas grunted, straightening up in the chair at the head of the conference table. “Not this time. He’s taking care of something for Jenny’s old lady in Vegas. First things first. Your assignments for the next two weeks are on the roster. There’s a copy for you here on the side table. Grab a sheet to get moving. Axe, get Dean’s copy over to him at the warehouse.”

  “No problem, Prez.”

  “Tate, we have you doing double time this week, because you fucking begged for it like a little bitch—”

  “Get back to me when you have to afford diapers by the crate, brother,” Tate said with a broad smile on his face. “I need the goddamned money.”

  Silas ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve got some serious shit to go over with Axe, but let’s get Dean’s post-initiation ceremony tied up with a bow. Is everyone ready? Do we all know what we’re doing?”

  Axe leaned back in his chair. “Fuck yeah. It’s all set.”

  That was about the point where Axe tuned out, simply because he was more interested in how exactly Silas would try to get him to agree to these ridiculous security clearances.

  Tate got to his feet after the run-through that Axe had mostly ignored. “Get your shit together,” he said to Axe before leaving.

  Silas turned to Axe. “The buck stops here, my friend. I’m not going to sit here wasting your time or candy-coating anything. We need this contract, so you’re going to have to take one for the team.” He pointed at a stack of paper about an inch thick. “Fill out this background check.”

  Axe nodded. “It sounds to me like the discussion is over, because what I’m hearing is an order from my Prez.”

  “It’s how it has to be,” Silas confirmed, leaning forward as he tapped the documents.

  “Fine,” Axe answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll fall in line, but don’t expect me to like it. And definitely don’t freak the fuck out if it turns out that I’m the deal breaker because I can’t get cleared for some reason.”

  “I won’t. By the way, Sabrina got in touch with Vincent. It turns out that he’s only looking for extra perimeter security staff. Nothing too complicated. We’re taking him on as a client.”

  Axe smiled, pleased at the news. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  “I’ll need you to do an assessment of his property today,” Silas added.

  “That’s no biggie. I’ve lived there countless times over the years.” He took out his phone and sent a quick text to check on whether Vincent was home. “Glad you and the old lady came to your senses. He’s good people.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. Vincent Belmont is still a three hundred and seventy-something-year-old vamp, last time I checked. I’m not sure he qualifies as people, seeing as how he’s fucking undead, and all.”

  “Stop busting my balls, Prez. You know what I’m saying.”

  “All right. Go make us some fucking vamp money,” Silas shouted, laughing as he and Axe bumped fists.

  “Done. You need anything else from me today? I’ve got a few things to check out, so I may be off the radar tonight.”

  “Let me guess. You’re chasing tail again.”

  “Well, there’s that,” Axe admitted. “But what choice do I got? I’m pretty much the last man standing around here without an old lady…except for Dean, anyway.”

  “So what? That just means you’ve got your pick of the twisted claws.”

  “Come on. They’re the entertainment, not old lady candidates.”

  “I don’t know,” Silas muttered, shaking his head. “I noticed Dean eying the one with the bright pink hair.”

  “He can have the whole lot of them, for all I care,” Axe replied. He got to his feet and stepped around the meeting room table, ready to leave. “Anyhow, about tonight, you could say I’m following a wolf shifter lead.”

  “Whoa, what lead? You of all people know that the wolf and panther MCs are both off limits right now. We don’t need Death Adder on our case right now.”

  “I won’t go starting trouble. I just can’t get into all the details with you right now.” Axe snatched up the background check document and waved it around. “Because I’ll be busy for half the day filling out this shit.”

  Silas groaned out a chuckle and gathered up his things. “Get the fuck out of here.”

  “I’ll update you on everything tomorrow. So, we’re cool?”

  “Yeah, we’re good.”

  Axe slapped palms with his president and left with the papers. Stepping outside, he put the documents into the satchel on one side of his Harley, already dreading the time he would waste filling it out. A text came in from Vincent, inviting him to head on over. Perfect. He could get both tasks out of the way at Vincent’s place, and use the rest of the day doing some intel on Angel.

  Axe had been at Vincent’s mansion for over two hours. They had used one of the security vans to drive around the twelve-mile perimeter of the over five thousand acre estate, stopping at several points to walk the higher risk areas. Of course, as they were long-time friends, the topic of his security clearance dilemma came up. Vincent had offered to help him with the forms. He was probably the only person who knew everything there was to know about him, so Axe agreed.

  With the physical survey completed and the security enhancements discussion over, they relaxed in Vincent’s main floor sitting room over glasses of whiskey.

  Vincent unbuttoned his black suit jacket and took a seat at his desk. He took some time to look over the blank security clearance forms. “I don’t see why you’re so worried about this, Axe,” he said after some time flipping through the pages. “You’re applying for the lowest clearance level that the Department of Defense issues.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better abo
ut getting it done? There are over a hundred questions. Talk about thorough and exhaustive. I started filling it out, but just couldn’t get into it.”

  Vincent had an amused expression on his face as he looked up from the pages. “You filled out your name, social security number, and date of birth. That’s all.”

  “But that’s what I mean!” Axe shouted, getting up to refill his glass. “I didn’t even feel comfortable giving them that much.”

  “Relax.”

  “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to subject yourself to this crap.”

  “I have a valid security clearance,” Vincent informed him with a blank stare.

  “What? How the fuck did you pull that off? You’d think the mid-sixteen hundreds date of birth would have raised some red flags,” he joked.

  Vincent flashed him a half-smile and raised his eyebrows. “Try passing a polygraph test with no pulse.”

  “Good point.”

  “Listen. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Try me,” Axe answered, downing the rest of the whiskey in two full gulps.

  Vincent swiveled his chair to look at Axe this time. “What?”

  “Ask me a question from the form,” Axe told him. “A tough one.”

  Vincent returned his gaze to the document and flipped through a few pages. “Have you ever been arrested?”

  “Arrested, yes, a few times. Charged or convicted of a crime, no.”

  “What were the arrest dates and locations?” Vincent asked.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying! How the fuck would I know? Who walks around adding their arrest dates into a calendar? Ask me something else.”

  “Have you or anyone you associate with ever been a member of a cult, a secret society, or a group-awareness program?”

  “I’d say the fact that I’m a bear shifter is a pretty fucking secret society. So how do I answer that?”

  “I’d check the no box if I were you.”

  “Personally, I was going to check yes and add ‘Can’t tell you or it won’t be secret anymore, dumbass’ in the explanation section.”

  Vincent just shook his head. “How about this one? Have you ever been treated for alcohol, drug, gambling, or sex addiction?”