Axel (Ride Series #3) - O'Brien, Megan Page 0,2

coffee table, hand resting on his abs. He never seemed as affected by being close to me as I was to him.

My heart pounded as I worked up the courage to talk to him – to finally divulge the secret I’d held so closely. The secret that would change everything.

“Listen, Ax,” I began, my heart hammering so hard it was nearly painful.

His eyes turned toward me expectantly.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” I licked my lips nervously.

The shrill ring of my phone began in the background but I ignored it, intent on the task at hand.

“Soph?” he prodded.

My phone rang again and I huffed in exasperation, rising to silence it.

I saw the familiar number flashing across the screen and was compelled to answer. I watched Axel wordlessly, memorizing the plane of his face, the color of his eyes, and the shape of his lips as I delivered the one-word answers that were required of me in a rushed whisper. It was only a five-minute conversation, despite it changing the course of my life.

I knew what I had to do.

I was on the next bus out of Hawthorne that very night.

Chapter 1

Thirteen Months Later

“That order you’ve been waitin’ on is up,” Stacy, a fellow waitress, mentioned in passing as she snapped her gum.

“Thanks,” I murmured, relieved. Table 12 had been giving me trouble since they sat down and it hadn’t helped that their food had taken longer than usual.

Giovanni’s was a popular little Italian place downtown with good food and a quiet atmosphere. I was lucky they’d given me the chance to waitress since I’d had no experience when I started.

“Do y’all need anything else?” I asked after I’d put the steaming plates down in front of four impatient gentlemen. The “y’all” had emerged somewhere in the last few months and I was rolling with it.

“Your phone number for starters,” one of them returned without pause.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

A sing-song voice called out, “She’s taken, honey.” Dwayne swept in to rescue me as he gave me a wink and sashayed on down to pick up his own order.

“It’s true,” I nodded along with the lie Dwayne had become accustomed to dropping whenever one of the customers got overzealous.

“Too bad,” the man replied, his eyes sweeping over my frame that in no way moved me or made my heart pitter or patter.

I feared that patter had been permanently lost to a certain bearded biker I’d left back in Hawthorne over a year ago.

“Anything else?” I pressed, looking deliberately at their glasses and plates full of food.

“We’re good,” one of the other men nodded, allowing me to sweep off to my next table.

By the time my shift ended, I was exhausted as always. I gathered my things and headed out, waving to Dwayne and the cooks as I left.

The humid air of the Texan evening hit me like a wet blanket. After nearly a year in the south, I still wasn’t used to the humidity. It was even worse than my native New York, if that was possible.

Living in Texas was still so foreign to me. Everything was so big and overdone. But the people were kind and so friendly; it took months for me to realize it was genuine.

I stopped at my favorite taco stand to grab a quick bite. After nearly a year of working at an Italian restaurant, a girl could only eat so much pasta. I scarfed down my taco as I waited for my bus. I’d still never learned how to drive.

By the time I walked up to my apartment complex, I was dead on my feet. I worked damn hard to make ends meet.

I looked up at the complex I called home, and despite the slightly run down exterior, a familiar sense of pride warmed me, along with the oppressive heat. The place might not be the Upper East Side brownstone I’d grown up in, but it was mine.

I made my way up the exterior steps and down the short hall, skipping my apartment and knocking lightly on the one next door.

Familiar noises came from inside, making me smile.

Jill, my neighbor and only real friend, swung the door open looking slightly harried, but it was late; that was to be expected.

“Hi,” I smiled, stepping into her place, my eyes sweeping the room in search of Maddox. He was sitting up on a blanket with his best buddy, Mason, both chewing heartedly on teething rings, drool dribbling down their chubby cheeks.

My