Strip Search (Tap That)

“Fine. Let’s go outside. It’s too loud in here.”

They were standing in front of the bar under the flashing fluorescent Tap That sign. It made Axl grin. He didn’t think either Jackson or Leighton noticed so maybe he was just a fucking pervert but he thought it was hilarious. But him being a dirt bag was not what was needed for the damn show.

After Jackson got his camera up and ready he started to ask them questions. “Are you ready to get married?”

“Yes.” He knew he was supposed to elaborate on that but even if they really were getting married he wasn’t sure he would have anything else to say. That wasn’t his style.

“I’m sure something will go wrong tomorrow because it always does,” Leighton said, mostly looking at the sidewalk in front of the bar. “But we’ll just roll with it.”

Neither one of them really answered that the way they were supposed to and Jackson sighed. “Tell me what you love about Leighton.”

Leighton’s head snapped up. “I didn’t put that question in there, Jackson. What the heck?”

Axl was taken aback too, but what the hell, of course that would be a question if any of this were real. He was amused that Leighton was outraged but still couldn’t bring herself to swear. She only seemed to cuss when she either wanted sex or they were having sex. He found that hot.

Their fingers were entwined, something he didn’t do very often. He wasn’t really a hand-holding guy. But Leighton always seemed so delicate to him. It felt natural to touch each other this intimately. He lifted their hands now and spoke to the camera.

“We’re a good fit,” he said. He meant that. They’d had a good week. It wasn’t a lie. It was a week he would remember fondly for the rest of his life. God, fondly. That was such a fucking understatement. He sounded like his mother when she referred to being fond of coffee. This was something else entirely. This had been the fastest and hardest he had fallen for any woman ever and he cherished the time together.

So he turned to speak directly to Leighton. He wanted her to know that while this was not a real engagement, he had enjoyed being with her. Getting to know her. “Leighton is special. She has a huge heart and a consideration for others. The first minute I laid eyes on her I knew she was different.”

“In what way?” Jackson asked.

Axl squeezed her hand and stared into her green eyes. “She’s perfect and she has no idea that she is. She’s intelligent, generous, and amazing at her job. She’s as soft and delicate as the roses she loves, yet she has an inner strength I don’t think she even knows she possesses. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of this week with her, falling for her.”

Leighton bit her lip and without warning there were tears in her eyes. Axl felt it again, that strange protective surge he had around her. He reached up and wiped her eye before the tear fell down her cheek.

“And Leighton, what do you love about Axl?”

“He’s a nurturer,” she said, which kneed him in the gut.

That was the first thing she said about him? It brought up emotions he hadn’t even known he was capable of.

“And he’s thoughtful and smart and loyal.”

Axl was overwhelmed and he couldn’t resist. He bent down and kissed her, taking her mouth in a deep passionate kiss that he hoped conveyed everything he felt without having to say it. That she deserved a lifetime of happiness with a house and children and a rose garden of her own.

That he wanted to be like Bill, and throw caution to the fucking wind and marry her and get her a puppy, but that he couldn’t because his heart was frozen as solid as the lake in February and not even her sunny California smile could thaw it. Not entirely. Not the way she deserved.

So, he kissed her and willed her to feel it, to understand him, to know that she was something really fucking special.

When he pulled back, he needed to leave. He couldn’t look at her and keep his shit together. “We’re done here,” he told Jackson. “Go get some rest.” He squeezed Leighton’s hand and dropped it. “Come on. I’ll take you back to your friends. Enjoy your girl time.”

“I thought you wanted to throw me over your shoulder and kidnap me?” she said, sounding a little hopeful.

He wanted to do a lot of things. None of them were smart. “At least once this week I need to resist my impulses.” He led her to the door of the bar and yanked it open for her. “I will see you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

“Yeah. Right.” Leighton shot him a look he couldn’t interpret then marched over to the bar.

He watched her do a shot with her girlfriends before he made his way back to his poker game.

He lost his fucking shirt to Sullivan that night.

Because he was one hundred percent distracted by thoughts of a sweet blonde who looked at him like she could fall in love with him.

And he wanted her to.

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