Read Cowboy Gangster 02 - Gunnin' for Love (CMS) (MM) for Free Online Page B

thickly. “Yeah, I was.” His dropped his gaze to the pup, stroking his fingers through its fur.
    “I also recall,” Angel chuckled, “Maddy’s disgust when you tried to get him to fetch your sock –to show the puppy how to fetch.” He laughed. “He wasn’t having any of that.”
    Axel’s throat worked and his eyes burned but he couldn’t prevent his smile from widening. “He was a smart kid.” The pup blurred as he kept his eyes trained on the small animal.
    “Maddy remembers it all, too,” Angel whispered. Axel just stared down at the pup, his fingers sliding back and forth through its short, soft hair, and his tears forming thicker. “He started…” Angel’s voice strained with emotion. “…He started calling you our brother, without even thinking about it. It’s just…who you were to him after that day.” Angel’s breath shuddered. “Who you were to me, too.”
    Axel tried to blink back the tears before they spilled over. His eyes shifted a fraction and caught Clint’s stare, then dropped back to the pup again.
    “We thought we lost you,” Angel said softly, an unsteadiness to his words.
    A tear rolled down Axel’s cheek and shakes began to grip his body. He gently pushed the pup into Angel’s hands and turned away as more tears trailed the first. He walked quickly toward the club entrance.
    “Axel...?” Concern and uncertainty laced Angel’s voice, which only made the swelling pain in Axel’s chest hurt even more.
    He passed into the shadowed corridor then shoved through the restroom door to the left. He was barely inside before he broke and leaned against the wall, arms wrapped tightly around his stomach which clenched beneath the strength of his sobs.
    He started calling you our brother…it’s who you were to him…who you were to me.
    Axel ducked his head and sank slowly to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. Pain squeezed his heart until he could hardly breathe. You were their brother…they loved you more than Wade ever could…and you turned on them. Viciously. You let Wade hurt them –so bad! You didn’t do a FUCKING thing to help them!
    “You hurt them, too,” he choked on a rush of sobs and buried his face in his arms. You fucking COWARD!
    The restroom door opened then closed with a soft click but he didn’t raise his head. The dull clack of boot soles on hard tile brought him a sense of comfort yet he couldn’t look up as he cried against his arms.
    He barely felt himself being lifted to his feet before he was buried in Clint’s embrace and clinging to the cowboy, a fresh swell of sobs wracking his body. Clint didn’t speak, just held him tight, his face pressed into Axel’s hair and his hands caressing his back soothingly.
    “I don’t deserve this,” Axel cried quietly against Clint’s neck, tremors rushing through him. He clung desperately to Clint. “I don’t…I don’t deserve anything good.” His fingers dug into Clint’s hair and he shoved his face deeper into the man’s neck. “I don’t deserve you.”
    A slow, uneven breath forced out of Clint and he rubbed his hands up Axel’s back and gently gripped his head. He drew him back and pressed his forehead to Axel’s brow, his thumbs stroking over Axel’s wet cheeks. Clint’s eyes were closed, a pinch of anguish to his face. When he finally opened his eyes, they were damp. Axel’s chest hitched with quiet sobs struggling to work up his throat as fresh, warm tears brimmed and slipped over, trickling down his cheeks only to be wiped away by the cowboy’s touch.
    “Come here,” Clint whispered and drew back. He led Axel to the sink and –with a sense of déjà vu –he watched the man pluck towels from the dispenser, lightly dampen them under the faucet, then gently wash Axel’s face.
    Axel stared at Clint. The last time they had been in this restroom…
    ‘Stay with me…I won’t hurt you.’
    It felt like they were replaying that day. His emotions heightened from Angel and Maddy’s