Brutal (A Real Man, 11) Read online

  Brutal

  A Real Man, 11

  Jenika Snow

  Contents

  Copyright

  A Real Man Series

  Brutal

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Newsletter

  Coming Next

  Excerpt: Taking Her Hard (Death’s Door MC, 2)

  Excerpt: Blacksmith (A Real Man, 11)

  About the Author

  BRUTAL (A Real Man, 11)

  By Jenika Snow

  www.JenikaSnow.com

  [email protected]

  Copyright © April 2017 by Jenika Snow

  First E-book Publication: April 2017

  Photographer: Wander Aguiar :: Photography

  Cover model: Dylan Horsch

  Photo provided by: Wander Book Club

  Editor: Kasi Alexander

  Line Editor: Lea Ann Schafer

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction, transmission, or distribution of any part of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  This literary work is fiction. Any name, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Please respect the author and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials that would violate the author’s rights.

  Book 1: Lumberjack

  Book 2: Virgin

  Book 3: Baby Fever

  Book 3.5: A Real Man: Volume One

  Book 4: Experienced

  Book 5: Roommate

  Book 6: Arrogant

  Book 7: Feral

  Book 8: Dirty

  Book 9: Viking

  Book 10: Blacksmith

  Book 11: Brutal

  He’s loved her his entire life.

  Axel

  She’s my best friend, my everything.

  She’s been the girl I’ve loved since I knew what that meant.

  I box—fight bloody—for a living, and at every fight she’s there, cheering me on, being mine whether she knows it or not.

  I’ve never been with a woman because for me she’s it. Roxie is the only one I’ll ever want.

  Enough time has passed. It’s time I told Roxie how I feel, because there’s no way I can hold in my feelings any longer.

  Roxie

  I want to think the looks, the possessiveness that comes from him means he wants me the same way I want him. He’s been in my life for longer than I can remember, and I never want that to change.

  I’ll be with him until the end. My love for him runs so deep, so strong I can’t breathe at times.

  I watch as he pushes other girls away, his gaze locked on mine as if he’s trying to tell me there isn’t anyone else for him.

  But I’m afraid to turn our relationship from friends to lovers. I’m afraid of crossing that line that could ruin what we have.

  Warning: This is a super sweet friends-to-lovers story. Don’t worry; it still has that OTT alpha hero who’s head over heels in love with his woman and caveman to a fault. Grab some ice, because it’s going to get hot in here!

  1

  Axel

  Having Roxie here made me feel stronger, had my blood rushing through my veins, my heart pumping harder, faster. I glanced at the girl I loved—secretly—and saw that she was worried. This was only practice, me boxing with one of the guys at the gym, one of my friends, but she worried for me.

  “Dude, pay attention,” Lenny said, his words muffled by the mouth guard. He glanced at Roxie, and I saw the smirk that covered his face. I swung out, knocking him back with the force.

  One of these days I was going to grow some balls, pull Roxie in close, and kiss her senseless. One of these fucking days I’d tell Roxie I loved her, damned if the friendship was ruined or not. Being around her and not kissing her, holding her, letting the world see she was mine was so fucking painful I’d risk anything for the chance to claim her.

  I just needed to grow those balls first.

  Roxie

  I always hated watching Axel fight, even though I knew he’d win. The fact he was getting violent with someone else scared the shit out of me.

  Axel ducked, dodged the punch, swung out, and drew blood. He was vicious in the ring, his blue boxing gloves standing out against the red of his opponent’s. Over and over he did this, hitting, blocking, his focus on the other guy, his moves precise. I glanced at the clock, the time seeming to speed up, then slow to a halt. I had to leave for work soon, but not before I saw him win.

  This was only practice, but I had to make sure he was okay.

  I saw the other boxer say something to Axel, although it was too low for me to hear. And then the other guy glanced at me, grinning around his mouth guard, making me feel pissed for Axel. The guy did this to piss Axel off. I knew that, knew he was trying to get under Axel’s skin.

  But he should have known better, should have known taunting Axel would only lead to him on his ass.

  And sure enough, Axel delivered a punch to the face that had the guy on his back, out cold.

  I retreated a few steps as the trainer went closer and motioned Axel over. They started talking. I turned my back to the ring, grabbed the rest of my stuff, and felt someone behind me. I smiled and looked over my shoulder.

  Axel stood there, all six-foot-three inches of him, his body glossy with sweat, his massive chest rising and falling. I noticed he had a small cut above his eyebrow, one of the many times he’d gotten hurt boxing.

  He grinned down at me, gestured to my bag, and because I knew he’d keep bugging me until I gave in, I handed it over.

  “You have time for me to shower and clean this up?”

  I glanced at the clock. “Only if you can do it in ten minutes.”

  “Done.” He turned, but I called him back.

  But to be honest I’d be late for him if it meant spending more time together. “Text me when you’re done showering and I’ll come in and clean the wound up.” He smiled, and my heart raced.

  “Um, my bag.” I chuckled when he handed it over. “You can be all manly and carry it when you’re done.”

  He winked and I felt my heart start to race. I watched him walk away, not knowing if I’d ever have the nerve to tell the boy I loved—the man he’d grown into—that I cared for him. For years, ever since I knew what the word meant, what it would feel like, I knew what I felt for Axel was more than friends.

  I wanted to be his, needed to show him that we were meant for each other. I could pretend that I “saw” the way he looked at me, that maybe he felt the same way. But at twenty-two, the years passing, and nothing being said, I pushed any notion about what I could have with him.

  I chalked it up to my own fantasies.

  I stared at the other boxers training. Some were back in the ring; others were working out or hitting the red punching bag violently.

  Five minutes later I got a text from Axel. I took my bag with me into the locker-room, saw him sitting on a bench, shirtless, water dripping from his hair, and tried to control my emotions.

  I’d patched him up before, so finding the first aid kit, and doing this less than appealing job, wasn’t a hardship.

  I grabbed some peroxide, ointment, and a butterfly bandage. For the next few minutes we were silent as I tended to his wound, cleaning it, smearing the thick cream on it, then finally applying the small dressing.

 
When I glanced down I noticed he was focused on me, his gaze intense, his pupils dilated. I let my hand fall to my side, but he caught it and placed it over his heart.

  “Thanks for always being there for me.”

  I smiled, and tried to play it cool, like feeling his hand on mine wasn’t totally affecting me.

  “Always.” I cleared my throat and took a step back. “I’ll meet you by the benches.” I left before I made a fool of myself. Once I was at said benches I breathed in and out slowly. A few minutes passed and I felt myself relax.

  “Hey.”

  I glanced at Liam, one of the other boxers Axel trained with. He was younger, maybe eighteen.

  “Hi,” I said. He was a lot smaller than Axel, leaner, like a swimmer. He was either coming or going, with his bag slung over his shoulder and his jacket on.

  “There’s a small party later tonight at one of the guys’ houses. Everyone from the gym should be there, and lots of food and booze. If you don’t have any plans, we can hit it up, relax a bit?”

  A shadow crossed over Liam, and I knew Axel was standing right behind me.

  “If she does end up going, it’ll be with me.” Axel’s voice was hard, unforgiving, and he moved beside me. He was my best friend, and because of that he’d always been very protective, almost overbearing at times. But truth was I loved it and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  “Hey, man,” Liam said. A moment of silence passed. “You guys, like…” He looked between us. “Dating now or something? That why she’d be going with you?” I could hear in Liam’s voice that he was genuinely curious.

  “Like I’m going to let her go to a party with a bunch of sexed-up boxers who have been drinking all night?” Axel lifted a brow and stared Liam down.

  Liam held his hand up. “Cool. Well, I’ll see you guys there then?” He didn’t wait for either of us to answer. He headed out the front doors.

  I stared at Axel.

  “What?”

  I was the one to lift a brow now. “Sexed-up?” I chuckled at that and shook my head. “None of these guys would dare put a finger on me.”

  He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in. I loved the feel of his hard, warm body close to mine, even if it was just in a friendly manner.

  “Yeah, but sometimes they like to push, to see if they can get their dick wet.”

  I scrunched my nose. “That’s nasty.”

  “Unfortunately that’s the truth and how most of these assholes think.”

  We headed outside to his SUV. “Are you wanting to go to the party?” I turned and glanced at him. He looked like he wanted to say no, and I knew it was because of what we’d just talked about. “It’ll be fun, and honestly I’d like to get out of the house. My roommate brings her boyfriend over constantly, and I can hear them having sex through my bedroom wall.” I felt my face heat.

  I spoke with Axel about anything and everything. Nothing was ever hidden between us. But talking about sex with him—when I knew nothing about it, and because of how I felt toward him—always made me feel on edge.

  I could assume Axel knew nothing about sex either, was a virgin just like me since I’d never seen him with any women, but I didn’t want to assume. He was big and strong, attractive and powerful, and I knew the opposite sex wanted him. I saw how they looked at him while he boxed and trained.

  “If you really want to hang out there, I’m game.” The way he stared at me, his blue eyes piercing, his focus trained on me, had this chill racing up my spine. “And I hate that you’re staying at her place. You know I still have a room open if you want. It’s yours, always will be.”

  As much as the prospect of staying with Axel, living with him under the same roof was oh so appealing, because we were “just friends” I didn’t want to put myself in that situation. And by situation I meant inadvertently walking in on him with a woman in his bed, or hearing him talk to his friends about females, or anything that had to do with the opposite sex.

  “I know, and I appreciate it, but I like living on my own…kind of.” He smiled at me, and once we were in his SUV and headed to my work, I tried to put any worries I had about me and Axel, and what we did or didn’t have, to the back of my head.

  2

  Axel

  I could hear the thump of the bass before we even parked. The house the party was being held at had two stories and a bit of property around it, but because it was located in a campus housing neighborhood, there were virtually no noise complaints.

  “You sure about this?” I asked, glancing at Roxie, seeing her eyeing the house too. We’d gone to a couple of parties together, but the fact all these drunk fuckers would be around, probably trying to hit on her, shit, even look at her, made me want to gouge their eyes out.

  “My roommate has her boyfriend over, remember?” She looked at me, this grimace on her face. “He had a bag with him. I think it was condoms and lube, so yeah, I’m sure I’d rather be here.”

  Yeah, I didn’t want her around that shit. Hell, if I could have, I’d have thrown her over my shoulder, taken her to my place, and kept her there because I knew she’d be safe.

  I stared at her, wanting to just say fuck the party and everything else aside from her, and finally tell her how I felt. I loved her so much it hurt my heart not to tell her.

  Years I’d kept this in, wanting our friendship above all else. The very fact that telling her how I felt could drive her away, scare the hell out of her, had me keeping my mouth shut and just enjoying what I had with her.

  “Well, hang with me, because even though I see these guys daily, who knows who the hell they invited or what drunk ass will try and bother you?”

  She smiled at me, her straight white teeth flashing, the dimple in the side of her cheek making an appearance. I felt my heart pick up, my blood rushing through my veins.

  If she only knew what she did to me, how beautiful I thought she was…

  We got out of the car and headed inside. The music was earsplitting, and the smell of booze, smoke, and sweat filled the air. The party had been going on for a while as it was, what with some people already passed out in the corners, some grinding against each other on the couch, and slurred conversations going on around us.

  I held on to Roxie’s hand and felt her glance at me.

  “I don’t want you getting lost.”

  Getting lost? What the fuck, man? It’s just a two-story house.

  Truth was I didn’t want her leaving my side. Yeah, I was overprotective and possessive of her, but there was no going around that. There was no trying to stop myself.

  I found a few guys from the gym in the kitchen, most of them seeming sober-ish. We greeted them and started bullshitting. I really didn’t want to be here, would have rather taken Roxie out, maybe dinner or a movie, but she’d seemed like she really wanted to go, so where she went, I did too.

  “Robert,” Roxie said, speaking to the guy I was talking with. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  “Up the stairs, last door on the right.”

  She looked at me, and I was ready to take her there myself, but she smiled and shook her head. “Stay. Talk. I’m just going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  Instinct told me to go with her, to not let her out of my sight, but shit, I really didn’t want to be overbearing.

  “Really, Axel. I’ll be fine.” She started moving toward the stairs before I could say or do anything.

  “She’ll be fine, man,” Robert said, but I kept my focus on her, watched her walk through the crowd and disappear up the stairs.

  Robert started talking again, but I was only half listening. When she came back downstairs, I was going to tell her we should catch a late movie or get a burger. Anywhere but here. Anywhere that would allow me to have some alone time with her.

  Because that’s what I wanted. That’s all I ever wanted.

  Roxie

  I made my way up the stairs, finding the bathroom easily enough, and once the door was locked an
d shut, I used the facilities. After washing my hands, I just stared at myself in the mirror, knowing that although I didn’t care about being at this party, I just wanted to be with Axel.

  I wanted to spend time with him, but this was his scene, the guys he hung out with more times than not. Axel had a real chance at being in the big leagues with his boxing career, and all I wanted for him was to succeed. So, although he said he didn’t want to go to these things, a part of me had to believe he wanted to be surrounded by the guys he saw as family.

  But what I also want is him as mine.

  My dark hair was loose around my shoulders, the locks looking shiny under the artificial lighting. My amber-colored eyes had dark rings around them, or maybe it was the lighting again that made it seem more than it was?

  The sound of two people fucking could be heard through the walls, and I opened the bathroom door, shut off the light, and slammed right into a hard chest. I stumbled back, but strong hands grabbed me, righting me so I didn’t fall on my ass.

  “Sorry,” Axel said, and I should have known he’d be waiting for me.

  I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh. “I told you I’d be fine.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I was hoping you’d be down to leave. I won’t take you home or anything. I figured we could get something to eat or maybe a late movie?”

  Just then my phone vibrated with a text. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen.

  BF is staying the night. Not sure if you’ll be home later, but fair warning.

  I knew what that meant; they’d be partying. Drinking, having sex all night, hell, whatever it is they did in her room that made it seem like there were twenty people behind the door instead of two.

  I lifted the phone so Axel could see the text. He lowered his brows.