Free No One's Hero (Chadwell Hearts) by Kelly Walker Page A

joke.
    “Do you kiss Tess with that mouth?”
    “Every damn day.” His voice takes on a throaty edge, and I know he’s feeling blessed or some shit. The beauty of no longer having a heart is I don’t have to worry about some chick turning me into a sappy pile of goo. Thank God. But Lexi could, a tiny voice inside whispers before I silence it. I won’t let her, and besides, even with Nuri I wasn’t as bad as Axel is with Tess.
    “So what’s the good news?” I ask, trying to get my mind back on the job.
    “I found a tack shop near you that had what we need in stock, and they were more than happy to put in a rush order. She’ll have new everything by this time tomorrow.”
    “Exactly like what she had before?” It’s not that I’m feeling guilty for her stuff being gone, I just don’t want to deal with emotional girl shit, and since Axel’s got a bankroll he just loves to use, replacing everything as fast as possible seems like the best option.
    “Angel placed the order herself, and she and Lexi ride together all the time. It may not be exact, but it’s close enough that she should be happy.”
    I doubt that. The only way she’s going to accept it at all is if I tell her she’s right, her missing stuff is my fault, so I’m replacing it. I think that girl would argue the sky wasn’t blue just for the sake of not agreeing with me, but she’ll probably enjoy seeing me humble. At least if I fake it well enough. “Good. I’ve put in a request with some of my contacts for more thorough background checks on some of the other dorm residents, but so far, the only thing of note is her missing stuff. There was a guy scoping her out last night, but it seemed like he wanted to date her rather than anything more sinister.”
    Axel grunts, and I resist the urge to laugh.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on it. I didn’t catch a name, and if Lexi did, she didn’t tell me. You’ll be happy to hear she was oblivious this morning when he was checking her out again. Oh, and what does Lexi like to drink?”
    “Water, I think. But seriously, put the fear of God into him if you have to.”
    “Dude, you realize she’s going to date eventually, right? What’s the big deal?”
    “I know that, all right? But I just can’t get the idea of her as an innocent little girl out of my head. It’s like, I don’t know, ever since I learned about what Nick did to Angel... the thought of Lexi running into a guy like that terrifies me. She already came too close for comfort with that punk last year.”
    “You didn’t protect Tess, so you want to protect Lexi. I get it, but the world doesn’t work that way.” Lord do I ever get it, the need to atone. I’m drowning with it. Some days I literally feel like it’s eating my soul alive, and I don’t want that for Axel. We’ve been friends for too long.
    “Doesn’t mean I can’t try. Other than the missing stuff, how’s she doing? Settling in okay?” He sounds like a nervous parent again.
    “Too soon to tell. She’s eager, but moody. Handling her is like holding a lit match in a room doused in kerosene. Shit’s gonna blow; the only question is when.”

Chapter Twelve
    —-♥—-
    L exi
    Samurai is what many refer to as ‘a lot of horse.’ We’re well into our first lesson and he still hasn’t completely settled. There’s raw power barely contained in his every stride, and I can feel it simmering beneath the surface, ready to burst free at the slightest opportunity. It’s a lot of work keeping him on task and responsive, which doesn’t give me much time to survey my fellow classmates to see how they’re doing. But even though he isn’t making it easy on me, and the unfamiliar saddle and stiff boots aren’t helping, I’m loving the challenge. This was why I came here, to grow as a rider. Samurai and I have all semester to get to know each other and once we’re more of a familiar team, I think we’ll be unstoppable. I hate to admit it, but I understand