Taming Blade (Kings Reapers MC Book 5)

by Nicola Jane

  “You visit them often?” I ask.

  “Not as often as I’d like to. Mum works shifts at the hospital and Dad is manager of a warehouse. With me running the shop, it doesn’t leave much time for weekends in Scotland. And I’m saving all the money I make so I can open my own bar one day.”

  “You wanna open a bar?” I repeat.

  “A cocktail bar. I’ve got my eye on a small place, but the rent is crazy. A girl’s gotta dream,” she says. “What about you? Where are your parents?”

  “No parents, no siblings, just me and my brothers in the MC.”

  “Everyone has parents,” she says, looking confused.

  “Not everyone has good parents that they bother to talk about,” I reply dryly. “My family is here with the Kings.”

  She shuffles down the bed some more until her head hits the pillow. “You have no blood relatives?” she asks.

  “None worth mentioning. Frankie’s a mum to everyone here.”

  I watch as her eyes drift closed. Her dress is so ridiculously short and there’s no way that’ll stay covering her. I grab the sheet and carefully pull it over her. Maybe I should text Lake and tell him to give me the heads up once he’s done with her friend. Having Tillie sleep in my bed isn’t a good idea. She might see more into it. And I’ve never had a woman sleep in my bed unless I was buried inside her. Even then, I’d kick her out rather than sleep beside her.

  I find myself shuffling down the bed until I’m face to face with her. I watch her sleep for a while, wondering if Cobra really did produce such a beautiful daughter, or if he didn’t, and the man who raised her claimed the dad title, does Tillie know he isn’t her real father?

  I open my eyes, seeing daylight shining through the window, and I frown. I usually wake early, when it’s still dawn. I glance at my alarm clock—nine a.m. That’s a first. I turn to my right and see Tillie still sleeping beside me. She gets more and more beautiful every time I look at her. As if she feels me watching, her eyes flutter open, and she sits up suddenly and looks around the room. “Shit, I slept here?”

  “Looks that way, Sunshine,” I say casually.

  She lifts the sheet and gives a sigh of relief when she realises she’s still clothed. “Thank god.”

  “Ouch. Way to make a guy feel good.”

  She grins at me. “Sorry. I’m trying to be a better version of myself. Sleeping with you, or any one-night stand, isn’t in the cards.” My eyes fall to my morning wood and hers do the same. She sniggers. “If you had a girlfriend, you’d have someone to sort that out,” she says.

  I grip it through my jeans and she blushes. “There’s plenty of women around here to help me with it, but seeing as you’re my guest, I thought I’d treat you to breakfast the Kings Reapers way.”

  Downstairs, in the dining room, it’s chaos. The kids of the club are running around. Cree and Eva are tucking into Frankie’s amazing pancakes, and Riggs is sitting at the head of the table, stony faced. He’s fighting his own battles, so it’s not unusual to see him looking pissed. Leia is rocking baby Grace in her arms and I sit Tillie beside her. “Leia, this is Tillie,” I say, taking the seat next to Tillie.

  Leia smiles. “I saw you here last night. Does that mean you stayed the night?” Her eyes flick to me and she smirks.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t fall for his charm,” says Tillie. “We slept fully clothed.”

  “Blade, you must be losing your touch,” says Leia.

  Frankie places some more pancakes in the centre of the table, and adds, “It’s about time you met a woman who called you out on your bullshit.”

  Lake and Chains join us. “Where’s Sara?” asks Tillie.

  “She got a cab home in the early hours,” says Lake.

  Tillie pulls her phone from her bag. “Crap, I hope she got home okay.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Eat something and I’ll run you home,” I say.

  Tillie stands. “It’s fine. I can get a cab. It was nice meeting you all,” she says, smiling, before she heads for the door.

  “And you, Tillie,” says Leia.

  Chains glares at me. “Tillie?” he repeats. “Wasn’t that the name Cobra gave us on the paper?” This gets Riggs’ attention. I dive up from the table and follow after her before things get heated. I can deal with the grilling I’m about to get later.

  Chapter Five

  TILLIE

  Blade insisted on driving me home. It’s another chance to get on the bike so I didn’t put up much of a fight. When we roll to a stop outside my house, there’s a guy on the doorstep with another huge bouquet of flowers. It’s the same delivery guy as before.

  “You’re very popular,” says the florist as I approach. He hands me the flowers, but Blade snatches the card and rips it open while I sign for them.

  “What’s it say?” I ask, trying to peer at the note. He moves back so I can’t see.

  “I hope you enjoyed your weekend,” reads Blade. He stuffs the card back in the bouquet. “It’s a little weird that he knows your address.”

  I hadn’t even thought of that. I glance around like my mystery man is gonna pop up. “You think he might be dangerous?”

  Blade shrugs. “I just find it creepy. Why wouldn’t he put his name or a way to contact him?”

  I hand my keys to Blade and he unlocks the door. He follows me inside and I place the flowers on the kitchen worktop. “Sara,” I shout. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be right down. I just got out the shower.”

  I jump with fright when Travis appears from the living room. He stares at Blade for a few seconds, then holds his hand out. They shake. “Blade,” Travis says, and Blade narrows his eyes. He clearly doesn’t know Travis, but he seems to recognise Blade. “I work under Shane Mercy.”

  Recognition shows in Blade’s eyes and he nods. “Right.”

  Travis turns to me. “Babe, I came to explain.”

  I scoff. “Explain what? That you’ve lied for the past year?”

  “You knew we weren’t exclusive. More flowers?” he asks, suddenly noticing the bunch. “And where were you all night?”

  “Please leave. I don’t have to explain myself to you,” I snap.

  Travis eyes Blade again. “She was with you?”

  “You heard the lady. She asked you to leave,” says Blade, firmly.

  “Yeah, she gets like this sometimes. She don’t mean it,” says Travis. “Are you two together?”

  “Christ, just leave,” I yell. “How dare you come here demanding to know where I’ve been? Where were you? With your wife and kid?” I screech.

  Blade steps forward, towards Travis, who takes a wary step back. “I’m being patient, given that you run for Mercy, but don’t push your luck,” he warns.

  Travis huffs and heads for the door. “She ain’t my wife, Tils. Look, I’ll call you later to talk,” he says to me, but I ignore him. I won’t be answering his calls ever again.

  “Leave your key,” I snap. He sighs and chucks my spare house key on the worktop before stomping out, slamming the door closed behind him.

  Blade moves close to me. “I gotta shoot. Be careful, Sunshine. I don’t like this secret admirer business.” He takes my phone and puts in his number. “Any problems, call me.”

  He places a chaste kiss on my cheek and leaves.

  I let out a breath and take a seat. The flowers are gorgeous and their scent fills the room. I can’t help but wish they were from Blade. The guy’s really starting to grow on me.

  “You dirty stop out,” says Sara as she enters the kitchen, rubbing her wet hair with a towel. “Did you and Blade?”

  “God, no,” I say. “He’s only after one thing and I’m sick of being used. You and Lake, on the other hand . . .”

  “That’s done,” she says glumly. “He made it perfectly clear he wasn’t looking for anything. He practically kicked me out at three in the morning,” she adds.

  “Oh sweety,” I mutter, rubbing her arm. “Sorry. I know y
ou liked him.”

  “Oh please, I’m over it. I was the second I got the cab home.” She waves her hand in the air, dismissing my concerns. She puts on a hard front, but I know she’s hurt. She tangles herself around a guy, hoping he’ll be her happy ever after, and when he isn’t, she puts her walls up and pretends she’s okay.

  “My secret admirer’s been at it again,” I say, pointing to the bouquet. “Blade freaked me out by pointing out that this guy knows where I live. Should I be worried?”

  Sara shrugs. “Maybe. It’s a little weird, but it’s also cute as fuck and sweet. We’ve been searching for a man who treats us well. Maybe this is your guy? Can we watch movies all day and eat ice cream?”

  I laugh and nod. “Sounds like heaven.”

  Monday arrives, and when I open up the shop, I find a note on the mat. It’s a mobile phone number. No name, no message, just a number. “Maybe it’s your secret admirer,” says Sara, snatching the note. “Let me call it.” I shrug. She’s braver than me. I set about opening the shop shutters while she dials the number using the shop phone. After a minute, she hangs up. “No answer,” she says.

  “I’m starting to feel really weird about all this,” I say, frowning. “Flowers, notes—how does this guy even know me or where I live and work? Life isn’t a love novel, and this feels like a situation right out of a romance book. Should I start returning the flowers if he keeps sending them?”

  “Christ, Tils, he might be hot, the man of your dreams. Give him a chance to come out of hiding. Besides, it might be someone you know. That would explain how he knows about you.” She takes a seat behind the counter. “It could be shrivelled-up Jim from the corner shop,” she teases, and I screw up my face in disgust. Jim’s probably as old as my grandmother. He scowls naturally because his face is shrivelled, hence his nickname.

  “Is it stupid that I really wanted them to be from Blade?”

  “It’s not stupid, and at least you didn’t want them to be from Travis,” she says.

  Mr. Benson shuffles in and Sara greets him warmly. One of the reasons Nan hired her was because she’s amazing with the customers, especially the elderly ones. “Travis and I are done,” I say firmly and she rolls her eyes.

  “How many times have you said that?” she asks, tucking Mr. Benson’s sweets into a paper bag. She hands them over with a smile and he hands her his twenty pence coin. I’ve tried explaining to him that the prices have risen several times since the nineties, but I gave up many years ago. He pays the same price he’s always paid, completely oblivious to inflation.

  “He didn't have a live-in girlfriend and kid then. Well, he clearly did, but I didn't know. It was the final straw, seeing them like that. Maybe we should both stay single for a while,” I muse.

  “Some of us have been single for months, but I agree. Let’s go on a man ban,” says Sara, opening the door for Mr. Benson.

  “We should also have some weekends home instead of trawling the bars for men or drunk dialling bikers,” I say with a grin.

  Sara groans. “Now, you’re taking it too far.” She sighs. “But you’re right. Let’s hit the gym after work instead of going for dinner and drinks.”

  BLADE

  “Get talking,” says Riggs. I stare at him, then Blu, then Chains before sighing heavily.

  “Yes, okay. It’s her. But in my defence, I was already trying to crack onto her before Cobra went and dropped the whole daughter bombshell.”

  “Why are you still seeing her?” asks Chains. “You never see a girl more than once. Are you watching her cos of what Cobra said?”

  I shake my head. As if I’d do that piece of crap any favours. “No. She told me her dad was alive and living in Scotland with her mum. I think Cobra got it wrong,” I say.

  Riggs gives an unamused laugh. “She wouldn’t be the first not to know her real dad. Cobra came to London to check on her. He also asked us to keep watch over her. He wouldn’t do that for no reason. She ain’t the club's problem. If I was you, I’d leave well alone.”

  “I am. There’s nothing between us. She ain’t like other girls, Pres.”

  The men exchange a knowing look before smirking in my direction. “Oh fuck,” says Chains. “It’s finally happened.”

  “Never thought I’d see the day,” mutters Riggs.

  “What I mean is, she don’t put up with my bull. She pulls me up on shit,” I say.

  “I remember saying the same about Anna,” says Riggs, grinning.

  “Nah, it ain’t like that,” I argue. “She’s hard work. I like women who smile at my chat up lines and fall into my bed. She,” I rub at my jaw, “isn’t like that.”

  “All I’m saying is, we don’t want Cobra’s drama on our door. Whatever shit he got into before we took him out this world might come back on her like he said it would, but we’re not getting involved. You better stay away so you’re not tempted to jump in there and save her,” says Riggs. “Unless you can’t?”

  I straighten my shoulders and laugh at his absurd statement. “Trust me, I can stay away.”

  Lake throws a box off the trailer and I catch it, placing it in the back of the van. These runs pay well because they carry high risk. Heroin isn’t the club’s bag, but we’re helping out Vinn Romano, head of London’s Italian mafia, and these boxes are destined for other parts of the world. “You planning on seeing Tillie’s friend again?” I ask casually.

  Lake shakes his head. “She’s fun and all, but I don’t want her getting ideas of us becoming a thing.”

  “She not your type?” I ask.

  “I’m like you, brother. Not looking for anything serious. I don’t think her mummy and daddy would approve anyway. Sounds like they’re not short of a few. She said they own a huge property development place in central London.”

  “Then why the hell is she working in a sweet shop?”

  “They want her to feel the value of money maybe,” says Lake. “I don’t know exactly. She didn’t go into too much detail, just that she liked to earn her own money. They own her house, though, and she has to pay them rent. What about you? Are you seeing Tillie again?”

  “No. She isn’t the type to have one-night stands,” I say.

  “Didn’t she stay the night already?” he asks, confused.

  “Nothing happened.”

  I sound defensive and Lake pauses, mid-way handing me a box. “You shared a bed and didn’t do anything?” I shake my head and his eyes widen. “Shit, brother. She hooked you in.”

  I scoff. “She did not,” I laugh. “What’s with you guys? Riggs and Chains said the same. I’m not seeing her again, so this conversation is pointless.”

  “Fine,” says Lake, grinning. “You won’t want to know that they’re in the gym two streets away from the club then. Sara put it on her social media ten minutes ago.”

  “Makes no difference to me, brother.”

  “Why’d ya wanna try this gym?” asks Blu, confused.

  I push open the door to the gym two streets away from the club. “I heard good things,” I say casually. Blu and I have talked about opening our own gym and going into partnership, but we’ve yet to find the perfect one. This one isn’t for sale, I checked, but everything has a price, and if it’s in the right location, like this, it could be a gold mine.

  Once we pay the entrance fee, we head straight inside. It’s not too busy, which is why I spot Tillie and her friend straight away. They’re being shown how to work the machines by a gym instructor, so they don’t notice me. “Are you fucking kidding me?” snaps Blu.

  “I didn’t know she’d be here,” I say innocently.

  “Sure, you didn’t,” he mutters, throwing a towel over his shoulder and heading for the weights.

  We start lifting, taking turns to spot each other. The gym instructor is flirting his arse off with Tillie and it gets my blood pumping. I’m on the bench when Sara sees me and nudges Tillie. When Tillie catches my eye and blushes, I smirk and go back to lifting.

  “Stop being a pussy.
Go and talk to her,” grunts Blu from beside me. “You dragged me here for her, so you may as well hit on her.”

  “No, I told you, I’m not interested.”

  “So it’s fate that keeps throwing you together?” he sniggers. I didn’t tell him that Lake tipped me off. After leaving Lake, I called Blu to meet me here. Seems I can’t resist her.

  “Maybe, brother. Maybe.”

  “Shit, after everything Riggs said to you about staying away, here you are.”

  I’m resting on the edge of the weight bench when the girls stroll past me, deep in conversation. Without thinking, my hand shoots out, catching Tillie's. She stops and stares down at it in shock, so I release her. “Sorry,” I mutter. “You okay?”

  “Good. You?” says Tillie, brightly.

  “She’s better than okay,” butts in Sara. “She’s potentially got a date with a rich millionaire.”

  Tillie nudges Sara. “Shush. We don’t know anything about the guy. Just because he buys nice flowers doesn’t make him a millionaire. And we haven’t mentioned a date. You’re jumping ahead,” says Tillie.

  “You’re dating strangers now?” I ask, and she cringes. “Ain’t that a bit dangerous?”

  “More dangerous than flirting with a biker?” asks Sara, and Tillie glares at her.

  “Go change. I’ll be there in a sec,” Tillie hisses.

  Once Sara’s gone, Tillie smiles at me. “She gets excited over anything romantic. That’s why she’s hurt after your friend practically kicked her from his bed.”

  I rub the back of my neck. “I can’t speak for Lake,” I say. “But if I know him, he wouldn’t have made any promises.”

  “Still a shitty way to behave,” she says, shrugging.