Greyson_A Hell's Harlem Novel

by J. M. Walker

  “Fear,” I said, moving to the floor, and leaning against the sink cabinet.

  “Yeah.” She frowned, shaking her head a moment later, and let out a soft sigh. “I was terrified when I got here. I was running from something. Or I think I was. And I was scared when all of those men started approaching us. But right now, you and me, I’m not scared. At all.”

  “You don’t know me, Eve. How do you know that I won’t hurt you?”

  “No,” she muttered. “I guess I don’t know you but …” She shrugged. “I’m still not scared of you.”

  She should be. “Listen.” I stood. “If you’re done …” My words trailed off as my eyes landed on an open clearing as the bubbles separated.

  Her tits were full, her nipples hard and inviting. Her flat stomach dipped down into the spot I wanted to drown in. Holy. Fucking. Hell.

  “Grey,” she whispered, licking her lips, and letting her gaze fall to my waist.

  “Fuck.” I spun around and cupped my raging hard on.

  “I …”

  “Don’t,” I snapped at her.

  “What the hell is your problem?”

  I leaned a hand against the door, letting out a slow breath. “I won’t do this. Not with you,” I said quickly and left the bathroom.

  Trixie was going to kick my ass.

  AS SOON AS Greyson left the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him, I let out a laugh. It was all I could do to not fall apart and blubber like a baby. I didn’t know why I was reacting this way to him. I couldn’t explain it. I was a woman. He was a man. We were human. He was hot as hell in that dark, asshole, douchebag way, but still hot nonetheless. And he saved my life.

  Letting out another sigh, I slid beneath the water and let out a frustrated scream. Once the sound left my body, I felt lighter. I knew it would take time for me to remember things, if I even remembered them at all, but it still pissed me off.

  Pulling myself out of the water, I washed my hair and body, then rinsed, feeling ten times better than before.

  A soft knock sounded on the door. “Eve?” Trixie peeked her head into the room. “You okay?”

  “I am,” I said softly, resting my chin on my bent knees.

  “Greyson just barged out of here and almost ran me over. Did something happen?”

  “No. Why?” My eyes widened when she didn’t say anything. “Oh. God, no. He was a gentleman in his own asshole kind of way, but he kept his eyes and hands to himself.” As much as I didn’t want him to.

  “Okay.” She nodded, sitting on the edge of the tub. “Good. That’s good.”

  “I actually thought you two were together.” My cheeks burned at my confession.

  “Really?” She laughed. “Unlikely. We fucked once but that was so long ago, and it was also weird.”

  “Weird?” I couldn’t imagine sleeping with Grey would be weird. “How?”

  “It was like sleeping with a relative.” She shivered. “We realized that we were better off as friends. I also had a crush on someone else, but the fucker didn’t notice me at first.”

  How she could go unnoticed was beyond me. She was a tiny thing but beautiful. She had a vibrant life about her. Big curly hair, that was now pulled up into a messy bun, tanned skin, and eyes that showed a hint of a pain I was sure she didn’t want to revisit anytime soon. “What did you do?”

  “I spread a rumor that I fucked half the guys in his club. That got his attention.” She winked.

  “Why would you spread that kind of thing about yourself?” I asked in awe.

  “Honey.” She moved off the edge of the tub and knelt on the floor beside me. “When you want someone but they’re too pigheaded to see it, you do whatever you can to make them see you. And if it still doesn’t work, then it’s not actually meant to be.”

  “I guess I never thought of it that way.”

  She shrugged. “I wanted him. I got him. Now we’ve been married for ten years with beautiful twin baby boys. Well, they’re eight years old so they’re not babies anymore, but they are to me.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’d like to meet them and your husband.”

  “Oh, you will. Butcher is always around.”

  “Butcher?”

  “That’s our last name but the name stuck as a nickname as well. His first name is John, but no one calls him that. He uses it to his advantage when he’s kicking ass. Or, that’s what he tells me, anyway.” She grinned. “He’s a big teddy bear, but don’t tell him I told you that.”

  I laughed. “I won’t.” A cold draft of air washed over me, sending a shiver down my spine.

  “Let’s get you out of there and into some clean clothes.” Trixie stood and grabbed a large towel. She averted her gaze and waited.

  Pulling myself out of the water, I wrapped the towel around me, thankful for the soft terry cloth.

  Trixie grinned, the smile reaching her eyes. “That’s one thing I give Greyson. He’s got some amazing towels.”

  “Yeah.” I hugged it tighter around me, inhaling the fresh scent of lemon detergent. “Can you tell me about him? Or is that against the rules?”

  Her smile faltered. “Get dressed and then we’ll chat.” She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

  I opened my mouth to tell her that I didn’t have any clothes when I saw the folded up pile on the bathroom counter.

  Noticing the price tags still on each item, I picked up the first piece followed by the next, and the next. Black t-shirt, gray leggings, sports bra, panties, and a sweater. I wasn’t sure if I would have worn this before I lost my memory but, right now, I didn’t care.

  I quickly pulled on each item, threw my hair up into a bun, and used whatever toiletries I could find. The reflection in the mirror looked happier. Scared, maybe. Only because she didn’t know what tomorrow would bring but I would help her find that missing piece again.

  “I don’t know you,” I told my reflection, “but we will figure this out. Together.” Taking a deep breath, I left the bathroom and joined Trixie in the large room I was staying in. I hadn’t noticed when I first woke up, but the room was huge. The far wall was lined with bookshelves while a couch sat against the other wall beneath a bay window. It was still dark out even though I felt like I had been at this place for hours already.

  “Come sit.” She patted the spot on the couch beside her and handed me a beer.

  I took it from her and swallowed a sip, the carbonated liquid tingling my nose but it tasted good. So damn good, I let out a low moan.

  She grinned. “It’s homemade. Best beer in the area.” She clinked her bottle against mine and took a swig.

  “Greyson is moody,” I blurted.

  Trixie scoffed. “You have no idea.” She sighed. “Listen, it’s not my place. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out everything on your own, but be careful. And I’m not talking about Greyson. Men come and go here. The guys in his club won’t hurt you. They’re not like that. But I can’t say the same for the other men.”

  “Motorcycle club, right?” I asked, my heart racing.

  “Yeah.” Trixie took another swig of her beer before continuing. “Greyson is the president of Hell’s Harlem. Don’t ask me how they got their name. I think most of these guys just try and come up with the scariest name possible and see if it works.” Trixie laughed at her joke. “I grew up in this life,” she continued. “It’s all I’ve ever known so I’m used to shit. But to an outsider like you, I can understand how it would be hard to accept some things that happen.”

  “What kind of things?” I turned toward her, crossing my legs Indian-style in front of me.

  “You won’t give up until I tell you, will you?”

  “I could ask Greyson, but I can’t see him telling me anything.” I shrugged. “You’re my only hope. I want to know who saved me. Besides you.”

  “Girl.” She scoffed. “I didn’t do shit. Yes, I’ve known most of these guys since I was just a girl, but I’m only included because of who I’m married to.”r />
  “We’re the lesser sex,” I said, my blood burning through me.

  “Yeah, darlin’. We are. But Grey’s club isn’t like a lot of them. Yes, if you come at them acting like a whore, they’ll treat you like one, but if you act like a lady, you’ll be treated like a lady.”

  “Makes sense I guess.” As soon as I was about to ask another question, the door opened revealing Greyson and a large man. He took up the whole doorway. And here I thought Grey was huge.

  “Hey, baby,” the other man said, walking toward Trixie.

  “Hi,” she breathed, tilting her head back to look up at him.

  He brushed his fingers down her cheek before pinching her chin and placing a kiss on her lips that even I felt down to my toes.

  She pushed him back, her cheeks flushing. “Always making an entrance this one is,” she told me.

  I grinned.

  “So.” The man, who I assumed was Butcher, sat beside Trixie and nodded toward me. “You’re Eve.”

  “And you’re Butcher,” I told him.

  “I am.” He hooked an arm around Trixie’s shoulders, brushing his finger along the side of her neck. “My girl treating you good?”

  “Yes.” I wanted to add that so was Greyson, but I didn’t think he wanted his name brought into anything at the moment. Especially when he was standing off to the side, brooding.

  “I treat all of my patients well,” Trixie told her husband. “You know that.”

  “I do.” He smacked another peck onto her lips. “Listen, Eve. I’m sure Grey and Trix have already told you but please be careful. You can trust any of the guys in our club and can come and go as you please, but when a party is thrown, stay with one of us.”

  “I wasn’t aware, but I assumed that.” I hugged my arms around myself, glancing at the door.

  “You can leave any time,” Greyson said, his deep voice brushing over my skin like a lover’s touch.

  “Sure. Maybe.” I looked at him that time. “But where would I go? I can work. Put me behind a bar. Or give me a mop. I’ll earn my keep. Please.”

  “She can help me when you guys come back broken and bloody.” Trix grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at her. “I think you’re strong enough to handle it.”

  “Broken and bloody?” I wasn’t sure if I could, but I would do anything to make sure I never ended up back in those woods again.

  “What we do is not always legit, Eve,” Greyson explained, sitting on the couch beside me. “But we do what’s necessary to stay alive.”

  “As long as no children or animals are involved, I don’t give a shit what you do,” I told them.

  Butcher laughed. “I like her.

  Trixie grinned. “Me too.”

  “Aww, shucks.” I batted my eyelashes. “Little ol’ me?”

  “Yup.” Butcher shook his head. “Definitely like her.”

  I giggled, sitting back, and brought my knees up to my chest. But my laughter never reached my heart.

  SHE WAS FUNNY and so fucking cute, it took everything in me not to throw her down on the couch and kiss the life out of her. I imagined my hands roaming over her body, her muscles trembling beneath my rough touch. Her back arching as I moved down the length of her to the sweet spot I wanted most of all.

  “Well, Trix.” Butcher stood. “We should head home to the boys.”

  “Yes.” Trixie gave Eve a hug.

  “It was nice meeting you, Butcher,” Eve told the beast of a man who had been like family to me for as long as I could remember.

  “You too. You behave,” he told me.

  I only grunted in response.

  When they left the room, I became hyperaware of how close Eve was sitting next me.

  “Did you get what you needed to do done?” she asked, looking up at me with those beautiful dark eyes of hers.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You left abruptly earlier while I was taking a bath. I figured you had something to do. So, did you?”

  Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I cupped her jaw and brushed my nose along the length of her neck to the soft spot just below her ear. “Yeah. I did have something to do actually. I left the bathroom because I was so damn hard, I had to figure out a way to get a release.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Y-you w-what?”

  Her stutter shot right to the tip of my dick. “I went back to my room and jerked off. Is that what you wanted to hear? You want to know how seeing you in the tub set me off? I’ve never been so hard, and touching myself did shit all for how much I want you.”

  “Greyson,” she whispered, licking her lips.

  “But I can’t have you. You want to know why?” I asked, squeezing her jaw.

  She whimpered.

  “Ask me why,” I demanded, forcing her head back.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re broken.” I licked along the shell of her ear. “Used up and no longer pure.” I released her in a rough move and pushed from the couch. I trudged out of the room but not before I saw the look of shock and pain behind her eyes.

  Hate me, beautiful girl. It’ll keep you safe.

  (Eve)

  I sat there stunned, watching Greyson stomp out of the room. His touch left me breathless. His words made me immobile. But it only heightened this desire. This want. This need.

  He wanted me. The way his body reacted to me earlier when I sat on his lap proved he felt whatever this was between us as well. But his words hurt. Even if he was lying, they still hit a spot inside of me, making my heart ache.

  I wasn’t sure why I felt this way but there was something deep inside of him that a part of me latched on to.

  Glancing around the room, I hugged myself. Grey told me I could leave at any time, but where would I go? I was still sore from the night before. My nerves were on edge over not remembering anything.

  I wasn’t sure who had been in this room before me or if it was just a spare, but it was homey and made me feel safe. I couldn’t leave. Not yet, anyway.

  The room I stayed in was warm. Everything Greyson was not. It made me wonder what his bedroom looked like. Did he have his own collection of books? Was it modern? Was I even at his club anymore? I was so damn confused. I hated not knowing what was going on, but a part of me was terrified to ask him. Some part of me, some deep-seated part that I was trying so hard to grasp onto, tingled every time he was near.

  My body heated, imagining him lying in bed with his hand wrapped around his cock like he told me. How long did it take him to come? Was it a fast release? Or was it long and drawn out? Images of his release coating his stomach and hand did nothing for the need coursing through me.

  A throbbing ache settled between my thighs. But he was right. I had been used and abused. I was no longer pure. Fuck. But I couldn’t remember all of it. No matter how hard I tried. Everything inside of me told me to go to Greyson. Even if it was just to talk. I didn’t like being alone; the voices from my nightmare only got louder and louder. Was it even true, though? Was I no longer pure? Although I had the marks, they could have been from anything. I should have gone to a hospital but even that scared the shit out of me.

  The longer I sat there, the louder the noises inside my head became. I curled my knees against me, leaning my forehead against them, and let out a heavy sigh. Maybe I should go to the hospital. Then they could give me more information about my amnesia. Do a—I swallowed hard—rape test. God, I couldn’t believe I was actually thinking about that. But that part of me didn’t hurt, and I imagined it would have if I was sexually abused.

  I let out a frustrated groan, resting my head against my bent knees.

  “I want you.”

  I scoffed. Greyson had a funny way of showing it.

  My skin heated, the throbbing between my legs only becoming more pronounced the longer time wore on. Shit.

  Rising to my feet, I paced back and forth. Back. Forth. And back again. I had only known Greyson for a day. These feelings didn’t make sense. Was I that
desperate for attention that I became attracted to the first guy who noticed me? I didn’t know. How could I know? Fuck my life.

  I let out a huff and slumped back onto the couch.

  Greyson’s walls were up but I could feel them crack. The look of concern on his face after I had my nightmare invaded my mind. And then the way his body reacted to me. A flush of heat washed over my skin.

  “Grey,” I whispered, my hand traveling up my inner thigh. This was wrong on so many different levels but, at that point, I didn’t care. I needed something. I had bruises but there was no proof that I had been used and abused like he suggested.

  Use me. Abuse me.

  I winced, shaking my head, trying so hard to get rid of these dark thoughts in my mind. They didn’t make sense and I didn’t know what to make of them, but all I knew was that I needed some sort of relief.

  Taking a breath, I inched my hand beneath the hem of my leggings.

  “I went back to my room and jerked off.”

  I bit my bottom lip, the image of Greyson’s big hand wrapped around his cock sliding its way into my mind. I imagined the tip purple, aching for that release, while his hips bucked up and up into the strokes of his hand.

  A gasp escaped me when I made contact with my dripping center. Sliding a finger inside my pussy, I let out a low groan.

  I imagined Greyson kneeling between my legs, his hot mouth on my soaked sex, his tongue giving me everything I wanted. Everything I needed. Everything I craved.

  “Greyson,” I moaned, my hips moving into the slow thrusts of my fingers. God, I wished he were here with me. I needed his darkness, that black part of him I could sense.

  Pinching my clit between my fingers, I cried out, the fast release rocking through me. Once my heart calmed down, I pulled my hand from my pants and headed to the bathroom. Shame weighed heavily on my shoulders. Grey was right. I was broken. Used and abused. But maybe I had asked for it. I just came to thoughts of a guy I just met.