by LeAnn Ashers
Kyle, Jack, Ryan
Copyright © 2020 by LeAnn Ashers
All rights reserved.
Kyle, Jack, Ryan is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form, by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author.
Cover Designer: Regina Wamba
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Editor: Aquila Editing
Interior Formatter: T.E. Black Designs; www.teblackdesigns.com
Contents
Kyle
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Jackson
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
Ryan
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue
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Chapter One
Chrystal
I clench my eyes closed, wanting to go back to the dreams because my reality at the moment is shitty.
Cool air seeps into the vehicle, bringing me further and further out of my sleep, and my back is absolutely killing me. I have been sleeping in my car for the past three months. I drove and drove until I ended up in the small town of Raleigh, Texas just a few weeks ago.
I sit up and rub my eyes, dragging the blanket up to my neck, trying to conserve what body heat I can. Fog is covering the windows, but I can see the sun barely peeking out over the mountains.
I need to settle down and find a place to stay for a while. I feel my baby kick inside me. I smile, running my hand over my stomach. I’m pregnant, five months to be exact. I found out when I was eight weeks along, and ever since I have been on the run.
I’m working in a garage at the moment, as a receptionist. I’ll stay here in my vehicle until I have a down payment for an apartment—I spent all my savings on gas and gas station food—then I’ll start to get settled.
I’m sleeping in the back of the garage; it’s chained, which makes me feel safer. I have keys to the building, so I can sneak inside and shower and use the kitchen. At least I can warm up in the shower if it gets really cold outside.
It’s honestly heaven compared to what I’ve been used to. Heck, I’ve slept on the floor in front of my desk. The one thing that does worry me is that they don’t know I’m sleeping back here. But I am safe; that’s what matters most to me at the moment.
I am twenty-two years old, and I’m in this situation because I left my husband.
I started dating him when I was just sixteen. My mom kind of set it up because we lived in a trailer in the middle of nowhere and this guy was rich. I was her ticket out.
I didn’t want that. I wanted to be independent and go to college. I wanted to make a life for myself. And, at twenty-eight years old, he was way too old for me. But I didn’t want to disappoint my family.
So I married him two weeks after I graduated from high school. All my friends were living their best life and partying, and I was buying decorations for my wedding.
This was essentially an arranged marriage. The day of the wedding, I walked down the aisle with tears in my eyes because I was so miserable, but I had to plaster on a fake smile. My mother cried in the front pew, in her new dress that my husband had bought for her. He gave her a credit card, and she’s now living in a new apartment with new clothes and a new life. All she had to do was give him me. My dad has tried to be happy for me, he’s tried to be there for me, but my mother is completely impossible.
I said my “I do,” and he took me to our new house, where I had sex for the first time. It was not horrible, but I didn’t enjoy one single second of it. The first few years of our marriage were bad, but it was nothing compared to the last year. That’s when his temper came out. It started when I accidentally spilled his plate of food in his lap as I brought it to the table. The next thing I knew, a fist was planted into my face.
In that single moment, my world changed. I went to my mom with the full intention of leaving him, because I couldn’t stay with a man who was abusive. That was not me.
My mother all but slammed the door in my face and told me that I needed to be better at serving my husband. It was my job to take care of him and I pretty much deserved what he had done to me.
I realized in that very moment I was so alone. I felt sad, but I was not defeated. I hatched a plan to get out, but I couldn’t just run with nothing. So I suffered. He beat me, hurt me, and broke me every single day. That one punch to my face changed my life.
So it took a whole year. I had to buy a vehicle that was not in his name, and I had to have money to live on for as long as possible. But then I found out I was pregnant, so I had the urge to leave that second. Hurting me was one thing, but allowing my unborn child to be hurt was unthinkable.
He left on a business trip for a week, and he never called when he was gone, so I took that as my time to go. I knew the second he was home he would call me, so I threw out my phone immediately. I had no one that wanted to talk to me anyway.
I open my car door and sneak inside the garage so I can shower and get ready for the day. The second I step inside, the heat hits me and it takes everything I have not to moan. You never fully realize how much the small things mean until you don't have them anymore. Just to be able to wake up in a warm place would be amazing. I know I’ll never take anything for granted again.
I hurry to shower and get dressed before all the guys show up. I was kind of worried because this business belongs to the Devil Souls MC, but my coworkers are all really nice. I put on a pot of coffee for the guys and settle back in my seat, rubbing my belly and smiling. “I can’t wait to meet you.”
I will not fail her. I will not fail her like my parents did me. I will protect her from anything that would dare to harm her.
“Good morning, darlin’.”
I jump in my seat, not having expected that beautiful voice. I look up at the hottest man I have ever laid eyes on in my life. I swallow hard, my mouth dry. I haven’t seen him before. I eye his cut and see the tag on the front. He’s the president of the Devil Souls MC.
I heard that he was coming in today, but I never expected him to look like that. I wipe my hand on the front of my jeans and start to stand up, but he shakes his head. “I brought you breakfast.” He sets a bag on the counter in front of me and pulls up a seat on the other side of my desk so he’s facing me.
He hands me a small take-out plate and then sets one in front of himself. What is going on?
Kyle
I can see the shock on her face as I put the food in front of her. She doesn’t know that we know she’s staying in the garage, but we knew from the cameras the second she pulled her vehicle around to the back the first day she got off work.
I’ve been out of town for a month, working on businesses we have in surrounding counties.
I decided today to get on her fucking good side by bringing food, so I can move he
r out of the car into an apartment or something, but I never expected her to be absolutely fucking drop-dead gorgeous. I almost ate my tongue at the sight of her holding her stomach with an angelic smile on her face. Her eyes are the bluest I have ever seen in my life, and her blond hair has a slight wave to it, begging for me to dig my hands in.
She tilts her head, studying me as I’m studying her; then she slowly opens the breakfast I brought from the diner. “Thank you for breakfast.” I want to close my eyes like a fucking pussy, because her voice is heaven. The dark always craves the light, and right now it’s wanting her. I smirk. “You’re welcome, darlin’.”
She blushes and pours syrup on her pancake, trying to play it off, but I noticed it and I want to see that again and again. As we eat, she sneaks in glances at me before she looks down again, blushing, and that shit is adorable.
“So are you single?” I have to ask, because I need to know what fucker I have to kill for letting her sleep in her vehicle.
She sits back in her seat, smirking at me this time. “Why is my boss asking? I didn’t know relationship statuses were needed for the job.”
Well, she has fucking got me there.
“This is not your boss talking, darlin’.” I wink and she rolls her eyes before laughing slightly. She flips her hair over her shoulder and goes back to her food, letting my question hang in the air, killing me.
She wipes the syrup off her bottom lip with her tongue. “Well, if you must know, I’m single.”
Chrystal
The second he hears that I’m single, he smiles widely, showing perfectly straight teeth. He takes our garbage and places it in the trash can. I’m confused. Why did he want to know that, and why isn’t he saying a word now? He turns to the door. “Wait. Why do you want to know?” I ask him.
He stops and looks at me over his shoulder. “Because you won’t be single long.” He walks into the garage, leaving his words hanging in the air, throwing me completely off. I stare at the space where he was just standing, completely floored. Did he just say that? I laugh to myself because I kind of liked his attention and it was sweet that he brought me breakfast.
I go back to work, checking to see who I need to call to pick up their vehicles, but the smile doesn’t leave my face.
Chapter Two
Chrystal
Later That Night
I wave to all the guys filing out the door to go home, “See you tomorrow!” Torch calls and waves over his shoulder to me.
Just as I’m about to lock the door, Kyle gets off his bike and walks over to me. “Let’s go get dinner.” He holds out his hand.
I study him. What does he want with me?
“I won’t bite,” he teases and wiggles his fingers, giving me the choice whether to take his hand.
I shut the door behind me and lock it, and I take his hand. He walks me over to a truck parked at the side of the building. He opens the door for me and I climb inside.
“Maybe I want you to bite.”
His mouth opens, his eyes shining with mirth. “Well, darlin’, that’s good to know.” He shuts the door, and I grin at the sight of him walking around the front of his truck.
One part of me realizes I should be nervous because I just met this man and here I am letting him drive me wherever he wants to take me. But I can’t bring myself to be scared. Kyle doesn’t seem like the type of man that gets off on beating on defenseless women. He is way too fucking badass for that.
It has not slipped past me that he’s huge, scary, and covered head to toe in tattoos, but I have a weakness for bad boys. I just need to learn to decipher which ones are douchebags.
“So where are you from?” he asks.
I push my hair over my shoulder. Should I tell him where exactly? I don’t see why not. “Maryland.”
His eyebrows rise. “Shit, darlin’. Long-ass drive.”
That is an understatement.
I loved Texas the second I crossed the state line, but I kept on driving until I got to this cute little town, and I felt safer here than I’d felt anywhere else. This is where I wanted to have my baby.
I roll down the window and let the evening air move through the cab. I close my eyes and rest my head against the seat, relaxing. I rub my belly and just enjoy the moment of being carefree. I need more moments like this.
I’m not even sure how I have hair at this point; I’ve been so stressed for the last few years of my life. It’s just gotten worse since I’ve been on my own without one single person on this earth who cares about me or loves me.
Kyle pulls up in front of a diner the Devil Souls own. They own almost the whole town. I open my door, and before I can even get out, he takes my hand so I don't fall. “Thank you.”
He winks and puts his hand on the small of my back, holding the door open for me.
We get seated away from everyone else. I sit in front of Kyle, and he’s facing the room behind me. He hands me a menu off the table, and I take it from him.
Kyle
The way she looks, the way she smiles—she is so effortlessly beautiful.
Right now she thinks all the guys have left work, but that’s not the case at all. Torch and some other members of the club are driving her car to her new apartment, which I spent the fucking day setting up for her. Since this town is small, I converted my basement into an apartment for her. She’ll have her privacy and her own keys, but she can come upstairs if she wants to.
She may get pissed at me, but I can’t stomach the thought of her sleeping in her vehicle—that I can’t handle. She’s pregnant, and I know deep down no woman would sleep in her vehicle and drive all the way from fucking Maryland to a middle-of-nowhere town for no reason. She’s running from something, and it’s not fucking safe for her to live in the garage. A window can easily be broken. Hell, so much can go wrong.
“I think I’m going to get a steak.” I put the menu on the table, and she closes hers.
“I think I’m just going to get a kid’s meal burger.”
The fuck?
Ahhh, she thinks she’s paying. “Baby, you’re not buying. Get a steak, buy everything on the menu, I don’t give a fuck.” I push her menu back in front of her.
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say,” she sasses, and I love that shit. I know that deep down she has a whole bunch of attitude waiting to come out.
I chuckle and sit back, looking at her as she studies the menu once again. I know she can feel me staring at her, because I can see the blush covering her cheekbones.
Chrystal
Our food comes, and it takes everything in me not to shove it in my mouth. I ordered a ribeye, a baked potato, fries, and a milkshake. I haven’t eaten like this in a very long time. A hamburger from a fast food place has been my meal of choice for the past couple of months. I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat another one.
A woman and her toddler are walking toward the restroom. I smile at the baby, who is grinning and trying to run but his little legs are unsteady. My eyes widen when the baby’s legs fold under him and he starts to fall face-first onto the ground. I reach out to catch him, but Kyle beats me to it. He scoops the baby up with one arm and hands him to his mother. She thanks him and walks into the bathroom.
I smile at Kyle. “What?” He doesn’t look up from his meal. I don’t say a word. I want him to look at me. He puts his fork down, his eyebrows arched, finally looking at me.
“You’re a hero.”
He laughs and shakes his head at me.
We finish our meal, stealing glances at each other. I’m just trying to figure him out, because I’m kind of confused. Is this a date? Okay, that’s stupid. I’m pregnant. What man wants a pregnant woman? No one, that’s for sure. Plus I’m hiding a shit-ton of stuff. I come with baggage on top of baggage, and not even the strongest man in the world can handle that.
“Ready to go?” he asks and throws down cash for the food.
“Yeah.” I slide to the edge of the booth, and he takes my hand and helps me out o
f the seat. “Thank you. Has anyone ever told you you’re a perfect gentleman, Kyle?”
He gives me a little side grin “Our secret, yeah?” he whispers like it’s the biggest secret in the world.
I roll down my window again on the ride back to the garage. Soon I’ll be back in the hot hell of my car. Texas heat isn’t for the faint of heart, and I would kill for an air conditioner. I would sleep naked if I weren’t afraid of someone seeing me.
As the garage comes into view, dread starts to fill me. I sit up in my seat, preparing to get out, but he doesn’t pull into the parking lot.
“Uhhh, there was my car,” I tell him and laugh slightly, trying to hide my nervousness.
“I didn’t see a car.”
I eye him like he has a third eye; did he just kidnap me? He just grins like this is the best fucking day of his life.
“Okay, Kyle. Ha ha. Very funny.” I laugh and nudge him with my elbow, but he doesn’t say shit to me.
I scratch my head, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have the shittiest luck known to man and I’ve just been kidnapped, by my boss no less. I mean who else, right? At least I got a steak dinner out of it.
I nod. “Well, what made you wake up today and think to yourself, ‘Hey, I’m going to kidnap that pregnant chick that works for me’?” I rub my hands down my legs, trying to hide the fact that I’m nervous. I look over at him. “I mean, I kind of want to know what it is about me that made you think, ‘Hey that chick is a good prospect to kidnap.’” He laughs loudly. I mean, a head-thrown-back, hand-resting-on-his-stomach, almost-in-full-convulsions type of laugh.