Rude (King's Harlots MC Book 4)

by J. M. Walker

  “I knew Coby had a past but I didn’t know … I didn’t know it was that awful.”

  “That bad, huh?” Jay pushed open a door at the end of the hall. “I’ll give you a pair of old shorts that are too small for me. Or did you want sweats?”

  “Sweat pants, please.” I didn’t want to have to explain him tearing into her shorts either since he seemed to like cutting them off me.

  Jay handed me grey sweats and leaned against the dresser. “He likes you a lot, you know.”

  “Yeah.” I pulled on the pants, happy they were only a little long. “I like him too but it’s difficult.”

  She grunted. “It always is. I’m sure he’ll come around. But I need to ask you. What the hell is up with Greyson? I’ve never seen him act like that. He’s usually always happy to see you.”

  I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck and told her about the summer Grey and I had spent together after our parents died.

  “Are you shitting me right now?” She laughed, shaking her head. “And the ass is jealous because you got over him and he clearly didn’t?”

  “I guess so. He’s never given me issues before when it came to other men but something about Coby he doesn’t like.” I shrugged.

  “I know why.” Jay smiled, nudging me gently in the shoulder.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re in love with Coby. That’s why.”

  ***

  (Coby)

  I had wanted to argue with Brogan and demand that she stay in just her thong. Knowing her beautiful ass was bare and all I had to do was open my coat she was wearing made me hard as fuck. But she needed to be comfortable. So, I would get over it. For now.

  “So …” Dale peeked at me over the neck of his beer. “You were late because …”

  “And why would I tell you?” I snapped, smirking and crossed my ankle over the opposite knee.

  “Because I’m your best friend.” Dale pouted, feigning a dramatic sigh. “It hurts that you don’t tell me these things anymore.”

  “You’re such a drama queen.” Asher smacked him across the head, pulling Meeka onto his lap when she went to walk by him.

  “Hey, that hurts, you know.” Dale rubbed the spot Asher had hit, his lips curling into a smile.

  “That’s the point, fucker.” Asher leaned in for a kiss from Meeka but she placed a hand on his mouth instead.

  “Apologize,” she demanded, crossing her arms under her chest.

  “Are you serious?” Asher raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes.” She stabbed a finger at his chest. “I am.”

  Dale grinned, and I bit back a laugh.

  “Apologize to him,” she repeated.

  “You know what this means, right?” Asher asked, his voice taking on that tone that I knew all too well.

  Meeka swallowed hard. “Yes, I do.” Her cheeks reddened. “But I still want you to apologize.”

  “Fine.” He turned to Dale. “I’m sorry you’re a pussy and me hitting you hurt.”

  “Asher,” Meeka cried, laughing. “That’s not what I meant.”

  He chuckled, pulling her in for a kiss.

  They shared a moment, kissing and petting.

  I looked away, not wanting to intrude on their private moment.

  “Fucker doesn’t know how to apologize and still gets kissed for it,” Dale muttered, his mood turning dark.

  “Leave it alone,” I told him. “Have you talked to her?”

  He took a hard swig of his beer and rose to his feet. “I need another beer.” And with that, he headed back into the house.

  He hadn’t talked to Max yet. Jay had said that she was sleeping when Brogan and I had arrived. This pregnancy was taking its toll on the poor thing.

  Angel came out of the house and sat beside me, handing me a bottle of water. “Dale’s in a mood.”

  I grunted in response and took a gulp of the cool liquid that I had come to love over the years instead of beer. As much as I missed alcohol, it had caused too many problems that I could never get myself out of. So, water it was.

  Laughter sounded from inside the house making my dick twitch. I knew that laugh anywhere.

  Brogan and Jay came outside, smiles on both of their faces.

  Jay sat beside Angel, snuggling into his side and Brogan sat on the love seat beside the chair I was sitting in.

  She caught my gaze and patted the spot beside her.

  I shook my head, patting my lap instead.

  Brogan raised an eyebrow, challenging me.

  I chuckled and moved to the spot beside her.

  “Do you always come when I call?” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “How old is that saying?” I laughed.

  “Old enough.” She giggled, wrapped her hands around my arm, and pulled it onto her lap. “Is this okay?” she whispered.

  “Yes.” I didn’t need to show our friends that I had feelings for this woman. They already knew. Whatever was going on between Brogan and I, we were taking it slow but any slower and I was afraid that it would push her away.

  “I don’t want to talk business tonight,” Jay said, breaking the silence. “But I just need to know if Greyson or your contact, Coby, has said anything.”

  “No, he’s been quiet. I’ll call him tomorrow and see if he’s made any new progress on this shit.” Lucas was a hard man to get ahold of.

  “And Greyson?” Jay asked, looking at Brogan.

  She shifted beside me. “No. I haven’t heard from him.”

  My body relaxed at that. I had to keep my thoughts to myself when it came to Greyson. I knew that but whenever he touched her, knowing that I was watching, it made me want to drive my fist through his face even more. Her brothers are different. I could like them. Especially knowing they didn’t care for Grey much.

  “Are your brothers still in town?” Angel asked, cupping Jay’s lower belly.

  “Yes, it’s the twins' …” Brogan clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, shit.”

  “What?” I asked, turning her toward me.

  “I forgot their birthdays. It’s today, and I haven’t called them yet.” She rose to her feet. “I have to call them.” She ran back into the house, leaving the warm spot beside me to turn cold.

  ***

  (Brogan)

  When I ran into the house, my phone rang. Taking a breath, I answered. “Blake, I am so—”

  “Save it, Brogan,” Blake snapped. “We came down to see you and yet we haven’t seen you at all.”

  “You know the shit that’s been going on. It’s not my fault,” I cried, slumping onto the couch.

  “But you make time to see that guy. Coby, is it?”

  My chest tightened. “I’m sorry.” I took a breath. “Happy birthday.”

  “You can’t butter me up with that sweet shit,” he grumbled.

  “Is that Brogie?” Brox yelled from the back ground. “Hey, Brogan,” he greeted, taking the phone from Blake. “You forgot our birthday.”

  “I didn’t forget.” I squeezed the bridge of my nose. “I just forgot to call earlier.”

  “That’s the same thing, isn’t it?” he covered the mouthpiece and mumbled something to Blake. “Yes,” he said, his voice clearer that time. “Brogan, we’re not happy that you haven’t called all day and that you’ve been ignoring us but we get it. Your club is important. We’re just glad that all of you are okay. And yes, we’re glad that Greyson is fine as well.”

  I scoffed. “I’m sure you are. But, seriously, I am sorry. And happy birthday to you as well, Brox.”

  “Thank you. We need to meet up before we head back into the city.”

  “I would like that.”

  Coby and I had been living together for a week. The club was coming along nicely but I could sense that Jay was nervous about it. She didn’t want us living there for fear that it would be another target. We had all agreed that we would visit in pairs or a group but not spend the night. We also had some of our resources check out the place regularly while we weren’t
there. It paid to know bikers.

  “Daddy, I’m fine,” Jay said one afternoon, pacing back and forth in front of a table lined with blueprints. “I’m sorry I never told you. It’s been a little crazy here. Yes. I know. Angel is taking good care of me. Don’t worry. No, Tyler hasn’t been by. He got the hint since the last time. I know. Please stop worrying so much. It’s not good for your heart.” She stopped suddenly. “Are you serious? Are you sure that’s a good idea? I know, I know. I’m just saying it might be too soon.” She sighed. “Okay. I will back you in whatever you decide. Yes. Please stop by. I miss you.” She hung up her phone, placing it in the back pocket of her pants. “My dad wants to kick Tyler out of the club.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” My eyes widened. “There is no way Tyler would let that go easily.”

  Jay rubbed her temples. “I know.”

  “We got this.” I pointed to her belly. “You have to take care of you and that little bundle first. Let the rest of us worry about your dad and Tyler.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “I’m so fucking tired, I can’t even argue right now.”

  I laughed. “Well, I expect all the arguments to happen after the baby comes.”

  She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to think about that right now. It scares the shit out of me.”

  “As it should. You’re growing a human being, Jay. That’s pretty fucking amazing.”

  Her smile widened. “Yeah, I guess it is, isn’t it?”

  “Definitely.” I went back to my table and mulled over the blueprints. The club was going to look epic when we were done with it. Too bad we couldn’t use it for a while. Not when Charles and his fucking goons were out there.

  “Need any help?” Coby asked, coming up beside me.

  “Yes, keep my friends safe.” My voice grew thick. I never let these situations get to me but after months of dealing with it on end, it kind of got to a person sometimes.

  “Hey.” Coby pulled me into his arms, hugging me tight against him. “They’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “No, don’t promise something like that.” I pulled from his grip. “You can’t. That’s how I lost my parents. They promised me they would see me again and then they were ripped from my life. I almost lost my brothers too because of it. So, don’t you dare promise me that shit.”

  “Okay.” Coby wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “I am sorry.”

  “My parents said they would see us later but they never did.” My eyes welled but at that point, I no longer cared. “I didn’t see them again.”

  “Shhh …” Coby turned me in his arms, hugging me against him. “Let’s take a break and go for a drive.”

  “To have sex?” I asked, rolling up the blueprints.

  “Is that what you want?” He handed me the tubes.

  I stuffed the blueprints into them and let out a heavy sigh. “I just want all of this shit to end.”

  “We can head back to my place. We can do whatever you want. Sex. Eat. Sleep. Workout. Doesn’t even have to be in that order.”

  I laughed, hugging him tight. “Thank you and yes, all of that sounds wonderful.”

  We told everyone that we were leaving and that they should probably do the same. There was no point wearing ourselves out over something we couldn’t live in or use for a while.

  An hour later and we were headed into the city when Coby got a call.

  “Shit, it’s the head office.”

  “Head office?” I asked, stepping out of the vehicle.

  “Yeah, something to do with one of the apartments I own flooding. Will you be fine here if I leave you alone for a little bit?”

  “Just give me your key,” I said, holding my hand out. “And I’ll make myself right at home.”

  He grinned, kissing me hard on the mouth. “Good girl. If you leave, text me, just so I know where you are if I get back before you.”

  “I will,” I called out, blowing him a kiss, and headed inside the large building. Once I made my way into the elevator, I changed my mind and decided to go for a walk instead. Needing some fresh air, I made sure to text Coby and stay around the area since I didn’t know the city that well. I found a large bookstore a couple blocks away with a coffee shop built into it. It was heaven and smelled even better.

  “Can I help you, miss?” a young girl asked, greeting me at the door.

  “No, thank you.” I smiled. “Just looking around.”

  She nodded, holding the door open for me.

  I thanked her and went in search of the romance section. It was my guilty pleasure. A lot of the stories would never happen but there were some that I liked to hope would. And the heroes in the books? Even better. But Coby was my real-life hero. He took me from myself and we had only been spending time together for a few weeks, a couple months at the most. I lost track of time when it came to him.

  “You looking for a good book?” a young man asked, pulling a paperback off the shelf. “I hear this one is great. My sister loves this author.”

  The cover caught my eye. A flogger. A whip. And a belt? Yum.

  “Thank you.” I smiled up at the man, my breath catching in my throat when I really looked at him.

  His hair was dark, shaggy and unkempt. He wore a tailored suit, fitted to his strong body and his eyes, God, they were beautiful. So green they looked like emeralds.

  I cleared my throat, looking away. Guilt sat heavily in my stomach over gawking at the guy when Coby had been so good to me. But I was human and the guy was beautiful. If you went for that sort of thing.

  “You’re welcome.” The man smiled, although it never reached his eyes. “I also hear that this one is good too.” He pulled another book from the shelf, this one featuring a cowboy on the front.

  “I’m not really into Western romances but I’ll give it a shot.”

  He nodded once. “Are you from around here?”

  “No. I’m staying with my … friend.” I realized then that I didn’t even know what to call Coby. Not like I could say that he was my fuck buddy to a complete stranger.

  “Well, your friend picked a perfect place to live. I love this city and all it’s about. It holds so many different cultures and walks of life. It really is surreal.”

  I noticed after listening to him for a couple of minutes that he held a hint of an accent, but I couldn’t place where it would be from.

  “Well—” he checked his watch “—it looks like my time is up. Thank you for the chat.” He turned and walked away.

  Well, that was odd. I placed the books back on the shelf even though he had recommended them. Something about this situation felt off. I should have just stayed at Coby’s in the first place so I made my way back there. Almost accidentally turning down a dark alley, I hightailed out of there before I could get myself in another situation like a couple weeks ago. I remembered back to that night when Coby had saved me along with his brothers. I should have known then that something more would come out of our relationship whether we both cared to admit it or not.

  When I arrived back at Coby’s, he was sitting on his couch with a tumbler in hand. It held dark amber liquid and every so often, he would take a sip.

  “Everything okay?” I asked, slipping out of my shoes and noted the liquor he was falling into. I had never seen him drink before knowing it wasn’t something he had done in a long time.

  “Where were you?” he asked, ignoring me.

  “I texted you. I went to the bookstore and then I got lost.” I sat beside him, cupping his knee.

  “You should have stayed closer to home.”

  Home. He said it like it was mine too but it wasn’t. I didn’t have a home anymore thanks to the bastards who blew it up.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was an issue.” I rose from the couch and went to leave when Coby grabbed my hand. He pulled me down beside him, cupping my throat.

  “I got worried,” he breathed into my ear.

  “There’s nothing to worry over,” I reassured him. “I’m fine. I
promise.” Although, the conversation I had with that man was a little odd.

  “What’s wrong?” Coby asked, pulling me onto his lap.

  “Nothing, really. I just had a strange conversation with a man at the bookstore,” I said, telling him about what had happened. “It just seemed different to me.”

  “Well, if it seemed that way then it probably was. I’ve learned over my lifetime to always go with your gut.”

  “True.” We sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company but I still couldn’t get over the man I met at the bookstore. It bothered me to no end that he had this effect on me. It was unnerving the way he had stared at me like he was looking deep within my soul.

  “You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you?” Coby asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Yes.” I sat forward. “I’m bothered by it because I feel like he had wanted something. Or maybe to say something to me but never did. He scared me in a way I’m not used to.”

  Coby searched my face. “I don’t want you leaving here without me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You can’t make me stay. I have to work on the club.”

  “We’ll go together.”

  “I need to have a life, Coby. You know that.”

  “Then have a life with me but if that guy made you feel uncomfortable, I don’t want to take the chance that you’ll see him again.”

  I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “I know. I shouldn’t be bothered. It was just … weird.”

  Coby kissed my forehead. “We leave soon. I’m not sure exactly when. This could be last minute shit.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I got the call before you came back.”

  My heart sunk, dropping into my feet like heavy weights. “How long?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ve tried convincing our boss to let us focus on the human trafficking ring but it’s not what we do. We’re SEALs and we deal with terrorists.”

  “Hasn’t Charles done terrorist shit too?”

  “Yeah,” Coby grunted. “He’s a man of many talents. It makes me wonder if there is even another front runner. Maybe he’s the brother to the woman. It wouldn’t surprise me. He is sick and twisted like that.”