by Nina Levine
Madison poked her tongue at Roxie and we all burst out laughing.
These women made my life so much better just by being in it. I’d never been big on friends; I’d resisted opening myself up to women as much as I had to men. But sometimes in life, people managed to work their way into your heart. It happened slowly, until one day you realised how big a part they played in your happiness, and just how lost you’d be if they weren’t there.
***
Nash
Church.
I had a sense of foreboding about today, and it unsettled me.
Taking my seat at the table, I looked around to gauge the mood of the room. Marcus was emanating control. Fuck, he looked like he was ready to take on the world. And like he knew he would fucking win if he did.
Smug bastard.
This wasn’t going to be good.
Scott sat next to Marcus, a fierce look on his face, his body tense.
And, Griff, our Sergeant-at-Arms, was on Marcus’s other side. He too, looked ready to go to battle.
The room filled quickly, and Marcus called the meeting to order. He ran through the usual business, fairly routine stuff. I sat back and watched it unfold, wondering when his agenda for today would be realised, because he sure as fuck had one. There was a nervous energy in the room; watchful eyes everywhere were taking it all in.
Everyone knew that something was going down today.
Fuck.
When it finally happened, I sat in stunned silence, not believing my eyes or my ears.
Marcus asked if anyone had business to bring to the table. I looked around to see who it would be; I figured Marcus had someone primed for this.
I wasn’t the only one looking around the table. Anticipation pervaded the room. The tension our club had been under the past couple of months had stretched us and placed us in a precarious position. Like a house of cards, all it would take would be one knock, and everything we’d worked hard to achieve would be threatened.
Griff stood.
I watched him, waiting to see what he had to say. I had no idea what he was doing; this hadn’t been discussed at any of our meetings. He pushed his shoulders back and adopted an aggressive stance. His jaw was set and there was a determined look on his face. When he spoke, his voice was hard and cold. “I call an officer challenge for the Vice Presidency. Scott has lost confidence in the President, and I don’t believe he can or will do his job properly.”
What the fuck?
I sat up straight in my chair, my shoulders tensing. What the hell was Griff doing?
I flicked my gaze to Scott. His face registered shock, but he said nothing. Anger and disbelief seeped out of him.
I sucked in a breath at the magnitude of this challenge.
Griff.
I’d never seen it coming. And Scott obviously hadn’t either. I looked at J; he was as stunned and angry as I was.
Griff had fucking played us for fools.
He’d double crossed all of us.
And, Marcus sat there with a satisfied smile on his face that made me want to hurt every last motherfucker who was with him on this. I wanted blood. I fucking wanted Marcus to bleed for everything he’d ever done to his family, and to his club.
And, I knew that one day we would have his blood for this. Scott, J, and I would fucking make sure of it.
What happened next was a blur to me. One of the other members seconded the motion, and Marcus called a vote for next week’s Church.
Scott pushed his chair back and stood. Fury rolled off him. His eyes bore into Griff, and he spat out, “I want a vote on this today; I don’t want to wait another fucking week for it.”
“Griff?” Marcus asked.
Griff nodded his approval, and the vote began. It was happening so fast; it felt like we were on a freight train hurtling towards destruction.
Marcus voted yay, and got the voting started. I watched in horror as nearly every member voted with Marcus.
Scott was out.
Griff was in.
The gavel came down, and the decision was reached.
Loyalties had been discarded.
Trust had been broken.
Family had been screwed over.
And I knew Storm would never be the same.
Epilogue
My Sacrifice ~ Creed
Nash ~ 3 months later
I took the three steps up to the door with hesitation. And, I hesitated again before knocking. Coming here today was essential, but I still felt trepidation.
Gabriella opened the door. She didn’t smile, but her face revealed her relief at seeing me. “Nash.” She didn’t say anything else, and I knew it was up to me to find the closure I was searching for.
“I’ve come to tell you I’m moving on. The shit that happened will always stay with me, but I can’t hold on to my anger about it any longer.” The words wrestled their way out of me. They had to be said, and I had to follow through, but I still struggled to even look at her. I wondered how the hell I would ever manage to let my anger go. And then, I remembered Velvet, and my anxiety settled to a manageable level.
“Thank you for coming,” she said.
“I didn’t come for you; I came for me, Gabriella. I’ve finally realised I had no control over what you did that day. All these years, I’ve held onto you, and let you project your feelings onto me. I’m done. And I’m finally letting you go. I’ll deal with my shit, and you deal with yours. Don’t text me or ring me anymore.”
Surprise, and then anger crossed her face. “You came here to say that to me? We need to talk about Aaron; about what happened.”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing more for us to say to each other. And what I actually came to say to you was goodbye.”
“No! You don’t get to decide that,” she ranted, her anger taking over.
“I do get to decide that. And I have decided that.” I paused, before saying, “Goodbye, Gabriella.”
Without giving her a chance to say anything else, I turned and made the short walk back to Velvet’s car. She was watching me through the window, a concerned look on her face. “You okay?” she asked as soon as I was back in the car.
I gave her a tight smile. “Let’s just say, I’m getting there. This shit is never gonna be easy though.” I blew out a long breath. “You need to drive before she comes down here,” I said. I knew Gabriella, and I knew her temper. It was as quick to flare up as mine, and she would come down to give me a piece of her mind; I was sure of it.
Velvet nodded, and did as I’d said. We drove in silence for awhile. I stared out the window, my mind drifting. The last couple of months had been fucking hard. Between dealing with my shit, and then club shit, I was exhausted. Mentally at least. And yet, there was light in amongst all that.
I turned to Velvet. “Thanks for coming today.”
She glanced at me quickly before looking back to the road. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, baby.”
She was my light; the sweet in my life.
I reached out to brush my hand over her cheek. “I love you, sweet thing.”
It was the first time I’d told her, and I didn’t know how she would handle it. I shouldn’t have been concerned.
Turning again, she smiled at me.
And then she gave me everything when she said, “I love you too, Nash.”
To My Readers
Thank you for reading Revive. I hope you enjoyed Nash & Velvet. While I was writing this book I was a little concerned that Nash wouldn’t live up to your expectations - that he wouldn’t quite be who you thought he was. Nash has always been the fun, flirty, sexy biker in the Storm men. I always knew what his backstory was, but when I got into writing it, he was even more broken than I thought. And angry. The way he fought his feelings for Velvet really brought out the asshole in him, and that’s when I started to get concerned. However, he is who he is, and I stayed true to that.
Writing this story turned out to be a very personal experience for me in that it touched on a
spects of my own journey in life. I wrote some parts in tears because they stirred up emotions & feelings about stuff I’ve been through and am going through currently. But, through that, I realised just how much writing the Storm MC series has, and is changing my life. And, for that, I really need to thank you for reading my books and supporting me.
Thank you!
Nina xx
“Your largest fear carries your greatest growth.”
(I don’t know who wrote this quote to give them credit.)
Acknowledgements
“A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.”
I need to thank a lot of people so if you’re reading this, settle in ;)
Eliahn, thank you. I know you think I love my Mac more than you but truly I don’t. Thank you for letting me do my thing. And for trying to organise me - God knows, I need it!
Kathleen, you’re #2 this time around babe. Thank you for everything, baby doll ;) You know how awesome I think you are (just re-read your birthday card if you forget!). The next year is going to be epic! I can’t wait to see what you do, and I can’t freaking wait until we see the world together next year!!
My family & friends - thanks for your support, love and encouragement. I’m sorry I don’t say it more often, but I’m always thinking it. Love you all xx
Melanie Sassymum & Elle Raven - I really would be lost without you two amazing women! Thank you SO much for everything you’ve done to help me with Revive. You girls are always there for me, even at 2am in the morning! I never expect you to drop everything for me but you always do, and I truly appreciate it. I’m so excited for you both, and am right behind you as you chase your dreams! “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” ~ Coco Chanel (Here’s to being who we want and doing what we want!) xxx
Jani Kay - *sigh* *sigh *sigh* Fuck, fuckity, fuck! I don’t know how to put into words what I am feeling as I sit here thinking of you. Or how to condense it. Some people show up in your life completely unexpectedly, and give you so much of themselves without asking anything in return. That, my love, is you. I really fucking wished you lived in QLD! Thank you for absolutely everything, babe. I am so excited for what’s ahead with you and me! xx
Louisa M - Thank you, thank you, thank you! This cover ROCKS!! I have had so many readers, bloggers and authors contact me to say they love it. I am so very grateful to have you as my cover designer and also to have you in my life. I remember meeting you on a street team last year and thinking how beautiful your teasers were - I never imagined that this year, we’d be working together! And, wow, the Slay cover is just as gorgeous!! xx
To my #STORMCHASERS - I fucking love you. LOVE YOU! Just in case that didn’t sink in... YOU GIRLS ARE FUCKING AWESOME! And you’ve taken it to a whole new level the past few weeks. I have so much to look forward to each day - The #DAILYFIX, Christina’s Quotes, Paula’s Countdown. The support you all give me is beyond amazing. Thank you for everything you do for me. PS Here’s to #fingerling ;)
Bloggers - I have a special place in my heart for bloggers. You ladies do so much for authors and it’s all done out of a love for books and wanting to share the characters you love with other readers. It’s all done for nothing, and I am so sorry I don’t take enough time to tell you more often what it means to me, but it means the world. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can ever help you in any way. I love to donate to giveaways and am always open to take part in character interviews or spotlights, or takeovers or anything that you want to do (well, pretty much anything ;) ) so just email me at [email protected] if you need something.
Christina G (Mrs Walker) - I will always remember the day you started messaging me. I felt a connection with you straight away and knew I had to have you in my readers’s group so that I could chat with you more often. I never knew our friendship would grow how it has. I love chatting boys, books, music and husbands with you ;) Thank you so very much for all the support you have shown me. xxx PS I really, truly hope that I did your man proud. “Unexpected intrusions of beauty. This is what life is.” ~ Anonymous
This indie author world is amazing! I’ve met some gorgeous authors (some in person and some online who I can’t wait to meet in person!). I’d like to give a shout out to some of these ladies. You all inspire, encourage and support me in ways you will never know. Thank you so much! - Chelle Bliss (that Gandy prank was fun, huh?!), Lili Saint Germain, Rachel Brookes, River Savage, Kirsty Dallas, Monica James, Lilliana Anderson, Lyra Parish, Pepper Winters, Lila Rose, AC Bextor, Ava Manello, KT Fisher, Jennifer Ryder, Carmen Jenner, Nina D’Angelo, Max Henry, Dee Kelly, Emma Fitzgerald, Emma Hart.
Revive Playlist
Revive was heavily influenced by music. I listen to music constantly while writing. You may have noticed that I listed a song at the beginning of each chapter - those songs helped inspire those chapters. Here’s a list of all the songs that inspired Nash & Velvet’s story.
All me playlists are on Spotify if you’d like to follow them - HERE
The Revive playlist is HERE
Walk of Shame ~ Pink
Scream ~ Usher (this song was on repeat for all the sex scenes ;) )
Addicted To You ~ Avicii
Wild Ones ~ Flo Rida
Bad Influence ~ Pink
Raise Your Glass ~ Pink
F**kin Perfect ~ Pink
Slut Like You ~ Pink
Total Eclipse of the Heart ~ Bonnie Tyler
Livin’ La Vida Loca ~ Ricky Martin
Need You Now ~ Lady Antebellum
Lookin’ For A Good Time ~ Lady Antebellum
Angels ~ Robbie Williams
This Is Who I Am ~ Vanessa Amorosi
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston)
Crazy In Love ~ Beyonce
Broken-Hearted Girl ~ Beyonce
All I Want Is You ~ U2
I’m The Only One ~ Melissa Etheridge
Piece Of My Heart ~ Melissa Etheridge
Cream ~ Prince
Kiss ~ Prince
Get Off ~ Prince
The Great Escape ~ Pink
Bleeding Love ~ Leona Lewis
Man! I Feel Like A Woman ~ Shania Twain
Undressed ~ Kim Cesarion
Who You Love ~ John Mayer & Katy Perry
Everything Has Changed ~ Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran
The King of Wishful Thinking ~ Go West
Last Kiss ~ Taylor Swift
Out of Reach ~ Gabrielle
Collide ~ Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow
Sad ~ Maroon 5
Big Girls Don’t Cry ~ Fergie
Just A Fool ~ Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton
The Last Time ~ Taylor Swift
Low - feat T-Pain ~ Flo Rida
Replay ~ Zendaya
Stay With Me ~ Sam Smith
Need You Tonight ~ INXS
Better Man ~ Lady Antebellum
Do I Wanna Know ~ Arctic Monkeys
Hey Jealousy ~ Gin Blossoms
Mr. Brightside ~ The Killers
Never Be The Same ~ Jessica Mauboy
Better Than Me ~ Hinder
Tonight I Wanna Cry ~ Keith Urban
Stupid Boy ~ Keith Urban
One Last Breath ~ Creed
My Sacrifice ~ Creed
Maps ~ Maroon 5
Say Something ~ A Great Big World
Dayum, Baby ~ Florida Georgia Line
Love’s Poster Child ~ Keith Urban
Who I Am With You ~ Chris Young
Can’t Stand The Rain ~ Lady Antebellum
Get To Me ~ Lady Antebellum
Unstoppable ~ Rascal Flatts
Hands On You ~ Florida Georgia Line
Boom Clap ~ Charli XCX
Thunder ~ Jessie J
Broken - Featuring Amy Lee ~ Seether
Brave ~ Sara Bareilles
Ready To Love Again ~ Lady Antebellum
This Means War ~ Nickelback
I’d Come For You ~ Nickelback
/>
Nina Levine
USA Today & International Bestselling Author
Also by Nina Levine
Storm MC Series
In Order:
Storm (Storm MC #1)
Fierce (Storm MC #2)
Blaze (Storm MC #2.5)
Coming Soon
Slay (Storm MC #4)
This is Blade’s story and it will release on the 20th October 2014
Roxie
She’s wild, carefree and sassy. His total opposite.
She drives him crazy... and yet, she’s the only woman he wants.
This is Roxie & Liam’s story. The Storm MC characters feature in this story but it is not based around the club. I have included some chapters of Roxie in the back of this book and information about how you can read it.
Keep up to date with my books at my website
http://ninalevinebooks.blogspot.com.au
Roxie
I’m excited to share a couple of chapters from a new story I am writing, Roxie. Some of you are already following this story through my newsletter or blog. If you sign up for my newsletter you automatically receive the chapters that way. The other way you can read this story is by visiting my blog. All the links for these are at the end of this book.
So, just to clarify, this is currently a story that I’m releasing for FREE in chapters. Once it is complete, I will publish it.
Enjoy Roxie!
Nina xx
Chapter 1
Roxie
“You’re not listening to me, J.” Seriously, how the hell Madison managed to be married to this man eluded me at the moment. He was overbearing mixed with a side of asshole.
He breathed out a long, frustrated breath. “Trust me babe, I’m listening; I’m just not fucking liking what I’m hearing.”
Was this guy for real? “Yeah well it’s my life, my decision, and I say no.” I dug my heels in.
He shook his head, pulled out his phone and made a call. I waited, resolute that I wouldn’t budge on this. Not taking his eyes off me, he spoke into the phone, “Madison, your girl here doesn’t want our help. I’ve got better shit to do than to stand here arguing with her so I’ll give you five minutes with her and then I’m outta here.” Without waiting for Madison to reply, he handed the phone to me.