Ravens Ruin MC: The Complete Series

by Marie James

  Briar is visibly trembling, fists clenched at his sides as he glares at me when I turn back to tell them goodbye. I wonder what he would say, how he would react if my brother wasn’t in the room.

  “This isn’t a good idea,” Briar says through clenched teeth.

  “She has to grow up eventually. Maybe dating the vet is a good thing,” Lynch says as he turns and places the plate of eggs in the microwave to be reheated.

  “Something else on your mind?” I whisper to Briar.

  “You shouldn’t sleep with someone just for the sake of sex,” Briar hisses low enough so only I can hear him. “It should be with someone you care about.”

  My teeth grind for a long moment before I can open my mouth to speak. “The man I care for doesn’t want anything to do with me, and he told me to find a good man to spend time with. Owen is adorable, good-looking, and he has a job that he can speak freely about. His secrets aren’t buried under a decade of lies and sins.”

  Briar’s face falls before the mask I’ve grown to hate slides back in place.

  “He sounds perfect for you,” he tells me with false assurance.

  Without another word, I walk out.

  When I’d first heard his voice, even in a moment of embarrassing clarity, I’d wanted to tease him, taunt him about my date, hoping it would force him into action. He didn’t turn and tell my brother that he’s the only one worthy of using those condoms on me. He closed himself off and wished me well.

  My stomach is in knots by the time I reach my car, but after the drive into town and singing along with a bitter woman about moving on and getting over her past mistakes, my back is straight, and my head is held high.

  Who actually meets the love of their life when they’re fourteen anyway?

  Chapter 10

  Briar

  I’m no stranger to pacing. I get most of my best thinking done while walking the length of my room over and over. It’s the blood on my knuckles without a victim lying at my feet that’s the concern right now. The hole in the sheetrock I won’t be able to explain with honesty is also another matter I refuse to address presently.

  Bugging the vet’s office with audio and video seemed like a great idea twenty minutes ago, but the functioning part of my brain reminded me that I’m supposed to be letting her go, not obsessing over what she’s doing with that dick-bag.

  I huff.

  “I never even had her to begin with,” I mutter as I spin and walk again. “What the fuck does she even know about this asshole?”

  That thought has me moving. It gives me purpose as I swing open my bedroom door and rush down the hall.

  “What’s up?” Boston asks when I pull the door to the office open so hard it clangs against the wall only to swing back and whack me in the arm.

  Ignoring him, I focus on Virus. He’s bent over a laptop, uncaring that I just stormed in the office. Seems he’s settled in nice.

  “Give us a minute,” I say to Boston without looking in his direction.

  “I was just going for a fresh cup of coffee anyway.”

  I clear my throat to get Virus’s attention once we’re alone and the door is closed.

  Brazenly, he holds up a finger to get me to pause before returning his nimble fingers to the keyboard. Either this guy is stupid, or he has nuts the size of the damn sun. Still, I wait until he presses a final key, and his eyes look up to mine.

  “Important things going on?” I nod in the direction of his computer.

  “I’ve been trying to beat that level on Toon Blast for days.”

  I could punch the smirk off his damn face right now. As if having one incredibly immature bastard around wasn’t enough, this asshole just jumped TJ in childish behavior.

  “Did you get the info I asked about earlier?” I grit, determined not to break his nose until I get what I need.

  His fingers work over the keys again.

  “Owen Marcus Andrews, thirty one year old veterinarian. He’s squeaky clean.” His eyes narrow as he reads info on the screen. “He has no arrest record to speak of. Drives a black Tesla. His social media posts aren’t bad, nothing political, mostly just cute animals. He donates to many local and national charities. His practice is paid for from a trust he got when his grandmother died. No debt at all. From what I can tell, he doesn’t casually date. Had one girlfriend in high school, Stephanie Wiley. She’s a little homely if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t,” I spit.

  My outburst doesn’t faze him.

  “They had an amicable split before they each went to different schools. What’s this?” His eyes narrow slightly. “He did get a ticket from the city for not maintaining his lawn last year.”

  “Asshole.” It’s all I got for this perfect guy.

  “Oh, wait. He was in the Gulf helping save wildlife after a tanker explosion caused an oil spill. The city dismissed the ticket when he returned.”

  “What is he? A fucking priest?”

  “Nope. From the looks of it, he had a change of heart after his first semester in seminary school.”

  “Seriously?” I walk around the desk to look at Virus’s computer, but from the angle I’m at the screen isn’t visible with the privacy screen in place.

  “Not really, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Why do you need this info?”

  “What else is there?” I ask ignoring his question.

  “I have his college transcripts if you want to dig deeper, but this guy seems pretty perfect. Thinking of investing with him? Doesn’t seem like the type to roll over when he’s pressured to launder money or some shit if that’s where your head is at.”

  “Molly is working for him,” I answer, caving with minimal information to keep him from digging any deeper into the whys.

  “Prez’s sister?” His brow furrows. “I thought that chick was yours?”

  The growl that erupts from my throat is enough to make his eyes wide.

  “I’m not pushing up on your territory man,” he assures me. “I haven’t laid eyes on the chick.”

  My anger simmers, rumbling right under the surface, begging me to let it escape to release some of the damn agitation that has been building since I walked in on my fucking best friend handing a box of condoms to my girl.

  Not my girl, I remind myself.

  “As the sister of both the president and enforcer of the Ravens Ruin, it’s my job to make sure that she’s safe.”

  Virus smiles. “Awesome.” He waves his hand up and down indicating my stiff stature. “I almost believed that. Repeat it about a million times in front of the mirror, and maybe a blind man would believe you.”

  “Did you forget what happened to your old club president?” He shakes his head, not an ounce of fear in his eyes. “You know I could kill you and no one would blink?”

  “Bury me with my computer, and I’ll go to hell happy.” His grin is both agitating and refreshing. He’s the perfect fucking fit for this damn club, even if I’d never tell him that to his face.

  “Find more on that bastard,” I demand as I turn toward the door. “No one is that squeaky clean.”

  “Aye aye Captain,” he mocks to my back as I leave the office and head to the bar.

  Ten in the morning or not, a cold fucking beer is about the only thing that sounds good right now. I drain the damn thing the second the prospect shoves it in my hand. I wave at him to give me another before I can do what my head is telling me. I don’t imagine Molly would be very happy if I showed up and sat in the waiting room at the vet’s office until she got off work, and I’d bet she’d be livid if I insisted on tagging along on her date with the perfect fucking vet.

  “I know that look,” TJ says as I carry my beer across the room and fall onto the couch. “Did you interrupt the birds and bees talk between Molly and Lynch?”

  Looking over at him, I’m surprised to find a flat and mildly agitated look on his normally playful face.

  “If it helps, he insisted I get the variety pack after looking at his picture online. I
think he suspects the poor doctor is single because he’s got a micro-peen.”

  I refuse to engage with him. He’s been in a shitty mood for weeks. His phone has replaced club whore pussy, and all he does is stare down at the motherfucker and grow agitated. He seems to find joy these days in pissing others off around him.

  “If that’s the case,” he continues without being prompted like the asshole he is. “Even if she fucks him, you may still have a shot at her cherry.”

  Standing, my half-full beer drops to the floor, rolling out of the way and leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake.

  “That’s your fucking sister you’re talking about you piece of shit.”

  “True,” he says with a smirk, completely unaffected by my outburst. First Virus, now TJ? I’m losing my fucking touch. “But what is she to you?”

  My jaw snaps shut with such force my eyes sting.

  “Think about that, why don’t you?”

  His eyes narrow when an alert sounds from his phone. Looking down, his face goes from dickhead instigator to red-hot fury.

  “I swear to fucking God,” he curses as he stands and makes for the front door.

  “Something you need help with?” I ask to his back.

  “Nothing I can’t handle on my own,” he mutters before slamming the front door behind him. The aggressive roar of his bike echoes around the living room before fading off into the distance. He’s been doing that a lot lately as well.

  “I think he’s got another girl outside of the clubhouse.”

  I don’t even bother turning my head to acknowledge Legs. Even with the sadness in her voice, I can’t focus on anything but my own damn problems right now.

  “Do you need a shoulder to cry on, baby?” Ronan swoops in to save the day with a huge grin on his face.

  Legs giggles, not one to dwell on disappointment long, and they disappear down the hallway together.

  Unable to sit idle any longer, I grab a set of keys off of the rack near the door and head out to one of the trucks. I drive all day long, putting distance between myself and Sutton, but just like the lonely fool that I am, I end up parked across the street from the fucking vet clinic just in time to see Molly’s smiling face in the window as she turns off the open sign.

  It takes everything in me not to climb out of the truck and slash every damn tire on his fucking Tesla.

  Chapter 11

  Molly

  “Last one?” Owen asks as I close the door to the kennel and stick my fingers through the grid to scratch the weary head of the sick kitten someone found on the street earlier.

  “Last one,” I verify.

  “Did you turn off the open sign?”

  Turning back, I find my boss leaning against the doorframe with his arms casually crossed over his chest.

  “Yep.”

  “Ready for our date?”

  Smiling in his direction, I let a coy smile play on my lips. “You said yesterday that it was only dinner, that it’s not a date.”

  “It doesn’t have to be a date, but—”

  His head cocks to the side as the smile I’ve already grown accustomed to after only two days of working here lights his face up.

  “But what?”

  “It’s Friday, it’s evening time, and it’s only going to be the two of us.” He ticks each thing off of his fingers.

  “Seems pretty date-like, if you ask me.”

  “Would it be such a bad thing if it was?”

  “Well.” I hold up my hand just like he did a second ago. “You’re handsome, you’re nice, and you haven’t looked at my tits one time since you met me.”

  As if drawn by my words, his eyes dip slightly before they snap back up to meet mine.

  His throat works on a swallow in the same shy way it does each time I act a little more forward than I presume he’s used to.

  “I don’t date,” he randomly spews.

  “Really?” He’s honestly too handsome to be single, but his lack of female interest is my gain.

  Honestly, I see him as more of a friend. My heart just isn’t ready to open back up for anyone or anything right now, but staying home crying into my pillow at night only gives me a headache and puffy eyes in the morning. It doesn’t resolve a damn thing, and I’m tired of torturing myself.

  “I mean, I went on a few dates in college, but haven’t even worried about looking since I came back home to take over the clinic for Dr. Prescott.”

  “So, you have like a fuck-buddy or something?”

  His eyes widen as my hand slaps over my mouth. It’s not the first time in the last forty-eight hours that something like that slipped from my lips. The question wouldn’t even cause someone to blink an eye back at the clubhouse, but I’ve been distanced from society too long it seems. My tact for appropriate conversation in mixed company could use some serious work.

  “I don’t… you know—” He circles his hand in a circle in the vicinity of his crotch.

  Confused, I just stare at him. “You don’t have a fuck-buddy?”

  Jesus, why did I repeat myself?

  “Sex,” he clarifies with another rough swallow. “I don’t…I mean I haven’t… done that.”

  “Are you serious?”

  I’m met with several slow blinks before he answers. “Is that a deal-breaker? I mean, you wouldn’t be the first girl to walk away after finding out. I usually at least get halfway through dinner before that topic comes up in conversation, however.”

  I must look like a tarsier monkey with wide, unblinking eyes as I just stare at him in shock. How the hell do I go from Briar with his decade-long celibacy and millions of secrets, to the super-hot, yet untouched veterinarian who just laid his business at my feet like it’s normal for a thirty one year old man to not get laid. I almost ask him if Briar put him up to this, or if someone else from the MC threatened him if he even thought about touching me.

  “If you want to cancel our non-date, I’ll understand. I promise it won’t make things weird in the office.”

  “A virgin?” I clarify.

  “Yep.”

  “Are you,” my eyes drift to the front of his slacks before rising back to meet his, “is there something wrong with your… um… penis?”

  His laugh belts out as his head begins to shake. If the smile on his face is any indication, he’s not offended by my brazen question.

  “My penis is fine, I assure you.” He shifts on his feet, clearly uncomfortable when he notices my eyes shifting from his face to his crotch.

  I now understand the guys in school who were fascinated with the girls who made it to their senior year still virgins. I’m almost as tempted as they were to try to seduce that gift from him, which makes me realize I’m the biggest asshole in the world.

  “Do you want to cancel?” he asks again.

  “No,” I answer honestly when I see disappointment beginning to creep up on his face, knowing I had that same look in my eyes when Adler Seymour dumped me junior year because I wouldn’t spread my legs for him. “I just need to get changed. Don’t want to go to dinner in my scrubs.”

  “Come upstairs with me. You can change up there.” He holds out his hand for me to take.

  “Upstairs?”

  “I live on the second floor. Didn’t you know that?”

  “No.” I glance from his hand to the narrow staircase I’d always assumed led to a supply area.

  “I have to grab a quick shower.” My eyes widen at the implication. “You can change in the spare bedroom. It’s more comfortable up there.”

  “I…ugh… I think I’ll just change down here.”

  “You sure?”

  “One hundred percent,” I assure him.

  “Okay.” He walks to the staircase but looks over his shoulder at me like he thinks I’m going to bolt for the door the second he walks away. “Be back in about fifteen minutes.”

  I change quickly in the employee restroom at the back of the office before making my way to the front again to wait for Owen.


  “You’re still here,” Owen says less than ten minutes later as he practically slides into the room with panting breaths.

  Tilting my head to the side, I give him a quick grin. “Of course, I am. We have a date to get to, right?”

  “Right.” He holds the crook of his elbow out as he approaches me, and I slide my arm into the bend.

  Like a gentleman I’ve only seen in romantic movies, he escorts me to his car, opening the passenger door for me and closing it softly when I’m situated inside.

  I ignore the feel of protective eyes on me as he settles in his seat and backs out of the parking lot in front of the clinic. I don’t let my gaze wander to the dark pickup truck that has been parked across the street, idling with its lights off since I turned the open sign off earlier.

  “So, are we going to talk about it?” I ask once we’re at a cruising speed heading toward Worcester. There isn’t much to choose from in Sutton.

  “About what?” he hedges with a smirk on his lips. The glow from his dash lights sparkles in his eyes.

  “Okay,” I say with an over-exaggerated sigh. “If you don’t tell me why you’re still a virgin, I won’t tell you why I still am either.”

  The car swerves, right then left, before Owen gets it back under control.

  “You’re still a virgin?”

  “I’m sort of offended by the surprise in your voice, Dr. Andrews.” My words don’t match the twitch in my nose as I try not to laugh. “I’m an eighteen year old woman with overprotective brothers. You’re over thirty and a man. I think your v-status is more unusual than mine.”

  “You’re making it out to be more than it is,” he answers without actually answering.

  “So, no deformities, no secrets lurking in your past?” He shakes his head. “Were you raised in a religious cult?”

  He laughs out loud this time and shakes his head. “No cults.”

  “The sooner we get this out on the table, the sooner we can get to more appropriate first date conversations.”

  “You’re the one who keeps bringing it up. It seems to bother you more than it does me.”

  I don’t know how to feel about that. “I’m not bothered,” I clarify. “I’m just curious.”