Castle of Kings: (A Kings MC Romance)

by Betty Shreffler

“I want you back in my bed tonight.” His skilled hand stroked harder. “You tasted sweet, Peach, but I need more than just a taste.”

  As much as I wanted the same, I wasn’t about to go against my own brother without knowing more details. I placed my hand over his to stop him before I lost all of my senses.

  “Let’s see what’s going on.”

  Jake licked his lips; I could see his jaw tense. He eased me off his lap and stepped off his bike. We walked to the entrance, his hand rested on my lower back, and he opened the door for me to enter. When I walked in I saw a couple familiar faces playing pool, and Jeff was behind the bar, stocking fresh liquor for later in the day.

  “Jeff, where’s Nix?”

  Jeff looked at Jake and I together, then motioned his hand toward the offices. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  Jeff didn’t need to go far. As he turned the corner he almost ran smack into Nix’s giant frame. I sucked in a breath when I saw the same woman from last night following him out. Nix’s face was flushed, his eyes stone cold. He stared Jake down as he stalked toward us like a predator about to unleash.

  “Damn it, she didn’t leave,” I heard Jake say aloud.

  Jake pushed me behind him as Nix approached. The pounding of Nix’s boots didn’t slow. Nix swung and his fist landed on Jake’s face. Jake raised himself and stared Nix down. I had a feeling the only reason he wasn’t tearing into my brother was because I was standing there.

  “Nix, what the hell has gotten into you?” I screamed.

  Nix’s eyes remained locked on Jake as if I didn’t exist. “Stay the fuck away from my sister. You don’t need to seduce Liz, too. She’s not something for you to amuse yourself with.”

  “Jake, what’s he talking about?”

  “Of course, you didn’t tell her,” Nix huffed.

  “What the hell is going on?” I demanded.

  The other club members were approaching at that point. Jake spat blood from his busted lip and continued to stare at Nix, using what seemed like every ounce of his self-control not to retaliate.

  “Ladies, go upstairs,” Max said as he and Trevor joined us.

  “No! I want to know what the hell is going on?”

  “Go upstairs, Peach,” Jake said without looking at me. His tone brooked no argument.

  “Fine. Come on,” I said to the woman behind Nix. She walked with me, and I guided her to the back porch of the Clubhouse. On the way down the hall, I heard their voices raise and scuffling back in the front room, then the sound of grunts and someone being slammed into a table. I didn’t bother going back. I knew what was happening. They were fighting out their problems.

  “We’re not staying here. Our house is down the road,” I pointed toward it. “I’m not gonna stick around and deal with their over-fueled testosterone.”

  “You’re Nix’s little sister, Liz?” she asked as she followed me across the yard.

  I glanced back at the voluptuous redhead. Even with the black and blue marks surrounding her big, brown eyes and the scrape across her chin, you could see her face was pretty.

  “Yeah. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Angela.” She looked at me with surprise in her eyes.

  “Should I know you?”

  “No, I guess not.” Disappointment swept across her face. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to show up unannounced. You Jake’s ol’ lady?”

  I laughed at the term. I’d always thought it sounded ridiculous unless you were a biker’s wife and over the age of forty-five. “No, I’m not his ol’ lady.”

  “You his girl?”

  The question lingered in the air. I didn’t know how to answer. I honestly didn’t know what I was to Jake.

  “I’m sorry. I’m being nosy. It’s really none of my business.” Angela must have noticed the uncomfortable silence after her question. I glanced back at her and gave a half-smile.

  “You’re right. It’s not.”

  We reached our house, and I opened the door, motioning for her to come in.

  “I’m guessing all your stuff is at the home of the asshole who did that to your face?”

  She glanced back at me with embarrassment in her eyes. She nodded.

  “I have clothes upstairs you can borrow. You can use the shower too. After that, we can go to the store to get you some of your own things.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “You got anyone you can call?”

  She shook her head. Tears were pooling in her eyes.

  “Then, yes, that’s what we’re gonna do. Come on,” I motioned upstairs, “my room is up here.”

  I walked to my closet and picked out a few different options for her. She chose an all-black outfit, creating an even edgier look than my own style.

  “Thanks for letting me borrow these. I’ll be quick in the shower.”

  “No problem.”

  I found myself fresh clothes, then texted Ashley and Jenna to see if they wanted to come shopping too. After getting them on board, I waited for Angela to finish. The realization hadn’t left me that I’d been helping Jake’s ex for the last hour. Thankfully, my goodwill was beating out my jealousy because she wasn’t just Jakes’ ex, she was a woman first and foremost, one who needed help. She’d obviously fallen for the wrong kind of guy and paid the price for it.

  After the blow dryer ran for a few minutes, she stepped out, looking killer in my clothes. The jealousy did a somersault in my stomach, and I had to knock it back down.

  “You wanna borrow some concealer?” I asked her.

  “If that’s all right?”

  I helped her cover the bruises the best I could. It was barely noticeable now unless you knew what you were looking at. She smiled at me; I got a good look at how pretty she was. It was no wonder Jake was attracted to her. Her body was built like mine, but she was a little shorter which made her curves a bit more voluptuous. My breasts couldn’t compare—hers were much larger and she clearly liked to put those puppies out there. She chose a low-cut shirt of mine which displayed them well. With her fiery red hair and my get up, she’d easily have a new man by the end of the day. I placed the makeup bag back in the drawer.

  “You ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  When we approached my car, Angela looked surprised. “This yours?”

  I nodded. “‘69 Camaro. It was my uncle’s; he left it to me and Nix rebuilt the engine. I’m a fan of American muscle, man and machine.”

  “No wonder Jake has the hots for you,” she laughed as she opened the door and slid in.

  I didn’t smile at the statement. I didn’t want her to know how much I truly did enjoy hearing that.

  “We’re gonna pick up a couple friends of mine, then head to the drugstore and the mall.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  ___

  LIZ

  WE STOPPED AT a diner for a late lunch after shopping. Angela and Ashley took off to the bathroom, and Jenna scooted closer, so only I would hear her.

  “What’s the deal with this Angela chick? And what happened to you last night? You went home with one of the club members, right?”

  “Ugh, Jenna. I’m in a mess. I went home with Jake Castle.”

  “Oh my God! I saw him! He’s really hot. So, did ya?” She elbowed my side and winked.

  “No, we got interrupted… by her.” I pointed toward Angela’s vacant seat.

  “What do you mean?” Jenna’s brows pinched inward.

  “She’s his ex-girlfriend, I think. Or ex fuck-buddy. I don’t know. Either way, there was something between them. She needed his help last night, so he took off in the middle of the night to help her, but asked me to stay and wait for him.”

  “And you did?”

  I nodded.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It seemed important to him I be there when he got back. He says whatever was between them is in the past. He called her a friend, a friend who needed his help. Nix lost it when he found out I stayed the n
ight with Jake. They got in a fight about it this morning. There’s something going on between them that neither one is telling me.”

  “Well, I don’t like this chick. She seems like trouble.”

  “You sure it’s not a little competition jealousy?” I flicked one of her loose, red curls. “Nix likes redheads.”

  “I know.” The corner of Jenna’s mouth twisted. “I want him to like this redhead, not that redhead,” she pointed toward Angela coming out of the bathroom, but low enough Angela couldn’t see.

  “When we get back to my house, I’ll talk to Nix and figure out where to take her. She must have family or a friend somewhere.”

  “Nix said the members are going to be hanging out at the club again tonight. You mind if we go?”

  “Of course, we can.” A smirk lifted my lips as I glanced at Jenna and winked. “I can tell how much you like him. I’ll do what I can to help.”

  “Love you, sister.” Jenna leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  After the waitress took our order, Jenna set her eyes on Angela.

  “So, where you from?”

  Angela’s eyes studied Jenna with displeasure before catching my gaze and changing her expression. “I’m from Jersey.”

  “How’d you end up in Nashville?”

  “Followed an ex-boyfriend.”

  It was obvious Angela didn’t want to play Jenna’s twenty questions game, but she kept catching my watchful eye and answering each one.

  “How’d you meet the Kings?” Ashley asked, chiming in.

  “My ex was prospecting for them for a while before he left town,” Angela’s tone softened when responding to Ashley.

  “That’s how you met Jake?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  Angela glanced at me and gave me a half-smile as she nodded. Thankfully, the waitress brought our plates and ended the awkward tension.

  Jenna and Ashley rattled off a few more questions, and I noticed the more they tried to dig, the more uncomfortable Angela got. She avoided any conversation about Jake or the Kings. I assumed it was to make things less awkward for me. After lunch, everyone piled into my Camaro and I dropped Jenna and Ashley off at Jenna’s.

  “I’ll see you both tonight. Stop by my house. We can walk over together.”

  Once the both of them were out of the car, Angela and I rode in uncomfortable silence for several minutes before she spoke up.

  “Your friends are nice.” Her unenthusiastic tone told me they weren’t her kind of friends.

  “They are nice friends, but I could tell you weren’t comfortable. I’m getting the impression you like to live on the edge. My first hint was you were dating an asshole, then the clothes, then trying hard to bite your tongue all day. You can be real with me. I’ll respect you more if you are.”

  “I like the no bullshit directness,” Angela let out a humored breath. “You’re my kinda girl, Liz, but buttercup and dandelion are a little too sweet for me. I don’t hang with chicks often. I’m a run-on-my-own kinda girl.”

  Finally, the real Angela was coming out, the spitfire I knew was bubbling under the surface, anxiously awaiting freedom.

  “You seem street smart. How’d you end up with the asshole who marked up your face?”

  “Same as you.” Her smoky, shadow-covered eyes slanted at me. “I like ‘em tall, tatted, and rough around the edges.”

  Hearing the words escape her lips like that had sirens going off inside my head. I didn’t trust this woman at all. She may have been the battered victim last night, but how much of the tears were to get a reaction out of Jake? The woman I’d spent the day with today wasn’t showing any residual effects of trauma. She seemed all too calm, cool, and collected. My curiosity about what happened between her and the boyfriend who hit her was eating at me, gnawing sharp little teeth right into my chest, but personal topics were clearly off the table between us.

  “Any plans of where you’re headed next?”

  “I was thinking of sticking around for a while, spending some time with the Kings.” A sly grin raised her lips.

  With my stomach twisted into a knot, I turned into the driveway of our house. Nix’s and Jake’s bikes were parked side-by-side in the driveway.

  When I approached the door, I heard them arguing. I walked in and they both went silent. Their eyes drifted back and forth between me and Angela.

  “You two are still fighting? I thought you would have worked it out by now?” Irritated, I shifted my weight on my right heel and crossed my arms.

  “You been with her all day?” Nix asked.

  “Yeah.” I glanced at Angela who seemed amused.

  Jake’s heavy feet pounded the floor right toward me. The swelling on his upper lip had gone down, but Nix had added a bruise across his jaw.

  “Come on, Peach. We’re leaving.”

  Nix’s face was flushed and his eyes were stabbing darts into Jake’s back. Their fight had left him with battle wounds too. He had a gash on his cheek, the surrounding skin still red and puffy.

  “Don’t go with him, Liz. We need to talk.”

  Jake took my hand and pulled me toward the door. I dug my feet into the floor and stopped him.

  “I’m not going anywhere until one of you starts telling me what the hell is going on.”

  I looked from Jake to Nix to Angela who was leaning casually against the wall with an expression of levity I found odd.

  “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you leave with Angela.” Nix stepped forward and ran his hand through his hair. “She’s not someone I want you around.”

  “We need to go.” Jake’s arm wrapped around me.

  Nervous tension built in my chest. I ignored him and returned my gaze to Nix.

  “Why wouldn’t you want me around her?”

  “She used to be my girl until I walked in on Jake fucking her.”

  I slid out of Jake’s arm and stepped away from him as anger swarmed in my gut. My eyes went to Jake first and his expression deadpanned, he wouldn’t even look me in the eye. I looked at Angela and she shrugged her shoulder, as if to say, it is what it is.

  “Get out. Take Angela with you.”

  Jake lifted his hat and rubbed the back of his head. “Fuck, listen to me, Peach.”

  “Get out!”

  Jake glanced at Angela and nodded his head toward the door. She followed behind him.

  I closed the door once they were out and glared at Nix.

  “Next time you better damn well tell me what I need to know before I go and develop feelings.” I stormed past him to the stairs.

  “Liz!” The sound of heavy boots followed me up the steps. “I’m sorry. Liz!”

  I stopped just inside my door. He stood on the outside with his hand on the door, keeping me from slamming it in his face.

  “Had I known she was back, I would have told you. I never expected to see her again. She took off after the breakup, and I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Why didn’t you kick him out of the club? He broke one of the biggest codes and your trust.”

  “If I kicked him out, I would have to tell everyone why I was bringing it to vote. I’d have to admit that a brother was sleeping with my girl without me knowing. How does that make me look, as the President, to not know my own woman is cheating behind my back?”

  I opened the door wider.

  “You understand why I didn’t tell you now?” Nix gave me his bright, green, puppy dog eyes. “I was tore up about the whole situation. At least with her gone, Jake and I were able to be civil until he decided he wanted to seduce you too. That crossed the line for me. I blew up. I’m sorry I involved you like that. I did warn you about Jake, but you didn’t listen.”

  “I thought I saw something in him, but clearly, I was wrong.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  ___

  LIZ

  THE NIGHT I kicked Jake and Angela out of our house I didn’t attend the party at the club. I wanted to lie low and avoid Jake as much as possible. Thankfully, t
wo days later, Monday, I got a call back from the manager who had interviewed me. I’d been offered the RN job at Nashville Medical Center.

  After a week on the job, I was already exhausted, but loving every minute of it. The best part is, it kept my mind off Jake. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, thoughts of him filled my mind way too often. There’d been something there between us, more than just an intense attraction, moments of something deeper which wasn’t easy to forget.

  When the next Friday rolled around, I was sprawled out on the couch in a t-shirt and sweatpants with a tub of popcorn and a good Netflix movie I’d been anxiously waiting to come available. Nix came down the steps dressed in his usual black boots, worn jeans, and his Club colors.

  “You guys having a party tonight?”

  “Yeah, you should come.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “Guess who asked about you yesterday?” Nix picked up my feet, sat under them, then placed them on his lap.

  “Dillon?”

  “Jake.” Nix let out an amused laugh. “He had the nerve to ask me how you’re doing.”

  Affection kindled then sparked in my gut. I immediately doused that feeling and kept watching the screen. “That’s nice. Did ya tell him to fuck off?”

  “Sure did. Then he asked if Angela could stay at the Clubhouse.”

  “She’s been staying with him all week?” My stomach did a loop-de-loop, and I swallowed down the lump that came up my throat.

  “Must have been.”

  I stared at the screen, but I had no idea what preview was showing on it. My mind was thinking of Angela being at Jake’s house all week and all the possibilities for their sexual relationship to spring back to life.

  “Liz?”

  “Hmm?” I turned my head to face him.

  “Your phone is ringing.” Nix pointed to it on the end table.

  I glanced at the screen. “It’s Jenna. I’ll call her back.”

  “She probably wants you to come to the party with her.”

  “How’s she know about it?”

  “I told her about it.”

  “When did you tell her?” I eyed him with my sisterly suspicion, a smile creeping along my lips, swelling my cheeks.