Highest Bidder (A Bad Boy Romance)

by Mia Carson

  “He meant a lot to you,” she stated and rested her hand comfortingly on his arm.

  Sam nodded slowly. “He was the man I looked up to, the man who raised me, really. We were poor, growing up,” he explained. “My dad was a drunk and an abusive asshole. My mom…she was too weak to stand up to him for herself, but she kept me safe for most of my life.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  He shrugged. “Sometimes, you’re dealt a shitty hand. That was what my grandfather taught me. He also taught me how to work hard and get myself out of that horrible life. Mom passed when I was thirteen, an overdose on pain meds.” The words caught in his throat, and he coughed to clear out the grief he carried because of her death. “Grandpa took care of me the best he could because my dad couldn’t be bothered and kicked me out the second I turned sixteen. I lived with my grandpa for a year before he had a heart attack.”

  Sam shot back the rest of his whiskey and sucked in a breath as it burned down his throat. His dad was still alive, as far as he knew, but the man was nothing more than a rotten bastard who lived off his wife’s life insurance money. One day, the money would run out, and Sam expected him to show up on his doorstep, begging for help, and he would punch the man for everything he had done to Sam and his mom.

  Harley ran her fingers over his brow, smoothing the frown lines. “It’s okay to be upset, you know, but eventually, you have to learn to let the anger go. It’ll tear you up inside and eat you alive.”

  “Are you speaking from experience?” he asked as he caught her hand and kissed the center of her palm.

  “Yes, not that I should really talk. I haven’t learned to let it go, either. I’m still pissed at our parents.” She puffed out her cheeks as she blew out a heavy breath. “There are days I want to rant and rave at them for screwing up my life and my sister’s.”

  “What happened?”

  She laughed bitterly. “Mom was a drug addict, and one day, she just disappeared. Dad was devastated. He loved her, God only knows why. It killed him inside, and me and Bri were left to fend for ourselves.”

  Sam watched the light in her eyes fade as she glared at the ceiling, laying back on the bed. He had known the moment he saw her that this woman would understand better than anyone would what he had gone through as a kid. He had no idea she had it just as rough as he did, though.

  “I was lucky I was alone I guess,” he said and stretched out beside her.

  “Yeah. My sister…I tried to keep her on a good path, you know, but shit happened and she acted out. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to save her sorry ass.”

  “And sacrificed yourself along the way,” he mused. He reached for her hand, and they rested clasped together between their bodies. “If I asked you to move in with me, what would you say?” he asked without thinking.

  When she didn’t say anything, he turned his head to stare at her. A wide grin spread across her lips, and he let out an inward sigh of relief. “Are you sure? It’s been two weeks. And I uh, I’m not sure you want to be dating me right this minute anyway. Not even sure we should be doing this.”

  “You said yourself how right this feels, and I, for one, am tired of waiting around to do what I know is going to work out,” he stated as he sat up. “I want you to be with me in the morning when I wake up, Harley. I want you here when I go to sleep at night. I want you, period. Why shouldn’t we be dating right now?”

  She worried at her bottom lip, and a flicker of guilt appeared in her eyes before she sat up and kissed him fiercely. “Give me a few weeks, and I’ll move in with you,” she said as she maneuvered her legs so she straddled his lap.

  “Can I ask why?” He searched her face, sensing she was hiding something from him, but she pressed her wet cleft against his quickly growing erection and all worries vanished from his mind. He couldn’t expect her to tell him everything yet. “Never mind. I don’t care,” he grunted as she sank over him.

  They moaned together, and she rode him slow and hard as he massaged his fingers against her back and kissed the tender mounds of flesh. He licked her nipple, suckling it as she bit her lip and faltered in her movements.

  “That’s…too distracting,” she argued raggedly.

  “Would you like me to stop?” he asked, rubbing his cheek against her before his tongue flicked out and traced circles around the hardened nipple.

  “God, no,” she replied, and he kissed her chest hungrily, wanting to reach every part of her with his mouth that he could.

  He would never grow tired of Harley loving him. Every shift of their bodies was as if it was meant to be, and her cries were genuine, pure, raw emotion, unlike so many of the other women he’d dated in his life. She was real and what they had between them was real. So real, he sensed he could reach out and touch it. Before Marcus had dragged him to that damn club, he’d thought he was broken and would never find happiness, but there she was, secure in his arms and whispering his name as ecstasy built to a high crescendo between their bodies.

  She chased away the pain left behind by the sudden loss of his grandfather and exposed the anger his father still made him feel. For the first time in years, he sensed a light at the end of the tunnel and a chance to find what his parents never could have. A life he was happy with and a woman he loved to share it with. The word caught him off-guard, but when Harley cried out his name, he realized that was exactly what this was. The one emotion he shied away from, which kept him from wanting a relationship for so long, now had him filling this woman with a love so natural and raw he felt her come apart in his hands, just so he could be the one to put her back together. Holding her tight, he rolled them over, and as his tongue thrust into her mouth, his hips moved at an ever-quickening pace. He drove them both over the edge again and clung to her as he fell into the unknown right beside her.

  When he thought he could move again, he pulled her against his chest, spooning her as he had always dreamed of doing to the woman he would share his life with.

  “Sam?” she whispered sleepily. “I changed my mind.”

  “About?” he asked quickly, worried she was suddenly going to leave him.

  She rolled over in his arms and snuggled closer. “Can I move in this weekend?”

  He laughed as he kissed her on the forehead and relaxed with her tucked in his arms. “You can move in tonight, if you want.”

  “That involves putting clothes on and leaving this bed,” she commented. “I’m not sure I want to do that just yet.”

  Sam wondered what he would do if Harley hadn’t come into his life. Today would not be ending on such a happy note. By this time, he was usually drunk and missing his grandfather so much it killed him inside. Now, he realized he could celebrate the old man who cared so much for him and finally move on with his life one day at a time.

  Warmth brushed over Sam’s face, and he yawned as he stretched out a hand to the other side of the bed. It was empty, but the sheet was still toasty from Harley’s body. He grabbed her pillow and drew it to his face, breathing in her sweet smell of oranges and ginger. Last night had been incredible. They’d talked about their lives, and she’d told him about her younger sister and her dreams of going back to school. He’d told her about his company and the numerous businesses he had his hands in around the city. For the past few years, he’d found his job boring, but talking to Harley about it awakened a long dormant excitement about all he could accomplish. He’d even forgotten about the fund he’d meant to start years ago to help families like his. He hoped to talk to her about it more and see if she would be willing to accept a job running it for him so she could quit her waitressing job and have time to go back to school like she wanted.

  Music blared from the kitchen, and he grinned wider when he heard her belting out the song. She had a damn good voice. He slipped into a pair of jeans and sauntered out of the bedroom, his muscles sore in a good way, reminding him of all the ways they had explored each other’s bodies.

  When he reached the end of the hal
l, he stifled a laugh and leaned his shoulder against the wall, crossing his arms. She wore one of his black, button-up shirts, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and shook her ass while she danced near the stove. She used the spatula in her hand as a microphone, and when she spun around, he applauded her. She dropped the spatula and her cheeks flushed.

  “How long were you standing there?” she asked.

  “Long enough to watch that ass of yours move in the most delicious ways,” he replied as he reached her and kissed her deeply. “Something smells good.”

  “I threw some stuff together you had lying around,” she said and turned back around in his arms to face the stove. He rested his chin on her shoulder. “You sure you’re ready for me to move in with you?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t sure.” He hugged her close and she laughed. “Are you sure?”

  She moved the potatoes, scrambled eggs, and bacon around in the skillet. “Just one thing.”

  “Anything for you.”

  She spun around in his arms and looked him in the eye. “No matter where this might go with us, I want you to know that I care about you—a lot. And if this ends badly, I won’t hold it against you.”

  Sam frowned as he leaned back. “Why do you think it’ll end badly?”

  “Because that’s how everything else in my life has ended,” she muttered harshly. “It would be stupid of me to think this could stay just the way it is.”

  “No, it’s not,” he said sternly. “Do you want to be here with me?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Then there’s nothing else you have to worry about,” he said and kissed her. “Except that I’m going to be so late for work.” His body stiffened, and an echo of a screaming man filled his ears. He scrunched his eyes shut tightly as if expecting a hit to come at any second, but the hands that smoothed back his hair were gentle and Harley’s voice broke through the yelling in his mind.

  “Sam, what’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.

  “I’m never late. I’m not supposed to be late,” he grunted, annoyed.

  “Let me guess. Your dad.” She sighed and stood on her toes. “You are a grown man. Your dad is not going to hurt you ever again. Not while I’m here.”

  He grinned as his body slowly relaxed. “You’re going to protect me, huh? You and your mighty fists of fury?” He picked up her hands and kissed each one.

  “If that’s what it comes down to.”

  “I’m not sure what I would do without you.” He worried he was getting too sappy, but she didn’t seem to care as she hugged him as hard as she could, kissing his bare chest. “If you start that up, I’m not going to get to work at all today.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” she asked as her lips crept towards his nipple.

  “I have a meeting at noon with my board,” he muttered through a groan as she nipped his skin and her hand cupped his package. “A very important meeting.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” she purred. “I’m still off work today.”

  Sam’s eyes rolled back and he tried to be strong, but he’d waited too long to have Harley in his life. He reached around her to turn off the burner. He picked her up, flung her up over his shoulder as she cackled loudly, and he carried her back to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.

  When he made it to the office twenty minutes before the meeting was to start, he was greeted by Marcus standing in the doorway to his office. “Is everything ready to go?” Sam asked, moving past his friend to drop off his jacket and pick up a stack of files.

  “Everything except you,” Marcus pointed out. “You’re late. Very late, actually. Like three hours late.”

  “Yeah, and? Are you going to give me a lecture?”

  “No, I want to congratulate you and thank whatever made you late for the first time since you started this damn company.”

  Sam sighed as they hurried towards the conference room. “Harley.”

  “Well then, I am happy to see you here at all,” his friend teased. “From the look in your eyes, you considered skipping this meeting completely. There’s still time, you know.”

  “I’m good. Besides, I’m giving her time to settle in.”

  “Settle in…as in settle in to your place?” Marcus grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop barely short of the conference room door. “Did you ask her to move in with you?”

  “If I say yes, are you going to give me shit for it?”

  Marcus pushed his tongue against his upper lip but shook his head. “I’m happy for you, man, really. It sounds like you found what you’ve been missing.”

  “I think I have,” he replied with a crooked grin. “It’s crazy, feeling like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like my life has meaning again,” he tried to explain. “Like I have a reason for waking up in the morning, just so I can see her and hear her laugh. And it’s all because of you.”

  Marcus shook his hand with a happy grin. “You’re welcome. Now, do me a favor and find me a woman just like her.”

  “She does have a sister, but I think she’s a little young for you.”

  “You never know. Introduce us?” he asked with a wink.

  “Hell no,” Sam answered with a laugh. “Let’s get this meeting started so I can get home. I have a fund to start and a job to offer Harley.”

  Sam would run it by his board while they were all gathered together, anyway. If they approved it, he would get Marcus started on the paperwork and ask Harley about it that night at dinner. Before he left, he had given her a spare key to his place and told her to make herself at home. He was barely at work for an hour before he wished he was at home with her. A voice warned in the back of his mind that he’d moved too fast, but with Harley, there was only one speed.

  Harley tossed a few more t-shirts in her suitcase and opened the drawers of her dresser to grab panties—not that she would be wearing them much around Sam. She smirked as she found her sexy ones and tossed them in after the shirts. Her sister was gone for the day. Karen had managed to get her a job at the diner she worked at, and the past few days, Harley saw her sister grow up and act more responsibly than she had in years. There was hope after all.

  Yeah, until you have to face down Ricky and his friend, she told herself, and all her happy feelings disappeared.

  She nearly told Sam that morning, ready to take whatever he threw at her, but she bit back the words at the last second. She was scared of losing the only good thing to come into her life in so long, but it wasn’t fair to him. She was the one who decided to make the deal with Ricky and she would figure a way out of this.

  But she knew without a doubt she couldn’t sleep with Devois, not now, not with Sam so close to her heart. Mind racing as she finished packing, she knew she had to find a way around this situation. For now, she would play along with Ricky and let him think she was still game, but when the moment came, she would have to tell Sam everything and convince him that running was their only option. Head into the Midwest and disappear.

  The car watching her apartment was gone when she arrived today, and she let herself hope Ricky was backing off. Maybe he would be content with keeping the half million and let her and Brianna go without having to deal with Devois. Five-hundred-thousand was good enough to make up for a ruined deal, in her opinion. She finished packing in a rush and texted Karen and Brianna one more time. She told them that morning about her plan to move out for a bit. She worried they would think she was moving too fast, but Karen was the first to tell her it was about time she found someone who cared for her—really cared. Brianna seemed more hesitant but told Harley to do what she wanted. She deserved a chance to enjoy her life after everything she had put her through.

  Harley left a note for her sister to let her know that no matter what happened, they would get through this mess together, locked the door, and headed downstairs. When she reached her truck, she tossed her suitcase in the bed.

  “You know,” a man said behind her, caus
ing her to jump, “when the other women auction themselves off, they hope to be as lucky like you.”

  “Ricky,” she snapped when she turned around. “What are you doing here?”

  “Simply checking to make sure you’re not running. That would be bad news for you, and even worse for your sister,” he sneered and reached for her hair.

  She smacked his hand away and straightened. “I’m not running, you asshole. I’m moving across the city. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Of course not, though I assume this man you’re with understands what you still owe me, yes? I would hate for this…unfortunate situation to destroy the love you seem to have found thanks to my club.”

  “It’s not thanks to your club.”

  “Is it not? You owe your happy new life to me, and I expect fair compensation for it.” He grabbed her chin in his fingers and dragged her closer, breathing in her hair. “Don’t forget what I could do to you or your sister. Hell, I’ll even come after your new sugar daddy if that’s what it takes to get what I’m due.”

  “Don’t you dare touch him,” she snarled and tore herself free of his grip. “I said I would do it and I will.” She prayed he’d buy the lie. If he knew now she wasn’t going to do it, she would lose everything.

  “That’s good to know. Mr. Devois will be out of the country for the next two weeks, but he is extremely interested in making a new deal with me involving you. I will be in touch and I expect you to answer.”

  “Why can’t you just keep the whole amount I was purchased for and let us go on with our lives?” she asked, wishing her words didn’t waver so badly with fear of what would happen in two weeks. “Isn’t that more than enough?”

  “Not even close, sweetheart. No, I want the deal your sister guaranteed me. Finish what you started, Harley, or you will regret it.”

  “What is this deal for, anyway?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Why do you care?”

  “I think I have a right to know since I’m the one who’s getting fucked for it,” she snapped.

  He cackled. “A good point, dearie. Let’s just say between you and me that he’s the heavy hitter in town, and together, we can turn my lucrative club into something so much more. The sinners in this damn city won’t be able to live without me once it all goes down.” His face darkened and his hand shifted inside his jacket. Harley gulped, seeing the butt of a pistol holstered at his side. “I suggest those be the last questions you ask on the matter. Understand?”