His Beauty_The Wounded Souls

by Leah Sharelle

  Mia’s head bobbed up and down as she rooted through the box of what looked like whiskey. Her job as head bartender and manager was to keep track of the stock and replenish it whenever needed. Business had been good judging by the crowds coming in every night and the figures she sent over to Darth at the club. Darth and Ford took care of the financials and wages for all the club’s businesses.

  “I need your help, Mia. Can you come with me to buy something?” I asked, taking her head bobbing as a yes.

  She stopped what she as doing and gave me a guarded look. “Shopping for what and for whom?”

  I knew what she was thinking, but I would never ask her to help me shop for Callie. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever gone shopping for Callie. I had given her plenty of money to go shopping, but I never went with her or for her.

  Mia and her sister didn’t get along. My obsession with the blonde had blinded me to the fact that Callie despised the younger sibling, but since Booth kicked her out after she mouthed off to him and Stella, I saw things in a different light. My obsession was dimming quite a bit.

  Smirking at her, I laughed. “For Shiloh. I want to get her a puppy. I don’t think I can bring myself to replace Bullet, but Shiloh needs a new friend, and so does Trigger.” My old friend Trigger had been with me since before I was in the army and stayed with my grandparents for every deployment. The old girl was my best friend, and when Squirt came along, Trigger’s protective mode went up a notch—or ten. I got Bullet a year or so ago to be a companion for Trigger and wanted her to teach the new pup the right way to behave and protect. Trigger was getting on in years, so I believed she would go first with old age taking her in her sleep. But when that fucking arsehole Rogue shot Bullet, it broke not only my heart but Shiloh’s also.

  Mia’s wary look was replaced with a genuine Mia smile, her entire face lighting up and her chocolate eyes sparkling and happy.

  “You bet I would. Give me a sec to tell Tori,” she called over her shoulder as she bounded up the stairs, happy. Okay, then. Mission accomplished so far—Mia smiled. Interestingly enough, I did too.

  ————

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and prayed for patience. What started out as a trip to buy Shiloh a puppy had turned into a journey where Mia fell in love with every single pup she’d laid eyes on. After searching the internet for the best breeds for kids and visiting three breeders, we—or should I say, Mia—finally decided on one.

  She questioned every breeder with such military precision that even I was impressed. But she wanted the perfect dog for Shiloh, and once I took the German shepherd off the table, she finally picked one.

  So here I stood, and yes, my leg was fucking killing me.

  Mia noticed this about an hour ago and demanded that a chair be available for me if I needed it, not that I was going to use it. She always thought of me and was the only woman I had met so far who didn’t get grossed out by my amputation. My brothers’ women had not seen it yet, not that I expected them to have a negative reaction to it, but it was a sensitive issue for me, so I still kept it under jeans and military pants most of the time.

  Mia’s caring nature was to think of others first and herself last, which was why she was taking so bloody long to make her decision.

  I checked my watch and sighed. Booth was due back in the next hour. Vegas had everything under control at the club with the food and shit, and Charlotte was on top of the decorating with Deck keeping a close eye on his pregnant fiancée. The sergeant at arms hadn’t let her lift more than a finger since he knocked her up, not that I blamed him. The day they got confirmation of the impending arrival, Rogue blew up Charlotte’s car, sending both Deck and Charlotte crashing to the ground. Already pretty banged up from the car accident that took Dundee’s life, and even though she came out of the explosion reasonably unscathed, just scratches and such, Deck upped his game in the protection of her and Shiloh. Now, with Teach entering her second trimester, Deck didn’t let her out of his sight much.

  But I needed to get back soon because I wanted to be there when Booth arrived back. I also couldn’t wait to give Shiloh her new friend. Once Mia decided on one, of course.

  “Is this the one, Mia?” I prayed it was. Please, Lord, let this be the one.

  “This is the one, Stud. She is perfect.”

  My heart kicked in my chest at hearing her nickname for me. I hadn’t heard it for a while, and I’d missed it.

  “You sure? You said that about the last three, remember?” I teased her, enjoying the fact that this was Mia of old.

  Her pink tongue poked out between her pretty pink lips, and things down south stirred again. Oh, fuck me! Not again. I tried to ignore my cock’s movements and focused on anything other than her pink tongue—or what that pink tongue would feel like tracing a wet line up and down my thick, swollen shaft, dipping into the swollen head and the slit… Oh, shit. I gotta get out of here.

  “Mia,” I said harder than I meant to. For Christ’s sake, I need to get drunk or something. I nearly kicked myself when the smile fell from her face, and the guarded look returned.

  Nope, not happening. Reaching for Mia, I hooked my fingers in the belt loop of her jeans and pulled her closer to me. I ignored her shocked gasp as I wrapped my arms around both her and the bulldog pup she’d chosen for Shiloh. The tiny ball of pudgy fawn fat grunted happily between us.

  “Beauty, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be harsh, but, sweetheart, I am stuffed and tired, and my leg is killin’ me. Booth is due back real soon, and I just want to get this pup to Squirt and see her face. The club needs some good vibes, Beauty. That’s all.” I brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

  The gentle gesture shocked both of us, but I just couldn’t help doing it. Mia was sweet, and it just felt right. The soft look returned to her eyes, then she smiled at me and then down at the squirming pup in her arms. Her soft giggle filled my ears, making me glad I’d decided to do this. The fifteen-hundred dollars I was laying down for this animal was worth every cent, but the greatest enjoyment would be surprising Shiloh with it.

  “Shiloh will love her, Steel. This is the one,” she confirmed, burying her face in the puppy’s soft fur and kissing it.

  I wished it were my face—preferably my lips—that she was kissing right then. Yep, getting drunk is at the top of my list for tonight. Maybe getting blotto would stop the impure thoughts I was having.

  Turning towards the lady who had been watching us with a kind but anxious look on her face, I nodded at her. “This is the one,” I said, releasing Mia and reaching into my back pocket for my wallet. Time to get out of here and surprise my little goddaughter.

  2

  Mia

  Sitting in Steel’s massive SUV, I held the wriggling puppy as excitement built up in me. This sexy man never ceased to amaze me with his thoughtfulness. He was devastated when Bullet was shot by the madman who was targeting Steel and his brothers by going after the women of the club, but he was more concerned for Shiloh. The precious little girl loved his dogs, which she and the rest of the club thought of as belonging to her. She was so sad when he’d told her about the German shepherd’s passing. Of course, the guys didn’t tell her that he had been shot by Rogue, just that he had an accident and died very suddenly.

  Shiloh hadn’t understood much of it and had many questions, but once she finally understood that Bullet was gone, she insisted the dog had a proper burial and that everyone attended. So the day Stella was released from the hospital, we had a funeral for Bullet. Stella was in Booth’s arms for the entire service, and the president never let his girl go.

  I remembered how I felt when I saw his obvious love and devotion to my friend. Pure and simple jealousy. I had no right to feel that way, and I didn’t begrudge Stella or any of my other friends that kind of love, but I wanted it, too. I wanted a man to look at me like his day began and ended with seeing my face. I wanted a man to love me like he needed me to exist. I wanted a man to be obsessed with me—in a good way and
not a creepy stalker way. Was that too much to ask? Apparently, it was.

  “What ya thinking over there, Beauty?”

  Speaking of obsessions, mine was sitting about two feet from me with his large, capable hands gripping the steering wheel, his movie-star slash model looks, his thick muscular thighs perfect in the tight denim, and the bulge behind his zipper hiding the promise of an amazing cock. Not that I had seen one, mind you, but I would guess Steel’s was amazing. It was in my dreams, which was all I had.

  I had tried to get laid a few times recently. Two of the prospects from the club seemed interested, but they’d backed off for some reason. Then there was Wes, the new bartender at the Bar and Grill. I liked him a lot, and he seemed to be into me, too. We even kissed once in the car park after a shift one night. I didn’t have many kisses to compare it to, but I had liked it, enjoyed it even. I didn’t feel the world shift or my insides explode, but it was nice. I must not be very good at it, though, because the next shift we were supposed to work together, he swapped out, and Rainn was there instead. And I’d heard nothing from him since. It was weird because before and straight after the kiss, he seemed fine, like really into me, and then… not. I definitely needed some kissing practice.

  Suddenly, remembering Steel asked me a question, I turned to him, the pup now asleep in my arms.

  “Well, I think that I need some kissing practice. I kissed Wes, and I thought I did okay, but obviously, I didn’t because he just left the building so to speak and quite literally.”

  I mean, what kind of guy would pursue me like Wes had, then poof, gone without a trace. I brushed my teeth twice a day, for heaven’s sake.

  “Um, Mia,” Steel said.

  But I had gone too far inside my head. Sure, I hadn’t had too much experience, but shit, it wasn’t rocket science. You open your mouth, move your lips, add tongue, and groan.

  Simple. I had to get someone to kiss me. Deck couldn’t because Charlotte wouldn’t let him, Booth was also out—Stella would tear my ears off—and Mannix, eh, he was okay. I mean he was hot, no doubt, but he was too much of a player, and I would be wondering what or who his tongue had been in. Nope, not Mannix. Darth? He wasn’t taken in the true sense of the word, but my mind went back to the disastrous dress fitting where Vegas told us she loved him, but he would never claim her. She had been so sad that I felt sorry for her. So no, Darth was out.

  It had to be Creed. Creed was the only other single guy at the club, and he had shown interest in me—the night he took my drunken arse home sprang to mind, though it had been one of the most embarrassing nights of my life, in more ways than one. It started with a drunken phone call to Steel and ended with me throwing myself at Creed, dressed only in my bra and panties. Not my finest hour, but Creed was wonderful, taking me home and staying with me all night. I felt my face flush at the memory of the poor man fighting off my drunken advances.

  “Please, Creed,” I begged. The copious amount of alcohol I had consumed was far from diminishing. If it had, I wouldn’t have been standing in my living room begging my friend to have sex with me.

  “Mia, gorgeous, I think you should go to bed. I will bunk out here on the couch just in case you need me during the night. But please, Mia, just go to bed, and for the love of all that is holy, please put some clothes on.” The strain in Creed’s voice was evident, but my cocktail-soaked brain took it as rejection. More rejection.

  “What is it with you men? Am I too sweet? Too vanilla for you? Steel sees Callie as a fucking pin-up, and I am what? Just seen as the little sister, the fucking club mascot?” I yelled, not caring about the tears that were wetting my checks. I didn’t care because I was furious. Mad at myself, and mad at my sister for having what she didn’t deserve. Mad at Steel because he could be so sweet and gentle with me.

  Sometimes, at work, I could feel his eyes following me, and when I would look at him at the right moment, the moment when our eyes would meet and lock, I felt his attraction to me. I knew he felt something, but then he would break my heart whenever Callie was around. What the hell was it about her that had normal intelligent men acting like lovesick fools? And now Creed was standing there being offered a night of no-strings sex, and he was turning me down. Aargh, I was too drunk, too hurt, and too everything to deal with this anymore.

  “Never mind, Creed. Thanks for bringing me home. Help yourself to anything. I’ll see you in the morning.” I turned to leave but stopped when I heard Creed’s deep voice let out a curse.

  “The last thing I see you as is a little sister, Mia Stone. I have thought more than once about being balls deep inside you, baby.”

  His words should have turned me on, but his tone was not one of lust and passion but of regret.

  “But you’re not going to do that, are you, Creed.” It wasn’t a question because I already knew the answer. Creed was in love with his wife. His dead wife. I watched as he dropped his head, his large hands reaching up to run his fingers through his short hair. He looked down for a long moment before returning his eyes to me, eyes filled with regret and guilt.

  “No,” he croaked. Then he turned and left the room, leaving me with sadness that overwhelmed me. Slowly, in my drunken state, I walked to my room on unreliable and quivery legs. I knew Creed wouldn’t be far away from me all night. His protective instincts were what made him the man he was today. A man tormented by one fateful accident that he had not been able to do anything about but was still punishing himself for years later.

  So it was not a surprise when I woke several hours later to an empty couch with the blanket and pillow placed neatly at the end, but what did surprise me was the single rose placed on top of the pillow.

  “It has to be Creed,” I said aloud as I came back to the moment. “There is no other option. Well, there is, but I feel weird about paying a male escort to kiss me. And how much would that cost? But I can keep it in mind if Creed turns me down again.”

  Suddenly, the truck came to an abrupt stop, and the pup in my arms nearly fell off my lap from the jerking of my body. When I looked over at Steel, I could see over his shoulder that we were at the compound.

  “What in the fuck are you talking about, Mia? What has to be Creed? What do you mean if he turns you down again? And why are you talking about male escorts?”

  I didn’t bother to answer him as I released my seat belt. The familiar Harley that had been missing for the last week or two was sitting in its usual place.

  “Stella and Booth are back,” I squealed, which woke the puppy. The fat bulldog started wriggling again as I came close to tossing her over the console into Steel’s arms.

  “Mia, I want some answers.” The big, good-looking VP narrowed his eyes and frowned at me, growling as he struggled with the pup and his seat belt, which gave me the time I needed to escape his questioning. He would just try to talk me out of it. I didn’t know how many times he had told me to wait, that it would happen.

  Well, screw that! I wanted it to happen now. I wanted to understand why Stella looked all gooey after Booth released her from a lip lock that caused all sorts of groans and moans from them. I wanted to see why Charlotte blushed after she walked out of her room, a cocky and satisfied looking Deck walking behind her. I wanted to do the things that I heard Callie bragging about when she and Tori sat at the bar in the compound and compared their conquests. Doing them with Steel was completely and totally out of the question. I wouldn’t even ask him. Well, not again, since it seemed that when I was drunk, I’d asked him all sorts of things.

  But luckily, for him and me, we had managed to ignore those times. Plus, I had given up drinking because it gave me verbal diarrhoea.

  As I ran across the car park, I glanced at the spot where my car blew up a few weeks ago, but I didn’t want to think about how close Rainn, Stella, and I had come to being blown to kingdom come.

  Steel’s shouted commands for me to stop didn’t deter me from getting inside. I was on a mission.

  3

  STEEL

&
nbsp; I didn’t know what was going through that woman’s head. Whatever it was, she had better knock it off. Fucking male escorts? And I better not have heard her say Creed would do for her kissing mission. And what the fuck did she mean by again? Had they already done something? That night of the drunken phone call came to mind. Creed had taken her home, but what else had he done?

  If that broody fucker even thought of putting his lips anywhere on her, I would kick the fucking shit out of him. I got rid of that fucker Wes by sending him to work for a mate of mine three hours away. He wasn’t Mia’s type and nowhere near good enough for her, and as her friend, it was my job to look out for her. He just wanted to get his dick wet—well, that was my story, and I was sticking to it. Anything else required far too much truth.

  I held the bulldog under my arm and strode quickly in the direction Mia had disappeared. The black sooty patch on the asphalt where I’d come so close to losing her caught my eye as I passed by it. I hated the reminder of that day, not to mention my dick move of dropping her to the ground when I heard Callie screaming for me. Seriously, my PTSD from my army days had nothing on my love life.

  Reaching the front door of the compound, I heard the girls giggling and screaming behind it before I even opened the huge door. I had planned to be here when Booth and Stella arrived back from their honeymoon. Mia had other ideas, and to be honest, I really enjoyed myself with her today. I mean, I always did because she was a great friend and employee, and I always felt at ease with her. She was one of the few women I knew who didn’t mind my leg, which meant I could be myself around her. I’m not the good-looking movie star guy everyone says I am. I didn’t feel that way about myself at all. It was a reputation I had earned, but I wasn’t sure how. My face came with my body, and I couldn’t do much about that.

  When I opened the door, I was immediately taken by Mia’s soft laughter. I searched for her and found her standing by Stella, her hands pressed against Stella’s flat belly. Booth was behind his wife, holding her shoulders gently and smiling. It was good to see my CO like that. His life hadn’t been easy. He’d spent a lot of time at Deck’s house or at Mannix’s and mine. Our parents always welcomed him when his mum couldn’t and his father wouldn’t.