by K. Renee
Me: Sorry. Love you. Be careful.
Tessa: Who was that hunk you disappeared with?
Me: I work with him...
Tessa: Eek! We are so talking about this tomorrow.
Me: Ugh please don't
Tessa: Too bad! I want details!
Instead of replying to her, I just toss my phone on the bed and close my eyes. I don't need to relive the horror of him telling me that he didn't want me for anything except to get off. I already know she's not going to let me ignore this, so sleep is going to be my best friend for now.
Closing my eyes, I will my body to shut down enough to fall asleep. After about twenty minutes, I am finally able to shut my mind off and fall into a fitful rest.
---
The pounding on my front door wakes me up early the next morning. Staggering out of bed, I make my way to the door and open it to a handsomely rugged biker. Rubbing my eyes, I look up at him and see that he's staring at me like I'm going to be his breakfast. His eyes roam my body, and I remember that I went to bed in a tank top and a pair of black lace boy shorts.
"Brynn." His voice causes me to break out in chills. He pushes me into my apartment and closes the door behind him.
"Jesus Christ," he mumbles as he looks me over once more.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, looking at him. His stubbled jaw is calling to me, and it looks like he hasn't been to sleep yet.
"I needed to make sure you made it home okay." He looks down at the ground, and I can’t believe that he even had the nerve to show up here after last night. I cover my chest and look at him.
"Why? What could have happened?" I ask sounding a bit irritated. "Oh wait, I remember. Did you just come to make sure I wasn't mad at you and that I wouldn't say anything at work? Don't worry Bentley; I won't bring it up in front of your brothers." Turning on my heel, I walk to the kitchen to grab some water, not caring if he stays or goes.
"That's not why I'm here. I know you're pissed at me, but I am trying to protect you. You don't need someone like me ruining your life." Turning to look at him, I see he looks unsure of himself for the first time.
"I don't need your help, Bentley. I can manage all by myself, don't worry about it."
Before I can move, his body is up against mine and pushing me into the counter. "Brynn." His breath is on my neck, and I can feel the goosebumps form on my skin. "As much as I want to bend you over my knee, I have other things to deal with."
Cocking my head to the side, I growl, "Then go. Go fuck your whores and leave me alone."
He pulls away from me for a second and stares at me, almost like he's studying me. "You really think I'd come here if all I wanted to do was fuck whores?"
Looking up at him, I watch his emotions flood his features before he steels his emotions to a blank mask. This is the Bentley I'm used to. The one that keeps himself blocked off from anyone that could possibly care about him.
"What do you want from me? You made it pretty clear last night that you wanted nothing to do with me."
His jaw starts to tick and I can tell I'm asking something that he doesn't want to share with me. "It's not that I don't want anything to do with you." He stops and takes a deep breath. "I wish I could do this with you, but you deserve more than the club and me. I want you to be happy." He sighs and runs his hand down my back, stopping right above my ass.
A single tear falls down my cheek. Never did I think that it would hurt this bad to have someone tell me that they didn't want me. He looks like he's gonna say something else, but he changes his mind and releases me. I watch him make his way to the door and out of my apartment without another word.
When the door closes, I end up falling to the floor sobbing. Everything in me yells at me to go after him, but my brain tells me to let him go. There is no way that I'll ever be the girl that gets the fairy tale ending with the biker like Anslie, Coley, and Henley did. Hell, of course I want the only brother that doesn't want an ol’ lady or anything that is similar to that.
Once the tears stop falling, I pick myself up and get ready for my day. I have to be at work in a few hours, and I just pray he doesn't work today. I don't think I can stomach seeing him twice in one day.
An hour later, I get a text from my sister saying that we need to have lunch today to talk about the sexy hunk. Sighing, I text her back and tell her that I'll meet her at one o'clock at the deli by my work. She happily agrees and says she can't wait. Joy.
---
Pulling into Wayward Cycles, I scan the parking lot to see if I see Bentley's bike anywhere. Luckily, it's nowhere to be seen, so I make my way into the office and get to work. The day goes by quickly and smoothly with no major hiccups from the guys and their paperwork and whatnot.
A few minutes before lunch, I hear his voice coming from the shop.
"Just fucking make sure she's okay," he grounds out. I have no idea who he's talking about, so I go and spy on him. Looking through the service door, I see him talking to Brantley and Jase. "Why are we supposed to look after a girl that isn't your ol’ lady?" Jase asks.
"Just fucking do it," he says with a lethal tone I've never heard before. "You fucking care about her, huh? This is why you showed up at my house the other morning," Brantley says. Bentley shakes his head and walks away from them.
"He's fucking pussy whipped!" Jase says giddily. Brant laughs, and they both look up at the door. Ducking as quickly as I can, I slip and fall onto the ground.
Slowly I get up and rub my butt where it met the hard concrete floor. I wonder who they were talking about. Walking over to my desk, I grab my bag and make my way out into the hot desert sun. Locking the office door, I turn and come face to face with Bentley.
"Hey," I stumble out.
He has a black baseball cap on and dark sunglasses. I don't think I've ever seen him in a hat, but I have to admit I don't hate it.
"Hey, Brynn," he mumbles, pulling a cigarette out of his pack and sticking it in his mouth. Damn, I wish I was that cigarette right about now.
"I'm running late to meet my sister for lunch so is there something you needed?" I ask. It comes out a little ruder than I had intended, but I'm not sure I really care.
He shakes his head no and hands me a stack of papers. Looking down, I see that it's his paperwork for the week. Shoving it into my bag, I try to walk past him, but he grabs my arm, stopping me.
Before I can ask what he wants, his lips are on mine. His tongue slips into my mouth, and I can taste the tobacco on his breath. He kisses me like it's the last time he's going to see me. This triggers me to remember what he was telling Brantley and Jase.
He's leaving.
Pulling away, I look at him, trying to read him. Pulling his sunglasses off his face, I look into his eyes and see I'm right. He looks remorseful but does nothing.
"You're leaving," I state. I already know the answer, so I'm not even sure why I asked.
He doesn't say anything, just sticks the cigarette back in his mouth and lights it up. I watch him inhale and then grab his sunglasses out of my hand and turn to walk away.
Chapter Five
Bentley
Walking away from Brynn was hard, but knowing that my brothers are keeping an eye on her helps. I shouldn't have kissed her, but I couldn't help it. I wanted one last taste of her lips. Making my way toward my bike, I swing my leg over her and kick the stand up. Revving the engine, I take off and try not to look back to see the look on her face. If I do, I'm afraid I'm going to turn around and come right back.
She’s a damn drug. One hit was all it took for me to get addicted and I knew that it would only go downhill from there. I wanted like hell to have her on her knees in front of me while my hand gripped her hair and pulled her closer to my dick. I wanted to fuck her on my bike in the middle of the damn street, letting everyone know just who she belongs to.
Fucking hell. I can’t keep thinking about her like that. I need to get the fuck out of here and put her in the past. One night is all I’ll ever take from
her.
Making the long as fuck ride to Gunner’s place in Seattle, and I thank fuck that I finally make it when I do. When I pull up to his place, I see the curtain pull aside and Casey’s smiling face staring at me. It’s been a little while since I’ve seen either of them and it might be a nice break to see how they are doing since they called to tell us that they were gonna be parents soon.
The curtain closes, and as I swing my leg over my bike, Casey comes waddling out.
“Bentley Davoli, I never thought I’d see the day.” Her grin is infectious, and I’m glad that she and Gun finally figured their shit out. I know they had some problems when she didn’t want to get mixed up in this life that we lead, but she loves him enough to put those fears to the side and be with him. Although I never expected my sister’s best friend to fall in love with a biker, I’m glad she is part of the family. She makes Gun less of a dick.
“How are you doing little momma?” I ask as I pull her in for a hug. She squeezes me back, and all I can do is think about Brynn and the way her body felt against mine. Shit.
“I’m good. This child is bouncing on my bladder every chance she gets and I’m ready not to be pregnant anymore.” She releases me and starts to walk back toward the house.
“Where’s your old man?” She looks over her shoulder at me and shrugs.
“Not sure, maybe on a run. He said he had some stuff he needed to deal with for the club and then stop by the clubhouse before coming home. But then again, that was about eight hours ago.” She frowns and I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial his number.
It rings a few times before it clicks over to the voicemail. “Hey fucker, call me when you get this. I’m at your house and having my way with your wife.” I hang up and grin at her while she just rolls her eyes.
“Like he will believe that I would touch your dick with a ten-foot pole, Bentley Davoli.” She laughs as she walks into the house with me following behind her.
“You never know, I might get you to do things you’ve never thought of before.” I wink at her, and this time she smacks my shoulder.
“Please, I don’t want you. Gunner gives me exactly what I need when I want it.” She waggles her eyebrows, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, I’m sure he does. That’s probably how you ended up pregnant.” She narrows her eyes at me for that comment, and I just grin back at her.
“So I was just about to make dinner, you hungry?” I nod my head and follow her toward the kitchen. She goes back to the stove and grabs a pan and opens up the chicken package. I watch her put olive oil in the pan before she looks over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, starving. Haven't eaten since last night.”
“Are you kidding me? Your sister isn’t taking care of you anymore?” The grin on her face is one of joking, and I shrug.
“Naw, she’s got three kids and a douche bag to feed every night. I’m sure there wouldn’t be anything left if I went there for dinner.” Her laugh fills the kitchen, and I see what Gunner loves about her. She is beautiful in that girl next door sort of way. She’s got slight curves even with the baby belly she’s sporting.
“Yeah, that’s true. I used to cook for two of those three kids back when she lived out here.” Sadness falls over her face, and my mind is brought back to that fucker that she was married to. The bastard who beat the shit out of her in front of my nephews.
“If he wasn’t dead right now, I’d be glad to kill him,” I mutter, resting my back against their kitchen counter. She nods solemnly and goes back to flouring and something or other to the chicken before putting in in the pan.
“I’m glad they finally got their shit together. I know you probably don’t agree, but Brantley is the only one for her. Her once in a lifetime kind of love.”
I feel like I might gag thinking about that. I don’t like hearing about my sister’s love life any more than I need to. I rather think that she is still a virgin and had an immaculate conception twice. She didn’t have sex to get pregnant. Nope.
“As much as I love her, I don’t want to think about her and Brant having sex. She is still that little girl we helped our old man raise and is wayyyy too young to be having sex.”
Casey just laughs. “Seriously? You are funny. You used to always talk about fucking women and we had to hear all about it. You’ll live Bent.” She starts to move around the kitchen, and I just watch.
I wonder if Brynn would spend time in the kitchen, making me dinner and breakfast every morning – shit, no I don’t. I don’t need to think about that kind of shit. I need to get her out of my mind and quick. I need to find someone else to fuck and now.
Just as I’m about to tell Casey that I’m going to head out to the clubhouse, I hear an engine rev up. “That might be Gun,” she says motioning toward the living room. “Can you check?” I walk over toward the living room, and the engine gets louder. As I pull the curtain back slightly, I don’t recognize the bike or the rider.
“Case, who else would be coming by?” She moves so I can see her and shrugs.
“No one that I can think of. Most of the Saints stay away from the house. I’m not sure if it’s because of Gun or –”
Before she can finish her sentence, the sound of an AK starts, and I drop to the ground and tell her to get down. Crawling toward her, I keep my head down as I make my way to the kitchen. The gunshots don’t stop for a few minutes, and when I finally reach her, I see the freaked out look on her face. I pull her into me and take cover behind a cabinet.
Pulling my gun from the back of my jeans, I slowly look up and see the small holes letting light filter through. The roar of the Harley takes off, and I take a deep breath. “You good?”
She nods her head, but I can see the shock starting to sink in. She isn't okay, and I don’t blame her. From what Gun’s told me, there hasn’t been a problem here in years. Casey witnessed the last drama too, and that’s when she left him.
I grab my phone and call him again. “What?” he barks out when he finally answers.
“Where the fuck are you?” I ask, holding his wife’s shaking body to mine. Her hand stays planted on her stomach and I know she’s terrified that they might come back.
“I’m dealing with some shit.” His voice is angry, and I wonder if he knew that someone is trying to hurt him.
“Well, your house just got shot up,” I mutter. “I suggest you get fucking home.”
I hear him curse under his breath. “Are they okay? Please tell me Case and the baby are okay.”
“She’s okay. Scared as fuck, but fine. I was at the window when it happened; she was in the kitchen.” He blows out a breath before he asks if I can get her to the clubhouse.
“You realize she can’t ride right? All I have is my bike. Shit. I hope that motherfucker didn’t put a few rounds in her too.”
“Take the truck. She knows where the keys are. Just get her here. I don’t want anything to happen to my girls.” I hang up and stand slowly, bringing Casey with me. I shut off the burner as I keep my back to the window and her in front of me. I ask her where the keys are and she grabs them with shaky hands and hands them over to me. I take them and grab her hand, dragging her through the house toward the garage.
As soon as I get her in the truck, I start the engine and open the garage. Pulling out, I check the streets for anything that looks suspicious, but I don’t see a damn thing. Who the fuck would shoot up their damn house with Casey in it?
The drive to the clubhouse is silent. Casey doesn't say a word and looks ready to bolt. I hate that she was there when that shit happened. Looking over at her as we turn down the street that takes us to the clubhouse, I can see the single tear that falls down her cheek. She closes her eyes and keeps them closed until we come to a stop inside the clubhouse gates.
Before I can even put the truck in park, Gunner is pulling her door open and pulling her into his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry, beauty,” he whispers to her. The tears finally start to fall down her c
heeks, and she wraps her arms around his neck tightly.
Getting out of the truck, I walk over to where a few of them are standing. “What’s going on here?” Their eyes meet mine, but no one says a word. “I just got fucking shot at; a little explanation would be great.” No one says a word still, so I wait for Gunner. I watch as Johnny comes walking toward us and he raises an eyebrow at me.
I clap hands with him, and he pulls me in for a half-hug. “Hey, kid. Good to see you.”
“Yeah, maybe if it were for other circumstances,” I mutter. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I motion over to Gunner and Casey.
“What happened?” he asks, looking between them and me.
“Someone just shot up their place,” I grumble. My attention goes back over to them, and a hand on my shoulder brings my attention back to Johnny.
“You got hit.” His words don’t really make sense to me, and as I try to make sense of them, I feel my body start to weaken. He puts his hand on my stomach, and that’s when the pain radiates through me. Just fucking great.
Johnny barely keeps me upright as my body decides that now is a good time to fall to the pavement.
“Gunner!” he calls out, and I suck in a breath to hopefully keep myself from passing out. Looking down, I can see the blood that is covering my shirt and jeans. “We need to get him inside and the doc here right fucking now.”
Chapter Six
Brynn
It feels like months have passed since he left, but it’s only been a few weeks. I don’t know if I hate him or what right now. He left without a real reason other than him not wanting to hurt me or ruin me, whatever that means. If anything, he hurt me more after he slept with me in the stupid club.
The day after he left, I overheard the guys talking about something that happened in Seattle, but I didn’t get more than he got shot. I tried to text him, but he never responded, so I gave up trying. I just wanted to make sure that he was okay and he wouldn’t even give me that.
Instead of trying to figure him the hell out, I decided that it was best for me just to move on. I mean, what is the worst that can happen? Maybe I fall in love with someone other than Bentley Davoli. I’m sure at least they would want me.