by April Lust
She rolled her eyes at him, and brought her own beer to her lips. Before long, they were giggling, and she wasn’t sure exactly what was going on.
“Your laugh is ridiculous,” she said.
“Yours is ridiculous.”
She grabbed his beer bottle from him and tipped it on its side. Nothing came out of it, so she grabbed it by the neck and held it upside down. Still nothing.
She raised an eyebrow at him, mimicking his trademark move. “You drank all of this already?”
He grabbed her bottle and eyed the fact that it was still half-full. “You didn’t?”
Somehow he managed to get Marcus’s attention, throwing his fingers up to signal that he wanted two more beers brought over their way. He wasn’t telling him just what kind of beers he wanted, but he seemed to be happy with what he was getting – so it was either random and Darren just didn’t care since it was at least alcohol, or they already had an arrangement.
She took a sip of her drink. “He’s probably going to spit in those, you know.”
“He wouldn’t,” Darren laughed. “Besides, this is me we're talking about.”
“People hate you.”
“You don’t.”
She sipped her beer again and avoided answering the question, although she knew that they were going to have to talk about their feelings some time. It was going to be impossible to ignore.
They sat in silence for a while before Darren pulled a weird face, and Victoria burst out into laughter. He laughed at her, and neither of them were able to shut up.
Marcus showed up with the beers. He set them on the table, gave Victoria a look, and she and Darren both gave him a look back. He left.
Darren palmed the pocket he was looking through earlier, but he was careful to keep track of Victoria and of making sure she didn’t notice. She was intent on looking at him, though, and he felt like the ring was burning a hole in his pocket.
He always carried it with him, in the storage compartment of his bike. He’d moved it into his pocket before entering the bar. It was the ring his grandmother had given him years ago. Not that he’d thought he’d ever need it.
He looked to Victoria, looking beautiful even in the murky light of this bar.
He needed it now.
Lifting a finger, he pointed towards something at the other end of the bar. There was nothing there except for an old TV and a couch that no one was on, but from where Victoria was, she would have to tilt her head back and hunt for something, even if it wasn’t actually there. There was no way she would see what he wanted to do, and it would be a surprise. That was the goal.
“Look at that,” he tried to make himself sound as convincing as he possibly could. “That’s fucking ridiculous.”
She didn’t really believe what he was saying – the tone he was using was so unlike him. He was being kind of weird tonight in general. So she turned her head, and, looking for whatever he’d seen, missed Darren sticking the ring in her glass.
“You’re blind.”
“There was something there,” he shrugged.
“I don’t believe you,” she rolled her eyes at him – was she always going to do that? Probably. She made to grab her glass. She brought it to her lips, and trying to chug like Darren could, drank until she felt the metal of something hit her lips.
Crinkling her eyebrows together, she put her hand in and grabbed it. It was a ring – simple, but lovely in its easy-going elegance. She gazed at it for a moment, asking, “What’s this?”
“It’s an engagement ring.” He looked at her like that was the most obvious thing in the world, with an expectant look on his face.
“You have to ask first, you know.” She grinned. Her heart was beating in her chest and she felt feelings she didn’t know she could experience – nerves, excitement, adoration. Small hints of fear of the unknown.
“I know,” he grinned back. “So. Victoria.”
“Darren.”
“Will you marry me?”
“I think so.” She lifted the glass she’d found the ring in. Bringing it to him, they clinked their glasses against each other, eyes on the other all the while.
“Hey.” He reached for her hand again. “Want to leave this place?”
She nodded.
Epilogue
This wasn’t the way she was expecting things to go for her, but Victoria couldn’t argue that she liked it all the same. It was hard to imagine her last name becoming “Saylor” a while ago, but that was now a reality. It wasn’t like they were going to go hop off to live in some suburb and have two and a half kids, though – so it was okay. Part of her didn’t mind the idea of that, but she wasn’t going to mention that to Darren (unless he brought it up first). For now, the thought of staying in the city and living in an apartment with him was more than fine.
Despite the fact that neither of them were fans of change, really, they could both bounce back from this on their own; nothing else mattered when they were together. And with what they'd been through, they would always be together.
THE END
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More by April Lust
THE OUTLAW’S BRIDE: Skullbreakers MC
I’LL KEEP HER SAFE. I’LL KEEP HER CLOSE. AND I’LL KILL ANY OTHER MAN WHO TOUCHES HER.
She should have stayed in my past.
But now that she’s back…
I’m going to make sure she never leaves again.
I might seem cruel.
Or overprotective.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this world, it’s this:
You gotta find what you love and hold it close.
She got away once.
Never, ever again.
Because when I learn what she took with her, I explode.
No one – NO ONE – hides my son from me.
It seems I’ve got to teach pretty little Angel a lesson or two.
This won’t be the sweet reunion she might’ve been expecting.
It’s going to be dark, sweaty, and brutal.
Because I’m an outlaw.
And when you’re my bride… you’re playing by my rules.
THE BIKER’S BRIDE: Bloody Saints MC
THE RING ON HER FINGER MEANS SHE’S MINE – AND NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH HER.
Messing with her is messing with me.
And no man survives a mistake like that.
Lay a finger on her and I’ll break it in half.
That’s a motherf**king promise.
She tried to put me in my place.
So I put her in hers:
Bent over my bed with her dress hiked up and her hair pinned back.
I make her say the truth out loud:
She belongs to me now.
And by the time I’m done, she knows it, too.
But hearing it isn’t enough.
Only seeing is truly believing.
So by the time all this is over, I’m gonna claim her in the purest way I know how:
With my ring on her finger.
The thing is, that depends on keeping us both alive.
I’ve got enemies, and they’ll do whatever they can to hurt me.
Even if it’s by hurting her.
She’ll have to get used to living on the edge.
That’s what comes with being a biker’s bride.
THE DEVIL’S BRIDE: Hell Brothers MC
My city. My club. My rules. And she’ll be MY bride… whether she likes it or not.
She needed my protection.
Guess what, sweetheart?
It’s gonna cost you everything.
She came to me, bleeding and scared.
They tried to hurt her.
But if they pull that stunt again, I’ll bury every last one of those sons of b**ches.
Because
she belongs to me now.
That’s the deal we struck.
She gives me her body.
I’ll give her safety.
I don’t care if she thinks I’m Satan.
Hell, she might be right.
But by the time I’m done, she’ll be the devil’s bride.
MASON’S BABY: Storm’s Angels MC
SHE OWES ME EVERYTHING. AND I’M COMING TO COLLECT.
No one crosses a biker and gets away with it.
Not even a vixen like Clara.
She’s got a body to die for, but even if I go, I’ve got a legacy to protect.
A legacy that starts with the baby in her womb.
She thought she was smart.
Crafty.
Sneaky.
But she never had a chance.
I caught the thief red-handed, and if she doesn’t want to talk, well…
I’ll just have to find other ways to open her mouth.
As long as she’s chained in my clubhouse basement, she belongs to me.
I’m the only thing keeping her safe.
Her boss will kill her if I let her go, and if I say the word, my men will turn her into their filthy plaything.
So you better open up, princess.
Because I want to rip the clothes from your body.
The breath from your lungs.
The innocence from between your legs.
And one way or another, I always get what I want.
REVENGE BABY: Blacktop Chaos MC
THE BEST REVENGE IS KNOCKING UP MY ENEMY’S DAUGHTER.
He said to stay away from her.
But I’ve never been a good listener.
My old prez did me wrong…
So I’m about to do his daughter oh so right.
I did what I shouldn’t have.
Touched what I wasn’t supposed to.
But godd*amn, it felt good.
I can still hear Vivian’s moans in my memory.
It still gets me hard.
Even though I’ve been kicked out of the club.
Even though I’ve been warned to stay away.
That sh*t is like a drug to me.
I have to have more.
And believe me – I’m gonna.
Because I’m coming back to take my revenge on the man who gave me the boot.
It won’t be enough to hurt him, or shame him.
I’ve gotta leave a lasting mark.
And I’m gonna put it right in his daughter’s belly
PAYBACK BABY: Venom Brothers MC
THE SWEETEST PAYBACK IS PUTTING MY BABY IN HER BELLY.
Second chances aren’t always happy reunions.
My ex never should have come back.
But she did, and she screwed with the wrong guy.
It’s time for revenge – the best way I know how.
Once upon a time, Jasmine meant something to me.
Not anymore.
If she thought she could have the final say, she thought real f**kin’ wrong.
Because I won’t tolerate what she did to me and my men.
I won’t let her win.
I’m gonna get my hands on her again.
And when I do, there’s gonna be hell to pay.
She’s gonna have to beg for my mercy.
Plead for my forgiveness.
But no matter what she does…
No matter what she says…
One thing is gonna happen for sure.
This won’t end until I put my baby in her belly.
ZED’S BRIDE: Iron Angels MC
YOU BELONG TO ME NOW.
She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Too damn bad.
She’s mine now, for better or for worse…
‘Til Death do us part.
There will be blood on my hands by the time I’m finished.
No one touches my family.
Not without paying the price.
And after what this S.O.B. did to my sister…
He’s as good as dead.
After months of hunting, I finally have my sister’s killer where I want him.
Until Lily barges in.
She’s a loose end I never anticipated.
But something tells me she’s going to be lots of fun to tie up.
She thinks there’s still a chance she’ll get away.
Back to her normal life.
But she’s dead wrong.
She ain’t going anywhere.
From now on, she belongs to me.
BAD BOY’S BRIDE: The Emerald Saints MC
I’LL DRAG HER TO THE ALTAR – WHETHER SHE LIKES IT OR NOT.
I’m headed home with one thing on my mind: Revenge.
But the pretty little doctor is threatening to derail all my plans.
Because as soon as I see her, I crave something else:
To make her utterly mine.
My exile is finally over.
Time to come home…
And wreak havoc on the men who stabbed me in the back.
But life throws a wrench in my plans when I come face to face with Anna.
She’s pretty, innocent – the exact opposite of me.
I’ve seen things – done things – that would send her running for the hills.
But I’m not letting her go anywhere.
I want to claim her.
To own her.
And there’s something else I want, too.
I want to drag her to the altar and make her my bride.
And I don’t give a damn if she likes it or not.
OWNED: Satan’s Kin MC
He owned me from the second I moaned.
I had no choice – I needed his protection.
My ex was forcing me into a life of crime, and there was only one place I could run:
Into the biker’s bed.
I just never thought it would go this far.
It began like a bad dream.
But dreams end when you wake up.
This time, there’s no escape route in sight.
Bedding with a murderer…
It was the last thing a nice girl like me should be doing.
He was a stranger, a handsome face in a crowded bar.
I never expected to leave with someone I’d never met.
Especially not someone like him.
Carson.
Vicious. Dominant. Dark.
Darker than I ever thought possible.
But it wasn’t enough for him to suck me into his underworld.
He won’t be satisfied with just a taste.
He needs to possess me from head to toe.
He doesn’t want to love me…
He wants to own me.
And I’m about to let him.
BEAST: Renegade Reapers MC
THE BEAST WANTS A BITE OF ME.
It was the perfect name for a man like him.
Beast.
I was just bait in his trap.
But now he’s about to swallow me whole.
Bikers and mobsters and violence, oh my.
I was innocent, ignorant…
Until a past I’d forgotten came racing back to consume me.
Until a beast came out of the darkness.
Not just any beast – but Beast himself.
He’s rugged and tatted, scarred and seductive.
He licks his lips when he sees me like I’m some tasty treat.
And when he lays his hands on me, I realize the truth:
That’s exactly what he thinks I am.
He wants to use me so he can win his bloody war.
But once he gets a taste of my body, he wants to use me for other things, too.
I want away from this hell, by any means possible.
But not if it means leaving Beast behind.
Because the only thing I want more than my old life back…
Is for him to take me like an animal.
BRANDED: Wild Aces MC
He branded me and made his toy.
I had no choice – I needed the money.
My sister was dying and there was only one valuable thing I could sell:
My virginity.
I just never thought it would go this far.
It started as a crazy joke.
The worst things always do.
But this one has lasted far longer than I imagined.
Selling my virginity…