Broken: a bad boy romance novel

by London Casey

  “Don’t give me romance and white knight shit, Cash.”

  “We aren’t white knights,” Cash said.

  “Just go, man. I need to take a ride and clear my head.”

  Cash stepped to the side and pointed to the motorcycle. “Here you go.”

  I shook my head. “You’re a real prick, brother.”

  I turned to get into my truck.

  There’s at least one rule you should follow in life: never turn your back on an outlaw. Brother or not.

  Before I could take a step up into the truck, something smashed against the back of my head, knocking me out.

  When I came to I had no idea where I was.

  Cash was sitting on a rock, smoking.

  “There you are,” he said. “Christ, I didn’t hit you that hard.”

  “Cash…what the fuck?”

  He stood up, dropped his smoke, and stepped on it. “This is how we do this, brother. It’s time to ride or die.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. You saved my fucking life. That SUV was coming at me, Hudson. If you didn’t push me out of the way, I’d be six feet in a hole right now, rotting away. The club would be mourning me. Eh, maybe celebrating. The table wouldn’t be complete. Aaron and his rogue goons would have taken over. You really saved me and the club. Okay? Now I’m going to save you.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked. I rubbed the back of my head.

  “Come on,” Cash said.

  We walked from an open clearing through some brush. Then we were on the side of a road. There were two motorcycles.

  “What is this?”

  “I had prospects bring your ride up here,” Cash said. “They took your truck back to the clubhouse.”

  “Cash…”

  “Here’s the deal, brother. You need to go to the hospital and kiss your lady. You make that shit right, or else she’s going to end up with that pencil-neck doctor.”

  Jealousy boiled inside me.

  “Good, use that rage,” Cash said, seeing the way my face changed. “And then you’re going to ride right to the clubhouse. Fuck, man, ride into it. Run Prez over if you have to.” Cash stepped to me. He put his finger to my chest. “You are not going out like this. You are not giving up that cut. You are not going to become some fucking mechanic that worries about making ends meet. You’re a goddamn outlaw. Starting acting like one.”

  Cash shoved me, sending me stumbling.

  He walked away from me and got on his motorcycle.

  “Cash!” I called out.

  He looked back at me.

  “I love you, brother,” I said.

  “Yeah, you too,” he said.

  He started his motorcycle and took off.

  So there I was, alone with my ride. My woman in the hospital. My club preparing to vote me out.

  I had no choice but to ride. No matter how much it hurt.

  I had no time to waste either.

  I stood at my motorcycle and looked to the open road. This was what I wanted, right? What I had fought for for years. What I took pride in. I promised myself I would die as an outlaw. So at that moment, I was still an outlaw. I was just missing my cut. I needed to get my cut back. Kiss my woman. Show face to my President and the other charter Presidents.

  No matter what.

  I grabbed the handlebars and lifted my left leg. I swore I felt muscle tearing like wet paper. I shut my eyes and growled as the pain swirled through my body. I made it halfway, then had to stop. I let the handlebars go and jumped to my right. I lost my balance and crashed to the dirt. Pebbles cracked my skin, cutting me. I was almost out of breath because of the pain.

  I looked at the motorcycle.

  My freedom.

  My enemy now.

  My beast.

  I put a hand to my chest and felt my heart pounding.

  I shut my eyes.

  I love you, Cora. Fuck, sweetheart, I love you.

  31

  CORA

  The hospital room door opened, and I shook my head. I didn’t want any more doctors or nurses checking on me. And I definitely didn’t need to see Derrick again. I was sorry his feelings were hurt, but that wasn’t on me. That was on him.

  I turned my head and shut my eyes. I figured if I pretended to be asleep, they’d leave me alone.

  “Sweetheart,” a familiar voice said.

  It was rough yet smooth. It rang in my ears and shot straight to my heart, making it race. Then it shot down my body, making me tingle, pausing between my thighs. I gasped and turned my head to see Hudson standing there.

  “Am I dreaming?” I whispered.

  Maybe I had really fallen asleep.

  Hudson didn’t respond, but instead leaned over the bed and bent down. The second his lips touched mine, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. There was no replicating that feeling unless it was real.

  He pulled away after just one kiss, threatening me with a nightmare, but then he kissed again. Our mouths opened in unison, and we kissed deeper and harder. I gripped the sheets on the hospital bed, wanting more of him.

  The kiss ended after a few seconds, but it gave me more life than any of the IVs or machines in the room with me.

  “Sweetheart,” he said again. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” I said. “I’m alive. Just promise me it’s all over?”

  “It’s over,” Hudson said. “You’ll never see him again.”

  “That’s all I need to know,” I whispered.

  “I came to get my cut,” he said. “I have to go to the clubhouse and square up there.”

  “Are you out of the club?”

  “I’m going to find out,” he said. “If the vote’s been made and the gavel’s been hit, that’s it.”

  “Hudson…I don’t want to go Oregon. I want to be here with you. Forever here with you.”

  “Not in the hospital,” he said with a grin.

  I laughed.

  It hurt to laugh.

  I groaned at the belly pain.

  “You just keep resting, Cora,” he said. “I’m going to come back after I go to the clubhouse, okay? I promise. Wearing a leather cut or not. I’ll be here.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I love you, Hudson. No matter what happens. And I don’t blame you. No matter what anyone says.”

  “Ah, come on,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to punch that doctor since I met him.”

  “Jealous,” I said.

  “Definitely,” he replied with a smile. “Nobody gets to stake a claim on you except me. For the rest of your fucking life. Don’t ever forget that.”

  I nodded. “Go, Hudson.”

  He kissed me again. And again. Then one more time.

  He grabbed his leather cut off the bed and held it up. He nodded, then put it on.

  If I had to admit it, he looked better in the leather cut.

  “I love you, Cora,” he said as he walked to the door. “I promise I’ll be back.”

  I never believed in promises, not since my father died. He promised me he’d get better. He never did.

  But when Hudson made a promise, I believed it.

  I believed in him. In our love. In everything that happened to us, together. From getting hit by vehicles to getting shot, it was the truest road I could ever imagine.

  An outlaw’s kind of love.

  And that was so much better than roses and rings.

  I’d rather have dirty kisses and dirty sex.

  I made myself blush as I shut my eyes again. I wanted to sleep and dream about Hudson. Then wake to him holding me in his arms.

  That was what perfection felt like to me.

  32

  HUDSON

  Making that left turn and pulling into the lot was a fucking feeling and a half for me. The prospects watched me as their jaws dropped. I threw them the middle finger. Fucking punks. I didn’t need any pity-praise from a couple of prospects.

  I thought about what Cash said, but I had no real intentions of riding into th
e clubhouse.

  Instead, I turned my ride to the side and started to throttle it as hard and loud as I could. She screamed and wailed, wanting me to release the brake and let her fly, but I held her back. I was in fucking control. Of my ride. Of my life. Of everything.

  I stayed there, making that thundering engine call out for attention until the clubhouse door busted open.

  Out came Jasper and Cash, guns in hand.

  They both stopped and stared.

  Cash grinned at me.

  Soon, the whole clubhouse emptied out, with Prez, Miller, and Villie coming out last. The three Presidents stood there and looked at me. I eyed them all, one by one, curling my lip.

  Before anyone could question me, I let the brake go and took off. I cruised along the side of the clubhouse and around. When I got to the other side, I opened her up and flew along the other side of the clubhouse. I came flying out and by my brothers and took her down to the open gates. At the last second, I cut her to right and spun the back tire around. I kicked up some smoke, left a mark on the ground, then barreled forward toward the clubhouse again.

  When I stopped, I shut the engine off and climbed off the motorcycle. I held steady with the pain to stand tall and tough.

  At first, there wasn’t a sound. Everyone was looking at the three Presidents.

  Prez stepped forward first.

  “We had our meeting,” he said.

  Villie and Miller came forward. “Not sure there’s much we can do now,” Villie said.

  “You can start by getting your crew and going back to Reno,” I said.

  “Bold move, to talk to a President like that,” he said.

  “Then do something about it,” I said.

  “Easy now,” Miller said, putting his hand out and touching Villie’s chest.

  “So you can ride now,” Prez said.

  “I’m ready to go,” I said. “David’s gone. Aaron’s dead. The Irish are happy. Life goes on.”

  “The vote…” Prez said.

  “Fuck the vote!” Cash yelled.

  Villie took out his gun and pointed it right at Cash. “You got control of this charter or what, Trev?”

  “He’s right,” Jasper said. “Fuck the vote. Hudson is riding.”

  Jasper walked toward me. He stood next to me.

  “That’s your position, VP?” Prez asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Mine too,” Cash said.

  Before I knew, it the entire goddamn charter was standing next to me and behind me. My brothers had my back.

  “We ride and die with our brother,” Austin said. “There’s no need for a vote.”

  Prez looked at Miller and Villie.

  Villie put his gun away. He came forward and put a hand to my shoulder. “You got a good brotherhood here, man. A real good one. I voted you out.”

  “Thanks for the support,” I said.

  “Miller was on the fence,” Villie said. “Trev refused to vote against you. Since you’re riding and you have club support, who am I to start beef, right?”

  “Does that mean you’re going back to Reno?” I asked.

  “That’s exactly what it means,” Villie said.

  “Good,” I said. “Hope I don’t see you around.”

  Villie smiled. He nodded. “Brother.”

  “Brother,” I said.

  Villie walked, and the guys opened a path for him.

  Miller and Trev hugged.

  Then Miller walked the same path, simply nodding at me.

  We all turned and watched as the two Presidents got on their motorcycles and left the lot. The second the gates were shut, everyone erupted into wild chaos. Cheering. Jumping. Grabbing at me. Almost knocking me the hell over. Prez finally cut in and broke up the wildness, reminding everyone that my leg had been fucked up twice.

  He made a motion with his hands, and the entire group spread out a little, making a circle, leaving me and him dead-smack in the center of it.

  Prez grabbed at the front of my leather cut. He curled his lip. “Take this off, Hudson.”

  I swallowed hard as I took the leather cut off my back. Prez turned a little and held it up, staring at the back of it, like I had done at the hospital. Then he lowered it, holding it with one hand. He looked around at everyone standing around us.

  “The rules of this club are engraved in stone that’s long buried,” he said. “Rules that we often don’t speak about. Rules that we often break. Without a complete table, charter, club, we’re nothing. If we don’t fight side-by-side, fight for each other, we’re nothing. We will fade with time. We will waste away and end up not just in the dirt, but we’ll be part of the dirt. Blowing in the goddamn wind. Blown around with no direction. I refuse to become nothing. I refuse to let the reaper take me without a fight. Yea or nay, my brothers?”

  The entire crowd cheered with a collective yea.

  “We sat at the table,” Prez said, addressing me. “Villie voted you out. I can’t blame him for that. We’re the charter between Frelen and Reno. If we fall, it hurts the other two. Miller was on the fence. He and I go back years. He saved my ass before, but calling in a favor on a vote isn’t supposed to happen. I voted against it. Villie got pissed. Miller just listened to us argue. Then we all fell silent. Truthfully, it would have been smarter and easier to just go with Villie. But then I heard a sound.”

  Prez shoved the leather cut to my gut and nodded.

  I took it from him.

  He wasn’t the President that gave me my cut when I was patched in, but he was the President now. There was something fitting about him giving me the cut back.

  “Keep riding,” Prez said.

  “Always,” I said. I threw my arm up, holding the cut in the air. “Ride until the reaper gets me!”

  “Here, here!” the entire club bellowed.

  Everyone started to cheer.

  Prez stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled.

  “We’re back to one piece again,” he announced. “But we know damn well that something else will be waiting outside those gates for us. Until then…we drink.”

  Everyone cheered again and Prez let them cheer.

  We stood there together as all my brothers hugged me. One by one.

  Cash was last in line.

  He stopped and grabbed my face.

  I nodded to him.

  He nodded to me.

  We’d saved each other.

  “You two look ready to tongue-fuck,” Prez said.

  “Not a chance,” Cash said. “Hudson is too pretty for me. Plus, there’s some pussy inside that I plan on eating like it’s my last meal.”

  “Sounds wild,” I said.

  “No, brother. Wild is when I flip her around and go for the other-”

  “Go inside, Cash,” I said.

  When it was just me and Prez, we faced each other.

  We hugged, and he pounded at my back like I was choking on a piece of steak.

  “Table wouldn’t be the same without you,” he said.

  “Thanks, Prez.”

  “Table wouldn’t be the same without Cash, either. And you saved him.” Prez slapped my face. “Wipe that puppy-dog love off your face and come get a shot of whiskey and a lap dance. My treat.”

  I laughed.

  Prez walked away.

  I just stood there alone, taking deep breaths.

  Whiskey sounded good.

  But the lap dance?

  There was only one woman meant to ride this outlaw the way I rode my motorcycle.

  I grinned as I whispered her name. “Cora.”

  33

  CORA

  *WEEKS LATER*

  I was in the shower, minding my own business when the door opened. I had been done showering a while ago, but I just enjoyed the company of the hot water and steam. Now the company was going to include Hudson. Not that I could complain about that at all.

  He ripped open the shower curtain and stood there, naked.

  I gazed up and down his beautiful bod
y, and I suddenly wasn’t wet just because of the shower.

  “You coming in?” I asked.

  “Oh, I’m coming in,” he said. He then turned the shower water off and grabbed a towel. “But not in the shower, sweetheart.”

  He threw a towel around me and started to dry me off. My body shivered, and I groaned. I loved when he touched me and took care of me.

  Now that I had my past off my back, I was able to survive with a little more breathing room. I took a part-time time job with the same rehabilitation company. And I was able to start taking classes and get ready to test to get into medical school again. My dream of being a doctor would come to life.

  But before that…

  Hudson pulled me into his arms and carried me to the bedroom. He threw the towel to the floor and tossed me onto the bed. As he kissed my mouth, his fingers tickled up my inner thigh. When he touched me, I lifted my hips and groaned.

  Hudson then started to kiss down my body. He had this torturous move where he would purposely skip my breasts and go further down. It drove me mad, but he would never forget to kiss back up and take care of me.

  I felt his tongue kiss down to the scar on my belly. I grabbed for his head, and he pulled away.

  “No,” he whispered. He put my hands to the bed. “No, sweetheart. This is part of you. Your scars are beautiful. This is a reminder of how strong you are. Of how much I love you. Don’t ever hide that, Cora. Ever.”

  My heart wanted to explode. I never had a man take control of me like Hudson did. Rough, outlaw, romantic. It was everything a woman could ever want, need, or ask for. He was a fantasy come to life.

  His tongue touched my scar again. But that only lasted for a few seconds. He kept kissing down, nestling between my legs. His tongue took my wetness, flickering fast against my clit, making me call out his name as my toes curled tight.

  Just as I reached the edge, he stopped. He was masterful at that move, too.

  Hudson came back up my body with kiss after kiss after kiss. I felt the swell of his cock touch between my legs. He took my left hand and put it above my head, palm facing up. I then felt something touch my hand. His hand to my hand, but something between our hands.