“I think my wrist is broken.” Hunter looked into her eyes, but the amount of blood on his arm was making her heart pound in her chest. She couldn’t lose Hunter. Not now. And right now, she didn’t believe they would meet again in hell, protected by demons. If he died, he’d be gone forever. “Are you okay, Asty? Did he hurt you?”
“You’re bleeding,” she uttered, looking around for something to stop the bleeding. The blankets wouldn’t be good enough, and she didn’t want Ray’s blood anywhere near a hole in Hunter. “No ...”
“Get me my jeans, baby.” He sat down, slouched, and held on to his arm, shaking slightly as he looked at his crooked wrist.
She nodded and got to her feet, unsteadily moving forward. Her heart stopped when she slid over the wet floor, but the goal was within reach, behind the banister where they left their personal things. Nothing seemed real as she cradled their clothes and her backpack to her chest, stumbling toward Hunter, who rested his back against the altar, pale as a sheet.
“Hunter?” she uttered weakly, joining him on the cold floor. She took one of her stockings and tied it above the wound without waiting for his answer. She had no idea if that was the right way to do this, but that was what they did on television whenever someone was bleeding.
Hunter reached into his jeans with his uninjured hand and pulled something out. “Listen, babe. I hope I’ll be fine, I do. That I won’t get infected, that I’m not bleeding out just yet, but in case I don’t make it—”
“You are going to make it,” shouted Asty and pushed her dress against the wound while she searched her huge backpack for the cell phone. Her hands were shaking so bad she’d probably fail at writing her own name at this point. “Don’t say it. I need you with me ...”
“I just …” Hunter took a deep breath and popped open a little black box, making Asty go still at the sight of a gold ring with diamonds. “I never got you one. I don’t want you to think I’m cheap. I wanted to make this special, but if I don’t make it—”
“I told you not to say that,” she sobbed and brushed the back of her hand over her face, trying to swipe off the blood and tears, but with all the stickiness on her, she ended up making herself even more of a mess. The ring made her feel so many things, and she slid deeper into Hunter’s arms. “Don’t leave me ...”
“We’re not even married yet, and you’re already nagging me?” Hunter tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a raspy cough.
Asty kissed his lips, tasting blood and sweat, but her heart throbbed so painfully at the thought of losing him now. Her hand finally squeezed on the phone, and she took it out of the backpack. “It’s a pretty ring.”
“It was your mother’s. Your dad wanted you to have it.”
Hunter hissed in pain when she hugged him tighter, but it was hard to curb the emotions tumbling inside of her one after another. She needed too, though. She had to call for help.
Asty switched on the screen and tried to look through the contacts, but her wet finger only left a red smear on the bright glass. Her whole body shuddered with revulsion, but she quickly cleaned both the phone and her thumb against Hunter’s jeans and found the first number in her phonebook. Her lips traced Hunter’s cheek as she pressed against him, hardly keeping herself steady as her mind cried out with fear. What if instead of a wedding, she’d have to attend a funeral?
“You hear me?” she whispered.
Hunter nodded. “Just be careful. Tell your dad we need a doctor and … a cleaner.”
Asty looked at Ray’s dead body, and it was only now sinking in that she’d killed someone. But Hunter slightly nudged her cheek, forcing her to look back at him as the phone kept ringing. He gave Asty a faint smile and slid the ring on her finger.
Priest finally answered his phone. “What is it, pumpkin?”
Asty sniffed. “Daddy? We need your help.”
Asty
It was a warm day in July when Asty arrived at her new home. For the last month, she was expressly banned from the area, as the guys were working on the exterior and Hunter wanted to surprise her. The dark blue siding looked great in contrast to the white window frames, doors, and elements of the porch. The small front garden consisted only of a driveway and grass that had thinned from people constantly walking all over it, but the small two-story home they chose a few months before looked like a completely different place now. Over the stairs hung a piece of cloth welcoming her and the tiny baby she held in her lap, and she smiled, accepting Hunter’s hand as he helped her out of the car.
She was incredibly exhausted, even though, according to the doctor, the birth had been very quick and easy, especially for a first-time mother. Still, her whole body was swollen and heavy, and all she wanted was to lie down in that new bed she heard so much about from Lucky, who’d enlisted himself to help with the decorating. She discussed the interiors with Hunter earlier, and the agreement was that she’d get to decorate a room of her choice however she wanted, but the truth was that none of them wanted to live in a gothic castle or a witch’s hut full time.
Dad parked his bike behind the car and rushed to her side, proud as a peacock of his first grandson. “Let me hold him, pumpkin. You need some rest.”
Asty was surprised at how reluctant she was to give her son to anyone else, but after a brief moment, she gently passed the bundle along. “Thanks, Daddy.”
Hunter put his arm over her shoulders with a bright smile and so much tenderness in his eyes that it could fill the whole house in front of them and overflow through the windows.
“Let me know if there’s anything you need, babe.” He led her toward the house, but he stopped before the door and picked her up.
She yelped, and the first thing she thought about was if his arm was fine, but it had been a few months, and the healing had gone smoothly despite him still doing rehabilitation on his wrist. Despite the lack of energy, she smiled at him, resting her head against his arm as he slowly pushed the door open with his foot. He too seemed tired after being with her all night at the hospital, but he still was the only Prince Charming she’d ever want.
The moment they followed Dad inside, the house exploded with cheers, and blue balloons came into view before she turned her head back to see all their friends gathered in the hall. She waved at them, excited to see everyone despite being so tired, but Hunter carried her straight to the airy living room, where he gently lowered her on the sofa. She had chosen some elements of furniture and decor before the house ban, and seeing them coming together now was making her smile widen as everyone followed them, taking places in all available seats. It really felt like home.
Most of the guys from the club were here with their wives and girlfriends, and she didn’t need to lift a finger. Lucky had food prepared for everyone, and the fridge was stacked with beers. She even noticed Hunter’s younger brother, David, being a wallflower and clenching a Coke in his hands, but when Asty looked at him, he smiled back.
As soon as Dad handed her baby boy back, more people flocked around her to see him and congratulate her, as Hunter walked around like a peacock, serving drinks and talking to everyone.
Asty accepted congratulations and gently rocked her sleeping baby until he awoke and needed to be calmed down again, and it was when she cradled Bell to her chest, she realized whose presence was missing in that happy picture. If only her mother were still alive, she could be here, look at her grandson and give Asty some much-needed advice. It was strange not to have her around at a moment as important as this, but when Asty met Hunter’s gaze in the crowd, she thought that maybe it had all been a part of the plan. No matter how misguided Asty’s mom was when she wrote her notes about Bell’s resurrection, her actions ultimately made a positive difference in Asty’s life. She never really considered having children before, being so young and never even being in a relationship before, but now that she held little Bell in her arms, feeling loved among friends and family, she couldn’t help but be grateful. Hunter had said he would have tried to win her
over no matter what, but she wasn’t sure how she would have responded if they met in normal circumstances. After all, she never wanted to date a biker. Life did work in mysterious ways, as cliché as that was.
She really wanted to take a nap, but no one bothered her anyway, so she curled up against the side of the sofa, gently petting Bell and watching everyone mingle. At that moment, feeling so completely safe and happy, she knew she had made the right choice about staying alive.
THE END
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Split is our second M/F book in the Sex & Mayhem series. If you enjoyed the novel and would like to give a try to our gay-themed books, they are available under the pen name K.A. Merikan. More information available at http://kamerikan.com.
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About the author
Miss Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are mistaken for sisters with surprising regularity. Kat’s the mean sergeant and survival specialist of the duo, never hesitating to kick Agnes’s ass when she’s slacking off. Her memory works like an easy-access catalogue, which allows her to keep up with both book details and social media. Also works as the emergency GPS. Agnes is the Merikan nitpicker, usually found busy with formatting and research. Her attention tends to be scattered, and despite pushing thirty, she needs to apply makeup to buy alcohol. Self-proclaimed queen of the roads.
They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of - it will be full of surprises.
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Tooth and Lucky’s story:
The Devil’s Ride
K.A. Merikan
— You don’t fuck with the club president’s son. —
Tooth. Vice President of the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club. On a neverending quest for vengeance. The last thing he needs is becoming a permanent babysitter for a male hooker.
Lucifer. Fallen. Lost. Alone.
After a childhood filled with neglect and abuse, followed by his mother’s suicide, Lucifer set out into the world alone. There was nothing for him out there other than taking it one day at a time. As the bastard son of the Coffin Nails club president, Lucifer never got much fatherly love. So when the Nails show up at the strip joint Lucifer works in, the last thing he expects is to be put in the custody of Tooth, the Nails Vice President famous for his gruesome interrogation techniques. The man proves to be the sexiest beast Lucifer has ever met. He’s also older, straight, and an itch Luci can’t ever scratch.
Tooth’s life came to a halt twelve years ago. His lover got brutally murdered, police never found the perpetrators, and all leads were dead ends. To find peace and his own justice, Tooth joined the Coffin Nails, but years on, he’s gotten nowhere with the case, yet still lives on with the burning fire for revenge.
Babysitting a deeply scarred teenager with a talent for disappearing is the last thing on his bucket list. He promised himself to never get attached to someone like him again. To make sure the openly gay boy is safe in the clubhouse, Tooth is stuck keeping an eye on him. The big, blue, attention seeking gaze is drawing Tooth in, but fucking the president’s son is a complete no-go, even when both their feelings go beyond lust.
What Tooth doesn’t know is that Lucifer might hold the key to the closure Tooth so desperately needs.
WARNING Contains adult content: a gritty storyline, sex, explicit language, violence and abuse. Inappropriate use of dental tools and milk.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: Prostitution, Outlaw Motorcycle Club, organized crime, homophobia, family issues, coming out, discipline/punishment, organ snatching, hurt-comfort, age gap
Genre: contemporary gay erotic dark romance
Available on Amazon
Stripped Raw
by Miss Merikan
— What’s left when you strip away the lies? —
Sam. Loyal to the Coffin Nails MC. Lives by his own rules. Weakness: Damsels in distress.
Jolie. In a deeply ambiguous relationship with the Coffin Nails MC. Lives from paycheck to paycheck. Weakness: Bad boys.
As a patched member of the Coffin Nails MC, Sam is finally living the life he was destined for. A life of Harleys, guns, drugs, and eating pussy. A life of brotherhood above all.
When he goes to pick up some pot brownies for the club president’s old lady, he meets a girl so sweet, his inner wolf wants to eat her there and then. What is supposed to be a typical fling, gets damn more complicated when the Coffin Nails decide to involve the pretty blonde baker in their drugs operation.
Jolie has a knack for baking delicious cakes, but when it comes to her taste in men, she is a self-professed failure. After a disastrous relationship, she is still picking up the pieces and working three jobs to manage the financial carnage her ex left her with. The last thing she needs is a hot piece of tattooed hunk stomping into her life. Sam calls her ‘Candy’, but with a talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Jolie should be called ‘Trouble’.
To be with Jolie, Sam would have to disclose a secret he kept locked away for years. A secret so raw, that it might destroy his place in the brotherhood he’s fought so hard to be a part of.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: Outlaw motorcycle club, drugs, gender identity, secrets, misunderstandings, criminal activity, entrepreneurship, bad luck, debt
Genre: Erotic romance, suspense
Length: ~75,000 words (standalone)
WARNING: Adult content. Explicit sex, strong language, violence, and morally ambiguous protagonists.
Available on Amazon
Split - Coffin Nails MC (Contemporary New Adult Erotic Dark Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 7) Page 28