Devil’s Pride
About the Authors
MISSY JOHNSON is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in a small town in Victoria, Australia, with her husband and her confused pets (a dog who thinks that she is a cat, a cat who thinks he is a dog…you get the picture). When she’s not writing, she can usually be found looking for something to read.
www.missycjohnson.com
Facebook.com/MissycJohnson
@MissycJohnson
ASHLEY SUZANNE has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a youngster, she was always creating stories and talking to her imaginary friends. Thankfully, her parents also carried this love of fiction, and helped her grow into the bestselling author she is today. When Suzanne isn’t coming up with her next story, you’ll most likely find her on the couch, telling her husband all about her new book boyfriend, or spending quality time with her two gremlins…er, adorable children.
www.booksbyashleysuzanne.com
Facebook.com/AshleySuzanneBooks
@ItsAshleyYo
ashleysuzanneauthor.blogspot.com
The Editor’s Corner
May flowers are abloom and so are our fabulous Loveswept romances—beautiful covers and stories to fill your eReaders to the brim!
New this month is New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff’s next Ethan Frost installment, Exposed—the more time I can spend with Chloe and Ethan the more “happy-happy-happy” I am. Next up is a new storyteller we’ve added to our list, Gina Gordon, and her risqué love affair, Rush, where a bad boy shows a straitlaced law student how to slow down and savor the good things. And what happens when you start falling for your worst enemy? New York Times bestselling author Missy Johnson and debut author Ashley Suzanne tell you all about it in Breaking Noah. The final installment of The Devil’s Den dancers by Violetta Rand also comes out this month, so look for Sin. The third book in Cecy Robson’s Shattered Past series Once Pure, will be on sale as well, where true love lands a knockout punch.
Western contemporary fans will be thrilled to know USA Today bestselling author Tina Leonard’s Last of the Red-Hot Riders will be available, featuring the toughest rodeo rider in Hell, Texas.
And, PNR fans, never fear—Witches Be Burned, a Magic & Mayhem novel releases from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy, where a rookie guardian sworn to combat the undead risks life and love in a world of violence, witchcraft, and seduction.
New Adult audiences will enjoy Amber Hart’s Captured by You, the sequel to Until You Find Me, in which Raven and Jospin must fight for each other in a world where love is never safe—and power is deadly.
Meet new friends this month with Loveswept books—stories that invite you on fabulous journeys with some pretty amazing characters. Who knows, you may find a new book boyfriend, too!
Until next month ~Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for an excerpt from
Devil’s Pride
by Missy Johnson and Ashley Suzanne
Available from Loveswept
Prologue
Annika
“My. Mother. Told. Me. To. Pick. The. Very. Best. One. And. You. Are. Not. It,” I whisper, going back and forth between two dresses. They’re both so beautiful, but only one will be perfect. I just don’t know which one.
“Annie, come on, honey. Ryder will be here any minute,” my mother yells up the stairs.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
Picking up my phone, and still undecided on the dress, I call my best friend, Sommer. She’ll know exactly what to do. The second she answers, I don’t waste time with pleasantries.
“Blue or gray?” I ask.
“Are we talking about the dresses again? Just pick one already. You look great in both.”
“I wouldn’t have bought them if I didn’t, Sommer. But tonight has to be perfect. I finally got him to ask me on a date. And to homecoming, no less. Please, Sommer, just pick for me. That way if it goes terribly wrong, I have someone else to blame,” I joke.
“Go with the gray. Your eyes look amazing with that color.”
Hanging up and tossing the phone on the bed, I stand in front of the mirror and step into the gray number, the top strapless and the bottom floor length, with a slit to my upper thigh. Spinning in slow, meticulous circles, I look for any imperfections. Anything that will scream out at me that this is the wrong choice. When I can’t find anything, I release the clip on top of my head, letting the chestnut tendrils fall down my back and around my face.
I’m not vain by any means, but I have to say I look amazing. I look like nothing Ryder has ever seen before. He’s used to me hanging out with the guys in ripped jeans and dirty sneakers. When I walk down those stairs, his jaw’s going to drop.
“Come on, Annie.” I faintly hear a knock at the front door and silently thank my mother for the last-minute warning. Taking a few deep breaths, I carry my shoes in my hand, worried that my lack of walking in heels will result in me being rushed to the emergency room instead of going to the dance. That just can’t happen. Not tonight.
At the landing, I grab on to the banister and pray I look as graceful and classy as I feel. A strong hand comes down on my shoulder. Glancing back, I take in the shocked look of my oldest brother, Nik.
“You look gorgeous, Annika. He better not try anything. I swear I’ll kill him.” Gritting his jaw, he tries to peek around the half-wall separating us from the people downstairs.
“Get a grip, Nik. He’s only taking me because you won’t let me date anyone. If you had it your way, I’d be going with you or Marx tonight. Thank God for Ryder.” I try not to think about it, but it’s the truth. In this world, the world that my family and Ryder’s family live in, girls like me have no chance. Instead of having just two protective brothers, I have an entire clan full of them.
The Devils MC is one of the most notorious clubs around. Everyone in town knows not to screw with these guys. It’s never shocked me that boys don’t ask me out like they do the other girls. I don’t get asked for my phone number. I’ve never been felt up under the bleachers. Hell, I’ve kissed only one boy before, and he was new in town and had no idea who my family was. That was my first and last kiss.
I love the family. I love all my uncles. I love everything about it…except that. Being the daughter and sister of a member is both a blessing and a curse. I’ve never felt more loved and safe, but there’s not much I wouldn’t give to have a boy come over to watch a movie and end up messing around under the blanket. Every other sixteen-year-old girl gets to experience it; I just want the same chance.
“You better get down there. He ain’t gonna wait forever.” I turn and squeeze Nik around his middle, and he walks back to his room and I begin my descent.
The moment my eyes connect with Ryder’s my knees get a little shaky. Here’s the secret. Ryder may be only doing my brother and my dad a favor by taking me to this dance, but it’s more than that to me. I’ve loved Ryder since…forever. Growing up, he and my brother were as thick as thieves, always running in the same crowds and hanging out. He was always around. Looking in from the outside, he was just another one of my brothers looking out for me, but if you looked in my heart, you’d see that he’s the only boy I’ve ever loved.
I have no delusion that he could—or would, for that matter—feel anything back for me, but for just this one night I get to pretend. In my head, I know exactly what this is—like I said before, one club brother doing a favor for another—but in my heart, Ryder is taking me on our first date. He’s going to dance with me. Make me laugh. And in my fantasy dream world, he’s going to kiss me good night and maybe even feel me up a little when he does so.
“Lookin’ good, Annie,” Ryder calls, taking a few steps toward me and assisting me down the last few steps.
“You look great, too.” He really does. I didn’t expect a tux or anything, but Ryder is wearing a pair of tight jeans and a black button-up shirt rolle
d to his elbows, and I can’t imagine him looking any better.
“Let me get a picture, you two. You kids look fantastic. Like royalty.” My mother grabs the camera from her purse and poses us in front of the door. I stand next to Ryder, not too close, but close enough where it looks like we could actually be going on a date. To my surprise, Ryder takes my arm and pulls me closer to him, situating me cocked to the side yet in front of him. He wraps his strong arm around my middle and drags me even closer, so I feel his warmth through his clothes and my dress. Shivering slightly, I brazenly place my hands over his, which are clasped across my stomach.
“Smile,” my mother coaches, and I do. I mean I really do. I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have him hold me. I don’t have to dream about it anymore.
—
Everything about the dance is exactly how I’d pictured it in my head. It’s my junior year, but with the luck I have with boys, or the luck that’s forced on me, I’ve never been to anything like this, making it all the more special that it’s Ryder who is my escort for the evening.
Streamers and balloons flood the vast space of the school gym, lunch tables strategically placed around the outskirts of the room, leaving the center open for a dance floor, and one longer table set up with a few punch bowls and snacks. A few of my friends meet us as soon as we walk in, but I quickly brush them away. I get to spend time with them every day. My alone time with Ryder is much more valuable.
We find a couple open spots at a table and take our seats. The DJ is playing everything from slow songs to ones that make you want to shake your ass, and all the girls do, of course. Ryder keeps surprising me, though. Not once has he paid any attention to the girls seductively grinding together in large groups on the dance floor, all to gain his attention, I’m sure.
At sixteen, most girls go for the bad boy. The older boy. And Ryder just happens to be both. A biker who might be only a few years older than us, but he’s already done with school—the age of a college kid, but he doesn’t go to any university. He’s mostly a townie, hanging around here with his dad and the club.
But with his ruggedly handsome face, nearly shaved head, muscles, and tattoos, he’s every teenage girl’s dream boyfriend. And he’s here with me, making me the most hated girl in the room.
And I’m okay with it. Because I get one night with Ryder.
As the dancing sluts realize that they’re not going to garner Ryder’s attention with their impeccable whore skills, they fade away just as the song they were gyrating to changes to something slower. Staring down at my lap, I try to visualize what it would be like to dance with Ryder. Him and me being so close there’s barely room for air between us, his hands firmly pressed against my lower back and my head gently resting on his chest.
“You wanna dance, Annie?” he asks, catching me off guard. I quickly whip my head up, staring him dead in the eyes, wondering if my imagination is that good and it’s my fantasy getting the better of me. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
“Annie? Dance?” he repeats himself. I nod, a little too eager, but he doesn’t make fun of me, instead smiling his signature grin. He stands first, helping me to my feet, which are crammed into the heels I’m sure I’ll never wear again.
Leading me to the dance floor, it’s like my dream is playing out in front of me. Ryder pulls me close and begins to fluidly move around the room. With my head on his chest, his heartbeat keeping me in time with him, it’s as if nobody else is in the room with us. Only him and me slowing gliding together.
Taking a deep breath, I risk looking up at him, and he seems to be enjoying himself—mouthing the words of the song. He looks peaceful. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him look this…normal. Almost like he’s a kid just like me.
“This is really nice,” I whisper, looking down before he has a chance to see how pink my cheeks get. After a moment or two of no response, I look up through my lashes to see him staring back down at me.
“It really is. These girls are going to hate you tomorrow. I’m sorry.” They already hate me. What could make them hate me more? And why is he apologizing?
Before I can ask him these questions, his hand gently raises my chin and his lips slightly brush over mine in the sweetest kiss. Butterflies dance in my stomach and stars flash behind my partially closed lids. Braver than I’ve ever been in my life, I pull his head back to mine and instigate another brief kiss.
“Your brother’s gonna kill me when he finds out,” he mutters between light pecks. Pulling my body closer to his, I can feel Ryder’s arousal against my stomach.
“We just won’t tell him, then.” It seems logical. Nik knows only what he’s told, and as long as Ryder and I are careful, there’s nothing to tell him.
So that’s what we do for the next two years, until I graduate. We have secret dates that nobody knows about. Nobody has the chance to tell Nik anything, and he’s none the wiser.
The night of my graduation was the last night I was a virgin. Giving a part of myself to Ryder that will forever be his. A part of my soul. I’d loved him as far back as I could remember, and that night we spent together had solidified all of those feelings I’d had, and I’d thought he’d shared them, too.
But I was wrong. Really wrong. Had I waited another day or even two, I might still have that piece of me that I willingly gave to him. I’d be able to give it to someone who deserved it.
But that’s what love does, especially when you’re blinded by it.
Ryder wasn’t Ryder anymore. Ryder died a while ago, leaving Ace in his place. And all Ace was good for was a roll in the sheets and maybe a ride on his bike.
Chapter 1
Ace
I down a mouthful of my drink and glance around the club room. There are people everywhere who’ve come to support Axel, even though it was his own damn fault he got arrested. I told the kid a hundred times you don’t want to be messing with a cop’s daughter, but of course he didn’t listen, claiming he was in love with the chick.
Daddy found out one of our brothers was banging his sweet little angel and went psycho, actually planting drugs on the kid. Not that he needed to—Axel had plenty of his own. So now he’s sitting in county, because he can’t afford the hundred-grand bail that’s been put on his head.
He doesn’t need to worry, though, because we’ve got his back. The patch he wears makes sure of it, no matter how fucking stupid he is.
“Hey, Ace, long time, huh?”
I spin my stool around and see Marx standing a few feet away from me, apprehensive, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Awkwardly shifting his weight around, like he doesn’t know how I’m going to react to seeing him. His stance indicates he’s ready to split at the first sign of trouble. I stand up, at which he takes a step back. Before he has a chance to bolt, I rush him and throw my arms around his small frame. He breaths a sigh of relief, reciprocating the gesture, pounding my back with his fist.
“Marx, holy shit, I didn’t expect to see you here, man. How’ve you been?” I ask, releasing my grip and ushering him to the stool next to mine.
“Yeah, good. You know how it is. Trying to stay out of trouble. Cruz asked us to come, so we did, you know? It’s good to see you.”
My jaw tenses at the mention of Cruz’s name.
Long before I put on this patch, well before I was Ace and he was Cruz, at a time when we were just Nikolas and Ryder—we were best friends. Nik was my brother long before we had bikes—shit, before we had pubes. Our dads, founding members of the Devils MC, didn’t give us a choice when we hit eighteen, and patched us in immediately. I can’t prove it, but when my pops died, in my gut I knew Cruz had something to do with it. Needless to say, when he was promoted to president, I was fucking pissed. Everybody knew it, probably because I didn’t try to hide it, which caused some riffs in the brotherhood, to the point that I almost left.
But this is my life. My family. It’s the only life I’d ever known.
“Yeah, you know he wouldn’t miss this.”
I did know that. Not even being paralyzed from the waist down could stop Dom from being involved in the club. I watch him laughing with a few of the older members, amazed at how he can still command attention so easily. Dom should have been president. It was his spot to take after my pops died. But the bylaws state if you can’t ride, you can’t lead.
A pretty young brunette strolls up to him, handing him a drink. She’s a stunner, with her long, wavy hair and deep green eyes. She looks up, her gaze meeting mine for a second, and she smiles, blushes, then looks away. Everything about her seems so familiar, yet I can’t place her for the life of me. She’s definitely not a club rat—too damn pretty.
“You good, Daddy?” I hear her ask Dom. He nods and goes back to his conversation.
Holy shit. That’s Annika.
“You mind not gawking at my sister with your mouth hanging open like that? Cruz sees you looking at her like that he’ll kill you,” Marx says and chuckles, his eyes crinkling with amusement, taking a swig of his beer.
I quickly shut my mouth, unsure of the feelings that are stirring. A few years away living with their mom and going to school really shows. She sure as shit isn’t little Annie anymore.
“Nah, I’m just shocked at how much she’s grown up. Last time I saw her was when she was this scrawny little teenager,” I mumble. “When did she get back?”
“Last week.” He shrugs. “I think she felt bad about not being around to help out with Dad. Speaking of which, I should probably get over there. Good to see you again, man.”
“Yeah, you, too. Stop by one night and we’ll catch up properly. You in town for a while?” I ask.
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