BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset)

by Parker, Kylee

  Gravity and her weight worked together and dragged her down, and it tore into Bruce’s skin, ripping it away from the flesh underneath.

  He roared into the night and he was sure they could hear it all the way down to the village. But they wouldn’t come looking. There were plenty wild animals in the mountains and he was on his own up here. With her. He shuddered.

  He turned around and swatted at Tara with his claws, catching her on the cheek. The yellow fur split into four thin lines of crimson and she made a strangled growl sound. Her eyes flashed in a blaze of white and Bruce felt more of his energy drain away. It was like she flipped a switch.

  If she did it for long enough he would be done for. He knew it instinctively.

  The rest of the Family stood around them in a circle, none of them doing anything. Lori looked at Bruce and he caught her eyes, cold and heartless. She believed he deserved this. She was as loyal to Tara as any shifter could be to their alpha.

  Bruce didn’t have time to think about the others that circled them, but he knew enough from what he felt. They weren’t doing anything, weren’t feeling anything. They were carefully uninvolved.

  He lay on the floor, panting, feeling like he’d been fighting for days. His body felt heavier than usual and the blood oozed into his fur from the gash in his shoulder. He couldn’t breathe properly, his chest moved up and down but it didn’t feel like oxygen moved in an out.

  Tara circled him, taking long lazy steps like a leopard on the prowl, her shoulders rolling. She was graceful. Graceful and deadly, and those white eyes were on him all the time, watching him, waiting for him to try something.

  Not that it would have worked if he did. But he had to do something. He wasn’t just going to roll over and submit.

  Bruce collected every last bit of energy in him, scraped it together like it had been scattered all around him, and pulled himself up until he stood on only his hind legs. He roared long and loud, turning so he faced Tara as she circled him.

  There wasn’t a lot of time to think after that. She turned, growled and launched at him. The force with which she hit him was enough to spin him around and he wrapped his arms around her. The warm body pressed against his fur and he could feel her writhing against his grip.

  If he could press hard enough he could do some serious damage. And if he won, if he managed to kill her, he would be alpha and he would be free.

  The moment he thought it, he felt the power build. Not his power, but hers. It was like she knew what he’d been thinking, knew that her place at alpha was now and stake and that if they took it any further it would become a fight to the death.

  Her power grew until it was so strong, a white light that blinded Bruce and pushed down on him until he couldn’t breathe at all. He gasped for air, tightened his arms around her, but it didn’t stop the power from growing.

  It was hot on his skin, searing hot like it would leave blisters when she was done with him.

  Somehow she managed to squirm upwards in his arms, ignoring his grip. Maybe it wasn’t as tight as he thought it was. Maybe she’d drained a lot more of him than he’d thought. She crawled over his body, and latched onto his throat, sinking her teeth into his neck.

  He felt her surround his jugular vein with her jaw, the tips of her teeth scraping against the walls of it. One bite and it would be over. He would bleed out and die. He didn’t have enough of his own power left to heal fast. If he fought her now, she was going to kill him.

  As horrible as she was, as much as he hated that his relationship with Jenna and his life in Williamsburg was at stake, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t give up, not yet.

  So he gave in, instead.

  He released Tara. He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side even though it hurt. Hey lay down and tried to make his body submissive, tried to show her that she’d won without her having to kill him for it.

  She hesitated for a moment before she opened her jaws and finally let go. She backed away, keeping her eyes on him, but he had no fight left. Maybe if Bruce was strong enough he would have gone for her when she turned her back, finished this once and for all. But there was no power, no energy. She’d sucked it all out of him, and what he had left he needed to heal himself.

  When she was far enough she turned her back on him and changed. She didn’t look at him again. Instead she turned to the others, and looked each of them in the eye. They responded by maintaining contact only for two seconds before lowering their gaze. It was a sign of submission. They weren’t going to walk the same path Bruce had walked.

  He didn’t blame them. It hurt like a bitch and losing to Tara didn’t only hurt physically, it was a massive knock to his ego.

  Tara didn’t look at him again. Instead she disappeared into the trees. The others filtered away one by one, until it was just Bruce, lying on the plateau.

  He didn’t know how long it took before he had enough strength to bring on the change again. It could have been hours. He watched the night sky, counted the stars, and waited until his body belonged to him again.

  When he brought on the change his shoulder hurt more. The change was supposed to help with the healing process, it often made it faster, but he’d never been sucked dry like that.

  It felt like it hadn’t healed at all. Still, once he was a human he noticed that he hadn’t lost as much blood as he’d thought. He inspected his shoulder. It was slowly healing, the skin knitting itself together again. He would be okay. Physically rather than emotionally, but it was a start.

  He wanted to see Jenna. He wanted to go to her and just let her take care of him. Her hands were quick, he’d watched her cut hair, and he knew that the compassion and purity inside of her would make her a good healer and caretaker. But he couldn’t go there now, not like this. He yearned for her, an ache so deep inside it chewed at his very essence. But he was going to have to distance himself from her, not just today, but in general. He had to keep her safe. He could stalk her and make sure she was alright, but she could never see him like this.

  He stayed in the woods. He didn’t shift again, didn’t try to hunt. He would need the blood and he was going to pay for the lack of it for the next couple of nights, but he needed to save his energy to heal.

  His neck had four punctures in it where Tara’s teeth had broken the skin. They healed last. Even though they wounds were small they were like little reminders that he’d lost. Reminders of who was boss. There were more scratches and gashes on his body that he hadn’t felt during the fight. It was almost like she’d made little holes where she’d stolen his power from.

  By the time he was finally healed up it was sunrise. He’d been out in the forest all night, as a human. He was chilled to the bone, teeth chattering and clothes ripped.

  He made his way down the mountain. He tripped once or twice, scraped his palms, but he kept going until he reached his cabin. He didn’t have the day off, but if he could just sleep for a short while…

  But he wanted to see Jenna. He wanted to speak to her. He just wanted to be reminded that life wasn’t as bad as it felt right now and make sure that she was okay. If Jenna was alright, and his friendship with her was still intact, everything was going to be alright. That was what all this was for, wasn’t it? She was what it was all for. He wasn’t going to deny it.

  He got in the shower and washed off the dried blood from his skin. It ran down the drain in a wash of brown water and the metallic smell filled the bathroom. The animal inside of him smelled his blood, his own blood, and it wasn’t happy.

  He wasn’t happy, either. No matter what happened, he wasn’t going to lose to Tara again. He just had to bide his time, make it work for him. This wasn’t going to be over soon, but it would end one day.

  When he was done showering he got into a fresh pair of jeans and pulled a t-shirt over his damp hair. He looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes had dark circles underneath and he looked haunted, but there was no sign of his injuries on his neck.

  The skin on his sho
ulder was still pink and paper thin, raw, but it was hidden under the shirt. As long as Jenna didn’t hug him she wouldn’t know. And he wouldn’t let that happen. He wasn’t going to risk having her that close, because then he would want to keep her there and not let go.

  He opened the door of his cabin and stepped into the morning light. There was no sign of the night. The darkness had dissipated and everything that had happened up in the mountains was like a distant dream.

  It still stung, but it felt unreal.

  Bruce took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He had almost all his strength back. The healing would go fast now. By the time he got to the lumber yard he would be fine to work. Tired but not hurt.

  He walked the road that wound through the cabins. Many of the villagers were up and about, doing house chores, tending to fields and animals or heading to work, and he waved at them as he passed. It was good to know people.

  He didn’t want to leave. Tara couldn’t run him out of town. He would fight for these people. For Jenna.

  With a pang he realized he would die for them, too, if it came down to it.

  He rounded the bend and saw Jenna’s cabin. He upped his pace, jammed his fists in his pockets, but as soon as he saw the front door he stopped in his tracks.

  Drew stood in front of the door, and it was open. Jenna leaned against the door post with her shoulder, and she was smiling. Smiling! Bruce hopped to the side and hid behind a tree like a teenager. He’d grown up in the woods. He could make himself invisible between the trees. From where he stood he watched her. She was nodding and smiling while Drew was talking, and it looked very friendly. Too friendly.

  Wasn’t it just the other day Jenna had told him she didn’t want to be with Drew but he wouldn’t leave her alone?

  Bruce narrowed his eyes and he felt the bear inside him get up and shake itself. He wanted suddenly to take a claw and scrape it through Drew’s face, mess up whatever Jenna was smiling about.

  Bruce yanked the thought back with a jolt. It was a terrible thing to think, and the severity of it knocked him. He took a deep breath, blew it out, and took another. In. Out. In. Out. Until he felt better about it. Jenna was just talking. That wasn’t wrong, right?

  Jealousy reared its ugly head and he felt it alone the inside of his skin, scraping at his sanity, making him want to lose it all over again. Making his wild side bristle.

  It wasn’t just a casual conversation. She had her head tipped like she usually did with Bruce. And that dimple in her cheek that only showed when she was shy. Or when she was about to blush. A moment later Drew stepped into the house and the door shut behind him. Bruce felt like he was going to burst into flame. His bear was clawing at his insides, fighting the lack of blood and trying to get out. But Bruce held it at bay.

  He squeezed his eyes shut, and instead of charging Drew and telling him to get the hell away from Jenna, he turned back to the road and kept walking.

  Chapter 2

  The days after her mother’s death were dark. It wasn’t as hard on Jenna anymore now that she didn’t have to take care of her, but she would have done it every day for the rest of her life if it meant having her mother back. She felt terribly alone.

  Sure, she had Bruce, but things just weren’t the same now. She’d felt like they were really close, like he could replace the family she’d once had if they would go that far. Now that he had Tara, and Tara quite obviously didn’t like Jenna, it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  Jenna wasn’t only mourning her mother. She was also mourning Bruce.

  She woke up earlier than usual. The night air was alive with something that crawled over her skin. She could feel it crackle in the air, despite the pending dawn that sat on the horizon, threatening to chase away the night with sunlight. But it was still there, stronger than it usually was.

  Jenna knew she was probably being silly, but she couldn’t go back to bed. So she started on her chores and by the time the sun came up she was done. The only thing left now was to sort out her mother’s home so that someone else could move into it. The cabins here in Williamsburg were almost public. They were there for the next person to move into when he or she was old enough and independent enough. Holding onto her mother’s place wouldn’t only stop her from letting go of the past, but it would stop the future from happening for her and for someone else.

  She walked across the road and pushed the door open. The first light of dawn bled from the horizon into the sky, turning it into a dim gray. The cabin was dark, and the same eerie feeling that had ridden the night hung between the walls.

  Jenna knew this was just her imagination, but it felt real. Too real. She took a deep breath and pushed into the house, ignoring what she was feeling.

  She started with the kitchen and worked her way through every room that wasn’t as personal as the bedroom. She dreaded sorting out the bedroom, the room where the memories of her father were just as strong as her mother had been until now. She would do that later.

  By the time she was done Jenna had worked up a sweat, the sun poured into the windows chasing the shadows away, and it was time to get ready for work.

  She went home, glancing in Bruce’s direction as she passed. She couldn’t see his cabin from here, but she imagined it being dead and quiet as it often was in the morning when he was out.

  When she got to her own cabin, Drew sat on the step that led up to the small porch in front of the door. Jenna took a deep breath and forced a smile. She hadn’t been prepared for him today, but she wasn’t going to be able to get him away now. Not unless she spoke to him.

  “Morning,” she said and stopped in front of him. He glanced up at her, starting at her feet and rolling her eyes over her body. She fought the urge to blush at the intensity of his gaze.

  “Hey,” he finally answered.

  “You’re here early.”

  He nodded. “I wanted to check on you, see if you were okay,” he said. “I know its rough losing someone.”

  Jenna nodded and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry. It was sweet of Drew, thoughtful. The death was so fresh she felt so raw.

  “I’m okay,” she answered but her voice was thick, and she knew it was a lie. She was pretending to be okay, but she wasn’t. Not really.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

  You can leave me alone, she thought, but she didn’t say it. He was being nice for asking, and if she really thought about it, she needed someone. Anyone. She just wanted a shoulder to cry on. A guy she could rely on that wasn’t in love with someone else. Something that didn’t hurt.

  “I have to get cleaned up for work,” Jenna said. “I spent the morning cleaning. But you can come in and have some coffee while I get ready, then you can walk me in?”

  Drew nodded and stood up. He was smiling and he looked down to try and hide it from her. She opened the door and turned in the doorway, leaning against the doorpost.

  “This doesn’t mean that I like you,” Jenna said, but she couldn’t help smiling as she did it. Drew didn’t take it as an insult. Jenna realized she was flirting with him. With Drew of all people. And it wasn’t bad. It felt good not to have to hold back, even if it meant it wasn’t Bruce that she ended up with.

  “Hey, a while ago I wasn’t even allowed inside,” he answered. “Progress.”

  She smiled, tipped her head to the side and felt a blush creeping up even though she didn’t think Drew was that kind of attractive. Even though she’d never seen him that way. But the way he was looking at her made her feel beautiful and special, even though she was grimy from the hard work and her hair was still in the braid she slept with. He looked at her like she was wearing her Sunday clothes and she’d gotten prettied up just for him.

  “Can you make coffee?” she asked, teasing.

  He nodded. “I can’t do much, but I can do that. I’m not really fit for a kitchen.”

  “The woman’s job, hey?” Jenna asked. She laughed, but Drew just nodded. Her laughter sli
d away again, draining away. She couldn’t joke with Drew the way she did with Bruce. He would have commented that the woman’s job was to another person, and the man’s job was to accept her as an equal.

  She would have laughed at him and said that he wouldn’t fit into the world if that was how he saw it, and he would shrug like he knew what fitting in meant and no one really did. She sighed and let go of the thoughts and the memories, returned to the now with Drew in front of her.

  Jenna stepped to the side and let Drew into her house. It felt cramped with two people in the tiny cabin. It had never felt like this before, but Jenna ignored it and pointed to the kitchen.

  “There’s the kettle. The coffee is in the cabinet above. It’s instant so you’ll be fine. I’ll be out in a bit.”

  She walked to her bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it with her back. There was a man in her house, a man that was very interested in her. He was making coffee in her kitchen, waiting for her to come out so that he could dote one her. And she was fighting the urge to hide out in her room.

  She straightened herself out and forced herself to be rational. She’d invited him in after all, and the only way she was going to be able to get over her silly little crush on a man that wasn’t available, was to find someone else.

  Drew wasn’t a bad guy. She just couldn’t help think that he wasn’t exactly the right guy, either. But that didn’t matter. Maybe, with time, he would be.

  After she showered and they had coffee, Jenna got up and Drew walked her to the door. He opened the door for her and held it, following after and closing again. A gentleman. They walked side by side to the salon where Jenna worked before Drew turned to her.

  “I know you don’t want this to go anywhere, but do you want to go out for dinner this Friday?”

  He looked at Jenna and he was hopeful. She’d shot him down so many times she was surprised he was still trying. She nodded.

  “Yeah, okay,” she said. Drew looked at her for a second before his face changed, surprise and then happiness. He’d expected her to say no again.