by KB Winters
“Door!” I shouted at Slick Asshole, who seemed to be frozen in fear. “The goddamn door!”
Finally, he jumped into action and pressed the close button just as Scorch and one of his men stood in front of the closing doors. I fired three shots as the car began to move. “Holy shit! What the fuck?” Slick Asshole stared at Mandy, eyes wide with terror.
“Two dead assholes,” I told him and then collapsed to the floor of the elevator. I’d been shot before, a few flesh wounds and one that ripped through my stomach years ago, so I knew the deal, but I was losing blood fast.
“Savior! Shit, you’re hurt.” She cupped my face and I knew what she saw, my eyes glassy and dazed. Her eyes missed nothing, staring at my shoulder spurting blood. “Jacket,” she barked at the man, snapping her fingers and I had to smile. Mandy was still trying to control the uncontrollable. “Shirt too,” she said distractedly.
“This suit costs—”
“Give me the fucking clothes!”
If I wasn’t in so much pain and losing blood like I had any to spare, I would have laughed at how quickly Slick Asshole removed his jacket and then his button-up shirt.
“Here,” he shoved his jacket at Mandy and watched as she folded it and put it under my head, then the expensive silk blue shirt.
She snapped her fingers again and pointed to his bony chest. He got it, peeling off his wife beater and handing it to her with shaky hands. Shock. Despite his mobster look, the guy was probably an Ivy Leaguer who’d never even heard a gunshot outside of TV.
“Thank you, Drake.” She balled up the t-shirt and pressed it to my shoulder, pulling a string of colorful curses from me. “Sorry, but we have to stop the bleeding.”
“I know. You worried about me, Pixie?” My smile was weak, but her lips curved in response.
Then turned into a glare. “You took a bullet for me dumbass, of course I am.” Her expression softened, eyes the color of jade flickered with worry and maybe even affection.
Despite the pressure, the elevator floor was more red than blue at this point as blood spurted out of my shoulder. It was probably an artery, I thought as black spots clouded my vision.
“Aww, Mandy, I love you too.” At least I thought that was what I said to her, but what the hell did I know?
Chapter 23
Mandy
My heart never pounded so much in my entire life as it did when I watched Savior’s big strong body crumple to the floor in a bloody heap. Having him passed out in my arms might have induced a heart attack, but I couldn’t move my hands, not with the way the blood spurted out. I didn’t know much about wounds, but in culinary school we’d all had our fair share of cuts so I knew the first key was to stop the bleeding.
One look at Drake and I wanted to scream, but his back was to me while he whispered into the phone. I wondered who he could possibly be talking to at a time like this, but I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t my place. I was just a future employee. Drake ended his call and pocketed his phone before turning to me with a frown. “We have a concierge doctor on staff, he’s meeting us in the penthouse suite.”
“Thanks, Drake. Sorry about all this, and I can pay for the suit.” My voice wobbled in relief. There was no way Savior would make it even if we got him to a car right now, not in Vegas traffic. The hospital was an easy twenty minutes away on a good night.
“You can pay for the suit?”
I understood his question even as I ignored his incredulous tone.
“A lifetime of dead family members will do that,” I told him, my gaze still on Savior, whose pulse had slowed enough that my own heart lurched into my stomach.
“Shit. Tough girl.”
I shrugged. I wasn’t tough. No, I was numb and hollow. Too much loss and not enough of anything else.
“Life demands it. Look Drake, I’m sorry about all this and I completely get it if you want to rescind the job offer.”
He frowned, his hazel eyes sparking gold against the mirrored walls of the elevator. “You kidding me? Your boyfriend saved my life. The job is still yours, if you’re not traumatized every time you come to work.” His hand shook as it scraped through his dark hair, which wasn’t as perfectly coifed as it had been earlier.
I nodded at his words, but I couldn’t focus on him when Savior was unconscious and bleeding. “Come on, Savior, wake up! Say something dirty or stupid or piss me off! Please!” I leaned over and touched my forehead to his, feeling something in my heart crack wide open at the sight of him lying there. Lifeless. I couldn’t lose him.
“I never would have pegged you to date a biker.” Drake’s words drifted down, disbelief coloring his words.
“I’m not. We’re not dating, not really.” Hell, I hadn’t seen Savior in at least a week and I’d been fully prepared to leave town without a goodbye.
“The man took a bullet for you and said he loved you, so maybe between physical therapy and playing nurse to him, you might want to figure your shit out.”
At my incredulous look, he shrugged. “I need you one hundred percent when you start, and a confectioner in love will make me plenty of money.”
I couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped. “Your concern is overwhelming.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to tamp it down.”
The doors finally slid open at the penthouse and I looked down at Savior again, limp and lifeless. “Vick! Wake up.” I tapped his cheek lightly, silently pleading with him to come to. There was no way Drake and I could carry him even a few feet.
“Savior,” I practically shouted. His lips curled at the corners first and then those big blue eyes fluttered open and I swear, my heart straight up sighed. “There you are,” I said on a whisper. “I need you to stand up so we can get you to the doctor.”
His face, already twisted in pain, turned hard. “No fucking hospital.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stubborn ass. My new boss has a fancy doctor on staff, so just get on your damn feet and lean on us so we can get you looked at.”
I handed Drake his jacket. He put it on, smoothing it down over his bare chest.
Savior blinked and nodded, grunting as Drake and I helped him to his feet. “Where the hell was your security, uhm …”
“Drake,” he filled in for him. “And I’ve got someone looking into just that now. Thanks for that.”
Savior grunted as we got him into the suite and onto the bed. The doctor, a bald man in a nice blue suit and crisp brown eyes, helped us get him on the bed. While the doctor looked him over, I pulled out my phone, trying to figure out who to call. Savior’s grasp tightened on my hand and I looked down at him with a smile.
“Take it easy, cowboy, I’m just telling everyone you’re all right.” His grip didn’t loosen and I stood there beside him. I could tell them later. Right now, I was just glad Savior was okay.
The doctor cut his long sleeve t-shirt off and examined the wound, drawing a wince from Savior. He turned to me. “Can you grab some towels? I need to flush this out.” Then he started preparing a bunch of medical stuff and I gave Savior’s hand one last squeeze before leaving the room.
All I could think about as I grabbed two handfuls of fluffy white towels from the bathroom was that Savior had taken a bullet for me. He’d come to watch out for me, maybe even to support me and I’d been an insensitive asshole for the past few weeks. He said he loved me and I wanted to believe him. I wasn’t sure I believed in love, didn’t even know if I could love after losing my brother, but my heart wanted to believe Savior loved me.
Which meant I was totally fucking screwed.
Because I loved him too. The way my heart stopped when he collapsed, the bone deep ache in my stomach from missing him, had been trying to tell me what I was determined to ignore. That despite my insistence, my better judgment and my hardened heart, I’d fallen in love with a biker. A soldier.
“I can feel you staring at me, Pixie. Get your sweet ass in here.”
I didn’t know how he knew I was there, watching him but I
didn’t care. I needed to be near him.
And when I was, I couldn’t stop touching him, assuring myself that he was okay while the doctor arranged the towels underneath him. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thanks to you, Pixie.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “It’s a through and through and I’ve cleaned and bandaged it up. I have some painkillers and antibiotics I can give you now, as well as prescriptions for later.”
He gave a few care instructions and left his card, before leaving us alone in the suite. Drake had already left, probably to fire his security team, if I had to make a guess. Probably grabbing a shirt before he chewed someone’s ass.
“I guess I’m going to have to take care of you.” The idea of that didn’t sound so bad.
“Yeah? Where you gonna do that, Pixie, your mysterious hotel room?”
My shoulders deflated at his words. He was right. I had a job and until that one started, a temporary job taking care of Savior. And no place to live.
“Don’t you worry about that, I can take care of you and look for a place to live.”
He shook his head, clasping our hands together. “No need. My place is big enough for two.”
“I’m not moving in with you,” I told him, smiling against his lips before sealing them together in a kiss that was both tender and thrilling. Sweet and hot. He winced and that was my cue to pull back, still smiling.
“I meant it, you know, Pixie. I do love you.”
Tears pooled in my eyes and I felt like one of those silly women who got all choked up at the barest hint of affection, but I could tell behind the pain and behind his own fear of saying such significant words, that he meant it. He really did love me. But it wasn’t something I could handle right now. I believed him, but tonight had been … a lot. I kissed him softly and pulled back. “Tell me again when you haven’t lost a few gallons of blood.”
“Don’t worry … I … will,” he said, smiling sleepily before he passed out.
I smiled and sat beside him, holding his hand and watching him sleep for hours. This, me and Savior, was something special. And scary as hell. But as I sat there, letting the slow rise and fall of his sleeping form soothe my frazzled nerves, I knew I wouldn’t run away from it again. Things might end badly, and they probably would if history was any indication, but I had a feeling it would be amazing in the meantime.
But first, I needed to clean all this blood off of me.
Epilogue
Six months. Savior and I had been living together for six months and it hadn’t turned bad. I was even starting to believe that it might not. Which was cause for celebration.
Today was supposed to be my day off but I’d spent a few hours in the morning checking over the chocolates I’d ordered from South America and putting together a few gourmet baskets I wanted to test out in the shop. I dropped one off for Drake and took the others to Jana and Teddy, who’d had their babies eight weeks apart. Visiting with them, watching two new mothers fall in love with their children was gratifying. And it solidified what I wanted to do today.
What I needed to do.
When I got home, I took a long hot shower and set the scene. I didn’t want Jana and Teddy to make a big deal out of it, so I stopped at a craft store on the way home and got everything I needed. It took a few minutes to get everything in place, but when it was, I got dolled up and slipped into the only pair of stilettos I owned. And then I waited for Savior to get home from the clubhouse.
At least he wasn’t on one of those mysterious out of town trips they took every other month. I didn’t ask and didn’t want to know, but I always felt happy relief when he came back to me. Safe and smiling.
“Pixie?”
I smiled at the sound of his deep voice and that damned nickname he insisted on calling me. “In here,” I called to him when I stepped out of the bathroom attached to our bedroom, my heart double palpitating in my chest as his footsteps grew closer. I didn’t think he’d reject me but still I felt anxious. Terrified.
His footsteps stopped in the doorway and his lips parted slightly, blue eyes turned as dark as the desert night sky. “You trying to kill me, babe?”
My heart lifted right along with my lips at his words, his gritty tone filled with need. “Not at all, I’m trying to seduce you.”
We both really needed a proper seduction after six months of injuries, with healing and physical therapy we’d only had a few clumsy attempts at getting off. “Is it working?”
He stepped forward, hand gripping his thick cock and he quirked a brow, smiling beneath his newly trimmed beard. “What do you think?”
I couldn’t resist brushing his hand aside and gripping him in my fist. And squeezing. “I think my mouth is watering.”
“And I think ribbons are my new favorite fucking thing.” His eyes raked over my body, confirming that all the time I’d spent wrapping the thick satiny ribbon around my body in a peekaboo pattern, was totally worth it. “Come here.”
I shook my head and his hands shot to my waist, pulling me close and kissing my neck. Big, warm hands slid up and down my body, stoking the fire that had been burning since I wrapped myself up for him. “Savior,” I moaned, nipping at the muscle between his shoulder and neck.
“I can’t believe you did this. For me?” His eyes filled with awe and a hell of a lot of heat as I nodded and cupped his face, letting my fingers slide through his beard.
“I figured this and that memory was the best place to start.” That day on the water had seemed like such an anomaly, a rare genuinely happy day, but in hindsight it was when he started working his magic, tearing down my walls.
“For what?” The heat was still there, banked, but also concern. I wasn’t worried because I knew it would soon be gone. “For what, Pixie?”
I pressed my lips to his, smiling when his hand found one edge of the ribbon and tugged, groaning when I stepped back. “To tell you that I love you. You’re insane and you’re brash, short tempered and so overprotective that I want to bite you and not in a sexy way.”
“You could have stopped at ‘I love you’.” He sounded grumpy.
I rolled my eyes and scraped my nails along his bearded jaw, drawing a low purr from him. “I wasn’t sure I could love anyone anymore, thought my heart was too battered and broken for that, but you found a way in and I think it started with that day on the water. Laughing together, forgetting all the shit even just for a few hours. I love you, Savior.”
“Again,” he growled.
“I. Love. You.” I slid my hands under the hem of his t-shirt, letting my hands glide up his hard abs and chest. “I know it took me forever to say it,” I smiled sheepishly.
“Pretty damn close,” he mumbled.
“But I had to wait until I was ready. Until we were ready and I could say it. Today is that day.”
He kissed my mouth, my neck and my shoulder, his words from San Diego echoing in my mind. He slowly unraveled the ribbon, putting kisses everywhere the ribbon uncovered. “Ah, sweet Pixie. I love you too, babe and hearing you finally say it, fuck, I just want to spend the rest of the day worshipping you.”
“Mmm, sounds good to me.” My head tilted back and I smiled.
He cupped my face, his gaze intense and filled with pure love. “You’re mine, Mandy. I’m yours. And I’m keeping you forever. How does that sound?”
I smiled and licked my lips, feeling my heart swell bigger than it had ever felt before. “Fan-fucking-tastic.”
* * * *
~ T H E ~ E N D ~
Wow! I hope you loved this story as much as I loved writing it! Turn the page for super yummy goodness! I’ve even added a sneak peek of the next book Wonderfully Wicked Reckless Bastards MC! Stay tuned!
Wonderfully Wrecked
Reckless Bastards MC
By USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
KB Winters
Copyright © 2018 KB Winters and BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
Published B
y: BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
Copyright and Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 KB Winters and BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Chapter 1
Rocky
“Tell me what he said, Kody.”
I stood inside the kitchenette in my small San Diego apartment, wrapping a bag of frozen green beans around a towel for my friend Kody. Who had a black eye, courtesy of my ex-boyfriend’s goons. It’d been two years since I made my escape from the concrete battlefields of Los Angeles and headed for blue skies and rich tourists in San Diego. But suddenly, Genesis and his men were back in my life.
“It’s not a big deal Rocky.” He sounded like he was spitting out teeth.
My back was to Kody who was splayed out on my couch. For a few moments at least I didn’t have to look at the mess they’d made of his face.
“Tell me what happened or I’m putting these veggies back in the fridge.”
“You’re so damn stubborn. Fine, they told me to stay the fuck away from Rochelle. And then bam right in the left eye. And the stomach. No big deal,” he groaned.