Hard Luck

by Romy Lockhart

  Hard Luck

  Romy Lockhart

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Author’s Note

  Copyright @ 2019 Romy Lockhart

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews. This book is a work of fiction and contains the creation of fictional towns. All names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Formatting by Leanne Clugston

  www.facebook.com/IrishInkPublishing

  Cover Design by LSK Design

  https://www.lskcoverdesign.com

  I’ve never been on a date before, but I’m pretty sure that they’re not supposed to end in murder. I sigh at the bloody stains on my new shoes as Finn shoots me another apologetic smile. I don’t know why he’s sorry, it’s really on me. I forgot the side effect for dishing out a heavy dose of bad luck. Too much all at once leaves its mark on the djinn who dished it out.

  “You okay?” I ask my date, not sure what else to say.

  His smile sparkles suddenly, becoming more genuine. “And why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Um, because you just watched a man die?”

  “Well, I guess that wasn’t exactly how I expected this date to go,” he admits.

  No shit. The evening had started well. He took me to a cozy little Italian restaurant off the main strip for a nice dinner and a few glasses of wine. We should have gone from there back to my bedroom in the casino. Instead, we’re walking out of an alley across from the restaurant next to the garbage and I’m feeling more than a little grimy from the sequence of events that led to this moment.

  “Wouldn’t change it for anyting,” he reassures me.

  “Oh no?” I ask, my heart rate soaring as he comes in close.

  “Ye saved me in an alley not unlike this one. It’s how we met, if ye remember.”

  I don’t know how he makes me smile so easily, but I like that he does. “So, you’re saying this is romantic?”

  He shakes his head, leaning in close. “It’ll be romantic when I catch the guy who dragged ye into this shit and nail him to the wall.”

  His lips meet mine before I can react to his passionately infused words.

  I don’t tell him that it won’t be possible. Nero almost ruined our night already. I can’t let thoughts of him kill the mood entirely. The body could have done that, but Finn seems to moving on to better things now. He holds me close, his hungry kiss deepening. I slip my hands inside his jacket and get a little closer. I feel his shaft throbbing against me and my body flushes with need.

  He breaks the kiss to gaze at me. “Probably time to head back,” he murmurs, making it sound like a question.

  I should just agree and we should head back to the casino. I don’t say a word. I just undo his belt and watch his expression shift from shock to desirous in a fraction of a second.

  “I want you, and I don’t want to wait,” I tell him, as his gaze drifts to the entrance of the alley.

  No-one’s around. This far from the main strip at night it’s deathly quiet.

  I kiss him, encouraging him to forget we’re out in the open. I don’t care where we are or who could be watching. I want him inside me, I need him. Now. I reach in to his boxers and stroke his hot shaft. It throbs against my hand and I moan as I feel my panties dampening. I’m so wet and ready. I can’t wait another moment.

  I ease his cock out of his boxers and work the length with my fingers. His warmth is so inviting. I love my vampires, but there is a definite heat advantage to having a human lover. I haul my skirt up and he tears away my panties, making me gasp. I mean, my thong was ridiculously delicate, but still. Combine that with the death threat to Nero and I’m figuring out my new man has a lot more in common with my vampires than I realized.

  “Yer pretty dress is goin’ to be ruined,” he tells me, as he positions me against the wall and lifts.

  I hold on to his shoulders, my back arching at the cool feel of the wall behind me. The material of the dress is almost as delicate as the panties. I should probably be worried about that.

  “I don’t care,” I tell him, my voice full of need.

  He plunges into me and I wrap my legs around his waist, moaning as he fills me completely. He holds me close and I gaze into his eyes, breathless the moment I realize what exactly we’re doing right now, and I don’t mean by fucking in public.

  “Stop!” I cry out, horrified that I almost let this happen without even discussing it first.

  He stops abruptly, concern in his gaze. “Are ye hurt? What’s wrong, Maeve?”

  “I just...” Oh God, I feel so weird about confessing this. I can feel my face reddening in embarrassment. “I forgot...”

  “Sweetheart, whatever it is, yer okay. I’ve got ye.”

  My heart melts as I gaze at him. I want it to be him. I think I knew that the moment we met. Still, anxiety fills me as I consider what his reaction might be. I clear my throat.

  “Dean got me a potion from a witch. To make it possible for me to get pregnant.” I bite at my lip as I wait for him to respond to this news. “I just... It slipped my mind. We’re not using protection, Finn.”

  His lips twitch. “Is that all?”

  “What do you mean, is that all? I almost let you get me pregnant without telling you.”

  He smiles properly now. “And how would you feel about me getting you pregnant, Maeve?”

  My heart flutters in my chest. I don’t even need to speak before he starts pumping into me again.

  “This is what ye want,” he tells me. “It’s what I want too.”

  I moan as I cling to him, each thrust heightening my desire. He leans in and I pull him into a kiss that lasts as long as he does. He holds me protectively the entire time, keeping me close.

  I lose all sense of space and time, moaning into his mouth as his cock wrenches an orgasm from my body. Everything feels so good with Finn, so right. He devours my mouth, tasting my tongue and making my lips tingle whenever he slows down a little. The steady rhythm we sink into builds slowly to an explosive crescendo when he thrusts harder and comes with a deep groan as he ends the kiss to gaze into my eyes. The intensity in his stare is so full on that I can barely stand to hold his gaze for more than a few seconds.

  Instead, I melt against him, a safe, warm glow flooding me. I hold him tight and he presses his lips to my neck softly, trailing feather-light kisses over my throat and collar.

  “So this potion...” he starts, lifting me back from the wall and upwards.

  I sigh as I let my legs unwrap from his waist and attempt to steady myself in my heels. Most of them time I can practically run in stilettos. When I’m basking in the afterglow of a steamy session, not so much. My thighs tremble as the evidence of our coupling slickens them under my silky purple dress.

  Finn clears his throat as he pulls me in close, steadying me instantly. His gaze is adoring as he smiles at me. “Feel pregnant yet?”

  There he goes again, making me smile. If I am, it’s because he’s so dam
n perfect. I don’t want to give him an ego, so I shake my head. “It’s not instant. The potion pretty much gives me the same chance as if I were human. It could take a while.”

  “Well that sounds like my kind of fun,” he tells me, kissing my forehead. “But let’s get out of this alley before some arsehole comes along and calls the cops on the shady characters hanging out next to a dead body.”

  “Yeah,” I agree, taking his hand. “Is my dress ruined?”

  He looks when I turn to show my back. His gaze is searing and fixes on my behind for a few seconds before he shakes his head. “It looks a little dirty but it’s not torn.”

  “I think we should head in the back way to the casino,” I tell him, realizing I’m looking more than a little ruffled. He pulls it off better. Probably not much of a surprise considering he’s worked his whole life in construction.

  He smirks a little. “Sneaking me in the back door, eh?”

  I smile back, shrugging. “As soon as you’re done impregnating me, you can sneak in that way as much as you’d like.”

  His eyes widen and his mouth opens and closes, before he just shakes his head and pulls me to him. He’s actually speechless, so he kisses me instead.

  “Not into it?” I ask, teasing really.

  He snorts. “You’ve got some arse on you, sweetheart. I’m not that into that kind of ting usually, but I’m not going to say no to an offer that tempting.”

  No man ever would, but I like that it’s not really his thing. “Let’s get back to the Casino. I could use a shower.”

  I should probably be worried about what just happened. Maybe it’s all the sex, or the high I’m still riding from being set free of the chains of having a master. Or maybe it’s because I’m so distracted by the possibilities now that I know Finn’s on the same page that I am. It’s fast, but it’s also kind of perfect. I could even be pregnant already. I touch my stomach as I open the back door to the casino, excitement racing through me and pushing a smile to my lips.

  We go inside, and find one of my vampires leaning against the wall in a trying to look casual but not managing it even a little bit kind of pose. I raise an eyebrow at Dean.

  He looks me over and his frown deepens. I guess my appearance is pretty ruffled right now.

  “It’s kind of exactly what it looks like,” I tell him.

  “Only with more murdering and that,” Finn adds in unhelpfully.

  I turn and raise my eyebrows at him as he shuts the door closed behind us. He seems nonplussed. Dean, however, is anything but.

  “What was that?” he asks, his voice a sullen growl.

  “We didn’t do the murdering,” I add in quickly, knowing that doesn’t make it any better.

  Dean is worried about my safety and I can’t really blame him for that. Telling him the guy I had to leave hell to escape is in town screwing with people’s lives isn’t exactly going to settle his mind.

  “Some djinn by the name of Nero did,” Finn adds.

  Dean straightens, his gaze icy-cold as he turns it back to me. “Nero?”

  Shit. He’s pissed. He’s not going to stop freaking out until he gets Nero as far away from me as possible. That’s not going to be easy. Considering he still seems to be pretty obsessed with the girl he promised the world to before she realized none of that was possible.

  “He has a master,” I say, trying to brush it off as nothing. It’s not going to work. Not with Dean. He knows more about me than anyone. He knows Nero never wanted to let me go. Never would have if he could have enslaved me before a human did.

  “That doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.”

  “But it does mean he has limitations.”

  He frowns. “Where is he?”

  No. I stare at him, and shake my head. “We don’t know where he went.”

  “Did he see you?”

  His stare is intense. I consider lying, but what good would that do? “He saw us.”

  Dean glances at Finn. “You can’t leave.”

  “Em, what?” Finn asks.

  My heart sinks as I take in Dean’s meaning. If Nero saw us together, Finn isn’t safe.

  “He knows, right?” Dean asks, lowering his voice.

  I sigh. I kept my explanation short and scant on the details. “He doesn’t know everything.”

  “Then you should get him up to speed while we secure the casino,” Dean tells me, stepping past me to chain up the back door and bolt it.

  Finn raises an eyebrow at me, but I’m afraid to meet his gaze. This is serious now, and I shouldn’t have ignored it when I saw Nero kill that man. “Let’s get upstairs.”

  I lead him to the elevator, agitated by the awkward silence we fall into as we wait to get to a safer place to talk. He strokes my hand in both of his, easing my tension a little, just smiling helplessly when I glance at him.

  The elevator feels as if it’s taking forever by the time it stops on my floor. I move quickly, letting go of his hand as I open the door to my suite. It’s only once we’re inside that he demands answers.

  My stomach churns as he shuts the door and leans back against it.

  “So, are ye going to tell me what all this is about then?”

  I swallow the lump that rises in my throat at the thought of opening that old wound back up. He deserves the truth. I just hope he’ll want to stick around once he finds out what it is.

  “Like I mentioned before, he’s like me,” I begin, stepping out of my ruined heels. “A djinn.”

  “Okay, so that was just some serious bad luck he was doling out back there?”

  I shake my head, and start over. “He’s a djinn, but he’s not like me.”

  “He doesn’t have a master?”

  I shiver at the thought of that. Knowing my ex lover somehow manipulated his way to a master who would bring him to where I am, is terrifying enough. Nero unchained would be a whole other story. A very bloody, very brutal story.

  “He has a master,” I tell him, certain of that fact, even if nothing else is clear right now.

  “So, what makes him different?”

  “There are many different types of djinn. My affinity is luck. There are other affinities. Love, vengeance, lust. Just about anything you can imagine. Then there are the true djinn. The limitless, we call them, but most humans would view them as typical genies depicted in popular culture. He grants his master wishes. Anything his heart desires.”

  “Wow,” Finn tells me. “But doesn’t that mean he can’t do anything that his master doesn’t ask fer?”

  “It sounds that simple, but the limitless are manipulative. They know how to play people. How to get what they want without their masters ever realizing it.”

  “So I’m not safe to go home then?” Finn asks, frowning a little.

  I shake my head. “He saw us together.”

  “Why does that matter?” he asks.

  I look at Finn’s face and realize I’m really going to have to do this. Nero’s actually here. He found me. I have to deal with everything that means, even if it could mean letting Finn go. My chest tightens at the thought of it, but I ignore the feeling to give him answers. He barely batted an eyelid when Nero killed someone in front of us. Not to mention the fact that he set me free before that. He deserves to know the truth. I just hope he can handle it.

  “Before we came to earth, we were together,” I start, feeling my cheeks flush at the shameful admission. The monster Finn saw in action tonight used to be my lover. If I were him, I’d start to have serious doubts about my judgment.

  He nods, comes away from the door, and for a split second I’m sure he’s going to leave. He doesn’t. He takes my hands in his and leads me to the couch. I’m relieved that he didn’t run the minute he realized why Nero’s so dangerous to us, but his silence is unnerving me now. I need to know what he’s thinking. I sit down reluctantly, and he looks around before darting to the other side of the suite, picking something up and coming back to my side again.

  “Yer dress is all
dirty. Put this on.” He hands me the green silk robe and smiles.

  I put it down next to me, hesitating to change. It feels like a distraction, like he’s trying to avoid talking about this now that he knows.

  I get up and take off the dress, letting it fall in a crumpled heap onto the carpet as I pick up my short silky emerald green robe. The ruined purple dress on the floor at my feet seems like a warning sign. I chose it to embrace the demon side Finn easily accepted, but now? Now it feels like he didn’t realize what he was getting in to. I should have warned him. There’s no way things are going to work out between us.

  He sits down next to me now, and takes my hands in his. “I know it’s soon, and I know there’s a lot we don’t know about each other, but, Maeve, I know yer heart and ye know mine. Nothing else matters.”

  “He could really hurt you, Finn,” I tell him, feeling a lump rise in my throat at the idea of anything happening to this man. I know what Nero is capable of. I’ve heard about some of the things he’s done. I saw one of those things with my own eyes tonight.

  He frowns, and it takes him a while to speak but when he does it’s with complete conviction.

  “He can try, Maeve, but I’d fight the devil himself to keep you in my life. Yer not getting away from me that easily.”

  He kisses me, punctuating his point perfectly with an embrace that enflames my body and leaves me breathless.

  “We should shower,” he murmurs when he breaks the kiss.

  “Together?” I ask, already stripping out of the robe.

  “Well there’s an offer I could never refuse.”

  He helps me to my feet and we go into the bathroom together. The shower’s big enough for four, really, though neither of my other guys are particularly aroused by the thought of having sex in the cubicle. They much prefer to bend me over the sink, to watch me in the mirror while we fuck.