Magnum (Rugged Skulls MC Book 1)

by Amy Davies

  Club life is ingrained in her.

  Suki purrs loudly and I chuckle, rubbing my hand over her head. Kara rescued Suki from a group of dicks that hurt the kittens for entertainment. She even shot one of the men in the kneecap. See, a good solid woman. My woman.

  She’s beautiful, inside and out. Even though we’ve been together for a few weeks now, I still haven’t explored or found the reason behind her tattoos. Kissing and licking the elephant on her hip isn’t exactly finding out why she got it.

  A car pulls into the compound and I see that it’s Dezi. She climbs out of the car, smiling and waving at me as she makes her way over to the boys. Dezi has a thing for Opal, but I know he doesn’t want her that way. It will take a strong, wholesome woman to tame my VP. He doesn’t do drama or high maintenance.

  Seeing Dezi has me thinking of all the women I have fucked over the years, some nameless and faceless. As long as I got off, I didn’t give a fuck who they were. I may have respected them, but I had no care for them. Once I got off, I got out.

  Even though I fucked the Regs or got my dick sucked, it was starting to get old. Some of them show signs of wanting more from us, but none of us will ever settle for a Reg. Not a fan of wifeing-up a woman who has fucked one of my brothers, if not all of them.

  Riley is the one I worry about. She seems to think she has a claim over me, since she has always been my go-to Reg, but since the day Risky turned up, I haven’t touched or even looked at another woman. In total we have roughly eight Rugged Reg’s, and I have been with pretty much all of them, but Riley the most. I know that Sarge favors Pound, because he likes it hard, rough, and so does she.

  Even with all the fucking we do, we still show respect when it’s deserved. We do not harm women or children, but I can tell you this now: a woman hits me hard enough to knock me off balance, you can bet your ass that I will hit her back. Enough to get her to back off.

  Loud, rumbling pipes and screeching tires pull me from my thoughts. I glance at Mrs. G, who hugs Suki tight to her chest, then jump to my feet when I see that it’s Ferris, one of the prospects I had on Kara while she went to do some shopping.

  The boys come running out of the garage, stopping by my side. Ferris barely comes to a stop before he’s off his bike, slamming the kickstand down. I can see he’s freaking out; his eyes are wild, and he’s breathing heavily.

  “Prospect, what the fuck happened? Where the hell is my old lady?” I grind out, my heart pumping faster and faster with each passing second. I step forward when he doesn’t speak, catching his breath. A hand clamps down on my shoulder, holding me back.

  “Let him breathe, man,” Opal tells me, holding me in place. My fists clench at my sides. I’m ready to slam them through something or someone. I can feel it in my gut—something has happened.

  “Kara was in an accident. She was run off the road. Joel and I were right behind her but the car cut us up and we were pushed back a few cars, and that gave him ample time to hit her. Joel followed her to the hospital because someone called nine-one-one. It was quicker for me to come here than to phone. It was right down the road.”

  “Motherfucker! Get Crude on the line, Rook, tell him what’s happened. I bet it was that cuntbag Hancock.”

  “Aye, Pres,” I hear Rookie reply.

  I run to my bike, not looking to see if my brothers follow me; I know they will. The thought of my girl hurt and in the hospital guts me and makes my heart bleed. Not bothering with a helmet, I rip out of the compound, heading toward my girl, praying she isn’t badly hurt.

  I don’t believe in God, but surely if he existed, he wouldn’t take Kara from me when I just found her.

  I can’t fucking lose her. I won’t.

  Fourteen

  Kara

  I hurt like a bitch. My head is throbbing from when I headbutted the side window, which shattered, raining glass down on me, leaving little cuts in its wake. Why the hell do the tiniest of cuts hurt the worst? They sting like hell.

  The nurse finishes strapping my thumb. I managed to dislocate and fracture it when my car was run off the road. I didn’t even flip, just slammed into a light pole. So now I have on a cool-looking black support that goes from my wrist to my thumb, keeping it in place.

  “There you go, honey. The doctor has prescribed you some painkillers and some anti-inflammatories. You’ll be sore for a few weeks, but after three or four, you can try and do slow movements of the joint so it doesn’t seize up, okay?”

  “Okay, thank you.” Taking a deep breath, I twist my neck, trying to ease the tension that’s building.

  “You were very lucky that this is all you walked away with. You may not have walked away at all. I hope they catch the guy who did this to you.” She gives me a sympathetic look before tapping my knee and leaving the room. Joel steps in and looks me over, checking to see if I’m okay, before bringing his gaze to mine.

  “Pres and the brothers are on their way.” Shit. Fuck knows how Magnum will react to this; especially when I tell him who was driving the car that hit me.

  The nurse’s words ring true. I know it could have been far worse, and for that, I am hugely grateful. I could be in a worse state now, or I could have been taken before I got to spend more time with Magnum. Fuck my life.

  Tears build, and I take a shuddering breath as they spill over and run down my cheeks.

  The curtain surrounding my bed goes flying and a livid looking Magnum storms in, his eyes wide with anger, nostrils flaring, his breathing heavy. He looks equally hot and scary at the moment. Before he can speak, I do.

  “I’m fine. Just a few cuts and bruises, see.” I try to downplay it, but I know that will do nothing to ease his anger. His eyes track my body, checking to see if I’m telling the truth. They land on my hand, and I cover it with my uninjured one.

  Stepping close to me, he cups my face, and I sigh. And it’s like a switch went off in his head. The anger falls from his body, and he wraps his large arms around me, pulling me tight to him, like he’s fearful that I will leave.

  “I’m fine, Joey,” I mutter again, but he says nothing; just keeps me close. His smell hits my senses and my body automatically relaxes, then I feel Magnum sighing, letting any tension leave his body. The scent of oil, leather and a musky Magnum smell soothes me.

  “I like that, baby,” he whispers. Against his chest, I reply.

  “Like what?”

  “You in my arms, my scent sending your body soft.” Resting his head on top of mine, he inhales deeply, no doubt breathing me in.

  We stay like that for seconds, minutes, hours, I have no clue, but then Magnum is pulling away all too soon. I whimper, looking up at him. He smirks down at me, leaning in and kissing my lips.

  Joey Masters is the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life. He may look like a badass biker bastard, but I know what lies beneath. He will die protecting his club and his family. Loyalty means so much my man.

  My man. Hell, that feels good, finally saying it.

  “What did the doc say?” he questions. I go to open my mouth to reply, when a bunch of broody bikers step up behind their president and surround my bed, forming a protective cage around us. Around me.

  “A few cuts from the window breaking. I dislocated my thumb and fractured it, hence the support. But besides that, I’m good. I just want to go home and sleep.” Nodding, Magnum helps me off the bed.

  He looks at the boys, who are watching us but also scanning the area. He lets out a big sigh, nodding to each of the boys, sending them a silent message that he appreciates the gesture.

  Sliding his arm around my waist, we leave the cubical. As we make our way through the ER, we’re met by Joel, who’s holding a white pharmacy bag.

  “Risky’s meds, Pres. The nurse let me collect them for her,” Joel states.

  “Good work, prospect,” Opal says from my other side, taking the bag from Joel. And then we’re moving again.

  It’s crazy how even as small as my accident was, my body aches and m
y head is throbbing. The doc said it’s because as a human, we brace for impact, so all our muscles contract and tense. Then, on impact, the force feels a hundred times harder. That’s why whiplash hurts so damn much from a minor fender bender.

  Expecting Magnum to lead me over to his bike, he surprises me and walks toward a huge-ass SUV. Damn, I can truly say that Magnum is definitely not compensating for anything with this thing.

  Opening the door for me, he lifts me at the waist and sets my butt on the seat, then he reaches for the seatbelt, no words between us. I hold my breath when he pulls his head back and looks at me. His eyes are soft, the violet color popping brightly.

  “I was so fucking scared, Kara baby. We didn’t know what your injuries were, and I feared the worst.” Resting his forehead against mine, we breathe each other in, letting this intense emotional moment pass between us.

  “I’m okay,” I whisper, emotion clogging my throat.

  “Besides my family and the club, I have never had to worry about anyone, until you. Fuck, what the hell have you done to me?”

  A car horn blasts, breaking the moment, and Magnum pulls away. He kisses the tip of my nose, then steps down, closing the door behind him. I let out the breath I was holding. Sucking in deep breaths, I try to get air into my lungs to calm my racing heart.

  With my eyes closed and my attention fully on my breathing, I don’t hear Magnum climb into the truck, but the starting of the engine startles me. Bringing my gaze over to his, I see him staring at me.

  The air is thick in the cab and it’s suffocating, so I need to break it before we both pass out.

  “Are we going home or what? I need me some food. I’m Hank Marvin over here,” I joke, grinning at him. Shaking his head, he smiles at me before pulling out of the parking lot of the hospital.

  Reaching forward, I turn on the radio. Post Malone’s ‘Circles’ is playing, so I turn the volume up a little and sing along, making Magnum laugh at me.

  His smile has no words that would truly justify it.

  Before long we’re pulling into the Tower compound. The boys’ bikes pull around us and park in their usual formation, while Magnum parks close to the main door. Once he shuts the engine off, Magnum climbs out and comes around to help me out of the truck.

  The boys taper off and walk into the clubhouse, Opal being last, holding the door open for me and his President. Giving him a smile, I walk in. I hear Magnum give his thanks, his hand on the small of my back, guiding me through the main room and up the stone steps to his room, at the top of the Tower.

  Urging me into his room, I step over to the bed. I have spent a little time in here with him. We have bounced between my room and his, even though he wants this to be our room.

  “Get undressed. You need to rest,” he tells me, sliding his cut off his broad shoulders. Shoulders I have gripped when he’s slammed into me, repeatedly.

  He brings his gaze to mine, freezing me to the spot. The violet demon eyes are burning, full of desire, but anger also. He’s not happy that I’ve been hurt, that Marvin has gotten this close to me.

  “Like what you see, babe?”

  “What’s not to like. I mean, you have looked in a mirror, right?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow at him. Licking my lips, I scan his body, giving it the full appreciation it deserves.

  “Baby, you’re hurt, so you need to stop giving me those fuck-me-eyes and licking your lips. I can only control him for so long before he demands to visit P-Town.”

  Chuckling, I slide off my jeans, leaving my lace panties on, then removing my t-shirt that now has a few new rips in it, thanks to the glass from my car.

  Oh. My car. My face crumples at the images that rush through my head.

  The loud bang, the car jerking forward, metal crunching all around me. My father helped me fix my truck up. It was rust and bones when we found it. The only thing we didn’t do was the interior leather and the paint.

  “Oh babe, come here.” I feel Magnum wrap me up in his burly arms, before he removes my bra, then slides a soft t-shirt over my head.

  With little effort, Magnum lays us on the bed, holding me close to his chest. I let the tears fall, not only for the fact that today could have been a whole lot worse, but for my truck. It’s the last thing my dad and I did before he died. Even at nine or ten years old I knew my way around a car engine.

  Daddy wanted a boy, but he got me. So, I was the next best thing for him to pass on his worldly knowledge. I was their world, spoilt rotten, but knew manners and respect.

  “My truck—how bad is it?” I ask him. His lips thin before he answers me. Fuck, it’s bad.

  “Needs a lot of work, babe. The side panel was buckled, both doors mangled. The boys said they’ll help you fix it up when you’re ready,” Magnum tells me, cupping my jaw and kissing me gently.

  The tears flow again at the thought of seeing my baby in such a state. It was my pride and joy and one of the last memories of my dad.

  “Shhh, I’ve got you, babe. Nothing will hurt you again. Did you see who did this?” Nodding, I answer him.

  “Yeah.” Taking a deep, shuddering breath against his bare chest, I tell him, “It was Marvin.”

  His whole body goes rigid. He breathes deeply before pulling his cell phone out from his jeans pocket. After a few beeps and rings, the other person answers. No doubt it’s Opal.

  “Church in thirty. Yeah, let me get Kara settled and I’ll be down. Make sure the two prospects are there. I want to know everything they saw. Yeah. Got it.”

  He drops the phone behind me, then tightens his hold on me. Keeping me as close as possible without me actually crawling up inside of his body, which I’m not opposed to doing.

  Magnum’s scent seeps into my body, the warmth of his soft yet hard skin. He smells like oil, leather and hint of citrus; must be his body wash. Whatever it is, it soothes me.

  “Will you be okay here while I deal with church?” he asks.

  Nodding against his chest, I burrow deeper for a little while longer. I know he needs to deal with this. It’s what he needs. Hell, what we all need. Marvin is a spoilt little rich boy with an attitude to match his large bank account. He thinks because his family has money and power that he can do whatever he pleases with no consequences.

  “Yeah, I’m going to rest up. Can you have someone bring Suki to me, please? I need my baby.”

  “Yeah, babe. Do you want to be alone, or do you want some company from a very nosey old lady, who is quite taken with your man, his brothers and our baby?” He chuckles as he says all of this. Pulling my head back, I look up at him. I frown, trying to understand what he just said.

  “Nosy old lady?”

  “Yeah, Mrs. G was here when we found out about the accident. She was fussing over Suki and said she’d watch her until you got back. She’s downstairs waiting for permission to come up here and get the ‘deets’ on us from you.” He winks at me, giving me the smile I love the most; the one that brightens up his whole face.

  “Can she dish some dirt on you?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows at him. A pain rushes through my head, and I wince.

  “She can, yeah, but I think you need to rest up, get some sleep. I’ll hold her off for another day, okay?”

  Suddenly feeling exhausted and achy, I snuggle down into the bed, letting the soft, plush blanket and pillows swallow me up and cradle me. It’s crazy how such mundane things feel ten times better after a possible life-threatening incident.

  “Go, I’ll be fine. Bring Suki up with you when you come back, yeah?”

  “Yeah, baby. Sleep.” With a kiss to my forehead, I feel the bed shift as Magnum climbs off. I don’t hear him get dressed, as sleep takes over, dragging me into a slumber that has me floating on violet and silver clouds.

  Fifteen

  Magnum

  I hated leaving Kara, but I need to get to the bottom of this shit and deal with this cunt who wants to take my girl from me. Plus, she needs to rest, and if she kept looking at me the way she was, or rubbing her
body against me, I would have taken her, slow and deep.

  My cock jerks at the thought of being buried inside my old lady again, her warm pussy sucking me in; her tits in my face, begging to be licked and bitten.

  Stomping down the stone steps, I make my way to church at the back of building. When we bought the property, we kept the original stone water tower. We just converted it into a living space for the president, which happened to be me. Then we added onto it, keeping as much of the original building as we could.

  Each of the boys here have their own room, plus a bathroom. But there are guest rooms and a bathroom shared by everyone. A few of us have other places to stay: houses, apartments, cabins.

  The Rugged Skulls MC has legitimate businesses, such as a repair garage, the bar, and a tattoo parlor that we bought into with Jase. And our big profiting porn business thanks to Slide and Rookie, horny fuckers as they are.

  We do run guns, but none of it touches our territory. We do protection runs for a few dealers that want to take their product into Miami, but again, none of it touches Fort Lauderdale.

  Pushing through the door of the room we use for church, I see that all the boys are already sitting and waiting for me. The two prospects are standing against the back wall, standing tall with their hands behind their backs, in honor of the room.

  “So, what do we have so far?” I ask, taking my seat at the head of the table. Opal nods to the prospects and they step forward.

  “We were following Risky from her shopping trip. Everything was fine, then out of nowhere this black BMW SUV swerves into our path. I lost control of my bike and almost hit a fucking minivan. By the time I got control and looked up, they were out of sight.” Ferris sighs, looking down at his feet. I can tell this is bothering him, that he couldn’t prevent Risky getting hurt.

  “Nothing you could have done, prospect,” I tell him. He was on her tail; he could have lost his life if he didn’t react like he did. “Then what?” I ask Joel.