“Yeah, I really do,” I admit.
Lifting his gaze to me, his eyes focus on my own. “I know you do,” he rasps. A shiver runs through me, and I wonder just what he knows exactly. I’m too scared to ask him though.
DICE
I watch her, unable to look away from her frightened beauty. I shouldn’t be turned on right now, but my dick doesn’t understand that this is not a moment to try and get inside of her, it just wants in there. Now.
“What do you know?” she demands.
My eyes snap up to hers, and I gulp. Maybe I shouldn’t tell her. I’m a fucking asshole for doing what I did. I could see it in her eyes, she wasn’t just scared of me, she was terrified of every man in a cut. That wasn’t for nothing.
Texting Keys to get me information probably wasn’t the wisest decision I’ve ever made, but I needed to know what I was dealing with. Now I do. What it is, I’m not sure I can help her overcome. Frowning, my gaze finds hers and I study her fear.
She’s right to be terrified of me, of the man that I’ve been and sometimes need to be. Though, she doesn’t realize that, that man would never need to be cruel to a woman he cares for. Watching her, I wonder if she’s worth it all, worth all of the work. I was drawn to her the second I laid eyes on her, but is that purely physical, or could it be more?
“Enough,” I say, not giving her a real answer. I don’t know that she needs to know what I’m aware of, what I’ve read, what I’ve seen.
Her entire body shivers, reaching for her, she gasps, trying to pull away from me. There’s nowhere for her to go, but I let my hand fall, not wishing to frighten her. Reaching for her ankle, I wrap my hand around, feeling the slenderness of her beneath the bulky blanket and sweats.
“I ain’t him, Juliet. My brothers ain’t him. We won’t hurt you,” I rasp.
She brings the covers up her body a bit more, covering her mouth with them as her eyes search my own. “I don’t want to talk about that, just leave me, please,” she begs as tears fill her pretty eyes.
Shaking my head, I grab her blanket and slowly, gently, tug it off her body. “I can’t leave you alone in good conscience,” I say. She doesn’t tighten her grasp on the covers like I expect her to. Instead, she just watches me, her mouth slightly open.
“Lay down,” I instruct, jerking my chin toward her bed.
“Nick?” she breathes.
Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. “Won’t touch you like that, not unless you ask me to.”
She scoots down, laying her head on her pillow, her eyes following me. I kick off my boots, climbing into bed behind her, completely dressed. Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her, pulling her back against my chest.
“Sleep, baby,” I rasp against the shell of her ear.
CHAPTER FOUR
JULIET
My eyes open slowly, the light pouring into my room is harsh. I inhale, freezing when I realize it’s morning. Rolling over, I reach out touching the side of the bed. It’s cold. I don’t know when, or how, it happened, but sometime after Nick pulled me against him, I fell asleep.
Sitting up, I strip off my sweatshirt and t-shirt with a yawn. I’m too warm to wear it inside another minute. I do the same with my sweatpants, which leaves me in only a thin pair of sleep shorts and a tank top, sans bra. Sliding out of bed, I make my way toward the bathroom and freshen up for the morning.
I don’t bother looking at myself in the mirror, the girl staring back at me has been a stranger for five years, I don’t like to see her. She’s weak. She’s pathetic. She’s what I’ve become. She’s what he’s turned me into.
Making my way into the kitchen, I freeze at the sight in front of me. My breath comes out in short pants, and my nipples harden. Nick is there, shirtless and barefoot in my kitchen. His back is broad, strong, muscular and his waist is trim with two indents that beg to be licked.
What has me frozen isn’t just him, it’s the ink that is along his strong back. Ink that screams his membership to this motorcycle club, the Notorious Devils. Etched into his skin, permanently tattooed there for the world to see, for me to see.
“Coffee and pancakes,” he announces, not turning around.
I didn’t expect him to still be here, I tug my shorts down, attempting to somehow make them longer. Taking a step back to go get my pants, I freeze again when he turns his head to the side. I watch as his eyes roam my body, starting at my toes and slowly making their way up to my face. He pauses on my tits before his eyes find my own, and that has me blushing.
“Knew that body was hot, baby. Glad you don’t show that shit off to the world,” he states.
“Why?” I blurt.
His lips turn up into a smirk before he turns back around to continue doing whatever it is he’s doing. “Every brother within a hundred-mile radius would be at that furniture shop, trying to get your attention. This way, there’s no competition,” he shrugs.
“No competition?” I mutter.
He snorts, turning around, a plate of thick stacked pancakes in his hand. “Yeah, baby. No competition, nothin’ except your own demons and I’ll slay those things before you even realize what’s happening.”
I gulp, not wishing to comment on his words, mainly because I don’t know what to say to them. He’s here, shirtless, in my home. He slept next to me all night, held me, and I’m not shaking in terror.
In fact, I slept better than I have in five years. Maybe there’s something to him, something different about him? I’m going to keep my guard up, just in case he turns out to be just like Rabbit.
DICE
Juliet ate her pancakes, all the while she watched me with one eye. I don’t mind her suspicions. She should be fucking wary of everyone and everything. After breakfast, I waited until she was ready for work and followed her all the way to the store.
I watched her walk through the front door, thankful that her boss was already there. What I didn’t do was walk her to the door, or follow her inside, no matter how badly I wanted to do just that. Revving my engine, I leave her and ride toward the clubhouse.
Pulling into the parking lot, I’m not surprised to see several bikes and cars littering the area. After parking my bike, I make my way inside. I need to shower and change, yesterday’s clothes are only going to get riper.
Once I’m changed, I head into the bar and grab a beer. Keys catches my eye and lifts his chin before he heads toward me. I curse to myself, knowing that he’s going to want answers about my questions from last night.
“Juliet, the furniture store girl?” he asks. Taking a pull from my beer, I nod once. “That girl’s scared of her own shadow, you want in on that?” he asks, looking genuinely confused.
Shaking my head, my eyes meet his. “She ain’t scared for no reason, brother,” I point out.
He saw the same shit that I did. The same photographs and the same police statements. The same scared girl staring back in the images. Eighteen years old, brutally hurt by this asshole, traumatized with every right to feel that way.
“Yeah, I know,” he nods. “You sure that’s a mountain you want to tackle?” he asks.
His words, they cause me to pause. It is a mountain too. Though, she’d have to climb one to get to me as well. The promise of her, the haunted eyes that call to me, the sweet body that begs to be healed by my touch, it would be worth it. I fucking know it, deep in my bones.
Taking another pull of my beer, I look him directly in the eyes and lift my chin. “Got the gear to tackle that job. I want that mountain,” I announce.
Keys grins. “Fucking hell, another brother bites the dust,” he chuckles.
Lifting my hand, I flip him off, then turn away. I can hear him laughing the entire way out of the back of the club. Thoughts of this girl, this poor woman, play on repeat inside of my head. For the first time in a month, I’m not dwelling on Clara, or her nightmares, instead I’m thinking about Juliet.
“She’s real pretty,” Houston announces from my side.
Glanc
ing over at him, I let out an exhale. I’m friends with the other brothers, but I’m new. Houston is the only one I’ve ever really confided in, and even then, it’s minimal. I’m just not someone who tells the world my business. Never have been.
“She was abused by a guy in the Bastards MC five years ago,” I announce.
Houston lifts his chin, then nods his head a couple of times slowly. “Figured it was somethin’ like that,” he drawls slowly. “What’re you gonna do about it?”
Clearing my throat, I lift my arm and wrap my fingers around the back of my neck. Turning my head slightly, I look over to him. “Gonna make her mine, heal her, then brand her,” I state.
“Fucking shit,” he hisses with a chuckle. “Go get her then before someone else does. She’s been on the radar for a while.”
I snort. “This bunch of pussies won’t do shit, she’s as good as mine.”
Leaving him standing against the back wall, I can hear his laugh as I walk away. He knows I’m right. He’s a pussy too, and he proudly admits it. Climbing back onto my bike, I head toward the only place I want to be right now, near her, with Juliet.
CHAPTER FIVE
JULIET
Shandra raises her eyebrows, they practically disappear in her hairline, they’re so high. I look behind me, wondering if there’s someone there that I didn’t realize. There isn’t. “Who is he?” she asks.
I blink, wondering how she knew about Nick. I haven’t said a word. I open my mouth, then snap it closed.
“He’s delicious. Any chance you don’t want him?” she asks.
My eyes slide over her shoulder and that’s when I see him. His glasses are on, he’s straddling his big black machine, but there is no denying that he is looking straight toward me, toward the store. Swallowing the lump that’s formed, I look from him to Shandra.
“I-I-I,” I stammer, unsure of what to say.
She smiles, lifting her arm and giving me a dismissive wave. “Honey, you’ve been here for three years, not once have you even mentioned a boyfriend or a date. I’m not even going to attempt to go after that man, plus, I’m not sure he would even know I exist,” she says.
I snort. Shandra is beautiful, curvy, and wears clothes that accentuate that, in other words, she’s the exact opposite of me. If she wanted a man, she could have him, no matter who he was. The bell rings above the door, and I spin around to see him standing there.
“You done for the day, baby?” he asks.
My breath hitches at the same time Shandra’s does the same. “Just go,” she whispers behind me. My head whips around and I look at her in surprise. “He’s fine times a million, you work late almost every day. Go, run, don’t walk.”
Turning away from her, I see him. He hasn’t moved. He’s still wearing his sunglasses, but I can feel his gaze heat my skin. He is watching me, waiting for me to make a decision. This choice feels heavy. Like making it will alter the course of my entire life.
I take one step toward him, then another. He stays stock still, waiting, watching to see what I am going to do. Deciding to take a leap, no, a gigantic jump of faith, I remember the kindness of last night and this morning that he showed me. I move toward him.
This could break my already fragile soul, but it’s been five years, and I’ve been living in a haze. The only time I’ve seen clearly is when I looked at him.
There is something special, dangerous, and yet safe about this man. I should have made him leave last night, but I couldn’t. He wrapped me in his arms, and I was immediately lost. Lost in the embrace, in the sensation, in the safety of this Devil.
“I’m finished,” I whisper, tilting my head back to look up at him.
He smirks, his teeth sinking into the corner of his bottom lip, then lifts his chin, holding out his hand palm up. I glance down at his grease-stained fingers, his whole hand looks rough and I wonder what it would feel like on my bare skin.
With a shiver, I slip my hand into his waiting palm. Without looking back, I follow behind him. He tugs me past my car, but I don’t complain, he’s walking toward his bike. It’s been five years since I’ve been on the back of one of these.
The thrill that shimmies through me shouldn’t even be there, yet it is. I want this. I’ve been trying to talk myself out of him, out of allowing him to come into my life, but I was fooling myself—completely fooling myself.
DICE
I feel her soft body press against mine, her arms wrap around my waist and I let out an exhale. I didn’t think she’d come with me, in fact, if I had to bet, I’d have said she’d fight me tooth and nail every step of the way. Yet, here she is, on the back of my bike. She knows what this means too.
Guiding the bike through the lush forest, I don’t tell her where I’m headed. She’d probably scream and run if she knew. I need to break through those barriers if I’m going to make her mine, and that job is not a small one. That calls for a few days locked in a cabin away from the rest of the world.
She doesn’t ask me to stop, the farther I take her into the wilderness, the more I expect her to, but she doesn’t. I’m practically holding my breath as I pull down the single dirt road that leads to the cabin.
I bought this place years ago after Clara disappeared. I came here and almost drank myself to death. Had it not been for her brother, my best friend at the time, I would have died up here.
This club isn’t my original one, but the men that I grew up with only live a few towns over. This was our getaway, our hideout, so when Clara disappeared, I wanted to own a piece of it in hopes that she would one day find her way back to me. She always said this was where she wanted to retire, be real mountain people and live off of the land. Though, with our harsh winters, I’m thinking we would have died the first year.
“It’s so cute, is it yours?” Juliet asks, breaking my thoughts, my memories of the life I once had.
Clearing my throat, I swing my leg over and join her standing at the base of the front porch steps. “It is. I haven’t been here in a few years. It’s probably dusty and dirty as all hell,” I admit.
“This is a long way from town,” she whispers.
I take a step closer toward her, lifting my hand to cup her jaw. Tilting her head back slightly, I look down into her eyes. “You afraid of me, baby?” I ask.
She gulps, her eyes flash for only a split second before she exhales. “I should be.”
I grunt, a smirk playing on my lips. “You really probably fuckin’ should. Get the groceries out of my saddlebags, yeah?”
“Groceries?”
My thumb brushes along her plump bottom lip, my eyes tracing its path. “We’re going to stay here for a few days, get to know one another.” Her body trembles and I know she’s probably scared I’m going to hurt her, it’s a fear she’ll be over by the time this weekend is finished. “Swear to fuck, baby. I will not hurt you.”
Her eyes search mine, her tongue peeks out and tastes my thumb. The sensation goes straight to my cock, and I have to fight a groan from escaping. “Okay, Nick. I believe you. It’s been a long time, I’m scared though,” she admits.
I nod once, lowering my face down until my lips are almost against hers. “I know, baby. I fucking know,” I say. I want to tell her that it’s been a long time for me too, I want to tell her everything, but I have to know that this is all real, that she’s mine before I tell her everything.
Releasing her, I take a step back. Turning around, I walk up the stairs toward the front door. I can hear her rustling the grocery bags from my bike. Closing my eyes, I slam my key into the lock as I take a few deep breaths. Stepping over this threshold, this is a complete game changer. I hope we’re both ready for this.
CHAPTER SIX
JULIET
I busy myself putting groceries away, then I change bedding, start a load of wash, and do anything and everything that I can possibly think of that keeps me moving. I’m a ball of nerves. I’m a mess. I should have told him to take me home, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m
crazy. He’s crazy. This entire thing is insane.
“Baby,” he calls out.
The way he says it, that word, comes so damn effortlessly. I freeze, bent over fluffing a pillow on the bed, a pillow I’ve already fluffed three times. There’s only one bed in here and one bathroom. The cabin can only be about five-hundred square feet, if that. A bedroom, a small closet, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. It’s a love shack, and that makes my stomach twist, except it isn’t in fear, it’s with anticipation.
“Come outside, sun’ll be setting soon,” he smiles.
His eyes, they’re so kind, all of the time. It’s not like he’s trying to hide anything either, at least not that I can tell. He’s calm, his voice is gentle, and he genuinely seems like a nice guy. He’s a contradiction.
Leaving my pillow fluffing task, I make my way toward him and follow him outside. I watch him sit down in the one and only rocking chair. I stand awkwardly to the side, that is, until he wraps his hand around my upper thigh and gently pulls me toward him.
Stumbling, I make my way over to him and he wraps his hands around my waist and tugs me down so that my ass crashes against his thigh. He rests his chin against my shoulder, I can feel his breath against my neck, and I hold my body tight, nervous as hell, waiting for what is next.
One of Nick’s hands travels from my knee up the side of my thigh and his fingers wrap around my hip. My breath hitches and I feel his breath against my neck when he chuckles.
“Nick,” I breathe.
He hums, his lips brushing my skin. “Relax, Juliet. Whatever happens, or doesn’t, this weekend, I’m cool with it.”
I let out the breath I was holding in an attempt to relax a bit. It’s hard being on his lap, having his arm around me, and his breath against my neck. I can’t relax, there’s no way it’s possible, because right now I want him. It’s a foreign feeling, but I welcome it since I thought Rabbit broke that part of me when he hurt me.
Twisted with Chaos: A CASH BAR NOVEL Page 26
