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vigor
A SPARTAN RIDERS NOVEL
by J.C. VALENTINE
VIGOR
A Spartan Riders Novel
By J.C. Valentine
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VIGOR: A Spartan Riders Novel by J.C. Valentine
Copyright © 2017 by J.C. Valentine
Cover design by Sara Eirew
Edited by Mitzi Carroll
VIGOR is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Please do not take offence to the content, as it is FICTION.
Trademarks: This book identifies product names and services known to be trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. The author acknowledges the trademark status in this work of fiction. The publications and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Books by
J.C. VALENTINE
Night Calls
Stranded
That First Kiss
Surrender to Love
Trust
Wayward Fighters
Knockout
Tapout
unDefeated
Blue Collar
Sweetest Temptations
Noel: A Blue Collar Christmas
Forbidden
Dance for Me
Lie to You
Fall for Him
Forbidden Valentine
Spartan Riders
Grit
Mettle
ABOUT THIS BOOK
After escaping an abusive marriage, Spartan Riders bartender Ginger "Red" Mercury is determined to live life on her own terms. When the club's VP declares her untouchable and stakes his own claim on her, she finds herself ready to wage war.
A year after inoculating the threat from notorious cartel leader Ricky Cruiz, Garrick "Repo" Stone, the last-standing original member of the Spartan Riders MC, has his focus on something else: monogamy. Having decided to settle down and take an ol’ lady, he has his sights set on Red...and he has his work cut out for him if he hopes to win her.
When a new threat makes itself known, threatening everything the brothers stand for and care about, they’re left scrambling to find out who’s behind it before it’s too late. With the high-stakes game of war looming over them, will Red be able to open her heart to love before outside forces pull her and Repo apart?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
What to say…It’s been a hell of a year! If you’ve been following me on social media, then you know life has thrown me my fair share of curveballs. It was SO HARD to work through it all to get to this point, and Repo and Ginger were sadly put on the backburner while I tried to regain my edge. I think I’ve got it back now, and I’m so proud to be able to bring them back to you, my readers! Thank you so much for your kindness and patience. You’re the best <3
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my friends. Mitzi, Mia, Holly, Cheryl: you have been the anchors in my life. You’ve kept me strong, even through (numerous) moments of self-doubt. You’ve kept me focused and cheered me on every step of the way. Thank you for never losing faith in me even when I did. There aren’t enough words in the world to describe how much I love and appreciate you.
Finally, I have to thank my kids, because they’re my driving force in this world. Everything I do, I do for you!
PROLOGUE
The party was off the chain. Ginger had never been to anything so rowdy before. She was used to college type stuff, with drunken college boys and water fights. This was…way crazier. When Summer told her she had something better to show her, Ginger had been eager to see what she had up her sleeve. It was her first summer away from home, her first year at college, and she was taking full advantage of it.
But this was…a whole different animal. Everywhere she looked, Ginger saw drinking and roughhousing and sex—yes, sex. There was a woman with her mini-skirt hitched up, sitting on a man’s lap while she rode him. Another woman was knelt between a man’s legs sucking his cock. And yet another was off in the distance, bent over a picnic table while a man railed her from behind.
It was like open season, which admittedly, made her a little nervous.
Especially when she caught the eye of an older man off to the side. He was sitting at a round, plastic card table, talking with a bunch of other guys dressed in leather just like him. He had shocking white hair, a matching goatee, and eyes so light and blue they seemed to glow in the dark. And he hadn’t taken his eyes off her since she walked onto the property.
She was mesmerized.
Nursing a cup of cheap beer, Ginger wandered the grounds, keeping an eye out for Summer, who’d ditched her while it was still light out. She didn’t know where she’d run off to, but Summer was even wilder than her, so she wouldn’t be surprised if she found her fucking some random dude just like some of the other women around here.
Ginger didn’t realize how far she’d wandered until a man a little older than her with blond hair and blue eyes stepped into her path, quickly followed by two of his friends. They formed a circle around her, their smiles lecherous.
“Hey, baby, haven’t seen you around here before.”
She tried to smile, but it felt weak. “I haven’t been. This is my first time.”
They laughed, their beer soaked breath surrounding her, making her even more nervous. Drunk men together were always a recipe for disaster. “Your first time, huh? Sounds like something we could help fix.”
Ginger backed up a step, her back meeting a solid wall of resistance. She stepped forward again on reflex, only to find herself nose to nose with the man with blond hair. His hands went to her hips, stroking and caressing her bare midriff.
“You’re a sweet one,” he said as if it was a compliment. Instead, it was just plain creepy. Ginger felt the air of danger thicken, and her heart pounded. “I bet your pussy is tight too.” She tried to jerk free, but he held on tight. Chuckling, he looked over her head to his friends. “What do you say, boys, wanna try her on for size?”
They hooted in agreement, and then she was being dragged away from the party. She struggled against them, and when she tried to scream, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. This is it, she thought frantically, I’m going to get raped.
But before they could carry her far, she suddenly found herself on the ground, her would-be attackers grunting as a tall, dark figure beat the shit out of each of them in turn.
It only took a minute, and then he was there.
The man with the white hair and startling blue eyes. He stood over her, looked her over with a scowl, and reached out his hand. She took it, allowing him to help her to her feet. He grunted a quick, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, then found herself being dragged in the opposite direction, toward the stone structure located at the front of the grounds. The clubhouse, she thought she’d heard someone cal
l it.
They passed all the other partygoers, and she saw some of his friends watching them as he pulled her behind him into the building. She hadn’t been inside yet, but it wasn’t all that impressive. Thick smoke hung like a blanket in the air, and some old rock songs blared through speakers somewhere. Inside, people were doing the same as she’d seen happening outside—drinking, smoking, talking, and fucking.
It was like a free-for-all.
She’d never witnessed anything like it in her life.
This must be what Woodstock was like, she imagined. Had this guy been there himself? He was old enough, she thought.
That should have turned her off—his age. But she found it hotter than ever. He was hot.
He took her to a bedroom located in the back of the compound. It was sparsely decorated, cold and efficient, just like the man before her struck her to be.
“My name’s Repo,” he said by way of introduction, and she wondered if that was his real name or not.
“Ginger,” she replied.
Repo’s scowl was deep, making that unforgiving face of his dark and menacing despite the stark contrast of his fair coloring. She couldn’t tell if he was happy to have her there or pissed. But she didn’t feel the least bit threatened by him like she was by those guys outside. Plus, he’d saved her, so what was there to be afraid of?
He had to be one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. She wondered if he had a woman… Looking down, she caught the glint of a wedding band on his ring finger. Damn. So, he wasn’t the upstanding guy she was hoping for, but she wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s affairs. Who was she to judge?
The way he was looking at her, like a wolf sizing up his next meal, made Ginger feel sexy and powerful. She took stock of the situation. He was so much older than her, but he was full of vitality. He came across mean, but she didn’t feel afraid of him. In fact, with the way he was looking at her now, she felt like he’d break anyone who tried to harm her without blinking twice, and that knowledge actually gave her a fuzzy feeling.
“Babe,” Repo said, his expression fierce, “I want to kill those bastards,” he growled. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you never to go off alone at a biker party?”
“It’s my first time,” she explained. “I was looking for my friend.”
“Did you find her?”
“No.” She hadn’t. She hoped Summer wasn’t in the same trouble Ginger had found herself in. But she was a lot more streetwise, so Ginger would bet wherever she was, she was just fine.
“So, you want to find her?”
He was giving her an out, Ginger realized. She surprised herself by saying, “Not right now.” Ginger looked at the giant bed behind him. She was no prude, and the idea of being with him was exciting. She could already see herself in it, him on top of her, moving inside her.
“Good.” Repo stepped into her personal space, one hand cupping her face, the other holding her hip to draw her closer. As he stared down into her eyes, Ginger felt herself relax, her thoughts calming, narrowing down to that one moment in time where it was just the two of them in that room, connecting on a level she didn’t fully understand. His very presence, so strong and masculine and confident, filled her with a sense of calm even while all her senses were reeling.
“You’re safe here,” Repo told her firmly. “But I want to fuck you, babe. You want that too?”
“God, yes, please,” she breathed. Staring up at him, Ginger experienced an unknown feeling swelling inside of her, filling her with warmth and hope and something she dared not give a name or voice to. She wanted to thank him, to tell him how much his words meant to her, but she was unable to find her voice.
So, she did the only thing she could: she acted.
With zero reservations, Ginger rose onto her toes and tunneled her fingers into Repo’s snow-white hair. For half a second, she met his cool water gaze, communicating her intent, and then she kissed him.
It took even less time for Repo to respond, as if he’d been hoping all along she’d do just that. His mouth crushed hers, matching her intensity. His beard, a coarse salt and pepper that lined his chin, jaw, and mouth, abraded her skin, tantalizing her senses even more.
Without preamble, he grabbed her up and hitched her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed and laid down on top of her. He didn’t stop kissing her as he stripped her clothes off and did the same with his own.
Ginger moaned and arched into him, relishing in the heat and strength of his body against hers, the fire and passion and reverence with which he touched her as if she were a piece of fine china, something to be treasured. She’d never been treasured before either.
In the span of a few heartbeats, she was terrifyingly aware of how vital he was to her in that moment, a source of strength, something solid she could grab onto. Her savior.
That he was treating her like glass endeared him to her even more.
“I won’t break,” she murmured against his mouth as his fingers parted her folds with care and gently probed her entrance. They were both breathing heavily, and his cock was straining between her open thighs, the tip leaving wet streaks on her milky white skin, leaving no mistake of how much he wanted her.
They both needed the relief, needed to release the pressure brought on by this intense craving they had for one another. “I’m being careful because if I don’t, you’ll break,” he informed her. “I need to be inside your pretty little pussy, but you ain’t never had a cock as big as mine, babe,” he said, kissing her even harder as he shoved first one finger inside her, then two, testing her. “You’re so fucking tight, babe, I’ll rip you apart.”
She grinned against his lips. Men—always thinking they were more than a woman could handle. “I can take it,” she promised him. This wasn’t her first rodeo. “Please, Repo, I need you. I need this.”
His head drew back, and his gaze met hers as he reached between them, grabbing hold of his cock and bringing it to her entrance. The thick, wide head pushed against her, meeting resistance. Repo’s eyes held hers. “Are you sure this is what you want, babe? You’ve been through some shit tonight.” With a smirk, he added, “And I’m not a nice and slow kind of man. I only know how to fuck.”
Her lips parted on a gasp, and she nodded. “Yes, yes, that’s what I want, Repo. I want you to fuck me.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, testing her inner walls as he pushed the head inside her, stretching her pussy. Her body answered with another rush of moisture, her clit throbbing almost painfully as her body screamed for more. Repo felt it, he knew. He flexed his hips, his cock sliding in another inch, and Ginger was definitely starting to feel the burn. “Mmm, I guess you are.” He dipped his head down and kissed her again, sliding his tongue across hers in a sensual dance that had her fingers digging into his shoulders. “I’m going to tear this pussy up, babe,” he swore. “Just be sure you give credit where credit is due.”
She caught his wink right before his hips slammed into hers, impaling her on his hard, swollen cock. Her pussy didn’t have a chance to resist, forced to open to him, accept the massive intrusion, and she felt every inch of it. It was so much, almost too much, but still somehow not enough.
Head kicking back, Ginger screamed, “Oh God, Repo!”
Lost to the sensations, the mix of pleasure and pain, she heard his answering chuckle as if from a distance. “Close enough, babe. Now let me hear it again.”
His hips withdrew, his cock pulling almost all the way free from her body, and then he slammed home once again, fucking her with all the vigor of a man half his age—balls slapping against her ass, cockhead hitting her cervix, tits bouncing and teeth clattering, sweat dripping.
He stayed true to his promise. He tore her pussy up, and from that moment on, Ginger knew he was laying new ground, covering the battered remains of the old one, and no man would ever compare.
In that one encounter, Repo hit reset and somehow managed to set the tone for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, after he’d finished, he escorted her out and didn’t look back. She was just a common whore to him, someone to use and toss in the trash when he was through.
A shattering sense of humiliation hit Ginger square in the chest as she stood outside that compound feeling completely alone despite being surrounded by a ton of people.
And that’s when she heard the voice that would change her life yet again.
“Hey, what’s with the sad face?”
She turned and looked up, finding herself staring into the dark eyes of a man only a few years older than her. He was rough, rugged with dark hair down to his shoulders and a wide, friendly smile that screamed sex. He handed her a clear plastic cup full of frothy beer.
“You new around here?” She nodded. “What’s your name, princess?”
“Um, Ginger,” she said softly, trying her damnedest to shake off the sting of rejection. So much for women’s intuition. Repo was a typical asshole.
The man’s smile widened, softening his harsh features. He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ginger. I’m Hawke.”
ONE
Beer and bunnies were on tap, and there was no sign of either running out anytime soon. Repo, content to stick to the background, observed the motley crew of his brothers and random women congregated within the clubhouse’s four fenced-in corners with a disinterest that bordered on melancholy.
The reason for the slump he was in wasn’t forthright in his mind, but that was mainly because every time it tried to rise, he stamped that motherfucker right back down. He didn’t need a lesson in humility, nor did he need to face the fact that he was in one hell of a rut.
Life was a real bitch.
Especially when he had to sit back and paste on a smile every five minutes.
Blake and Gabby had been hitched early that morning, and the crew had brought the party back to the compound directly after. It’d been nothing but celebrations for hours since.
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