by Sam Crescent
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77233-442-5
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
I want to thank all of my wonderful readers for being patient in getting Hardy's story, and to please give him a chance. As always, I want to thank the wonderful team at Evernight, and that includes Karyn White. Thank you all so much.
HARDY
The Skulls, 12
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
When Hardy met Rose
“Fuck, these bitches are priceless,” Hardy said, laughing as Tiny grabbed another club whore and took her back to his office. He loved it when they were partying. Zero, Butch, Lash, and Nash were all there, some of them prospecting. God, Hardy loved The Skulls. Becoming a patched in member of the club in Fort Wills was the best thing he ever did in his life. There really wasn’t anything better than being surrounded by whores, and brothers, partying. He didn’t have any family or anyone to love other than the club. The Skulls ran through his veins, and he was damn loyal to all the brothers he fought beside. It was part of him, and he knew he’d give his very life for the club. No woman was ever going to be good enough to come between him and the club.
Wiping the sweat from his brow he glanced throughout the room. He wasn’t even close to being drunk, but with the heat it was a fucking nightmare. Bitches were all over the place in different states of undress. He wanted a little air. When he wanted a cunt to use, he’d pick one. Turning toward the door, Hardy’s body went completely still. It was the first moment in his life he’d been captured by such a beautiful woman. There was no way she was a club whore. He’d never even seen her before, and couldn’t recall her being with anyone else. Hardy would have remembered her. She stuck out of the crowd like a sore thumb, wearing thick rimmed glasses, with her glossy red hair piled on top of her head. She wore a thin shirt that clung to every inch of her curves.
Hardy couldn’t look away. He was hypnotized by the sight of her. She was beautiful, plain and simple. No, beautiful was too nice a word. Spectacular, she rivaled every other woman in the club, including all the bitches he’d fucked before. He wanted her.
Unable to look away, he made his way toward her. He couldn’t go anywhere else even if he wanted to. Something pulled him toward her, not allowing him to go anywhere else but to her. The closer he got to her, the more enthralled he became. He saw she was wearing jeans and she’d crossed her arms underneath her chest, pushing those beauties together.
Running fingers through his hair, he closed the short distance, invading her space. Still, the redhead didn’t look up. She looked so out of place, almost afraid.
Touching her arm, he brought her attention around to him. He was struck dumb for a split second. Hardy couldn’t recall ever being tongue-tied with a woman. Finally, getting a hold of himself, he spoke.
“Hello, beautiful, I’ve never seen you here before,” he said.
Her cheeks heated to a different shade of red. Hardy knew his new favorite color was going to be red. Her red hair, her blush—wow, he was taken away with all of her, and she’d not even spoken yet.
“Erm,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I’ve never been here before. I’m here with a friend, actually.”
“Man or woman?”
“Woman.” She turned back to him, and he was struck dumb a second time by her startling green eyes. The third time he was kicked in the gut was when she smiled. His mouth went dry, and he couldn’t believe what was happening to him.
“I’m Hardy,” he said, offering her a hand to shake.
She giggled. “Rose.”
“What?” he asked
“My name, it’s Rose.”
“Well, Rose, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well.”
****
“Please, you’re hurting me,” Rose said, crying out. He’d just rammed his dick inside her, and now she couldn’t get him out of her. This was why she’d avoided sex. She’d heard many women talking about the horrors of their first time, and so she went out of her way not to have sex. At twenty years old she should have lost hers, but she’d not found the right guy she wanted to be with. Then there was the whole fear factor, and now it was so painful.
“Fuck, you’re a virgin.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” she said, shoving at him. He was hurting her, and now it had spoiled the whole losing virginity thing. It was a shame as Hardy had seemed like a nice guy to lose it to. For the past couple of weeks he’d been pretty attentive, wanting to find everything out about her. It was refreshing to have a guy interested in her. Usually her friend got all the attention.
She pushed him off and climbed off the bed. Rose ignored the little specks of blood, reaching for her jeans.
“Whoa, wait, baby.”
“This was a big mistake,” she said, pushing her hair out of the way.
Hardy held onto her arm. “You’re not going to run out on me. Shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was your first time. Fuck, I can make it better. Give me a chance to make it better.”
He started to kiss her neck, and all thought of protesting evaporated as the hard stubble on his chin had goosebumps erupting all over her flesh. Instead of rushing out, she leaned in close toward him.
Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side.
“It hurt,” she said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Rose allowed herself to be pulled back to the bed where Hardy more than made up for the fact it had been painful. He was the first man to ever get this far with her, and part of her was scared what she’d be willing to give him.
Hardy was going to break her heart. She knew it later that night as he fell asleep while she remained awake.
****
“What are you doing?” Rose asked.
Going to his knee, Hardy smiled up at her. She was the first and only woman to ever capture his attention and heart. He wanted his ring on her finger, his kid in her belly, and to have her as his woman utterly and completely. “Rose, I love you more than anything. I want you to be my wife.”
He was outside of her small apartment where she lived near the college just out of Fort Wills. Hardy visited her as often as he could. Fort Wills was his home and would always be his home.
“You want to marry me?”
“There’s nothing I’d want more than to have you as my wife, Rose. I love you.”
“You love me?”
“Is there a parrot around? Of course I love you.” He stayed on the floor, staring up at her, waiting for an answer. Hardy had taken her by surprise. He’d taken himself by surprise when he’d found himself in the jewelry store hunting for a ring.
“I’m … I’m speechless.”
“Is that a yes or a no?” he asked.
“Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”
Getting to his feet, he held her hand as he slid the ring on her finger. One was down. Now all he needed to do was get her pregnant.
“Are you sure you love me?” Rose asked.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” Slamming his lips down
on hers, he smiled into her eyes. “I’m going to make you the happiest woman in the world, and I know you’re going to make me the happiest man in the world. I don’t want to wait to get married.”
He had every intention of keeping his word.
****
Rose saw Hardy’s naked ass as he fucked a club whore. She didn’t care who it was. The pain wouldn’t be any less. She was so stupid. They’d had a good couple of years of marriage, and now was the bitter reality that the man she was once in love with was now fucking another woman. She didn’t make a sound at first, simply staring at the tableau before her. For the past couple of weeks Hardy had been pulling away from her, refusing to spend any time with her. They’d not had sex in so long, and whenever she tried to get him in the mood, he brushed her off. Now she understood why.
He was getting his rocks off with another woman.
This can’t be happening.
It’s not fair.
He promised he’d always make me happy.
This isn’t making me happy.
Her heart was breaking, tearing, shattering. She wanted to burn her eyes so she could no longer see what was happening.
Please make it stop.
I can’t handle this.
Unable to contain the whimper from her lips, she saw Hardy had heard her. He paused mid-thrust, and in slow motion he looked behind him.
“Hardy, don’t stop, baby. I’m so close. Only you can fuck me so good.”
Rose stared down at her skimpy little dress. She’d come to the clubhouse to surprise him, and now she was the one surprised.
Turning on her heel, she heard Hardy calling her name. She couldn’t listen to him, nor did she want to.
Tears fell from her eyes as she rushed out of the clubhouse. She didn’t wait around for anyone to stop her. Lash was stood by his car about to get inside.
She opened the passenger door and begged him to get her out of there.
“What’s going on?” Lash asked.
“Nothing. I just really need to leave, and I need to leave now.”
When Lash pulled out of the parking lot, she chanced a look behind her in time to see Hardy rushing out. Closing her eyes, Rose kept it together for the longest time. Only when she was alone did she finally break down in tears.
****
“I want a divorce,” Rose said.
It had been a week since she’d seen Hardy. She’d gone to a hotel and had only just come back home. Hardy reached out to touch her knee, and she pulled away.
“Baby, please.”
“What? Don’t divorce you? Pretend I didn’t witness you fucking another woman? You cheated on me, Hardy. You fucked another woman. I fucking hate you!” She slapped him around the face, and was so angry with herself and with him, she slapped him again.
“Yes, hit me, baby. Make it hurt. I’m so sorry.”
His words stopped her. Hardy wanted her to hurt him to make his cheating seem fine. No, she wasn’t going to make it easy on him. It wasn’t fair.
Shaking her head, she pulled away from him, tugging her knees up to her chest. “I don’t want you to touch me.”
“Rose?”
“You promised you’d never hurt me. You’ve hurt me, you hateful bastard.”
She stared out of the window.
“I know. I will make it up to you. I promise. I’ll never hurt you again.”
A couple of days later Rose found herself still living with Hardy, but she’d moved into the spare bedroom. The thought of him touching her filled her with so much regret.
****
“I’ve told you to go,” Hardy said, pushing the club whore away. He couldn’t believe what he’d done. Seeing the shock, the pain, and the utter disgust on Rose’s face had awakened something within him. He didn’t know why he’d cheated on Rose. There was no fucking reason to. She was still the love of his life. The only woman he’d ever fucking loved, and he’d ruined it. He was a fucking asshole, and for the past couple of weeks, he’d been in hell. It was all his own fault. Rose had been reaching out to him, and he’d pushed her away. It wasn’t like the club whore was anything special either. She was a bitch and in no way compared to Rose. Something had lured him into this woman’s bed, and right now, he wasn’t even tempted. Rose was in the house, still keeping her distance, and he couldn’t have her hurt anymore.
He’d done enough damage.
“I’m pregnant.”
No, no, no, no, fuck no.
Hardy was hit in the chest because he finally realized why he’d cheated on Rose. He’d been so fucking fed up with her being depressed about not being able to have kids, that he’d stopped going home, tired of her moping around. His own selfishness had done this to them.
“Hardy, don’t push her away,” Rose said, coming up behind him. “You were more than happy to have your dick in her.”
Even as she spoke the words with a coldness that surprised him, Hardy saw the real pain in her eyes. She was so sad, so pained, so hurt.
This is all your fault.
You hurt her.
“Come on in,” Rose said.
Before the end of the day Rose had agreed to adopt his kid, raise it as her own, and pay the club whore off. Hardy didn’t understand why they couldn’t have children of their own, but she’d been so sad the day she told him, he’d not pressured her. No one needed to know what happened. For the first time since he’d made a mistake, Rose looked so damned happy, and in a messed up way, he was giving her something back.
He helped her to prepare the second spare room as a nursery. During the next three months they grew closer, and Hardy was hopeful they would get past what he’d done. Weeks before their baby was due to be born, they got the tragic news. The club whore and his kid were both killed in a car accident. He’d not taken the time to remember the woman’s name who carried his kid. Not once did he care about her, or even give her any real thought.
After their chance of finally having a kid ended, Rose seemed to go into some kind of trance. Hardy stayed with her throughout it all trying to get through to her. He couldn’t reach her as they went through their days, passing the time. For the longest time Rose didn’t talk to him. She visited the graveside of the club whore and their unborn baby.
Nothing.
The days passed, and so did the weeks. Hardy didn’t rush her.
Finally, one day Rose came out of the spare bedroom looking like a different woman. She wore a short mini skirt, tight shirt, with heavy makeup, along with her hair curled. Rose looked like sex on legs, and his cock went instantly hard at the sight of her.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s party night, Hardy. It’s Saturday, and no one parties better than The Skulls.” She reached out taking his hand. “Let’s go and party.”
Hardy didn’t question Rose’s change. He was afraid to. He was afraid that if he questioned her, she’d pull away, casting him out of her life forever.
It was easier to deal with Rose’s new appearance and change than it was to consider life without her. Looking back, he shouldn’t have gone to that party. He should have stayed at home, and made her talk to him.
Hindsight is always a beautiful thing looking back.
Chapter One
Present day
“Hardy, stop fussing,” Rose said, slapping his hands away from her. She’d just told him she was pregnant, and he’d picked her up, carrying her upstairs toward his room. Sitting on his bed, she couldn’t help but take a look around his room. It was a mess with dirty clothes strewn around all over. She’d not been to his room in a long time.
Her attention was brought back to Hardy as he pushed clothes off a chair, and dragged it over toward her.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Nothing. You’re going to tell me exactly what the fuck is going on ‘cause I’m so fucking confused right now.” He took her hands within his, and Rose didn’t have the heart to pull away. She’d been in so much shock since she’d visited the do
ctor’s office. The doctor had made sure she repeated every single word after him¸ then recited back to him exactly what he’d said after he finished. “You told me we couldn’t get pregnant. Now you’re saying we are.”
Rose licked her lips. “How do you know it’s yours?” Bitch. Rose gritted her teeth, hating what she’d said. There was a time when they had been happy. You’d been happy even after everything that had happened. Rose, at first, had believed she could blame all of their problems on Hardy. The truth was, she had to take her fair share of the blame. Fighter had made her do some reflecting in the past couple of weeks when it came to her life with Hardy. She’d blamed Hardy for changing her, and the truth was, she’d changed herself. After the woman died, and took the baby with her, Rose had been so overcome by fear of losing Hardy that she’d done what she believed he wanted, to become like the woman he’d cheated on her with. She hadn’t gone screwing other men. No, Rose had worn skimpy clothing, and become part of The Skulls, giving Hardy everything he wanted. He’d not asked her to do it, but he’d also not asked her to stop what she was doing either.
There was no way for her to change what happened, only try to fix the damage that had been done. They were pregnant now, and it was all her own fault for not listening to her doctor.
He glared at her. “Rose, you’re many things, but fucking several men at the same time is not one of them. If you were ever going to do that, you’d have done it years ago when I fucking deserved it. The only person who is the father of that baby, is me.”
She was so happy he didn’t question the father of her baby. After the past year of being separated, there had been many things said to each other in the heat of the moment. He had to at least still trust her, or know that she wasn’t the type of person to sleep around. She had only ever been with him, and Rose knew she wouldn’t have any other man but him.
