The Harder They Fall (The Soldiers of Wrath MC, 8)

by Jenika Snow

  “I’m not crass. Just saying like it is. An old lady takes care of the house and her man. I’m asking you to take care of my house and put some food on my table. I’ll even let you eat with me,” he said with a wink. “Of course, if you want to fuck me, that will be up to you.”

  Damn it. She was so tempted to take him up on that offer. To rid her mind of the constant fantasies that he had given her over the years. It wasn’t even his fault. It was all hers.

  “I can move out of Vengeance’s place?”

  “He cramping your style already?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t want to cramp his and Constance’s. I’ve already given him a great deal of unhappiness. I don’t want to do it again.”

  “I can see that. So, what’s your answer?” Weasel asked.

  The waitress came back with their food. The moment she was gone, Renee agreed. She would do anything to earn a living, even work for the man she had wanted all her life but could never have.

  7

  Weasel knew he was playing with fire by offering the job to Renee. The truth was his heart was breaking that she felt so out of luck and split into two. Having her around the house would be hard as hell given the fact he wanted her desperately.

  But he could control himself; at least that was what he told himself. It might be a totally different story when his control was snapping.

  It had been a week since he offered her the position. She was moving in today, and fuck if he didn’t anticipate it. Vengeance had seemed surprised that she was leaving so soon, and even more shocked that she was moving into Weasel’s place.

  Weasel had been able to keep his amusement in check when Renee stammered out to her brother that she was only there as the help.

  No, she wasn’t just the help. She would be his. It would just be a matter of time.

  He walked over to the window and saw Vengeance pulling into the driveway. Weasel’s house was small, only two bedrooms, but it was plenty big for Renee and him.

  Over time the club would get the stick out of their ass and welcome Renee back, especially with Vengeance patching things up with her. Yeah, she screwed up by offending the club, but no matter what, she was still family and family was thicker than anything else.

  He stepped out of the house and onto the porch just as Vengeance pulled his SUV to a stop in front of the stairs. Renee got out of the back seat, the two bags that held her possessions in hand. She looked so damn good his dick threatened to give a mighty jerk and become a stiff rod between his legs.

  Constance was the next to get out of the passenger seat, her smile wide as she looked at him. Constance was good for Vengeance, really damn good. The Patch had changed since being with his old lady, and it was for the better. He was still hardened biker, but the empathy he felt, the love that his woman gave him, made him a better man.

  And Weasel wanted that someday.

  He looked at Renee after that thought, knowing that yeah, he did want that, but only with one woman.

  He only wanted that with Renee.

  Weasel took three steps off the porch and went up to meet them. He took the bags out of Renee’s hands, grinned at her, and willed his cock to stay down. It was painful as hell, though, because the fucker was itching to get hard.

  But he was good at controlling himself, at least he had been. Renee living under the same roof as him might change that.

  “You guys staying for a drink?” Weasel asked.

  “Nah. We’ve got some errands to run.” Vengeance came around the front of the car and wrapped his arm around Constance, pulling her in tightly. “I’m taking my woman furniture shopping.”

  It would’ve been funny as hell to see a big ass biker talking about buying furniture, but Vengeance looked so damn happy that Weasel could only grin in return.

  After they bullshitted for about five minutes Vengeance and Constance left, leaving Renee standing right beside him.

  Weasel glanced over at Renee and wondered if she was nervous. Without thinking, because all he wanted to do was be there for her, he placed his hand on the center of her back and rubbed up and down. She was tense under his touch, but after a few seconds she relaxed and glanced over at him.

  “You doing okay?” he asked her, knowing she felt out of place. That would change, though.

  She turned and faced him. “I’m fine. I just don’t want to feel like this is a handout. You know what I mean?”

  He grinned. “Sweetheart, just wait until you see the wreck my house is in. If you still think it’s a handout, then we can talk.” He started laughing and they both headed inside.

  Hell, she might run screaming in the other direction when she saw the state his place was in. Truth was he wasn’t a good housekeeper, and when he was at his home he wanted to relax and not worry about picking shit up.

  He pushed open the door and let her walk in first. He couldn’t help but grin at the way her body tensed. Yeah, right about now she was probably realizing this wasn’t a handout at all.

  “Holy shit, Weasel.” She glanced around and stared at him with wide eyes. “You weren’t kidding about the wreck.”

  He chuckled and walked in, shutting the door behind them.

  Weasel set her bags down and watched as she walked around. “And I don’t have food in the house, nothing probably edible anymore, so your duties will also be going to the store.” She turned and faced him, this stoic expression on her face.

  “Nothing edible?” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not surprised.” She started laughing then.

  “Let me show you to the room you’ll have.” The house was small as fuck, and the sweet scent of her seemed to fill it immediately. He showed her the room, watched as she stepped in, and right about now he felt stupid as fuck.

  His house was so fucking gross, and he’d brought the woman he wanted here. Shit, he’d never brought a female here, so he felt out of place.

  She turned and faced him, and her smile had him relaxing. “Well, looks like I have my work cut out for me.”

  It was going to be fucking hell keeping his hands off her.

  8

  “You’re a total pig,” Renee said. “There’s no way I can sleep in this room.”

  “Then why are you smiling?” Weasel asked. His large, muscular arms were folded over his even more impressive chest, but she ignored that about him. He was part of her brother’s close friends, and that would be crossing lines. There was no way someone like Weasel wouldn’t break her heart, and it was the simple reason why she would never risk it.

  “Because I know this is not just some excuse to make me feel better. You actually need me, and I prefer to work for my living. You’re a slob.” She frowned. “It’s strange. I never thought that about you. Your room at the clubhouse was always clean.”

  “This place has become a dumping ground for far too long. It was just easier to drop and dump than actually do anything with it.” Weasel stretched. “Don’t worry, I got rid of the rats and mice.”

  She jumped, screamed, and then stood on a chair. “Mice?”

  He burst out laughing. “You’re still so easy to tease.”

  “You’re an asshole, Weasel. Just so you know, Vengeance told me to call him if you were too much of an asshole.”

  “Oh come on,” he said, offering a hand. “That was funny. There’s no mice or rats. I promise. There’s a lot of spiders, mind you, and I do kill them as I see them.”

  She shivered and made a grossed-out sound. “I’m pleased I stopped off at the store and got these.” She tore into the package of the rubber gloves and quickly pulled them on. Next, she had on an apron and then tied her hair into a hat, securing it onto her head. Turning toward him, she watched as he burst out laughing.

  “That has got to be the most unflattering attire ever,” he said.

  “What were you expecting? A maid’s uniform. Something they wear in porn movies.”

  “Now that would be nice. I might just go out and buy you something.”

  She ignored h
im and made her way toward the window. Opening it wide, she then grabbed two large trash bags. Picking up random stuff that was lying around and throwing it away.

  For thirty minutes, she worked to clean down the surfaces and then the floors. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Weasel stood with his arms folded. “Don’t look at me with those cute little judgey eyes. You wanted to work, and this is the task you need to do. I’m just curious and want to watch you work.”

  Renee wrinkled her nose as she lifted up a thong. There was a thick layer of dust around it. “Is this yours?”

  Weasel burst out laughing. “That was probably one of the guys from the club bringing a trophy to show me and left that dirty shit here.”

  “Nasty.”

  “You keep saying so.”

  Shaking her head, she filled several bags with crap and stored them at the door. “How long have you had this place?”

  “A couple of years. I’ve bought stuff and just left it, and not really done a lot with the place.”

  She was surprised to see the mattress on the bed still had a protective wrap over it. That gave her hope that she would be sleeping in a nice clean bed. “How many women have you brought back here?”

  “None. This is my domain and no pussy, besides yours has been allowed here.”

  “That seems … completely wrong.”

  “Why?”

  “This is your house. Wouldn’t it make sense to bring them back here?”

  “Nope. None at all. You see, this is my castle, and only people I like make it back here.”

  “And you’ve not liked any of the women you’ve slept with.” She needed to think about him with other women, otherwise she was at risk of getting too close, and she didn’t want to get close to him, nor did she want to have any feelings for him.

  “I’m sure you’re aware that there are people out there you don’t have to be attracted to in order to fuck.”

  She nodded. “You’re right.”

  “Why are you interested in the women I’ve been in?” he asked, taking a step into the now clean room. Well, she wouldn’t go so far to say it was clean. He could walk without fear of killing himself.

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are.” He stood right in front of her. “Don’t worry, princess. No one is going to invade your space if that is what you’re worried about.”

  “This is your house. You can bring anyone back here that you want.” She forced a smile even as jealousy began to work its way up her spine. She wasn’t happy, far from it, in fact. Just the thought of another woman being able to touch him was enough to make her sick to her stomach. “I better get back to work.” He didn’t move out of her way, and so she moved around him.

  Grabbing the trash bags, she took them straight outside and left them in separate piles. Finally, looking at the kitchen, she once again shuddered. Bottles and empty takeout trays were everywhere. She would do her room first and then this room. The house was just a mess but at least he didn’t have a problem with her throwing shit away. She would have quit if he had any issue with her cleaning.

  “I’ve got to head out. Are you going to be okay handling this on your own?” Weasel asked.

  “Yeah, I think if anyone tried to rob the place, they’d turn around and leave. Nothing worth stealing.”

  Weasel burst out laughing. “You’re a hoot. I know we’re going to be the best of friends.”

  She had her bucket filled with water and several clothes. Making her way back to her room, she stared to wipe down the years of dust and grime. She didn’t know how anyone could have lived like this, and Weasel was a clean guy.

  This place was a mess. After another two hours of scrubbing every single surface so that it sparkled, and changing the water several times, she stopped on the landing outside of her room. Down the hall was Weasel’s room. She had to know if he lived like this.

  Moving toward his door, she reached out, touching the handle.

  This was so wrong and she felt like she was invading his privacy. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she turned the handle and opened the door. The scent of lavender greeted her, and his room was … spotless. His bed didn’t have a single wrinkle, and every surface was clean.

  She frowned. Why was the rest of his house a dump?

  9

  Weasel and some of the other guys had been away for a couple of days on a run. They’d made a gun and ammunition purchase, dropped off the extra to a fellow charter, and now he was heading back to his place.

  The road in front of him passed by in a blur, the sun beat down, and the wind whipped by his face. This was freedom; the open road the way to live. Weasel wouldn’t have wanted to live any other way, and being tied down to a “normal” job, not being able to live the life he wanted, would be hell on earth.

  The entire time he’d been away from Renee she was all he thought about. It was crazy to think that in the short time since she’d been back in town, he’d fallen even harder for her. He hadn’t thought that was possible.

  Even though he hadn’t needed to tell Renee that he was going, or call her when he’d been on the road, he still would have done just that. Truth was for his own peace of mind he wanted to make sure she was okay.

  If he was also completely honest, he could admit that he would’ve let her stay at his house without any strings attached. She didn’t need to clean or cook for him. He wanted to help her out because he loved her. But he knew she was too proud to take an offer like that, so putting some stipulations on her moving in was the only way she would’ve agreed.

  But he stayed away—if only for these few days—hoping to curb his desire for Renee, maybe thinking she needed the time from him as well. He didn’t want to smother her, didn’t want to be an asshole who had no self-control when it concerned the woman he wanted.

  He didn’t want to see himself falling harder for her when she stayed back.

  Weasel turned onto his street, his motorcycle noisy as he headed toward his house. He pulled his bike into the driveway, cut the engine, and climbed off. Once standing he stretched, working out the kinks from the couple hours of riding. His back was killing him. He stared at the house for long seconds, wondering if Renee was inside.

  She didn’t have a car yet, but you knew who she was saving up for one and to get a place of her own. That very thought that she wouldn’t be in this house, wouldn’t be close to him anymore ate at him.

  But Weasel knew that unless he grew some balls and actually told her how he felt he had no right to feel anything.

  He grabbed the saddlebags off the bike and headed toward the front door. As soon as he opened it, the scent of lemons and flowers slammed into him. It was girly as fuck, but he couldn’t deny that it smelled nice. It reminded him of Renee, of her femininity and the slight innocence that she tried to keep hidden.

  He finally realized the state of his house. He slowly shut the door behind him, looking from the living room into the kitchen and back again. The house was clean as fuck. There were no clothes on the floor, no beer cans scattered around the coffee table. The wood mantel on his fireplace was even polished.

  He set the saddlebags down on the ground and headed into the kitchen. Hell, in here it smelled like steak, like red-fucking-meat. His mouth watered, and damn if he almost didn’t get an erection at the incredible smell. He walked over to the pan on the stove, lifted the lid, and saw vegetables frying. Opening the oven, he saw steaks and baked potatoes.

  And on the counter cooling was a fucking apple pie. Weasel gripped onto the edge of the counter, this wave washing through him. He heard Renee laughing behind him and he turned around.

  She stood there with folded dishtowels in her hand, the smile on her face wide.

  “You okay?” she asked with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

  Weasel couldn’t even find his voice to answer.

  A clean house.

  Dinner cooking.

  A damn apple pie cooling on the counter.

  An
d Renee the center of it all.

  This was fucking heaven.

  “I think I’ve fucking died and gone to heaven.” She started laughing harder and walked in, put the dishtowels away, and turned to stare at him.

  She looked so fucking good in that moment, with even a bit of flour on her cheek. Without thinking he reached out and smoothed him thumb along her skin, rubbing the flour away.

  “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said, dropping his hand to his side and looking back at the pie. “I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in…” He thought about it. “Hell, aside from the BBQs at the club, no one has ever cooked for me like this.”

  “Well, seeing as this is part of the job.” She grinned and he could see that she was teasing. “I figured I might as well make your first meal living with me a good one.”

  He was the one to chuckle now.

  “Take a seat and I’ll serve you.”

  Weasel walked over to the table and sat down. He watched as Renee put the dishtowels away and then grabbed a plate and started filling it up with food for him. His stomach gave a loud grumble at that moment and he heard her chuckle. It was nice having her around, her presence this balm in his soul.

  He knew one thing for sure. He couldn’t let her go, not without admitting how he felt first.

  10

  After seeing how clean Weasel’s room was, she had been tempted to throw all the trash inside there. Instead, she had dumped it all, and whatever could be kept, she had sent to charity. Everything personal like CDs, and DVDs, she’d placed on a shelf in the sitting room.

  Even she was impressed with how good the house was but then she’d always been able to clean. Renee hated mess and had driven her brother crazy with how much she loved to clean.

  Once Vengeance had complained that she used too much bleach and that it was burning his nostrils. She had ignored him until he finally snapped and threw out all her bleach. She’d been using six bottles a week and had decided to make a cutback.