1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Fourteen

by Kristen Ashley

  Now I was watching the same scenario playing out with my nieces and Randy, Hannah’s loser of an ex.

  A loser of an ex who was apparently waiting inside the trailer, despite the fact that he didn’t have a key. I must’ve forgotten to lock it when we left for the park.

  Hannah was gonna kill me.

  Callie took off running and I pushed the stroller faster, wondering why the hell he’d finally decided to visit. He lived nearby but we never saw him, even though it would take less than ten minutes for him to swing by and see his own kids.

  I’d love to say I’d been surprised by how things had turned out, but I really wasn’t. Randy had never been a winner. The first time I’d met him, he’d gotten drunk and made a pass at me, but Hannah was pregnant and in love. I wasn’t going to be the one to burst her happy little bubble.

  Right after Callie was born, he’d been arrested for possession. He’d gotten less reliable after that and started cheating on Hannah with Vera Blount. Vera was ten years older than him and had gotten money in her divorce. Six months ago he’d taken off to buy a pack of smokes and never came back. Hannah had finally acknowledged reality and changed the locks when she learned they were living together.

  Better late than never.

  “You’ve been growing!” Randy was telling Callie, all smiles as I walked in with the twins. He glanced up at me and his expression was a lot less friendly. Fair enough—the feeling was mutual.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked bluntly.

  “Stopped by to see my girls,” the bastard replied, his voice so sweet I wanted to vomit. “You know I’ve been missing you, don’t you baby?”

  Callie hugged him hard, although I noticed the twins didn’t seem the slightest bit interested. Probably couldn’t remember who he was.

  “Callie, can you go into your room for a few?” I asked, forcing myself to stay polite. The little girl frowned, but she followed my instructions. The twins followed as usual, muttering in their own little language. I waited until they were out of earshot and then laid into him. “You aren’t supposed to be here, Randy.”

  “Last I checked, I owned this trailer.”

  “No, your parents do,” I corrected. “And they’re as sick of your shit as the rest of us. Unless you’re here with a child support check and your balls in a jar, you need to get the hell out.”

  “I have a right to see my children,” he said, taking a step toward me. His stance was anything but friendly, and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t be picking fights when there weren’t any witnesses.

  Little late for that now.

  “Hannah has a lease from your parents,” I reminded him. “It’s all official. You’re trespassing, and if you don’t leave I can call the sheriff and have you thrown out.”

  “The sheriff spending a lot of time here these days?” he asked, the question a snarl. “I hear things. Hannah’s fucking a deputy, isn’t she?”

  “Hannah’s working hard to support her children,” I countered, his visit suddenly making sense. He didn’t want Hannah, but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either. Typical. “And what she does in her private life is none of your business. You need to leave. Now.”

  “Or what?”

  “Try me and find out,” I bluffed, because I had no idea what the hell I’d do. Bite him, maybe? You’d probably catch something. Randy locked eyes with me and I held my ground, praying desperately he’d back down. Finally, he shook his head slowly, laughing.

  “You’re fucking pathetic, Mandy,” he said. “But I was leaving anyway. Tell Hannah not to bother changing the locks again. There’s nothing she can do to keep me out of here. Those kids are mine, this house is mine, and she’s mine, assuming I want her fat ass, which I don’t. Make sure she knows it, too.”

  He started toward the door and I held my breath, praying he’d actually leave. When it shut behind him I ran over and tried to lock it, only to discover he’d broken the deadbolt. The metal had held, but the door frame itself was so weak and rotten that it’d crumbled like cardboard.

  Fucking hell. At least I hadn’t forgotten…

  Pulling out my phone, I sent Hannah a quick text.

  Me: We got a problem. Randy was here. I made him leave but I think he’ll be coming back soon. He broke in

  Hannah: Shit

  Me: Pretty much. I fucking hate this town. For the record.

  Hannah: We’ll figure it out. Heath might be able to help

  Me: Sure and I’ll just give Shade a call too. Maybe Rebel. If we get enough men here that’ll totally solve the problem.

  Hannah: Don’t be such a bitch

  Me: Sorry

  Hannah: Its ok. We WILL figure this out. Just hang in there. Love you

  Me: Love you too. Gonna go check on the kids now. Be careful walking home.

  Hannah: I think Heath is giving me a ride

  Of course he was. I still didn’t like the idea of the guy, but better him than Randy. Of course, best of all would be us figuring out a way to get through this on our own.

  Yet another thing to add to Future Me’s to do list. Poor thing was going to be crushed under the weight of it at this rate.

  Chapter Eleven

  It was almost a relief when I clocked in at the bar that night. I’d been dreading going in to work for two days because I didn’t want to see Shade.

  Randy’s visit had offered me some perspective.

  Shade I understood. He was a bad guy, definitely. A threat. But he was a threat to me and me alone—I didn’t need to worry about him hurting my sister and her family.

  I couldn’t say the same about Randy.

  Me and Hannah had talked more once she’d gotten home, trying to figure him out. We were both confused about why Randy had come to the house because he sure as shit didn’t give a damn about her or the kids. Her theory was that he’d hidden some money there, which made as much sense as anything. I had a bad feeling, though. The same kind of feeling I’d gotten while I was waiting for Trevor in the liquor store parking lot, when the cop knocked on my car window.

  The fact that she was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed about Deputy Hottie didn’t make me feel any better, either.

  I’d seen his kind before.

  Heath was a good guy, but he walked a straight line. He’d follow the law, and I knew all too well how easy it was to find yourself as an accessory to a crime, especially with a guy like Randy hanging around. It’d been one thing for me to get wrapped up in that, but if Hannah got arrested, what would happen to the kids? They’d probably haul me off with her, seeing as I lived there and was already on probation. That left Randy’s parents to watch the girls, and they weren’t exactly qualified.

  Loving grandparents they might be, but they’d created him in the first place. Throw in the health problems and they were essentially useless. Sad but true.

  Randy needed to go away. Preferably Heath, too, because the last thing we needed was a lawman sniffing around. I didn’t care how cute he was.

  Fortunately, tonight should be busy enough to distract me from worrying about it. Bone was expecting a decent crowd because he’d brought in a band, something we didn’t see that often in Violetta. That meant both Sara and Suz were working with me.

  This turned out to be a very a good thing because right after the second set, the Reapers showed up.

  All of them.

  Nearly thirty guys, plus their women, liquored up and ready to party. Now we’d be busting ass until the wee hours. Bone didn’t believe in shutting down the bar when there was still money to be made, no matter what the law said. The liquor control board didn’t exactly have a branch office in Violetta.

  In a way, this was a blessing.

  I hadn’t seen Shade since the night he’d left me the giant tip, and now I could pretend I was too busy to talk to him, which was sort of the truth. It was embarrassing to admit, but I halfway expected him to play the same game that he had before and refuse service from anyone but me. Then S
uz went over to take their order and he didn’t even glance in my direction.

  He didn’t glance in my direction when the music started, either, or when a group of college girls who’d come slumming went over and started chatting him up.

  Nope, Shade was having a grand old time.

  Bastard.

  You wanted him to leave you alone, I reminded myself. You told him to find someone else to pester because you aren’t interested in him. You even insisted that he take back his five hundred bucks and forget you ever existed, remember?

  Except the longer I watched him with those little bitches, the harder time I had remembering why I’d been so hell-bent on keeping him out of my bed. Things got even worse when Sara gave me a pat on the shoulder, along with one of those little sympathy smiles girls offer each other when a relationship falls apart.

  “I need a break,” I told Bone.

  “We got a full house in here,” he reminded me. “You sure it can’t wait?”

  I crossed my arms and glared at him.

  “Okay, I guess you’re due,” he said, although I could tell it pissed him off. Tough shit. By law I was allowed a break every two hours, no matter how busy we were. The fact that we usually let those slide in exchange for more flexibility on slow nights didn’t matter to me—I needed to get the hell away from Shade and his harem.

  Tossing my apron down behind the bar, I headed out back for some fresh air. There was a small covered porch out there for the staff, along with a few battered chairs and a picnic table that’d seen better days. Slamming the door behind me, I boosted myself up onto the table and pulled out my phone.

  That’s when the door opened again and Shade stepped outside to join me.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I demanded.

  “What’s the matter—you on the rag?” he asked, smiling even though he had to know that’d piss me off.

  “You’re such a fucking pig. Where the hell do you get off, coming out here and talking to me like that?”

  “You’re the one who bit my head off,” he said, leaning back against the door and crossing his arms. He cocked his head at me, studying my figure. “So what’s the answer?”

  “To what?”

  “Are you on the rag?”

  My mouth dropped and I stared at him, stunned.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” I finally managed to ask.

  “Nothing,” he replied, giving me a slow grin. “Just trying to figure out how sloppy it’s gonna be.”

  Oh, no way. He didn’t just go there…except he had. He totally had.

  “Get the hell out of my sight,” I hissed. “Go fuck one of your college girls if you’re horny.”

  “But I don’t want to fuck one of them. I want to fuck you.”

  “Not happening.”

  “We’ll see,” he said, taking a step toward me. “Is that what crawled up your butt and died? Seeing all those girls in there? Or are you pissed that I didn’t make you serve me? Mixed signals, baby. You should really work on that,” he added with a grin.

  “I don’t give a shit what you do,” I told him, which was a damned lie. Asshole.

  “Yeah, I think you do,” he said, stepping in to me. He put one hand on either side of my body and I leaned back to avoid contact. Shade pushed a knee between my legs, taking advantage as he gave a low laugh. “You can’t stop thinking about me, can you?”

  “I’ve been thinking about all the reasons I hate bikers,” I said. “And I’m not for sale. Bone has your five hundred bucks—you can pick it up on the way out. Use it for one of your cheap whores.”

  Shade shook his head slowly. “I’m only interested in one girl tonight and I’m pretty sure she’s not a whore. Hell, considering all you went through, I think you earned the money fair and square. Just don’t expect any more after we fuck. You already made it clear you aren’t for sale and I can respect that.”

  I raised a hand to slap him, but he caught it, deftly twisting it around behind my back, pushing me forward into his body. Then his mouth took mine, teeth nipping at my lips until I opened for him. His other hand grabbed my ass and then I completely forgot why I hated him so much.

  Shade

  Watching Mandy twitch her butt and flirt with every man in the whole fucking bar was pure torture. She’d worn a jean skirt so short it just barely skimmed the top of her thighs, practically begging me to jerk it up and bury my cock in that tight snatch of hers.

  I remembered how it tasted.

  Couldn’t sleep at night without jerking off, that’s how much I remembered it. Nearly killed me, but I’d given her space the last couple days. She was skittish and I knew I’d lose her if I didn’t play the game right.

  Tonight, though…tonight I’d had enough waiting.

  I’d come to the Pit with every intention of claiming her and I’d be doing it, too. When I’d followed her out onto the back porch I’d planned to kiss her, maybe tease her a little. Get her off. Then I’d convince her to hop on my bike and I’d show her what a man like me had to offer.

  The instant I tasted her, though, I forgot all about taking it slow. She had no fuckin’ clue how sexy she was or that she could have any man she wanted. Somehow that made it even hotter when I finally shoved my tongue into her mouth.

  Watching her settle for that limp-dicked fuckwad, Rebel, had nearly killed me.

  It’d been bad enough when they’d still been together, but once I’d had a taste, I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away. Not until I’d had all of her. Repeatedly. With some women, once was enough. You got the itch, you scratched it and then you lost interest. Mandy was more. I had no fuckin’ idea why and I didn’t care, because that wasn’t how I lived my life. I took what I wanted, enjoyed the hell out of it and then moved on.

  I wasn’t under any illusions about the situation.

  I’d be leaving soon, swinging back through Portland for a few months in my role as club president, and she’d stay in Violetta. Girls wanted flowers and roses and forever. I wanted the road under my tires and something new on the horizon. Never understood why so many of my brothers were willing to settle down in one place.

  I wasn’t that guy.

  Never had been. Never would be.

  But Mandy…I was starting to realize I wanted more than a quick roll in the sack with her, even if it meant delaying for a while. The itch was bad and it’d take time to scratch it right. Time I fully intended to spend buried deep inside that tight little pussy of hers.

  Time I’d only get if I stuck to my strategy, a fact I completely forgot as I grabbed her ass, jerking her tight into my body. Her skirt was up around her waist and the only things separating us were a few thin scraps of fabric. My tongue filled her mouth, thrusting deep like I would with my cock.

  Goddamn that was good.

  Fuckin’ turn-on from hell, actually. So was the fact that I could do whatever I wanted with her out here. Nobody could stop me, not with my brothers watching my back. Might make me a bastard but that was the reality.

  Reaching down, I slid my hand between us, finding her clit, rubbing and circling it as we kissed. My cock was so hard it hurt and my balls were drawn up, tight and ready to go. I still held one of her hands tight, but she pushed the other one between us, catching my fingers and shoving them into her panties.

  Holy. Fucking. Hell.

  I pulled away from her mouth, staring down as she worked her clit, using my fingers like she owned them. I let her other hand go. She reached around to fumble with the fly of my jeans, tugging at it, desperate for my cock. Catching the fabric, I ripped it loose, shoving down my pants as her fingers wrapped around the hard length of my dick.

  I’d never been much of a believer, but in that moment I saw Heaven and it was glorious.

  Mandy wasn’t gentle, squeezing hard as she worked me, jerking her fingers up and down so fast that she’d make me come unless I stopped her. Hooking one finger in her panties, I jerked the soft fabric to the side, clearing a path before plunging my cock
into her cunt, hard and deep.

  She bit my shoulder, moaning as I stilled for long seconds, savoring the sensation. Then I pulled back slowly and slammed into her again. I wanted to stay there—frozen in time—but my cock had other ideas. My hips started moving until I was pounding hard.

  Jesus Christ but that was good.

  Too good, I suddenly realized. How the hell was I gonna pull out at the last minute? I hadn’t rubbered up, but I sure as shit wasn’t ready to be a daddy. Her muscles were slick, squeezing me so tight it should’ve been painful, but instead it was perfect.

  Better than perfect.

  It felt like coming home.

  Reaching down, I started working her clit again, sensing what she needed by the way her body bucked and jerked against mine. Then her back arched and she screamed, clamping around me like she wanted to rip my dick off—a sacrifice I’d probably be willing to make under the circumstances. Mandy’s orgasm rippled around me, her inner muscles squeezing again and again as she moaned my name. I thought my head might explode from the need raging through my body. At the last second I managed to pull out, shooting my spunk on her thighs instead of where it belonged, gasping like my world had just ended.

  In a way it had.

  I’d fucked a lot of girls, but never like this. Never dreamed it was even possible. Mandy might be stubborn and annoying and a pain in the ass about money, but holy fucking hell.

  For the first time in my life, I couldn’t imagine riding out for the next city without taking a woman with me.

  You fucked up, man. This is gonna get complicated.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mandy

  “Wow…” I said, slowly blinking my eyes.