CONTROL: A Dark Bad Boy Baby Romance (Blackened Souls MC)

by Naomi West

  “Yeah, I guess,” Tanner said. “But, I just don't think I can ever get over it, you know?”

  “You don't. It's called learning from your mistakes. And, boy howdy, have I had my share.”

  “Why now? I mean, we proved to everyone around that we can take care of ourselves, even after Pops passed.”

  “Cause this whole thing taught me something. I'm getting old. Too damned old. I can't go and fight bruisers half my age like I did when we were getting Brendon back, or go off half-cocked like we did at the Wolves compound. Not anymore, that's for sure.”

  “So, you talked to the others about this? To Tyke?”

  Blade nodded and took another drink of beer. “Yup. And we agreed.”

  “Agreed on what?”

  “We want you to be the new president.”

  Tanner Rainier dropped his beer that time.

  He hadn’t expected this, not even in that daydream-y, back-of-his-head way that wild possibilities sometimes crossed his mind. To Tanner, Blade was a rock – immovable, eternal, not going anywhere anytime soon. And yet, here he was, handing something over that Tanner hadn’t even known was transferrable.

  He didn’t know what else to do but what he did next: pull the old, grizzled, now-ex-president into a bear hug. Fuck decorum, fuck that weird little line that sometimes stopped tough men from letting their comrades know how they felt.

  When your leader tells you he’s proud of you, when he says he believes in you, there’s only one thing to do, and that’s hug the bastard.

  “Easy now, kiddo,” Blade chuckled. “It ain’t like bein’ prez is all fun and games. I’m giving you a job, you know, and a serious one at that.”

  “Shut up,” Tanner laughed. “Just shut up and gimme a goddamn hug.”

  Blade laughed again and did just that.

  After a long moment during which Tanner tried and failed to find words to express the rush of emotions going through them, he released Blade and looked at the shattered glass and puddle of his dropped beer.

  “Gonna need another drink,” Blade wisecracked. “We got stuff to celebrate now, don’t we?”

  “Damn straight,” Tanner replied. “A job, an ol’ lady, a baby on the way… What’d I do to deserve all this?”

  Blade winked. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, kid.”

  He was right. For just a moment, it was okay to sit back and marvel at how the perfect life had fallen right into his lap. An image of Star flashed across his mind – smiling that perfect smile, the beginnings of her baby bump showing through a flowing shirt.

  She was his. Now and forever. He couldn’t wait to get started on that forever part.

  THE END

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  BROKEN: A Dark Bad Boy Baby Romance (Satan’s Wings MC)

  By Naomi West

  SHE’S NAKED, WET, AND BROKEN – BUT MOST OF ALL, SHE’S MINE.

  Second chance? F**k that.

  I only need one moment alone to get Daria begging for my c*ck.

  I’m gonna f*ck her full of my seed until she realizes the truth:

  I’m not the kid she used to know anymore--I’m a motherf*cking man.

  She’s trying to put the pieces of her life back together.

  I’m trying to hunt down my father’s killers.

  It wasn’t the right time or place to do what I did…

  But do I look like the kind of guy who gives a sh*t?

  Let me answer that for you: no, I’m not.

  I couldn’t care less what Daria wants.

  Because what I want is this:

  Her legs spread wide.

  Her mouth held open.

  And not a stitch of clothing anywhere in sight.

  I’m gonna tease her until she breaks.

  Then I’m going to pick up the pieces and f*ck her ‘til she sees stars.

  Inconvenient?

  Maybe.

  Crossing a line?

  Most definitely.

  But will it be worth it when I finally f*ck the girl next door?

  You better believe it will be.

  Chapter One

  Daria

  The early morning light flitted through the partially open curtains of the motel room I was in, luring me gently from my slumber in time to catch my mother leaving for work.

  Perhaps if it was a little darker, if I was a little groggier, or if she had turned away a little faster, I would’ve stayed blissfully unaware for a few moments longer. But as it was, the faint bruise on her skin could’ve had neon lights pointing to it considering the way my eyes automatically zeroed in on it.

  I suppressed a flinch as my eyes raked over my mother’s frail form and bruised body. Though it was starting to fade, and her heavily made up skin covered almost all traces of the damage, her injury seemed to be imprinted on my mind, rising to the surface every time she looked at me. It was a painful reminder of a life we had only recently managed to escape.

  Sensing my awakening, like only a mother could, she turned to me and offered a gentle smile. That smile spoke volumes. It was an I’m-glad-to-be-here smile, as well as an I’d-do-it-all-over-again smile. And damn if that didn’t cut me the most.

  I stretched a hand out to her and she hobbled closer.

  “You’re leaving already?” I asked, my voice still filled with remnants of my slumber.

  “It’s almost five, Daria,” she replied.

  “Oh.” I thought it had been a lot earlier. “Bye Ma. I swear today will be the day.”

  “I trust you, Daria. I know you’ll find something.” She leaned in and placed a delicate kiss on my cheek. Knowing perhaps that her bruise would upset me, she kept her right side turned away from me. I hated that I was grateful for it.

  Heading out at last, I waited until the flimsy hotel room door closed behind her before I let out a heaving sigh.

  I still couldn’t believe that after all these years we had ended up back in Springville, Texas, the place where I’d spent the majority of my childhood. Back then, I was just a carefree kid who had no idea of the struggles I would soon face. It was just me and my mother then, just like it was now, and I knew it would be a long time before we let anyone in our lives again.

  As soon as we arrived back in town, my first thought was how eerily unchanged it all was. Same houses, same people, same roads, and with my mother returning to the same diner that she’d worked in over twelve years ago, I felt like I’d taken a step back in time to my early youth. But as I kept looking down the symmetrical streets and familiar storefronts, I couldn’t help but feel that something was starkly different to before, though I couldn’t put my finger on what. It took many moments for me to consciously understand that it was me who had changed, along with my entire outlook on life. Springville no longer represented comfort, or happiness, or a place to call home.

  Especially since we were currently housed in a partly dilapidated hotel that I hadn’t even realized was part of the town. It had stained carpets, a lumpy bed that my mother and I had to share, and an acidic smell that I couldn’t quite place. Considering it was a roof over our heads and didn’t have monsters lurking in the shadows, I considered us lucky to be here.

  Deciding it was finally time to suppress my self-pity, I rolled out of bed and grabbed the newspaper that my mother had left by the door. I had told her that today would be the day I found a job and I would keep my promise. We’d been here for two weeks and I still hadn’t found a thing, but if we had any chance of starting a new life, I couldn’t just rely on my mother anymore.

  I scanned through the job listings; most of them I was entirely uninterested in or completely unqualified for. I tried to rein in my increasing disappointment and frustrati
on when a small advert caught my eye.

  It wasn’t only the fact that I’d finally found a job that fit my skills exactly; an admin job was right up my alley and that alone would have perked me up. But the name of the shop was what completely shocked me.

  In all my reminiscing about my youth, I had conveniently forgotten the person I’d spent most of my childhood with, mucking around and playing catch. Rocky Weston used to be the sweetest boy I’d ever met, taking a shy and awkward younger girl under his wing and helping her out when the other kids bullied her. I had a vague recollection of our parents knowing each other but as a kid, Rocky Weston was practically family.

  He was two years older, but that never seemed to matter when I was running around chasing him everywhere he went. In a way, I was glad I left before he started dating girls and breaking hearts. But now, back in Springville, I’d completely forgotten that he would be in town too.

  Rocky Weston Motorcycles.

  It had to be a sign, didn’t it? There was no way it could be anything else. I’d already dismissed the possibility that it was another man with the same name, so caught up in my own fantasy that I’d started weaving in my head. After all, how many people named Rocky Weston could there possibly be in Springville?

  Grinning foolishly to myself, I decided that I would indeed pay him a visit today. Even if he didn’t hire me for the job, it would be nice to see a familiar face after so many years, a reminder of happier times. I bustled around eagerly, getting dressed and feeling lighter than I had in a long time, perhaps years. If the state of the town was anything to go by, I was sure he hadn’t changed a bit.

  Chapter Two

  Rocky

  The clicking of heels was the first thing that I noticed when she arrived. I was working on a bike, shirt off, sweating in the hot garage while trying to concentrate. The radio was on, some long forgotten rock song blasting out of faulty speakers. I didn’t care. I just needed something to distract me from the silence.

  It had been three months. Three long months filled with carefully controlled rage and the suppression of vengeful thoughts. I’d never understood before, the appeal of the club. I used to hate my old man, a buried guilt that had festered exponentially since his death. The hatred stemmed from the club, no doubt about it.

  Growing up, I knew that he was the club president first and father second. All my friends as a child used to talk about him like he was a god. I ended up avoiding everyone and everything, trying to find ways to escape the club that seemed to dominate every aspect of my life.

  In the end, it was a cute little girl with pigtails that ended up saving me. These older girls were picking on her, probably because she looked so damn innocent and vulnerable. I didn’t even need to say much to the girls before they ran off screaming. I guess even then my reputation was enough. Or my father’s reputation.

  Years later, I learned to accept my father and the club. I never wanted to join it though. Not in a million years. Or not until my dad died and I finally understood the appeal.

  I signed up the day after his funeral, marching up to my uncle, the new president of Satan’s Wings. I knew we would be on the same page, wanting vengeance for his murder. In the past few months I’d had more family and support than I did in my whole life, but it was too late now.

  Now I didn’t need or want any of it. I wanted to avenge my father and I wouldn’t stop until I did.

  The clicking of heels was getting louder and louder until the front door of the shop opened and the telltale chiming of the bell snapped me out of my thoughts. It took a moment for me to look up, but when I finally did, I immediately raised a brow at the woman. To say that she was out of place was an understatement.

  She was in a tight white miniskirt and a black fitted shirt with some lace frilly shit on the sides. She was tall, even taller because of the heels, and blonde. My kind of woman.

  I felt the sides of my mouth twitch into my natural cocky smirk and stood up, wiping my hands on a spare rag.

  She seemed familiar, but even though I couldn’t remember everyone I had ever seduced into my bed, I knew that I’d gone nowhere near her before.

  Finally stopping before me, I noticed that she had the widest smile I’d ever seen plastered all over her face, something that brought a weird ache to my chest.

  “Rocky!” she yelled, taking a step closer and wrapping both arms around my neck, drawing me close to her.

  I froze at her touch. Who was she?

  Her embrace felt strangely intimate, like we were reuniting after a long separation, or like we’d known each other our whole lives. I cursed myself again for not recognizing her.

  I pulled back, oddly wanting to return to her touch, and took a step away from her.

  “Have we met?” I asked, keeping my blunt façade intact.

  She withdrew from me, smile still in place though slightly less restrained.

  “Sorry, Rocky. I should’ve introduced myself; it’s been so long. It’s Daria. Daria Barrett?”

  My eyes widened in surprise and I felt my face break into the first genuine smile I’d expressed in what felt like years.

  “Holy shit! Daria?” Not knowing what came over me, I stepped forward and this time pulled her into my arms, her body flush up against me, her head in the crook of my neck.

  I couldn’t believe that she’d come back after all this time, looking like a runway model. “What are you doing back here?”

  Daria’s smile faltered slightly at my question but only a moment before she brushed it off.

  “Mom and I decided to come back. Familiar territory, you know?”

  I nodded, still completely enraptured by her. I always knew she was pretty when we were kids but now she was all grown up and damn she was gorgeous.

  “I still can’t believe it. It’s been what, ten years?”

  “Twelve actually. When did you open this place up?” She asked.

  “Couple years back. How’d you know I’d be here?”

  “I saw your ad this morning. I couldn’t believe that I’d forgotten you lived here so I came by as soon as I could. I wanted to see a familiar face.”

  Without even noticing, I found myself raking my eyes over her once again. It was definitely nice to see a familiar face again but I knew without a doubt that Daria could be the biggest distraction of my life, especially now when I needed to be focused.

  “I’m glad you came by. So how long are you staying in town anyway?”

  “A while I think. At the moment, I’m just trying to look for a job so we can move out of the hotel.”

  I frowned a little at that. The hotel was no kind of place for someone like Daria.

  “I’m not sure if you’d be interested, but we do have a job opening here. It’ll be simple stuff mostly, just filing, answering phones, mail, cleaning up the office that I've ignored for the past two years. What do you think?”

  “Really, are you sure? Do you want to interview me or something?”

  I barked out a laugh at her innocence. “Darlin’, I’m sure you’ll be perfect.”

  “Well can I think it over? I’ll call you today or tomorrow.”

  I grinned at her again. “Perfect.”

  We exchanged numbers and she eventually headed off, hips swaying as she sauntered out, and my eyes glued to her backside like there was no tomorrow.

  I shook myself for a moment and thought back on what I just did. Was giving her the job really a good idea? Could I really afford someone to distract me from avenging my father?

  Closing my eyes, the image of her radiant smile seemed to be burned on the inside of my eyelids, and something inside of me shifted. Yeah, she might be a distraction. But maybe I wanted a bit of goodness in my life. Maybe I wanted someone innocent and pure to distract me from my darkness.

  Besides, it was just a job. I would still be dedicated to the club and going after the bastard that murdered my father, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have something nice to look at when I was working.

 
Returning back to my bike, I smiled broadly to myself, probably looking crazy to anyone that might see me. This was going to work out great.

  Chapter Three

  Daria

  It had been hours since I’d met with Rocky and I was still replaying every moment in my mind.

  He looked completely different that I’d remembered. I knew it had been a while, but nothing could have prepared me for the dramatic change he’d undergone, from a sweet little boy to a hardened man.

  He was a lot taller, though that was to be expected. His dark hair was shaved, but he’d grown his beard out. There were tattoos, intricate designs, covering every inch of his shirtless body. I’d almost done a double take when I saw him, so surprised by what he looked like. If it weren’t for his bright blue eyes that instantly seemed to transport me to my youth, I never would have recognized him.