by K. M. Scott
CLUB X #3
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Books by K.M. Scott
Heart of Stone Series
Crash Into Me (Heart of Stone #1)
Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone #2)
Give In To Me (Heart of Stone #3)
The Heart of Stone Trilogy Box Set
Ever After (A Heart of Stone Novella)
Club X Series
Temptation (Club X #1)
Surrender (Club X #2)
Possession (Club X #3)
Satisfaction (Club X #3.5) COMING SOON
Silk (Volume One) COMING SOON!
**Add them to your Goodreads shelf today!**
Love sexy paranormal romance? K.M. writes under the name Gabrielle Bisset too! Visit Gabrielle’s Facebook page and her website to find out about her books.
Books by Gabrielle Bisset:
Vampire Dreams Revamped (A Sons of Navarus Prequel)
Blood Avenged (Sons of Navarus #1)
Blood Betrayed (Sons of Navarus #2)
Longing (A Sons of Navarus Short Story)
Blood Spirit (Sons of Navarus #3)
The Deepest Cut (A Sons of Navarus Short Story)
Blood Prophecy (Sons of Navarus #4)
Blood & Dreams Sons of Navarus Box Set
Love’s Master
Masquerade
The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy
Kane Jackson, the ruler of the fantasy section of Club X, has always been different from his brothers. The bastard son of Cassian March III, he grew up without the money and privilege Cassian and Stefan enjoyed from the March name, instead only knowing his father as the man who abandoned him and seeing himself as unloved and unwanted. He let love in once and like everything else in his life, all that came from it was pain. His heart hidden behind the walls he’s built since then, Kane is now just the dark figure who rules over the fantasies of others but has none himself.
Abbi Linde can’t seem to get a break. Too many bad men and bad choices have left her bruised and broken, but the opportunity to dance at Club X could change everything. For the first time, she might be able to make a life for herself and find the happiness she longs for. After what feels like a lifetime of heartbreak, Abbi still believes one day her dreams will come true and she’ll find the love that’s eluded her.
Even the darkest heart craves the light, but will the darkness be too much for love to overcome with these two souls?
To my readers, thank you. You make this the best job in the world.
* * *
THE LIGHTNESS of my mother’s hospital room pressed down on me as if it wanted to crush me or push me out. Dark and somber, I was an intruder in this place. Or at least that’s how I felt every day I came to sit next to my mother as she withered away toward her death in her hospital bed.
A sad ending to a sad life. She’d always wanted more. More money. More of my father. More from me. The money never came. Neither did my father. And me? I don’t know why I’d never been enough for her. Maybe it was because I looked so much like the man she’d wanted more from with my black hair and blue eyes that resembled his so strongly.
She didn’t stay awake long, and most days she didn’t even recognize me. The cancer had eaten away at her brain, so when she looked at me sometimes I knew she had no idea who I was sitting there. But then every so often I’d see a look of recognition in her eyes, and she’d reach for my hand and give me a tiny smile.
“Kane.”
“Shhh, don’t talk. I’m here.”
“It’s almost time. You need to get ready. Don’t want to be late,” she said as if I had somewhere to go. I had nowhere to go. Just there and the prison cell that waited for me in three days.
“It’s okay, Mom. I won’t be late.”
“The school called, Kane. They say you miss a lot.”
She slipped back into the past, but not too far this time. Just a few months, before I killed a man and got sentenced to prison. Before the cancer had come to take her away.
I watched as she looked up at me and waited for my answer to her unspoken question of why I missed so much school. Quietly, I answered, “I’m sorry, Mom. Holly likes to—”
My mother’s eyes narrowed in anger. “A girl? You miss school for a girl?”
She never liked Holly. She never liked even the idea of me with anyone. Wanting to avoid the same argument we’d had every time I mentioned Holly’s name, I simply nodded and smiled. “Okay. I won’t anymore.”
“Good. You don’t know. It’s not right.”
I sat with my eyes closed as she rambled on incoherently, the words strung together making no sense. At least today I’d gotten a few minutes with her really there with me.
Taking my hand in hers, she squeezed it softly. “Your father is going to want to change you now, Kane. Don’t let him.”
My father and I becoming close had always been her biggest fear. She hated him as much as she loved him, and now that she saw the end coming, she worried he’d finally remember I existed for more than a visit or two every decade.
I looked down into her eyes and saw she was there with me now. “Nobody’s going to change me, Mom.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, I wasn’t sure she still knew who I was, but in a quiet voice, she whispered, “Good. You were meant to be who you are now, Kane.”
Who I was now was a man convicted of murdering the man who’d taken everything I loved from me. How could she think anyone could be meant to be that?
I nodded and forced a smile, believing she must have slipped away again. “Okay, Mom.”
“You were meant to hurt, Kane. From the minute I found out I was carrying you, I knew this. You were meant to hurt. Never forget that.”
She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, somehow comforted like she’d always been by what she believed I truly was. Maybe she was right. Maybe that was my place in this world. With the exception of Holly, all I’d ever done was hurt from the day I was born.
As I watched my mother sleep, her words echoed in my ears.
You were meant to hurt, Kane. Never forget that.
* * *
MY VISION blurred as the final blow from Aaron’s fist pounded into my cheekbone, knocking me back against the closet door. The pain radiated up into my eye as I lost my balance and fell in a heap on the floor. He bellowed something about it being my fault, but his words were drowned out by the sound of ringing in my ears. I closed my eyes to push away the pain and felt the toe of his boot jam hard into my left hip. Crying out in pain, I quickly stopped myself, knowing how much he hated when I complained.
Aaron leaned down close enough that I felt his hot breath on my aching cheek. “One more fucking word, Abbi, and I swear to fucking God I’ll kill you! And don’t fucking cry! One tear and I swear I’ll hit you so hard.”
I lifted my hands to shield myself from another blow, but that only angered him more and he slapped me hard across the face. My head bounced off the broken door, and for a moment I saw only black in front of my eyes.
“When I get back, you better have this mess cleaned up. Do you hear me?” he roared near my ear.
Unable to form even the simplest word, I nodded so he wouldn’t hit me again. Terror raced through me as I felt his palm cup my cheek. Opening my eyes, I saw him crouching down next to me. His dark brown eyes flashed his rage, and he whispered in a voice laced with anger, “Baby, you know I hate it when you make me do stuff like this, don’t you?”
I answered as I knew I must. “I’m sorry, Aaron. I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
Gently stroking my swelling cheek, he leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll be back in an hour. We’ll go for a nice dinner and then come back here, okay? Give me one of those Abbi smiles I love.”
As the corners of my mouth slowly hitched up, the pain in my cheekbone once again exploded into my eye, but I kept my smile pressed in place so he’d think his suggestion made me happy. Inside, I wanted to throw up at the thought of ever doing anything again with him.
“That’s my girl. See you in an hour.”
Barely able to speak, I whispered, “Okay, Aaron. I’ll make everything right. I promise.”
My eyes fluttered closed as I watched him walk out the front door to our apartment. The sound of a door closing had never sounded so comforting before in my life.
I couldn’t do this anymore. One of these days he was going to kill me over something small like the toothpaste tube not being rolled up correctly or a dirty glass left in the sink.
I couldn’t give him that chance. I may not ever have been truly strong, but I couldn’t be weak anymore.
All I wanted to do was close my eyes and go to sleep so I wouldn’t feel the pain, but if I did and he returned, he’d fly into another rage, so I gingerly pushed myself up onto my hands and knees. I tried to take a deep breath to prepare myself to stand, but a sharp pain stabbed through my chest and I nearly fell back onto the floor in agony. Panting, I straightened myself up and reached out to grab onto the doorframe, slowly standing on shaky legs.
“Oh, God,” I moaned as I got the first glance of the wreck our place was after Aaron’s rage. My grandmother’s treasured blue glass vase lay shattered on the floor near the couch where he’d thrown it at my head after I hesitated with my answer to some question I couldn’t remember now. I’d had that vase since she gave it to me right before she died, and now it was gone, smashed into a hundred splintered pieces.
I picked up the bits of blue glass from the carpet, cutting my fingers as I collected the shards of the most important possession I owned, my mind numb. How had things gotten to this point? In just ten months, Aaron had turned into a monster. Sweet and caring when we met, he’d changed overnight when we moved in together. After dating three months, he went from the man I loved who doted on me to the man I feared would kill me one day.
Scanning the room for my phone, I saw it lying face down near the coffee table. I bent down and picked it up, turning it on as I prayed to God it still worked after Aaron bounced it off the wall. A crack ran diagonally across the screen, but miraculously, the home screen appeared after a few moments.
Gemma’s number was on speed dial, so I just pressed 2 and hoped the call went through. Her phone rang, and a feeling of relief washed over me. Gemma would help. She always did.
“Hey, Abbi, what’s up?” she asked in her usual sweet voice.
“I was wondering if I could take you up on your offer to stay with you for a little bit. I think I need to leave here.”
“Oh, honey, what happened? Are you okay? Did he hit you again?”
“He’s coming back in a few minutes, Gemma. Can you come get me?”
She instantly kicked into protective mode. “I’m coming right now, Abbi. I want you to stay on the phone with me until I get there, okay? If he comes in, hang up and call 9-1-1. I’ll call too so the cops know to come quick.”
“Okay.”
“I’m getting in my car now, so I’m just a few miles away. While you’re waiting, gather up some clothes, honey. We’ll take whatever we can and find someone to help us get the rest of your stuff later.”
I made my way around the glass that lay all over the floor to the bedroom to get some clothes. My head throbbed with every step as I struggled to find what I needed.
“My eye hurts, Gemma. It’s hard to see through my left eye.”
“I’m driving as fast as I can, Abbi. It won’t be long now. If I’m not there when he gets back, I need you to promise me you’ll call 9-1-1. You can’t let him hit you anymore.”
As I tried to find something to wear, I remembered Aaron had thrown out nearly all my clothes that morning because he’d sworn I’d cheated on him. All that was left in the drawers and the closet was a bridesmaid gown and two sweaters with holes in them. The sight of a closet full of all those empty hangers was too much, and tears began to flow down my cheeks.
He’d taken everything away from me.
“Abbi, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Is he there? Hang up and call the cops now!”
I slumped against the side of the bed and let the tears come. “No, he’s not here. It’s just that I don’t have anything left. He took all my clothes and threw them out. I have nothing to wear except the jeans and sweatshirt I’ve got on now.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t worry. We’ll get you something to wear. You can borrow my clothes until then. We’re about the same size, so don’t cry. I’m turning onto your street now, so grab what you need and I’ll get you out of there.”
A few minutes later, I heard a car pull up in front of the apartment, and fear tore through me at the thought that Aaron had come back so soon. Struggling to stand, I got back up on my feet and prepared to call the police. The sound of the door opening made me freeze where I stood, but in seconds I saw Gemma’s sweet face appear in the doorway.
Her smile quickly faded as she got her first look at the aftermath of his rage on my face. As she came toward me, I saw in her eyes how bad I must look.
“Oh, honey, are you okay? Does it hurt enough to go to the emergency room?” she asked as she examined my broken and bruised face.
I hung my head, ashamed of what I’d let him do to me yet again. “Please let’s go, Gemma. I need to leave here. I didn’t get anything packed, though.”
She sprang into action, clearing off my dresser into her purse and grabbing whatever underwear and bras she could lay her hands on. “I’ve got some things here. Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you. We need to go now, honey.”
Nodding, I quietly said, “Okay.”
Looking around, I knew this might be the last time I saw this place I’d called home for the last six months. I’d loved this apartment when we first moved in with its new carpet and freshly painted walls. Aaron had promised we’d make a life together in this place.
Gently, she guided me out to her car, and as I watched my home fade into the distance, she drove me away to hers where for at least that night I could be safe.
I woke up hours later on her living room couch, every muscle and bone in my body aching so much I wanted to cry, but I feared that would hurt even more. Gemma sat in a chair nearby ready to offer a glass of water and some painkillers she had left over from when she had a tooth taken out months before.
She placed two large white pills in my hand and smiled. “If I remember correctly, Vicodin killed most of my pain then. Hopefully, they’re still good.”
Popping them into my mouth, I took a gulp of water and washed them down, hoping they’d work quickly to ease the pain that seemed to be everywhere in my body. Sighing, I lay back down against the pillow, loving the coolness against my battered cheek. “Thanks. If they knock me out, know that I’m not trying to be a rude guest.”
Her dark green eyes lit up, and she flashed me one of her terrific smiles. “Never. You rest and when you wake up later you can have something to eat. I’ll make you those rice balls you like.”
I looked over at her as she tried to remember what they were called. “Arancini. That’s what the rice balls are called. Aren’t you Italian? Shouldn’t you know that?”
She made a face and flipped her jet black hair off her shoulder. “Yes, I’m a proud Italian woman, but that doesn’t mean I know those rice ball things are called Arancini. I’ll make my world famous sauce too. Remember how much you loved it that one time I made it for you?”
I closed my eyes and smiled at the memory of Gemma’s Italian dinner party months before. Aaron and I had just begun dating then, and her dinner had been one of his first tim
es meeting my friends. Everyone loved him, except Gemma. Even from that first night, she’d sensed something about him she didn’t like.
If only I’d listened to her gut feeling then.
“Sounds great. I’m sure I’ll be hungry later.”
“Honey, I want you to know you can stay here as long as you need to. I know you’re still looking for a job, but that doesn’t matter. You can stay as long as you want.”
I looked over at the back of the chair where my purse hung. “All the money I have is in my wallet, but you can have it. It’s not much, but it’s all I have now until I find a job.”
“I’m not going to take the last of your money, sweetie. About the job, though, what about where I work? I like it there, and I was thinking you would too.”
Gemma danced at Club X, and even though she’d raved about it dozens of times, I wasn’t sure it was the right job for me. “I’ve never danced like that. Why would they hire me?”
“Because I can tell them you’re a great person who they should hire. Kane will listen to me.”
“Don’t they require experience?”
“You were a Storm cheerleader, Abbi. That’s more experience than most dancers have when they begin. You’d do fine.”
I hung my head at her mention of my time as a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Storm, the local arena football team. I’d worked so hard to get a spot on the squad, but after showing up with a black eye twice and not being able to do the routines because of a beating Aaron had given me, they’d kicked me off.
“That’s not the same kind of dancing, Gemma.”
She reached over and squeezed my forearm. “Honey, it’s a good job and you’d be able to work with me. Think about it.”
Sighing, I nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about it. What’s it like?”
“It’s not a bad job, Abbi. The hardest part for me is making sure I can fit into the outfits. You know how I love sweets. Other than that, it’s just dancing.”
