Falling Hard: Monsters of Mayhem: Motorcycle Romance Book (Monsters of Mayhem )

by Simone Elise

  “Come on, Libby, no man is ever going to want to put up with you and all your quirks, what sane man would? You can hardly stand to be alone without going crazy, you can get a little too obnoxious at times, and your mood swings are bad enough to give anyone whiplash. Don’t forget, you talk to yourself and have such bad anxiety attacks you’re either hyperventilating, or you’re throwing up,” I said aloud as I rolled over to my side. The restlessness crept in slowly as my mind began to race with a million unwanted thoughts, doubts, and insecurities, all the little things I tried my best to control.

  Reaching over, I picked up the raggedy backpack I brought along on every trip and grabbed a few of the essentials. I pulled out my phone charger and Bluetooth speaker, and then plugged my phone into the wall and scrolled through my phone before finding Pandora. I set my speaker on the small table next to the bed, then lay back on the bed and closed my eyes as ‘When Two Are One’ by Atreyu started to play, humming softly along with the music.

  A sudden banging on the door made me jump.

  “Come on, Libby, open the door. It’s just me. Wake up. I’m not standing out here all evening!” shouted a deep male voice while the banging got louder.

  Jolting upright, I placed my hand on my chest and gasped. Heart racing, I frantically looked around the room and noticed the clock reading the time. I slowly relaxed as I realized I must have fallen asleep. Crawling out of bed, I opened the door groggily.

  “Well, good evening, sleeping beauty. Did I interrupt your cat nap?”

  “Critter, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were upstate for the next few months?” Wiping my eyes and blinking them rapidly, I tilted my head to the side, still not fully awake and believing the tall, bald man dressed in a black T-shirt, dirty, ripped jeans and his leather vest.

  “Aww, shucks, I’m happy to see you, Critter. Why, thank you, Libby. I’m happy to see you too. I’m so glad my dad sent you to babysit me instead of one of the old, much less good-looking guys. Why, thank you, Libs. I’m happy to be of service to you too,” he said, dramatically playing out the made-up conversation he thought should have gone down while grinning madly.

  I chuckled and smacked his shoulder as he walked in.

  “Way to avoid the question, Critter.” I raised my eyebrows at him, immediately picking up that he’d dodged the question. “Let me guess, club business, right?” I smirked at him as he followed me into the room.

  “Yeah, you could say”—he looked at me sheepishly—“club business, plus I heard your old man was going to be in town, so I figured, hey, why not take the opportunity to come visit one of my favorite ladies.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

  “Eww, no, Critter! Just no! You’re like a brother to me!” I locked eyes with him. “An unwanted big brother, might I add. Plus, there’s no way, no how, never in any lifetime will that ever happen between us again.” When he opened his mouth, I knew it was to challenge me, so I added, “You’re a manwhore, and I will never put up with your less-than-pleasing ways! Now that’s settled, you can just go and make yourself comfortable in the chair over there while I go back to bed.” I grinned knowing full well he was not about to let me go back to sleep.

  Flynn—a.k.a. Critter—might be twenty-five, but he acted like he was twelve. I’d known him since I was fifteen and he was twenty-one when we’d instantly bonded over our love for animals. I happened to find out his soft spot when I found a baby squirrel that had fallen out of its nest during a club party.

  I had tried to find a way to return it to its home, but the tree was huge, and I had almost broken my arm trying to climb it. Critter, wasted as fuck, had stumbled upon me and noticed the tiny squirrel in my hands. He’d immediately started yelling about how cute and fluffy it was and then began to rant about how, one day, he was going to have a furry critter of his own, and it would be his princess. Then he proceeded to haphazardly climb the tree and put the baby back safely.

  Needless to say, the men who saw him do this all busted out laughing, and anytime there was a little critter around, they proceeded to rag on him about it. Hence, the road name Critter.

  He also happened to be one of the only people who knew everything about me. He still sought out my company even after he’d witnessed a bad anxiety attack the day my father came back to the clubhouse with a bullet wound to his shoulder. I freaked out and had to be rushed to the hospital because I was hyperventilating so much I lost consciousness and hit my head pretty hard on the concrete. Critter had accompanied me to the hospital and spent the whole two days I was there cheering me up by telling stupid jokes and flirting with me shamelessly. Ever since then, I knew he would be a dear friend to me, and he was.

  “Oh, I don’t think so, Libby. You’re not going back to bed. We are going out tonight.” He grinned at me. “Come on. Get ready, and before you even start to complain, I am not taking no for an answer. You’re like a hermit who lives in your shell. You need to get out more, so get up, and get ready to leave,” he said, his face scrunched up as he tapped on his nonexistent watch.

  “Aww, come on, you know I don’t like crowded places. It makes me feel uncomfortable especially since I have a feeling I won’t know anyone besides you.” Did I have to remind him about last time? By his expression, I realized yes indeed, I had to remind him. “The last time you took me out it was to a bar, and you ditched me for some busty blonde. I had to walk back to the clubhouse, remember that?” I then added a remark about how I doubted he had run the idea past my father.

  “I may have mentioned taking you out tonight. I just didn’t tell him where we were going, and he told me if anything happened to you, he would gut me alive. Does that make you feel any better?” He had a smile on his face as he said it, and I wondered if he realized my father was serious about the gutting him alive comment if something happened to me.

  “Now get your ass moving, woman!” he ordered, pointing to my bag and tapping his foot drastically.

  Laughing, I grabbed my backpack and walked into the bathroom to get myself ready, knowing there was no getting out of this. I applied minimal eyeliner and mascara and a touch of light-pink lip gloss and looking at myself in the mirror, I debated how much effort I really wanted to put into my look tonight. I put on a light-gray tank top and some black yoga pants, then pulled out my aviators and put them on the top of my head.

  “What do you think? Is this okay?” I asked Critter, who was busy typing away on his phone. As I came out of the bathroom, I did a quick twirl.

  “Hot damn, maybe we should just stay here, and I can keep you all to myself,” he said, trying and failing horribly to sound sexy. He moved forward and grabbed my hips, trying to pull me closer to him.

  “That is never going to happen. Like I said, you are like an older brother to me.” I laughed and attempted to squirm out of his grasp but failed miserably as his fingers dug into my sides. His intentions were fully clear now as he began his onslaught of painful tickle torture.

  “I will not stop, munchkin. I will tickle you to death for refusing me some lovin’.” He pressed me against the wall to halt any attempts to escape.

  “Critter!” I squealed. “First of all, I’m not that short. I’m five foot three, and second, if you don’t stop, I’m going to pee myself!” I laughed and tried to shove him away as hard as I could, but to no avail.

  “If you think a little pee is going to stop me, you’re absolutely right. That is gross, Libs. Way to kill the mood.” He laughed and backed up, his eyes going to his phone. “Ah, shit, we gotta go if we want to get there on time. You ready?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m good to go. Again, where are you taking me?” I grabbed my phone and wallet while asking myself internally if I should be worried. “We aren’t going to a bar, are we? You know I am not a fan of places full of drunken people,” I said wearily as I grabbed my black leather clutch with white skulls all over it. I shoved my phone, wallet, and hotel key inside before turning to face him as he winced a little like he’d been caug
ht red-handed.

  Already not liking the look on his face, I questioned my decision to go along with him, knowing full well a large part of me just wanted to stay in the hotel room, curl up on the bed, and read a good book or watch a movie. I wanted anything except to go out and be social, but at the same time, excitement bubbled to the surface.

  “Well, you see, there’s something huge going on, and I really wanted to go, and then it was sprung on me that I needed to come to keep you company—not that I mind, anyway, because I love spending time with you, Libs.” I could tell by the sound of his voice he was honest. “And if you really love me and consider me your most favorite brother from another mother, you’ll come.” He grinned hesitantly at me, knowing he was asking a massive favor. “I promise I’ll stay by your side the whole night, and nothing bad will happen, you can trust me,” he practically begged, heading for the door and holding it open for me.

  Trust, now that was a four-lettered word that was very hard for me to do. Living the life I did and seeing the things I’d seen, having been backstabbed more times than I could count and being an overly paranoid person, trusting didn’t come easily.

  Did I love Flynn like a brother? Yes, of course, but did I fully trust him? Absolutely not. The only person I trusted with every ounce of my being, and probably the only person I would ever really trust, was my father.

  “Just spill it, Critter. You know the suspense is killing me. I’m not a patient person, and I can make your life miserable if you don’t tell me.” I needed to know details so I could prepare myself emotionally and mentally. Honestly, on second thought, I didn’t even know why I agreed to go so willingly in the first place.

  “I must really be crazy,” I scoffed. “Maybe I should just go back to my room and spend the evening making you watch reruns of Say Yes to the Dress with me,” I taunted as we reached the elevator. I stuck out my tongue as he scrunched up his face as if he’d just eaten something rotten.

  “I will tell you as long as you promise not to freak out and still come with me, willingly, because I’m not against tying you up and taking you against your will,” he challenged, glaring at me as we entered the elevator and headed for the lobby.

  I bit on my bottom lip, contemplating his words, not liking the tone of his voice. I already guessed I wasn’t going to like what came out of his mouth next, but my curiosity was getting the best of me, so I cautiously nodded my head for him to continue.

  “So you know how some of the guys participate in underground fighting?” I nodded my head, and he continued, “Well, there’s one going on tonight. Some of the guys are gonna be there too.’ He looked at me warily. “I swear you’ll be safe. I won’t leave your side, and if you don’t enjoy yourself, we can leave as long as you give me at least half an hour of genuinely trying,” he said in a low tone as we walked through the lobby and out of the hotel. When Critter nodded toward the left, I turned and looked to see his bike, a blue 2015 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight, parked at the end of the parking lot.

  “A fight? You want to take me to an illegal, highly dangerous, underground fight, knowing violence scares the crap out of me? My father would rearrange your face for even suggesting we go to a fight!” I started to back away from him. “No, no way am I getting on the back of that bike. I don’t have the ability to handle that kind of situation, Critter, and you know this. Have you seen me? I’m tiny and defenseless. What if something happens, what if we get separated, what if the cops show up? I’ve heard how rowdy that crowd can get. There is no way…” I rambled on, panicking slightly. I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes wide, and began fiddling with my hair, a nervous habit I’d picked up over the years.

  “Whoa, whoa, calm down, Libby. I’ve already told you everything will be fine. There’s going to be tight security inside, and men will be watching at least a mile if not more out from the perimeter of the warehouse in case cops do happen to raid,” he reassured me. “Not to mention, there will be a few brothers there too. Plus, you have me, and have I ever let you down”—he held up a finger—“and before you answer that, what happened when we first met doesn't count! Now, deep breaths.” He somehow started to convince me to get me on the bike.

  I hesitated, weighing the pros and cons. On one side, it was going to be crowded, there would be drinking and violence, but on the other hand, the thought of it was kind of exciting, thrilling even, and truth be told, I didn’t want to be stuck in the hotel room the whole time I was here.

  “All right, I’ll come, but if you so much as take more than ten steps away from me at any time, I’m never going to speak to you again,” I threatened. “And you have to promise that if I want to leave, we will,” I added sternly as I got on the back of his bike, already second-guessing my decision to go but wanting to try to push myself out of my comfort zone as well.

  “I promise, you’ll have fun. Just say the word, and we can take off.” He smiled, then revved the engine and took off.

  Chapter 3

  Emmie

  My breathing was sharp, and like always, Maiden was pushing me to my limits. I was trying to keep pace with him, but I knew he was going slower to make me feel not as bad.

  “How the hell are you so fit?” I said through broken breaths.

  “Had to be able to run on the streets.” Breathing normally, he shrugged it off like running at this pace was normal. “You know, Emmie, you’re meant to be exercising. How did you let yourself get so unfit? Last time we did training, you were keeping up with me.”

  “Yeah, and that was months ago.” I struggled to get the words out.

  Maiden’s hand gripped my arm lightly, and he pulled me to a stop as we rounded the corner, the clubhouse in sight.

  I stopped, gulping in air. Exercise was a natural antidepressant and normally played a huge part in my recovery cycle. Maiden had appointed himself as my training partner, though I thought a sloth would be more at my level.

  Maiden cracked a grin at me and took a step closer, brushing my hair off my bright red face.

  “I wanna get you this worn out doing another activity,” he said with a casual smirk on his face as his fingers lingered on my cheek. “You up for a movie night tonight?”

  I was already red, but I was sure I went redder with him hinting at sex. We had gotten so close to being together multiple times, but each time, I stopped it. My willpower was getting less, and every time we crossed a new boundary. Our kisses turned into touches, our touches turned into sexual touching, and after a while, we had developed a connection, but what scared me was he knew me, he knew about my mental health, but he accepted me anyway.

  Maiden took a step closer to me, pushing me against the wall as his hand spread across my cheek. His eyes locked with mine, and I knew what was happening, but I didn’t stop it. Moving slowly, his lips landed on mine, but then I picked up the pace, and before I knew it, he gripped me by the waist and pulled me in.

  My hands explored his naked chest, and I enjoyed every second of touching a body I’d worshiped many times with my eyes.

  It was the roaring of a Harley that made me pull back, but I was still up against a wall with Maiden’s hands pressed against the brick wall, his arms blocking me in either side of my body.

  Ryder rode past slowly, clearly looking in our direction. Fuck. What if he mentioned something to my father?

  “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Ryder knows his place he is under me so he won’t say a word,” Maiden said, reading my thoughts, then he stepped back and put a hand out for me to take. “Let’s get you back for tea.”

  I wondered if I should bring up our moments throughout the weekend, our kisses in the garage and me exploring his body in the kitchen. Was now the right time to provoke his memory?

  “Um, Maiden.”

  “Yeah, sweetheart.”

  We were walking at a pace I could easily maintain now.

  “Do you remember the weekend?”

  “You mean the party?” He looked at me out the side of his eye, and I
knew he recalled us in the kitchen. “Personally, my favorite place is in the garage now,” he added.

  Disappointment washed over me because he had been in the garage working on his bike before the party.

  “Oh.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Because I wanted to know if you could remember a thing about us, I wanted to snap at him. Instead, I replied, “Just wondering if you had a good time.”

  I couldn’t read his expression from this angle, so I wasn’t sure if he was confused by my question or internally asking himself what the hell happened on the weekend for me to ask that question.

  While I was debating whether or not to have a shower, I saw Maiden pull on his neck again, which he had been adjusting since before the run.

  Leaving the dresser, I grabbed the cream off the bedside table and went to Maiden. I stood in front of him, and before I put a hand on him, I asked, “Do you mind?”

  He shook his head, then exhaled in pain as soon as I applied pressure.

  “Lie down on the bed,” I ordered him.

  Maiden smirked at me ordering him around. He was the enforcer and was used to telling people what to do, not taking orders. He lay down on his stomach, and I climbed on the bed, straddling him.

  “You just wanted to get me in bed, didn’t you?” He moved under me.

  I leaned forward and put my mouth to his ear. “For both our benefit, you would have to be facing the other way.”

  He moved quickly underneath me, causing me to fall to the side, then scooped me back up and put me back in place on top of him.

  “Solved the problem, sweetheart.” He ran his fingers up my leg.

  “Maiden.” I swatted his hands away. “I’m meant to be fixing your neck.”

  “I’ve got a something else you could help with.”

  “Uh-huh.” I grinned like a fool. “I’m going to shower, seeing as you are not interested in a massage.” I whacked him playfully.