Breaking Beauty: A Second Chance Romance

by Stella Andrews

  “But what if you’re wrong?”

  Ryder raises his eyes and I say quickly, “What if he decides that he wants me out of the way? I don’t think I can live with the pressure of waiting for something to happen; it’s too much, Ryder. What with everything that’s going on and the fact my sister could be in danger herself, I just want him out of the picture.”

  Leaning back, Ryder nods and I watch his expression soften. It’s an unusual sight and I think I hold my breath as he leans forward and stares me right in the eye.

  “You’re a Reaper, Angel and nobody messes with us. Now it’s up to me to make sure Moretti knows that.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Ryder narrows his eyes and the tension immediately increases in the room. “Pay him a visit.”

  Almost as if they have a sixth sense, the door opens and Snake and Brewer enter the room. Jumping up, I hug each one in turn and Snake grins. “I told you you’d visit.”

  He looks at Sebastian and holds out his hand. “Take care of her or I’ll be seeing you.”

  Sebastian nods. “Then I won’t be seeing you.”

  Laughing, Brewer hugs me and winks. “So, Angel’s leaving us.”

  His words cause the tears to fall as I realize what that means. It’s one thing living here and being part of their world where everything is safe and easy and I’m not sure if I’m ready to take on the responsibility of the world outside these walls. Suddenly, a strong hand pulls me back and into the arms that I know I belong in. Sebastian says firmly, “I’ll look after her, you have my word on that.”

  Ryder’s voice cuts through the emotion in the room as he growls, “Snake, grab about ten of the men, we’ve got a visit to make.”

  Snake grins and I roll my eyes. God that man thrives on conflict. However, I feel anxious and it must show because Ryder laughs. “Chill, Angel, it won’t be the first time we’ve had the pleasure of meeting Moretti. This time it’s personal though. Leave it with us and take the time to catch up with the others. Show Sebastian who Angel is now and just relax knowing we’re dealing with it.”

  He jumps up and reaches for his battered leather jacket from the chair next to his desk and as he slips it on, a lump forms in my throat. Heading across, I reach up and kiss him on the cheek and whisper, “Thank you.”

  He winks and then grins. “Any excuse to get some peace. My sister is seriously pissing me off and I’m liable to be much more of a danger to the people here than I will be to Moretti. You’ve just done me a favor, honey, now go and introduce your man to the rest of them.”

  We follow them out and I take Sebastian’s hand and squeeze it reassuringly. Maybe now he’s met Ryder, the rest won’t be such a shock. Then again, maybe not.

  32

  Sebastian

  I’m not sure I’m ready to meet Angel’s ‘family’ as she calls them. The men I’ve met so far remind me of the hell I sent her to and even though I see the love they have for her; I still can’t help feeling responsible for breaking Angel so badly.

  She leads me toward the noise coming from a door at the far side of the hall and I prepare myself for not liking what I see inside. However, before we reach it, we hear a loud, “Angel!”

  Turning around, I see a stunning woman heading toward us, looking so happy, sweet and heavily pregnant and I realize this must be Ryder’s wife, Ashton. Walking with her is another stunning woman with long red hair and stunning eyes and she looks just as happy to see Angel who squeals and runs into their outstretched arms.

  As I wait patiently for their hugs to end, I look at the women who appear to be very out of place in this rough environment because they look - normal.

  After a lot of excited chatter, Angel turns and pulls me forward. “Sebastian, meet Ashton and Bonnie. You’ve already met their old men, so you may as well see where the real power lies in this place.”

  I’m won over immediately by the warm smiles and looks of mild curiosity the women give me and Ashton says in a soft southern drawl, “We’ve heard a lot about you, Sebastian, it’s good to finally meet you.”

  I note the sharpness in Bonnie’s eyes and wince a little before smiling. “Hopefully the things you hear in the future will be a lot more flattering.”

  Angel laughs softly and slips her hand in mine. “It’s all good. Sebastian has suffered just as much as me but it’s all in the past now.”

  The women look happy for her and Ashton says sweetly, “We were just heading to the bar to chill out for a bit. Ryder’s sister’s sitting Cassie and as he’s been called away, we thought we’d get some peace for once.”

  Angel looks at her guiltily. “I’m sorry, I’m the cause of that, I hope you don’t mind.”

  Laughing, Ashton and Bonnie share a look. “We should be thanking you, honey. Ryder’s been impossible these past few days and all his fussing is seriously pissing me off. I can’t do a thing without him trying to interfere and it’s making me stir crazy. Thank god for Bonnie, she’s the only sane one in this place I can count on to keep it real.”

  Bonnie rolls her eyes. “Those men may be hard bastards but their clueless to normal life. No, we’re making a night of it, although Ashton’s sticking to the soft drinks but I intend on getting wasted.”

  “While the cat’s away…” Angel laughs and the girls all share a look that shows the bond they share that outsiders will never understand.

  Bonnie looks at me and shakes her head. “I don’t envy you.”

  “Why?” I feel surprised and a little worried but she laughs softly. “The first time an outsider ventures into the Reaper’s den it can be a lot to deal with. They’re good guys and girls, so don’t be put off by what you see.”

  The alarm bells ring and I can tell that Angel is nervous beside me. Bonnie and Ashton throw her a pitying look which only increases my anxiety.

  They walk with us and I still can’t believe these two women live here and look as if this is normal.

  As we reach the door, the girls smile reassuringly and Angel takes my hand and appears to take a deep breath. “Are you ready for this, Seb?”

  I squeeze her hand and whisper, “Nothing can change how I feel about you, darlin’, you know that.”

  She looks unconvinced and as the door opens, the noise that hits us drowns out any further conversation.

  All around us are bikers. Huge, ferocious looking men all with one thing in common. The tattoos they wear on their muscle-bound bodies and their fuck-off attitude. It makes me shiver just looking at them because you wouldn’t want to meet one of these men on a dark night, let alone what must be around thirty of them. They are positioned around the room, either laughing in groups or playing pool or cards. A huge bar dominates one end where I see various women with a drink in hand and if they aren’t chatting among themselves, they are pressed against one of the men or sitting on their laps. It’s like a scene from a violent movie as the guys party hard and the women appear to love every minute.

  It doesn’t take long for them to notice Angel and I hear calls of, “Angel, honey, good to see you.”

  I try not to let it show how disturbed I am, as one by one they envelop her in a hug and throw me an appraising look. I feel their curiosity mixed with a hard look as they work out the relationship between me and the woman they obviously care a lot about. Angel tries to introduce me but their names are soon forgotten as another one is added to my memory. The girls shriek and swamp Angel with kisses and questions and they too assess every inch of me as I wait patiently beside Ashton and Bonnie who act as the sweetest type of bodyguard.

  I try not to judge but I see in an instant what goes on in this place. The men are crude and the women appear to love it. The air is supercharged with testosterone and sexual energy and unlike Blacks, there is no restraint. The alcohol flows and the jokes are blue and the women have pure excitement in their eyes as the men surround them. This is one big party that’s certain to end in the bedroom and my heart hurts at the knowledge this is how Angel existed for five
years. Thinking of her with even one of these men is bad enough but knowing that she’s probably been with most of them is a lot to take in and yet I am no different. I too have lost track of how many women I’ve had sex with and I should judge myself more harshly because there was no love in my heart for any of them. I can tell that Angel holds a heart full of love for these guys and so, I suck it up and smile as she tries to introduce me to her life.

  Once the initial excitement at her return subsides, we head toward the bar with Ashton and Bonnie who laughs. “Well done, Sebastian, you dealt with that well.”

  Pulling up stools, Ashton groans as she tries to make herself comfortable and Angel looks concerned. “How long?”

  “Two weeks but to be honest, I hope he’s early.”

  “He?”

  She grins and Angel’s face softens and I can see why Ryder is so overprotective of her. This woman has a softness and vulnerability that would make a man kill an army to protect her. She is sweet and almost innocent but there’s a hint of steel running through her that shows she’s no pushover.

  She says softly, “Yes, a little boy. We are undecided on a name but I’m sure when the little guy makes an appearance, it will all slot into place.”

  Bonnie laughs. “The guys have a sweepstake. Snake thinks it will be Titan.”

  Rolling her eyes, Ashton laughs. “He’s lost then.”

  Angel laughs and I wonder about these women. It seems such a violent place to bring a small baby to and Angel must sense my concern because she leans in and whispers, “I’ll show you around later, you’ll understand then.”

  A girl who is serving drinks behind the bar approaches and looks at me with curiosity. She grins at Angel and laughs, “You were right about him, honey - gorgeous.”

  Feeling my lips twitch, Angel groans. “Ok Milly, don’t give him a bigger ego than he has already. It’s good to see you by the way, don’t I get a hug from my best friend?”

  Unlike the other greetings I can tell these girls love each other very much as they hug it out across the bar. I can sense the emotion as they hold on to each other and Bonnie whispers, “Milly is Angel’s best friend here. She’s missed her terribly even though it’s not been long. The single girls here rely on each other more than most because they understand only too well what it’s like living in this madhouse.”

  I look with interest at the two women and note the love in Milly’s eyes for the woman who has left this life for, hopefully, a better one. It must hurt losing a close friend and I feel a surge of sympathy for the pretty girl.

  Milly pushes a cool beer toward me and I eavesdrop on their conversation while Ashton and Bonnie talk babies.

  Milly points to a man in the corner of the room. Something about that particular man strikes fear in my heart because like most of the guys here, he is built like a machine. He is pumped and ripped and the tattoos on his arms are stretched against his skin and his t-shirt is doing a bad job of covering him. His hair is dark and fairly long and there’s a scar running above his left eye. The look he wears is of grim determination as I watch him throw his hand of cards down on the table and hear his companion growl, “Fuck me, Mav, again - this is getting old.”

  The guy grins and I watch his eyes flash as he sweeps the dollars toward him and grabs his beer, taking a long swig before setting it down. Then his eyes scan the room and land on Milly and the look in them tells me exactly what he wants from her. Milly gasps and whispers to Angel, “Looks like my lucky night; you’re staying, aren’t you, please say you are, we need to catch up properly?”

  Angel looks across at me and smiles tentatively and I nod, “If you want to, that’s fine by me.”

  She smiles, and it’s as if the sun comes out and I know I can deny her nothing. She always was and always will be my number one priority and if being here makes her happy, then, reluctantly, so am I.

  We watch Milly head across to the giant of a man in the corner and he pulls her effortlessly onto his lap and runs his hands around her tiny waist. She snuggles into him and appears to be more than happy to be there and Angel laughs softly. “That’s made her day.”

  She leans forward and whispers, “That’s Maverick. He’s a cold bastard with apparently no feelings. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all like that but he’s worse than most.”

  Bonnie leans forward. “I hear you mention Maverick. Word is, Ryder’s got plans for him. Apparently, some politician’s daughter in danger and Ryder thinks Mav might be the man for the job.”

  Angel almost spits out her drink. “You have got to be kidding! Maverick guarding a politician’s princess, why would anyone think that’s a good idea? He’ll probably kill her himself just out of irritation.”

  Ashton laughs. “Who knows how Ryder’s mind works, he’s usually right though?”

  She smiles and by the look in her eyes she’s thinking about her husband and I can see immediately the huge love she has for him.

  Angel laughs and then leans in and whispers, “Let me show you around. It will all make a lot more sense then.”

  She says goodbye to the others and as I follow her out, I’m not sorry to leave the room. Although the people in it were friendly enough, I could sense their mistrust of me and general unease. I’m guessing Angel told them what happened to make her come here and know I’ll have to prove my worth before any of them accept us as a couple.

  The slamming door cancels out the noise and Angel giggles. “Sorry, Seb that was intense. At least you’ve met them now.”

  She slips her hand in mine and pulls me toward her and kisses me softly on the lips. “Thanks though. I know it took a lot for you to face them and it means the world to me seeing all the people I love in the same room. Anyway, before I show you my room, I’ll show you what makes this place a home.”

  For the next hour, Angel shows me around the steel-clad prison that houses this strange crowd. As we walk outside, she points out various modern sleek houses in the clearing. “That’s where the married Reapers lived with their families. They live in a community and watch out for each other. Once a Reaper takes an old lady, they live a relatively normal life. The kids all play together and go to school in the town nearby. They are brought up to respect and love in equal measures but are also taught to take no shit and stand up for themselves. In fact, we all are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She grins. “We are taught to fight, defend ourselves and not be a victim. Most of us came here because we were running from something but the guys teach us to stop running and stand our ground. The women play a huge part in that too, rebuilding shattered confidence and providing a friendly wise ear when we need to offload.”

  She looks a little guilty. “They know everything about my past, Seb. They know what brought me here and why I ran. They know the bad and the good and they helped me make sense of it all. Then they made me into a stronger woman, which gave me the courage to come back and face you all. I owe these people everything because they proved more like a family than mine ever did and it’s important to me that you understand they will always be in my life.”

  As I look around at Angel’s home, I finally begin to understand just how special this place is.

  33

  Angel

  Coming home made me realize just how much I love this place and everyone in it. Coming home with Sebastian made everything right with my world. I wanted to show him who I became, and it’s important to me that he understands who I am now and doesn’t judge me. If I had to choose between the two entities, The Reapers or him, I’m not sure he would like my decision. However, what I also realized in coming here, was how much I love him.

  Seeing the other guys was great but nothing like I feel when I’m with him. Yes, Sebastian was always my soul mate, and that never changed. When Milly was excited to spend time with Maverick, I was happy for her. She has always liked him and I know he will treat her well, at least for one night. You see that’s what it is here. One night of love and more excitement than a woma
n can stand and then maybe a month will go past before that same Reaper comes calling. If Milly is harboring feelings for Maverick, she would do well to forget them. That man is and probably always will be, a cold hard bastard who ditched any feelings inside him a long time back.

  After I show Sebastian the gym and pool and the communal kitchen, I head toward the block of apartments near the main house where the whores live.

  As we head inside, I breathe in the familiar smell of perfume that lingers in the air and sigh happily. Turning to Seb, I smile. “It feels good to be back.”

  I note his concern and shake my head. “This will always be my home but I’m guessing I’ll have to vacate my room in case someone else needs it. They have visitors’ rooms though, so we will always have a bed here.”

  Seb smiles and pulls me close. “You can come back here whenever you want to. You know I understand your love for this place and I’m not going to get in the way of that. However, know that I am going to do everything I can to make you happy and if that means coming here with you, then you just have to say the word.”

  My heart leaps and I feel the love drowning the doubts and crushing them forever. Pulling away, I grin with excitement. “Come on, I’ll show you my own particular piece of paradise.”

  Dragging him up the flight of stairs and along the hall, I stop outside the familiar door and take the key from my purse. “Honey, we’re home.”

  Laughing, I push open the door. “You know, Seb, you’re honored.”

  “Why?”

  “Because no man has ever set foot in here with me.”

  He looks surprised and I giggle at his expression. “Strictly a ‘no man’ zone. This was my personal sanctuary and you can relax knowing how special you are.”

  His eyes flash and I know that look as he takes two steps and covers the short distance between us, before pulling me roughly against him. “So, no man has ever kissed you here.”