BULL: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 6) (115 page)

2.

She stood there in the doorway and watched him. She had almost expected him to wake up the second she had arrived, but he didn’t move a muscle… except for the slow rise and fall of his breathing, it was as if he was dead to the world. She bit her bottom lip and willed herself to do it so hard that it would bleed.

It hadn’t always been this way with Levitt… there had been a time when she at least thought that she may have loved him. She had met him the same week she had come to town and he had seemed like a gentleman at first, but as soon as he had his hooks in her, the cracks started to show. He’d refuse to let her out of his sight, and started to let the other guys of the motorcycle club talk down to her. She felt like she was there to serve them, often finding that she would be catering to them all, and if she didn’t, he would become even nastier. There was no way he was going to let her get away either. He had moved her into the clubhouse, set her up as his girl, but then he had spiraled into drinking more and more and rather than neglecting her, he had turned evil.

When she had been roped into being a part of the plot to take over Slate Springs, she had been so nervous she almost couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. But there was no way Lev was letting her get out of her duty. She was bound to the Iron Riders now… As far as Lev was concerned, she owed them, and this was the perfect way for her to show her dedication.

They’d told her to play dumb, to gain their trust and to slip amongst them without suspicion. She told everyone from Red X that she was from Ironhill, almost as if she was wishing that they would ask her if she had any affiliation and she could confess it all, beg Marv and the boys of the Forsaken to save her. She wanted to get out of there so badly, but she never would have had the nerve to make a go of it on her own.

But now… Now she was stuck.

After what had happened at Red X
that
night, she knew there was no way she could ever set foot in Slate Springs again. She had driven out of there as fast as she could, her heart hammering in her chest and the tears streaming from her face. She knew someone had died there… And when the Iron Riders returned, they said that it had been, not just the owner, but one of the boys from the Forsaken too.

Destiny couldn’t stand the guilt.

She cocooned herself inside the clubhouse and didn’t want to see or speak to anyone. She had never liked Marv, but she hadn’t wanted anything bad to happen to him… And then she had heard whispers that it had been someone named Tanner who had fallen as well… She had met him before, and she had liked him. That made the guilt even worse. He hadn’t deserved to die like that… so young, and with so much ahead of him… She had been a direct catalyst in his downfall and she would never be able to forgive herself.

She stood there and watched Lev sleeping, the memories of that fateful night washed over her and made the tears prick the corners of her eyes. One of these days, she would have to let herself move on from it all. It had been over six months, and the Forsaken Riders hadn’t come back with anything in retaliation. But she felt the noose tightening, she could sense the tension in the air, and she knew that it wouldn’t be long before something went down. But she tried to push it as far out of her mind as she could.  Her nightmares regularly reminded her of what could be and what had passed, but she just hoped that one day she would be able to forget it all and move on.

Lev snorted and jerked in the chair and the bottle dropped with a loud chink onto the wooden floor. Destiny jumped and waited for him to open his eyes. She had seen this sight plenty enough times to know how it was about to unfold.

She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. She would have to put on a brave face, she would have to pretend as if she was happy.

Happy to be there with him, and happy to be alive.

She wasn’t ashamed to admit to herself that she was neither.   

She deserved this pain.

“Lev?” she braved as she took a step closer.

His breathing was still heavy and ragged and his skinhead reflected the small crack of light that was filtering in through a break in the shutters. His thick neck was sturdy and covered in a snaking tribal tattoo. Even when she had met him, she had hated that thing. And yet it was always there, right in her face… He never covered it, and it was practically impossible to hide, but Lev liked that fact. It was part of him, it showed who he was… a badass who didn’t give a fuck.

She shuddered.

She stepped further into the room and approached him. She could smell him, the stale booze and the hot sweat was leaking out of him, and he must have been out all night and only just fallen in.

“Lev?” she whispered again as she stopped and stood in front of him. She let her eyes trail over the bulges of his muscles and the tattoos winding their way up his biceps. He was built like a tank, and even when he was asleep and at his most vulnerable, he looked terrifying.

He jerked in the arm chair again and this time his eyes slowly opened.

He glared at her, as if she was a stranger and she had caught him off guard, but then his face relaxed slightly and he stretched his arms high over his head. Destiny kneeled down by his feet and rested her head on his knee like she knew he would like.

“I was wondering why the bed was so cold,” she purred, trying to keep him sweet rather than angering the beast inside of him.

“Urgh,” he grunted.

He pushed her head away and got to his feet. He was unsteady, but he didn’t stumble as he took a few steps into the center of the room. She looked up at him and at how the top of his head almost skimmed the ceiling. If she ever wanted to fight him, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Can I get you anything?” she asked him sweetly. “Coffee? Another beer? Something to eat?”

“Yeah,” he said with a scratchy voice as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. “I’ll have all of that.”

He still had barely acknowledged her, and so Destiny got to her feet and walked silently past him. She scurried to the door but a hard, heavy palm came down flat on her shoulder.

“Don’t I get a kiss good morning?” he said, his boozy breath hitting her right in the face.

She turned and smiled meekly before she let him wrap his arms around her and kiss her hard on the mouth. He tasted stale, and his mouth was warm and furry. She couldn’t push him away, but oh how she wanted to. When he pulled back and looked at her dead in the eyes, Destiny smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Lev wrapped his big, meaty arm around her shoulder and walked with her out of the room and into the hallway.

She could hear sounds of life drifting through from the kitchen and when they entered they saw that some of the men were up still drinking. She smiled and Lev laughed.

“At least I’m not the only one,” he roared as he slapped the edge of the kitchen table and sat down with one of the chairs between his legs, as he rested his arms along the back.

“Destiny’s making breakfast for us all,” he said with a wink.

Even though the majority of the time he repulsed her, she couldn’t help but smile and laugh. Nothing ever changed. She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

“Okay guys, what do you all want?” she leaned against the counter and waited for them all to bark orders at her.

A few of them weren’t even listening, but Levitt watched her intently, as if he was proud of her for a moment. Even though she knew that his mood could change in an instant, she savored these moments of softness, they were the only things that stopped her from going entirely mad.

“Okay,” she shrugged again as no one answered her. “I’ll cook up some eggs and bacon and then if you all want any you know where it is…” she turned and reached for the refrigerator.

“Beers!” one of the guys called from behind her. “That’s all we’re interested in right now Sweetheart.”

She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled.

“Yeh, we don’t want no fucking bacon,” another drawled.

Destiny flicked her eyes down towards Lev. He was watching her with an amused smirk on his face and she realized that he was loving every second of watching her squirm. He had thrown her to the wolves, knowing that they would be drunk, lairy and ready to give her a rough time. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and nodded.

“Okay,” she said cheerily. “Beers it is!”

She slammed the door to the refrigerator closed and turned on her heel. As she walked toward the back door which led out into the back fields, she willed herself to stay strong.

She had known that the day was going to start badly… Most of them did… But at least with Lev being up for the majority of the night, maybe he would crash in a couple of hours and she would have the rest of the day to herself.

The heat hit her as soon as she stepped outside, but the dark cloud was still curling its way towards them. She heard the rumble of thunder in the distance and could see the blur of rain falling over the mountains. The whole world seemed dark and even though she couldn’t wait to feel the air fresh again, she also couldn’t help but feel as if it was some kind of omen… She felt that she could potentially be on the verge of another storm… Something much rougher than she had ever experienced before.

She kicked open the door to one of the out houses and wafted the dust that fluttered down out of her face. It was dark and cold in there and it felt like she was stepping into an igloo. She rubbed her arms to try and get some heat into them and tip toed across to the huge, free standing refrigerator in the corner. She opened the door and pulled out two crates of Budweiser. It would probably only last them half an hour, but it was better than nothing, and she was hoping she would be able to disappear back upstairs and have some time to herself.

As she walked back to the house, the sky darkened overhead and the heavens opened. The storm was well and truly on its way.

3.

She left them all in the kitchen, ripping into the beer crates and popping off the bottle caps. They all chugged greedily and it wasn’t long before she heard them all burping and snorting and bantering with each other.

She hated them all.

The men that were part of the Iron Riders were not what she had witnessed when she had spent time in Slate Springs… They were more feral and wild… but not in a good way… it was almost as if they were backwards.

When she had met Levitt and got involved with them all, Destiny had assumed that it was because they were outlaws, and lived life dangerously close to the edge. But now, after time had passed and she had also got to know some of the Forsaken Riders of Slate Springs, she knew that the Iron Riders were a different breed. They were rougher around the edges… and in a lot of ways terrifying.

Destiny opened the door to her bedroom and stepped inside. It was a nice enough room, considering it was in a house full of outlaws, and she had changed it slightly since she had been there. It had been practically empty when she had moved in with Lev, all he had was a lone bed and a bag with a few of his things. But since she’d been there, Destiny had changed it into somewhere homely and warm. She had put up rich red curtains, coordinated the duvet and pillows, they had a TV and an arm chair and she had even gone to an antique store and found them an old battered wooden wardrobe which she had spent the weekend restoring.

She could still smell the varnish as she remembered how she had sat outside in the blazing heat and sanded it all down by hand. The sun had been high in the sky and her mouth was dry as she took hurried sips of water and listened to the sounds of the men working on their bikes. She had enjoyed being there then. It was before things got complicated and she had begun to feel vulnerable in her position. There were days when her and Lev would lounge outside like lizards basking in the desert sun, and they would tan golden brown and hold hands as they looked up at the clouds. Even in his darkest moments, Destiny liked to remember back to that. She had to hold onto something and keep her faith alive.

Since she had reworked the bedroom and filled it with trinkets and a woman’s touch, she had enjoyed calling it her room. It felt familiar even though everything in it was strange and new. She had always known how to make somewhere feel like home.

As she stepped inside she noticed how dark it was in there, even though only an hour before the sun had been shining in brightly through the blinds. She didn’t turn on the light, but instead she walked across to the window and rested her forehead against the cool glass. She looked out across the wild landscape. It was so untamed out there, and the arrival of the storm only made things feel even more unpredictable. The sky was a dark gray and the rain was pouring down in huge, thick drops. Everything felt intensified, and as she watched the storm unfold she felt the hairs on her arm stand on end.

There had never been any flooding out there in the desert before, but she hoped there were no walkers out in the hills… flash floods had been known, she had heard legends of walkers being swept away, or trapped and drowned by a storm that had come out of nowhere. Freak accidents could always happen, but it was unthinkable for something like that to happen so close to Ironhill… she knew the town would suffer.

She wrapped her arms around herself and kept watching. The sky was lit up momentarily by a great flash of lightening and a huge rumble of thunder vibrated through the house. She gripped onto the windowsill and gasped. She had never seen anything like it… it was incredible and awe inspiring. The desert had been dry and drab for weeks, and now it was being showered with rain and being revived. It was as if change was in the air. 

“Watching the storm?” Lev’s voice came from the doorway behind her. She hadn’t even heard him climb the stairs, she had been so preoccupied with what she was witnessing outside. Nature was giving her a spectacular show.

“Yes,” she whispered, before she turned back to the window and gave a weak smile. “It’s amazing to see it from up here… a good vantage point.”

He kicked his way into the room and with a giant heave he threw himself down onto the bed. The springs twanged beneath him and he downed the rest of a bottle of beer before he dropped it onto the floor. Destiny didn’t turn to look at him, but she heard it roll underneath the bed.

“I thought you’d have wanted to stay up with the guys a little longer,” she said carefully. “You don’t need to worry about me…”

Lev propped himself up on his elbows and eyeballed her. She turned to face him and their eyes met. He had a look on his face that was blank but purposeful… She knew instantly that she had said the wrong thing at the wrong time. His lip curled up at the left corner and she could see his tongue pushing out his bottom teeth. He really was drunk, his eyes were practically rolling around in his head, but he still kept them fixed firmly on her, determined to rattle her cage.

“All I meant was…” she began, but Lev cut her off.

“What, so now I’m not allowed to come and see my woman?” he spat. “I’m out all night and you don’t even give a shit if you see me?”

“No,” she shook her head with panic, “Lev, that’s not what I meant…”

“No, I know what you meant,” he slurred at her. “You
don’t
want me here… but guess what… it’s not up to you.”

He was rambling and not making any sense, and he closed his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers. She tried to smile at him and to calm him down by going over to the bed, sitting next to him and rubbing him lightly on the shoulder. She knew the way to placate Lev, even if it meant doing things she didn’t necessarily want to do.

“I didn’t mean that,” she soothed. “I just thought you were having fun with the guys, and I didn’t want to ruin it by you thinking you had to babysit me, that’s all.”

He grunted and rolled onto his back. She looked down at him and waited a moment, hoping that he would just close his eyes and fall asleep. He seemed so peaceful, and when his breathing got a little bit more relaxed she got to her feet and started to creep quietly towards the door. As she reached it and took hold of the doorknob she heard a creak coming from the bed behind her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he snapped.

She turned and smiled, “I was just going to close the door properly,” she lied sweetly.

But she carried it through, she knew that there was no way she could just walk out of there. It would only make things worse, and as it stood he wasn’t in as bad a mood as she had initially feared. She closed the door up tight and locked it behind her and then she turned to face him.

“Good,” he said quietly as a familiar look of need passed over his eyes. “Now get over here and take off those clothes.”

Destiny didn’t try to resist. She knew she had to do her duty and so she crossed back over to him and as he watched her with stern eyes she peeled away the layers. She pulled off her t-shirt, then her jeans and then she unhooked her bra. Lev moaned as he reached up and took hold of her pert breasts in his big hands and squeezed them gently, and then a bit harder.

“I’m a lucky man,” he said with a grin, as he cupped them together and grunted.

Destiny smiled back. Even if she did hate him most of the time, his touch was one she still often craved. And so she let him pull her onto the bed so she was lying on top of him, and she opened her legs and pressed her sex onto the zip of his jeans. She rubbed herself up and down on him, whilst beneath the denim she could feel him getting hard and she knew what a beautiful cock he was hiding in there… it was so big, just thinking about it brought a wry smile to her lips.

“I’ve missed you baby,” he whispered as he wrapped his hands up in her hair and pulled her forward so their faces were millimeters apart. His breath was hot and sticky against her skin and when he kissed her she let herself be carried along with the moment. She had to give herself to him and make him happy. She had to survive, but she also had to let him relieve her. The tension that had been building inside of her was coming to a head and she could barely take it anymore. She had felt so anxious and what she wanted more than anything was to feel love.

When he flipped her over and reached down to her panties she opened her legs and let his fingertips trace a drunken dance across her pussy. With each stroke he ignited something in her and she found herself bucking her hips up to meet his touch. She was wet and hungry for him, even with all of the rage she felt towards him and often the disgust, she still had to have him.

She watched as he pulled his t-shirt off over his head and exposed his huge, hulking muscles, and the tattoos that made the majority of his body a big, black swirl. When he unzipped his fly and his thick, heavy dick sprang out to meet her she opened her legs wider and held her breath as he slowly, but powerfully, pushed himself inside her.

Destiny gripped onto his wide shoulders and wrapped herself around him. She clung to him and moaned as he fucked her hard and slow.

For all she hated Lev… he was an incredible lover. He had always known just the right ways to touch her and to take her to places that no other man ever had. His cock was as strong as he was and with each thrust he made her knees tremble and her lips quiver.

He came quickly and buried his head into the side of her neck as she unraveled beneath him. She looked up at the man who was both her savior and her tormenter, and in that moment she had so many mixed emotions, she didn’t know what to think or feel.

He rolled off her and pulled her into the crook of his arm. Destiny closed her eyes and listened to the rumble of thunder still working its way over the desert outside. It was dark and the rain pitter pattered against the windowpane.

They dozed in each other’s arms until midday, and even though letting Lev make love to her had relaxed her for the first time in weeks, she still couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.

Something bad was going to happen… She could feel it in her bones.