DarcieI hadn’t gone into the bar looking for trouble. Just the opposite, in fact. If I had been concentrating on where I was going, if I had even glanced up at the sign hanging crookedly over the door, I wouldn’t have pushed that door open.But I wasn’t looking, and I most definitely wasn’t paying attention. All I wanted to do was get out of the overbearing heat and get myself a cold drink.Maybe several ice-cold drinks. But as soon as my eyes grew accustomed to the sudden gloom, I knew I was in trouble. Several pairs of eyes swivelled in my direction, spearing me to the spot. Well damn.I had two seconds to make the decision, but honestly, I only needed one. Straightening my shoulders, I made my way to the bar. My flip flops seemed unnaturally loud on the floor. But that was ok. I expected stares. I had been getting stares from the moment I had stepped out of the car in this godforsaken town. I looked like an outsider because I was an outsider. And that was fine by me.They could
HavocI caught sight of my brother's blonde head, his golden close-cropped hair glinting in the sun. And I scowled.Not only because I didn’t want to see my half brother, although I didn’t, but if I was honest with myself, I had been in a foul mood since last night. I had turned my back for less than five minutes to take a call, and when I turned back, she had gone. Like she hadn’t been there to begin with. Nothing remained of her but the light, slightly floral perfume lingering in the air and her diamond ring still sat on top of the bar next to our empty glasses. Just like that, she was gone.And my dick had started kicking up a fuss. We hadn’t been ready to let her get away just yet. And we definitely hadn’t been ok with just a few kisses. Not to mention the mocking laughter of the men behind me.That had just pissed me off even more. The moment she had pushed into the bar, I wanted her. Maybe it was because I could tell everyone else wanted her. I had always had a problem with w
DarcieOnly a person with the worst luck in the world would lock lips with someone to get over their fiancé’s infidelity only to find out they were related.Either they would have the worst luck or be named Darcie Summers. Stomping away from the table, I mulled it all over. It wasn’t like you could even tell they were related by just looking at them. They were complete opposites. One blonde and clean cut. And the other dark and well dark… Havoc exuded danger. They did have one thing in common, though. They were both dicks. “Hi, I need a room.” The woman behind the desk glanced up from her computer screen, and for a second, she frowned. “Is the room you’re in not suitable, Miss Summers?” The frown disappeared, replaced by a very professional and very fake smile. “The room is fine; I just need one for myself.” I hated explaining myself. Hated the look of pity that flitted across her face. “There’s nothing…”“Anything will do.” I waved my credit card in the air. “I just need a base
Havoc”Get off.”I couldn’t take it anymore. A few miles was my limit, luckily a few miles took us back into town, but that wasn't the point. Darcie Summers was an absolute nightmare on the back of a bike. And even the feel of those tits pressed against my back couldn’t distract me from the fact that she moved around a lot. It was painfully obvious she had never been on a bike before.Slowly she swung her leg over, her trousers billowing in the slight breeze. She was dressed all wrong as well. Those damn pants were an accident waiting to happen, even if they made her hips and ass look like a million dollars. ”Where are we going?” She suddenly looked uncertain, as if the realisation of riding into the proverbial sunset with a stranger had just set in. ”Bar.” Curling my hand around her fist, I pulled her up the street behind me. I needed a moment to think. What I had done back there was reckless even for me. And I would need to explain myself and that I had just put our club firmly i
DarcieWhat the hell had I gotten myself into?One look out of the darkly tinted windows of Havoc’s truck into the gated courtyard, and I suddenly wasn’t sure whether I would have been better off sticking with my coward of an ex-fiancé and whatever trouble he had gotten me into.It wasn’t a party as such, but there were a lot of people milling about. Not just bikers either but women. Women with not many clothes on. All who looked more than comfortable flaunting what their mothers had given them.I didn’t belong in a place like this. “Nervous?” Havoc killed the engine. I didn’t know who had brought the truck to the bar for him or even how he was going to pick up his bike, but I was grateful for it. I wasn’t made for the back of a motorcycle. “No.” I lied; of course I was nervous. Who wouldn’t be in my situation? I felt like I was about to walk into the lion’s den. Or maybe I was a willing sacrifice, walking to the altar all by myself. His warm laugh filled the car. “Liar,” Rough f
DarcieA heavy arm was flung over my waist, and for the moment before I came fully awake, I revelled in the masculine weight of it. The feeling of being safe in the arms of a strong man, was there anything better? Especially when strong fingers were playing absently over the skin of your lower belly. I mean, seriously, was there any better way to be woken up?“You awake?” The deep voice jolted me fully awake, and the fingers that had been toying with the hem of my panties suddenly tightened on my stomach as I pulled myself away. Had I really just been rubbing my ass against Havoc’s crotch whilst his fingers teased at the very edge of my underwear? It was bad enough that I had to sleep in the same bed as him. It was mortifying that I had, just for a moment, forgotten who I was in bed with.Had I been making sex sounds?Jesus.If I had made sex sounds at him, I may as well die right now because I would not be able to look him in the face. “Don’t move.” His voice was husky with sleep,
HavocI watched her as she gazed around the small run-down house that had been my childhood home. I had a lot of memories here. Some of them good, most of them bad. And it felt strange to have a stranger, a woman no less, looking around, running her fingertips over the sides covered in the framed photographs. Leaving trails in the dust.“Is this your mum?”For a second, I could do nothing but stare at her as she stood there awkwardly with the photograph in her hand, and my heart hammered in my chest.This was a bad idea. I hated being here, but I hated anyone else being here more. Especially her. “Yeah.” I plucked the frame from her hands, setting it back down where it belonged. She had to stop touching things; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to cope with her being here. Something so sweet amongst all the nightmare memories of my past. “Stop touching my stuff.” I didn’t mean for my voice to come out quite so angry. I definitely didn’t mean to cause the fear that swept into her eyes.
DarcieStirring the sauce that was bubbling on the stove with one hand, I pressed the other one to my lips.They still felt swollen from Havoc’s kiss at the farmers’ market. I had walked straight into that one. He had known that I had wanted to wander around the market badly enough that I would have done almost anything.It wasn’t even like I had minded kissing him. He was a good looking man after all, but it just felt wrong. No, that wasn’t even it. His kiss had been hot. It wasn’t the kiss that had been the problem. It was just wrong to be kissing someone in public only days after splitting up with my fiancé.Especially when they were brothers.I couldn’t go lusting after someone who was related to my ex. It just wasn’t the kind of woman I was. Or at least it wasn’t the kind of woman I used to be. “Something smells amazing.” I jumped, my hand flapping in front of my face as I screamed. I hadn’t heard anyone come through the front door. I whirled, and my hand made contact with th
Gretal“You’re home.” In an instant I was off his bed and rushing towards him, yanking his head down to mine so I could kiss his lips greedily. It was instinctive, the kind of greeting I had given him in the old days when I had missed him every second that he was away from me. Before things had all gone wrong. Hansel untangled himself with a small chuckle. “Of course I’m home. I said I wouldn’t be long.” Even as our lips parted, his hands were closing around my waist, keeping me close to him. “I like the way you say it, by the way.”Craning my head up to look at him, I arched an eyebrow. “How I say what?”“Home, that I’m home. Although I wouldn’t call the clubhouse our home, not unless you want to live here of course.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled.“Anywhere you are is home, Hansel.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Not that they weren’t true. They were. I was tired of being away from him. Sure, we had a lot of shit to sort out, but we were older now, wiser. I knew
HanselHow was it possible that Gretal had disappeared into thin air? I knew it wasn’t possible, but that’s what it felt like. Like she had literally vanished. I knew it wasn’t the case but that’s how it seemed, The club was out in force, scouting the streets, making calls to any and all contacts that could help, and so far, there had been nothing. Not one damn sighting. And I hated to admit it, but I was losing hope.No Gretal and no Pope. It weighed so heavily on me that I found it hard to breathe. Slowing the bike, I ripped the bandana from around my chin and nose, sucking in a deep lungful of cool night air. It still wasn’t enough. Was it possible to suffocate from panic? That’s what it felt like. Like someone was squeezing the life out of me. That’s when I saw it. If I hadn't slowed, I wouldn’t have. Squealing to a stop, I snapped my head back, looking over the hedge to the parking lot. Pope’s bike. I was sure of it. How many years had I ridden alongside it? I would know it a
GretalPulling my phone from my pocket, I ignored the barrage of messages from my husband that flashed up on the screen the moment I switched it on. He was worried about me, mostly because he knew I was about to do something stupid. Except it wasn’t stupid. It was justice. Keeley deserved to be avenged, so did those other girls.So did I. Swiping passed them, I clicked on the camera option, checking my face out. I looked good. My lips were ruby red and glossy, my lashes thick with mascara, my hair curled around my face in soft waves. I looked good enough to eat.And I hoped Pope would think so as well. After all, if he didn’t take the bait then all of this was for nothing. He would fall for it though; I knew he would. Men like him always did. They thought they were superior. That they could take what they wanted without asking. And Pope wanted me. I had seen it in his eyes in the way he had looked at me. I had thought he was just being overly friendly, trying his luck a little. Bu
HanselIt was growing dark when we pulled up outside the Son’s compound. I had ridden without stopping all day, desperate to get back to them. To tell Fang and the others what I suspected. No, not what I suspected. I knew it was true. I didn’t need Sylvie to tell me. The evidence was written all over her face. It dripped from the agony in her voice.“Off the bike, love.” I wanted to be patient with her, but time was already running out. I needed to get her somewhere safe and then I needed to get to The Otter, I would have gone there first if the clubhouse hadn’t been nearer. I hoped to find him inside. And I could exact my revenge without having to worry about my wife and her whereabouts “Hansel, please.” Sylvie was back to begging, she had been nagging in my ear for hours. And she would have the exact same response to it as I had given her before.Nothing.I tugged her off the bike. The prospect who had been lounging by the front door smoking a cigarette straightened as she gave ou
HanselMoney swapped hands easily enough. I had done these kinds of drops often, so it was no big deal. What was a big deal was the fact I was miles away from Gretal and she wasn’t answering her phone. I had been calling her pretty much nonstop. It was one thing The Judge telling me she was fine but I wanted to hear her voice. To see her in person would have been better, but I could tell if she was really ok by her voice. I knew her well enough. Leaning heavily on my bike, I fished my phone out of my pocket. My fingers pressed the redial button without looking. I didn’t expect her to answer, so far she hadn’t, so I was surprised when she picked up. “Hansel.”She sounded breathy, like she had been crying and was trying to hide it from me. “What the hell is going on, Gretal, are you crying?” Doubt ripped through me. She was upset. I had been right when I thought something had happened but I had taken The Judge at his word that he would protect them. Had I been wrong to do that? “No
Gretal“Is she ok?” I raised my eyes wearily as Gypsy came into the small living room. She flopped down on the chair nearest the window with a sigh, her fingers plucking to move the drapes away so she could look down at the dark street below. “Yeah, she's alright. I gave her a mild sedative. She will hopefully sleep until morning.” She sighed again. “There's some…” She swallowed hard, and I could tell by her face that she was reliving her own attack. I had heard briefly what Gypsy had been through. And it had been horrific. “There's some tearing and bruising. A condom was used so we don’t have to worry about pregnancy or sexual transmitted infections. Not that it makes it better, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about that.” Yeah, I agreed with her silently. At least she didn’t have to worry about that. “God, I need a drink.” Darcie was on her feet, her voice shaky. “Yeah, a drink sounds good.” We all deserved one. And being above a bar we were in a perfect place for one. O
HanselThe clubhouse was oddly quiet when I emerged the next morning. I had expected there to be at least some girly chatter. Since Gretal had come back, the common room seemed to be filled with girly chatter. But there was none and it made me feel oddly ill at ease.One look at Fang who was pacing the length of the room, like some agitated bearded squirrel, and I knew I had every right to feel worried. Making my way over to him, I swung him around to face me. “What's happened?” One glance at his face and I knew something had, his face was twisted in misery. “Where's Gypsy?” Another look around and I was sure she wasn’t there. None of the women were, not even the club girls had surfaced yet, the whole clubhouse felt like it was grieving. There was only one thing to put that kind of misery on his face and it was if something had happened to Gypsy. “What's happened? Fang talk to me.”“She rang and said she wasn’t coming home for a few days. She sounded…” His voice broke and he cleare
GretalIt was worse than anything I could have imagined. Maybe because I had known Keeley since she was eighteen years old - the sweetest, most pure soul I had ever met - it hit me harder. She was huddled on the floor behind the counter and one look around told me she had put up a hell of a fight. There were shattered plates and glasses all over the floor. A smear of blood on the floor. A tiny amount of blood but it seemed to stand out in stark contrast. And then my eyes found her. And it was worse than anything I had ever seen before. And I had seen a lot of bad shit.Keeley half lay, half sat in the foetal position in the farthest corner. Her whole body was shaking. Her usually silky blonde curls lay limp against her wet cheeks. There was an ugly bruise on her left cheek and around her throat. Like someone had wrapped their hands around it and tried to squeeze the life from her. But it was her eyes that hit me.They were wide and haunted. I knew the look on her face because I ha
GretalLying in bed with a man who wasn’t Hansel, when I could still feel the wetness of my orgasm against my panties was pure torture. It didn’t matter that Gio wasn’t touching me, simply being next to him felt like a betrayal.All of these years apart and I was still worried about betraying my marriage vows. Sure there had been other people, for both of us, but that was because we were apart. Being back under the same roof as him was bringing up feelings that I thought I had buried. And I was good at that. Burying my feelings for him. When I had been forced to work at The Candy House, when I had been forced to sell my body, I had turned my feelings of love into those of hate. I had thought he had forsaken me, but then he came back. He had literally knocked me off my feet again, like some avenging hero and made it all better, and all the hatred evaporated. Because I loved him. I had always loved him and I always would. “You seem tense, Gretal?” Gio’s voice spoke from the darkness.