Harley's Achilles (The Rock Series Book 3)

Harley’s Achilles

Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Dedication

First and foremost, to my loyal readers, bloggers, and reviewers. I love you all. I would not be where I am without you.

Michael Stokes for being my friend and taking fabulous pictures.

Zack Hardt and Robert England for coming out to Sedona, AZ for me and looking fabulous.

Michelle Muhlbeier for the naughty, naked spider monkey.

Jenjo

Heidi Ryan

Ann Lister for sharing her Rock Gods with me and making me laugh on a daily basis.

Kellie Dennis for the cover.

Tyler and the guys at the Green Room.

Aarin, James, and Doug.

Copyright ©

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Sneak Peek at Ransom’s book

Chapter one

Ransom

Achilles

2 months earlier

Universal Studios, CA

“Dammit! Where the fuck did he go?” I ran a hand through my hair and let out an exasperated sigh. Somehow, Harley had gotten away from me again. One minute I was in his bathroom, the next, Harley was gone and he’d left his clothing on the bed. Now I was worried he was running around the hotel naked.

“Fuck,” Jinx sighed next to me. “We’ll split up? Maybe we’ll find him faster that way.”

“Okay.” I’d called Jinx the minute I realized Harley wasn’t in the room anymore. I was trying to keep him from drinking too much at the bar, but he was a slippery little shit.

We split up and I cased the bar again and then headed down to the lobby. Still no Harley. I crossed the hotel to the pool area and stepped through the gate. The pool lights were on and the hot tub was bubbling.

“Achilles?”

I turned my head to see Jayden Dempsey relaxing in the hot tub.

“You didn’t happen to see a half-naked Harley run by, did you?” I asked.

“That was Harley?” Jayden said in astonishment.

“Don’t tell him where I am!” Harley whispered loudly.

I exhaled in complete frustration and advanced on the lounge chairs. Harley darted out and I caught him easily.

“Let me go, ya big asshole!” Harley struggled in my grip.

“Okay.” I dropped Harley in the pool.

A pissed off Harley broke the surface, spitting water.

“Dammit! It’s cold! My buzz is gone!” Harley shouted.

“Get out of the pool, Harley,” I instructed quietly.

“Come and get me!” Harley crossed his arms and stared at me with an exaggerated pout.

Soft laughter met my ears and I turned to see Jayden at my side. He was trying to cover up his fit of laughter with his hand. I turned to him and cocked a brow.

“You want to join him?” I asked.

“Nope.” Jayden shook his head.

“If I have to come get you, Harley, it’s going to be a long night.” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at a shivering Harley in the pool.

“Fine!” Harley swam to the stairs and wobbled out of the pool. I strode over and grabbed a towel out of a nearby cabinet. I wrapped Harley up, rubbing his arms.

“There you are!” Jinx yelled as he entered the pool area. He stopped mid-stride when he noticed Jayden. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m sorry, that’s your business why?” Jayden snapped.

I looked from Jayden to Jinx, and then to Harley. I put my arm around Harley’s shoulders and began walking.

“Night, Jinx,” I called out over my shoulder.

“Make sure he drinks water,” Jinx said.

I gave him a thumbs up and walked Harley back to his room. He was shivering, his teeth chattering so loud I thought they’d break. I opened his hotel room door and ushered him inside. Harley leaned against the wall, his buzz not quite gone completely.

“Achilles,” Harley slurred.

“Yes?” I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and then stood in front of him.

“I’m not a baby,” Harley pouted.

“You need to get in the shower, you’ve got goose bumps all over you and your teeth are chattering. Do I have to put you in there?”

“Nah, I’ll get in.” Harley threw the towel off and shoved his Speedos down to his ankles. He jerked around trying to get them off his ankles and then kicked them across the room. My eyes traveled south and that was when I got a good look at Harley’s dick. I almost swallowed my tongue. My head snapped up and I kept my eyes on his face as I tried to help him into the bathroom.

“You’re so tall,” Harley said as he stood in front of me. “And you have huge arms. Do you have huge feet, too?”

“I’m not sure what huge is, Harley.” I tried to maneuver him into the bathroom.

“You have to know how sexy you are. You know that, right?” Harley ran a hand down my chest and I backed up a bit.

“What did you drink tonight, Harley?” I asked as I pushed him into the shower.

“Don’t know.”

I leaned forward to turn on the water and Harley yanked me into him by my shirt. His lips crashed into mine, and then his arms wrapped around my neck. God help me, half of me wanted to devour him, and the other half…well, it wanted to devour him. In seconds, Harley had shimmied up my body and attached himself to me like a naughty, naked spider monkey. His teeth nipped at my lips until I opened up, and then he plunged his hot tongue into my mouth. I went from zero to sixty in one second, giving Harley as good as I was getting. A feral growl rose within me and I pinned Harley to the wall, ravishing his mouth. Our tongues dueled and moans reverberated around the bathroom as we went at each other like horny teenagers. My brain finally caught up with my mouth and I untangled myself from him. I couldn’t catch my breath and my dick was like iron in my pants.

“Harley? What the hell?” I croaked.

“Ooops.” Harley grinned. “I just wanted a taste.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Harley was jumping out of the shower and lunged towards the toilet. I held him as he threw up again and again until there was nothing left but bile. I got him showered, and then I called room service and had them bring some ginger ale while I put Harley to bed.

“Here, sip a little more for me.” I held the cup against his lips.

“It’s warm.” Harley’s nose twitched.

“Just sip.”

Harley did as he was told, and then lay back in bed. I made sure he was covered and then placed a wastebasket next to the bed. His eyelids drooped and he sighed heavily.

“Feeling better?” I asked.

“Are you going to stand at the end of the bed all night?” Harley opened his eyes and stared at me.

“Yes. I am.”

“How come?”

“Because I’m worried about you.”

“You’d be the only one.” Harley sighed and closed his eyes again.

“You know that’s not true,” I said quietly.

Harley was out cold, softly snoring. I sat on the edge of the bed and pushed his hair off his face. I’d been with the Skull Blasters band for a few months and had gotten to know each of the members pretty damn well, but Harley was a whole different story. He stood out from the rest of them from the second I met him. He was hurting on the inside, and for the first time in a long time, I was starting to have feelings. I sat for hours just watching him. I couldn’t help it. Harley whimpered in his sleep and tossed from side to side. I crawled in next to him and pulled him into my chest. He settled down immediately, snuggling into me.

Oh, this was so bad.

Present day

Harley

The TV was blasting in the living room as I headed into the kitchen with the groceries I’d just bought for my parents. They were watching
Wheel of Fortune
or something like that. Neither one even acknowledged my presence as I walked right by them. Nothing new there. I could bring in the whole marching band from the school, along with a herd of elephants, and they wouldn’t bat an eyelash. I put the stuff away and then headed upstairs. I faltered on the last step as I noticed my older brother’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. That never happened; his room was a shrine. I took that last step and crossed to his door, opening it the rest of the way. Nothing was moved, everything was still in its place. My mother dusted in there every week and put everything back right where it had been, just in case he came home.

He wasn’t coming back home. Not ever, because Holden Payne had been killed in Afghanistan.

My heart ached as I ran my fingers across his desk. The picture of the two of us astride his Harley motorcycle was still sitting there. God, I missed Holden. Not that my parents had paid me any mind before he passed away. I had been the surprise. Even after my father’s vasectomy, I still made it through. Holden had made things … tolerable. We used to do stuff together. He took me places and always doted on me because he knew my parents didn’t even know I was alive. Should I have hated him for being their favorite? Maybe, but I didn’t. Holden was my mom
and
my dad blended into one.

Now I just felt alone.

I shut his door behind me as I left, and then wandered into my old room, which was now the sewing/workout room. Amazing how I paid off the house for my parents, paid their bills and bought the groceries, but I didn’t rate my own room.

Oh, that was right. I didn’t exist.

I’d moved out right after Holden died. Why stay? He wasn’t there anymore, and as much as I tried to convince my parents to move, to get away from the memories, they declined. I headed back to the living room. My parents were still watching their show. Pictures of Holden were scattered all over the room, from his childhood to his Army portrait. A neatly folded American flag in its oak case graced our fireplace mantel. Holden was everywhere, and I had to get out.

“Okay, I’m headed back to my house,” I said as loudly as I could.

I got a slight wave of my father’s hand, and that was it.

I hung my head and grabbed my jacket and keys off the table by the front door. It was almost Christmas and I was going to spend it with my Skull Blasters bandmates: Ransom Fox, his brother, Gareth Wolf, and Rebel Stryker. Oh, and with the bane of my existence -Achilles, the bodyguard from hell.

I was really missing Jinx Jett right now, but he was off with his boyfriend, Jayden Dempsey, on the London Boys tour. Jinx was our drummer, and a former man-whore. He’d met Jayden for the first time at a mall and had given him an autograph. The second time? Well, that story was a lot more interesting. They had met at a gay bar when Jinx had been trying out a glory hole for the first time. He had worked up the nerve to put his dick in. Jayden had been the receiver of said dick. The third time they met had been the clincher. Jayden was part of London Boys, a boy band, and Jinx totally hated boy bands. However, after spending two weeks together in California, Jinx and Jayden had gotten closer. Now they were in love.

I was happy for my best friend, don’t get me wrong, but I missed him in my life. Jinx called a lot, and we Skyped, but there was a void in my life now. I stepped out into the garage and stopped in front of Holden’s motorcycle. He and my dad had a thing for Harleys, so here I was, Harley James Payne. I’d tried to take the bike out and that was about the only time my father said anything to me. He screamed at me not to touch it.

Holden would have hated it, his bike gathering dust three years after his death. He would want me to ride it, he’d want me to take it on the curves in Camp Verde and Black Canyon. I touched the chrome and smiled. We’d had good times on the bike, he and I. I pushed the memories aside and walked out into the driveway. There, perched on the hood of my truck, was Achilles. I cursed and he jumped off the hood, striding over to me in two steps. Damn, the man was tall.

“Harley.” Achilles stood over me.

“You know, I
hate
that tone of voice.” I looked up at him. “I’m not a child.”

“Then stop acting like one.”

“How did you find me this time?” I folded my arms across my chest and gazed up at him. Achilles was what I would call an Adonis. He belonged in an art museum. His chiseled jawline and straight nose complemented his high cheekbones. His eyes, on the other hand  ̶ well, they were hard to describe. They reminded me of blue quartzite, but there was some gray in there with a little …

“I’m former Special Forces, Harley. I can find a needle in a haystack.”

“Well, that would take time, now wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, but you seem to think you’re Harry Potter.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“Get this through your thick skull, Harley. I’m not leaving your side.”

Why did that thrill me
and
annoy me?

“Even if I had a pocketful of fucks, I still wouldn’t give you one,” I tossed flippantly over my shoulder as I approached my truck. A strong hand gripped my bicep, and then I was a hair’s breadth from Achilles’ face.

“Don’t ever think you can shake me, Harley Payne. You got that? And drive slower! Are you trying to kill yourself?”

“Yes, Achilles,” I agreed wryly.

“It’s not funny.” Achilles leaned even closer to me, and my hair stood up on the back of my neck. “I’m responsible for you; do you know what that means?”

“Is it that Chinese proverb thingie?”

“No.” Achilles sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

Jesus, the guy’s biceps were bigger than my thighs. He could probably break a brick with his thighs, come to think of it …

“Harley!”

“Wha?!”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yup.”

I was trying, though. Achilles searched my eyes, and I swear sweat dripped down my back. What was it about this guy that set me on edge? His hand rose and hovered by my face. The wind rustled the trees and Achilles blinked and stepped back from me.

“Go home, Harley,” he instructed as he walked down the driveway.

“Should I set a place for you at the dinner table?” I called out to him jokingly.

Achilles stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Yes. You should.”

I started at that. Achilles didn’t come in my house. At least, I didn’t think he did. What did I know? He’d probably painted himself onto my wall like Rambo did in the movie with mud.

“French fries or tater tots?” I tried to keep it light, even though I was shitting my pants.

“Neither. Baked potato. And don’t worry, I’ll get the groceries.”

“How do you know I have potatoes?”

“In the pantry, bottom shelf.”

“Ah ha!” I pointed. “You
have
been in my house.”

Achilles walked back to me and leaned into my face. “I am everywhere, Harley. Don’t forget it.”

I stood there and stared as Achilles walked away again. Why did that man infuriate me so much?

And why was I staring at his ass?

I knew why.

I’d had a threesome back in the day with a chick and her boyfriend. I had kissed the guy and we had crossed swords once or twice, but I hadn’t gotten fucked. I did, however, fuck
both
of them. Too much tequila was to blame for that night. I was still staring at Achilles’ ass as it got further away. Something about that man just made me want to wrestle him. Naked.

I jumped in my truck and drove back to my house with Holden and my parents still on my mind. I’d tried over the last three years to get them out of the house and into the sun, but they were content to sit and wait for Holden. It was as if they didn’t believe he was gone, even though he was buried right here in town and they went to his funeral. I was so grateful the guys had been there with me the day of the funeral. If they hadn’t been, I would have stood there alone.

I was always alone.

I knew that sounded stupid, considering people constantly surrounded me, but a part of me has always felt, well, invisible. I pulled into my driveway and waited for the garage door to open before sliding my baby inside. Holden always wanted a Ford F250 diesel, so I got one. She was black with flames down the side, and his name was among those flames. I stepped into the foyer of my house and shivered. It really was cold out. I checked the thermostat and inched it up a few degrees. I stepped into my living room and grabbed some firewood, throwing it into the fireplace and lighting it up. I loved my fireplace. Jinx and I always made s’mores during the winter.

I walked over to the picture on the wall of the guys and me. We were all smiling and flipping off the camera. It seemed weird that we all stayed so close. Most people who formed friendships in elementary school didn’t stay as close as we did. We were always together; me, Paul, Ransom, Rebel, Jinx and Gareth. I ran my finger over Paul’s face in the photograph. He was doing better, but he still had a long way to go. When Gareth was getting threatening notes, never in our wildest dreams did we think it could be Paul could be behind them. Turned out, Paul was jealous of Gareth and wanted to come back as our lead guitarist. We’d since been informed that Paul had chronic depression and PTSD, which played a huge role in his behavior. He was getting help now, and we hoped to bring him back to Arizona soon.

I sighed and walked into the kitchen. I didn’t really cook. Most of my meals were the frozen kind or the pizza delivery kind, but once in a while, I liked a steak on the grill. I opened the pantry and smiled at the potato bag on the bottom shelf.

Damn Achilles.

When we were told we’d have a security detail, I thought it was only during tours. Turns out it was all the time, and my lucky ass wound up with brooding Achilles. I pulled the potatoes out and wrapped them in foil. I stepped out onto the patio and immediately shivered. Was I nuts grilling in December? I lit the grill and threw the potatoes on. I shut the sliding glass door and wandered back into the kitchen. The doorbell rang and I crossed the living room to answer it. I had barely gotten to the knob when the door flew open, revealing Achilles loaded down with bags.

“Why do you even bother to use the doorbell if you’re just going to walk in?” I stood with my hands on my hips and what I hoped was a scowl on my face.

“You took too long,” Achilles answered, shoving two bags into my arms.

I followed him back to the kitchen and placed my bags on the counter, rifling through them. I grinned as I spotted marshmallows and chocolate. I knew Jinx and Achilles talked a lot, which was probably why Achilles knew so much about me. Achilles pulled out a box of graham crackers and I turned to face him.

“Making s’mores?” I asked hopefully.

“Yes. We are,” Achilles replied.

“Have you ever had them?” I asked, curious. I knew he’d been in the military before becoming a bodyguard. I had always wondered what those guys did during downtime. If they even had any.

“No. We spent most of our time telling ghost stories around the fire and singing,” Achilles said with a straight face.

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re fucking with me, right?”

“Yes. I am. We did have something along those lines,” he told me as he pointed to the chocolate and marshmallows. “But they weren’t the same. M.R.E.’s can only do so much.”

“M.R.E’s? I think my brother mentioned them once. Meals ready to eat. I hear they give you the shits.”

“Among other things.” Achilles placed the groceries on the counter and glanced at me. “Grill on?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll go put these steaks on.”

Achilles seemed at ease in my kitchen, which again made me wonder how many times he’d been in my house. I made salad to keep busy and peeked out the glass door now and then to watch Achilles. His mother had definitely named him correctly. He was tall, and I mean, like really
tall.
I topped out at six foot, but Achilles towered over me. I checked out the curves of his ass as he bent over, and whistled softly under my breath. Achilles straightened and then turned around, and I quickly went back to work chopping tomatoes.

What was it about Achilles that turned me on so damned much? I’d always considered myself straight with a side of bi, but Achilles? Well, he turned my head so fast, I think I got whiplash the first time I laid eyes on him. And now he was in my fucking space 24/7. He was disgustingly good looking, but the side of him I liked the most was how he could be so caring and sweet. I rinsed my hands in the sink as Achilles came through the back door with the steaks. He placed the platter on the counter and handed me a knife.

“Do they look done?” he asked.

I cut one of the thicker ones in the middle and took a peek at the meat. “Yup, nice and pink.”

“The potatoes have a few more minutes, I think. I can squish them, but not too much.”