More Than Miles (A Lost Kings MC Novel) (4 page)

I stop dead in my tracks. “Are you fucking kidding?”

“No, I’m not fucking kidding,” he says so low and determined my skin prickles. Using his bulky body, he pushes me off the driveway into a clump of trees. The emotions swirling in my belly scare me. I want him to do things to me that I have no business thinking about. Starting with ripping my clothes off and pinning me up against the nearest pine tree.

Why does it have to be wrong to have what I want? Why do I have to know that Murphy’s bedded every willing girl in the tri-state area? I don’t want to be one of hundreds.

With Axel, I know I’m special.

S
omething’s wrong. My girlfriend can’t look me in the eye and that’s never a good sign. Murphy’s glued to her back and that isn’t a good sign, either. I’m not stupid enough to think it was an accident that I got called down to Crystal Ball right as I was supposed to leave to pick Heidi up.

This prospect gig is bullshit. I love to ride. Love Heidi. I even like most of the brothers. But giving up my life to the Lost Kings MC? Putting the club first? Every day it’s clearer I’m not cut out for this life.

I don’t trust Murphy.

The MC’s president—Rock, a guy I actually like and respect—just spent the summer in jail for a crime he didn’t even commit. Everyone had to be on lockdown in case a rival MC tried to hurt anyone associated with the club.

I don’t want to end up in jail.

Rock’s done a good job of keeping me out of serious club business. But I’d have to be an idiot not to know they’re into all sorts of illegal activities.

What the heck did I get myself into?

All because of Heidi.

“Hey,” she says softly as she approaches and wraps her hand around my forearm. “Where were you?”

“Hoot needed me to run something down to him.” I don’t mention the strip club, because I don’t feel like fighting over it.

She doesn’t even press me for details. Another bad sign.

“Why’d
he
come get you?”

Her shoulders nervously jiggle. “Birthday ride. Same old.”

Yeah right.

“There’s my baby sis!” Teller shouts as he picks Heidi up in a big hug. “You turning eighteen is bullshit.” He sets her down and leans over, placing his fingertips at knee-level. “I swear, just yesterday you were this big.”

Something sarcastic like,
Maybe if you’d paid more attention to your sister rather than fucking around, you’d realize she’s been an adult for a while now
wants to come out of my mouth. But I hang on to the thought—for now.

Heidi’s birthday party isn’t the place to start listing my beefs with Teller.

I need a bucket of ice for my balls.

Two seconds from finally sinking inside Heidi and my phone ruined it.

Now instead of some after-sex cuddling with the only girl I’ve ever wanted, I’m being tortured by her scent still lingering on my skin. She came on my hand. It was fucking beautiful. Perfect. Better than I’d been fantasizing about for longer than I want to admit.

Then it got fucked up.

Motherfucking phone. Why didn’t I turn that shit off the second I pulled into the parking lot?

Now, she’s ignoring me. Pretending what happened between us doesn’t mean anything. Hell, pretending it didn’t happen at all. Heidi drives me crazy. She’s good at it. Been doing it for years. She’s been coming on to me since she was twelve. It killed me, but I rejected every one of her sweet-awkward-girlish advances because it was the right thing to do. Somewhere along the way, I crossed a line and hurt her feelings. I hated myself for it, but I didn’t know what else to do. Looking at her now, I should applaud myself for my self-control. Heidi’s a little sex kitten.

A sex kitten with a boyfriend.

Fucking Axel.

Confirming that Axel’s had what I’ve wanted but couldn’t have pisses me off. Thinking of them together makes me want to rip his arms off and beat him to death with them.

More than that, she’s
my
girl. My little Heidi-bug. I’m just as hyper-protective of her as her older brother, my best friend, Marcel. Axel putting his grubby hands on Heidi bothers me for so many different reasons.

A good caveman would have declared her off-limits years ago. Then I should have wrapped my dick in a metal cage.

She glares at me from across the room, and even that turns me on. Shit. I’ve seen her naked now. Brings temptation to a whole new level. I can’t stop thinking of us being together again. How the fuck do I make that happen?

“Are you okay, Murphy?” Hope’s gentle voice knocks me out of the man-rage I’m working myself into. There’s nothing I won’t do for Hope. Not only because she’s my president’s wife, but because of the way she’s unofficially adopted Heidi and been so good to her. For her I’ll settle the fuck down and pull on a tired smile.

“I’m good, First Lady. How you doing?”

She tips her head toward Heidi and Axel. “Everything okay there? I saw you were the one she drove up with.”

For one stupid second, I consider confiding the whole mess to Hope. But if I detect a hint of either pity or disappointment in her eyes, it’ll shred me even more.

“Just the usual birthday ride.”

Hope’s not fooled one bit.

“You’re looking nice and tan. Hawaii agreed with you.”

She rolls her eyes at the clumsy way I changed the conversation. “You’ve already heard all our honeymoon stories. Well, the ones you’re allowed to hear.”

I chuckle and the corners of her mouth tip up. “At least I made you laugh.” She squeezes my arm one last time before Rock hooks his fingers in her waistband and yanks her against him. She yelps and slaps his arms as they band around her middle. “Murphy and I were having a conversation.” She’s laughing too hard to sound stern.

He says something against her ear that turns her cheeks pink and includes the word
wife
, before lifting his gaze to me. “What’s up, brother?”

“Nothing, prez. I’m good.”

Rock glances at Heidi and shakes his head. “You talk to her?”

“Not exactly.”

Hope raises an eyebrow with an expectant expression on her face. I’ve never figured out if she’s on my side or Axel’s. I think she’s purely team Heidi and I love her for that. Heidi’s needed a mother for as long as I’ve known her. Whether she meant to or not, Hope’s stepped into that role. Sometimes I think she’s the only one who understands Heidi.

Maybe I
should
confide in her.

Christ, when did I turn into such a pussy?

Over any other chick, I’d never be so stressed. But Heidi? She’s everything.

“Hi, Serena,” Hope says, looking past me.

Fuck
.

I already feel like shit that I’ve been stringing Serena along for weeks now. Having her here at Heidi’s birthday party is a whole new realm of fucked-up fuckery.

“Hey,” she says as she joins us.

Hope responds with a warm smile. After hanging out at our downstate charter for a couple years, Serena’s still not used to an ol’ lady who’s actually nice to her. I know she’s probably uncomfortable and it’s my fault she’s here, so I grab her hand and pull her to my side. Of course, that’s when Heidi finally glances my way. Her nose wrinkles and she wraps her hand around Axel’s arm even tighter.

Why does everything have to be so fucking complicated?

Someone turns down the lights and people start singing “Happy Birthday.” Trinity and Mariella carry out the cake they’d been working on all day, and Heidi drops Axel’s hand to race over and meet them at the bar. Everyone cheers as she purses her lips and blows out the candles. Christ, not two hours ago, I’d been kissing that mouth.

Confused, Serena squeezes my hand to get my attention. “Is she a club girl?”

“No,” I snap and instantly regret it. “That’s Teller’s little sister.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Not her fault. I’d been doing my best to keep Serena and Heidi far, far away from each other. It’s why I’m real curious about her turning up here tonight.

“I’m glad you texted me to come up.”

“What?” My gaze scans the room, landing on Axel. The dickhead smirks at me.

Well, I guess he got even with me for sending him to Crystal Ball. Surprised the little prick was so bold.

After everyone has cake, Heidi receives hugs from Rock and Hope. When an acceptable amount of time passes—approximately four seconds—Rock grabs Hope’s hand and drags her to the door. She hits the brakes in front of me.

“Will you be okay?” she asks.

Rock sighs and turns, pushing a finger against my chest. “I know you have your hands…full.” He flicks his gaze at Serena, who’s chatting up Trinity over by the birthday cake. “But keep these fuckers in line, please. I don’t know where the fuck Z’s at and you know Wrath will haul Trinity’s ass out of here any minute now.”

“Yeah. No problem, prez.” I survey the room again and the corner of my mouth turns up. “Sure you don’t want to stick around?”

He rolls his eyes at the stupid question. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Hope hugs me tight and whispers, “Behave” in my ear.

Even though they made a quiet exit, it’s as if everyone in the room knows Mom and Dad have left the building. The volume of the music increases, the clothing on the girls decreases.

And I’m
bored
. Tired of the whole thing. Right or wrong, I’ve been around this scene since I was twelve. Love my brothers and love my club. But sometimes I wish things were…quieter.

My throat’s so tight, it’s a miracle I have any breath to blow out my candles. Murphy has a girl at my party? After we almost…?

I vaguely remember her from Hope and Rock’s wedding, but she looks different tonight. Sluttier. Murphy brought her to my birthday party as his date?

I can’t even comprehend it. After he spewed all that bullshit about wanting me to be his girl?

Squeezing my eyes shut, I say a quick thank you to whatever gods are above that I stuck to my guns and said
no
. I’d feel even stupider if we’d gone all the way.

“Are you okay?” Mariella’s soft voice helps me tear my gaze away from Murphy.

“Who is that?”

“That’s his downstate girl,” Axel says as he approaches and slips an arm around me. “She moved up here to be near him. She goes to school with us. I’m surprised you haven’t met.”