Smolder: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance (3 page)

I knew things were getting bad for us, but I never thought he’d actually hurt me. I’d gotten in his face several times over the past few months, and he’d never even flinched. I just didn’t think he was the type to lose his temper like he did, but when he saw that I was packing to leave, he totally lost it. I’ve never seen a man with such fury in his eyes. It was like he wasn’t even the same person.

I was shocked when he backhanded me across the face. I could feel the flesh break around my cheekbone as it swelled from the impact. I just stood there in shock. What the hell was I thinking? Why didn’t I run? Or grab something to hit him with? I just couldn’t believe he’d actually hit me. When he grabbed my arm, I tried to pull away, but he was just too damn strong. The one thing that I’d thought was so sexy about him, ended up scaring the living shit out of me. I screamed at him to let me go, but he just laughed at me. The asshole
laughed at me
. He began shouting and told me that I would never leave him. He kept shouting that I was his, and he wasn’t going to let me go. It was like I wasn’t even a real person to him. I was his possession. He twisted my arm behind my back, and I felt the bone snap as he pulled harder. I dropped to my knees, pleading for him to let me go.

I never believed that I would be one of those women that would be abused by a man. I just thought it wouldn’t ever happen to me. Damn, I was so stupid. All those little warning signs came flashing through my mind as he started to hit and kick me after I fell to the floor.

For one, he never left my side when we were at his clubhouse. I thought he was being sweet, but now I realize he was trying to control me. He just wanted to make sure I didn’t stray too far. Then, he’d ask to see my phone to call one of his guys, but now I think he was just checking to see who I’d been talking to. That’s the only way he would have known I’d called Renegade. I’d realized early on that I couldn’t even mention Ren’s name without him getting all defensive about it. Gage always bad mouthed him and told me to stay away from him and the club. He said the Devil Chasers were bad news, and they were the reason Ace was dead. I hate to admit that I’d agreed with him at the time, but I was just missing Ace. I blamed them for not being there when he’d needed them.

I’d always loved Ace’s club. That’s one of the reasons I’d started dating Gage. I’d missed being around all the motorcycles and the feeling of family, but Gage’s club was nothing like the Devil Chasers. They were not nice men, and most of them gave me the creeps. Actually, I was always glad Gage stayed by my side while we were at the clubhouse. I’m such an idiot. I should have known then to get away from him and his stupid club. He was just so sweet and attentive, not to mention, hot as hell. He was at least a foot taller than me and built like a linebacker. He was always working out, lifting weights, or running. His hair was dark blonde, almost brown, and he had amazing green eyes. When he smiled, it made me weak in the knees. He seemed to have it all. Too bad he was bipolar and almost killed me.

I couldn’t even see him by the time he walked out of my apartment. My eyes were swollen shut, and I’m pretty sure my head was bleeding from where he kicked me with his boot. I just laid there in the floor praying that someone would come find me. I was in and out of consciousness, but luckily I didn’t have to wait long. The police came rolling in my front door with a thunder. My sweet, nosey neighbor had called them when she heard me screaming. I could hear her telling them to be careful with me. She’s such a sweet thing. I think I’ll bake her some cookies or something when I get back home.

I have no doubt that Renegade will be here first thing in the morning. It’s going to be hard to see him. I’ve missed the way that he always looks at me. His brown eyes are so intense, and my body tingles all over whenever he’s around. I’ve always had a thing for him. I could just never get him to admit that he felt the same way. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he could care less about me. It might all be in my head, but I swear I see something more when he looks at me. His body tenses up every time I touch him. He almost looks like he’s in pain when I put my arms around him for a hug. Sometimes, I would find myself touching him just for the hell of it. I wanted to see if I could still get a rise out of him.

I fell asleep thinking about the time he took me for a ride on his bike. He surprised me by taking me out to one of his favorite places by the lake.
 

Three years ago….
 

“Where are you taking me?” I asked Renegade.

“You’ll just have to wait and see. You know you’ve never been very patient, Taylor,” he said with a chuckle. He was always giving me a hard time about not being able to wait for things. It drove me nuts.

Today, I decided to make him pay for giving me a hard time. I slowly moved my hands from his waist and moved them lower down the side of his leg. I let them roam across the top of his thighs as I pressed my breasts against his back. I could feel the muscles in his body become tense, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. He grabbed one of my hands and put it back on his side.

“Be still! You are gonna make me have a wreck, and I’ll never hear the end of it from Ace.”

“So you’re saying I’m
distracting
you?” I said laughing.

“Don’t push me, Taylor. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, or I’m taking you back to the house.”

“Damn, Noah, you’re no fun. Always so freaking serious.” I could see a hint of a smile when I called him by his real name. I didn’t do it often, but I liked calling him by his given name. It was like a secret that he only shared with me.

We rode quietly until we reached a small clearing by the water. Renegade pulled the bike up close to the edge. It was almost sunset by the time we made it to his special place. I was surprised that I’d never seen it before. I’d been to the lake every summer for years and never noticed it. We were parked up on a cliff looking down on the water, and the sun was beginning to set. The bright orange colors of the sun were reflecting off of the water. It was quiet, and no one was in sight.

“This is really beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“I like to come up here to clear my head. Not many people know about it.” He took a moment to look around and said, “I’d like to build a house out here someday.”

“It would be an incredible place for a house! You should absolutely do that. I’ll even come help you decorate when it’s done. That would be so much fun!”

“Ummm…. No. That’s not gonna happen. I don’t want a bunch of girlie shit all around my house. I can just imagine how many damn throw pillows you’d have scattered around the place. No way.”

“Really? Throw pillows? That’s not my style, Ren. You never know. I might just surprise you.”

He gave me a curious look and said, “You surprise me all the time, Taylor.”

I rested my head on his shoulder as we watched the sun set. I loved being close to him. He was so strong and always made me feel safe. He never judged me and accepted me just the way I was. I knew I wasn’t like the girls he normally spent time with, but he always made me feel special. I had grown to love him over the past few years, and I hoped one day that he would feel the same way about me. It was a perfect night and the perfect place. I decided it was time to surprise him again.

I eased my way off the back of his bike and turned to face him. He had a serious look on his face as I placed my hands on the sides of his face. I gently pulled him closer to me as I brushed my lips across his. His hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. The warmth of his body consumed me as he took control of the kiss. His lips were hard and demanding as he claimed my mouth. A deep growl vibrated through him when I opened my mouth and our tongues met. He grabbed the thick of my hair as he deepened the kiss. I began to suck his bottom lip and slowly eased my way between his legs. He was almost lost in his own need when reality came crashing down on us.

He released my hair and forced himself to pull away from me saying, “Taylor, we can’t do this. I knew better than this. I don’t know what I was thinking.” A worried look crossed his face as he looked at me and said, “We need to go.”

I stared at him with a raised eyebrow but never said a word. I simply made my way back onto the bike and waited for him to take me back home. I was disappointed that he’d stopped the kiss. I’d hoped that he would finally admit that he had feelings for me, but I knew there was no point in pushing him. When he made up his mind about something, there was no changing it. I would just have to keep my feelings to myself from now on, or I might lose him altogether.
 

                                   
****
      
With my eyes still closed, I could feel the warmth of the morning sun on my face. I dreaded facing the day. I was just about to open my eyes when I felt tingles creep over my body. Damn it. He’s already here. The room was filled with his scent. He always smelled like a mix of cologne, leather, and sex. My heart was practically beating out of my chest just knowing he was in the same room. I wondered how long I could lay there and pretend to be asleep. I wasn’t ready to face him. What the hell was I going to say to him? He was going to be so disappointed in me for letting this happen. God, I bet I look like shit. I’m just going to keep my eyes closed and pray he goes away. Please, for the love of Pete, let him just go away.

Chapter 3

Renegade

“I know you’re awake, Taylor,” I told her. I don’t know why she was trying to pretend that she was still asleep. She’d never been good at faking anything. Her eyelids have been twitching, and the monitor on the wall showed that her heart rate increased the minute she knew I was in the room.

“Are you seriously going to pretend that you’re still sleeping?” I asked as I walked over to the bed. It was hard to see her this way. Her face was swollen and bruised, and I was sure she’d have a hard time opening her eyes with all that swelling. Her arm was in a cast, and she had butterfly bandages on her cheek closing the deep cuts on her skin. Looking at her that way made the memories of my past come flooding back. The screams still echoed through my mind. That one moment changed my life forever, and I’d never be the same again. Just another reminder that I’d never be good enough for someone like Taylor. I’d help her because she’s Ace’s sister, and it’s the right thing to do. As much as I wanted to make her mine, I’d have to keep my distance.

Taylor’s bruised and swollen face fueled my anger. It was more than I could take. She looked so frail and vulnerable. I was going to fucking kill whoever did this to her.

I leaned down and whispered into her ear, “That’s fine, Tay. If you want to play possum, I’ll let ya, but you’ve gotta wake up sometime. And when you do, we’re gonna talk about the guy that did this to you. I’m going to keep you safe.”

I moved the chair closer to her bed and waited for her to open her eyes. She didn’t move. She was being a stubborn ass, but I didn’t mind giving her time to adjust to me being there. I didn’t even notice when Sheppard walked in. He cleared his throat to get my attention.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“The doctor says she has a mild concussion, and they want to keep her for observation. He gave her some pain medicine earlier, so she might sleep awhile.”

“That asshole did a real number on her, didn’t he?” Sheppard growled.

“Did you get a chance to go talk to her neighbor?” I asked him. I was getting impatient. Taylor wasn’t talking, so I still didn’t know for sure who had done this to her. I was about to lose it.

Sheppard sighed. “I just left from there. She didn’t really have anything more to tell. I called Crack Nut and told him everything she told me. I asked him to start working on it. He’ll do his thing and call me when he finds out something.”

“Good. Tell him I need him to come out here and help figure this shit out. He’ll need to bring Courtney and his truck. We’re gonna need to have a way to get her back to Tennessee when she’s able to travel. I’ll take her back to my place until she gets back on her feet.”

I could hear the rustle of the sheets as Taylor’s body jerked when I mentioned that she would be coming back to my place. I got out of my seat and leaned over her. “I know you heard me, Tay. You
will
go back with me, and I’m gonna take care of you and keep you safe. You may not like the idea, but that’s what’s going to happen.”

Sheppard chuckled behind me as he started walking towards the door. “Good luck with that, man. I’m gonna go back to the hotel. I’ll get a room for Bobby and Court, too. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Shep. I appreciate it.”

When the door closed, I looked back at Taylor. Her eyes were barely open, and she was trying to give me her “angry eyes”, but with all the swelling, it wasn’t working out for her.

“I’m not going to your house for you to babysit me. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself,” Taylor snapped.

“Looks like you’ve been doing a pretty shit job of taking care of yourself lately. This is not up for discussion. You
will
be going back home with me when they release you,” I said, crossing my arms.