STICK: MC ROMANCE NOVELLA (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 8) Read online

  She started down the stairs and slowly reached the bottom floor. It was bright down there with overhead lights and she took her time moving slowly from room to room. She walked through a large living area and stepped over a pile of empty and crushed up beer cans. She wrinkled her nose at the stale smell of booze and the overflowing ashtrays. She picked it up and half-gagged at the sight of it. Who knew the last time it had been cleaned out and she carried it with her on her hunt for the kitchen and the garbage.

  She pushed open a tall wooden door, and as it opened, she could see that she had found it. A long table stretched out ahead of her and the leftover smell of cooking lingered in the air. She rushed inside and headed over toward the sink and opened the cupboards underneath, looking for the garbage bag, but she was out of luck.

  She set the ashtray down on the counter and sighed. The kitchen was dark and as she was looking for more lights that she could turn on, she didn’t hear the sound of the footsteps coming in behind her, or sense the eyes that were fixed on her again. It was only when she turned and the green grabbed her by surprise that she realized that she was no longer alone.

  Stick…her Green Eyed Guy, he was right there. He was standing behind her and he smiled as he held out the open garbage bag to her.

  Serena smiled, half shy and embarrassed, and more than glad to see him. She was relieved that it was him, not only because he was someone she recognized and not someone who didn’t even know that she was there, but also because he was quickly becoming all she could think about. Never before had she felt an attraction like it.

  “Thank you,” she said as she picked the ashtray back up and threw the contents away.

  “No, thank you,” Stick said as he tied a knot in the top of the bag and placed it by the back door. “No one around here seems to know the meaning of tidying up after themselves. Myself included, I’m afraid.”

  Serena laughed. He turned back to look at her and she was shifting from one foot to the other uneasily. Unsure of what to say next.

  “You must be hungry,” he said with a raised eyebrow and a kind smile.

  “Starving,” Serena laughed with relief.

  CHAPTER 6

  Stick sat down at the table and lit a cigarette as he watched her cooking the eggs on the stove. The clock on the wall told her it was almost midnight, but she didn’t care. She had to eat something. As she picked up the glass of water that was next to her and drank it quickly, she could still feel Stick’s eyes on her. He was taking in her every movement and storing it away.

  “I’m really sorry about earlier,” she said finally, breaking the silence. “I shouldn’t have just turned up like that and freaked everyone out.”

  Stick shook his head and laughed, exhaling a plume of smoke up into the air.

  “It was pretty funny when you think about it,” he said. “I mean, who would have ever expected Lynx’s kid sister to just randomly turn up here? He’s been part of The Forsaken for over a decade and I don’t think anyone even knew he had a real family out there somewhere.”

  The revelation felt like a slap in the face to Serena, but she tried to hide it. She turned back away from him and focused on the pan on the stove. She dragged the fork through the eggs to fluff them up and they sizzled away.

  “But why now? I guess that’s what I want to know?” Stick asked with authority. For someone who could only have been a year older than her, he had the demeanor and wisdom of a much older man. His confidence was sexy and so very appealing, it was impossible to ignore.

  “I haven’t been having a great time at home,” she admitted. “I haven’t told Lynx yet, but our parents are finally separating.” She sighed as she picked up the pan and scraped out the eggs onto a plate. “I don’t think he’ll really care, but with everything he clearly has going on, I don’t want to add to the stress, you know?”

  Stick nodded.

  “When he called me from the hospital and said that he’d been hurt, I just knew I had to come and find him. I’m pretty much alone in the world too, and he is my brother. I just felt like I needed him and this was the right time.”

  Stick nodded again and smiled. “Well, I can sympathize with you there,” he said. “And even after the shock of you arriving, I’m sure he’s pleased to see you. I could see it in his eyes.”

  Serena felt glad that someone had thought that. It meant a lot to know that she wasn’t just going to be an annoyance and in their way.

  “I still feel so lost and in the dark,” she said as she sat down and looked at him. She didn’t know exactly why, but she felt as if she could talk to Stick and tell him anything. “I mean, I still don’t really understand what this place is. Who you all are? How my brother is a part of it? It’s crazy.”

  “It’s just business and family rolled into one,” he said with a wry smile. “We all look after each other out here and it affords us the chance to pretty much run this town, and the rest of the desert.”

  The hairs on the back of Serena’s neck stood on end. They were all clearly very powerful.

  “The less you know the better, Serena,” he said as he reached for his beer and took a long, drawn out sip. “Like Bull said before, things haven’t been right around here for a while and we’re in the middle of a war.”

  “What happened to Lynx and his leg?” she asked bluntly. She was unable to be put off any longer. They couldn’t just tell her stuff was going down without elaborating, it would drive her crazy.

  Stick looked to the side, as if he was considering whether he should tell her or not, but then he finally nodded slowly and his green eyes flashed up to meet her again.

  “We got screwed over by our rival club last week – big time. It’s cost us a lot of money and now, someone is going to have to pay for it.” Serena could see that he was clenching his fists and curling his lip. “Your brother got caught up in it, just like I did, and just like King did. But me and Lynx were lucky…,” he trailed off and bit his bottom lip. “The people who did this, though. They aren’t going to be so lucky.”

  She could feel his anger from across the table and it shocked her into stillness. She watched the way his breathing was becoming more rapid by the second and she sat back in her chair just to bring a little more distance between them.

  “Who are the rivals?” she asked bravely.

  “The Iron Riders,” Stick almost spat. “But those fuckers aren’t going to be around here for much longer. Not when I’m finished with them, anyway.”

  He took a swig of his beer and slammed it back down on the table.

  Serena pushed her plate away; suddenly, she wasn’t so hungry anymore.

  A door slammed in the hallway and it made her jump. Stick turned his head to the hallway and smiled as he saw Lynx coming, his crutch propping him up.

  “Here he is,” Stick beamed. “Big bro.”

  And Serena smiled too, because it was a relief to know he hadn’t left her.

  “Hey,” she smiled as Lynx pulled out a chair and sat down. He looked tired, but he was still smiling.

  “I still can’t believe it,” he laughed and shook his head. “My kid sister is in my town.”

  He kicked his legs up and rested his injured one on a spare chair out to the side. He winced as he straightened it out.

  “So you were shot?” Serena said with disdain. “What the fuck, Lynx?”

  Lynx looked at her angrily as if to warn her not to continue and she instantly remembered her place. She had no right to be demanding answers anymore. She looked sheepishly down to the ground and picked up her water to stop herself from fidgeting.

  “I guess I should ask you why you’re here,” he sighed as he looked up at her. “And yes, I know you need answers too.” He scratched the back of his neck and even though Serena knew that she needed to have a proper conversation with Lynx, she really didn’t want Stick to leave.

  “So, how long have you been a part of this, Stick?” she asked as she turned to him to keep him involved in the conversation.

&
nbsp; Stick smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. She noticed how big and defined his muscles were, and she traced the lines of his tattoo all the way down his forearm. It was in deep black ink and of a car covered in flames and thorns. She swallowed hard. It was a stunning piece of artwork.

  “I’ve been here almost a year,” he said. “Although, I’m still classed as the new boy,” he joked.

  “You’ll be the new guy until someone else comes in to fill that place,” Lynx said as he lit a cigarette with the snap from a lighter. “And that isn’t likely to happen any time soon.”

  Stick sighed and nodded, “Don’t I know it. The way things are going, we’ll be lucky if anyone ever wants to patch in again.” As soon as he said it, he looked at Lynx seriously but with a knowing expression behind his eyes, as if it were an inside joke.

  “As if,” Lynx said as he exhaled smoke into the center of the kitchen.

  “So, do you like it?” Serena had to keep him talking because she could sense that he was tired and that he would want to leave her and her brother alone, but she wanted to know more about him. For all she knew, he could walk out of there and she may not see him again.

  “No,” Stick said. “I love it.” He flashed her a wicked smile, one that would match the laugh as he had chased her across the mountains in her dream. She felt herself blush again. “It really is something else. These guys, they are true brothers. I’ve never had anything like I have here. I’ve never had such a close bond with anyone before.”

  “Really?” Serena asked with a shocked look on her face. She couldn’t believe that he’d never felt close to another person and that this was the closest he had ever come to a real family.

  “Really,” Stick nodded. “And I think once you’ve been here a few days, you’ll understand why too.”

  She felt her cheeks reddening. His eyes were so deep and intense on her, it was making her nervous and shy. She could feel the throb of the vein in her neck pumping heavily through her body. The blood was whooshing through her ears and she momentarily felt dizzy. He was doing something to her, just with a look, that she didn’t quite understand… All she knew was that she liked it.

  “Where did you come from?” she asked without even realizing that she was saying it.

  Stick eyed her cautiously for a moment and she sensed Lynx shifting in his chair.

  “Here and there,” Stick said as he took a swig of his beer and rested his arms on the table. “But that’s another story for another day.”

  His eyes were burning into her again and she felt herself begin to sweat. It was a cool evening, but inside the kitchen, the heat was most certainly rising.

  “That’s Serena,” Lynx broke the tension. “Always asking far too many questions and poking her nose in other people’s business.”

  She felt her cheeks and ears burn with embarrassment and she got to her feet. “I know, I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve done more than enough damage here today and already asked too much of all of you.”

  “Hey, it’s fine,” Stick said as he shook his head with a smile. “We’re happy to help. Any one related to a member of our brotherhood is like family to us anyways.”

  So Lynx hadn’t been lying. Now she’d had it confirmed from another member of the club. Serena wanted to hold out her arms and hug him, but she could tell that it wouldn’t go down well. He was still looking at her as if he either wanted to sink his teeth into her or rip all of her clothes off… She couldn’t tell which.

  “I’m getting tired,” she said. “It’s been a hell of a long day and I still can’t get my head around this.”

  “Listen,” Lynx said. “Tomorrow is a new day and I don’t want us dragging this all back up. The guys around here will want to move on and forget what happened with you here today, okay?” He was being dead serious. “Shit happens, you caught us off guard and mistakes were made. But as of tomorrow, no more questions and no more snooping around or you aren’t going to be welcome here for long. Got it?” Lynx reached out and took a tight hold of her wrist.

  Serena nodded. She could tell he was being more than serious. And the last thing she wanted was to find herself alienated in this unsettled situation.

  “I know, it’s okay, I got it,” she whispered.

  “So, all I will tell you, in addition to what you already know is this,” Lynx said as he squeezed her wrist again. “This house is private and we don’t advertise where we are. We don’t shout stuff around town and we don’t talk about our affairs. Never repeat anything you hear inside of these walls, and don’t trust anyone who you haven’t seen in here. We have enemies everywhere now, and we can’t take any risks.”

  Stick nodded and tapped the table.

  “We are in the middle of something with another club,” Stick interjected. “I don’t think you need to know any other details apart from that. The more you know, the more you can be used by them, and therefore, the more danger you’d be put in. None of us want you in any danger, Serena. So that’s all I’m going to tell you, and that’s all you need to know.”

  She blinked and said, “Yes, of course, I don’t want to make anything any more difficult.”

  “Good,” Lynx said as he nodded to Stick and released his grip on her wrist.

  She picked up her glass and headed for the doorway. Her mind and heart were racing, but for the first time since she had set foot in Slate Springs, she genuinely didn’t want to know anything more about what her brother was up to. She could tell by the way they all were that it was much bigger than she could ever imagine. She was nervous, all of it made her nervous, and so she would do as he asked and not ask anything more.

  She waved and wished them both goodnight as she left the kitchen and climbed the stairs. Outside, she heard the distant roar of motorcycles heading their way and when she looked out of a window on the first floor, she could see lights winding their way through the pitch black of the desert night. She shivered and continued on up to the top floor and her room. Once inside, she closed the door tight and pressed a chair right up against it and underneath the doorknob.

  Just to be safe. Just to be sure.

  It didn’t matter that Lynx was there and that he would never let any harm come to her. And to her delight, she could also tell that Stick was becoming protective. They had bonded, even in that short time and after such a negative initial meeting. But it wasn’t them she was now afraid of. She had no idea of the rest of the members of the house, and of who she was sleeping amongst.

  CHAPTER 7

  Serena swept her hair up into a high ponytail and pulled on the pair of rubber gloves. She had found them underneath the sink and even though they were old and worn, she was determined that she was going to use them and clean up the house once and for all.

  After waking up and seeing the place again in daylight, she had been horrified at the thick layers of dust and grime that seemed to cling to every surface and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to stand being there in so much mess.

  It was only ten in the morning and the house was absolutely silent. She had no idea what time the men had finally finished their drinking, shouting and playing of guitars, but she had still been lying awake at almost five and they were showing no signs of letting up.

  She had risen early to get a head start and to make sure that she wasn’t walking in on a ton of people she didn’t know. She felt as if she could get up and eat something before cracking on with the housework, then surely she could almost be in their good books by the time they all awoke. She had finished the kitchen already. She had blitzed the stove, countertops and the floors. She had collected all of the trash and tied it tight into two big bags by the back doorway. She had lit a scented candle that she had brought with her in her bag and it was burning lowly on the kitchen table. She had no idea how that would go down, but she hoped they wouldn’t mind. They didn’t exactly appear to be the scented candle type…

  She was now busying away in the front room. She had cleared masses of old newspapers and tr
odden cigarette butts, and she was in the process of cleaning down the backs of the couches and fluffing up the pillows.

  The place was already beginning to look a lot more like a home, and as she was just standing back to admire her handy work, she heard Stick clearing his throat from the doorway.

  “Impressive,” he mused as he stood there in just a pair of low slung jeans, and nothing else but his ripping muscles and wild tattoos.

  Serena bit her bottom lip to stop her mouth from gaping open. He really was incredible to look at. More so than she ever could have imagined. Without clothes, his body was sculpted so perfect and tight it was as if he was an ancient Greek statue of a God.

  “Lexi normally keeps on top of this,” he said as he took a step toward her. “But she’s staying over at the hospital. She won’t leave King’s side.”

  “Lexi?” Serena asked.

  Stick nodded. “Lexi is King’s woman,” he smiled. “And the daughter of one of the most well-loved bikers I have ever known.”

  “I just wanted to help out, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” she said nervously.

  Stick burst out laughing and shook his head. “You’re so nervous, don’t worry about it. I’m sure Lexi will appreciate the help.”

  Serena felt herself blushing again, but she also wanted to tell him that of course she was nervous. That he and all of his buddies had all pulled loaded guns on her less than twenty-four hours before. That she didn’t dare put a foot out of line in this house for fear of the consequences.

  “Sorry,” Stick said as if he had read her mind. “I know things have been pretty rough since you got here. And I know it can’t be easy to have to take all of this in and just accept that this is the way it is.”

  “No, it’s not,” she said with a slight pout.

  “Why don’t you put all of that down and come outside with me, I can show you around if you like?” he asked with a glint in his eyes.