Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“Say what’s on your mind, sweetheart. We don’t hold anything back from each other.”
“Why are you bein’ so nice to me, Styx? Your family and mine hate each other.”
“I ain’t doin’ you like Avery did, if that’s what you’re askin’. That little fucker and his kin are gonna pay for that.” I sighed. “Let me tell you somethin’. The people here don’t know me well, except for Shadow and Cain. We work together sometimes, but mostly it’s the members of Bane who work for ExFil I’m teamed with for missions.”
“ExFil?”
“Yeah. Cain owns it. It’s a paramilitary company. We’re the guys the government sends in when they don’t want an actual military presence somewhere. But we’re also contracted out to do extractions of civilians being held hostage or lost in a dangerous area. We do stuff both sanctioned and unsanctioned by our government and others. We’re really tight. Which is why Bane and Bones are sister clubs. Anyway, I want you to talk to Cain and Shadow. They’ll tell you all my dirty secrets. I’ll take you to the garage, too, once we get back to Florida. Talk to Red. He’s my boss there, but also talk to his ol’ lady, Rosanna. She can tell you what kinda man I am. And I’m not exaggerating when I say every single one of those people, especially Rosanna, will tell you the bad before they tell you the good.”
“So it don’t matter to you I’m a McCoy?”
“I could give a good Goddamn who your family is, Jolene. Beyond the fact that I’m gonna have a bunch a killin’ to do.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. For the first time, she pushed against me, wanting down. I let her go, but I didn’t like it. “I’ll take care of those bastards myself.”
“Girl, don’t go makin’ me hard again. ’Cause the thought of you standin’ over them boys, their bloody balls in your hand after you’ve sliced ’em off, turns me the fuck on.”
She blinked up at me, her mouth open as if she intended to say something, but was unable to find the words. “You’re crazy,” she finally settled on, but her lips twitched.
“Never said I wasn’t.”
“I’m scared, Styx,” she admitted. I could see that admission cost her, too. She turned her back to me. “You’re nothing like I would have expected from any man, let alone a Hatfield. You’re definitely not like your brothers or cousins.”
“OK,” I said, turning her to face me. I cupped her face in my hands. “You look at me, and you listen. Listen good.” She obeyed, sadness and fear shining brightly, but I could see her pushing through it as hard as she could. “I’m not my family. You’re not your family. We both fought hard to get out, and we made it. Now, we’re gonna rely on each other. I’ll help you. You’ll help me. And when it comes time to cleanse the world of those motherfuckers, you’re gonna let me take care of it. Me and my club.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You ain’t. I’m doin’ it ’cause you’re my woman, and nobody hurts my woman.”
She sighed. “Styx, you didn’t even know me before you picked me up on the side of the road.”
“Did too,” I said quickly. “Just didn’t know you was gonna be my woman until I picked you up and put you beside me in my truck.”
“And you’re sure now? Because we don’t know each other. I mean, what we just shared changed everything for me, Styx. And I mean everything.” She met my gaze as boldly as anyone I’ve ever talked with. “After what happened, I never thought I’d enjoy sex. Ever.”
“Didn’t you enjoy it before?”
She shook her head. “Styx, I gave a few blowjobs for kicks, but I was a virgin. I gave that to Avery. Not because I truly thought he loved me, but because I thought he wanted me. I thought I wanted him, but I knew pretty quickly it was just an excuse. I wanted sex. I wanted the experience of it.”
I couldn’t help myself. I pulled her into my arms and just held her. “You get better, baby. You let those fuckin’ injuries heal, and I’ll give you all the experience you want. Christ, you’re breakin’ my heart!”
“Just don’t…”
“Ain’t gonna let you down, baby. I got you.”
* * *
Jolene
“Cain needs you, Styx. I’ll take you to church.” The man at the door was Carnage. I’d learned he used to be a member of Salvation’s Bane but, due to Cain sending him on missions with men from Bones more and more, he’d been patched over by Bones and was now a member of this club.
“What’s up?” Styx didn’t immediately get up. I’d fixed taters and sauerkraut and wieners and cornbread for supper tonight instead of us joining the party in the common room. That was fucking awesome! But I’d just wanted some quiet time with Styx. Mainly, I’d wanted to show him I could cook and would be a good woman to him. I’d been trying hard since that first day. Keeping our room clean, washing his clothes, cooking when I had stuff. Basically, making a home when this wasn’t his home. I felt kind of silly, but I had no idea what kind of expectations Styx had, and I was determined to anticipate his wants and needs.