Brett Read online

  He only grunted. I sighed. “I need to stop talking to you,” I grumbled as I moved towards the sink to wash my hands.

  One of my biggest questions during all of this though, was what had sent her running here to a small town to live in a dump? She didn’t strike me as the kind of woman to live in a place like that. I know that seemed like I was judging a book by its cover, but fuck. Even her personality didn’t strike me as that kind of woman.

  Something had happened, and it had sent her running here. That was the only thing that I could come up with.

  I looked up from drying my hands when Olivia stepped down the stairs. My phone rang in my pocket before I could say anything, and with an annoyed grunt, I tossed the towel down onto the counter and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

  “Yeah, Prez?” I asked when I answered, moving towards the fridge to pull out the steaks as I did so.

  “Need you here at the clubhouse,” he told me. I sighed, shutting the fridge again, not grabbing the steaks. When the president summoned, you went. “We’re sitting at the table in thirty.”

  “Jesus fuck,” I growled. “Olivia isn’t going to want to be around all of those fuckards,” I reminded him.

  “Too bad,” Copper stated bluntly. I glared at the floor. I swear, the only person he seemed to have any kind of heart for was his damn wife. “Be at the table in thirty, Brett, or you’re washing my fucking bike,” he ordered.

  “Treat a man like a fucking prospect again, why don’t you?” I grumbled. “Whatever. Yeah; I’ll be there.”

  I hung up the phone and shoved it back into my pocket. “We have to go to the clubhouse,” I told Olivia. “I’m needed at the table, and I’m not leaving you alone. So, let’s go,” I ordered.

  She huffed. “I should be fine here, right?” she asked me. I rolled my eyes skyward. I was hungry, and I had to go to the clubhouse instead of getting myself some damn food. I really wasn’t in the mood to reason with her. “Your place is gated, you have a dog, and you have security cameras.”

  I shrugged as I looked back down at her. “Don’t care,” I retorted. “Let’s go.”

  I could practically feel her scowl on my back as she followed me out into my garage where my bike was at. A low whistle sounded from her lips as she stared at the artwork that detailed the Savage Crows MC symbol. “Holy shit,” she breathed. “This is yours?”

  “Yeah.” I answered shortly, kind of pissed that I was being dragged away from alone time with her to go sit at the table. I grabbed an extra helmet for her. She took it from me. I slid on the bike, strapping my helmet to my head. “Hop on,” I ordered.

  “On that?” she asked incredulously. “Why can’t we take your truck?”

  I sighed in annoyance as I looked up at her, my blue eyes clashing with her gray ones. “Because I’m not taking the fucking truck, Olivia,” I snapped at her. “Get on the goddamn bike.”

  She threw my helmet to the floor and stormed back up the stairs into the house. “Mother fuck!” I roared as I jumped off of my bike, yanking my helmet off of my head. “Olivia, you have five goddamn seconds to get your fucking ass out of that house and on this goddamn bike with me!” I shouted.

  “You can go to hell!” she barked back at me. I gritted my teeth, my temper spiking. “Maybe when you learn how to talk to someone like a decent human being instead of barking orders all of the fucking time, then I’ll get on your bike.”

  That was it. I’d had enough. Here I was, bending over backwards to try to help her, and she was shitting all over it. I had tried being understanding. I knew her life was getting ripped out from under her feet, but I had to get my ass to the fucking clubhouse. President’s orders.

  You didn’t defy your fucking president – not unless one of the founders told you to do otherwise.

  I stormed into the house. She was marching up the stairs. I quickly bounded up them and snatched her around her waist, tossing her over my shoulder. She screamed and beat on my back, but her hits didn’t even affect me. I set her on her feet in the garage and lightly wrapped my hand around her throat, my eyes glaring down into hers. She swallowed thickly, her nervous gray eyes locking on mine, her fight halting.

  “I am trying my best to be patient with you, woman,” I growled. “I’m trying my fucking best to be understanding, but there’s only so much a man like me can take,” I warned her. “I’m just as fucking tired as you. If it were up to me, we would sit here for the rest of the day and drink beer, eat steak, and watch movies, but it’s not up to me. My president called. When he calls, I go. Simple as that. And right now, where I go, you go. Got it?”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “Okay; I’ve got it.”

  I released her and reached down to grab her helmet, putting it back in her hand. “On the bike,” I ordered as I grabbed mine off of my bike seat and straddled the bike, strapping the helmet to my head.

  “I don’t know how this works,” she grumbled, staring down at the helmet in annoyance.

  I beckoned her towards me with a finger. Silently, she moved towards me, holding the helmet out for me to grab. After adjusting the chin straps, I hooked it to her head. “Like that,” I told her. “Hop on. I’m running late, and I really don’t want to fucking clean Copper’s bike.”

  After making sure Olivia was with Penny, I burst into the chapel thirty seconds short of the thirty minute mark. Copper arched an eyebrow at me from the head of the table as I moved towards my seat, dropping into it. “Cutting it close, brother,” he noted, looking down at his watch.

  I sighed. “Olivia is giving me a fucking run for my money,” I told him honestly. “She’s not coping well.”

  He arched an eyebrow at me. “You need another brother at the house to help, Brett?”

  I shook my head at him. “Nah. It’ll set her off more. She’s tired of her moves being dictated. Once she gets settled in a little bit more and can get into a routine of sorts, I think she’ll be fine.” I pushed my fingers through my hair. “What did I need to be here for?”

  Copper waved his hand towards Grim. Grim leaned back in his chair, a cigarette between his lips. “Need a few extra hands for a run,” Grim informed the mother charter. “It’s voluntary. No one is forcing you. Guns are going to Joey Dirks. Alejandro Garcia will also be at the exchange.”

  “That man fucking makes my blood run cold,” Walker grunted. “But I’m down. Can use a good ride, anyway.”

  “I’m out,” I told him. “I know I’m normally the first person to jump on this shit, but I’ve got to be here for Olivia.”

  “Understandable.” He looked at Halen next. Halen grinned. “Fuck yeah, brother. Count me in. I’m always down for a ride, and if it gets bloody, even fucking better.”

  I snorted. “That shit’s going to get you killed one day,” I told him honestly. Halen was one of the men among us who lived for the thrill of danger.

  “Had fun doing it. That’s all that fucking matters.”

  Copper snorted. “Something is seriously fucking wrong with your head, Sergeant.”

  Halen just shrugged. Damon nodded once at Grim, his way of letting the man know that he would be in on this run as well. Damon was quiet, wasn’t a man of many words. He spoke when he felt a need to. “Anyone else?” Grim asked.

  Vincent shrugged. “I’m down. When do we need to be ready to ride out?”

  “You’ll ride out to Hope, Texas at seven in the morning.” Copper informed them. “From there, Grim will let you know what’s happening. But pack for a couple of days at least.” He narrowed his eyes at Halen. “And wear a goddamn bulletproof vest,” he ordered. Halen grinned, knowing that was specifically said for him. “I’m not in the fucking mood to be replacing a fucking Sergeant and putting your ass to rest.”

  Halen saluted. Copper rolled his eyes before he looked over at me. “You sure you don’t want to go, Brett?” he asked. “I can get someone else to watch over Olivia.”

  I shook my head at him. “No offense, but I think the rest of you make her a bit
wary. She didn’t particularly want to come here this evening.”

  Thor, the Texas charter Enforcer, snorted. “You going to get her used to shit around here, brother, or are you planning on letting her go once her shit is taken care of?”

  I smirked at him. “You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”

  Thor rolled his eyes at me. “You’re annoying as fuck, Brett.”

  Grave, the Texas charter Secretary, rolled his eyes at Thor. “Not everyone has to spill their fucking secrets, Thor.” Grave looked over at me. “If you decide to make her your old lady, Brett, I know both charters will be happy to see you settle down.”

  Screaming suddenly sounded from the bar room before I could answer or one of the other men could come up with some smart ass remark. A moment later, I heard a table crash to the floor. We all jumped out of our chairs, rushing towards the chapel doors.

  What I saw was not what I was expecting to see.

  Olivia had one of the strip club girls on the floor with her hands wrapped around her throat, and Jayla was screaming in Penny’s arms as Penny desperately tried to get her to calm down.

  “What the fuck is going on?!” Copper roared. “Brett, get your fucking woman under control!”

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  Olivia, babe, this is not a good start for you.

  Olivia

  Brett quickly yanked me off of the slut beneath me, his muscular arms locking mine at my sides as he lifted my feet off the floor and carried me a few feet away. I didn’t fight back. I let him maneuver me.

  “What the fuck is going on?!” Copper roared again. “Someone better fucking answer me!”

  “She just went insane!” the bitch bleeding on the floor began to cry.

  I saw red.

  “Lies, you fucking cunt!” I yelled down at her, fighting against Brett’s hold, but he only held tighter. “Why don’t you tell your fucking boss what really happened – how his little girl was asking you if you could paint her nails and you fucking shoved her on the goddamn floor?!” I screeched.

  I almost felt bad for the bitch when Copper wrapped his hand around her throat, cutting off her air supply. She clawed at his hands, but he only tightened his grip. Penny quickly turned Jayla away from the scene. “This true, Jordan?” Copper growled down at her. “Did you really put your fucking hands on my little girl?”

  “Copper,” Brett calmly called, still not releasing me from his hold. “She can’t answer you if she can’t breathe.”

  Copper relaxed his hold a tiny bit. “Well?” Copper demanded. “Which is it, Jordan? Did you or did you not put your fucking hands on my little girl? And you better tell the truth, bitch. I’ve got security footage in here. I can and will find out what really happened,” he growled down at her in a warning.

  Tears poured down her cheeks as she nodded. “But Copper—" she pleaded.

  Penny handed Jayla off to Halen and suddenly kicked Jordan in the face. The sound of Jordan’s jaw breaking reached my ears. My eyes widened in horror. Copper silently stepped back, a smirk playing on his lips as Penny gripped Jordan’s platinum-blonde hair, yanking her head back to stare down into her face. “Go to the hospital,” Penny sneered down into her face. “Kyle will go with you. If you rat on me or my man, just know that one of us will come find you and finish this,” Penny swore. My blood ran cold. Suddenly, Penny didn’t look so sweet. She was as big of a monster as her husband. “So, keep that in mind.”

  Jordan nodded her head, tears streaming down her face. Kyle gripped her by her arm and yanked her up off of the floor, shoving her towards the door. Copper walked over to Halen and lifted Jayla onto his hip, pressing a kiss to her tear-stained cheek. “You okay, princess?”

  She nodded, leaning her head on Copper’s shoulder. “Daddy, are all women mean like her?”

  Copper shook his head, running his hand over her hair. “No, princess, they’re not.”

  Penny walked over to me. Brett slowly released me from his hold, but his hands continued gripping my waist, holding me in place. Penny drew me into an unexpected hug that had my throat closing up with unexpected tears. I swallowed thickly, forcing myself to hold them back.

  “Thank you,” Penny said, her voice thick with emotion. “I couldn’t get Jayla calm enough to tell me what happened.” She leaned back and held my face in her hands, a warm smile on her face. “We would be happy to call you family, Olivia. You just defended my little girl, and that says a hell of a lot about your character. I hope you’ll continue sticking around even after all this shit is over.”

  I blinked, trying to keep myself from crying. I hadn’t had anyone want to welcome me in as family in years – not since my parents passed away when I was fifteen. “Thank you,” I told her, my voice coming out raspy.

  Understanding passed through her gaze. She grabbed my hand in hers and gently squeezed it. “You know, I’ve been through a lot of bad shit, too,” she told me quietly. I trembled. Brett tightened his hold on me. “If you need a girl to talk to, I can listen, and I can relate,” she assured me. “Don’t ever hesitate to reach out, yeah?”

  I nodded. She dropped my hand and walked over to Copper. He wrapped an arm around Penny’s waist and drew her into him, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

  Brett gently turned me to face him. “You never did strike me as a fighter, sweetheart.”

  I shrugged. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Brett.”

  His eyes flashed with something I couldn’t identify, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had come. He gripped the side of my neck and pressed his thumb to my jaw, tilting my head back as he wrapped an arm around my waist. “Got to say, sweetheart, I have a soft spot for a woman that will protect my niece,” he admitted.

  My breath hitched in my throat. I saw it in his eyes before he made his move, but still, nothing could have prepared me for the moment his lips touched mine.

  My soul lit on fire, and every nerve ending in my body curled, my belly clenching with need – so much that I never thought it was physically possible to want someone so fucking badly.

  Without needing to be coaxed, I opened my lips beneath his, everything falling away from me except him and the way his lips felt against mine, the solidness of his body as he held me close to him. I softly moaned, my hands sliding under his cut to glide over his t-shirt that was basically painted onto his skin, allowing me to feel every ridge and bump of his muscular body beneath my palms.

  He growled, and the sound vibrated from his chest to mine, making my nipples harden. He slowly pulled his lips back from mine, his blue eyes darkened to a stormy color. His lips were swollen, and I bit my bottom lip when he flicked his tongue out over them. “Fuck me,” he quietly rumbled.

  “Yes, please,” I moaned, not even aware of what the fuck was coming out of my mouth until it was too late.

  A devilish smirk tilted his lips, and he rubbed the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. “Later – promise.” He brushed his lips to my forehead and looked over at his president as I settled my hand over my chest, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart. “Am I good to go home, Prez?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I heard Copper answer. “Be safe on the ride back,” he ordered.

  “Got it, Prez.” Brett grabbed my hand in his and tugged me towards the door, nodding once to a man covered in tattoos as he led me outside.

  “Who was that?” I asked him.

  “That’s Grim.” What a fucking name. “He’s the president of our Hope, Texas charter,” he informed me. “He’s a dangerous son of a bitch, but he’s also the most loyal man you’ll ever meet.” Brett pulled his bike keys from his pocket and grabbed my helmet off of his bike seat, handing it to me. “Hurry up. My dick is rock fucking hard.” My breath hitched in my throat, and I almost dropped my helmet. “I need to get you back home, Olivia,” he growled.

  I quickly strapped my helmet to my head and slid on the bike behind him. Once I was securely holding onto him, he tore off out of the lot and hi
t the highway, going way over the speed limit. But honestly, I had never felt safer in my life.

  And somehow, I knew that when Brett took me tonight, he would be making me his.

  And though that should scare me – should freak me the fuck out – I was craving it.

  I had been craving to finally belong somewhere for so long, and I was not about to turn it down. And if I got tangled up with a hot as hell biker while finding my place in this world, then so be it. Besides, Brett was sweet, protective, and fucking sinfully hot. I was pretty sure I’d been falling for him ever since he saved my life back at my job.

  I just hoped the biker had a heart inside of him that would make him want to keep me around because I got attached easily.

  And I wasn’t sure if I could survive heartbreak after everything else I’d already been through.

  Brett

  As soon as she was off my bike, I gripped her under her ass and lifted her up, carrying her up the steps to my porch. I took her lips in a kiss so rough that I felt her lip bleed under the assault, but she only moaned, her fingers plunging into my hair. I growled as she lightly pulled on the strands.

  I pushed open the garage door and strode inside, pulling my lips from hers long enough to carry her over to my kitchen counter and set her on it. A low growl sounded from my chest as she pushed my cut off of my shoulders. I caught it before it hit the floor and tossed it on the kitchen table, pulling my shirt over my head next.

  The look in her eyes as she ran her eyes over my muscular body almost had me fucking bursting. She was looking at me like a woman starved – as if she hadn’t been fed in weeks and I was the best fucking meal she’d ever seen in her life.

  I grabbed her hands and placed them on my chest. A soft sigh left those perfect, fuckable lips as she ran her hands over my chest and up my shoulders, almost as if she were trying to commit me to memory.