Lawless Read online

  “I hope so,” I said. I leaned over and hugged her tight. We stayed like that for a full minute before I finally pulled away. “Thank you for last night.”

  She smiled through her tears. “No problem. And if you ever change your mind…” I nodded, knowing she would be there for me if I chose to leave. I waved at her through the window and she just gave me a sad smile before she pulled away.

  I snuck into my room through the window just like last time. And just like last time, someone was waiting for me. My mother was sitting on bed facing the window.

  “How much trouble am I in?” I asked, trying to contain my fear.

  She was silent for a few moments, simply staring at me. Then she said, “None. Your father doesn’t know you snuck out.”

  I was shocked that my mother would hide anything from my father, much less my disobedience. “Why didn’t you tell him?” I asked.

  She stood up and cupped my face, her eyes meeting mine with a sad smile. “Because I think every girl deserves a night to herself before committing herself to a man for the rest of her life.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “You’re welcome, my love.” She hugged me and I hugged her back. We looked so much alike with our blonde hair and blue eyes, but I’d never felt very close to my mother until this moment.

  “Why don’t you get a few hours of sleep? I’ll cover for you,” she said, wiping away a tear. “Then we start planning the wedding.”

  And just like that our loving moment was gone. I simply nodded my head and let her leave the room.

  Chapter Ten

  Xander

  After Letty left, I spent at least an hour just lying in bed thinking about her. I didn’t stop while I showered and got dressed or as I ate breakfast. Every time I tried to focus elsewhere, she would creep into the back of my mind like a vine.

  I decided to talk to Bethany before going to my day job at the strip club, just so I could stop worrying about Letty.

  Bethany was already scrubbing down the bar when I came into the room. “Did she get home okay?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said slowly, clearly surprised by my question.

  “How did things go at the pharmacy?”

  “Pharmacy? We didn’t go to the pharmacy.” Bethany eyes narrowed. “Did she need to go?”

  I looked down, not sure what to say.

  “You hound,” Ajax laughed as he sat next to me at the bar. “Did the condom break or did you decide not to bother since she was a virgin?”

  Without a thought, I punched my friend across the jaw and sent him falling off his stool.

  “What the fuck, man?” he said as he stood up.

  “Don’t fucking talk about her,” I snapped. “Now get the fuck out.”

  With a sullen look, he left the room.

  “Xander,” Bethany said with a scolding tone. “Sit down.” I sat down on a stool with a huff while she grabbed a bottle of Jack and poured me a drink.

  I downed the whiskey in one gulp and glared at her.

  “Letty is going to be married in a few days,” she said.

  Married? That’s not possible. “What?”

  Bethany nodded gently. “That is why she came here. She wanted to be with you before the wedding.”

  Letty was marrying another man, but she wanted to fuck me first?

  I shoved away from the bar and headed out to my bike. I was so angry that I wanted to spill blood. Letty gave herself to me knowing she would belong to another man. Another man. Another man touching her, holding her, coming inside her. I couldn’t stand it. I had half a mind to ride into Grady and wring her neck.

  I was still fuming that night when I left work. I spent the whole day taking out my anger on anyone who dared to speak to me. As manager and part-time bouncer, no one really noticed, but I decided to leave early anyway.

  The sun was setting as I left the strip club with a deposit and drove down the street to the bank. I was dropping the money bag into the after-hours slot when I noticed a man helping a woman from a car at the restaurant next door.

  It was Letty. She was being escorted by a man a few inches taller than her and a little overweight. So, this was her fiancé? It had to be with the way he placed his hand on her lower back as they walked inside. He had to be around her same age, probably six or seven years younger than me. He was practically a kid.

  I didn’t know what possessed me, but I got off my bike and headed toward the back of the restaurant. No one stopped me as I walked into the kitchen and out to the bar area. I spotted Letty at a table toward the front.

  I sat at the edge of the bar and simply watched them. They ate and I observed Letty giving her fiancé forced smiles as he spoke. She would stiffen every time he would reach across the table to caress her hand and I had to hold myself in my chair to keep from pummeling the douchebag every time he did it.

  She wore a flowered dress that was pretty, but had a high neckline and the skirt went all the way down to the floor. She also wore a cardigan that covered her arms. The outfit was designed to be demure, but damn, did it turn me on. All I could think about was tearing it off her to reveal all the beautiful skin that only I had kissed and licked.

  After the meal, she finally stood up and went to the bathroom. I followed her after a few minutes, making sure the douche didn’t see me. I went into the ladies’ room and locked the door behind me just as Letty came out of the first stall.

  She froze the moment our eyes met. “Xander, what are you doing here?” she whispered.

  “Is he your fiancé?” I asked.

  She looked away. “Did Bethany tell you?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I said, taking a step closer.

  She looked back at me and shrugged. “I was scared you wouldn’t have made love to me if you knew about Sebastian.”

  “Do you love him?” I wasn’t sure where the question came from, but I suddenly needed to know.

  “No, but our families arranged the match. Hopefully with time…” she trailed off.

  “You don’t have to. You could leave.”

  “And go where?” Her eyes narrowed and her voice dripped with anger. “I have no education or job skills. Are you suggesting I become a whore like Bethany?”

  “Of course not.” It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to leave with me. But my conscience stopped me. California was going to be dangerous, too dangerous for a girl like her.

  She sighed as she dried her hands with the paper towels. She turned to face me, looking sad. “Please leave me alone, Xander. You’re only making this harder.”

  I gritted my teeth.

  “Fine. I’ll leave you alone.” She moved past me, but I slammed my hand on the door above her head. “But you have to answer one question first.”

  She turned around, but didn’t look at me. “What?”

  “Did you take the morning-after pill?”

  She looked down at her hands and swallowed.

  “Bethany said she didn’t take you to the pharmacy and I’m sure they don’t sell it in Grady,” I said.

  When she wouldn’t answer, I stepped closer and cupped her face. “Tell me, Letty.”

  I watched a blush come into her cheeks as she met my eyes. “No. I didn’t,” she said, her voice breathy.

  Unexpected relief flooded my chest. “Why not?”

  She bit her lip and her eyes heated. “I wanted there to be a chance.”

  “Chance for what?”

  “That I would be pregnant with your baby instead of his.” She shrugged.

  “Why would you want my baby instead of your husband’s?”

  She shook her head and looked away. “I don’t know. I just wanted a part of you.”

  Her words struck me like a bolt of pure lust making me hard as a rock in seconds flat. I brought my lips to hers, letting her feel how much I wanted her in this moment.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped.

  “Bettering the odds,” I said and took her mouth again.

/>   Chapter Eleven

  Colette

  Xander’s kiss was like a cool drink after days in the desert. It flooded my veins bringing sweet life back to my body and soul that had seemed to wither away in the hours since I left him.

  I only enjoyed the heat of his mouth for a few moments before he broke the kiss and turned me around to bend over the counter. His hands were rough as he dragged my dress up my thighs and pushed my panties aside.

  “Fuck. You’re already wet,” he said when he felt my center.

  My pussy had started preparing for this moment when I saw him. Almost like it knew my mate was near and needed to be ready to accept him inside as soon as possible.

  I whimpered as his fingers teased me briefly before attacking his belt and freeing his large cock from his pants.

  His first thrust was deep and sure, making me cry out. He leaned forward over my back and cupped a hand over my mouth. “Babe, I know it feels good, but you need to keep it down,” Xander said. “We don’t want your fiancé to hear you being fucked raw.”

  I moaned against his hand, his filthy words only making me want him more. He nipped my ear and pulled me on to his shaft rough and hard. I felt like a she-wolf being mounted by her alpha in this position. It took everything in me not to scream out my pleasure.

  I was going straight to hell for what I was doing, letting this dangerous man fuck me bare while my soon-to-be husband was waiting for me only a few feet away.

  “I’m going to send you back to that table with my come deep inside you, marking you, claiming you,” he said against my ear right before his thrusts became primal, pounding my core like a man possessed. He was hitting that spot deep inside me that I never knew existed before him and I was on the verge of exploding.

  His hand moved from my mouth to my throat, gripping it lightly but letting me feel the dominance in his hold.

  My hands gripped the marble of the countertop for purchase, but it was Xander who was holding me up with his arms wrapped around me, controlling my every move. I could do nothing but take his powerful strokes as they came, lighting my insides on fire.

  I was close to coming when he said, “Tell me you’re mine.”

  “I’m yours,” I whimpered and the fire exploded from my center.

  My pussy spasmed around Xander and then he groaned though gritted teeth and held himself deep. I moaned as I felt his come inside me, flooding my womb, and I felt a strange euphoria come over me at the sensation.

  Xander leaned back slightly but stayed inside me. I looked back at him, wanting to know what he was thinking. I searched his face, hoping against hope that he would ask me to come with him, to be with him. His eyes were shuttered as they gazed at me and I had to fight to hold back tears.

  “Um, hello? Is someone in there?” a lady called out from the other side of the door.

  “Just a second,” I called out and tried to move away from Xander. His hands tightened on my hips for a moment, like he didn’t want to let go, then he stepped back, removing our connection.

  I lowered my dress and checked my face in the mirror. I was flushed and sweaty. I’d have to tell Sebastian that I wasn’t feeling well and complain of a fever. I also needed to leave before the tears really started.

  I turned to face Xander and he towered in front of the door. “I have to go,” I said.

  He snarled, but stepped away.

  “Goodbye, Xander,” I whispered.

  Chapter Twelve

  Xander

  After Letty left the bathroom, I exited the restaurant without glancing back. I couldn’t look at her with that asshole and not want to burn down the whole world. I went straight back to the clubhouse and sat at the bar to drown in self-pity for a while.

  Tomorrow I’ll go back to being a badass.

  But the sun was shining through the windows and I wasn’t ready to leave my stool just yet.

  I heard footsteps and then Ajax was sitting next to me.

  “Hey,” Ajax said.

  “Sorry about the punch,” I said without looking at him.

  “It’s okay. I know you’ve lost your mind over that girl,” he said, rubbing his jaw.

  I could hardly deny it so I just keep looking down at the bar.

  “So, where is she?”

  “Back in Grady.”

  “If you want her so much, why aren’t you claiming her?”

  “If she leaves Grady, she will never see her family again. And I can’t take her to California with us. It’s too dangerous,” I told him.

  “So, you’re scared.”

  I finally turned to him. “I ain’t scared of shit,” I yelled at him.

  Ajax gave me a wry smile. “Then go get her, ya pussy,” he said as he stood up and walked away.

  I shook my head. Ajax didn’t understand anything. California was my future. It was my chance to be more than a slut’s son. And yet, the idea of California didn’t seem exciting any more. Now that I’d found someone like Letty, someone who wanted me as I was now, made me wonder if I really needed California. I knew the Wraiths would need me in the fight to come.

  But what if I’m leaving behind my only chance for something real.

  California seemed like a barren wasteland without Letty.

  Ajax was right, I was being a pussy. I wanted Letty and nothing was going to stand in my way. If having Letty meant not going to California, then so be it.

  I got off my chair to find Bethany.

  Twenty minutes later I rolled into Grady on my loud Harley, causing everyone to stop and stare. The men openly glared while the women just gawked. I pulled up to the address Bethany gave me and parked right in the driveway. It was a small but nice house in a clean neighborhood. I went up to the door and knocked hard, not bothering with the doorbell.

  A man with Letty’s eyes opened the door. It was on the tip of my tongue to demand to see her, but I thought the man deserved a little respect as my old lady’s father. “Morning, sir. Is Colette here?” I asked, trying to keep my normal gruffness out of my voice.

  “Xander,” I heard from inside the house. I leaned in to see Letty sitting on a couch next to that douche of a fiancé. Another woman sat to her right, who I assumed was her mother, and another man with glasses and a cold stare sat nearby.

  “Let’s go,” I said simply. Her look of shock quickly gave way to a smile and I saw tears appear in her eyes.

  She stood up, but was pulled back down by Sebastian. “Colette, don’t you move,” he muttered.

  I took a step into the house, but her old man pushed me back. I didn’t want to raise a hand to him so I let him push me again until I was in the yard.

  “You will leave now,” he said firmly.

  The fiancé came out behind him along with glasses guy. I saw Letty move to the doorway, but her mother held her shoulders.

  I was quickly losing hope that this would end without bloodshed. “I’m not leaving without my woman,” I told them.

  “She is not your woman. You shared one kiss. I am to be her husband,” the douche said.

  I smirked at the boy. “I’ve done a lot more than kiss her.”

  “Xander, don’t,” I heard Letty say as she came out on to the porch.

  But Sebastian was asking for it and I couldn’t let him down. “I’ve had her in the biblical sense.”

  They all whipped their heads back to look at Letty.

  “Is this true?” her father asked.

  I expected her to bow her head in shame, but instead she lifted her chin. “It’s true,” she said.

  She started toward my bike, but the boy ran over and grabbed her, pulling her to him. I saw a gleam of metal and then he had a knife to her neck. It was small, probably a Swiss Army Knife. I instantly reached for my gun in my hidden holster and aimed it right at him.

  “What are you doing?” her father exclaimed.

  “Colette is mine,” Sebastian yelled. Letty gripped his arm, but he shoved the point into her skin and her eyes went wide.

  Son of
a bitch. Motherfucker was dead. The minute I got Letty away from him he was getting a bullet in the brain.

  Just then I heard the rumble of two motorcycles coming down the road. Jackson and Mac pulled up behind me and jumped off their bikes.

  “What’s up, Prez?” I asked as Jackson approached my side while Mac lingered behind me.

  “Bethany told us what you had planned and we figured you could use some backup.” His voice was light, as if they had come for fun.

  I shrugged, but didn’t take my eyes of Sebastian. “I got it handled.”

  “I’d rather see her dead than with a Wraith,” the boy snarled.

  “Pastor Dean, it’s been awhile,” Jackson said congenially to the man with glasses.

  I glanced his way and the pastor seemed a little pale. Jackson gestured to Letty. “What do you say, Dean? Let’s make this easy and give my boy what he is asking for.”

  “No,” Sebastian shouted.

  The pastor looked hesitant. Jackson walked forward a few feet so that he stood in front of the pastor. Dean had enough sense to take a step back. Jackson was a dangerous man and it was obvious that they had met before.

  “Do you really want to deny Xander what he wants?” Jackson asked again. When the pastor didn’t respond, Jackson glanced back at me. “Hey, Xander. Do you remember that scene we cleaned up last year in Grady? The basement.”

  Suddenly, images of the most gruesome murder I’d ever scene flashed through my head. There had been so much blood and the body had been completely mutilated, like whoever had done it had enjoyed himself.

  “Oh, yeah,” I said, glancing toward the pastor. So, this was the monster that tore a young man apart, one of his punishments gone too far. I was glad to get Letty away from him.

  “I think you are going to let Xander have what he wants,” Jackson said as he turned back to Dean.

  The pastor scowled back at Jackson, but said, “Let her go, Sebastian.”

  “What?” the kid said.

  Dean turned to glare at Sebastian. “You heard me,” he barked.

  But Sebastian only held her tighter. “No, I’m not settling for any other.”