Lawless Read online

  Both girls looked around nervously, as if they were looking for someone to give them permission to sit. “I think they’re from Grady,” I told Ajax.

  “Makes sense. I’ve never seen them before and they definitely look sheltered.”

  Grady was a small town to the north of Lockwood that was very religious. From what I heard, it was a form of Mormonism, but I was never sure. I never cared. I only stepped foot into Grady once and it was for a clean-up job, a rather gruesome one, to be honest. I still felt a little sick whenever I thought about it.

  But now I was curious. I wanted to know everything about this girl. I wanted to know where she comes from and how she thinks. I wanted to know her secrets, her dreams. I wanted to know how she felt under my hands and what my name sounded like when she moaned it in pleasure.

  As I continued to stare, my beauty turned her head and our eyes met. It was like a flash of light in the darkness. So much splendor and innocence in one glance. I wanted more of it.

  Her gaze shifted away quickly, but not before I noticed a look of hunger blaze for just a moment.

  I felt my muscles tense like they were ready to move. That one look was just begging me to go over there and claim her, and not gently. It would be fast and rough.

  “Want to give them a try?” Ajax said when he saw I was still staring.

  Yes, I thought immediately, but wondered if it was right to pursue a girl who was so obviously innocent.

  Just then, she glanced my way again and blushed.

  Fuck the right thing.

  I looked at Ajax. “Let’s do it.”

  Chapter Two

  Colette

  “Oh, my gosh. They are looking over here,” Emily squeaked from the other side of the table.

  I didn’t bother to look up since I knew who she was talking about. It was impossible not to notice the two dangerous and alluring men as we sat down. They were like two gorgeous demons who came to earth to wreak havoc.

  The one on the right was handsome even with the thick beard covering his face, but the one on the left was the devil himself come to tempt me. He looked like a cover model on one of those old Harlequin romances that my grandmother had hidden under her bed. Neatly angled nose, chiseled jaw, dark lusty eyes, and short blond hair that was perfectly careless.

  He was blatantly sexy and had bad boy written all over him. Men like him were non-existent in Grady and, with the way he was looking at me, I swear I felt my insides catch on fire.

  I kept my eyes on my menu because I didn’t want to risk making eye contact with him again, making a fool out of myself by openly drooling over him. I felt silly just sitting here across from Emily who looked stunning. She wore a pretty red skirt and a low-cut tank top that looked elegant with her softly curled hair. She also had makeup to enhance her pretty green eyes and pink luscious lips.

  I struggled not to feel the sin of envy. I had no makeup and I could only manage a t-shirt and jeans. Everything else I owned was long skirts and conservative tops. But Emily said to dress casually so people wouldn’t know we were from Grady.

  I started to feel self-conscious and my eyes immediately went to the gorgeous demon again. He was still looking at me with that hungry gaze. I felt heat flare in my cheeks and quickly looked away. I needed to stop looking at him. He was a nightmare and a daydream all rolled into one.

  I’m still not sure how Emily convinced me to sneak out of the house and leave Grady for a night. At first, I flat out refused. It wasn’t until she started calling me things like prude and stick in the mud that I finally agreed. I’d admit that I followed the rules, but not because I liked it. I followed the rules because going against them wasn’t worth the punishment.

  But Emily promised me that we would only get some pizza and then go back home.

  The waitress came by and took our orders. When I attempted to order a water, Emily glared at me and promptly said we would both have a Pepsi and ordered a pizza to share. I just nodded and the waitress walked away.

  “Mind if we join you?” A voice came from above. I glanced up to see the two demons standing next to our table.

  “Sure,” Emily said and scooted over in the booth, nodding at me to do the same. I hesitated for a moment before I slid over so my walking nightmare/daydream could sit next to me.

  “Thanks,” he said, his voice deep and smooth. I could feel the heat of his body as he slid close to me, making me shiver and bite my lip.

  “I’m Ajax,” the bearded one said. “That’s Xander.”

  “I’m Emily and this is Colette,” Emily responded eagerly. “Do you want to share a pizza?”

  “Hey Suzy, whatever pizza they ordered make it an extra-large,” Ajax called across the room.

  The waitress responded by giving him thumbs up.

  “So, what are you two up to tonight?” Ajax asked as he moved a little closer to Emily.

  I glanced over to Xander to see him looking at me. His dark eyes drifted slowly over my face and down my body. I crossed my arms over my chest as if that would help to shield me from his gaze. But he just gave me a small smile.

  My brain couldn’t seem to handle how handsome he was and I felt a tingle between my legs when my eyes drifted over his face. This close I could tell his eyes were a warm brown with light streaks of gold and the shadow of a beard made his face seem a little softer. He wore ripped jeans, boots, a gray t-shirt and a leather vest with white patches all over it. The patches were interesting, but my gaze was drawn to the tattoo on his inner arm. It looked like some sort of black ghost or reaper and the words Living Death were written beneath it. On the opposite arm, he had a motorcycle wrapped around his bicep.

  It suddenly occurred to me that he was probably part of that motorcycle gang I’d heard Pastor Dean complain about. The Wraiths. According to the pastor, they were murderers and thieves, villains of the highest order. As the spiritual leader of our community, his opinion was taken as fact.

  But I knew a little more about the gang than what Pastor Dean had said. My older cousin, Bethany, left Grady about a year ago to join the Wraiths. We had always been close, but when Bethany turned eighteen, things began to change. She started keeping secrets and kept to herself. Then one day, she was simply gone. The story was that she was doing missionary work in Africa and would be gone for a couple years.

  I believed the lie for a few months, but then Bethany sent me a message. I found it in my locker at the library where I worked part time. It said that she was living in Lockwood with the Wraiths, a motorcycle club, and that she was safe and happy. She also gave me a phone number to contact her if I ever needed anything.

  I had a hard time believing that the Wraiths were truly evil if Bethany decided to live with them.

  As if reading my thoughts, Emily said, “So what’s up with your matching vests?”

  “We’re members of the Wraiths motorcycle club.” He gestured to his vest. “We call this a cut.”

  Emily flipped her hair and leaned on her hand. “It’s a club? Are you the President?”

  Xander chuckled and the sound rumbled through my insides, making my legs clench.

  “No, I’m not an officer. Not yet.” Ajax said. “Xander here will be sergeant at arms soon.”

  “What is a sergeant at arms?” I asked.

  “It’s a little complicated. But I will be handling security for the club,” he replied, his gaze never leaving my face.

  I bit my lip and looked away to escape his intense gaze. I thought I heard a small groan and glanced back at him. His eyes were on my lip where I was still biting it.

  Ajax and Emily continued to talk, but I found it hard to concentrate on anything with Xander so close. I knew he was dangerous, probably a criminal, but part of me was thrilled to be next to man like him. He was the epitome of the handsome bad boy and for some reason he wanted to be close to me. I knew I would never be this close to a man like him again.

  Would it really hurt to indulge a little bit? my heart asked.

  Yes, i
t would hurt, responded my brain. What will happen when you go back to Grady and never see him again? You will do nothing but daydream about him and feel heartbroken over your imaginary relationship.

  I looked away from Xander and moved a little closer to the wall. My brain was right. It wasn’t worth the pain.

  Chapter Three

  Xander

  Colette was trying to ignore me. Her body sat stiff and leaned against the wall trying to get away from me. She wanted to disassociate herself from what she was feeling during those few moments we gazed at each other.

  It had been intense and sexy as hell. I was so fucking hard that I felt the need to adjust my dick so it didn’t grind against my zipper.

  We had all finished eating when Ajax said, “How about we go to the arcade across the street? That is some clean and wholesome fun.”

  He looked me straight in the eye and then winked so the girls wouldn’t notice. I smiled back, knowing this would be my chance to get Colette alone.

  “That sounds great,” Emily said, nearly jumping out of her seat.

  “We should probably be getting home, Em,” Colette said gently.

  Ajax gave me a subtle nod to shut her down.

  I slowly took Colette’s hand in mine. She let out a little gasp, but didn’t pull away. “A half hour won’t hurt, will it?” I said while I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb, keeping it gentle against her soft skin.

  She hesitated, but then shrugged. “I suppose a few more minutes won’t hurt.”

  I helped her out of the booth and set some money on the table as we made our way out. I was surprised to find myself feeling a little guilty as I continued to hold her hand. She was a good girl and I was leading her into temptation. But my conscience took a back seat to my need to feel her under my hands.

  The arcade was dark with low lights and at least a half a dozen kids running around while their parents sat at the back with pitchers of beer. Eighties music was playing loud enough to drown out the pings and dings of the video games, but you could still hear the batting of the pin ball tables.

  “Ever play Skee-Ball?” Ajax asked as he put an arm around Emily and led her to the right.

  I kept a tight hold on Colette’s hand and she moved closer to me. “I’ve never been to a place like this.”

  I leaned in to say, “It’s fun. I’ll show you.”

  I chose Donkey Kong to start, thinking it would be easy. I put in a couple quarters and played the first level, letting her watch and explaining the rules. The next level, I moved aside and let her try. I watched as she struggled to hit the buttons at the right time. It was easy to tell that she never played a video game before. When the screen flashed GAME OVER, she bit her lip and said, “I’m sorry.”

  I swallowed down a growl at the sight of her biting her lip and just smiled. I put in a couple more quarters. “Let me help you this time.”

  I let her stay at the controls, but I put my arms around her, placing my large hands over her small ones. I felt her tense a little, but she didn’t move away.

  With my nose in her hair, I breathed in her scent. Strawberries. But it wasn’t a perfume. Maybe her shampoo or body wash. I suddenly had an image of her in the shower, all soapy and wet. Good thing I kept a little space between us because my cock was getting harder by the second. I had the urge to press into her, but I knew that would only scare her. I had to keep my cool if I was going to win the game. And I was not talking about Donkey Kong.

  Chapter Four

  Colette

  This must be a sin, I thought. It felt too good not to be. Xander’s arms were around me and his hands covered mine as he continued to play the game. I could feel his chest at my back and his breath at my ear, making me feel small and feminine.

  I knew coming to the arcade was a bad idea. Any more time in Xander’s presence would make me weaker to his charms. I tried to stop it, but then he took my hand and all protests flew out of my head. His touch had been startling yet soothing, like my skin had been yearning for the feel of his. In that moment, I would have agreed to anything.

  Even now, being surrounded by him, I was in a daze and frozen to the spot. He continued to move my hands to the buttons, but I wasn’t trying anymore. All I could think about was how he would touch me if we were alone. Xander had been a gentleman so far, but my body wanted him to be the villain I’d always imagined. I wanted his mouth on my neck and his hands to wander up my arms and over my chest. I wanted him to take liberties. Much to my shame, the image was causing wetness to pool between my legs.

  Before I knew it, the screen was flashing ‘GAME OVER’ again.

  “That’s too bad,” Xander said, his voice’s timbre sending chills through my overly heated limbs. His hands were still on mine, but now he was cupping them so his fingers pressed into my palms and his thumbs brushed against my knuckles.

  “You look a little flushed, why don’t we get some air?” he said softly.

  I could only nod. He stepped away, keeping a hold of my right hand to lead me toward the back door.

  The back patio had a few picnic tables and one was occupied by a group of young guys. They all looked at us when we came out, but quickly looked away as they stood up and went inside. I knew immediately they were leaving because of Xander. They were obviously scared of him. As I should be.

  Before I could think that through, Xander led me to one of the tables and tugged me down to sit next to him. I let him pull me into his body so our thighs aligned and my shoulder rested against his chest.

  He looked down at me, his dark eyes seeming warm, but yearning. I thought for a moment he was going to kiss me, but instead he said, “Why are you here, Grady girl?”

  I felt my mouth drop open in surprise before I corrected myself. “Is it so obvious that I am from Grady?”

  He smirked. “Yes,” he said, his eyes glancing down my body.

  “We just came out for dinner.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Another town over?”

  I bit my lip. “Grady doesn’t have a lot of restaurants and this was the closest place with pizza.”

  He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was suspicious.

  There was a moment of silence as the song changed on the speakers and then a man started singing about making a woman his and that he had “hungry eyes.” I couldn’t help but smile since that was the exact same thought I had about Xander.

  “What’s that smile?” Xander asked.

  “I was just listening to the song,” I said. “I’ve never heard it before.”

  “Really?” He looked genuinely surprised. “You’ve never seen Dirty Dancing?”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s a movie from the eighties. This song was made famous by it. It’s a story about two people that fall in love that aren’t supposed to.” He licked his lips as his eyes studied my face.

  “Like Romeo and Juliet?” I asked. Shakespeare was one of the few romantic authors allowed in the Grady library. Romeo and Juliet was my favorite. So much love and passion in so little time.

  Xander smirked. “Sort of. But it has a lot more dancing and music. And it has a happy ending.”

  “Sounds like a good movie.”

  “We could watch it some time,” he said.

  I looked down, disappointment flooding me. “I don’t think that will be possible.”

  He was silent for a moment and I could see the dissatisfaction in his face before he nodded. “I suppose not.”

  The song ended a few minutes later and I felt a little sadder for it.

  “Do you ever think about leaving?” Xander asked.

  I looked down at my lap. “Sometimes,” I said softly, as if God might not be able to hear me. “But it would mean never seeing my family again.” And I don’t have anywhere else to go.

  He stopped holding my hand so he could push a tendril of hair behind my ear. “It seems like you want more, Letty.”

  “Letty?” I asked.

  He gave me a sm
irk. “Yeah, it’s my new name for you. Colette is just too … restrained.”

  “Restrained?” I asked with a smile.

  “Yeah, like it’s a box you’ve been forced into. But Letty. I don’t know. It just seems to fit you better.”

  I felt myself blush again. “I think you are making assumptions. You don’t know me at all. Perhaps I like the box.”

  He studied my face for a moment, his gaze lingering on my eyes and mouth, and then shook his head. “You want more. I can see it.” His voice dropped slightly, becoming a little rougher.

  “What do you mean?” I whispered.

  He cupped my face gently. “It’s in your eyes. You have a way of looking at the things you want but can’t have. You have hungry eyes.”

  I laughed at the song reference and bit my lip. But I didn’t know what to say, I could hardly deny it.

  I looked up at him and I could see the same hungry look in his eyes.

  “Can I kiss you, Letty?” he asked.

  My mouth dropped open in surprise. Before I could answer he leaned down and claimed my lips with his.

  I’d read about kissing, and everything else about sex, in my grandmother’s old romance novels, but I was completely unprepared for the real thing. My body tingled all over as our mouths met and we tasted each other. Xander was gentle and coaxing as his lips encouraged mine to open and kiss him back. It made the heat under my skin go from warm to sizzling in an instant. While his slow kiss was making me melt against him, I could feel him holding back. His shoulders were tense under my hands even as his tongue swept into my mouth, making me gasp and then moan. His hand was around my neck, using it to angle my face the way he wanted it. The other was around my waist, pulling me against him so hard that I was having a hard time breathing between the pressure and his kiss.