RIDING DARKNESS (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novella) Read online

  “I’ll be waiting,” Ares said. “Show me everything, darling.”

  Brooke tore the hoodie up and over her head. She then grabbed the side of her pants and pushed them down. When she bent over, facing the bed, she felt her breasts trying to spill out of her top. Her eyes battled between Ares’s eyes and his now growing erection.

  She kicked out of her pants and stood back up, grabbing the bottom of her shirt. Her shirt came off and her breasts were exposed. She was completely naked now, just standing there. Her hands then came to life as she grabbed her hair and lifted it, pulling it back. She let it go and slid her hands down to her chest. After cupping her breasts for a few seconds, her hands continued down her body. One hand went to her side and the other slipped between her legs. Her sex was silky wet and warm. Ready for Ares.

  “Come here,” Ares said. “Make me come.”

  His cock was tall and hard now. Ready and waiting.

  Brooke climbed on the bed and crawled to Ares. Her left hand reached out and gripped him at the root of his thickness. She squeezed and pulled, gently jerking him.

  Ares groaned and put his hands behind his head.

  Brooke then straddled Ares, her hand holding him, guiding him to her center. The sheer touch of him to her body made Brooke want to let go. She placed her free hand to Ares’s lower stomach and pushed up his shirt a little. She felt the rippling muscle of his stomach.

  Ares hurried and grabbed Brooke by the ass. He pulled and thrust up, entering Brooke. The pleasure made Brooke scream and lose her sight for a few seconds. Ares filled her up. She had both hands to his body, pushing his shirt up more.

  Slowly, Brooke lifted and lowered herself. Over and over, working her body to stretch for Ares’s length and thickness. As her hands went up his shirt, muscle gave to more muscle. Her body then moved faster, coming down each time Ares thrust up. There wasn’t an inch of her sex that wasn’t explored by Ares.

  His hands moved from her ass to her breasts. He cupped them, pressed them together and pulled Brooke down. The tip of his tongue was a razor, cutting up and down on her nipples. The pulses of pleasure were threatening climax. Brooke wanted to tell Ares to slow down, but there was no slowing. His hands slid around to her back and her breasts were in his face, dancing for him.

  That’s when Brooke started to come. The orgasm was so intense, it left Brooke frozen and shaking. But Ares was right there, his amazing body thrusting over and over, keeping the climax alive.

  Brooke’s hands went up Ares’s shirt even more. She felt ridges that weren’t muscle. Her eyes looked down and with his shirt up, Brooke saw a scar on Ares’s chest. It was a long scar, running from what looked like his left shoulder down to just under his right nipple.

  When Brooke looked at Ares again, his teeth were gritted. And he was angry. His hands went to her thighs and squeezed. He sped up again and there was no slowing him. Brooke felt him thick and ready to go. Brooke lifted up on her knees and gave Ares room to fuck her. The sound of his body slamming against her wetness echoed in the room. Brooke reached forward for the headboard on the bed and hung on the best she could.

  The wild ride lasted another minute or so before Ares suddenly slowed. He thrust up once, twice, his hands gripping so hard to Brooke’s legs, it hurt. He then pulled back and was out of Brooke’s body. She looked down and saw his beautiful cock throbbing as he started to come. She then lowered her body to his and started to rock up and back, rubbing the bottom of his shaft on her stomach.

  Ares groaned and hissed as he came. His hands were at Brooke’s ass and remained there until he was completely finished. He then threw Brooke off him and moved from the bed. He stood up, letting his pants drop. She watched in wild awe as Ares stripped himself naked. He kept his back to her and only looked over his shoulder when he got to the bathroom door.

  “I’m showering,” Ares said. “Get in here so I can talk to you. Then we’ll eat.”

  “Ares… what was that scar…”

  “We’re not fucking talking about a scar,” Ares growled.

  He walked into the bathroom and Brooke sat there, alone, trying to catch her breath. She looked down to her messy body and she started to shiver. She touched her chest, tracing a line just like she had felt and seen on Ares’s chest.

  What the fuck happened to him?

  thirteen.

  Ares let the water consume his body. He put his head back and closed his eyes. He soaped himself up and rinsed off. When his fingers touched his chest, he growled. He hated touching the scar. He hated looking at the scar. That was why he always left at least a shirt on when he fucked a woman. Because he hated the reaction and then the questions that came with it.

  Now it was even worse that beautiful Brooke had seen it.

  It was worse because part of him wanted to tell her. If she wanted to know the truth, then fine. Fuck it. Maybe it would make her smarten up and get the fuck out of the life she was living. Running around with her damn brother in some kind of illegal gambling thing.

  The bathroom door opened and shut. Ares looked down and saw his cock throb, just by the sound of Brooke entering the bathroom. That’s how fast she got to him.

  “Can you hear me?” Ares asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What do you know about your brother?”

  “Armen? Why?”

  “You’re here because of him. He put you in danger. He’s an enemy to his club. Do you not understand that, darling?”

  There was no response.

  Ares poked his head out of the shower curtain and saw Brooke sitting on the bathroom sink, naked. Her hands gripped the front of the sink and her beautiful breasts just hung there.

  She turned her head and looked at Ares. “Are you going to kill me?”

  “I don’t want to,” Ares said. “But I need the truth.”

  “It started when my parents were murdered. I found them. They were shot to death. A bullet in each of their heads. Right away, Armen grabbed me and told me we had to run. That the men who killed our parents were coming for us. I didn’t know what to do. So I ran with him. We went for a few days and then ran out of money. Armen loved to gamble. He was pretty good at it, but I fear he’s nothing but a cheater. That’s when he started setting up underground gambling events. He’d find places with rich men or crews like you’re in…”

  “And what did he do?” Ares asked.

  “He let them play and stole what he could. He had a knack to it all. Pitting enemies against each other. Letting things get hot, but never boiling over like what happened here.”

  “Back Down Devil doesn’t fuck around in their town,” Ares said. “They are the law.”

  “I’m sure Armen knows that now.”

  “Well, it’s too late, darling. There are a lot of people who want to kill your brother. Probably you too. This club is included on that long list now. You can’t just run from this.”

  “That’s what Armen does. He tells me we need the cash to stock up on weapons to fight back when they come… they being the people who killed our parents.”

  “You believe him? You trust him?”

  Brooke swallowed and looked down. “I don’t know. I lost my parents. They were good people. Armen was never a good person. But they were murdered. Armen swore he’d love me and protect me. So I ran with him. And each time I thought we were done or I could find a way out, something happened.”

  “He ever hurt you?”

  “Do I have to answer that?”

  “I think you just did.” Ares made fists as the water continued to pound on his body.

  “Yeah, well, this is where I am, Ares. I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m going to do.”

  “You’re going to stay with me, darling. I’ll protect you for now. But you have to realize what your brother did. And what’s going to happen to him.”

  “So tell me.”

  “That bullet hole in my leather cut… that was from him. The first shot… that was from him. The bullet that took out one of
the prospects… that was him. He smacked that drink tray out of your hand to create some kind of diversion and allowed all hell to break loose.”

  “Armen did all that…?”

  “Are you blind or in denial?”

  “I don’t know, Ares.”

  Ares tore open the shower curtain. Water dripped from his body. “Look at me, Brooke. It’s pretty simple. He killed one of the prospects. He wanted to kill me. He came into Frelen thinking he could sneak in and out and fuck around. That’s not allowed. It won’t be tolerated. I took you from that warehouse because I needed to know the truth. But I also did it because something about your eyes… it made me want to trust you. And I still want to trust you. But you can’t be blind to all this. Your brother is going to die for what he did.”

  Silence fell in the bathroom other than the sound of rushing water.

  Brooke slowly put her feet to the floor and faced Ares. She was so pretty. Naturally pretty, which was something that just always got to Ares. From her dark eyes, to her full breasts, down to the curves of her hips. She was just something special.

  “Okay,” Brooke said. “What happens to me?”

  “You cooperate, life is good. I’ll protect you and the club will set you up with something. We’re not here to kill unless it’s deserved.”

  Brooke nodded. “Okay.”

  “There’s one more thing though. I need you to hear it from me.”

  Brooke’s eyes locked to Ares’s. She nodded again.

  “It’s my job,” Ares said. “I’m the one who’s going to do it. I’m going to kill your brother.”

  There was more silence. Brooke didn’t blink. She just stared. Rightfully so, Ares figured. Brooke seemed innocent enough in all this mess that it would take a little for a statement like that to sink in.

  “You understand that?” Ares asked.

  “Yes,” Brooke whispered.

  “I need you to help me,” Ares said. “You need to realize how bad of a guy your brother is. If you can’t handle it, then I’ll offer you something. One time.”

  “What?”

  “An escape. I’ll get you out of the clubhouse and to safety. If the club ever finds out, they’d kill me. And if you dare to run to your brother, the club - including me - will have no choice but to kill you too.”

  More silence. Brooke slowly hugged herself, covering her breasts. She turned her head, but just before doing so, Ares saw the glistening in her eyes. She was going to fucking cry. Just what Ares needed right now.

  “So,” Ares finally said, “what do you want to do?”

  Brooke looked at Ares. A stray tear left her eye. “I want to come into the shower with you.” She slowly walked forward. The heat was rising and it wasn’t just the steamy water. Once close enough to Ares, Brooke reached out and touched the scar on his chest. She ran it beginning to end. “And I want to know what this is.”

  “It’s a scar, darling,” Ares said.

  “I want to know why.”

  “That’s a hefty demand for a woman in danger.”

  “I guess I take risks after all,” Brooke whispered.

  Her finger moved back up Ares’s scar and her free hand came forward and touched him.

  Beauty and sex were a deadly combination.

  Ares put a hand to the small of Brooke’s back and pulled her into the hot water.

  fourteen.

  The kiss was hot. The water poured over Brooke’s face as she kissed Ares with as much passion as he offered her. Their tongues battled for space and the water rushed in and out of their mouths. Brooke’s hand gripped tight to Ares and she hated herself the second she opened her hand. She put both hands to Ares’s chest and pushed gently.

  Ares broke the kiss and then held Brooke by her waist. He pulled her close and she felt his growing erection between her legs. He was so thick and perfect.

  “Tell me,” Brooke said.

  “Why does it matter?” Ares asked.

  “Because you don’t belong like the others.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “The other guys are big and tough, like you. You command with your voice like they do. The second I saw you in the warehouse I knew you were different. The other two you were with were smaller, afraid. There’s a difference.”

  “So you’re saying I shouldn’t be a prospect?”

  “If that’s what you are now, then no. You should be making the decisions…”

  “Maybe I did, darling. I’m the one who is going to kill Armen. Can you live with that?”

  Brooke shook her head. “Probably not. How can I stop you?”

  “You can’t,” Ares said. “Bad men get early graves.”

  “If you murder Armen, won’t that make you bad too?”

  “I am bad,” Ares said. “I’m just good at dodging my grave. For now.”

  “Is that what this scar is? Another close call?”

  Ares ran a wet hand up Brooke’s body. He moved over her breast and then to her neck. He leaned close, his lips just inches from hers. Brooke was soaking wet. She quivered with need.

  “It was punishment,” Ares whispered.

  “For what?”

  “I used to be in another club. Patched in. Sat at the table. Drank, smoked, fucked. Did what I wanted when I wanted. Had the respect of a lot of men and the panties of a lot more women.”

  “What happened?”

  “I let my emotions win a small battle. And that created a bigger war. One I’m still fighting.”

  Ares let Brooke go and backed up. He turned and faced the wall. He made fists and put them to the tile. The cuts of muscles were almost as impressive as the sight of Ares’s cock just hanging there.

  “Ares, please,” Brooke said. “I’m supposed to stand here and accept that you’re going to kill my brother. And I’m supposed to trust you. How can I…”

  “I don’t give a fuck if you trust me,” Ares growled. “I took you from danger and gave you a warm bed. You were lucky to get that. Now you’re an asset to the club and me. That means you’re going to help us find Armen.”

  “Fuck you then,” Brooke said. “I’ll take your other offer and leave.”

  “Too late,” Ares said.

  “Fuck you.”

  Brooke tore open the curtain and grabbed a towel. She hurried to wrap it around her body and fled the bathroom.

  Kill Armen?

  It didn’t register in her mind or body yet. Armen was the only person she had known since her parents were killed. He had been the one to run, to teach Brooke how to run. They were always on the run, waiting for the fight and revenge on the person - or people - who killed their parents.

  Now Ares and Back Down Devil wanted to kill him.

  He’s a bad person… you know that…

  Brooke shut her eyes and shivered. Of course Armen was a bad guy. He had always been bad. Not tough bad, like Ares. But weak bad. The kind of man that was a weasel and manipulated people into getting what he wanted.

  Brooke crouched down and grabbed her bag. She started to dig for clothes when a voice spoke behind her.

  “I let one of my brothers die.”

  Brooke turned her head. Ares stood a foot away, a towel around his waist. His muscles looked like they went for miles.

  “Now stand the fuck up and listen to me,” Ares said.

  Slowly, Brooke stood. She stared into his eyes, daring herself not to start falling for him. Because that nonsense had started last night. And that was simply insane to imagine. But it was happening.

  “He sat across from me at the table,” Ares said. “He was a shady asshole and I’m pretty sure a lot of us wanted to kill him. But we couldn’t. He was patched in. He was a brother. And he was loyal to the club. I had a girlfriend at the time. Skinny little thing with fake tits. Opposite of you, and that’s fine with me. I wish I never met her after what happened. She wanted money and cock. Her two favorites. Being with me meant just one cock. And when she started using, she tossed all her money into a black hole of addiction. That
’s when it got bad.” Ares turned his head and looked at Brooke. “The club was in a war. Brutal and bloody. When she came to me for money, I cut her off. Honestly, I had nothing. The entire club got together and put all their money into guns.”

  Brooke reached out and touched Ares’s big shoulder. “Tell me everything, Ares.”

  “She told me she fucked someone in the club. Someone at the table. Someone on the fucking table. And I was dumb enough to believe it. Under different circumstances I wouldn’t have believed it, but my head was a mess. And Buzz was an asshole. He would fuck anything with two legs. Probably as twisted as Blaine. Except Buzz was a dark man. And I fucking believed it.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  “No. Well, yes. It ended up he and I in a room together. We were leading some other guys to a roof where our men were waiting to light them up. I hesitated, on purpose, and the men came into the room we were in. We were supposed to be moving, but I held up. He was screaming at me. Christ, I’ll never forget the sound of Buzz’s voice. He looked at me and for the first time ever I saw fear in his eyes. The door busted open and I dove out the window. Buzz was shot over and over. Left for dead.”

  Brooke moved closer to Ares. She wasn’t going to judge him. Not for his past decisions.

  “I found out later that Buzz never did anything to betray me. I let my damn emotions get in the way and get the best of me. I could have talked to him about things. We could have finished off the other crew and then fought each other. Man to man. Nose to nose. But I didn’t allow that to happen. That’s why the club kicked me out.”

  “What does that have to do with the scar?” Brooke asked.

  Ares faced Brooke now. He touched the scar. “This? This was a going away present. They sliced me open, took my patches, and then left me with my t-shirt and a bag of clothes. They blindfolded me and drove me to a hospital and dumped me. I got fixed up and was gone. A wanderer because of my actions.”