Steal His Heart: a bad boy romance novel Read online

  “VP, give this a chance,” I said. “We’re in choppy waters without sight. I gave her my ride to see what would kick out next. She’s going to call me.”

  “Or just fuck us over,” Xavier said.

  “How?” I asked. “She’s got nothing on us. She’s got a motorcycle. That’s not going to bring down the club. They think she’s working me. They’re hoping we get distracted.”

  “And you trust her?” Jasper asked.

  “I never said that,” I said. “She really has no choice in the situation. And when she has to choose a side, she will.”

  “She goes the wrong way, she may end up dead,” Prez said.

  “No matter which way she goes, she could end up dead,” I said.

  The table fell silent.

  Cade broke the silence. “I slapped a tracker on the motorcycle,” he said.

  “Seriously?” Hudson asked.

  “I got some from a friend,” Cade said. “He needed help with a tax problem. Owed me and the club a little. No big deal. We can find out where the ride is and how to act.”

  “And if they find a tracker on the motorcycle,” Prez said, “they’re going to know we know about them.”

  I swallowed hard.

  That was a big risk to take.

  Jade had no idea either.

  It wasn’t a trust thing. It was a survival thing.

  “Take the chance and cross the bridge,” I said. “I’m bringing something to this table. So we all get caught up to speed.”

  “I’m not a fan of it,” Jasper said. “Straight up.”

  “Well, that’s your opinion,” Prez said. “And opinions are like assholes, we all got one.”

  He swung the gavel and stood up.

  “Finally,” Cash said. “I’ve got a little snack from last night still sleeping it off in my bed. She’s getting a cream filled Cash for breakfast.”

  “Max, hold on a second,” Trev said.

  I stood and waited for the room to clear out.

  Jasper lingered too.

  Prez motioned and I walked to his side of the table. There I folded my arms and leaned against the table.

  “Table’s clear,” Prez said. “You think this woman is worth trusting?”

  “Again, I never brought up the word trust here,” I said. “She’s got herself deep, running tech favors for Johnny. She’s smart. She was a dork when I knew her.”

  “The past has a funny way of clouding the present, Max,” Jasper said.

  “She was a teenager, VP. Big glasses. Braces. Trust me, not my type at the time. I’m a few years old than her, anyway. Nothing happened back then.”

  “What about now?” Prez asked.

  “I didn’t realize where my dick has been mattered so much to the club,” I said.

  Prez nodded. “Fair enough. Just be ready to make the decisions as needed. Whether it’s in her favor or not.”

  “And keep us posted,” VP said. “I hope you know what you’re doing here.”

  I looked at Jasper. “Something on your mind, VP? Feel free to get it off. I’m a little tired of the attitude here. I put my ass on the line last night. I gave up my ride. I really like that motorcycle, too. I might as well have left my cut there. For the club, VP. For the club.”

  “With a little hint of pussy on your breath, too.”

  I launched myself at him, seizing his shirt. Prez was there and chopped at my arm to break my hold.

  “Break this shit up,” Prez growled. “I’m not dealing with this right now. Jasper, walk the fuck away. Max, go find your information source and do what you need to do.”

  “I have no ride,” I said.

  “Then get a fucking wrench and get to work,” Prez said. He swung his monster sized hand and slammed it against my shoulder.

  I looked at Jasper. “Want to help me, VP?”

  “Yeah, sure. Why not. As long as we don’t end up killing each other.”

  *

  It was good to be distracted. Fighting with rusted bolts and trying to clean up an old engine. Putting in some fresh oil, checking gauges, and wiping the old two-wheeled beauty down. It took me a good five minutes to get the bitch started, but when she started to purr, I throttled her into a loud growl. She was weak, still tired from her long slumber, but I knew how to take good care of her.

  “She needs a ride, brother,” Jasper yelled over the engine.

  “Exactly what I fucking had planned, VP,” I said. “Thanks for your help.”

  I put a fist out and Jasper hit it.

  “Hey, Max, Prez doesn’t want us rolling alone,” he said. “Take a prospect with you. Do it for me. I need you alive.”

  “You were ready to take me out before.”

  “I’m grumpy in the morning,” Jasper said.

  “We all are,” I said.

  I rolled to the gates where there were two prospects. Bright eyed, smiling, looking at me with the awe little kids had while watching super hero cartoons.

  I pointed to the guy on the right. “Get a helmet. Get a ride. We’re moving.”

  I didn’t need to explain myself beyond that.

  When I hit the open road, it felt good. Not exactly comfortable though. I missed my old ride. Giving her up was hard to do, but if it was going to save the MC and Jade, I guess it was worth it.

  With the engine growling, the wind at my face, and the horizon as my target, there was only one thought burning in my mind.

  Why did I give a damn so much about Jade?

  17

  (jade)

  Imagine this: a woman in jeans and a hoodie, no helmet, riding a big ass motorcycle. I had only a handful of miles behind me when it came to operating a motorcycle, and that was a long time ago. That was a little bike that barely made any noise. Max’s motorcycle sounded like I had flipped the switch on a thunder storm. There was no real control at first. There was stop. There was go.

  But I had to get the thing to Johnny.

  When I placed the call, Johnny sounded shocked. He told me to meet him at one of his warehouses. He ran a phony electronics company and had a warehouse where he stocked all the stuff that came from China. Everything was a cheap knockoff which he sold at full price, moving it across the country through distributors. It would never point back to him because the company was fake, the tax returns were fake, everything was fake. Except the money, which was hustled around a handful of times before the trail seemed to vanish.

  By vanish, it was straight cash into his pockets.

  But that was neither here nor there.

  I rode Max’s motorcycle to the warehouse. I pulled around back and found Johnny leaning against a long black car. The driver’s window rolled down, Ruley sitting there, eating a sandwich. He pulled his sunglasses down as though his shades were showing him an optical illusion of a woman on a motorcycle.

  I turned off the motorcycle and climbed off. I walked right up to Johnny and threw the key at him. My way of saying fuck you to Johnny.

  “There’s your fucking motorcycle,” I said.

  I turned, wanting to make a statement by walking away.

  I had no ride home.

  I stopped.

  Johnny walked up behind me, his powerful cologne blanketing me. It made my nose burn and twitch. Call me crazy but I preferred the smell of Max’s bare body. Sweaty, greasy, all man and musk. Not something from a spray bottle.

  “You did great here,” Johnny said. “Do I want to know how you pulled this off?”

  “No,” I said. “But you know they’re going to find out. So, tell me what this is all about.”

  “Not quite yet,” Johnny said. “I have Jessica going after another one.”

  “Jessica?”

  “One of my girls,” Johnny said. “If you can do it, anyone can.”

  He started to laugh.

  I stepped away and turned to face him. “So that was the grand plan? To steal motorcycles?”

  “This is nothing you have to worry about, Jade. You did your part. I thank you. I’ll be
sure to add this to your debt payment.”

  “Speaking of which, when does that end?”

  “When I say.”

  “I say bullshit,” I said. “It’s been a long time, Johnny. I want out of this. You’re going into something dangerous here. Taking on a motorcycle club?”

  Johnny cackled again. “You think I’m worried about some greasy bikers? Fuck them. I’ll burn and bury them.”

  “Sure, whatever,” I said. “I still want out.”

  Johnny tapped his pointer finger to my nose like the cocky prick he was. “You’re not out. Out is dead. Are you dead?”

  “I feel dead.”

  “Good,” Johnny said. “Take the day off. Go enjoy yourself a little. I’ll be in touch with more work. Once I get on the phone with my contacts, I’ll let you know what’s next.”

  “Mr. Y?” I asked with a grin.

  Johnny’s eyes widened. “Were you listening when you weren’t supposed to be?”

  “You were drunk,” I said. “And talking very loudly.”

  Johnny grabbed my mouth. “Let me very clear, Jade. In the trunk of the car is a tarp. Some rope. A can of gas. And the lighter is in my pocket. That was your fate. Right up until I saw the motorcycle. Don’t confuse what’s happening here. You’re not being rewarded. You’re not appreciated. You’re not even needed right now, Jade. So go pretend to be normal. To be human. Because if you think you can run your mouth, I’ll burn you along with that motorcycle club. Or I can just call the police. Tell them I suspect fraudulent activity on one of my networks. Point it right to you. How does a nice, long prison stay sound?”

  Johnny pushed away from me. He adjusted his suit jacket and went to the car. He opened the back door and looked back at me.

  “You might want to give Jessica some pointers,” he said. “She’s in the same position as you are. I don’t accept failure. You set the bar, Jade. Don’t let me down now.”

  Johnny shut the door and the car drove away.

  He had the key to Max’s motorcycle.

  I had my cell phone.

  I couldn’t call Max, it was too risky.

  So I called Jessica.

  I had to save her life.

  *

  Max came walking into my apartment, a bag over his shoulder. He dropped the bag to the floor and grabbed for my hand. He brought it to his mouth and kissed.

  “How are you, sweetheart?”

  “Right now? A little terrified.”

  “That’s okay,” he said. “Things are moving forward then.”

  “But I don’t know where or why.”

  Max touched my face. “I have something to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “We put a tracker on my motorcycle. We’re going to know where the ride is at all times.”

  I put my hands to Max’s chest and pushed. “Doesn’t that put me at risk? If they find that—they’ll know they were set up.”

  “They’re not going to find a thing,” Max said. “I had to do this.”

  “Without telling me first?”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were going to set me up.”

  “I told you everything.”

  “I’m telling you everything now.”

  Max moved toward me and I stepped back again. “No. I’m not going to be used like this. You or Johnny, no. I’m not some toy.”

  “Sweetheart, I need to know who’s after the club,” Max said. “I have a list of priorities.”

  “Am I on that list?” I asked.

  Why did that matter? Why would he give a damn about me?

  “You are, Jade. Right now I need to figure out why the Dorlio family wants to stir up shit with Back Down Devil. There’s more going on than you know. I gave you my ride to keep your ass alive. What happened when you gave him the motorcycle?”

  “He seemed surprised,” I said. “That was it, Max.”

  “That was it? He said nothing else to you?”

  “He’s having another one of his girls go after the club. I have to call her and find out details. I will. The second I know what she’s doing and when—”

  I froze up.

  I stared at Max, wondering just what I was doing.

  Was I going to give up all this information to him?

  “Don’t start doubting yourself now,” Max said. “We’re too far into this, remember?”

  “You get to save yourself, Max. You get to be a hero for your motorcycle club. What do I get?”

  “What do you want, sweetheart?”

  “I want to be done with this,” I said. “All of it. I never got a chance to grieve my father’s death, Max. I haven’t had a second to breathe in years. I used to have a real job. A real life. I used to take a lunch break, sit outside, enjoy the afternoon. I used to get weekends off and do things.”

  Max closed in on me. His hands gently touched my sides. “What did you used to do on the weekends?”

  “I’d hike,” I said. “Take a ride to the ocean and sit on the beach. Or just spend a day inside watching movies. Drink some wine. Order food you’re not supposed to eat. Even being able to sleep in a little without the sound of my phone waking me up for the next disaster.”

  I felt my eyes gloss over. I didn’t want to cry in front of him. I refused to cry in front of him.

  “Then let’s make that happen again for you,” Max said. “You don’t have to fully trust me. I don’t have to fully trust you. But the line has been drawn here, Jade. Whatever Johnny is up to, he’s going to keep pushing. He’s either going to break you or get you killed. My club knows what’s happening. They support me being here right now. But we need to find out more. I don’t want you to end up getting hurt.”

  “Why? You suddenly care about me?”

  “Maybe I’ve always cared about you,” Max said.

  He went silent, letting the comment really sink in.

  I studied his face. I had slowly mastered the art of detecting bullshit—and it wasn’t with my nose. I could see it in someone’s eyes or their body language.

  Max was tall, wide, strong, and most of all—he was honest.

  “You should have been on a very different path,” he said. “Maybe I can help with that. I was never able to save myself, Jade. Where I started is where I ended up. On the streets, surviving, fighting, running, going to fucking prison, then patching into the club. It’s my survival. But it doesn’t have to be yours.”

  “I’ve done bad things, Max.”

  “We all have,” he said. He stroked my cheek with his right hand. “That’s the past. You get to move the present and dictate the future.”

  I swallowed hard, shoving the emotion away.

  I slowly slipped my hands into his leather cut and touched the hardness of muscle over his shirt.

  “What are we doing here, Max?” I whispered.

  I felt my body warm. I was comfortable and safe with Max. Even if it was wrong, it felt good to be near someone so strong, with real power, with a bad side that was murderous. Meaning he’d defend himself to death, and maybe, even me.

  Max slipped his fingers into my hair and moved it out of the way. “I’m here to help you, sweetheart. And you’re here to help me. That’s what this is. So let’s help each other.”

  I looked up at him. I slowly moved to my toes as he bent his head down. Our lips touched, kissing, before he pulled away. I threw my hand to the back of his neck and pulled, wanting more.

  “Don’t stop,” I whispered.

  Max’s right hand moved to my back, and pulled me closer. He kissed me again, this time with more passion.

  But he broke away again.

  “This is what you want?” he whispered.

  “It’s what I need, Max. Plus, I think I’m drunk.”

  “You said you don’t drink.”

  “Not from that. I’m drunk from you.”

  “From me?”

  “The way you smell. The way you look. The way you touch me.”

  Max grabbed my ass and pulled me up so
I had to jump into his strong arms. I was eye level with him. Our breaths quickly became entangled. I was mesmerized by him. He had such a rough looking face, he was beautiful. His eyes were dark and a little slanted. The scruff on his face was messy but fit him perfectly.

  “Sweetheart, you need to really think about all the lines you’re crossing here,” he said.

  “I’m tired of thinking. Thinking got me here. From here on out, I want to go with my gut. My instinct.”

  “And your instinct is telling you to tempt an outlaw?”

  “No, Max. My instinct is telling me that I want you to fuck me.”

  “Say no more then, sweetheart,” Max said.

  I was in his arms.

  He gave me his motorcycle … so I was giving him my body.

  *

  Max tossed me to the bed. I bounced forward and slid to the edge of the bed. I grabbed his jeans, tearing them open. I stood up, sliding a hand down, right over his hard thickness. The tips of my fingers trailed all the way down until I flicked at the ridge of his cock. Then I brought my hand up and out of his jeans. Both hands grabbed at his shirt, lifting.

  He shook his leather cut off, letting it fall to the floor. His shirt followed a second later. I needed to act fast. I needed the self-indulgent pleasure before risk and reality crept up on me.

  My hands ran up to his neck, clawing at him. I came forward and kissed his chest. My tongue tasted the hard muscle, moving left to right, loving his skin. My hands eased down across his broad shoulders and I held tight. I had begun to move down on him, kiss after kiss, but Max stopped me.

  He had grabbed me just below my breasts, his massive hands able to hold me in a way nobody else did.

  “My turn now,” he growled.

  Max spun me around, pulling me against his body. I felt his cock through his jeans, that huge bulge touching me, teasing me.

  His hands ran down my arms to my hands. He interlocked his fingers with mine, but he only did it for a second. Still, just to feel that …

  My shirt then started to lift.

  I shut my eyes and felt my shirt pull over my head. With one hand, Max unclasped my bra. I looked down and watched it fall forward, exposing my bare breasts. I never took stock of my body or what I thought about myself. Years of being told I was a geek made me believe that’s what I’d always be. But as I watched Max’s hands move around my body and up, slowly cupping my breasts, I felt alive. I felt like a beautiful woman. His hands devoured my breasts with ease. Cupping tighter, he placed his lips to my bare shoulder and kissed.