What do you do when the past you’ve been desperately running from finally catches up to you? Do you walk away from the life you’ve built and the woman you love, or do you fight?
Gray Landry was born and raised in the Hell’s Minions Motorcycle Club. Living under his father, Mayhem’s brutal thumb, his dream was to someday get away. When the chance to leave for ten years comes along, he jumps at it. The only problem with leaving the club is he will be leaving his younger brothers behind too.
Fast forward ten years…
Gray’s life is everything he could have hoped for. He has his own successful guns and ammo business. He’s married to a beautiful woman named Kendal. She’s loving, intelligent, strong, independent and one kick-ass mechanic. And lately, she’s been talking about babies.
Then, one day the phone calls start coming. Mayhem is demanding Gray come back. His time is up. It’s time to return to Hell. To Mayhem. But how does he walk away from the one thing that makes life worth living?
Not surprisingly, Mayhem forces his hand-come home or Kendal will suffer. Left with no other choice, Gray walks away, leaving his wife stunned and heartbroken.
As Gray’s new life moves forward, he sees the toll his decisions are taking on his wife and his heart bleeds. He knows if he ever wants to keep her safe and win her back, he’ll have to team up with his brothers and take down Mayhem once and for all. It won’t be easy with his father wreaking havoc, but they were going to end it or die trying.
Gray slowly came awake and rolled over, only to find his wife had once again made it up and out of bed before him. Placing his feet on the floor, he ran his hands over his face, wondering what today would bring. Ever since the tenth anniversary of him leaving home came around, he’d been on pins and needles. He knew his agreed upon time was up, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept.
He pulled out a pair of sweats from his dresser and slipped them on, catching a glimpse of his and Kendal’s wedding picture sitting on top. A feeling of guilt ran through him. It was a feeling he was experiencing more and more lately, especially knowing how happy they were that day, and knowing how much things had changed since then.
The photographer had captured them in a moment where they’d been so totally focused on each other, they hadn’t even been aware that the picture was being taken. Kendal had immediately fallen in love with it when she found it amongst all the others from that day. His hands were wrapped around her slender waist, and her hands laid against his chest. The way they smiled at each other made it obvious to anyone looking that they were so totally in love with each other, it was damn near blinding. It hurt to know that she hadn’t smiled at him like that in a long time, and that was all on him.
He was losing her, and he couldn’t stop it. He knew that keeping things from her, like his father, and growing up in a motorcycle club, was a bad idea. She sensed that he was holding something back, but he needed to keep her away from that part of his life. It was filled with nightmares and regrets.
His phone rang, snapping his attention back to the present. Snatching it off the nightstand, he picked it up without checking the screen. If he had, he wouldn’t have answered it.
“Hello?”
“’Bout fucking time. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you, and I’m running out of patience.” His dad’s voice was harsh and commanding.
Gray tensed at the sound of his father’s voice—father being a relative term. The man was just a sperm donor as far as he was concerned. No matter how hard he’d tried to keep his past life in the past, he knew it would come down to this. Things between him and his old man were coming to a head and there was no way of stopping it, which was sooner rather than later if his tone was any indication. It suggested his father was seriously out of patience. “What do you want? I already told you I won’t come back and fight. I’m done. I’m out. I’m never coming back to the Minions.”
“Aw, come on, son,” his dad growled. “You act like you have a choice in the matter. By my recollection, your time’s up. You’ve had your ten years playing the civilian and then some. You’re lucky I haven’t tried to push it sooner. Time to come home.”
“Home?” Gray snorted. The man had to be joking.
“Why do you keep lying to yourself? You’re a biker, a Hell’s Minion, and it’s time you started acting like it.”
Gray gripped his cell phone tighter. His heart was hammering, echoing in his skull. God, he’d hoped Mayhem would’ve forgotten about him after all this time, but hope was for suckers too sheltered from the realities of life to know that there really were living, breathing monsters in the world, and they didn’t only exist when you closed your eyes at night. No, they lived and breathed in your waking hours, too, making your life a living hell.
He could still remember the day their old president, Bear, had gifted him with ten years of blessed freedom—ten years of living out from under Mayhem’s controlling hand. When the decision was handed down, Gray felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest, letting him breathe for the first time in his life.
Six years into his time with the Army—five of those years with the Rangers—Gray got the news that Bear was dead. Since the deal for his ten years was made in front of every fully patched member in the Hell’s Minions MC, Mayhem would have to honor it or lose face in front of the club. There was no way he would do that, no matter how badly he wanted to bring Gray home early, because he had aspirations of being the next club president. He couldn’t be seen as the type of leader who would go back on his word.
“You hear me, Gray?”
The sound of his father’s voice barking in his ear pulled him out of his trip down memory lane. He rubbed a hand down his face. “Yeah.”
“I said do you hear me, Gray?”
“Yes, I fucking hear you!” he yelled into the phone. Man, the prick knew how to push his buttons quicker than anybody he knew.
“Good. I’d hate to have to get your attention. Next time I call, you fucking answer,” Mayhem demanded. “You’ve got one week to get your shit together and get your ass back to the clubhouse where you belong.”
“One week? What’s the fucking rush?”
“Because I’ve waited long enough. You should be grateful, you little shit, that I allowed you a little bonus time. Now it’s time to get your ass back to the Minions. I have plans for you.”
“Plans? What kind of plans?” Gray dreaded hearing what Mayhem had in mind for his return.
Mayhem’s chuckle was dark and sinister. “You know what plans, Gray. You’re getting back in the cage. You’ve got one week to come back to the club.”
Was he serious? One week? How the hell was he supposed to deal with Kendal? With Ditch, his partner? He needed more time.
There was something more to this rush to get him back. He was sure of it. The old man had been trying for the last few months to get him back, but for some odd reason, Mayhem hadn’t really pushed for it until now. There was more to it than just getting back in the cage. He just wasn’t sure what it was yet. “Four weeks.”
“One.”
“Three weeks.”
“You got two fucking weeks to get with the program. You better show your ass Friday night at the clubhouse…and Gray? Don’t make me come get you.”
The line went dead in Gray’s ear. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He slammed his fist on top of the dresser with each word, sending change bouncing and toppling their wedding picture. “Goddamn it.” He grabbed his hair in both hands, pulling hard, trying to find some kind of clarity. What the hell was he going to do? Two weeks was all he had left with Kendal?
His phone pinged, alerting him to a text message. It was from Mayhem, and there was an attachment. Opening it, he saw it was a picture of Kendal at work. She was in one of the garage bays, her hair in a high ponytail. Her face was turned toward the street, but not looking directly at the camera. She had a smudge of grease on her nose and appeared to be laughing at something that Finn had probably said. She looked so fucking adorable, it hurt to breathe. The message was clear; jump when he was told, or Kendal would suffer.
Suppressing the urge to throw his phone against the wall, he straightened their picture, regretting once again that his past was going to wreck everything. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face until he felt more in control of his anger, then he went looking for Kendal.
Gray stood at the back door and took a minute to just watch his wife. She appeared to be deep in thought as she stared out over the back yard. He wondered what she was thinking about. Him? Their marriage? The distance growing between them? He watched as she placed her mug on the railing before wrapping her arms around herself and leaning against the post. In one unguarded moment, he saw that his wife looked sad, and something else he’d never thought he’d associate with his wife—scared. Gray knew she was probably afraid that she wasn’t enough for him anymore, that her love wasn’t enough, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it right now. He could only pray that she was strong enough to ride it out a little longer, then he’d make it up to her.
She was wearing one of his shirts again, which made him smile. He hoped it was a good sign. He knew she did it for comfort, to feel close to him. It was freaking hot seeing her in his clothes—her long legs and bare feet, her toes painted hot pink. He’d bet she was naked underneath, too.
Stepping onto the covered porch, he came up behind Kendal and wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on her shoulder. He kissed the side of her neck softly, just under her ear, and whispered, “Love you, babe.”
“Mmm. Love you, too.” Kendal leaned her head back, resting it on Gray’s shoulder.
Her eyes were closed, yet a small smile was on her lips, and he had to believe that everything would work out because it had to. Without Kendal, he would be nothing. Gently, he spun her around so they were facing each other. He settled his hands on her hips, pulling her in close. With her arms around his middle, she smiled at the feeling of his erection pushing into her stomach. If nothing else, Gray thought, the sex between them had always been, and still was, off the charts.
“So, what does my girl have planned for today?” Gray asked while pulling her shirt collar to the side to expose her shoulder. He kissed his way from her shoulder to the crook in her neck, where he sucked on her skin, satisfied when he saw the mark he left on her.
Kendal tipped her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck. God, he made her weak in the knees. “Well, I have a transmission to rebuild today, a few oil changes, a few inspections, and a head gasket to replace.”
His hot little wife was a mechanic, and a damn good one, thanks to her dad. His beautiful, sexy wife had been rebuilding engines and transmissions since junior high. While her friends wanted to date guys, all Kendal wanted to do was beat their asses in a race. Of course, none of those young boys could stand their egos getting trounced on by a girl, which left Kendal mostly dateless during high school. Lucky for him.
Days before his last deployment with his Army Ranger’s team, he decided he wouldn’t be reenlisting. He wanted to be with his wife and build a future, not ship out to different countries all over the world. The first thing he did was send Kendal to Raven Ridge to search for a house and get things set up. He could have picked anywhere to live, but secretly, he’d wanted to live closer to his brothers than he’d been able to do while being enlisted. They didn’t live in Raven Ridge, but they were only two hours away instead of the seventeen hours that used to separate them. He knew it was a big risk, but he needed to be closer to them.
In no time at all, Kendal had found a house and had everything set up but grew bored waiting for him to finish up his last mission. Needing something to occupy her time, she stumbled upon a garage that was for sale. Within weeks, she’d had it up and running, and was already servicing customers. By the time he was able to come home and see it for the first time, he’d been amazed at how much she’d accomplished. He was damn proud of his woman. He had to admit, the thought of her working on engines and brakes and things, wearing coveralls and jeans over her Victoria’s Secret undergarments, really got him going.
“Oh, baby, you know I love it when you talk shop. It gets me hard,” he teased, his hands working their way under her shirt to slide over her naked ass. He gave both globes a quick squeeze and growled low in his throat. “Oh, you naughty girl.” He smiled and cocked a brow at her.
Biting her bottom lip, Kendal locked her eyes with his. Skimming her hand down his broad, naked chest, feeling every chiseled ridge and valley of his six pack abs, had her releasing a growl of her own. One naughty little hand slipped beneath the waistband of his sweats, bumping into the head of his dick. She was rewarded when she found a drop of precum already beading at the tip.
Holding his breath in anticipation, he waited to see what she’d do next. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes at the feel of her finger spreading the fluid around the head in slow, smooth swirls. He released a tortured moan when her hand circled his cock and glided down his length.
He allowed her a couple of good strokes before deciding two could play at this game. He backed her up until her ass met the wooden patio table. Needing to keep some sort of control before she sent him over the edge, he freed his dick from her hand, earning a pout from her for his trouble. With both hands on her hips, he effortlessly lifted her onto the table and came to stand between her opened legs. Trapping her face between his hands, he leaned in and kissed her. It started off soft and sweet until she worked her hand back into his sweats and proceeded to slowly drive him out of his mind. He deepened the kiss for a moment, letting her play, then pulled back when he couldn’t take anymore.
“Uh-uh-uh,” he teased in a singsong voice. He gripped her determined little hands once more and laid her back on the table, so that her legs dangled off the end. Placing her hands above her head, he ordered, “Keep your hands right here.”
“Mmm…yes, sir.” Kendal arched her back and thrust her chest toward his face, where it hovered just above her tits. Gray would get to those in a minute. First, he wanted to unwrap his present. He started by unfastening the buttons one at a time, trailing kisses as he went, until he could part the two sides and brush them off her body.
Kendal never tired of looking at her husband. The man was built like a god—hard and chiseled in all the right places. His dark, wavy brown hair was currently hanging in his beautiful gray eyes, and the urge to reach forward and brush it back was overwhelming. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, appreciating the light dusting of hair on his chest. She followed the single line down his abs to where it disappeared inside his waistband. Tipping her head forward, she thought she saw the head of his cock peeking out. She moaned in frustration. Good God, she needed him to fuck her already.
“God, woman. The things you do to me.” His voice was half-growl, half-whisper. He stared at Kendal spread out like a feast. Her body was bare, despite still wearing his shirt. No panties covered her naked sex. Nice. Her hard, pebbled nipples called to him. Palming one breast in each hand, he lightly ran his thumbnail over the tips, causing her breath to hitch. “You’re so beautiful, Kendal. I can hardly breathe sometimes when I look at you.”
She knew exactly how he felt, because she felt the same way. It was times like this that she loved the most—times when he was like the man she first fell in love with. It was stress free, with no outside interferences. They were solely focused on each other. It was the only time she had his complete attention.
Gray replaced his hands with his mouth. His tongue swirled around her nipple, getting it nice and wet before he pulled back enough to gently blow on it. He smiled when it grew even harder. Liking the result, he repeated his actions on the other one. He continued to lick and suck at her nipples, even lightly running his teeth over them until she was twisting and moaning with need. He felt Kendal’s hands on the back of his head, holding him to her. He pulled back, her nipple making a popping noise when he pulled off.
“No, no, no.” Gray pulled her hands loose from his hair, putting them above her head once more. This time, he curled her hands over the edge of the table. “Don’t let go,” he commanded.
“Gray,” Kendal whined. Her body writhed, trying to make contact with his. “Please. I need you.”
“I know, baby. I’ll take care of you.” Gray went to his knees between her open legs. He inhaled deeply, loving the scent that was uniquely Kendal. Licking his lips, he leaned in and ran the flat of his tongue from core to clit several times, before lightly sucking on the sensitive bundle of nerves.
“Oh God, Gray. Just like that. Feels so good.”
Gray hummed his agreement, vibrating on her clit, causing her to pump her hips up toward his mouth. He moved his hands from where they held her thighs down, up to her tits, to pinch both of her nipples while he continued to feast between her legs. Kendal’s head was moving from side to side, her eyes closed, moaning, “Oh God, oh God,” over and over again. It always got her going when he worked her nipples while he went down on her.
“Almost there…almost there.” Kendal panted breathlessly, her hips straining toward his mouth, reaching for her release.
Yup. Got her going every time. Knowing what she needed to get her there, he inserted two fingers into her wet pussy. He pumped slowly in and out, then twisted them around to hit her G-spot.
The combination of sensations Gray was forcing on her had Kendal’s hips bucking uncontrollably toward his mouth. She couldn’t get enough, yet it was almost too much. He had the most delicious lips she’d ever known—full, soft, and they felt so good between her legs. Oh shit, she was a goner. It didn’t take but a few quick, hard pumps with his fingers and she went over the edge, screaming his name. Thank God they lived in the country.
Before she could come down from the high of the orgasm he’d just given her, Gray stood up and yanked his sweats down below his ass. Fisting his dick in his hand, he lined himself up and entered her tight, wet pussy in one hard thrust. He stopped when his balls smacked her ass, needing a second to regain his control. She was so tight and wet, and goddamn it, if she kept milking his cock, he wasn’t sure he could hold off his own orgasm long enough for her to come again. Slowly, he pulled out, almost to the tip, then back in again. He repeated this a few more times, then buried himself to the base. Leaning down, he devoured Kendal’s lips in a scorching kiss.
With one hand on the back of his neck, Kendal pulled back to look Gray in the eyes. Right now, it was like none of the unsettling things over the last few weeks ever happened, and she wanted this moment to last forever. “Fuck me, Gray. Fuck me hard.”
“Fuck.” That was the last straw. Gray picked up his pace until he was hammering into Kendal hard and fast. His hands were holding her hips tight to keep her from scooting across the table. She wrapped her legs around his hips, digging her heels into his ass.
“Come for me, Kendal. Come for me, baby.” He’d felt her pussy tightening and fluttering, ready to orgasm again. His forceful command to come was all she needed to go over again, taking him with her. “Eyes. Open your eyes.”
Gray kept his eyes on Kendal’s when his orgasm hit him. He needed her to see what she did to him. Every. Single. Time. She owned him body and soul. Always would.
Falling on top of her, his weight on his bent arms at her sides, he struggled to catch his breath. He could feel her heart thundering in her chest where he rested his forehead, and he couldn’t help but smile a little, knowing that he was the one that did that to her. “I love you, Kendal. Always.”
“Love you, too, Gray. Always.”
The pain Kendal was trying to hide in her voice wasn’t lost on Gray. He knew this running hot and cold was taking its toll on his wife. Call him selfish, but he only had two weeks until he was going to have to walk away from the love of his life, and he was going to take as many moments like this as he could get over the next couple days. After that, well, he refused to think that far ahead yet. For now, he was going to take a shower with his wife.
~~~
Kendal got to work thirty minutes late, thanks to Gray joining her in the shower. Apparently, he didn’t think she was capable of washing her own hair. As a matter of fact, he insisted he help. She was pretty sure he used way more shampoo than she ever did because it took forever to get it all out. Once that was done, he set about soaping her up, getting her nice and slippery before he bent her over with her hands braced on the shower wall in front of her, and pounded into her once again. When he thought to turn drying her off into another round of sex, she’d had to beg and plead with him to please, please, let her get to work. With a smoldering kiss goodbye, they parted ways, heading off to their own businesses.
During the drive into town, Kendal found herself, once again, trying to figure out what was going on with Gray. There was something definitely different about him. One minute he was distant and secretive, avoiding her at every turn, and then, like this morning, he was all lovey-dovey and affectionate, and couldn’t keep his hands off her.
She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was like he had this simmering, barely contained energy about him. It felt like she didn’t have the whole Gray, she was only getting the pieces he wanted her to see. She hadn’t noticed it as much when he was still enlisted because he was gone more than he was home. And she really hadn’t noticed it until the last few months. It was like something triggered the change. If only she could figure out what caused it.
She ran different scenarios through her head. Did he regret retiring? Did he regret giving up the Rangers and the adrenaline rush that came from it? Did he regret getting married? Did he regret moving to Raven Ridge? The possibilities were endless.
Their fourth anniversary was quickly approaching, so she was hoping it wasn’t their marriage he was regretting. Sure, they had a whirlwind courtship once they got together, but he always seemed as happy about that as she did. No. She didn’t think it had anything to do with their marriage. If she were a betting woman, she would bet it had something to do with the past he refused to talk to her about. All she knew about his past was that he had two brothers, Blue and Slate. That was it.
She released a deep breath and decided to let it go for now. This morning was a good morning, and she should just appreciate it and leave it at that.
Pulling her ’67 Pontiac GTO into the side lot next to her garage, Landry Automotive, she noticed that Finn already had the three big bay doors open and turned on all the lights. With any luck, he would have a pot of coffee going as well. She hadn’t been too sure about hiring Finn when Gray first suggested him. She didn’t know anything about him, other than he was the brother of one of her husband’s Ranger teammates. He assured her that he was an upstanding guy, easy to get along with, and great with a wrench. He also reminded her that he would never suggest someone he didn’t trust with his life to work with his wife.
She told him to have Finn come into the shop, so she could get a feel for him, see if he gave off some creep factor vibe or not. As it turned out, Finn was actually a really nice guy. He wasn’t a big bullshitter, and he was a great worker. She trusted him to be able to open and close the shop if she wasn’t there, or he could even run it by himself if she needed a day off, which she rarely did.
Seeing Finn for the first time, she wasn’t totally sure that her jaw didn’t drop to the floor. The man was gorgeous. He was around six feet four inches and muscular, though not hulking. He had short blond hair and deep blue eyes. The man exuded an air of command and self-confidence that screamed alpha male. Honest to God, if she hadn’t already been married to Gray, she would have definitely been interested in the man. Gray never mentioned whether or not Finn had served, but Kendal would bet money that he had.
She was glad she let Gray talk her into giving him a two-week trial to see how he would work out. Kendal had to admit, Finn really knew his stuff. Since he’d started, she’d been able to get the ever-increasing workload around the shop to a more manageable level.
She really enjoyed talking to him, too. She found that he had interesting and insightful ideas about things that would sometimes have her rethinking how she looked at things. He was even-tempered and never got worked up or stressed out about anything. His sense of humor was great, and he never failed to make her smile.
Stepping inside her office, she was met with the glorious smell of fresh brewed coffee. “Oh, Finn. You’re the best,” she whispered to the empty room with her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “And donuts!” she squealed, clapping her hands and bouncing up and down on her toes. Looking to her left, she caught Finn taking her in from head to toe. “What?”
“Nothing,” he snorted. “Just checking to see if you were okay, seeing as how you’re thirty minutes late. That’s not like you. Usually you’re here long before me, and I live upstairs.” He pointed to the apartment above the garage he rented from Kendal.
She couldn’t stop the blush that colored her cheeks. She ducked her head and made her way to the coffee pot, popping a glazed donut in her mouth while pouring a cup. “It was Gray’s fault,” she mumbled around the pastry.
“Thought so.” Finn smirked and picked up his coffee.
“What?” She knew she didn’t smell like sex because she’d been thoroughly washed and rinsed by her husband. She looked to see if her clothes were on wrong; jeans unzipped, boobs falling out. Nope. Nothing.
“You got a little something on your neck there.” He pointed with his free hand as he walked past her to the door leading into the garage. His smirk grew into a full-blown smile.
“What?” Damn. That man had one sexy, panty-melting smile. It flustered her, and the little shit knew it. Wanting to know what Finn was talking about, she set her breakfast on her desk and stalked over to the bathroom, so she could get a good look in the mirror. She turned to look at one side of her neck, then the other. That’s when she saw the hickey Gray had left on her neck. Ugh. How embarrassing.
Finn closed the door behind him, laughing at Kendal’s discomfort. He thought she was the cutest little thing, and a complete goofball, too. Like this morning with the coffee and donuts. He smiled and chuckled to himself. Sometimes she was like a damn kid. Gray was one lucky bastard, and Finn knew that the hickey on Kendal’s neck was for his benefit. It was his way of warning Finn away. Gray trusted him to keep an eye on his wife and make sure she was safe. Apparently, ogling his wife hadn’t gone unnoticed. Oops.
He couldn’t help it. The woman had the most positive attitude about everything. She was easy to laugh, which she did often, and usually at herself. She was quick to offer a hand, and not just in her shop, but with her friends and neighbors in the community, too. If they couldn’t pay their bill and she knew they desperately needed their vehicle, she’d work out a payment plan they could afford. She didn’t see the point of holding someone’s livelihood hostage if they couldn’t pay the whole amount at once. People needed their cars to get to work. If they didn’t work, they couldn’t pay anything at all.
Finn placed his cup of coffee on the workstation near the car he was working on, then opened his roll-around tool chest. Fishing out a socket wrench, he bent his head under the hood of the vehicle needing a head gasket replaced.
Working with Kendal had started out as a favor to Gray, a way for Finn to repay his debt. A debt he felt he owed Gray since he had kept Luke—the only family that meant anything to him that he had left—alive after one particularly bad encounter while they were both serving overseas in the Rangers. Playing bodyguard to Kendal was the least he could do toward repaying that debt.
He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on that he felt it necessary to have protection on his wife. All Gray had said was to be on the lookout for anyone belonging to Hell’s Minions. That’s right. A. Motorcycle. Club.
What the hell was his friend in to?
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