BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) (14 page)

Diesel’s wounds are on the mend, but how is his reputation now that he is married to the weekend warrior’s daughter? It may not be as shiny she hopes or expects.

On top of the tensions at the MC, he also has the mob right on his tail, ready to take away all he holds dear which now includes a beautiful wife he never knew he wanted and a surprise that he doesn’t even know about.

When someone who was only an emotional threat before becomes so much more, Diesel and Kim find that their days as they are might be numbered.

Chapter 1

“Grandpa, wait,” Kim managed. She reached out and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun her grandfather held shoved in Diesel’s gut. This was seriously not happening, not with everything they’d already been through in the five whole minutes they’d been home. Her grandfather had always threatened to take a shotgun to her boyfriends, but this was the first time he’d been serious about it, and she was terrified.

“I’m not asking, Kimmie, I’m telling you. Get the hell back,” her grandfather insisted again.

“I’m sorry, old man, but I’m not going to let you tell my wife what to do in our house,” Diesel said in a very serious tone. “I love Kim, and I’m not backing down. You’re going to have to shoot me.”

There it was again. What was wrong with her? Her flesh and blood stood here, threatening to take the life of the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and all she could concentrate on was the fact that, for the first time, Diesel had pronounced his love for her out loud, to someone else. In a situation that could easily get him killed for it.

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Stop it, Grandpa!” She tightened her grip on the barrel of the shotgun and pressed down, shoving the end of it to point at the floor. Then, she stepped in front of Diesel, facing her grandfather and glaring at him. “I won’t let you do this.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he groused. “You’ll thank me for it later. Now, get away from this slimy, no good son of a bitch so I can take him out of way.”

“No, I won’t thank you,” she argued insistently. “I’ll hate you. And I will stand against you and testify in the trial if you do anything to hurt him.”

“I can live with that,” her grandfather confirmed with a nod. “I’ll count the rest of my days with tick marks on the walls of a prison cell knowing you disowned me without complaint if it means I’ve made sure you’re safe from this man and his sorry excuse for a family.”

“You won’t convince him,” she heard Diesel say as he placed a hand on her shoulder from behind. “You should just step aside, Kim. I don’t want you caught in the crossfire, and I don’t think you’re making any headway.”

But Kim was determined and she jutted her chin forward in defiance. She had never defied her grandfather, had never denied him anything. Now, for once, she had a request, and she knew he would be able to understand. “Grandpa, you always told me you wanted me to be happy, no matter what it took. You said you’d chase the moon till you caught it, and you’d hang it from the light fixture on my ceiling for me to adore. And that you’d dance a jig all the way to Brazil if it made me smile.”

He clenched his jaw and was quite obviously impatient, waiting for her to make her point. “Guess what, Grandpa. You don’t have to do any of those things. Diesel makes me happy. Incredibly so. And all you have to do now to make me happy is hug me and then walk out the door. And then come back to visit without the shotgun.”

“I can’t let you do this,” he told her, a plea in his voice now.

But Kim shook her head. “It’s done, Grandpa. I found a man who loves me, and I love him. He’ll take good care of me, and I’ll take care of him. That’s all I could ever ask for, and it should be everything you want for me.”

She knew there was something her grandfather wasn’t saying, but she wasn’t going to ask. He clenched his jaw and gazed over her head at Diesel, the tension going out of his grasp on the shotgun. “This isn’t going to work.”

“Why not?” Diesel challenged. “There’s no reason it shouldn’t. Like she said, we love each other, and anything else is just background noise.”

The older man laughed out loud, shaking his head. “That’s a crock of shit, and we both know it.” His smile faded. “I’m not the only one who’s going to take issue with it. Kim’s whole family is going to line up with shotguns, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your family did the same. And what about your club? She’s not one of you, and they might not accept her. Technically, she’s the offspring of a rival.”

Kim was about to argue. She hadn’t had a problem with anyone at the club yet. In fact, two of them had come when they eloped as their witnesses. But before she could say anything, Diesel piped up, sounding irritated. “I’m actually surprised you beat my ex-wife to the door. But when it comes to the MC, I’m not worried about it. They can kiss my ass if they have a problem with who I love. And so can my family. So, just worry about your family and keep them at bay, and leave the rest to me.”

“I don’t need their approval,” Kim cut in. “I don’t need anyone’s approval, not even yours, Grandpa. But I’d like to think I have yours.”

“Not really,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “Kimmie, this is probably the damn dumbest thing you’ve ever done, but we’ve all done stupid shit in our lives. And we’ve either suffered the consequences and regretted it or come out lucky and stronger on the other side. For your sake, I hope this turns out to be the latter.” He took a step closer, forcing Kim to step aside, and jabbed a finger in Diesel’s chest where the shotgun had pointed before. “And you better hope so, too, or you’re a dead man.”

Diesel grunted. “If things turn sour, I trust she’ll kill me before you can knock down that door.”

That was true. Kim snorted, “Grandpa did teach me to shoot.” Before anything else could go wrong, she escorted her grandfather to the door and shoved him outside, telling him she loved him and locking the door up tight behind him. She turned and leaned hard against it, blowing out a long breath to relieve some of the tension in her body.

“Can you believe all this?” she asked, her voice weak and her mind suddenly exhausted. “We’re gone for a few days, and we come back to all hell breaking loose. And every demon it releases comes knocking on our door.”

“Par for the course, I suppose,” he laughed, ambling toward her with a look that told her he was just as tired as she felt, despite his attempt to seem otherwise. “But we survived, and we’ll survive again. Like we always do. And now, we have each other to count on to make sure we can do that.” He put his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, away from the door. “As much as I hate to admit it, though, the old man has a point.”

Kim frowned at him, cranky and not wanting to hear that he agreed with her grandfather for any reason. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s not going to be an easy road for us. A lot of people are going to raise hell.”

Kim screwed up her face and stiffened in his arms, starting to pull away. “I don’t care what people think. Our families can deal with it. We aren’t part of their problems.”

Diesel held her firm and stroked her hair. “I couldn’t care less, either. I love you, and I just want to make sure you aren’t expecting to follow the yellow brick road to sunshine and happiness.”

That reminded Kim of how excited she’d been just minutes ago, and the warmth washed over her again. “Do you realize that was essentially your first public proclamation of love to me?”

His lopsided grin was devastating. “Yeah, well, it won’t be the last.” He kissed her nose. “You can count on that, so get used to it. I love you, and nothing is going to change that. Not death, not life, and not anything that comes in between.”

Kim’s chest swelled, and she felt an inner peace wash over her. “Me, too.” If she had that kind of commitment, she knew she could get through anything. It didn’t matter if they had to fight through hell and high water; she’d do whatever it took to be with the man she’d married. They might have rushed into it for convenience, but the feelings behind the act were solid, and she was enthusiastic about the future they had ahead of them together.

Chapter 2

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Diesel was nervous. He hadn’t spent a great deal of time at the clubhouse lately, or around the boys at all. He’d been resting up, healing, and getting hitched, and in the meantime, he’d lain low, staying out of club business while some of the heat from the police and the enemy blew over.

Today, though, he planned to dive back in, and that meant going in with Kim and taking up his post with his old lady. He didn’t like the idea of her having to go through initiation, but he at least looked forward to her being accepted by the crew. He didn’t expect any problems. After all, his blood family could bluster and blow all they wanted. The crew was his adopted family, his brothers, and they were going to support him the way they always did.

Honestly, he was just as anxious about getting back to work. He wasn’t particularly scared. It was more a bad feeling he had. There was something about getting shot and knowing that the mob was on your tail for revenge that made the job a little less than savory. And having something to lose – something precious like Kim – made it even more perilous. These guys weren’t the type to tread lightly, and they wouldn’t hesitate to come after the thing he found most valuable to hurt him, to taunt him, and to punish him.

He had to keep Kim safe.

And he was counting on the brotherhood of the Skulls to do it. He stared at his reflection with grim determination, in full leather garb with his bandana tied around his head for the first time in nearly a month. It felt good, and as Kim came in the room with her cropped leather jacket and skinny jeans with the new leather motorcycle boots she’d been breaking in over the last week, he nearly stripped it all off and tossed her in the bed.

The hell with Sophia and how hot everyone had always thought she was. She didn’t hold a candle to Kim. “I take it you’re ready to go,” he said, trying to sound casual.

“Do I look ready?” she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly. She didn’t look nearly as nervous as he felt, but he could hear it in her tone. She was petrified, and he couldn’t do much to reassure her, even if he did believe it would be just fine. “Do I need to change?” She flashed him a view of the dark blue racerback ribbed tank top she’d donned under the jacket, which matched perfectly the bandana she’d rolled and wrapped around her head.

“You look perfect,” he told her honestly, trying to roll his tongue back in his mouth. “Let’s get out of here.” They needed to get on the road before he changed his mind.

He’d started taking the bike for short rides over the last week, getting the feel of it under him again and assuring he didn’t have any issues with his shoulder. It had gone well, and as he drove away from his house today, he smiled. The feel of the wind on his face was a welcome friend he’d missed for far too long, and he was only disappointed it wasn’t a little further to the clubhouse. He could have used a little more time riding to clear his head and to delay the inevitable.

Initiation for an old lady involved a lot of alcohol, a tattoo, and a ride with the boys on some small job. The first two, Diesel could handle, and so could Kim. She was a musician, after all. They drank, and she had a little body art of her own already. But the ride bothered him.

The next errand the Skulls had was a delivery of a rather large package to a fairly high profile client that went right through what the Skeletons claimed was their territory. If the mob was still hovering, looking for the shooter, Diesel didn’t want her riding out, even on the back of a bike, without some Kevlar under her jacket.

As he slowed down and turned into the driveway at the clubhouse, a line of his brothers formed across the porch. He smiled, glad to see so many of them there, and dismounted, taking Kim’s hand and leading her toward his crew. She’d met enough of them here and there and gotten friendly with a couple that he’d expected more smiles and welcomes. Instead, most faces were grim, and a bad feeling washed over him.

For a minute, Diesel was sure there would be some sort of resistance, but Bryce came out the door and grinned, shouldering past the line and greeting him. “Hey, Diesel, good to see you back. Kim, looking good,” he added, hugging her. It wasn’t lost on Diesel that, as Bryce escorted them inside, the group dispersed slowly, with several of the guys giving him strange looks.

He clung tightly to Kim’s hand, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of her wandering off as the same group crowded close around in the spacious interior of the clubhouse. There was plenty of room to spread out, and the place could normally have held four times as many people without feeling full, but at this moment, it was almost claustrophobic.

Wanting to nip this in the ass before the atmosphere got any worse, Diesel whistled to get everyone’s attention, although they all seemed to be focused on him anyway. “Brothers, I’m home, and I’m back in action! I’ve got a release from the docs saying I’m fully healed and that it’s probably best to work out the shoulder as much as possible anyway.” There was a round of clapping and some noise, but it was all very reserved.

Taking a deep breath and casting a sidelong glance at Kim to make sure she was good, he took a deep breath and continued, “I have some other good news, too. Several of you have met Kim. She’s been around for a bit now. And today, she’s here with me as my old lady. We got hitched.”

Instead of applause and jabs, there was a lot of muttering, and Kim pressed closer at his side. He tried to squeeze her hand reassuringly as the clapping finally started, but he could tell she was as surprised as he was. What the hell was all this about? Diesel had figured one or two of the guys might give him some flack, but the whole crew was less than enthusiastic in welcoming them today. Had they heard something from the mob and not told him?

Diesel knew better than to ask Bryce. He would pad the blow. He needed to talk to someone harsh, someone who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, even if it pissed Diesel off. As the rest of the crowd went about their business, he crossed the room to the bar with Kim at his side and took a seat, waiting for Edgar to come over and pour him a drink.

Even Edgar seemed reluctant to approach, and he cast suspicious glances toward Kim as he came over. Diesel smiled and tried, “So, who’s taking my old lady out on the initiation ride?” When all else failed, the thought of a ride and danger tended to clear the air.

Edgar stared at him like he was nuts and then shook his head, scoffing. “There won’t be an initiation ride.”

“Why not?” he asked, the last red flag going up and raising the hair on the back of his neck. “What’s the problem here, Edgar?” He looked at the empty space in front of Kim, next to his glass of whiskey. “Aren’t you even going to pour her a drink?” It was posed as a question, but he made sure his tone was a command.

With his jaw clenched, Edgar poured another glass and shoved it at her, not even asking if that’s what she wanted. Kim, always and forever kind, smiled and nodded her thanks, pulling it into her hands but not picking it up. “You heard me, Diesel. It’s not happening. And don’t ask for a vote. You won’t like what happens.”

As much as Diesel hadn’t looked forward to Kim riding out with the boys, their utter rejection of her pissed him off royally. “Are you all just going to turn your backs on me, then?”

“No, but you need to realize something. You aren’t the lone voice for this club, and it’s a damn good thing you don’t call all the shots. You’ve caused enough trouble already, and bringing her around here just begs for more. So, we’re not signing on to take that risk.”

Immediately, Diesel looked around for Spencer. He was nowhere to be seen, but he had to be behind this. And Sophia. One or both of them had given a heads’ up to the group, and they were in a mutiny. There was no telling what had been said, what lies had been told, and what rumors had been spread.

Angry to the point of seeing red, he slammed his fist on the bar, making everyone nearby jump. They all stared, none of them seeming to have anything good to say, and he clenched his teeth. “Initiation or not, Kim’s not going anywhere. She’s my old lady, and that makes her our responsibility. She’s one of ours, and you’ll accept it, or you’ll get the hell out.” He grabbed Kim’s arm and hauled her out, leaving his drink untouched.