Bare-Knuckle Love (biker gay dark erotic romance) (Rabid Mongrels MC Book 1) (10 page)

Jason opened the cabinet where Hyde stored extra cups and snacks. “I think you need another drink. What was that all about?” he asked and filled a large souvenir mug with beer from the cooler by the door.

Hyde didn’t respond right away, but his sheer presence in the room made Jason’s skin tingle as he stood there and wordlessly begged for attention. After a while, the door to the office closed, and Hyde approached in soft footsteps.

“You’re feeling at home already.”

“Nice question dodging.” Jason’s lip curled. He was pretty sure Hyde kept the phone in the right pocket of his jeans. He let his gaze discreetly wander, and he couldn’t stop himself from admiring the bulge at the front of Hyde’s pants.

Hyde’s palm spread over Jason’s back, and his warm body soon molded to Jason’s side. “Why do you want to know?”

“Does it affect the fight? I’m in it after all. It’s about my rep.” Jason took a swig of beer to cool down his nerves.

The hand trailed up his spine, only to settle on his nape. It was almost as if Hyde were putting an arm over his shoulders, at least until Hyde gently pulled on the collar, sliding his fingers between the strap and Jason’s skin. “He got drunk and told someone you were paid for complying with our bets.”

“Only I didn’t, because you lost.” Jason took a deep breath. He needed to refocus. Phone. Not Hyde’s dick. Phone.

Hyde snorted and massaged Jason’s neck as they both looked at the old cupboard. “That’s one thing saving the day. But I’m not gonna let some idiot ruin what we’ve been working for. No one’s forcing him to be here. I used to prospect at another club, and I left because it was shit. I thought if I ran one, it would be better. You familiar with Russian roulette?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Jason frowned at the memory of his brother playing a drunk version of Russian roulette against dogs. He molded his back against Hyde’s slightly bigger body.

Hyde’s nose brushed the back of Jason’s head. “They had me play it to get out of the club. You can see it went well for me. And I took some hangarounds with me. That’s how the Rabid Mongrels started. On our own rules. I won’t let a dipshit like Coke ruin what we have.”

That was just such a Hyde thing to do that Jason smiled. Only Hyde’s own rules mattered. Couldn’t stand teachers, couldn’t stand bosses, only made sense that he’d not last somewhere as a prospect. “So you were club president from the start?” Jason pulled his hands back and ran them over Hyde’s hips, ready to dip them into Hyde’s pockets.

Hyde spun Jason around and propped him against the cupboard, spilling some of the beer in the process. He wore a devilish smile as he leaned down to run the tip of his nose over Jason’s. “We had a vote, and turned out they wanted me as their leader.”

“No surprise there, right?” Jason took a deep whiff of Hyde’s glorious, cigarette-tinged smell.

“Not really,” whispered Hyde, slowly grinding his hips against Jason’s. He tightened his hold on the collar and lapped at Jason’s lips. ”Fuck. If I’d known you at school, I’d have fucked you under the bleachers. You’re just the type…”

“What type?” Jason’s face went aflame, and as much as he needed to go for the phone, the thought of an eighteen-year-old Hyde fucking his scrawny fifteen-year-old self blurred his mind.

Hyde smiled into the kiss and grabbed Jason’s jaw, holding him in place. “You’re not a guy who wants dates and chocolates. You want to be fucked hard and then have a beer.”

Jason gave a short nod. So true. He was in no way ready to consider a relationship with a guy, but the sex? That he could probably handle. Seemed straightforward enough. “You read me so well.” He decided to go for flattery as his fingers reached into Hyde’s pocket.

Hyde groaned, turning Jason’s head to the side and biting his ear. “We’re alone. I could fuck you right now. I fucking need it after today…”

“Here?” For a moment Jason wanted to just let go of the phone, find out what it was like to be actually fucked by Hyde, feel his cock deep in his ass, but the shame of that video was too much. He couldn’t risk it for anything. In one swift move, he pulled out his old phone out of Hyde’s pocket and dropped it into the beer-filled mug. The
plop
resonated in the silence, and Hyde stepped back, staring at the container before knocking it to the floor. The phone flooded out of it and slid all the way to the desk on a yellow wave.

Hyde came at Jason, grabbing his head to his chest and pressing his forearm hard against Jason’s throat, choking him with so much force Jason’s adrenaline levels skyrocketed, putting him onto a world of desperation. He grabbed the muscular arm and pulled, trying to slip out if the hold. To distract Hyde, he pushed back, crashing them both into the desk. The memory of Hyde’s cruelty against Coke was fresh in Jason’s mind, and he wasn’t willing to experience those kinds of punches himself.

But Hyde didn’t spare him any and kicked Jason right in the knee, sending him to the floor with a punch to the top of the head. It made Jason’s teeth crackle. “You bitch!”

Jason growled like a mad dog and swooped Hyde’s legs into an embrace, only to pull on them with all his strength. Despite Hyde’s weight, he managed to send him to the ground.

Hyde roared, his handsome face twisted into a mask of anger. It was the last thing Jason saw before searing pain bit into his flesh like a hot metal rod, repeatedly penetrating his neck and shoulders.

He screamed out and grabbed onto the shock collar with trembling fingers, but another explosion of pain had him wheezing. Jason’s vision became a blur, and he inched away on all fours.

“Stop!” he cried and fell when another pulse of electricity attacked his neck and chest with the ferocity of a rabid dog.

“I gave you my word that I’d delete it after the fight,” roared Hyde, and he must have pressed the button again, because Jason was once more gripped by the throes of pain as his throat constricted. The metallic taste in his mouth didn’t predict anything good.

“I can’t… have it out there,” Jason rasped, barely recognizing his own voice. He put his forehead against the cold, wet floor.

“You’re dead to me! I’m not gonna ever have my cock near you again, you stupid fuck!” roared Hyde. He kicked Jason over and placed his foot on Jason’s naked chest, watching him with so much spite that it made Jason want to crawl into the smallest hole and die of hunger without anyone ever seeing him again.

Jason’s whole body shivered from the pain. “I don’t care,” he said to save face, though that case was long gone. He tried to push off Hyde’s foot, but his arms felt too heavy.

Hyde kicked him in the ribs and spat on the floor. “You bitch. Can’t believe you did that,” he growled, pulling on Jason’s feet. The floor scraped against Jason’s skin as he was dragged through the office like a dead body ready to be dumped into cement. The doorway flew over him, and soon he felt the salty odor of the training room as Hyde dragged him out of the office. The dirt and cobwebs on the ceiling were mocking him.

Jason spat out some blood, but didn’t have enough energy to look back at Hyde, who sure as fuck wasn’t Dr. Jekyll anymore. “We’re even now…” he tried despite his better judgment, and right away he was hit with a sharp stab of electricity.

“Not even close,” said Hyde, looming over him like a vulture. “If you ever want me to touch you again, you
will
lose this fight.”

Jason let his lips spread into a wide smile, “Yeah, right. Like you can keep your hands off me.” He clenched his fists, readying for another shock, but it didn’t come.

Hyde snorted and walked into the office. “Do the weights while Spotty’s out,” he said before shutting the door. His laughter was worse than a kick in the teeth.

Had Jason overestimated himself? That thought chilled him to the core of his aching flesh.

Chapter 7

Jason was alone in the kitchen, washing all the dishes that were left after dinner. Hyde wouldn’t talk to him other than through a few slurs, so Jason retreated to the safety of not speaking, not connecting, not even making eye contact. At least Heidi was there for him with her pretty white muzzle and blue eyes. She followed him around the house, as if sensing his distress in a way no human could.

Had he really done so wrong with that phone? Wasn’t it only fair for him to want to get rid of blackmail material? Jason tried to make up for his presence in Hyde’s home with doing any chores that he could come up with, but that didn’t seem to be enough. Nothing he’d do would ever be enough payment to become a part of this pretty suburban life. Jason didn’t fit into the picture.

Someone tapped on his shoulder, and he almost dropped the plate he was holding before he realized it was just Beth. She smiled at him. “You don’t need to do that. We have a dishwasher,” she said, switching off the water.

“Oh, uh… yeah, I kinda… wanted to make myself useful.” Jason took a deep breath and put away the cleaned plate. He probably looked like a thug with the black eye and bruise-stained lips.

Beth patted him on the back. “If we don’t use it daily, it stinks. Just toss everything in there.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to use it, so I thought I’d just wash up in the sink.”

She waved her hand. “That’s fine. I’ll do that after I read the book to Cody.”

This was another thing Jason couldn’t comprehend. The adults in the house took turns to read
Peter Pan
to Cody, and that included Hyde as well. It was unheard of where Jason was from.

“Is there anything else I can do?” Jason so desperately wanted to be useful in this house, which was so perfectly organized without him.

Beth sighed, leaning against the counter as she looked him up and down. “Talk to Hyde? You two are acting weird.”

Jason didn’t notice when he leaned in, his heart leaping. “Is he? What do you mean?”

Beth shrugged. “Dunno. I guess he seems quieter than usual. And he didn’t watch yesterday’s game. That doesn’t happen.”

“Sorry to make it all weird here. I’ll probably be off in a week or two.”
Or right after the fight
.

Beth frowned. “Will you?”

Jason played with his fingers, more nervous by the second. “I guess so. I just need to sort out a place for myself. I don’t know what Hyde’s told you about me, but I doubt he’d want me to stick around.”

She pressed her lips together, slowly walking away. “Uh-huh. You two really need to talk.”

But for Hyde, Jason was a “stupid fuck.” It was hard to argue with that.

Jason fed the dog more treats than he should have and played with her for a while, pushing away the time to decide whether he actually wanted to talk to Hyde or not. Jason was a hopeless pup, wishing for Hyde’s attention, even after getting the shock collar treatment. Instead of being angry about that, his first thoughts had been that it was a lot better than getting Tasered.

Now, with the video off the table, he didn’t even know what to do about the fight anymore. He spent a good half an hour in the shower, pondering what course of action to take. Would it impress Hyde if despite all the threats, Jason still won? Or would he consider that another slap in the face and
kill
him this time? Jason knew what his father would say. It was all about winning and winning only in his book. A dog that lost was a dog that died. Hence the tattoo on Jason’s chest.

Fight or die.

He took a deep breath, standing in front of Hyde’s bedroom door in the middle of the night. He wasn’t good at talking, but maybe he could work things out with body language?

There was still time to back away, but Jason wouldn’t fail again. This was one of the times he had to fight for what he believed in, so he put his hand on the door handle and gently pressed it down. He stilled, listening to the sounds coming from the darkness, and when nothing happened, he opened the door, trying to make the motion as smooth as possible.

Hyde’s room was big and airy, with a built-in closet that covered the entire wall and a huge bed under the window. The moment Jason stepped in, his nose picked up the scent of Hyde— fresh linen with a hint of tobacco and lime.

Jason took a deep breath and pushed down his pajama pants. He was ready to let his body do the talking. His stomach was twisting and knotting at the idea of going for full-on sex, but he’d never be more ready than now. He swallowed and slid under the covers to the deafening roar of blood pulsing in his ears.

Hyde let out a groan and pulled his pillow closer, completely peaceful in the bluish light coming through the blinds. Such a fucking handsome specimen of a man, with his long hair in disarray and lips slightly parted. Jason ran his fingertips over Hyde’s forearms. They hadn’t really touched much other than in sex, and as much as Jason craved the contact, he was too scared to actually sleep with a guy in the same bed. That would mean other things than lust.

Hyde sighed and pressed his eyes tightly shut. “The hell?” he mumbled. “Who let you in here?”

Jason bit on his lip. “It wasn’t locked.” He moved his hand to Hyde’s stomach, and a shiver went down his spine. A body to die for. And Jason would do a lot to stay in Hyde’s good graces, but what was he to say?
I’ll do whatever you want
? That would not put him in a good position.

Hyde’s stomach moved under Jason’s touch, so warm, with soft hair creating a path down from his navel. Jason would love to just dive under the comforter and follow that trail.

“I never invited you,” rasped Hyde.

The blade of those words was sinking into Jason’s chest, but he still impaled himself on it by moving closer. “I thought you’d like me here anyway…?”

Hyde laughed, rolling to his back. The sparse light showed off his wide, sheepish grin. “Told you. If you want me to fuck you, lose the fucking game tomorrow.”

“Come on,” Jason hissed, happy about the darkness, because he could feel his face heat up. “It’s not just about that, is it…? You said you think I’m hot.” Now he was starting to disbelieve it himself. Could it be that this had been all just some twisted ploy to make him cooperate?

“As many of them are. You think you’re special or something?” whispered Hyde, gently kicking Jason under the comforter. It felt like a blow to the stomach. “You betrayed my trust two times now, and I’m not gonna reward you with my cock.”

Jason pulled away, painfully aware that hurt had to be painted all over his face. He should have never sucked Hyde’s dick in the first place. He really was a stupid fuck. “I just wanted a quick fuck before bed, so don’t make it a big deal.” Jason retreated out of the bed, desperate to stop embarrassing himself. Where did he drop his fucking pants?

“I hope you didn’t masturbate while watching me sleep,” growled Hyde, rolling over to face away from Jason. It was humiliating beyond belief.

“Fuck off, asshole. This experiment is over,” Jason snarled in return and pulled on his pajamas. He hurt all over from rejection twisting the knife inside of him. For the first time in his life, he decided to go for it, and he got the finger. How appropriate for a loser fuck-up like him. His father had been right. He was worth as little as his dog, and his father
hung
poor Ratso from a tree.

He stumbled out of the room, with the voice in the back of his head getting louder and louder. Telling him to die already.