Obsession (Sons of Judah MC Book 2)

This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons--living or dead--is entirely coincidental.

Obsession copyright @ 2015 by Kathryn Thomas. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Book 2 of the
Sons of Judah MC
trilogy

Chapter One

Stacy never thought she would live to see the day when her ex-husband and current boyfriend would be in the same room, but when Ned opened the door and Marco came in, she was nearly breathless with fear. Although her marriage with Ned ended a few months ago, she wasn’t sure of his reaction.

Ned was speechless. “What are you doing here?”

Marco frowned and glanced at Stacy. Seeing that she wasn’t able to speak, he sauntered over to her. Holding her hand, he faced Ned. “Stacy and I are dating.”

Ned gaped. He opened his mouth and then closed it. “Dating? You and Stacy? How…is that even possible?”

“We met at your house,” she managed to say. “And…somehow…things took off.”

“Took off?” asked Ned, as if he was incapable of coherent speech.

“I understand it’s difficult for you to see her with another person, but I will take good care of Stacy. I’m sure that’s what you want,” said Marco.

Ned sputtered, and his cheeks flushed with color. “Yes, of course.”

Stacy didn’t think he was too worried about how Marco treated her. Not that she thought Ned had any real feelings for her, he was mostly just concerned about how this had a bearing on him. He was likely to take it as an insult that she moved on from him so soon. Ned never loved her. It took her a few painful months to realize that. If he ever loved her, he wouldn’t have cheated on her, but he did consider her to be his property, and maybe that feeling didn’t fade after the divorce. She expected a full-blown tantrum.

Stacy cleared her throat. “Ned, I…was planning to tell you.”

He smiled. “But of course, you were. Well, this does surprise me, I must say. I didn’t think you two would have anything in common. Marco’s work is…rather unconventional.” She tensed, waiting for a barb to come her way, but he merely shook his head. “I should go. Just dropped by to see if you were doing ok.”

Before Marco’s arrival, he was saying something else. He stated that perhaps losing her was the worst mistake he made. What did he mean by that? She wanted to ask so many questions, but Stacy was simply grateful that he wasn’t making a fuss. As long as he stayed out of her life, she was happy. Whatever he thought about the end of their marriage was irrelevant. She knew that getting out of her relationship with him was the best thing that ever happened to her. She loved the freedom and the independence she experienced now, and she was glad that he realized that there was no point talking about the past. It was over and done with, and they both had a chance to build a new life.

“Take care, Ned,” she said.

He cast a long look at her—and then at Marco. Rather than saying anything else, he merely opened the door and walked out. It was amazing to know that she was free to move on without any repercussions from her ex-husband. After Ned stepped out, Stacy released a breath she didn’t she was holding.

“Wow! That was unexpected.” She turned to face him. “I…didn’t know he was dropping by. He just came in, and of course, I couldn’t refuse to talk to him.”

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “It’s ok. He is a part of your life, and I’m glad he is aware of our relationship. I didn’t have any intention of hiding anything from him.”

She was pleasantly surprised that he could take it so well. The man sure had some nerves. He wasn’t at all frazzled by the scene that unfolded. Stacy had to admit that she was left a little shaky by the encounter, but there was no point talking about it. “We should go then. The movie, remember?”

“Yeah, of course.”

They stepped out. Stacy patted her bag once as she recalled all the things she’d put in it. The plan was to stay over at Marco’s tonight. She looked forward to it. It was nice to see that their relationship wasn’t only picking up speed, but it was also gaining trust. With each passing day, she felt more comfortable with Marco. Sure, they had their differences, but they were slowly creating a bond. It made her happy and more comfortable.

“How was your day?” she asked, in a desperate bid to make some conversation as they got out of the building.

Seeing the bike parked in front, she gaped. “It was good actually,” he began. “I had—”

“You don’t actually think that we’re going on that?” she pointed towards the bike. “Come on.”

He frowned and gazed at her pale face. “We talked about it.”

She shook her head. “There was no talk. Whatever you said, I assumed you were joking.”

“Why would I joke about bikes?” He shrugged. “I drive it all day long. It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal for me. I…” She glanced at the bike and took a deep breath. It was time for a confession. “I lied when I said that I never rode on one. When I was twelve, I rode with an older kid, and we both fell off, and I broke my wrist.”

He didn’t seem surprised to hear that. “Oh! He was underage, I suppose.”

“He was. His father wasn’t happy. Not only did he take off with the bike without permission, but we both ended up in the hospital.”

“A tragic tale indeed.” Marco grabbed her arm. “But this one won’t be the same. I realize that you’re scared, but there is absolutely no cause for concern. We’ll do well. I am a very careful biker.”

“I hardly have faith in that statement. You’ve been riding for a long time. Your idea of careful and my idea of careful are poles apart.”

“I’ll drive slowly.”

“My idea of careful is to keep my feet planted on something. A car is good. Trains and buses are acceptable, but a bike…that’s just not good.”

“I understand that the accident and that experience were traumatic, but I assure you, we will not have any such incident,” he assured her.

“You can’t guarantee something like that.”

“I can.”

She put her hand on her hip. It was hard to explain the fear that congealed in the pit of her stomach. It was too easy to recall the panic and pain she experienced when she fell off the bike—even though it had been years ago. “How can you say that?”

“Easy enough. I’ve been driving this baby since I was nineteen and I have never fallen off the bike.”

“You’re too cocky.”

“Huh. Darling?” He drew her in his arms and brushed his lips over hers. The lance of desire that skipped through her heart was intense and needy. “Come on. Trust me. I would die before I hurt you.” The sincerity that reflected in his eyes was too easy to see. Still the fear didn’t completely leave her. She didn’t protest when he picked up the helmet and put it on her head. He tied it and patted the side of it. “You’ll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered. Still, she sat and gripped his waist with both hands. “I hate this.”

“Give me a few days and you’ll love this. I will teach what it really feels like to have this powerful machine under you. It’s love, and if you ever experience it, you will never be able to stay without it,” he said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she complained.

He gunned the engine, and the lance of fear became a hot coal of nerves, but then he started the bike. She swallowed the scream that sprang to her lips.
No.
She wasn’t going to make a fool of herself. The bike slid forward, and it wasn’t as bad as she imagined. Marco really did seem to have a fine grip on it. He weaved in and out of traffic and kept the pace slow. She could tell that he was rearing to go, but for her, he made an effort to make it as safe as possible. When he parked in the mall’s parking lot, she sighed with relief.

He got off, took off his helmet, and hung it. “How was it?”

“It wasn’t bad.”

He helped her take off her helmet. “That’s a great improvement on your first reaction when you saw it, but I am hoping for something more and better. Hopefully, when you ride it again, you’ll actually enjoy it.”

She glanced at the bike. There was no doubt that he was a much better rider than the boy who lured her with promises of adventure and made her end up in a hospital, but still, she wasn’t sure how prepared she was for more of such rides. “We’ll see.”

“Is that your way of saying no?” He laughed and held her hand. “If so, let me assure you that I have taken it up as a challenge.”

“Oh dear.”

“Soon you’ll be driving like a pro.”

“I’ve no intention of ever trying to tame that beast,” she said.

“You’ll change your tune soon enough, love.” They took the escalator up. Stacy didn’t remember the last time she watched a movie or hung out at a mall. Ned was never up for something like that. He pretty much hated the idea of doing something so uncouth. For him, fun meant hanging out with his people—who were all sophisticated and suave. Sitting in a food court or watching a movie wasn’t something that excited him at all. She was so happy that Marco shared her joy in such things. It made life much more enjoyable.

When they entered the cinema, they joined the line. Luckily, it was a weekday and there weren’t too many people. He paid for the tickets. “Can I at least share in the cost of that?”

“No way.”

“So when do I get a chance to pay for something?”

“Easy enough. You ask me out, and then you can pay.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I remember, it was my idea to watch the movie.”

“But it was mine to take you out. Come on, don’t be a fuss pot. Let’s just enjoy the movie. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to spend your hard-earned money.”

“Did you just call me a fuss pot?” she hissed, as he got in the line to buy popcorn. “No one in my whole life has ever called me that.”

“I apologize, love. Would you like a soda?”

“I would love it.” She nodded. The man sure had the nerve to call her fusspot. What the hell was that anyway? Was it because she worried so much, or because he just thought she talked too much? After he handed her the caramel popcorn and the soda, she marched toward the door that led inside. “I’ll tell you one thing; it’s quite ok for a man to criticize a woman, but if I were to do that, you would be grumpy for a day.”

“I’m never grumpy.”

“I don’t believe that.” She tossed her hair as she searched for their seats. When she found them, she settled in. “Men don’t like to be told that they have flaws.”

“So tell me a flaw of mine.”

She sniffed. “I don’t want to spoil your mood.”

“Oh, I am made of sterner stuff. Trust me, nothing will happen to my mood, and I think it might actually help yours. I didn’t really mean to call you a fusspot. It just slipped out. My mother used to tell that to my sister whenever she was in a bad mood.”

“Fusspot, indeed.” She snorted.

“Tell me a flaw of mine,” he insisted.

“You don’t have any,” she said in as sweet a voice as she could muster. “Perfect. That’s what you are.” He laughed, and she could see that he wasn’t at all perturbed. The man sure was the most secure she ever saw. Didn’t he get irritated by anything she said? Compared to him, Ned was so insecure. He used to get pissed off at the slightest hint of criticism. Feeling a little bit reckless, she glanced at him. “Let’s try something else then. A flaw, right? Ok. Let me think.” She looked him up and down while he eyed her with amusement. “You’re…arrogant. Yeah, that’s what you are.”

“That’s not a flaw. It’s a compliment. Arrogant is the same as confident.”

“It’s so not.”

He ate some popcorn. “Arrogance is confidence with an attitude. Everyone knows that.”

She gaped as he watched the screen come alive. Arrogance did define the man. He sure had some big opinions of himself. She munched on some popcorn as she tried to think of a way to make him irritated. As the names of the actors flashed on screen, Stacy was suddenly stuck with the thought that she was actually doing counter-productive work. The man might be arrogant, but he wasn’t selfish, and he wasn’t whiny, and he wasn’t overly sensitive when it came to his ego. She was lucky to have him in her life; he wasn’t easily disturbed. What a change that was from tiptoeing around men who constantly needed to be told that they were super in every possible way.