Rude (King's Harlots MC Book 4) Read online

  A fourth man. Of course.

  Shit. I was not on my game tonight and got distracted.

  “A little cocky, are we?” the man holding me snarled in my ear.

  “Just being honest.” I struggled against him, but he was unexpectedly strong. This was why I worked out but with my height, it didn’t help me when it came to men much larger than me.

  “You see, little girl,” the tall man smirked. “We love a challenge. So, feel free to keep fighting. There are four of us and one of you.”

  A large hand reached into my shirt, kneading my breast.

  Bile rose to my throat.

  Breathe, Brogan. You got this. You’ve done this before.

  In my position with the King’s Harlots, I had to endure several men touching and groping me but it was still hard to deal with.

  “She has some nice tits, Johnny,” the man touching me said.

  The tall man, who I could only assume was Johnny, grinned. “Good.”

  Before the man could touch me further, I shoved my head back, hitting him square in the nose.

  “Fuck, you bitch,” he yelled, landing his fist against my jaw.

  Stars danced in my vision but it didn’t stop me. I kicked him in the gut, forcing him to his knees before I ran out of there.

  “Not so fast,” Johnny was on me before I could put any distance between them and me.

  “Let me go,” I screamed, shoving and fighting in his arms.

  Johnny threw me to the ground, shoving me face first into the grass. Dirt and debris dug into my cheeks, my fingers gripping the cool ground.

  “Not before we have a little fun,” Johnny breathed heavy against my neck, his lower body circling against my rear. “Mmm … I bet you’re nice and ti—”

  Suddenly, the heavy weight was lifted off me.

  Yelling and cursing sounded, followed by several thumps, before there was complete silence.

  Rolling over onto my back, I stared up into Coby’s dark eyes. A breath escaped me, not expecting him there.

  “Coby,” I whispered, sitting up.

  He reached for my hand, pulling me to my feet before cupping my cheeks. His gaze searched my face while he brushed the knotty strands of hair out of my eyes. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. I had dealt with worse but it wasn’t something that you could get used to. “I’m fine,” I reassured him when his frown deepened. “I promise.”

  His thumb brushed over my mouth, igniting a spark of need somewhere deep inside of me. Releasing me, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you know who those fuckers were?”

  “No.” I brushed the grass off my pants, looking around me to see where the men went. “Where did they go?”

  “They ran off after I broke one of their noses.” Coby’s jaw clenched, his mouth set in a firm line. “Let’s go.”

  “You think we would just let you walk away?” a deep voice stopped us in our tracks.

  Coby and I looked at each other before turning around and seeing Johnny standing a couple feet away.

  “You see—” Johnny took a step toward us. “You broke my friend’s nose. That doesn’t sit well with me. And you—” his gaze met mine “—owe me a taste.”

  I swallowed hard. I was good, and Coby was better, but there was no way we would be able to get out of this unless the men wanted us to.

  Coby took a step in front of me, shielding me as much as possible from the bastards.

  My heart jumped. I opened my mouth to say something when I saw him slowly reach into his jeans pocket.

  The men never noticed, keeping their distance.

  “What do you say we go back to my place and have some fun?” Johnny asked. “Or I can just drag you into the alley and fuck you there. Either way, I’m game. But the more you fight, the better it is for me.”

  Fucker. “You’ll have to kill me first,” I ground out, stepping around Coby. “I’ve ate men like you for breakfast.”

  The guys laughed.

  “And what did you do? Paint their nails and do their hair?” the man closest to me asked.

  “You know what’s funny? The fact that you guys are teaming up on a woman who is half your size. Does it make you feel superior? Does it make you feel like a true man?” What could I say? Word vomit flowed from my lips when I was pissed and backed into a corner.

  “You won’t hurt her,” Coby finally said. He had been so quiet, I almost forgot he was beside me. Or that’s what I tried convincing myself. Truth was, I could always feel him no matter if he talked or not.

  “We won’t?” Johnny crossed his arms under his chest. “And how can you be so sure? You broke my friend’s nose.”

  “You like to remind me of that.” Coby feigned a yawn. “Fucker had it coming.”

  I stepped in front of Coby. Not to protect him but to protect the men. Although they would have it coming, I didn’t believe in murdering random assholes. I would rather them rot in jail first. Now the bastards who kept taking these girls, was a whole different story.

  “You see …” Johnny pulled a gun out from the back of his pants. “Charles told us you would put up a fight. I didn’t believe him.”

  Well, scratch that idea. “You know Charles?” I asked, forcing my voice to shake. These men didn’t scare me. Having four older brothers, one of them being in a well-respected motorcycle club, I saw shit. Death and pain. Things a person shouldn’t see.

  “Oh, little girl, you have no idea.” Johnny sneered, scratching his temple with the end of the gun.

  “How do you know him?” Coby placed his hand at the small of my back. That small movement sent strength coursing through my body. If these guys acted, we would fight. Together.

  Johnny chuckled. “Oh, this is fun. He did tell me how much I would enjoy this. Charles is my brother.”

  Johnny was Charles’ brother. Life was sick and twisted that way. It only made sense for them to be related.

  A laugh escaped me.

  “What the fuck is so funny?” Johnny snapped, his back stiffening.

  “You two are nothing alike,” I said, goading him into losing it. He had a gun? Well, I had four brothers. “Charles at least owns his shit. You? You follow in his footsteps.” I laughed harder.

  “Listen, you fucking asshole …” Johnny aimed the gun in my direction. “I’ll pop that grin right off your face.”

  “Do it,” a deep voice from behind me said. “I fucking dare you.”

  Angel stepped up beside me, followed by Stone, Asher, and Dale. All of them were holding their own guns. Even though Asher was no longer in the military, he still stood at our back.

  I smiled to myself knowing that if our boss saw this, he would shit his pants. We were military, respected. We weren’t supposed to handle this on our own. Well, being in this town made you question the morals of humans. The town was small but shady as fuck.

  Johnny raised an eyebrow. “You do understand that this won’t end. The women will only continue to disappear. Charles will get what he wants and the head of the organization will bring this town crumbling to its knees.”

  “Maybe so,” Asher countered. “But this is our town. I’m a jealous guy. No one is bringing her to her knees unless it’s us.”

  One of the other men, whispered something into Johnny’s ear and handed him a phone.

  Johnny grabbed it, his gaze moving over the small screen before peering back at us. “You’re fucking lucky.”

  “You see, my friend here—” the larger man standing beside Johnny pointed at him “—is a patient person, but me? Not so much. We came here for a fight.” He leaned his head side to side, the tendons in his neck straining. “I’m bored. I want to play.” His dark eyes met mine. “And so do you, don’t you?”

  A hot shiver raced over me.

  Brogan was looking up at me. I knew because I could feel it. We hadn’t known each other for long but there was a connection. I was an asshole, but I wasn’t stupid.

  My hand inched up Brogan’s back to her arm. I pulled her
to my side. She could handle herself but I didn’t need to take that chance.

  Having men’s hands on her body made me see blood. I found myself craving it and it would be theirs I would bathe in.

  “Huh,” the man sneered, rubbing his jaw. “Someone is protective.”

  “Tell me why Charles targeted me,” Brogan demanded.

  “Why should I?” Jonny rubbed his jaw, a small smirk spreading on his lips.

  “If you don’t, I’ll bask in the glory of seeing your guts spilling out at my feet.” Brogan shrugged. “It’s up to you which you choose.”

  Johnny looked from his men back to us before nodding once. “I’m not telling you shit.”

  “Fine. You fuckers need to leave,” Brogan snapped. “Now.”

  “Or else what, little girl? I could rip you apart. You would like that, wouldn’t you? I can see it in your eyes as well.” The bastard blew her a kiss and turned to walk away. “Until we meet again.”

  Shoving Brogan behind me, I lunged for him. My body vibrated, the need to hit this guy was so strong, I could taste it.

  Slamming my fist into his face repeatedly, I couldn’t comprehend what I was doing. I was hitting him, enjoying it and would do it over and over as long as Brogan was safe.

  All of these thoughts racing through my mind, these different feelings—I wasn’t sure what they meant.

  “Coby,” Brogan screamed from behind me.

  And that drove me to hit my victim harder. Much like the people I had killed over the years, they didn’t know what to expect until it was too late. If they saw me coming, it was only because I wanted them to. I wanted them to see the end of their life on the barrel of my gun.

  The bastard beneath me pushed and shoved at me, trying to get a hit in. But I was bigger. I was faster. And I was definitely stronger.

  Blood from his wounds coated my hoodie, spraying me in the face.

  At that point, I stopped. Kneeling on his chest, I gripped his leather jacket and peered down into his one good eye. “If I ever see you again, I will cut off your skin and wear it as a coat.”

  Gurgling sounded from his swollen mouth.

  I praised the sound.

  Licking my lips, I swallowed the metallic taste of his blood and smirked. “How does it feel?”

  “What?” he croaked out.

  “Knowing your blood is now inside me.”

  “You’re a sick fuck.”

  I only laughed.

  Yes. Yes, I was.

  ***

  (Brogan)

  I never thought I would meet someone with the same darkness I had. Growing up, I was accused of being crazy, sick, twisted.

  Brogan is a sociopath, bipolar, depressed … Blah blah, fucking blah.

  Finally finding a doctor who said that the wires in my brain weren’t crossed right but it didn’t mean I was crazy, I was able to feel somewhat normal.

  But seeing Coby lose it like he had, and when he licked the blood off his lips … a part of me was turned on. I met my match. I knew it before, but tonight just confirmed everything.

  Coby’s brothers didn’t say anything as we made our way back to the club. But he did still have a firm grip on my hand. The guy wanted nothing to do me but he was damn possessive. It didn’t make sense and confused the hell out of me.

  “Coby …” Dale clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You need to work it out.”

  “I know.” Coby shook himself.

  Work it out? Didn’t he already do that?

  “I can get some girls for you,” Stone said, pulling out his phone.

  Wait, what? “Are you serious right now?” I asked, but everyone kept talking. They were talking about getting the guy hookers or some shit while he had a hold of my hand. Fucking please.

  Pulling my hand from Coby’s, I clenched it at my side instead.

  He reached for it again, linking our fingers roughly before I could pull it back.

  I glared.

  He smirked.

  My heart thumped.

  “What are you doing?” I asked him.

  “Holding your hand,” he muttered.

  “I just texted Ruby. She can be on her way in five,” Dale told him nonchalantly as if he were making dinner plans.

  Coby only gave me a glance.

  We kept walking hand in hand once we made it to the club.

  “Where are you going?” Dale asked as Coby led me to the back.

  “I’m going to go workout.” Coby shivered, pulling me closer.

  “But—”

  “Have fun, brother, but I’m not fucking anyone tonight.” Coby closed the door behind us once we reached the gym.

  My stomach did a little somersault at his confession. Was I jealous? Hell yes. The guy was beautiful in an animalistic kind of way. Women loved that kind of thing, and I was no exception.

  “Brogan,” Coby snapped, pulling me from my thoughts. “I need you to hit me.”

  “What?” I shook my head. “Why?”

  “Because if I do what I really want to do, I’ll hurt you.” His hands clenched into fists at his sides, flexing and unflexing. His big body was stiff, his eyes dark.

  “I’m a big girl,” I told him, although my voice shook. “You won’t hurt me.”

  “Yes,” he rasped. “I will.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  He took a second to answer, but when he finally did, I wasn’t expecting the next words to come out of his mouth.

  “Because it’s what I want.”

  No words left my mouth as Coby and I stared at each other. The air in the room crackled and fizzled. He wanted to hurt me. How much, I wasn’t sure, but I was a fighter, and I would hit him back.

  “You need to hit me,” he gritted out, coming at me slowly.

  “Are you going to hit me?” I knew the answer before he said it but I needed to be sure. I had been hit by men before. Doing what I did in this line of work, it was to be expected.

  “No.” Coby leaned his head to the side, a loud crack sounding from the joints in his thick neck. “I may be a sadistic fuck, but I don’t hit women.”

  “Why do you want me to hit you then?” I took a step back until I hit the wall. Coby was much larger than I, standing a good foot and a half over my tiny frame but his intimidation was what got me most.

  “Because I need to work it out.”

  “Is that what the sex is for?” Images of what it would be like for him to use me that way slid into my mind. I imagined that he would be rough, dominant, only giving me what I wanted when he felt like it. But he would make sure to give me just that. Everything.

  “Sometimes.” He closed the distance between us, placing his hands on the wall on either side of my head. “It also helps me focus on something other than death and destruction.”

  “You said you want to hurt me.” Reaching my hands up, I allowed myself the freedom of gliding my fingers down his chest. “Why?”

  Leaning his head down, his tongue peeked out to lick along the shell of my ear. “Because I know it’s also what you need.”

  My heart jumped. “How do you know that?”

  “I can see the darkness in you. I can sense it. I’ve been around it long enough to know that it’s taking over. That’s why you do what you do. But you also run from it.”

  “Is that why you’re in the line of work you do as well?”

  “Yes.” He pinched my chin, tilting my head back. “We’re one in the same, little one.”

  “Then use me.”

  Coby searched my face, his mouth mere inches from mine.

  Just when I thought he was going to kiss me, he released me completely.

  The air was suddenly sucked out of me. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t do this.” He rubbed the back of his neck, putting a few feet between us. “Not with you.”

  “But you just said …” I shook my head. “Thanks, Coby. I really appreciate you making me feel like a fucking whore.” I laughed. “God, I’m so stupid.”

&
nbsp; His brows narrowed. “You are not a whore.”

  “I know that, asshole,” I yelled, spinning on him. “I throw myself at you. Offer to help you with whatever you need and you turn me down. Again. Well, I’m done. I refuse to beg. I am not that type of girl.” Storming out of the gym, I headed toward my bedroom.

  The club was dim, quiet. The sun had set some time ago. Not even realizing we had been in the gym for that long, I was surprised when I saw that it was now night time.

  Taking a cold shower, I fought with everything inside of me not to run back to Coby. I couldn’t understand why he had this effect on me. He was right, though. We were one in the same but something told me that his darkness was from a tragic memory. Mine was just because I was mentally ill.

  As much as I wanted Coby, it wasn’t worth losing myself in the end. I wouldn’t beg. Not for him. Not for anyone.

  ***

  (Coby)

  When Brogan stormed off, her tight little ass walking away from me, my dick hardened to the point of pain. The first time she even hinted at being interested in me, I had laughed like the asshole I was. But it still didn’t stop her. I wasn’t sure why she kept trying. She got my attention from the first moment I met her. She didn’t have to do anything else.

  “Then use me.”

  It took everything in me not to take her up on that offer but I was a private man. I wouldn’t fuck her some place where someone could walk in at any time. Not the first time, anyway.

  Pacing back and forth, I thought over her words. One night. One time. I could do it. I would get the satisfaction I needed without having to fuck someone else.

  An old fuck, Ruby, was ready and waiting for me. One text and I could be balls deep inside her within a matter of minutes. But with her, it was never satisfying.

  Brogan.

  My body vibrated, my feet moved of their own accord until I reached the hall leading to her bedroom. Could I do this? Could I fuck her once and be done with it? I knew the answer before I even cared to admit it.

  Brogan would be the sustenance that fed my soul when I was hungry. And right now, I was fucking starving.

  It had been an hour since I stormed out on Coby. Sixty minutes since I told him to fuck me in not so many words.