Hell on Wheels (Kings of Mayhem MC 4)

Her orgasm coincided with me vomiting Patron all over the floor.

I stumbled away, my father’s growl ringing in my ears as he came inside the woman I was fucking only an hour ago.

Staggering through the clubhouse and out into the night, I fell to my knees and collapsed onto the grass in the playground. Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the starry sky and let my heart break in two.

I hated my father.

I hated my father, and I wished he was dead.

In less than three years, I would get my wish.

CASSIDY

I lay awake in the dark, my thoughts tumbling over and over in my head. I was in a strange place with a man I didn’t really know while running from my psychopathic foster brother. Call me crazy, but I was struggling to fall sleep.

Rolling over, my ears pricked when I heard the creak of a door hinge. It was slow and deliberate, not quick and random like a door being pushed open by wind. An out-of-place sound in the stillness of the night, followed by the quiet click of a door.

Foreboding tingled up my spine.

Someone was in the cabin.

Slowly, I pushed my hand beneath my pillow until I felt the hard metal slide under my palm. Out in the hallway, a floorboard groaned. I hadn’t heard Chance get up, so it wasn’t him. With blood pounding in my ears, my fingers curled around the handle of the gun just as the door to my bedroom creaked open. I sat up with a rush, threw the safety off and aimed my gun. When the shadow appeared in the doorway my finger jammed against the trigger and sent a bullet roaring through the darkness and into the wall across the room.

“Jesus Christ!” The light flicked on. “Are you fucking insane?”

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the sudden intrusion of bright light. Across the room, Chance stood in the doorway, looking alarmed.

And rightfully so.

I almost fucking shot him.

I lowered the gun. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

Chance stormed toward me and grabbed the gun out of my hands. “You could’ve killed me!”

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized again. “I thought someone was breaking in.”

“So you shoot first and ask questions later?” He looked at the gun in his hand. “Why do you have this?”

The yelling hit a nerve, and I glared at him. I didn’t do very well when people yelled at me. It was that whole dominance and control thing.

“Hello, have you met me?”

He held up the gun, his eyes fierce. “This isn’t a toy!”

“No shit!”

Despite the intensity of the moment and the fire in his eyes, I still managed to notice how tight his T-shirt was over his broad shoulders and thick chest. Not to mention how the pair of sweats he wore sat so low on his hips I could see the very defined V disappearing beneath the waistband.

The muscles in his arm bulged as he pointed at the door. “You almost shot me.”

“I missed.”

“By a stroke of fucking luck.”

“No, not by luck. I aimed for the wall. It was a warning shot.”

“I’m not kidding, Cassidy.” He turned and stormed toward the door. Pissed at me.

“Neither am I.” I climbed out of bed to follow him. “I’ve never miss a target.”

He swung around so quickly I almost ran into him. His eyes blazed down at me. “This isn’t a fucking joke.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” My eyes hardened against his, and for a moment it was a battle of wills as we stared at each other. But I was no match for those fierce blue eyes. “What were you doing creeping around in the dark anyway?”

“I wasn’t creeping around!” he exclaimed with frustration “I heard something outside and I went to check. When I came back inside, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Why didn’t you call out? Let me know you were there?”

“Because I thought you were asleep. Not in here toting a gun like Calamity fucking Jane! Why didn’t you call out before shooting at me?”

“I didn’t shoot at you. Like I said, it was a warning shot.”

His mouth opened to argue with me but stopped as his bright eyes drifted down to my chest. His mouth closed and he swallowed thickly when he realized I was wearing nothing but a big, white T-shirt with nothing underneath. I saw his breath escape his slightly parted lips and felt it brush against my face. Under his gaze, my nipples turned to steel and goose bumps crept along my skin as lust ripped through me.

Around us, the air was dense with something raw and unsaid.

“What was it?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.

“What was what?”

“The noise outside?”

Still distracted by my state of undress, he frowned and shook his head to regain focus. “A raccoon out on the porch.”

“I didn’t hear you get up.”