Marked By The Devil (Devil's Riders 5)

Chapter One

Callaway

I sat on my ride, letting the motor idle. It was six AM and I was outside Nana’s nursing home, waiting for Molly. I’d spent the night at home alone, not drinking and not doing much of anything.

I’d slept a little, but mostly, I’d lain in bed and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

I’d thought about my past. I’d thought about the present, which was an empty wasteland full of motor oil, tattoo ink, and easy women. The bright spots were hanging with my brothers and their families. My present that was hopefully about to change.

But mostly, I’d thought about the future.

I wanted Molly in it, whatever that looked like. I was far from the settling down type, but in the past few hours, I hadn’t been able to imagine a future with her not in it. Not that I was picturing white picket fences. But I was thinking about having the girl in every damn way, as often as humanly possible.

Hell, I wanted to impregnate her. It didn’t make sense, but some animalistic part of me wanted to maker her flat belly grow round with my baby. Either way, though, I wanted to go to pound town.

I figured that seven or eight times a day would take the edge off.

I’d never fantasized like that about a woman. I’d never had to. I’d been swimming in tail since I hit puberty. The truth was, I’d been the most popular boy in grammar school, too.

So all of this was out of character for me, to say the least. But I couldn’t fight the overwhelming urge I had to claim her as my own. To mark her. To take her.

It wasn’t just a sex thing, though that was a big part of it. I wanted to empty my balls into her so badly it made me break out in a cold sweat. But it was more than that.

It was a primal, caveman type of thing.

And that was after spending five minutes with the girl. I had no idea if I would have the same reaction to her in the light of day. I could hardly wait to find out.

So I waited. After a few minutes, a slight-looking girl appeared in the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder, waving at someone. Then she stepped out into the early morning light.

I stood up, putting the spare helmet under my arm. She didn’t see me at first, so I took the time to have a long, thorough look at her. I was halfway hoping my memory had been exaggerating, embellishing her beauty.

But no. If anything, she was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

It was as if she was so perfect, my mind couldn’t hold onto her image exactly right. Seeing her now, in person, well, it was like taking a long, cold drink on a hot day.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the misty air waft over her.

I cleared my throat, and she startled, sensing a predator. She opened her eyes. They were the deep, rich blue of the sky at twilight, or an ocean wave right before it crested on the beach. She looked at me like a startled deer must look at a hunter.

I smiled at her without thinking. My instincts were to play it cool but I couldn’t help it. Seeing her face just made me happy.

Fucking absurdly happy. Like a crazy person. Or a little kid who really, really wanted a red balloon.

“Hey.”

Chapter Two

Molly

I blinked at the mirage in front of me. I was tired, and I had a full day ahead of me. So for a minute, I was a hundred percent positive I was hallucinating.

There was a ridiculously good-looking guy on a motorcycle staring at me.

Good-looking, with chiseled cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a penetrating gaze. But dangerous-looking, with his fitted leather jacket and the tattoos peaking out at the top of his shirt and wrists.

He looked like a movie star. Like a modern-day James Dean, but even more dangerous. He looked like a Bond villain. A stranger.

But no. I did know him. I’d met him briefly, less than twelve hours ago.

Callaway. Bonnie’s grandson.

How could I forget? The truth was, I hadn’t. He’d flustered me badly the night before. I’d had a hard time not thinking about him throughout the long night shift.

I just hadn’t expected to see him again so soon.

“Oh. Hi.” I frowned. He was dedicated to his grandmother, I knew. Bonnie had told me all about him when I came back around with my book cart. But he’d just been here the night before. Surely, he wasn’t coming twice in one week, let alone twice in one day? “What are you doing here? It’s too early for visiting hours.”

He smiled, and I almost took a step back. It was so blinding. The man looked like a GQ model, minus all that ink.