Another One Bites the Dust Read online

  Another One Bites the Dust

  Lani Lynn Vale

  (2013)

  * * *

  Rating: *****

  Tags: Literature & Fiction, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Military, Mystery & Suspense, Suspense

  Her

  I wanted him, but couldn’t find the courage to have him. You know that feeling, the one where you’re too scared to go to sleep, too scared to go out, and too scared to do anything? Ever since my assault, I’ve been functioning, but not living. That was until I met that motorcycle riding man with such a deep gravelly voice that it sent shivers down my spine. He helped me through some of the darkest moments of my life.

  Him

  She was a cock tease pure and simple. Or so I thought. What I believed to be a game on her part, turned out to be a bone-deep fear of everyday life. We helped each other cope, and slowly our friendship turned into something more.

  Them

  Circumstances broke the two of us apart just as we decided we wanted to be together. A vengeful woman sets out to ruin Max and anything he holds dear in his life. Payton has gone through so much in her life that enduring one more thing just might break her. Only Max taught Payton a few things. Never hold back. Never hesitate. Do something stupid, and always learn from your mistakes. Together, they can overcome anything.

  Another One Bites the Dust

  Freebirds # 3

  Lani Lynn Vale

  Text Copyright ©

  2013 Lani Lynn Vale

  All Rights Reserved

  This one is dedicated to my sister. I know she probably won’t read this (she finds the sex scenes embarrassing) but I love you anyway. How you can swear like a sailor, have a mind like a filthy whore, but can’t read a sex scene that your baby sister wrote, I don’t know.

  A special thanks goes out to Brandy Eubanks for the beautiful photo she took, and graciously let me use as the cover!

  Table of Contents

  Another One Bites the Dust

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  No, I’m not on drugs. I’m like this all day, every day. Your welcome!

  -T-shirt

  Nine Months Prior

  Payton

  Normally the gym was torture for me. I had to go because my insurance required it if I wanted a better rate. So, every five out of seven days, I came here, forced myself to work out, and then steamed myself until I felt ten pounds lighter. Today, however, was entirely different. I was enjoying the day immensely. The reason for my enjoyment was the man that was currently in front of me.

  I watched as the muscles in his arms flexed and bunched, pulling himself up into an extremely controlled pull up. The mirror he was doing said pull-ups in front of showed off his well-defined chest and abdomen. Each time he went up into another pull up, the muscles of his abdomen would bunch, and the two lines known as the “V” of the stomach stood out in stark relief. Each revolution was done with such precise movements, motion, and time that he almost looked inhuman.

  I watched from my perch on the mountain climber machine as he stopped his pull-ups, readjusted his grip, and started the whole process all over again. This time, instead of his hands close together in the middle, they were wide and gripped at the very edge of the pull up bar. The muscles in his back worked out more this way, and I stared mesmerized, as was every other woman in the gym today.

  I was the only one actually working out though. All the others had their hair down in long sleek sheets down their back, in their cutesy little workout pants and tops. You could tell they weren’t serious about actually working out. If they were, they wouldn’t have had their hair down, nor would they be decked to the walls with makeup.

  I looked like a damn bag lady next to these women.

  Dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt that I cut the sleeves off, I stood out like a shining beacon compared to everyone else. My hair was in a ponytail, but half of it was falling down into my eyes and sticking to my forehead. Sweat was pouring down my face, chest, and ass. I had a nice sweat stain going underneath my bra that showed half-moons where my boobs sat against the shirt.

  I was four feet eleven and a half inches of semi-toned muscle. I say semi because I was really only working out so I could eat what I want. I was very serious when it came to food. If I didn’t work out, then I would turn into an Oompa Loompa in no time.

  Another reason I was here was that I had to be. If I didn’t, things didn’t work right on my body. I worked my ass off to get my body back into somewhat decent physical shape. My body still ached when the weather changed, my tummy was still slightly rounded, and my ass didn’t sit as perky as it used to, but I could get by. Just over a year and a half ago, I was attacked outside the restaurant that ex-boyfriend had taken me to for a night out on the town. While he was able to get away from the men, I wasn’t so lucky.

  Months of rehab, followed by my own strenuous workouts, got me back to being able to walk without a limp. It didn’t do anything for my mind though. I was still as scared today as I was in that parking; gravel digging into my skin. Sirens didn’t normally produce a shot of happiness to launch through my veins, but that night it did. I was never so happy to see an ambulance in my life.

  Max dropped down from his pull up bar, and walked across the gym in all his shirtless glory. He spotted me instantly, and of course, he couldn’t let an opportunity like this to go to waste. He sauntered up to me with his bulging muscles and cocky personality. The ass knew he looked good, and he made sure to smile at every single woman who was hanging out in the weight section of the gym. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore him, but he just leaned against the wall and waited me out until I finally caved.

  “What do you want, Tremaine?” I panted.

  “Nothing. You look a little hot there, Alvarez!” He countered.

  “I’m hot. Isn’t that the point of the gym? These,” I said nodding to the women who still weren’t working out, “Fakers aren’t even here to workout. Hell, I don’t even know why they’re here. No, I take that back. Obviously it’s to sit here and look pretty, to take up space, and to make all the uglies like me feel inferior next to their mile long legs, and tits that could put Dolly Parton to shame.”

  Max found me amusing, and burst out laughing. Which in turn drew all of the women’s eyes again. They looked upon me with disdain, and then turned their gazes back to their fake workouts. I mean who the hell works out with only the bar while lifting weights? What’s the freakin’ point?

  Muscles burning and trying not to cry, I stopped climbing and practically fell off the machine as I tried to step down on my left foot. My ankle gave out, but Max stopped me from toppling to the ground in a boneless heap.

  “Maybe you should stop a little earlier next time. You don’t want to overwork yourself.” He said in that annoyingly deep voice.

  Of course, he would think I’m inept. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. I disentangled myself reluctantly from his body, and started walking out of the weight area to the locker room. Just as I reached for the door handle, Max’s large hand slammed down above my head and boxed me in.

  I turned around slowly, and my breath hitched when I found myself staring at his sternum. What a nice sternum it wa
s, too. Reluctantly, I let my eyes wander up past his dog tags, up his thick neck, past his stubborn jaw, quickly skipping over his kissable lips, and settled on his eyes. They were filled with humor, and my temper came sparking to life.

  “Back off, pretty boy.” I snapped.

  “Pretty boy? Do you see this scar right here?” He asked running his finger along a scar that circled around his ear. “This scar makes me look manly, not pretty. Get it straight.”

  “Whatever. I have plans in an hour, please step aside.” I demanded.

  “With who?” He practically purred.

  His face was moving closer and closer to mine. Any second now, his lips would touch mine, and I’d be a goner. “A guy from my class, we have a test tomorrow, and we’re studying.”

  “I’ll help you study.” He said right before his lips met mine.

  Fire burst through my lips, burning where his connected with mine. My lips parted with a gasp, and his tongue snuck inside, devouring my mouth. I moaned, and leaned into his body which somehow had mine pinned against the door. If I didn’t get control of myself, I’d allow him to fuck me right here and now, but for some reason, that wasn’t bothering me at the moment.

  Rotating my hips, I ground my belly into his erection. He moaned, and had just put his hands on my hips when a nasty voice interrupted us, practically dousing my euphoria with a pale of icy water.

  “You could do way better. She’s short, fat, and ugly. Look at how sweaty she is.” Perky tits said.

  Perky tits was one of the women pretending to workout. Particularly, the one that was benching the bar, and didn’t have any form while she did so.

  “I’m sorry, honey. Some men like real women. Ones that can sweat and not whine about it. Ones that won’t throw a fit when her man’s sweat mingles with her own. Allowing their bodies to glide together, adding a bit of messiness to the sex. The messier and nastier, the better if you ask me.” I said before taking advantage of Max’s preoccupation with Perky Tits overfilling D cups.

  Turning my nose up at him, I yanked open the door and ran as fast as my sore body would take me. I took the world’s fastest shower, and then dressed in jeans and a Hard Rock Café t-shirt. Slipping my feet into flip-flops, I was out the door in under ten minutes.

  I came to an abrupt stop when I saw Max and Perky Tits talking in hushed voices practically on top of each other. He had his arms crossed over his chest, but he was practically pinning her to the car, and my temper flared. How dare he come on to me, kiss me, grind against me, and then go to her after I left. How could he act as if nothing happened between us? As if I didn’t affect him in the slightest?

  Lucky for me nothing actually happened and I could go back to ignoring him as I’d been doing for the last couple of months. The man really made my temper flare when he was around, as well as make me very uncomfortable. Ever since my attack, I haven’t been able to get close to a man without my heart rate skyrocketing, and my breathing speeding up. It scared the shit out of me to even be in the same room as some men at times. Going into Free nearly caused me a coronary.

  Cheyenne, my friend I met during nursing school, whose husband owned Free, promised me that they were all harmless. I was skeptical, though. All I knew about motorcycle clubs was drawn entirely from watching Sons of Anarchy, and reading romance novels about MC’s. I’d been in Kilgore for a few years now, and at first, I wasn’t so sure about Free.

  Around town, the word was that they were a motorcycle club. The men of Free did nothing to rebuke the hearsay, so I really was under the impression that they were a bunch of bad asses who would cut off your fingers if you did anything to cross them. Hell, even one look at them was intimidating, and they’d done nothing but smile at me when I walked in the garage that first time.

  Over time, I’ve gotten a lot better about being around them and not freaking out, but it wasn’t easy. Now, I’m even able to have conversations with the men. Max, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He just annoyed the shit out of me. I constantly saw him with other women. Whether the slut puppies are coming to see him at Free or with him when he goes out for a drink with Cheyenne and her husband at The Watering Hole. Never have I seen him not with a woman when he is in a social situation.

  He saw me coming, and stepped away from the woman, but I didn’t stop in my stomp to my car. The man could go stub a toe for all I cared; I wasn’t stopping if it killed me. He had better watch himself from now on, too; I was so mad I could spew fire.

  He waved me down, but I didn’t wave back. Instead, I extended my favorite finger, and peeled out in a cloud of smoke. Bastard. Perky Tits smirked as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

  I didn’t look in my rear view mirror, refusing to watch that vile woman run her hands all over him. If I had, though, I would have seen him shove her away with a brutal push, and stalk over to his motorcycle, starting it with a fierce thrust of his leg, and scowling at the woman as he, too, left the parking lot.

  Six months before

  Max

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” I roared.

  Ember eyed Payton, pursing her lips in concentration. “That would be a no. She’s not. In fact, I think she is very, very serious.”

  “She’s gonna fucking kill herself, that’s what she is going to do.” I growled.

  Payton was driving a motherfucking scooter down Fuller Street, the one-way road that ran up alongside Rusty’s Scooter Shop. The wrong way.

  When Ember called me, I assumed they’d broken down. Not that they were buying something in this God-forsaken place. Gabe sat beside Ember on the bench in front of Rusty’s, silently laughing his ass off.

  Gabe was Ember’s husband. They’ve been married just short of a year. My second nephew is due any minute now, which explains why Gabe didn’t let her come alone. He’s scared she’ll go into labor like all the other women in Ember’s life and have the baby in the middle of a Walmart.

  “Listen, she only wants some help choosing one. The sales clerk only looks at her boobs. He has yet to make eye contact with her, and I don’t want her to be screwed. She’s buying one whether you say yes or no. Just help her. Gabe refused to walk into the building. He said his man card would be revoked if he even thought about going in there. Also, don’t tell her I called you, just say you were driving by and saw me.” Ember rambled.

  I loved the heck out of my baby sister, but sometimes she stuck her nose where it didn’t need to be stuck. Payton and I have been playing this cat and mouse game for a couple of months now. We’re both interested, but neither one of us will do anything about it. She wasn’t ready, and I didn’t want it.

  That didn’t mean I was happy that she was going to put her life at risk by riding this piece of shit around as her main mode of transportation. She needed to be in something that would protect her, not this thing that gave absolutely zero protection. She was going to kill herself.

  I wasn’t one to talk though. I rode, and it was the only thing I could do at times to clear my head. Sometimes it took a whole tank of gas, but at the end of my ride, I had a cleared head. If anything could make Payton smile like that, I was going to let her do it without putting up much of a fight.

  Payton did a U-turn, and then rode back into the parking lot. She pulled right up to us, nearly to our feet, and was getting off before she even noticed me standing there. Her step faltered and she went down hard onto her ass. I watched her sit there, face up in flames before I came to my senses.

  Holding my hand out, I jokingly said, “Smooth.”

  She poked her pink tongue out, blew a raspberry, and put her hands behind her ears, wiggling them like a three year old.

  “How old are you again?” I deadpanned.

  Inside I was laughing my ass off though. She always surprised the hell out of me. She dismissed me with a sniff, and turned to Ember.

  “I’m getting this one. I like the sparkly pink, and the salesman said he’d give me a good deal.”
Payton said.

  Thirty minutes later. Payton was the proud owner of a new 2014 150cc BMS scooter. It was bright fucking pink, and sparkly to boot. The damn handlebars now sported streamers, too. The prick sales man tried to screw her, not give her a good deal, so it was a good thing I was here.

  Outfitted with a pink leather jacket, pink and white Minnie Mouse helmet, and gloves, she was ready to “rocket.”

  “Make sure you look both ways. Twice. Don’t pull out in front of anyone. If you see a person in a driveway ready to pull out, assume that they’re going to, because they damn well will. They don’t see people on bikes. Leave at least two car lengths in front of the car in front of you. Be aware. Never get distracted. Hesitation kills. I’ll follow you home.” I informed her with short clipped sentences.

  She stood blinked a few times, and then turned her face away from mine. “Okay.”

  I gritted my teeth. She wasn’t sparring with me today. You could tell she didn’t want to do what you told her to do, yet she didn’t ever start an argument. She just took a step back, and let everything play out. She didn’t confront anything. Something must be wrong.

  Nodding, I walked up to my bike, throwing my leg over the side. I started her up with a rumble, and my kitten purred, just as she did when I made her my senior year of high school. I’d put everything I made at my part-time job into my bike. I spent hours working on it every day for months until I was satisfied with how it looked and ran.

  I flipped Gabe the bird as we exited the parking lot. He was too busy laughing to see it though. The first stoplight we pulled up to reminded me of why I was embarrassed. A badass like myself was supposed to have the cute thing on the back of the bike. Not riding on a silly scooter next to me. A hot damn pink one at that.

  The teenagers pointing and laughing in the car next to us were about to have their asses handed to them. I lowered the glasses to the bridge of my nose, and then let loose “the glare.”