Knights Rising (Rumblin' Knights Book 1) Read online

  I need a smoke.

  I make my way out of the underground basement. I’ve got security everywhere. At the garage. Hell, I even have men watching from down the street. If a cop was nearby, or someone was snooping around, they’d call me. And I’d have this place cleaned out in five minutes flat. I thought of everything when I built it. Not stupid and all that. Which boads the question, that man that was staring at me, must have passed security, or they would have alerted me.

  Which means he had a good story, a good background, and they weren’t suspicious of him. Undercover cops usually stand out like a sore thumb; ask them a few routine questions, and they usually answer in a way that alerts security that they’re trying to get in. There is just something missing ... maybe the fact that they live a clean life, and this world ... it really doesn’t make sense to them, even if they think they understand it.

  And that shows.

  True to God.

  You know a man that is rough around the edges.

  My phone rings just as I pass the entrance and am on my way back to the garage. It’s security from out front of Rumblin’ Knights.

  “Talk to me.”

  “Got a girl here, wantin’ to speak to you. Says her name is Shania.”

  Fuck.

  Could tonight get any worse? All we do is fight when we’re together, and she is far from fucking honest with me, hell, I don’t even know why I’m fucking helping her, to be completely truthful.

  Like I said, something about her speaks to me.

  It’s just hard to hear what it’s saying over the bickering.

  “On my way.”

  I hang up and move through the back doors of the garage and then through the office and out the front. Standing under my neon light, chatting happily to Pax, my security guard, is Shania. All fucking five feet of her, curves and fucking luscious skin. Hair that makes my dick fucking hard just looking at it. And eyes that penetrate the darkest parts of me, which is exactly why I avoid looking into them.

  She turns when she notices me, and my eyes drop to the low cut shirt she’s wearing that pushes her tits out. Does she want to drive me fucking crazy, because that’s what she’s doing. And I swear to fuck she knows it. I’m curious about Shania’s story, and fuck does she have one. It’s written all over her face, there is a truth behind her eyes, a horror she keeps hidden. Whatever went down between her and Nicolai, it damaged something inside her.

  My question is, what? And how fucking bad.

  “I’d say it’s a pleasure to see you,” I murmur, pulling out a cigarette and bringing it to my lips, “but, well, it ain’t.”

  She crosses her arms, throwing a hip out to the side. “I feel the same, which is exactly why I’m here. After the other night, I’ve been meaning to pick a bone with you ...”

  “Pick away, sweetheart. Got a good bone waitin’ for you.”

  Her cheeks flush and anger flares in her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, asshole. I was drunk. I do stupid shit when I’m drunk. It won’t happen again. And the reason I’m here, straight and simple, is because you’re not welcome on this case anymore. I thought you could be trusted, but the way you announced what could have been private information made me realize that you can’t be. So, I don’t want your help. In fact, I want you away from it completely. Stop digging. Stop looking. Just stop.”

  I stare at her, my eyes hard. “First of all, lady, I’ll do whatever the fuck I want. I announced what was a pretty easy to find piece of information. Anyone in that club would have found it.”

  “Yes,” she cuts me off, wiggling her finger, “but they wouldn’t have told everyone!”

  “Are you done?”

  She crosses her arms and huffs.

  “As I was saying, it was a fairly easy to find piece of information. And as for me being off your case, no thanks, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Why?” she shrieks, throwing her hands up. “You can’t force yourself into my life, Lincoln Knight.”

  “I’m curious.”

  “You’re curious?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I’m curious.”

  “About what?”

  “About what turned you into the sassy, overbearing, smart-mouthed little shit standing in front of me right now.”

  Her nostrils flare, and fuck, it’s adorable. So fucking sweet.

  “I swear to everything ...”

  “What?” I challenge, crossing my arms. “What exactly are you going to do about it?”

  A frustrated squeak, and then, “I’ll annoy you so bad, Lincoln Knight, that you’ll wish you never met me.”

  I snort. “We’re already there, sweetheart.”

  “You’re impossible,” she mutters, shaking her head. “I can’t deal with this. I came to say what I had to say, and now I’m done.”

  “Long way to come and say what you wanted to say, you sure you’re not here for something else?”

  Her cheeks go red with anger. “Eat a dick.”

  I grin, baring my teeth. Her cheeks just get an even deeper shade of red. She’s fucking sweet when she’s angry. I’d love to take her into the garage, bend her over a car, and fuck her until she can’t think, see, or feel anything but me. I’d enjoy taking that pussy again. Sweet, and tight, and fucking lovely around my cock. And the way she moaned, true to god real, not a fake ass moan that bitches think you want to hear.

  No, she meant it, she felt it, and fuck ... my dick is getting hard.

  “I’m leaving.”

  “Chat soon,” I call after her as she spins and storms off.

  “No you won’t, I don’t need your help!” she calls out, flipping me the bird over her shoulder.

  “We’ll see about that,” I mutter to myself, then turn and walk around the corner where my security guard went to no doubt get away from the bickering. He’s smoking and offers me one right away. I take it and light it up, leaning against the wall. “Want to go and make sure she gets to her car safe?”

  He nods, grinning, and disappears.

  Fuck.

  She’s getting to me.

  ~*~*~*~

  NOW – LINCOLN

  I grunt as hot cum spurts down her throat. Who, I don’t know.

  Picked her up at a bar.

  Same bar I took Shania home from.

  Pretty, brunette, great tits, perky ass. Was all over me like a fucking fly, clawing at my shirt, practically riding my dick in the bar. Figured why the hell not? I’m frustrated, more so than usual, and I find this the best, and most effective, method of relieving frustration. After all, there is nothing quite like a woman with her mouth wrapped around your cock, sucking, moaning, gripping the base and pulling until you cum hard.

  And then she swallows, like a good little girl.

  As soon as she’s happily sucked every last drop from my dick, she pulls back and looks at me, smiling, licking her lips. A bad girl, I don’t mind a bad girl. They can be a little full on, if I’m being honest, I do enjoy a soft, innocent woman who I can take charge of, but occasionally, a nasty girl in the sheets is fun. This one would be a wild ride, no doubt about it, but I don’t feel like starting the engine tonight, so to speak.

  But the way she’s looking at me tells me she isn’t done.

  Fuck.

  Bianca. Belinda. Bernie. I can’t remember her fucking name. Started with a B. At least, I think it did, anyway.

  She stares at me through hooded lashes, and I can see right down her top from this angle. She’s panting, saliva around her pert lips, looking at me like she wants instruction, like she needs more. My dick twitches. I’ve been known to go more than twice in a row before. It might be nice to give her a good, long fuck now she’s taken the edge off. I can lay back and she can ride me until I cum again.

  By the looks of her, my dick will be enough to send her into ecstasy.

  “Stand up,” I order, and she gets to her feet.

  “Now, go over to the sofa and bend over, hike that skirt up, and let me see your ass and your pussy. If I lik
e what I see, I might just come over there and give you what you’re beggin’ for.”

  Without hesitation, she saunters over to the sofa and seductively bends over it, lifting her skirt up and showing me a fucking sweet little ass, and a really wet pussy. She’s ready, no doubt about it. My cock would slide through without any hesitation. It’s standing on alert again at the view, and fuck it, I’m going to sample this.

  I pull out a condom, roll it on, and stride forward, grabbing her by the hips and in one hard thrust, sinking my cock into her. She groans, then whimpers, and then starts screaming like a god damned lunatic. For a moment, I stare down at her, wondering if she’s hurt. But the moment I stop, she screams for me to keep going. Never heard a woman scream like this before, not sure if it’s attractive or really fucking weird.

  I fuck her anyway, but her screams are off-putting. There’s moans and screams of pleasure, and then this ... this is loud, and piercing, and a little over the top dramatic. My dick is going down faster than I can keep up. My phone rings on the table beside the sofa, and I’m surprised to see Shania’s name flashing on the screen. I haven’t seen or heard from Shania since about a week ago when she came to the garage. Figured I’d give her a little space while I continued to look into the mysterious Nicolai Peterson.

  I pull my cock out of the woman and listen to her protest as I stride over to my phone. “Shut it,” I growl, and then answer.

  “Shania.”

  “Lincoln,” she says, her voice sounding a little panicked. “I wouldn’t have called you, but ... well ... I can’t get hold of Ellie, and I don’t have anyone from the clubs’ number. And ...”

  “What’s goin’ on?”

  “There’s a man, watching my house. I thought he was just waiting for someone at first, but then every time I peeked out my window, he was just standing there, watching my apartment.”

  “You’re sure he’s watchin’ you?”

  “Almost certain.”

  “He still there?”

  “Yes. He’s just staring, like he’s waiting for something, I don’t know what. But I’m uneasy, I don’t feel safe. What if he comes up to the door, or tries to break in, or ...”

  “Calm down. Lock your doors, keep your phone with you. I’ll be there in ten.”

  “Okay,” she says, her voice still a little high pitched, telling me she’s panicked.

  I hang up and turn to the woman who is now sitting on the sofa, staring at me. “Time to go.”

  “What?” she squeaks.

  “Got shit to do. Leave. Now. Hurry up.”

  She scrunches her face up, “But we weren’t ...”

  “Yeah, we are. Done. Out.”

  I know, I can be a fucking dick when I want to be. But fuck me, what does she expect out of a one-night stand? Hell, not even. A few hours.

  “You’re an asshole,” she mutters, pulling on her panties, collecting her things, and stomping out the front door.

  “Yeah, I know.” I shrug to myself and pull my jeans on, grab my truck keys, and disappear out of the house and to my truck.

  I drive like a bat out of hell toward Shania’s house, and when I arrive, the first thing I do is park down the road and get out of my truck, walking in the general direction. I want to catch this man out. See who he is. I walk slowly, being sure to stay hidden, and when I near closer, I can see the man. She’s right, he’s just kind of standing there, watching her. He watches without secrecy, like he doesn’t care if anyone sees him.

  And it’s the same man who was in my fight ring the other night. The same man who was watching me. What the fuck does he want? I have to assume he has something to do with Nicolai, no doubt spying on us to see what or why we’re looking for him. Though, if he knows Shania, why not just come to her himself? Why send someone else to keep a look out for us and report back what we’re doing?

  Makes no sense.

  Unless there is a reason he doesn’t want to see Shania.

  Unless there is a reason he wants her away from him.

  Makes me wonder, fuck does it make me wonder.

  There is a twist to this story, I can fucking feel it, I just can’t put my finger on what it is.

  I know Shania isn’t innocent in it all, not that she’s ever maintained she is. But, it’s almost screamingly obvious that things took an ugly turn, quite possibly because of something she did.

  “Hey,” I bark, appearing out of the darkness I was standing in.

  The man flinches, jumps a little, and then moves quickly. Without even looking to see who I am. He starts running, and for a man of his age, he’s doing a good job at it. He moves fast, and even though I take off after him, I can’t catch him. He disappears across the road and I’m blocked off by a car. When I get across, he’s nowhere to be seen. I do a lap around anyway, and then, with a frustrated growl, I walk over to Shania’s and bang on her door, calling out, “Open up, it’s me.”

  A few minutes later, Shania opens the door. Her hair is down and looks to be still damp from a shower. She hasn’t got a lick of makeup on, and she’s looks absolutely spectacular in her natural glory, looking like a fucking doll she’s so pretty. She’s wearing a tight tank top, which she has no bra on underneath because her nipples are poking out, and a pair of cotton shorts that are fucking tiny.

  I’d bet she has no panties on beneath those, either.

  Fuck.

  My dick twitches.

  “You smell like sex,” she says, scrunching up her nose.

  “How the fuck can you smell sex?”

  She raises her brows. “I don’t know, but it has a smell, and you smell like it.”

  I grunt. “Are we going to have another tantrum because I’ve been fucking someone else again or ...?”

  Her cheeks get rosy, but she shakes her head, giving me a sour expression.

  “Saw that man the other night in my fight club,” I say, stepping past her and walking into her apartment.

  “No, come in, you’re fine,” she mutters, but shuts the door.

  “He was watching me, too,” I go on, ignoring her sarcastic remark.

  “He was?” she says, frowning. “I’ve never seen him before.”

  “Never?”

  “No. Honestly. Not ever.”

  “Not in the club you used to strip at?”

  She glares at me. “No, Lincoln, not at the club I used to strip at. I only worked on stage, never private dances, and I didn’t honestly pay a great deal of attention to the people on stage. Besides, that was a while ago, it is highly unlikely someone would pop up now.”

  I nod, “Then it must be someone your friend Nicolai has sent around. Maybe got word we’re lookin’ for him?”

  She seems to flinch a little at this realization, “No, I wouldn’t think so. I mean ... no. We’ve been careful, right?”

  “Yeah, but sometimes people talk. Doubtful, but what other reason could there be for that man watchin’ you and me?”

  She bites her lip, and fuck it’s cute. “I’m not sure.”

  “Then until we know, we’ll assume that it has to do with Nicolai, maybe getting word someone is lookin’ for him, maybe havin’ someone watch us, and tryin’ to figure out how we’re linked. We’ll go with that. I’ll talk to Damon and Finn, get them watchin’ the place when I’m not around, talk to the club, too. Just in case. Need to make sure this man ain’t a threat, because it’s fuckin’ hard to tell the way he was so openly starin’.”

  “Yeah.” She nods. “Yeah, it was weird.”

  “Until then, I’m goin’ to do somethin’ with your security,” I say, glancing at the shitty lock on her door.

  “What’s wrong with my security?” she asks, crossing her arms.

  “Babe, I could have gotten in that front door with my fuckin’ eyes closed.”

  She flushes.

  Fucking sweet.

  “So, Lucy and I, we’re not safe?”

  “Not right now you’re not, no. I’ll stay tonight, crash on your couch. Tomorrow, you and I wi
ll go and buy a security system, make me feel better.”

  “Wait, you want to crash here?”

  “Of course you only heard that part.”

  She frowns again. “But ... why?”

  “Thought I made that clear ...”

  “But I don’t like you.”

  I snort. “Feeling is mutual. I’ll sleep on the couch. Won’t even know I’m here. Unless of course you want to be left alone and see if that creepy son of a bitch comes back. Up to you.”

  She purses her lips, then murmurs, “Fine, okay. But don’t get any ideas.”

  I grin, devilishly and probably a little cocky. “I just had my dick sucked; trust me, I’m not lookin’ for anything.”

  I can practically see the smoke billowing out of her ears. She shakes her head, muttering something about “disgusting” and then she turns and growls, “Lucy isn’t here tonight, otherwise I wouldn’t be allowing this.”

  “Shame, Lucy is lovely ...”

  Her back straightens, but she doesn’t turn around. I’m not lying, I’ve gotten a look at Lucy, and she’s fucking sweet as hell, gorgeous, but I prefer Shania, if I’m being completely honest. She’s fucking divine. I’ll never tell her that, of course. Because she’s a fucking pain in my ass.

  “I hope you know just how much I hate you, Lincoln Knight.”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  With a frustrated growl, she informs me she’s going upstairs to get a blanket and pillow. When she’s gone, I take the chance to snoop around. I’m only human, after all, and I’m curious as to who Shania really is. I look at all her photos, mostly her and Lucy, and a few of her dad, some friends, and a couple from her stripping days.

  Fuck me, she scrubbed up nice. She’s standing in a set of stilettos, a tiny bikini, with all the other girls from the club. They’re all smiling, all dolled up, but my eyes don’t move from her. She’s fucking perfection. The kind of woman you know you’ll never forget. It’s not a wonder she did so well stripping—she has this look of innocence in her eyes, and yet her body is screaming “fuck me, and make it hard.”

  She would have driven the men wild, no doubt about it.