Page 3 of Never Wed an Outlaw

I wasn't giving up, even if Dom's bastards rolled me up in chains. They'd ruined my escape, but they wouldn't stop the hateful, lunatic determination scorching my eyes each time my tears worked their way out, rolling onto the beat up mattress under me on the van's floor.

I couldn't run anymore. I couldn't keep making the same mistake.

I had to stand my ground. Fearless, honest, and alive.

I swore, with only God as my witness, I'd bring my baby into the world, and keep myself breathing.

Opportunity would come, if I just sunk my nails in, and held on.

I'd send these animals back to hell, and give my son a life where the only monsters were make believe.

2

In Control (Dust)

Fourteen Months Earlier

“Fuck me blind as a bat,” I whispered underneath my breath the second I saw her, taking a long draw off my beer.

Sure, there were plenty of hot chicks at a club wedding, but none of them looked likethis.They wore the same skimpy, desperate shit I'd seen a thousand times since I put on this patch. Same stuff that bored my cock to sleep.

Skin tight tank tops and ass grabbing shorts got the younger brothers hard, and didn't do a thing for any man who'd had his fill of sluts over the last couple decades.

This chick was different. Lavender heels, a long purple dress with frills like she'd borrowed it from a palace, designer purse wedged against her tit that must've cost three times the leather on my cut.

Too good to be here at Firefly and Cora's wedding. Hotter than she had any business being. Completely off limits, and my dick throbbed when it wanted the impossible.

I sucked down the rest of my brew and fished out mypipe. Needed to take in a good, long pull from southern tobacco before I laid my lines on a honey like her.

“Shit, Prez, you look like you had one too many already. Can't believe I'm gonna be next, right?” Skin, my Treasurer, came up next to me and slapped my shoulder.

“Can't believe he beat your slow ass to the punch, yeah. When's your wedding, boy?” I growled, banging his fist.

“Soon as Meg and me sort out the business with the girls at the bar. That business doesn't run itself, you know. It'd sure be nice to knock the Deads flat, too, before we've got any more wedding bells ringing in this club.”

“Yeah,” I said, blowing a wisp of smoke out my mouth, my eyes never leaving the girl in the corner, laughing while she chattered away with our newly married Firefly and his old lady, Cora. “We'll tear their balls off sooner or later. Don't wait for them, brother. At the rate it's going, you're gonna watch Joker or Sixty tie the knot before you.”

He laughed because I'd just told the dumbest joke in the world. Our Veep, Joker, was fucking crazy. If he ever started caring about anything except his dead brother and that big ass Irish Wolfound he just got, I'd swallow my own pipe.

And Sixty? Forget it. That boy never went after anything except the loosest pussy when he didn't have oil on his hands from working in the garages.

“Whatever, Prez. I see where your mind's at tonight.” Skin winked, following my gaze over to the little table where Miss Sexy, Purple, and Mysterious sat. “Christ, you know who she is, right?”

No, but you better start talkin',I thought, giving him alook that said as much.

Skinny boy's grin only got bigger. “Fuck it. I gotta find my old lady and party a little more. I'll leave you to find out. More fun that way.”

He knew I wouldn't chase him down and get in his face for screwing around. Not at a brother's wedding, when nothing ever rolled except good times aplenty.

Growling frustration, I put out my pipe and stuffed it back in my pocket. Then I straightened my leather cut on my shoulders and headed straight for her.

Firefly and Cora slipped away just a minute before, leaving me a perfect opening. Not like I needed one. Talking to pussy and reeling it in came easy.

“You look like you oughta have a champagne flute in your hand, not a damned Jack and coke,” I tell her, taking the seat across from her.

Turning slowly, I gave her a solid ten seconds to take me in. Fuck, her big blue eyes looked beautiful when they went wide, and liked what they saw.

Women always liked what they saw when I stood in front of 'em.Always.

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