Bailey Johansson is the redneck princess of the Reapers Motorcycle
Club. Desperate to fall in love, she won't settle for just any guy. Bailey
wants Nick, but he isn't making it easy for her.
Nick Davies grew up in a life of violence. Cage fighting as Dragon
provides money and willing girls, but he only craves the sister of his
nemesis. Love might come easily, but trust proves to be a struggle.
Can the spoiled princess find a way to heal the hurt boy inside the man
she loves?
Damaged and the Dragon Bijou Hunter

Chapter One ~ Bailey
As Bailey Fucking Johansson, my life should have been easy. For a
long time, even after the devil child was born and I was no longer the
center of the universe for my parents, my life remained pretty damn
good. I didn' t know when shit went downhill, but I clearly needed
dramatic changes if I wanted my life to improve.
My new boobs were the most obvious change. I went from a big A to a
small C cup. While I wanted them to be Double D Dolly Parton big,
Raven said no. She put her still casted foot down and claimed I would
look like a loser. Wussing out, I did as she commanded.
My mom would have gotten me any size I liked. She always wanted me
to make my own decisions and be independent. She even pretended to
support my choice to move out of the house. On the other hand, Pop
was thoroughly against me leaving.
"First, you want new tits!" he yelled. "Now, you want to move out. I'm
suspicious of where this ends."
Pop refused to say goodbye when I moved into my new place, but Mom
and Sawyer joined me for dinner. Later while they prepared to leave, I
studied their matching curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Getting lucky
by having Pop's straight blond hair, I'd also been blessed with Mom's
eyes. Those eyes that were now tearing up.
"You can always come home," Mom said.
"I just moved out," I muttered, smacking a mosquito on my sweaty
arm.
"No, I mean if you're lonely or want to spend a night or two at home.
Your room is still yours."
"Thanks, Mom," I said, hugging her which wasn't easy with my new
knockers in the way.
Sawyer shook her head. "I liked how you were whining less. I wish you
didn't have to leave."
"I'll still be around."
Giving me a hug, Sawyer stared at my boobs. "I'd have gotten them
super big."

"I know. You told me that an hour ago." "Just saying."
"Well, we should go," Mom sighed, taking Sawyer's hand. "If you need
anything, you know where we are." "Tell Pop I love him."
"He knows. It's just hard watching his little girl grow up." "I'll see you
soon."
Mom gave me a little smile before she and Sawyer walked across the
long driveway and disappeared into our cabin-style house. Left alone at
the apartment over the garage, I stared at what looked like a million
stairs. As nervous as I was to be on my own, time had come for me to
grow up and be a new woman.
A month earlier, Mom had the apartment remodeled to give it a more
feminine touch. In the past, my oldest brother Cooper then our buddy
Vaughn used the place for their harems. While I told my parents I didn'
t want to touch anything skanked up by the prior residents, I really
didn't want reminders of when Vaughn's cousin nearly beat my friend
Raven to death in the living room. I hated imagining her suffering the
way she did.
Raven and Vaughn now lived in a big yellow house, just another happy
couple in love.
I hoped getting my place would be the first step to finding love one day
too. First my idiot brother Tucker met Maddy then my smarter idiot
brother Cooper hooked up with Farah. Her sister Tawny fell for the
Reapers' enforcer Judd. Our crew soon expanded when Lark married
Cooper's best friend Aaron. Finally, Lark's sister Raven jumped on
Vaughn and refused to get off. Through it all, I remained alone.
Now in my new place, I warmed up a Hot Pocket and sat in front of the
TV. An hour alone made me realize I was nervous to be on my own.
My fear was stupid since my parents were within yelling distance and
I'd been alone in the main house overnight. Even so, I decided to get
one of our millions of giant dogs to stay with me.
Opening the door, I found Pop halfway up the stairs. He looked
conflicted until seeing me then he smiled.
"Do you want a dog to stay with you?" he asked, walking up the

final steps. "Do have your phone nearby? Gun too?" "Yes to all three,"
I said, hugging him.
His strong arms held me to him. Pop smelled like Marlboros and Old
Spice with a hint of barbecue sauce from dinner. Mostly, he smelled
like home.
"Thanks, Pop," I said when he let me go.
"I want my little girl to be happy."
"I just need to grow up a little."
"A little."
"Not too much," I promised.
Tall and powerful like the boys he fathered, Pop stroked my hair then
looked into the dark night. He whistled and a few dogs rushed over.
"Danger is a good indoor dog," he said then called out to her. Once the
Rottweiler rushed up the stairs, we pet her for a minute. "See you at
breakfast," Pop said, hugging me once more.
I stood at the top of the stairs until Pop reached the house and
disappeared inside. Danger and I walked into the apartment where I
locked the door. While the dog got comfortable by the TV, I pulled out
my journal. Keeping my ideas in one place was my therapist's idea. She
had a lot of great ideas, but once I had my new life plan in motion, I
didn' t really need her anymore.
In the journal was my four part plan to happiness.
Step one ~ buy new boobs. Check. They were excellent too.
Step two ~ get serious about my career. Check. I changed my major to
business and hired a personal assistant to practice bossing people
around.
Step three ~ move into a place of my own. Check. The place smelled
new. Not even a hint of whorehouse remained. Step four ~ get me a
good man.
The final part proved to be the trickiest so far since Nick Davies wasn't
cooperating.

Chapter Two ~ Nick
The first time I stepped into the cage at the Thunderdome I could barely
breathe. The crowd was smaller then, yet rowdier. Wasted guys threw
empty beer bottles at the cage. Hell, sometimes they tossed hot dogs
and nachos.
My first opponent was a Reaper's son who had won his last three fights.
Wearing sweatpants and an oversized tee, I stood in my corner and
wondered if getting pounded was worth a hundred bucks.
Never imagining I'd win and make the three hundred winner's pot, I
only hoped for easy cash to take the pressure off of paying my bills.
After getting a concussion from Cooper Johansson, his family paid for
my freshman year tuition. I figured making extra money the first year
would make the rest of my college experience easier.
When the biker's kid came at me, I feared the first blow, yet the pain
awoke something dark in me. Growing up, I took more punches and
abuse than this fucker. I knew I could beat him. Not through brute
strength, but by lasting longer. After he came crashing to the ground
and I held the winner's fee in my hand, I knew Dragon was back.
Fighting in the Thunderdome became a chance to act out my ugly past.
I pretended I was defeating every asshole that ever treated me like shit.
Every douche standing in my way. Every loser who made me hide as a
kid. Once I kicked the asses of all those imaginary foes and lost the fire
for winning, I simply fought for the money.
A lot of my opponents were real athletes while others were jerks
looking to impress girls. A few were crazy fucks wanting to legally hurt
someone. I dealt with each opponent differently.
The athletes arrived with a plan of attack, so I had to frustrate them
until they made a mistake. With the jerks, I only needed to score a few
hard punches before they didn't want to play anymore. As for the crazy
fucks, well, I made those fights personal.
They were easy to spot. Unlike the other guys who played the crowds,
the crazy fucks only cared about their prey. I was a victim they got paid
to pound into the ground. Once the gate closed behind them and

they focused on me, I doubted the freaks even remembered the money
or crowd. They only wanted me to bleed.
My dad was the same kind of man. How many times had he bitched
about laws against hitting wives and kids? He claimed what happened
in a family should be family business. I knew he wanted a legal way to
pound on people.
The crazy fucks were mere obstacles between me and my money. Even
so, the Dragon part of me wanted them to feel like the people they
preyed on. No way was I the first one they viewed as easy prey. I
wouldn't be the last either, yet I enjoyed the look on each freak's face
when my first punch took him off guard.
Everyone said I had a boyish look about me. The Thunderdome
manager Axel mentioned the same thing when I arrived for my first
fight. Why does a sweet boy like you want to get your ass kicked? I just
smiled at his comment since I never had a talent for the kind of trash
talking that made so many men scary. As a teenager, I practiced acting
tough in front of the mirror. I always ended up laughing because even I
didn' t believe the bullshit coming out of my mouth. Though tall and
strong, I'd never be scary.
Every guy I'd fought over the years thought he could take me in less
than a minute. Even now as Dragon, I never scared anyone. Their lack
of fear was what made the first punch so perfect. The moment my
opponents realized they were fucked.
The guy tonight was an athlete. Wide in every way, I suspect he played
football. I enjoyed fighting the bigger guys because they were easier to
dodge and wear down. If I escaped the brunt of most punches by being
faster, I could outlast them until I delivered the final punch.
Glancing at the crowd, I saw girls wearing dragon shirts and makeup.
Their interest meant Axel paid me more to keep fighting. Even
appreciating that the girls' lusty squeals distracted the athlete, I planned
to dodge them like I dodged the guy's punches. Only one girl interested
me, but I hadn't found our right moment just yet.

Chapter Three ~ Bailey
All my friends were joined at the groins and I wanted to know the
secret to their happiness. Dropping by Cooper and Farah's suburban
house to chat with my least favorite sister-in-law, I brought along my
new assistant.
A month earlier, I'd hired Winona Todds to take notes for me in class.
She also helped me keep organized. The adopted daughter of the
Reapers' pastor and her sister Harlow had a rough time over the
summer when a few crazy fuckers grabbed them. I didn't know
everything that went down, but the girls killed one guy and escaped.
Now, Winona was my first employee.
Once inside the two-story family room, Winnie attempted to disappear
into the furniture. As much as I liked how quiet she was, sometimes I
forgot she was there. Once I even left her at a pizza shop, only
remembering hours later.
Since Farah snared my manwhore brother, she clearly knew a few
tricks. Asking for advice was my new thing, but it hadn't helped me so
far. Raven' s brilliant tip to catch a man was flashing my titties. Tawny
told me to play coy. I didn't even know what the hell that meant, but it
sounded boring so I never asked her to elaborate. Lark's advice was to
be true to myself. You know, as if I was living in a Disney movie.
Finally, I turned to Farah for help. The uptight bitch never should have
worked with Cooper, yet somehow she wrapped his giant asshole ego
around her finger. I wanted to know her secret, so I could use it to trap
my man.
Preggers with their first kid, Farah didn't look too sexy waddling
around the kitchen. Her corndog breath wasn't working either. I did
notice her boobs were bigger. Clearly liking this fact, Cooper said
goodbye to them before leaving for school.
"He's an idiot," I told her after he left.
"He's sweet," Farah said with a dreamy smile. Then she frowned at me,
"What do you want again?"
"To rub your Buddha belly for luck."

Farah smiled, but I think she wanted to smack me. All the hormones
made her shifty and I was a big fan of the feisty changes to her
personality.
"How did you get Cooper to fall in love with you?"
"I don't know."
"Liar."
"Why don't you ask him?"
"So he can tell me a sappy story about how your eyes met and his dick
just knew you were the one? I don't need the romantic version. I need
the blueprint. I' m looking to con a man into loving me."
"Sounds like a solid plan, but what works for one person won't work for
another."
"Are you saying I'm not hot enough to play your tricks?"
Farah smirked. "Yeah, basically. Nice boobs though."
Rolling my eyes, I stormed to the living room where I threw a sighing
fit. With a baby girl on the way, Farah should view my drama as a test
run for her future teenage daughter.
"Cooper came to Denny's where I worked," Farah said, sitting down
with her corndog salad. "We talked and he made me laugh. I guess that'
s how we fell in love."
Narrowing my eyes, I muttered, "So the cornerstone of your epic love
is that you served him like a slave and he made you laugh? I feel like I'
m being punked."
"Fuck off, Bailey," she mumbled with a mouth full of corndog. "I'm
sorry you're having trouble finding the right guy, but don't take it out on
me."
"You ever wonder if getting so fat will make Cooper cheat on
you?"
Farah stopped mid-chew and the light faded from her big doe eyes.
After allowing her to squirm, I crawled over to her chair and rubbed
where my niece was cooking.
"You've got my brother whipped. He'd never cheat because you'd cry
and he hates that shit. I hope I break a man's spirit like that one day."
Farah caressed my head as I nuzzled her bump. "Don't worry, you
will."

Smiling up at her, I glanced back at Winnie. "Add be a slave and funny
as ideas to catch my man."
Winnie jotted down the advice then hid behind her dark hair again.
When Farah started to say something to my assistant, I patted her
tummy.
"Don't mess with her groove. She's not in a chatty mood," I warned.
"Do you have any advice to help me get my man?"
Farah cupped my face like maybe we'd make out. "Be the best Bailey
you can be with him. Don't be fake though. When he falls for you, he
should fall for the real you."
Smiling, I pretended her advice was aces even though it was the same
crap Lark told me. No way did I buy into their "real me" shit, but I' d
already been mean enough to Farah over the last year. No reason for me
to smack her around more by mocking her dumb advice.
After watching Farah scarf down corndogs while I fought the urge to
point and laugh, I left the house with Winnie.
"How will I manage to be Nick's slave? Should I offer to clean his
apartment?"
Winnie said nothing. She didn't even look at me either, but I still felt
her mentally rolling her eyes.
"I'll take that as a no. Maybe I can make him laugh. Or he can make me
laugh. Yeah, humor is good. I could also spill something on him then
clean it up without asking. Ooh, I'll be submissive to him."
Winnie glanced at me as I prepared to drop her off at the Todds's 1970's
inspired Brady Bunch house.
"What?" I asked when she said nothing.
Rather than pissing me off, Winnie hoped to make a getaway. She
climbed out of my SUV then said, "Don't spill anything."
"What should I do then? I'm studying with him in an hour and I need a
plan to land my man."
Winnie sighed. "Go with your gut."
"My gut gets me into trouble."
"When the Devils came here and one of them tried to grab you, your
gut told you to fight back by shooting at him. That was a good move."

"Are you still having bad dreams about that?" I asked softly.
Stepping back, Winnie lowered her gaze. "Good luck with Nick."
After waiting until she was safe in the house, I drove to New Hampton
College with the goal of sweeping Nick off his feet. Too bad my plans
remained iffy.
At no point during our study session did Nick look at me. He looked at
other girls. Even smiled at them, but I was right there and he didn' t see
me.
I noticed Nick the first day of our freshman year. He was cute with his
thick brown hair always falling in his eyes. He also had a great smile,
but his bright green eyes were what drew my attention.
Back then, he hadn't been so buff or bruised. Having gained around
forty pounds, he had wider shoulders, thicker arms, and a stronger
chest. A perfect body for fighting, Nick battled guys a few days a week
at the Thunderdome. I noticed a healing bruise on his jaw while he had
a fresh one near his temple. His hair was shorter these days, but
occasionally his bangs covered those amazing green eyes. Though the
guy hypnotized me with his sexiness, I couldn't even get him to flash a
glance in my direction.
Probably downing a gallon of Sprite before study group was a mistake.
Or maybe I was sick of sitting across from him and being ignored. No
more playing it cool when I ran hot whenever he was in the same room.
I slammed my hand down on the book he was reading. Not even
flinching, Nick didn't seem startled at all, even while the others
jumped. He lifted his gaze to meet mine then waited as if I was a
spoiled child and he was the ever patient parent. Fuck him for his
patience.
"You suck."
"Bailey," Emma said.
When I turned my angry gaze to her, she probably pissed herself. I
didn' t care about Emma or the others. I wanted Nick to pay attention to
me.
"I'm storming out of here," I hissed at him, "and you better fucking
follow after me to see what's wrong. If you don't, I'm coming back here
and making a scene."

The corner of Nick's mouth lifted into a half grin. "You're already
making a scene. Think of a better threat."
"I'll set fire to the building," I growled. "I know how to work dynamite
and I love blowing shit up."
The other half of Nick's mouth lifting, Nick smiled at me then lowered
his gaze and returned to reading. The fucker was calling my bluff!
Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about dynamite and loud noises
made my head hurt. Fucker knew I wouldn't do shit.
Storming out of the library, I couldn't just stay there and show him that
he'd won. Once outside, I felt like crying or screaming. Even felt like
finding dynamite and proving I wasn't full of shit. None of those moves
would fix my problem, so I sat on a bench and sulked.
Nick was stupid to want Farah even after she hooked up with Cooper.
He was a sap. A fool! Much like me wanting a guy hung up on my
sister-in-law.
I blamed Farah's fat lips. They were too sexy and made guys think of
blowjobs. While I considered putting poison in my lips to make them
fat like hers, I didn't want anyone thinking about blowjobs when they
looked at me. I wanted them thinking I was special. No, I only wanted
Nick thinking that, but he was a loser stuck on a girl who didn't want
him.
"Out of dynamite?" Nick asked from behind me. "Yep. Used it on the
last loser who pissed me off." "And you're pissed why?"
Glancing at Nick next to the bench, I noticed his shirt was too tight
around his chest and loose around his narrow waist. If he was mine, I
would fix it and maybe feel him up a little. Instead, I glared at him like
he was a piece of shit. I blamed Nick for making me hate him.
"You suck."
"Okay, but why now?"
"You'll never have Farah. I mean, it's not like she's going to leave my
hot, rich, stud brother, so she can slum it with you."
Nick studied me, showing no emotion in his bright green eyes. He
could be examining something on the heel of his shoe. His disinterest
pissed me off. Hell, I hated him for not jumping me that very moment.

Glancing down, I admired my boobs jutting from my chest. What was
his problem? I was hot. Maybe not blowjob lips hot. Or broken little
girl needing a savior hot. Simply a rich girl with great fake boobs hot.
Any other guy would at least give them a quick peek. Not Nick though.
"You smell like bacon," I muttered, standing up. "I hate you for
that."
"Bacon?" he asked, walking towards the parking lot as if I wasn't
standing right there. "I shower more than once a day. I shouldn't stink."
"You ate a bacon hamburger or something," I said, rushing after him as
he dumped his backpack onto the back of his shiny red Harley. "You
smelled like bacon and I love bacon. I think you did that on purpose."
"Probably," he said, taking my backpack and shoving it next to his.
"Let's go."
"Where?"
Nick climbed on the Harley then focused his gaze on my face. "Do you
care?"
I didn't dare smile or give away the happy dance happening inside me.
Shrugging as if bored, I climbed on behind him. My attempt at playing
it cool ended when I wrapped my arms around his hard stomach. I'd
dreamed of this moment a million times, but reality was better.
When I sighed, Nick became very still. Emotionless, distant, dead to
me, he glanced over his shoulder with a look of concern.
"Do you need a helmet?"
Balking, I prepared to remind him I was Bailey Fucking Johansson.
Before I ranted, Nick smiled and I realized he was messing with me.
"Don't let go," he said, turning on the bike.
His words felt like more than a suggestion about safety. They were the
request of a man needing me. I really liked the thought of him suffering
without me. Resting my cheek against his back, I imagined the dragon
tattoo hidden under his shirt.
Nick drove us to the Hog House on the outskirts of Ellsberg. The dive
only served pork, so I assumed this was where he ate the bacon I
smelled on him after lunch one day. I slid off the back of his Harley and
fixed my shirt. When I looked up, Nick was standing over me with a

strange expression on his sexy face.
I thought he might say something rude or tell me I had a booger.
Instead, he cupped my face, leaned down, and sucked at my lower lip.
Happening so fast, I barely had time to savor his kiss before it was over.
Nick stepped back and ran his fingers through his dark hair. I tried to
play cool, but I wanted another kiss. Preferably a longer one leading to
us naked somewhere. I hadn't been with a guy in a long time and I'd
been dreaming about Nick for even longer.
"So you like me?" I said, placing my hands on my hips and frowning up
at him.
"I like bacon too. Let's get something to eat."
Before I could respond, Nick took my hand and tugged me towards the
loud little outdoors restaurant. He found us a picnic table then waited
until I sat down before sitting across from me.
"I've been trying to bulk up," he said, glancing over the menu. "Eating a
lot of protein helps."
"For your fighting?" I asked, wanting him to look at me.
Nick nodded, but his gaze never found mine. "Hurts less when I have
bulk between their fists and my bones."
"Do you like fighting?"
"I like making money," Nick said, looking up at our waitress. "Can
I get a Bud and a Coke?"
She wrote down his order then looked at me. "Sprite."
As the chick walked away, I nearly grabbed Nick's face and forced his
eyes on me. He studied the menu again, ignoring me. Every ounce of
self-control kept me from kicking him under the table.
"I heard you were dating a girl from town," I said, setting aside my
menu. "Anyone I know? I don't want a pissed off bitch showing up and
punching me in the face."
Nick finally looked at me. His gaze was soft, tired maybe. Giving me a
little grin, he returned his gaze to the menu.
"People say she's a stuck up bitch, but I think she's funny."
"What's her name?" I muttered, tearing my napkin under the table.
Suddenly, Nick stared right at me and I could barely breathe. "Did you
know I'm a hot commodity now?" he asked before focusing on the

returning waitress. After delivering our drinks and taking our orders,
she left us alone and Nick finally looked at me again.
"Ever since I started fighting, girls think I'm a stud," he said, winking at
me. "Some of the girls now throwing themselves at me used to think I
was a loser. One of them even called me a trailer trash douche."
"What's her name?
"You don't remember calling me that, do you?"
Frowning, I shook my head. "I never called you that."
Nick grinned. "Anyway, girls around here really want a piece of
Dragon. I don't blame them. I'm on a winning streak. Problem is I'm
bored of easy pussy and that's all they're offering. I don't want to tell
them that though. Why hurt their feelings when they're trying to be nice
to me? Instead, I tell them about my townie girlfriend named Betsy."
"Wait, so...
After giving a head nod to someone he recognized, Nick downed his
soda, started in with the appetizers, and drank his beer. I wanted to ask
about his fake girlfriend, but he ignored me until the food arrived.
Suddenly, Nick looked at me and smiled.
"Are you waxed?" Nick asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Is your pussy waxed?" he asked, digging into the pork nachos.
"What does that matter?"
"Just curious."
Hands in fists, I wanted to storm out. Or throw my drink at him. Maybe
pull my gun and make him piss himself. Mostly, I needed to punish him
for making me feel like shit.
I didn't do any of those things though because I had waited too long for
him to pay attention to me. Deep inside I was disappointed Nick wasn't
the guy I imagined. His nice guy persona was a lie. Or maybe he had
been nice, but bitches like me made him harder. Meaner too.
"I'm not waxed," I whispered, ready to cry. "You're not like I thought
you'd be."
Even without crying, I hid my face in my hands. I felt like a fool to have
spent so long idealizing this guy.

Nick said nothing as he sat next to me. Glancing up, I wanted to be
pissed and say he was shit. Except I'd made him feel like a loser a year
earlier. Was this my punishment?
"Why now?" he asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and
reaching for a fry. "Is it really because I smelled like bacon?"
With Nick sitting against me and the feel of his arm around my
shoulders, I really wished he wasn't a jackass loser.
"I thought you were nice and I want a nice guy."
"Nice, huh?" he said, popping an onion ring into his mouth. "Why do
you want someone nice?"
"I want you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Why do you want me?" I asked, remembering my new
boobs.
Nick finished chewing his food then cleared his throat. "You're
beautiful and I' m shallow."
"Well, you're hot so that's why I like you." "You like watching me
fight?"
My cocky smile faded. "No. I like when the other guys fight, but not
you."
"Why?"
"I don't like seeing you bleed."
Nick's face was unreadable then he lowered his lips to mine and this
time I took advantage of the kiss. I wanted him so much even if he was
an asshole. Before I could get too comfortable with the spicy taste of
him, Nick pulled away his lips.
"Does it really matter if I' m waxed?" I asked when he returned to
eating.
Nick shook his head. "I just wanted to mess with you."
"Why?"
"To see if you'd freak out and leave." "No offense, but what the fuck?"
Nick gave me a side glance then grinned. "I told you. I' m a hot
commodity, but I don't want a groupie. You're the hottest chick in town
and now you're into me. I wanted to know if it was a passing thing. Like

if I pissed you off, would you run off to the next guy?"
"So the waxed thing was a test?" I asked, irritated, yet relieved.
"I like you Bailey and I don't give a shit if you're waxed. I do care if
you're going to toss me aside after showing me off to your stupid
friends."
"My friends aren't stupid," I growled without thinking. "I'll kick your
ass for saying otherwise."
"Those dippy chicks you hang around with at school are stupid."
"Fine, but they're not my friends. They're my groupies. Winnie, Raven,
Tawny, and Lark are my friends. Farah and Maddy are my family. Talk
shit about them and I'll cut you."
Nick laughed. "You can't know what you look like when you threaten
people. The expression on your face is classic."
"Don't make fun of me."
"See, I was right. If you knew how you looked, you'd know I was snug
in the jeans now."
"You're being gross. Is that a test?"
Nick leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I haven't gotten laid in over six
months and I'm sitting next to you and you smell so fucking good."
Nick paused and his green eyes studied my face. "No, it's not a test. Our
food is here."
Nick looked ready to stand and return to the other side of the table. I
placed my hand on his strong thigh and stopped him.
"Can you stay over here?"
His eyes were a darker green in the dimly lit backyard. I smiled when
he gestured for the waitress to place his food on the same side as mine.
Even after he agreed to sit close, Nick's demeanor felt distant now.
Cold maybe.
We devoured mounds of pork along with mash potatoes covered in
pork sauce until I felt stuffed. Nick kept eating then finished mine. He
was like my brothers when they would go through growth spurts in
their teens.
"I' m sorry I called you trailer trash," I said, staring up at him. "I really
don't remember saying it, but I was mouthing off a lot that first week of
school. There were a lot of new girls and some were really hot

and I felt insecure. I get rude when I'm nervous."
Nick finally glanced down at me and nodded. "You really do. It's like
your mouth is on crack."
Feeling like a loser, I lowered my head and wished to go back to when
I was dreaming about the other Nick. The nice one, instead of the real
guy who thought I was shit.
"I like when you mouth off," he said, wrapping hair behind my ear. "It's
funny."
"You think I' m funny?" I muttered.
Nick didn't answer. Instead, he checked his watch and sighed. "I need
to get going. I didn't sleep much last night and I need to get up early for
the gym."
"Oh."
Nick waved over the waitress and paid the bill. After downing a soda,
he stood and reached his hand out for me. I took it and followed him to
the Harley.
"Thanks for the date," I mumbled, ready to cry for real this time.
Nick laughed. "This wasn't a date."
"Oh. What was it then?"
"A test run. Tomorrow will be a date."
"Tomorrow?" I asked, embracing a glimmer of hope.
"Yeah," he said, brushing hair off my bare shoulders. When I shivered
at his touch, Nick smiled in a really soft beautiful way. "Let's skip the
study group and go on a real date."
"That sounds nice."
Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and squinted at me. "Bailey, I've
liked you for a long fucking time and you didn't seem to know I existed.
Now when everyone thinks I'm special just because I can take a punch,
you show interest in me. I wanted to know if it was a game for you. I
tested to make sure you weren't a little bitch using me. You seem like a
girl who's really interested in me."
"I am," I said, irritated I had to jump through hoops.
"So tomorrow no talk of waxed pussies or trailer trash. We'll do
wherever you want and have a real date. What happens afterwards
happens, but I needed to know we were starting from a real place."

Despite my hurt feelings from earlier, I realized Nick and I were on the
same page. He didn't see me as a hang and bang girl. He liked me for
me. I really liked him too, even after realizing he was more
complicated than I'd thought. He wasn't a dream and I wasn't a fantasy.
We were real and tomorrow we got to start again.

Chapter Four ~ Nick
Bailey didn't want to leave me when I dropped her off near her red
SUV. She tried to get a conversation going and I considered sticking
around. Her skin was so soft and I loved the feel of her arms around me.
The thought of talking all night and kissing her until our lips were
chapped felt right, but I still told her good night.
As much as I loved the money, fighting left me tired. I was always
training, fighting, or studying. Never a restful sleeper, lately I couldn't
get comfortable because of fight injuries or muscle strains. My time at
the Thunderdome left me hurting in a way I hadn't suffered since I was
a teenager. Not since I stood up to my old man and made clear I wasn't
a viable punching bag anymore.
Arriving at my apartment, I still tasted Bailey on my lips. I'd waited a
long year to kiss her and I found myself smiling the whole ride home.
Even with the happy end to my night, I felt the darkness rising up in
me.
My roommate, Danny Boy, wasn't home to my relief. While he was a
nice kid, the guy was pussy obsessed. Nothing else mattered. Not
classes or friends. Not even remembering to eat or sleep. I didn't know
what he left behind at home, but the guy acted as if he'd never seen a
pretty girl before.
I locked my bedroom door then walked to the adjoining bathroom.
Over the summer, I moved to a nicer apartment with two bedrooms and
baths. Danny Boy used the one in the hall while I enjoyed the master
bathroom. He didn't mind since the guy enjoyed walking around half
naked.
The hot water felt good on my bruised shoulder. My left hip hurt too,
but the shoulder was killing me all day. I might be on a winning streak,
but that didn't mean the losers didn't make me suffer before my win.
As the hot water covered my head, I thought about how Bailey hated to
see me bleed. Her comment surprised me since I figured she'd like my
bruises. A girl with a family like hers viewed men as either

strong or weak. Weak would never win her heart.
Returning to the cold bedroom, I thought to turn down the air
conditioning. Back in the Arkansas trailer, summers were suffocating.
As cold as the air felt, I enjoyed knowing I could afford it. I'd rather be
cold under the covers than hot over them.
I flipped on the big screen TV then popped a Melatonin into my mouth.
The sound remained low like I kept it every night. Sleep was tricky for
me on a good night and I knew this night wouldn't be a better one. Not
with Bailey on my mind and the heat of my past against my back.
I downed a dose of cold medicine then half of a cold soda from the mini
fridge in my bedroom. Soon, I could barely keep my eyes open. Resting
under the blankets in the cold room while the silent TV played an
Everyone Loves Raymond rerun, I touched my lips and thought of
Bailey.
She was too good for me. While the old Nick knew this for a fact,
Dragon demanded the best. Bailey was the hottest girl in town. Hell,
she was the hottest girl I'd ever seen and I wanted her. Feeling lonely in
the apartment, I considered calling her. The world was too ugly and my
body hurt. Feeling like a kid again, I imagined hiding in the closet
while nursing a beating.
Never wanting to be that guy ever again, I wished to forget, but the
memories were always with me. Rather than relief at knowing Bailey
wanted me too, I dozed off thinking how she would figure me out soon
enough. The real me. The loser from the trailer park with the scarred
back and millions of little scares inside me.
Bailey would see it all and ditch me for a safer, better man. Where the
hell would I be then? Would life be easier without such rejection?
If I dreamed that night, I woke without remembering them. The alarm
clock rang at five like most mornings. My body didn't want to move,
but I crawled from the bed with Bailey in mind. I needed to get my
work and school done, so I could meet her and enjoy a real date.
After downing a few breakfast bars, I showered and headed down to the
Harley. Still tired and sore, I hoped a good workout would give me a
little energy. I knew this plan was dumb. Every morning, I worked out

and ended up dead tired by the evening. I even had to take naps before
fights.
The gym was run by a Reaper named Dave. Figuring we were all
snitches, he didn't like having non-club members working out there.
After Tucker overruled these concerns, I visited in the morning to
avoid the club guys. The Johansson brothers wouldn't bother me, but
the older members liked to tease me. I was a bitch in their eyes and they
took every opportunity to remind me.
Knowing I needed to be awake and mobile later, I didn't work out as
long or hard as usual. I still pushed myself though. Here with a Reaper
watching me like I was scum, I never showed weakness. While I'd
never be one of them, I did have my eye on the princess of the club.
Hours later, Bailey really looked like a princess when I caught sight of
her on the quad near our English class. Her blonde hair was lighter after
a long sunny summer. She wore a pink halter-top, showing off her new
tits. Holding books in front of them, she seemed to be hiding them from
view. I never understood why she had to change anything about her
body. Despite what I saw in her, I suspected Bailey didn't feel like the
prettiest princess.
Always wearing a frown when unengaged in conversation, Bailey
looked pissed until she saw me. Then, she looked nervous. I gave her a
grin as I approached and her fear lessened.
"Hey," I said when she only stared.
"Are we still going out after class?"
Gesturing for her to follow me towards class, I nodded. "Why wouldn't
we?"
"I don't know. People bail sometimes." "I'm not people."
"No, you're not," she said, smiling slightly.
Once we got inside the cooler classroom, I dropped my books on a desk
and Bailey followed my lead. We stood there, studying each other.
Even after a year of orbiting her star, I knew very little about Bailey.
I knew she was insecure from her designation as a hang and bang chick.
Guys never took her seriously. I always found this fact strange

considering how many jerks were knocked on their asses by Bailey or
her brothers.
Needing reassurance, Bailey wanted to know where we stood. When I
caressed the stray blonde hairs next to her face, Bailey was against me
instantly. Her arms wrapped around my waist, needing even more
reassurance.
Bailey felt warm snuggled in my arms as I ran my hand down the back
of her soft hair. She felt right in a way few things ever felt right for me.
More than anything, she felt like mine.
Everyone around us faded away until I could only see Bailey. The old
memories threatened to rise up inside me. The smell of my old trailer
next to the sweet scent of Bailey made me want to stop touching her. I
refused to pollute her with my filthy past.
Bailey wasn't letting go though. When a few girls entered, her embrace
tightened and I smiled. At least, I thought I smiled until Bailey looked
up at me and frowned.
"What's wrong?" she asked, holding me in her vise-like grip.
I didn't answer because there was no way to make her understand. Her
family was built on a criminal enterprise, but they were the classic
nuclear unit. A mom and dad with four blond kids who spent summers
traveling around the country in a RV. Overhearing Tucker talk about
his childhood once, I imagined having such an easy life. The image
always felt wrong when I was included. As if I polluted it with my
presence.
"People bail," Bailey muttered and I thought she might cry.
Wrapping her silky blonde hair behind her ears, I whispered, "I'm not
people."
"I want to sit next to you in every class."
Finally, I smiled for real. "Staking your claim, huh?"
"Fuck yeah," she said without a smile. Glancing around the room, she
sized up the competition. "I've killed for less."
Laughing, I knew Bailey was full of shit. When I scooted my chair
closer, her brilliant blue eyes lit up. Her reaction to such a small gesture
gave away how I had Bailey Fucking Johansson hooked.

Chapter Five ~ Bailey
My classes ended before Nick's, so I drove home and showered. With
more time to spare, I thought about Nick and Farah. They both wanted
to be teachers. Poor kids from shitty families, they had a lot in
common. Nick wanted Farah first, but now he was left with me.
I planned to visit Winnie, yet found myself in front of Cooper's slice of
suburbia. Walking to the door, I figured Nick would like a house like
this one. His dreams were so much like Farah's that I wondered if they
still included her as his perfect woman.
Tawny answered the door wearing a tank top and jeans. Even in the late
summer heat, she refused to wear shorts because of her chicken legs. I'
d seen them and she was just being paranoid. She claimed I was the
same way about my old boobs.
"I need to talk to Farah," I said and Tawny waved me in. "How's your
man?"
"The hunky bastard wore me out this morning." "Thanks for sharing."
"I just wanted to explain why I'm tired and limping."
Grinning at her, I walked to the kitchen where Farah made herself a
sandwich. Her dark hair was up in a messy ponytail and a long tee
covered her bump.
"Hey, Bailey. You look pretty. Are you going on a date?"
"Yeah, with Nick."
"Nick is sweet," Farah said, giving me a smile. "You want him," I
hissed. "You whore."
My sister-in-law just rolled her eyes and walked to the recliner. "I think
you and Nick will be cute together."
"Oh, now that you've discarded him."
"I thought you said I wanted him?"
Tawny joined me. "Chill, Bay. Why are you so tense?"
When Tawny tugged me to the couch, I let her soothe me, even though
I was more depressed than angry.
"Would you want to be Cooper's second choice?" I asked Farah

then turned to Tawny. "Or Judd's?"
The sisters glanced at each other and their smug expressions faded.
"Yeah, second choice sucks," I said when they remained silent. "Nick
wanted Fat Lips over here, but lost her to Cooper the Pooper. Now, he's
stuck with me. A love story for the ages."
"I don't think Nick was even into me," Farah offered after a moment of
silence. "Like he was nice, but he never acted like he wanted to date
me. I think I was more into him than he was into me."
"What now?" Cooper the Pooper asked, entering the room and ruining
our girl moment. "Who were you into?"
Farah just rubbed her bump and smiled at me. Cooper's gaze lowered to
where his baby roasted in his woman's oven. Feeling sufficiently
triumphant, he smiled.
"What are we talking about?"
"I thought you were studying?" I muttered.
"I needed a break. The law is stupid. Anarchy is the way to go."
Cooper joined Farah on the recliner even though she had to sit on his
lap to make them both fit. I hated them for being happy. Okay, hated
might have been a strong word, but I was seething with jealousy at
them enjoying what I didn't have.
"I was telling Bailey that Nick wasn't really into me."
"Bullshit. He tried to kick my ass, so he could have you," Cooper said,
being the voice of asshole like usual.
"I think he just didn't want to back down to you," Tawny suggested.
"I've seen him fight a few times and he won't back down. Even when
he's about to get crushed, he keeps going. Typical man who would
rather die than walk away."
"Typical man?" Cooper asked. "Problems with Judd?"
"No," Tawny said, smirking. "My man isn't typical."
"Whatever," I grunted, interrupting all the bragging. "What about me
ending up as Nick's second choice?"
Farah leaned her head against Cooper's shoulder then smiled at me. "I
don't know about Nick's love life, but I know he never asked me out.
Never tried to kiss me or anything like that. He was just friendly. I
hardly believe you're his second choice."

"I guess."
"Why Nick?" Cooper asked while his fingers made little circles on
Farah's bump.
"He's fucking hot and smart and perfect. Fuck you for not noticing
those things."
Cooper laughed. "You need to get laid, B. You've been so pissy since
you went abstinence."
"I want Nick. No one else will do."
Tawny and Farah smiled at me like they understood, but Cooper was
too horny for his woman's bump to care about my needs. After a
minute, he looked at me and frowned in that jerk big brother way.
"If he hurts you, I'll kill him," Cooper sneered. "You tell him that."
"No."
"Tell him."
Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms over my new boobs. "He isn't
scared of you. No one is. We just pretend to make you feel good about
yourself."
Cooper gave me a great smile and I couldn't help returning it. "I don't
know anything about Nick, but he can't be any worse than Deputy
Dipshit."
"That's for sure," Tawny said and we all nodded.
Farah stopped flirting with her man long enough to pay attention to
me.
"Don't let what you think Nick feels get in the way of having fun
tonight. I assumed a lot about Cooper and I nearly lost him. Don't
assume anything about Nick."
"Okay," I said, smiling. "Sorry I called you a whore."
"That's okay. I've learned not to take anything you say personally."
"Good strategy."
Tawny smiled. "Bailey, I want you to go on your date with no
expectations. Just have fun. When you try to force things, you can be a
little..."
When Tawny didn't finish, I muttered, "Did you just call me a
bitch?"

Cooper laughed first then the sisters joined him. I rolled my eyes, but
Tawny had a point. I needed to relax on the date and enjoy Nick's
company.
Driving to the restaurant, I had the whole thing planned out. I would
play it cool and stop worrying. No more wondering about Farah and
whether I was Nick's second choice. Yeah, the whole thing was worked
out.
Until I saw him looking so fucking hot in a blue tee and painted on
jeans. Yeah, until then.

Chapter Six ~ Nick
I arrived at the restaurant before Bailey and decided to wait outside.
Leaning against the Harley, I crossed my arms and ignored the girls
smiling at me. They giggled even after I showed no interest in them.
One of the many qualities I loved about Bailey was her inability to
giggle.
Another amazing thing about Bailey was how she made a pink tee and
jeans look glorious. She stood next to her SUV, looking uncertain as I
approached.
"Hey," I said, leaning down to kiss her. "What's wrong?"
Bailey didn't answer until our lips parted. The kiss was short and soft
despite how perfect she looked in that tee.
"Am I your second choice?" she asked, eyes haunted. "Are you only
going out with me because Farah isn't available?"
Cupping her cheek, I hated the concern in her eyes. If she knew how I
saw her, Bailey would never need to ask such questions. She'd likely
think I was an obsessed loser too.
"I wanted you first, but you didn't want me. Remember the trailer trash
thing?"
"I don't remember saying that."
"Well, you did and I thought I had no shot with you. Then, I saw Farah
and she seemed more.. .getable. I'm not saying she isn't great, but she's
not you. None of the girls are you. They were all second choices and I
decided second wasn't enough. Does that make sense?"
"Farah has those big lips."
"You have those pretty blue eyes and that big smile. This soft hair," I
said, running my fingers through it. "I knew your hair would be soft
and I often thought about touching it when we sat in class."
"You were so hot for me," she whispered, grinning. "No one else would
do."
"No one."
We both smiled then she sighed. "I like you so much. Like crazy too
much. I don't want to pretend otherwise."

"Then don't. No offense, but you worry too much about what other
people are thinking. Besides, you usually guess wrong anyway. Just
relax."
"If you run away from me, I'll hunt you down. I'm not kidding," she
said and I had to laugh. Her eyes narrowed. "Are you planning to
run?"
"Run where?"
"Away from me."
"I've been waiting for you for a year."
"Yeah, but that was a fantasy version of me. The real me isn't as great."
"Bailey, shut the fuck up," I said, taking her hand and tugging her
towards the restaurant. "Let's have dinner." "Don't tell me to shut up."
"Or what?"
Bailey sighed so loudly that I stopped and pulled her to me.
"You are beyond beautiful," I whispered, kissing her softly.
Bailey's arms wrapped around me and her tongue searched for mine.
My entire body came alive as the kiss deepened. How had I gone
through the last year with this woman so close, yet out of reach? I felt
suffocated by need, unable to think of anything beyond Bailey.
The sound of Harleys racing past finally pried us apart. Bailey looked
at the road then back at me and smiled.
"Nick," she whispered.
"Bailey."
Sharing her smile, I took Bailey's hand and we walked into the
restaurant. After a short wait, we were seated in a booth and ordered
our drinks.
"Do you always drink Sprite?" I asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"I want to buy some for when you visit my place."
Bailey grinned like I had told her she won the lottery. If she kept
smiling at me that way, I didn't think my ego could fit into the
restaurant much longer.
"Do you always drink beer?" she asked. "Any specific kinds?"

"No and no. I just felt like a beer would help me relax after that
kiss."
Bailey touched her lips and smiled. "What's your mom like?"
Tapping my fingers on the table, I wished she didn't ask the standard
questions. Why couldn't we have talked about movies and sports?
Bailey didn't want to talk about those easy subjects. She wanted to
know about my shitty family.
"I haven't seen her in a decade or so."
"How come?" Bailey pushed in the way she always pushed.
"She had issues with drugs. Meth mainly. Eventually, she was arrested
for a bunch of things. I didn't really know the details since I was a kid.
All I knew was she'd gone to jail then to rehab. When she got out, she
left my dad and moved away."
Bailey opened her mouth and it remained open for nearly a minute.
Once she shut it, I saw her considering her options. In the end, she just
nodded.
"My mom is great. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault your mom is great and my mom isn't." "Was your
dad why your mom never came around to see you?" Pushing back in
the booth, I struggled to think about the woman I barely knew.
"She has a new family with new kids. I was a mistake she made as a
teenager with a man she didn't like anymore. That old part of her life
was something she wanted to forget."
Anger flared in Bailey's eyes. "You know that's fucked up, right? A
mom should love her kid more than herself. I mean, even I would and I'
m pretty selfish."
Grinning, I liked how she was looking at me. Protective because I had
value in her eyes. When Bailey looked at me that way, I felt more like
Dragon than when the groupies wanted me to sign their tits.
"Tell me about your mom. Her name is Jodi, right?"
"Yeah," Bailey said, smiling in the best way. "My mom is amazing.
She loves me so much and I always know she'll have my back. Like I
could fuck up really bad and she would still love and protect me."
"Your family is close?"

"Totally. I have idiot brothers and an evil little sister, but we're still
close. I used to want to kill the demon child then Raven explained
things. Basically, sisters need to stick together, so I protect Sawyer
even though she's evil."
"Evil?" I asked, grinning as I looked over the menu. "Not really
though."
"No, not really. She's rowdy is all and has a big mouth. It was always
weird hearing nasty things come out of her little mouth. I wasn't like
that as a kid. I was sweet."
I grinned at her, causing Bailey to roll her eyes.
"I really was. I had my big loud brothers and I was the little princess.
My pop carried me around everywhere like my feet were too precious
to touch the ground. Mom was crazy about my hair because it wasn't all
curly like hers. Back then, I didn't need to be bossy. The world was a
paradise until Sawyer came around and destroyed everything with her
giant dirty mouth. Bitch."
Even realizing Bailey was serious, I laughed at her anger. "How
old is she?" "Seven."
"So you were the baby for a long time."
"Don't lecture me please. I got enough of that crap from my therapist.
It's why I dumped her. Oh, and she didn't think I needed an assistant."
"Do you?"
"Sure. I want to be a manager and that means I need to get used to
having employees. I'm in charge of Winnie. Her pay, hours,
responsibilities, vacation time, sick time, all that jazz. I know it sounds
easy, but Winnie isn't easy to boss around. It's good practice since
being tough with normal people is easy. Being tough with Winnie takes
finesse and that' s where I need practice."
"Winnie is the girl you bring to class, so she can take notes for
you?" "Yeah."
"She seems shy."
Eyes narrowing, Bailey remained wary even after the waitress

arrived and took our dinner order.
"You want her," Bailey said as soon as the waitress left. "I like
blondes."
Bailey's anger faded. "Does it piss you off that I'm a possessive
bitch?"
"No. If I thought you liked another guy, I'd want to bash his face in. I
don't think I would because I'd end up in jail with a record and never
become a teacher. I'd want to hurt the guy though and I might give it a
try, if I could get away with it."
"Good. I want you to want me."
"I do."
Learning forward in the booth, Bailey smiled. "You saved me that
night at the party. That was so hot, but I thought you were showing off
to make Farah want you. I know that makes no sense. I also thought
you might like Tawny because she looks like Farah."
"You're kinda obsessed with Farah, aren't you?"
"Only because I thought you were. She had you and my brother
wrapped around her finger and I wanted to kick her ass for that. Turns
out, she's not so bad. She's really good with Sawyer and Coop is really
happy being married. I never thought he'd like being tied down, but
with her, he's happy. Weird shit. Anyway, I wanted to beat her ass, but
now I'm glad I only smacked her around a little. She's a good
sister-in-law. Hell, she even bakes."
"I thought she was too good for Cooper. No offense, but your brother
seems like an asshole who would use her up and toss her aside like
trash."
"He is an asshole. Normally I don't let people talk shit about my family,
but he did put you in the hospital."
"He also paid for the rest of my freshman year. Sure made my life a lot
easier after that."
"Do you hate him? Like does it upset you to look at me and know I' m
related to the guy who fucked with you?"
"No. Like I said, it worked out. Cooper and Farah seem happy and I
was working too much to keep up with school. Once he paid the tuition,
I had more time to study and get caught up."

Sighing, Bailey whispered, "He put you in the hospital." "It wasn't my
first head injury. Won't be my last," I said, tapping on my head. "My
skull is hella hard."
Bailey smiled, but it never reached her pretty blue eyes. "I'm fine
really."
"I worried about you back then," she said, messing with her straw. "I
felt weird caring about a guy I didn't really know. I mean I thought you
liked Farah and my brother attacked you. I normally hate people who
mess with my family, but I still worried about you."
Wanting to change the subject, I thought about the shit storm a few
months earlier.
"I heard about that guy driving you off the road and trying to grab you.
I hated not knowing what happened. Most days, you felt pretty close
because I'd see you in class. Last summer killed me. I hadn't seen you
then that happened. That's when it really hit me how we're strangers."
Realizing I sounded like a weirdo, I hated myself for blurting it all out.
"I didn't stalk you or anything."
"Why not? I only went to the Thunderdome to see you even though I
didn't like watching the fights. I just wanted to know you were still real.
Does that sound crazy?"
"Yes," I said, smiling. "But you look really sexy when you're crazy."
Bailey smiled again like I was magic. We sat there quietly for a
moment, just thinking about how many stalker-like qualities we shared.
It was both weird, yet exciting.
"You pay for school yourself?" she asked when our appetizers arrived.
"Yeah, I worked several jobs in high school and saved up as much as I
could. After I moved to Ellsberg, I got a warehouse job, but I was
struggling to keep up with costs until Cooper lost his shit. Once I
started fighting, I had cash to spare."
Bailey grinned at me as we enjoyed the cheesy fries.
"I admit I splurged when I first got paid for fighting. First the tat by
Aaron. A back piece isn't cheap. Over the summer, I bought the Harley
and moved into a new place. I probably should have just saved the

money, but life is unpredictable. What if I slipped in the shower and
died? Those savings wouldn't mean shit, so I enjoyed some of it. Since
school started again, I've behaved though."
"Why do you want to be a teacher? Seems like you could do a lot of
things. Anything really. Why work with little kids? No offense, but
they gross me out with the boogers and screaming."
Grinning, I loved the disgusted expression on her face.
"In high school, I did a work study program. I tried working in a few
different places. Volunteered at a hospital then a bank. Worked on cars
and helped an electrician. As a senior, I worked with a fourth grade
teacher. It was my favorite. The other jobs weren't awful and would pay
my bills. With teaching though, I looked forward to going in every day.
I loved seeing the kids grow over the year. The whole experience was
like a light bulb moment. I knew what I wanted."
Bailey nodded, but I didn't think she understood. Despite her
insecurities, she fit in a lot of places. She had a family and friends
where she belonged. I had only my dream of replicating the happiness
from my senior year.
"What made you want to go into business?" I asked when she seemed
unsure what to say.
Bailey shrugged. "I didn't have a dream to do it. No light bulb moment.
It's just..." She smiled. "Well, you fight at the Thunderdome, so you
know Tucker is an idiot."
When I smiled, she continued, "Cooper has to run certain aspects of our
family business. Tucker can't help with the other businesses because of
his stupidity. Sawyer is too young and evil to help. Mom and Pop want
to retire, but they don't want to give up power to an outsider."
"So do you want to do it or do you have to do it?"
"I don't have to do anything. Coop expects nothing from me because he
thinks I'm dumb like Tucker. He once said he hoped I married someone
smart who could help with the business. He doesn't believe in me, but
my mom does. She says I can be a great boss. So even though I don' t
love the idea of managing all the businesses, I do want to help the
family. I also want to prove I can do stuff. If I had a dream job like you,
I probably wouldn't care about leaving it all to Coop. He's a

douche who doesn't believe in me. I shouldn't care, but I still want to
help even if he doesn't think I can. Prove him wrong and help at the
same time. I'm petty and nice that way."
"Multitalented," I said and Bailey's face lit up. "Every job has its good
and bad. Even if this job isn't something you always dreamed of
having, it can still make you happy."
"Do you think I'll be a good boss?"
"I never see Winnie crying or running away from you, so I'd say
yes."
Bailey laughed. "So far anyway."
As we ate our appetizers, I steered the conversation towards easy topics
like which professors we liked and which ones sucked. By the time
dinner arrived, talk of my shitty family was forgotten.
"Do you have any siblings?" Bailey asked as we let our dinner settle
and waited for a dessert to share.
My gut tensing, I realized there was no avoiding the ugly stuff. Not
with someone I wanted to know everything about. Clearly, she wanted
to know everything about me too.
"My mom has kids. I don't know them. I only know their names and
ages."
"Do you want to know more?"
"Not really."
"So you're all alone?"
"No, I'm here with you."
Bailey smiled softly. "Do you have any good friends?"
I scratched my jaw. "I haven't had a solid friend since middle school.
After Tate moved away, I just hung out with different people. I do the
same thing in Ellsberg. I have trouble connecting with people, I guess."
Bailey looked ready to ask another question. Probably one that would
leave me sharing too much and feeling awkward. Instead, she smiled
and reached for my hand.
"I'm glad I freaked out in the library."
"Best tantrum ever."
While we enjoyed our molten cake, I saw a chance to touch Bailey

when she smudged chocolate fudge on her chin. Maybe my fingers
lingered because her breath caught. Her gaze was warm and stayed that
way as we left the restaurant.
"Wanna come hang out at my place?" she asked, tugging at my tee. "Or
I could come to your place. Either one works for me."
"I need to get to bed soon."
Bailey blinked a few times. "Is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a not tonight."
"Why?"
"I' m tired, Bailey. I get up early every morning to train," I said, running
my fingers along her long neck. "We can hang out this weekend if you
want?"
"Hang out? If I want? Are you blowing me off?"
Stepping back, I frowned at her. "What the hell am I going to do with
you? I tell you I want you. We have a great time, but it's not enough.
Why?"
Bailey's face twisted into a frown. "Why don't you want to spend the
night with me?" "I'm tired."
"When guys say they're tired, it's a lie."
"I'm not a guy. I'm me and I've wanted you for a year. Fuck, I've been
waiting for you since before Christmas. You act like your feelings are
so much better, but how long have you been waiting for me?"
"I thought you wanted Farah."
"You thought wrong," I said, walking to my Harley.
"I've been waiting too," she cried, following me. "Not as long, but I
haven't been with anyone for months. I wanted you."
I turned her and sighed. "You want everything this very fucking
second. If I don't hump you in public, I don't want you. If I don't want to
fuck on the first date, I don't want you. If I don't treat you like a bang
and hang girl, I don't want you. Have you ever had a real relationship?"
Bailey shook her head.
"Neither have I, but I've fucked random girls. Is that how I'm supposed
to treat you? Like you're just anyone because I assumed you wanted
this to be more."

Bailey frowned at me and I waited for her to yell or storm off. Instead,
she burst into tears.
A part of me panicked and wanted to run away from her emotions. I
didn't know how to handle this shit. All my life, I did the superficial
nice guy stuff. The deeper personal connection thing wasn't me. I had
no experience and was lost as she sobbed in front of me.
Even wanting an escape, I didn't run because she was mine. Wrapping
her into my arms, I caressed her hair.
"Don't cry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to get so pissed off. I just don't
understand how you can think I don't want you."
Bailey looked up at me and wiped her eyes. "Guys always bail on me
and I' m scared you will too."
"I'm not other guys," I said slowly. "I'm not looking to fuck you and
walk away. I want something special because you're special to me."
Bailey smiled. "I have been waiting for you and thinking about how it
would be. Maybe I planned it out too much in my head. Whenever it
doesn't work like I expect, I feel rejected."
Wiping her wet cheeks, I leaned down and kissed her softly.
"I really do need to crash early, but wanna go for a quick ride first? Just
to enjoy the cool evening."
"Yes, please."
Studying Bailey's damp face, I realized how young she was. We were
the same age, but she grew up protected from the world by her
powerful and loving family.
I kissed her gently again. The affection lacked the heat of earlier, yet
somehow felt more intense. With our walls lowered, Bailey was real to
me in a way she hadn't been before.
We drove around town for a half hour. The direction we went didn' t
matter. It was about being close and together. Though I had dreamed of
Bailey for a year, I realized I wasn't really ready for her. She needed
intimacy I wasn't capable of yet. When we said our goodbyes at her
SUV, I ached for space while Bailey wanted to glue us together for the
night.
Driving home, I wished life was as easy as putting on a show for
people. Smiling and saying the right things were easy for superficial

relationships. With Bailey, I needed to let her in, but I wasn't there yet.

Chapter Seven ~ Bailey
Growing up, I adored Tucker's stupidity. He was always jumping off
things or shoving his head into small spaces and getting stuck. More
than entertaining, my big brother was also protective. When I was ten
and stung by a wasp, he declared vengeance and chased after it. How
could I not love such dedication?
Sometimes I couldn't believe Tucker was responsible for his child's
wellbeing. Despite his new found maturity, he was still my stupid bro
and I found him dancing with Maddy in front of the bakery. After
parking my SUV, I joined my brother who was dipping his woman
backwards.
"I' m fucking suave," he announced me.
Rolling my eyes, I smiled. "Sure, fuckwad."
Tucker lifted a giggling Maddy into his arms where she remained.
"Are you joining us for all of the wedding appointments," I asked him,
"because I don't think I'm coming then?"
Looking horrified, Tucker shook his head. "I'm not doing the flowers
and dresses and stuff like that. Hell no," he said then his eyes lit up.
"This is a cake testing appointment though. Cake, Bailey."
Grinning, I glanced down the street at the approaching Harleys. Judd
and Tawny pulled to the curb when they reached us. She parked her
new black Harley, looking badass climbing off. Judd remained on his
idling bike until she gave him a long sloppy goodbye kiss.
"Later, babe," he said in that low rough voice of his.
Tawny watched Judd roar away then shuddered. "I miss him already."
"Puke," I muttered, pulling her away from the horny moment and into
the bakery. "Today isn't about your vagina. It's about my brother and
his vagina."
"You're a poet," Tawny said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"How did the date with Nick go?" When I didn't answer immediately,
she frowned. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," I balked, noticing Maddy and Tucker also judging me.

"I was perfect. Fuck you for not assuming the best in me."
"So did you two break up?" Tucker asked while Maddy spoke with the
bakery owner.
"No. He is totally into me."
"Sure, B. Hey, I think I have a guy for you. He works at the gas station,
but has good teeth."
Even with me glaring at him, Tucker was too dumb to know I was
angry unless I screamed or incited violence. He just smiled at me.
"Good head of hair too," he added, thinking I was on the fence with the
gas station guy.
"I'm with Nick."
"Still? Isn't two dates your maximum before a guy runs?" "I' m going to
hurt you, Tucker," I hissed and his smile widened. "It's not funny."
"It's a little funny."
Glancing at Tawny, I found her snickering. "It really is. Your hissing
always makes me laugh."
"Whatever. Nick likes me and I' m his first choice and you guys suck
and are jealous."
"Yes, the whole world weeps in jealousy over you," Tawny said, sitting
down at a table as the baker carried out samples of red velvet,
chocolate, and a white cake that tasted like my ass.
"That one tastes like my ass," I pointed out helpfully.
"How would you know what your ass tastes like?" Tucker asked,
genuinely concerned.
Ignoring him, I focused on Maddy with her bright eyes and bouncing
blonde ponytail. "I thought you were going redneck chic. Shouldn't
your cake be Twinkies or something?"
"Not that redneck. Though I do feel like these are rather hoity-toity."
"Totally real words," Tawny said, wiping her mouth. "The vanilla does
taste a bit like ass. Can't be sure if it matches Bailey's ass flavor, but it's
definitely in the ass category."
"Thank you," I said, taking any compliment or agreement I could
get.

The baker ignored our ass comments and brought more samples.
Through the tasting, Tucker struggled not to eat every piece. Watching
him eyeballing the food, I smiled at how the fucker was always hungry.
Just like Nick.
"Do you like Nick?" I asked Tucker who licked his spoon.
"He's a good guy. Saw him giving pointers to one of the new fighters. A
young loser who was actually going to fight Nick. I thought your boy
was an idiot to help the guy beat him. Of course, the guy didn't beat
him, but he did go out looking less like a loser."
"Nick is sweet."
"Get a room," Tawny said, handing me a tiny plate with another tasting.
"I like Nick because he took on all those guys at the frat party. I love
when men are brave."
Knowing what was coming next, I waited for her to finish.
"Judd is brave like that."
"I swear he fucked your brains out," I said when she got dreamy-eyed
next to me. "Not that you were a genius to begin with."
Tucker laughed too hard, causing Maddy to laugh. They were nuts
together. It was pretty romantic. I wanted to be nuts with Nick.
"I like the carrot cake," Maddy announced and Tucker nodded.
"Fucking hillbillies," I muttered. "We really do love our carrot
cake."
Once the flavor was decided, Tucker and Maddy focused on how big
the cake should be and any decorative touches. I ignored those parts
and daydreamed about Nick.
"Do you think Nick could be the one?" Tawny asked.
"Hell yeah. He's going to be my Free Bird fuck. I just know it."
"Is this a real thing or some stupid shit you made up?"
"Both," I said and she grinned. "Free Bird is the best song ever. When I
was a teenager, I had a really hot horny dream about fucking a guy
while Free Bird played. No real guy has ever been worthy of the song,
but Nick will be. I just know it."
Nodding, Tawny turned my sex dream into an excuse to imagine Judd
naked. I recognized the look on her face and also knew Judd had a
matching one. One day, I hoped to share a ridiculous love struck/horny

expression with Nick that people would mock.

Chapter Eight ~ Nick
Working hard in the gym, I remained lost in my thoughts. Bailey was at
my fingertips, but I could still lose her. Needing to be smart and strong,
I instead was afraid if she saw the real me I'd lose her forever. Of
course, if I hid my weaknesses, she would fall for a lie. Fucked either
way, I punched the bag harder until my hands were numb.
"Want me hold the bag?" Cooper said from behind me.
Never slowing my punches, I muttered, "Not really."
Cooper took the bag like I knew he would and held it still. "We should
talk."
"Then talk."
"You're into my sister," he said then continued after I remained quiet,
"You were into my girl. You seem to have a thing for my stuff."
"I'm telling Bailey you said she's your stuff," I grunted, punching
harder. "I suspect she'll kick you in the balls."
"She thinks she's your second choice."
"I know, but she's wrong."
"You wanted Farah."
"I liked Farah. She was my second choice. I wanted Bailey." Cooper
said nothing while I pounded on the bag. Finally, he shoved it back at
me. "Why did you fuck with me that day if you didn't want
Farah?"
"Because you're an asshole and I don't back down to assholes," I said,
taking a break. I grabbed my bottle of water and downed half of it.
When I looked back at Cooper, he was frowning in a weird way. "Wait,
did you not know you were an asshole? I just assumed someone must
have mentioned it before."
Cooper rolled his dark eyes. "You're an idiot. I could have killed you
that day."
"So?"
"So you would have died for a chick you didn't want." "No, I would
have died standing up to an asshole." "I saw you always looking at
Farah."

"She seemed overwhelmed by college. I was looking out for her. She's
hot, but she's not Bailey."
Cooper clearly wasn't convinced. "If you wanted Bailey, why wait so
long? I think you're full of shit."
"Because you're an asshole. Guys like you have shit handed to them.
Guys like me have to work for what we want."
"And you want Bailey."
"She's mine. I just haven't sealed the deal yet. If you want to fight for
her, fine. I should warn you that I'm stronger than I was last year. It' ll
take more to beat me."
Cooper grinned. "You hurt my sister and I won't kick your ass, Nick.
I'll feed you to my fucking dogs."
"Fair enough. Did you want something else?"
Cooper sat on a bench and scratched at the stubble on his chin. "You
get that Bailey comes with baggage, don't you? And I don't mean her
insecurities and big mouth. I mean our family and what that includes."
Stretching my arms over my head, I thought about what he meant. If
Bailey had one flaw, it was her family's business. I spent my whole life
wanting to live a clean respectable life. No crime. No drugs. Just a solid
life where the only crime was working to pay the least amount of taxes
without having the IRS harass me.
"Bailey's baggage is a necessary evil," I said, moving to the speedbag.
"You really looking to be a teacher?"
"Yeah."
"There are other options if you and Bailey work out." "I don't want
another option," I said, glaring at him. "I want Bailey and I want to
teach. Those are my only options."
"Why teach? Did you have a teacher that made you feel special as a
kid?"
Ignoring him, I hit the bag harder. Cooper walked to me and I waited
for him to make a move. He only leaned against the wall and crossed
his arms.
"I don't know how to handle this situation," he said. "I didn't really

want to get to know you. Farah's mine and I thought you wanted her.
Like you were a threat. Or at least an asshole with wandering eyes.
Now, I know you're not that guy. Now, you're the man who wants my
little sister. Bailey has been tossed around from one loser to another for
years. I' ve kicked so many asses of guys who did her wrong, but she
never seems to catch a break when it comes to dating."
Cooper sized me and shrugged. "She likes you though. A lot and it's not
one of her new things that she's into. Apparently, she's liked you for a
while. You like her too, so you're my problem. You can't be a stranger
now."
"What do you want from me? Are you looking to hear my life
story?"
"Come hang with us tonight. I know you're not fighting and most of the
crew is hanging at the bowling alley."
"Crew?"
"My brother, his woman, Farah, Tawny, and the others. These are
Bailey's people and that's nonnegotiable. You can stay away from the
family business, but you can't walk away from the family."
"If Bailey wants to go, we'll go. I'm not choosing for her."
"You can't let her boss you around, man. She'll own your balls."
"She already owns them. At this point, we're just negotiating visitation
rights."
Cooper grinned. "Bailey's a needy chick. You get that, right? A lot of
people are fucked up from their shitty childhoods. Bailey's had an easy
life, but acts like people might take her shit away. She's always clingy
and that's not something she'll grow out of. Therapy won't fix what's
broken. Hell, I don't even know why she was in therapy except she was
copying Tawny."
Wrapping a towel around my neck, I sighed. "If Bailey wasn't insecure,
what would she need with a guy like me?"
After glancing around, Cooper whispered, "There are no guys in my
crew that want her. They want an old lady who knows her place. Bailey
wouldn't know it if we drew her a fucking map."
"She's a Johansson. I thought that meant her place was at the front of
the line."

Cooper laughed. "You're not bad. Bailey could do worse," he said,
glancing at the door then back at me. "And she has. So join us tonight
and be part of the crew. It's important for Bailey to see you around
Farah without drooling over my woman. It' ll help her confidence."
"How is Farah?" I asked and Cooper's eyes narrowed.
"Fuck off."
Laughing, I loved how a guy like Cooper could get insecure about a
woman already pledged as his. I figured deluded insecurity ran in the
Johansson family.

Chapter Nine ~ Bailey
Like any other big brother, Cooper was a pain in the ass. I guess I
shouldn't have been surprised to learn he hounded Nick. Especially not
after I whined to him. Technically, I whined to Farah, but they were a
package deal.
I wanted to be a package deal with Nick, but he wasn't playing along as
quickly as I hoped. Whenever I worried too much, I remembered how
weird Tawny got because of her crappy childhood. Nick's past wasn't
clear cut, but I figured he had reasons to be wary of commitment.
However, Nick didn't call me to make plans for bowling. Cooper did
and he made it sound like an order. While I didn't appreciate my brother
threatening my boyfriend, I did like the idea of showing off my sexy
stud.
Before bowling, I decided to hang out with Raven and Vaughn. When I
arrived, they struggled to look relaxed and not at all like they'd just
doinked in a random room.
"I' m here to brain storm paint colors," I announced, walking to the
kitchen while Raven struggled into a bra hanging from the staircase.
Vaughn combed his messy hair with his fingers. "I want beige."
"Beige?" I said, rolling my eyes. "It's like you're not even trying.
Why paint at all?"
Grinning, Vaughn flopped onto the leather couch they bought the week
before.
"I like what I like."
"You have no taste. Even bad taste would be a step up."
Vaughn squinted at me. "How's it going with Bacon Boy?"
"Fantastic. Our love is epic. Someone should write a book about it, so
other people can be jealous."
Raven walked past me and joined Vaughn on the couch. "I remember
when our love felt that way."
"Are you saying we've lost our spark?" he asked, playing with her
ponytail.

"You did just bang me on the coffee table."
"Yeah and that took the kind of skill a man doesn't have in the
beginning of a relationship. Balance like that only comes from a fully
committed man who likes beige."
Raven grinned. "I want to paint three walls a nice green with a darker
green as an accent wall."
"We can call it the booger room."
"We already named the other rooms. Why not this one?"
Vaughn and Raven proceeded to share one of those annoying couple
moments where they stared at each other and spoke with their hearts. I
was both violently nauseous and glaringly jealous. They only noticed
the latter.
"Don't worry," Vaughn said softly as if I'd believe his next words were
genuinely supportive. "I'm sure Bacon Boy will stare at you one day
and agree to a snot-colored room."
"Nick doesn't need to wait until a far off day to do what I want. He
worships me now."
"Pansy, huh?"
Raven grinned, but at least she didn't laugh at me. Unlike her man.
"He's all man," I grunted, "and I worship him." "Sounds great," Raven
said, gesturing for me to sit down. "He's bowling with us tonight?"
Still feeling defensive, I only nodded.
"I talked to Nick a few times when I was fighting at the Thunderdome.
He seems really nice."
Defensiveness gone, I smiled. "He is. In class, he's always sharing his
notes with other people. Even idiots who missed class because they
were hung over. Nick doesn't make them beg like I would. He's a
generous person and wants everyone to do well. He also fought off
some pig that was roughing me up at a party. He wasn't even as bulked
up as he is now, but he didn't care. He defended me."
"Nice, smart, tough, and smells like bacon," Vaughn said while sniffing
his woman's neck. "He's a catch, Bailey. Don't let him get away."
"I don't plan to. He's mine and I'm keeping him."

Raven and Vaughn looked at me for a moment then burst into laughter.
"Shut up or I'm leaving," I muttered.
Raven left her giggling man and joined me on the chair. "Don't be
upset. It's sweet seeing you get so sweet on a guy, you know?"
"Nick is special, but Coop beat on him and I worry he won't feel
comfortable with my family or friends. You guys need to be nice to
him."
"We will," Raven soothed, caressing my head. Vaughn grinned. "My
woman is practicing for motherhood." "But it's not like we're rushing
into having a lot of kids or anything," Raven said then started laughing.
Vaughn laughed too and I figured it was an inside joke. "Vaughn, you'll
be nice too, right?"
"Sure. The guy isn't in the club. He's just a normal guy who gets
pounded on for cash. Someone average like him can be easily
intimidated."
I glared at him, but he only smiled. "If you scare him off, I'm kicking
your ass."
"Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than to get you a man. You
know how I feel about pitying others and you're breaking my heart with
your lonely girl routine."
Even rolling my eyes, I was relieved to have them cool with Nick. I
knew my brothers planned to be overly protective assholes. Farah's big
lips would be there too, but I reminded myself how Nick didn't want
my pregnant sister-in-law. Everything I feared about his feelings for
her weren't true. He really could be mine. I just needed to figure out a
way past his walls.
Raven had returned to the couch where she and Vaughn whispered
about green walls and missing panties.
"Do you guys think I' m easy to talk to?"
Vaughn started laughing first while Raven tried to make him stop.
Finally, his laughter proved infection and she started giggling too. I
flipped them off and walked outside. They laughed for a while longer
then I think maybe they doinked because Raven didn't appear until an

hour later with a flushed face.
"Bailey, don't be mad," Raven said, sitting next to me on the porch.
"I've been sitting out here a long time. A good friend would have left
her stupid man to console me."
"It's true that I sometimes forget a world outside of Vaughn exists.
"I want that," I sighed, leaning my head against her shoulder. "To be
oblivious to others because I'm so in love. You know, instead of
because I just don't care."
Raven grinned. "I hear a Harley. Could that be him?"
"Maybe or could be a hundred other guys."
"Don't be grumpy," she whispered. "He's putting up with your brothers
tonight. He wouldn't do that if he didn't care about you. Especially after
Cooper fucked with him."
I nodded. "I just never wanted a guy like I want Nick. I've had crushes.
Like sometimes guys from other clubs would visit and I'd think they
were hot. I thought Vaughn was hot when he first showed up. With
Nick, it's more than his looks. I feel if I lost him that I'd be losing
everything." Pausing, I sighed again. "This is where you tell me I'm
being overdramatic and need to get a grip."
"The heart isn't rational. I knew Vaughn was trouble and he knew I was
trouble. We made no sense, yet are perfect together. That's how love
works. Maybe what you feel for Nick isn't love yet, but need is need.
No way to get a grip."
Smiling at Raven, I appreciated the support. Nick made me feel
amazing and awful at the same time. I wondered if he knew how much
power he had over me.
"How's Winona doing?" Vaughn asked, stepping onto the porch and
wearing one of his goofy bowling shirts.
"She does good most days. She did call in sick on Monday because of
her agoraphobia, but I knew that was a problem when I hired her."
"What do you need with an employee anyway?"
"She takes notes in class for me. You know, so I can stare at Nick and
think about him naked. "
"Makes sense," Raven said, giving me a bright grin. "I think it's

nice that you gave her a job."
Vaughn frowned at a barking dog. "Harlow says Winona ain't been
right since they were taken. Like it brought back a lot of problems she
had conquered. She was helping the Todds with their business then she
just shut down," he muttered then glanced at me and smiled. "You're
doing a good thing giving her something new to focus on. Something
separate from the Todds."
I struggled to hide how much I loved getting compliments.
"On fall break, Mom is having me trained to take over the financial
stuff at her bar. It's my first business to run. Winnie will have more to
do then. She's good at organizing stuff and we'll both learn to be in
charge. Might make her a manager one day when she's better at talking
to people."
"Look at you," Raven said, hugging me, "being a mentor to that poor
girl. You're strong and she's weak. Soon, you'll both be strong."
The next few minutes consisted of me feeling super awesome about
myself. Raven and Vaughn hung out on their porch and talked about
HGTV.
"Ever since you broke your leg, your TV choices have gone downhill,"
Vaughn said while wrapping his arms around her. "Get pickier."
"Accent walls are hot."
While they took turns sucking on each other's necks, I ignored them
and waited for Nick. Harleys came and went. With each one, I became
more worried he wouldn't show. I was checking my phone to see if he
had bailed when Nick arrived.
Nearly running to him, I forced myself to slow down. I hoped I looked
sexy enough in my jean shorts and stripped tank top. Nick was sex
incarnate in a tight black tee and jeans I suspect fitted him better before
he bulked up.
"Hi," I said like a dipshit.
Nick grinned as if knowing I was too hot for him to even form
sentences.
"You look..." he said then shivered. "Like perfection. I'm sorry I was
late. There was a fight in the courtyard of my apartment building."

"Are you okay?" I asked, caressing his face to check for injuries I knew
he didn't have.
Nick grinned again. "Yeah, I just helped them settle down. It was
stupid shit. Nothing serious."
"I like how you help people," I murmured, sounding too horny to
pretend otherwise. "It's sexy."
Nick's grin faded. "Bailey, I have to bowl with your brothers and
friends tonight. Please don't make it difficult for me to walk in these
tight jeans."
We both smiled. "They are tight. Maybe after bowling, we can hang
out," I hinted then added when he didn't understand, "Hint, hint."
Nick leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth. "Can we keep
things casual until I'm done enduring your brothers play their 'Who has
the bigger balls competition?' If we survive that, I'll relax," he said then
whispered, "Hint, hint."
Even though I laughed, his worry over Cooper and Tucker made me
worry too. Would they ruin the evening? Would I ruin it? Would Nick
injure himself in those tight jeans because my tits looked so hot? A lot
of unanswered questions awaited us.

Chapter Ten ~ Nick
In my head, Bailey existed as two people. One girl was the rich
pampered brat who deserved a million times better than a trailer trash
loser fighting his way through college. She needed a guy who knew
how to give her everything she wanted. I would never be rich. I'd never
be a part of her family's business or the Reapers Motorcycle Club. Even
on my best days, I struggled to be Dragon rather than loser Nick.
The other Bailey waited for me on the porch at Vaughn and Raven' s
new house. This Bailey was the girl next door. She wanted a simple life
where she was safe and loved. This Bailey didn't need pampering as
much as to feel cherished. I could imagine the second girl loving me
one day without her feeling like she was slumming it.
Her blonde ponytail swung wildly as she hurried towards me. My gaze
flickered to Vaughn on the porch. The Reapers' enforcer looked odd
with his cold blue eyes struggling for menace against the backdrop of a
gaudy bowling shirt. Raven disappeared inside then returned wearing
an equally awful shirt.
My focus returned to Bailey who watched me nervously. She always
looked at me as if I was withholding what she desperately needed.
Maybe I was, yet it never felt that way to me.
As a kid, I overheard a lunch aide say I ate like a guy out of prison,
shoving the food into my mouth as if afraid someone would steal it.
After that day, I taught myself to eat slower, so I'd be like the other
kids. Even when I was afraid someone really would steal my food, I
took my time. I wanted to hide what I really was from the world.
With Bailey, I struggled against the urge to stare at her beauty. I
hungered to kiss her until she couldn't breathe. I needed to hold her
until she broke free. If I showed everything I wanted, I'd suffocate her,
so I remained in control.
Careful to hide my need, I kissed her gently. Bailey melted against me,
fitting perfectly in my arms. Despite how right she felt with me, her
clean scent made me crave another shower. Fuck if it was crazy, but I
always felt dirty next to her.

"If my brothers hassle you, I'll kick their asses," she said, climbing on
the Harley. "Don't worry about them." "You don't worry either."
She smiled, but her tension rolled off her in waves. Bailey remained on
the bike after we parked and I climbed off. She was playing out all the
various scenarios, each one making her frown darker.
My thumb caressed the frown away then my lips met hers. While I
didn' t know what bullshit her brothers might pull, I knew I wanted this
woman and they were the gatekeepers.
"Let's do this thing," Vaughn said, walking past us with Raven riding
on his back.
Taking Bailey's hand, I followed them inside. The left side of the alley
was reserved for the Johansson group. I saw a few families in the alley
and a group of senior citizens. I also noticed wasted college guys near
the arcade.
The fuckers spotted Bailey and immediately walked our direction. I
hoped they were old friends, but sensed they weren't.
"Well, if it isn't Bailey Bangs-a-lot," the blond guy said, causing Bailey
to glare at him while his friend laughed.
Rage rushed over me as he sneered at Bailey. This fucker had used her
body like a toy then tossed her aside. Now, he mocked her. Maybe I
was feeling territorial, but I hated him for existing in the same world as
my girl.
Before realizing I moved, I shoved him against the wall and pressed my
forearm across his throat. The guy struggled against my grip, but I was
stronger and angrier. I was also willing to kill him while I sensed he
didn't have the balls for a real fight.
"Let him go," the other guy said until I turned my glare to him.
Once he shut up, I focused on the asshole struggling to breathe.
"You will apologize then you will never speak to her again. If you see
her coming your way, you walk away. Do you understand?"
No doubt the shithead wanted to act tough, but he only nodded. I glared
at him, ignoring everyone around us.
"I bet you've treated women like shit for a long time and gotten away
with it. This time you picked the wrong girl to mess with and I see

you filling a shallow grave if you ever even look at her again.
Understand, fucker?"
His eyes bigger now, the guy nodded again.
"That's Bailey Fucking Johansson," I hissed. "If I don't kill you, her
family will. In fact, I don't know if you'll last the night even if I let you
go."
After leaning harder on his throat until the guy couldn't breathe, I
relented and released him. He and his friend bolted from the alley. I
turned around to find Bailey standing with her brother.
"You got that handled?" Cooper asked me.
Still too angry to speak, I only nodded. Cooper looked me up and down
then glanced at the fleeing losers. He gave me an approving nod then
returned to Farah and the others.
Bailey shuffled closer, looking unsure. I thought she was scared of me.
Or worse, she might be embarrassed.
"He wasn't wrong really. I did sleep around," she whispered.
"So did I," I said, brushing hair from her face as an excuse to touch her.
"What's your point?"
Bailey smiled. "We're different now."
When I shared her smile, the rage faded until it was merely a lump in
my gut. I leaned down and kissed her cheek.
"No one talks to you like that, Bailey. I don't care what you did, you
deserve better."
"Okay. If things got out of hand with him, I planned to pull my
gun."
"And do what you did to that lamp."
Bailey laughed and the worry left her eyes. She was so beautiful when
happy. I hated how the fucker knew her like I didn't. Even if I still had
trouble keeping my walls down around her, I needed Bailey to be mine.
"After we're done here," I said softly, "let's go back to my place and
hang out."
When Bailey's face lit up, I nearly threw her over my shoulder and ran
to my apartment.
"Yes."

For a moment, I couldn't think. I only stared into her eyes while she
returned my gaze. My feelings were too intense and I knew I'd ruin
what I was trying to create with Bailey. Standing there, I wasn't
Dragon, just trailer trash Nick.
Kissing her quickly, I stepped back and the hypnotic moment passed.
Likely sensing the distance between us, Bailey shrunk before my eyes.
Insecure now, she glanced around like she didn't know what to do with
herself.
I' ve only bowled once," I said, taking her hand and walking towards
the others. "I'll need you to instruct me on how far to stick out my ass
when I roll the ball."
Bailey grinned, but her eyes remained wary. Tucker shared the same
look when I arrived. Cooper was too busy feeling up Farah's stomach
as she sat on his lap while Vaughn and Raven were already bowling.
"Hey, Nick," Tawny said, breaking the ice. "Got roped into the crew
crap, huh?"
I grinned. "Are you kidding? I love bowling. Why wait until I'm sixty
to get one of those shirts?"
Vaughn glared back at a laughing Tawny then returned to rolling
strikes.
"Tawny, I have to pee," Bailey announced. "Come hold my hair." "Can
I come?" Farah asked with Maddy looking interested in joining too."
"Very subtle," Judd said, changing seats so he could mock Vaughn
easier.
Tawny kissed his cheek then followed Bailey. "Hey, Raven, are you
coming?"
"No, can't stop playing. Our first born child's name depends on the
outcome of this game."
Watching Bailey disappear with the girls, I became very aware I'd been
ditched with the Johansson brothers. I turned to get my bowling shoes
and walked as slowly as possible. Didn't matter though. I still returned
to find the men watching me. They even had a new one to glare at me.

"Hey, Dylan," I said, holding my orange ball. "You got rid of the
Mohawk."
Lark and Raven's stepbrother ran his hand over his bald head and
sighed. "Yeah, I'd been thinking about going the business man route for
a while. Kept going back and forth about cutting it. A few weeks ago, I
got drunk at Lark' s place. The sisters were nice enough to shave my
head while I was passed out."
Nearby, Raven laughed so hard she had trouble distracting Vaughn
who was still trying to win the game. Dylan glared at her then
shrugged.
"Gonna let it grow out and play the average Joe shit."
"Good luck with that," I said, glancing at the bathroom and hoping
Bailey would appear.
When she didn't, I walked to an open lane and rolled the ball. It took out
a single pin which was one more than I expected. A lane away Raven
struggled to win against Vaughn. She bent over one direction. When
her ass didn't do it, she bent forward and adjusted her tits. A distracted
Vaughn missed his strike with a single pin remaining.
Before I could hear him complain and her celebrate, Cooper and
Tucker appeared next to me.
"I liked the way you handled that fucker," Tucker said, arms crossed
tightly. "You always know how to deal with these losers while looking
like a Boy Scout. A good skill to have."
Ignoring them, I rolled the second ball and managed to take out three
pins. A new record for me.
"What's with the silent shit?" Tucker asked.
Sighing, I looked at them and frowned. "I want to be with Bailey. We
just started dating, but here I am jumping through hoops for you two.
You do this shit with every guy?"
"Most are losers," Cooper said. "Most never do the second date thing.
They bang then hang. If they're lucky, she never mentions it to us and
we don't kick anyone's ass. You're the first boyfriend type she's
had."
"Our family needs good people," added Tucker. Cooper shifted his
stance and shook his head at his brother. "He doesn't want that life.
Nick wants to be a teacher."

"Why?"
"Who cares?" Cooper said. "It's what he wants. Sounds like a nice safe
life for our little sister, don't you think?"
Tucker's expression froze and his dopey brain took awhile to put things
together. By the time he figured it out, I'd rolled a gutter ball, Bailey
returned, and Vaughn declared his wife a cheater.
"It's only fair!" Raven cried as Vaughn threw her over his shoulder and
spun her around. "You're a better bowler and I want to win. Cheating
was the only card I could play."
"Making me think some fucker was looking at your ass was low,
Raven."
"So is naming our first born son Maverick. You're just looking for
trouble with a name like that."
Vaughn lowered her to her feet then grinned. "My boys will be nothing
but trouble. They'll own this town and chase pretty girls like Scarlet
and Lily."
"Hey, keep your pervy kid away from my daughter! " Tucker hollered,
looking pissed.
Cooper grabbed his brother and they wrestled onto the ground. By the
end of pounding each other, they were both laughing. Watching them, I
imagined having such an easy way with another guy. All my life men
intimidated me. Even when they were weak like Danny Boy, I didn' t
trust them and never lowered my guard.
Bailey glanced at where my ball returned to me then she smiled
awkwardly.
"Having fun?"
"Not really," I said, leaning down to kiss her neck. "When I agreed to
bowl, I thought I would see you bending over more. You can't imagine
my disappointment."
Bailey grinned. "I will make it up to you."
Her hair looked shiny in the dull light of the alley. My fingers tingled
and I lifted my hand without thinking. Bailey's gaze softened as I ran
my fingers through the soft strands.
"I' m sorry my brothers are hassling you."
"They're fine," I murmured while my fingers moved to her warm

skin. "I've never been on display like this and it makes me edgy. I don't
want to lose you."
Bailey's eyes widened just a hint in response to my words. Or maybe
she heard the need behind them. I wanted her so badly everything else
disappeared in comparison.
"You guys want to get a pizza?" Tucker asked loudly.
Stepping back, I hated looking away from Bailey, but we were
surrounded. Farah walked over and smiled.
"You can have them put up the bumpers, if you want?"
Cooper joined us quickly. "What are we talking about?"
"Bumpers," Bailey said, walking over to Vaughn
I looked at Farah's bump. "How is Lark?"
"Not great. She's on bed rest and going bananas stuck at home."
"Hey, eyes up here," Cooper growled when I looked at Farah's bump
for too long.
Farah looked embarrassed, but I just grinned. "That's a nice bump she's
got there."
"Asshole," Cooper said in a low threatening voice.
I couldn' t help laughing. "Dating your sister. Not interested in your
wife. Are any of these things sinking in?"
Farah smiled while Cooper didn't know what to do with his anger.
"The baby is kicking," Farah said and Cooper's gaze focused on her
bump. "Lily is quite a badass. Just like her daddy."
With those few words, Cooper lost his anger and knelt down to kiss the
bump.
"My girl is going to beat the shit out of everyone." Grinning, Farah
rolled her eyes. "I don't know about that." "Oh, she'll be a powerful
chick."
Watching Cooper talk to his unborn daughter, I understood the look he
wore the night he visited me in the hospital. Back then, I thought he
was afraid I'd press charges. Fear wasn't something I thought I'd see on
Cooper Johansson. I never thought I'd hear him apologize either. That
night, both happened.
Now I realized he didn't fear the law. He feared losing Farah. The guy
might be an asshole, but he really loved her.

Bailey returned wearing a smile. "I had him put up the bumpers for
us."
"Thanks," I said, leaning down to kiss her head. "I'm looking forward
to watching you bowl."
Grabbing my bowling ball, Bailey walked to the lane then bent over
and wiggled her butt. Turning around to wink at me, she looked
genuinely happy to find me smiling. Her earlier anxiety gone, she
rolled a gutter ball saved by the bumper. Once the ball took out two
pins, Bailey jumped up and down. I knew she was showing off those
new tits, but I only saw her smile. It lit up the whole place.
For the rest of the evening, I ate pizza, rolled would be gutter balls,
laughed at Vaughn's jokes, and waited to be alone with Bailey.
My body craved her even before she wrapped her arms around me as
we rode to my place. In the warm evening, our skin grew damp with
sweat. Though I desperately wanted a shower, I wanted Bailey more.
Riding the elevator to my third floor apartment, I couldn't wait any
longer. My lips met Bailey's and she gasped at the suddenness of our
embrace. Hesitating only a moment, she wrapped her arms around my
neck. Her tongue stroked mine and I imagined our bodies moving
together too.
My mind swam with a hunger I'd never known before. The intoxicating
need blinded me to everything else. My hands reached under Bailey's
ass and I lifted her up against me. Those new tits of hers pressed against
my chest as her arms wrapped tighter around me. Bailey wanted me
despite my crappy past. Promising myself that she accepted me, I
unlocked the door as my lips remained on hers.
Danny Boy called out to me, ready to share a rumor about an amazing
party. When he saw me with a girl connected at the waist, he made one
of his dumb murmurs and backed off.
Never removing my lips from Bailey's, I managed to lock my bedroom
door. She moaned into my mouth as I leaned her back on the bed.
Tasting her jaw and throat, I couldn't get enough of her warm flesh.
Bailey's hands slide through my hair.
"Nick," she murmured as I sucked at her throat.
When her hands reached under my shirt, I felt as if I'd been

shocked. I instantly jumped back and away from her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, flushed and reaching for me.
Backing away from her, I climbed off the bed. The sight of her so
beautiful before me intensified the sense of filth on my skin. Dragon
deserved someone as brilliant as Bailey, but I wasn't him. I was Nick
from the trailer, locked in the hot closet while the burns on my back
festered.
"It's too fast," I lied. "I don't want what we have to be about sex."
"It's not," she said, crawling towards me. "I want all of you. It's never
been about sex. I want you, Nick."
The next words killed me, but I needed to shower and remove the filth I
felt on my skin. Crazy or not, I felt dirty and couldn't touch Bailey. I'd
corrupt her, even if only in my mind.
"I'll take you home now."
Bailey's face shifted into an expression I'd never seen before. Shocked
and hurt, she struggled not to cry.
"It's not you," I whispered.
"Guys say that sometimes. They're usually lying."
Leaning against the small dresser, I studied her beautiful face. I wanted
to return to the bed and know every part of her. I hungered to kiss the
Tinker Bell tattoo on the small of her back. Nearly a year ago, I' d seen
it when she bent down to pick up her water bottle. Since then, I' d
imagined exploring the tattoo.
Yet I couldn't.
"When I started fighting," I said while she struggled against her tears,
"sex was so easy to get. Girls who never noticed me suddenly threw
themselves at me. Fucking was nothing after awhile. You are not
nothing. You mean things to me that I can't express. I don't even know
how I feel about you. It's more than anything I understand. I'm all
confused inside and I need us to go slower. It makes no sense, but it's
what I need."
Bailey glanced around then back at me. "I think I understand."
Bailey didn't really understand, yet I was relieved she was willing to
lie. The tears never spilled down her cheeks and she didn't try to talk
me out of taking her home. After I kissed her goodnight, she smiled like

we'd had a great date.
Despite her reassurances, I knew I needed to get my issues under
control or I'd lose her. This was an easy idea, but more difficult to
achieve. Even after my skin burned from scrubbing so hard in the
shower, I felt dirty. No way could I imagine corrupting Bailey with my
filth.

Chapter Eleven ~ Bailey
Waking up the next day on the couch in my apartment, I felt like shit. I
didn't know if I was sick or simply depressed. Either way, I dragged my
ass into the shower and tried to wash away the bad feelings.
Unable to find the energy to walk to the house for my mom's country
breakfast, I ate a sundae flavored Pop Tart. Dozing on the couch, I
wished I had woken up in Nick's bed.
Maddy showed up around eleven to drop off Scarlet and take me dress
shopping. She used her mom skills to get me off the couch.
"Hey, pumpkin, I'll get you a strawberry shake if you get up now," she
whispered, stroking my head. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, baby? A
big strawberry shake from Burger King. Does that sound good?"
"Can I have whipped cream too?" I asked with my eyes still closed.
"Sure, sweetie."
Tempted by a promised reward, I shuffled after her, more tired than I
should be after going to bed so early.
Raven and Winnie were at David's Bridal by the time we arrived. The
latter surprised me a little since she hadn't been out of the house in
days. Of course, Raven had a way of getting what she wanted. I know
Vaughn worried about Winnie. He even blamed himself for the
regression she'd suffered after his old biker friends grabbed her and
Harlow.
Today, Winnie looked relaxed. Her long dark hair was away from her
face and she smiled whenever Raven leaned over to say something.
"I' m planning to go redneck chic with the wedding," Maddy
announced, looking through the racks of dresses.
"What the hell is that?"
"Redneck chic is a nice way of saying I have bad taste, but I'm
embracing it."
Sizing up Maddy's blonde girl next door beauty, I found her dressed
normal. "Bad taste how? Is this about Tucker because, yeah, I
see it?"
Maddy rolled her blue eyes then walked to the next rack. "Tucker

is gorgeous. He's the classiest part of my life."
Nearby, Raven burst into laughter to the point of nearly pissing herself.
I didn't blame her since we'd all seen Tucker fall off chairs and struggle
with push/pull doors. Classy, he was not.
Maddy ignored us both and focused on Winnie who wasn't laughing.
"What's your name again?" Maddy asked.
"She's Winona. I call her Winnie. She's shy like the fat bear with the
honey addiction."
"Winnie the Pooh isn't shy," Raven said, still sitting next to Winnie.
"He's just dumb."
"Whatever," I grunted. "I call her Winnie. Suck it."
Winnie said nothing, just lowered her head until her hair covered her
face. Raven caught on and left her alone.
"I have no regrets doing the justice of the peace thing to make stuff
official," Raven said about her quickie ceremony to Vaughn weeks
earlier. With her younger sister on bed rest, she refused to have a real
wedding until Lark could be her maid of honor.
"For the big wedding, I' m wearing my roller derby outfit and skating
down the aisle," Raven announced, standing up and wandering around
the store. "Oh, and I'll wear a veil."
"And Vaughn is okay with that?" I asked.
"He ain't the boss of me," Raven grumbled before smiling. "The roller
derby outfit gets him hard, so yeah, he's okay with that."
Apparently thinking about Vaughn, Raven strutted around the store,
wearing a dumb smile. I wanted to strut too.
"Did you guys like Nick?" I asked, maybe a little too loudly.
"When you told me months ago about the bacon guy, I thought you
were mental," Raven said. "Nick is cool. He can't bowl for shit though.
You might want to keep that in mind if things get serious.
"Things are serious."
"You know what's funny? You love bacon and Nick stinks of it
apparently. I love chocolate and Vaughn wears that great body spray.
Man, he smells good."
I flicked Raven's nose. "You already got your man. Now shut up

and pay attention to me. It's my turn."
"Oh, sorry," Raven said, erasing the space between us. She looked deep
into my eyes and caressed my hair. "Share with me all the delicious
details about your bacon smelling stud."
"Nick doesn't stink of anything. He's very clean."
"Even after you finished with him? Your sluttiness has been known to
mark a man."
"I've been celibate since the beginning of summer. My pussy has
cobwebs at this point."
While the clerk looked horrified at our conversation, Winnie grinned
under her hair. Everyone had an opinion of my love life apparently.
Raven tugged gently at my hair. "Nick's a nice guy. I hope you two
make it work."
"Are you being snarky?"
"No, I mean it. He's a good guy. Not impressed with money or easy
pussy. A guy like him will make a good husband. You know, if it ever
gets that far."
"I really like him," I admitted. "He makes me feel different than other
guys."
"Why worry then?"
"I worry he'll lose interest like every other guy. Well, except for Deputy
Dickhead who keeps texting me."
Raven gave me her irritated big sister look. "You should tell Kirk about
the dipshit and make him go away."
"I don't want to run to Pop over a guy. I'm trying to get them to respect
me in the club. Needing to be saved from a douche like Ennis makes me
look weak."
"I guess, but don't underestimate a creepy stalker type. Especially one
carrying a gun."
I never viewed Ennis Darling as a threat since most men in Ellsberg
knew to behave around me. Those who didn't know learned the hard
way.
"Can I talk to you outside?" I asked and Raven glanced at Maddy.
"We'll be back to watch you try on dresses."

"I don't see any I like. Not my style."
"No redneck chic, huh?" Raven asked and Maddy flipped her off.
When I instructed Winnie to stay, she frowned at me since I used my
master to dog tone. Giving my assistant an apologetic smile, I followed
Raven outside.
"What's up?"
"It's about Nick."
"Sex issues?"
"Kinda," I said, kicking the ground.
Raven bumped my hip. "Is he too quick? I've heard nice guys have that
problem. I don't know obviously since I was only with assholes before
Vaughn."
"You don't think Vaughn is an asshole?" I balked.
"He's my asshole."
Sighing, I looked at the traffic and recognized a guy driving by. He was
one of the many dickheads who considered me a bang and hang girl. I
didn't even remember fucking him, but I did recall him blowing me off.
"Nick and I haven't done it yet," I whispered. "We got into it hardcore
last night and I knew he was digging it, you know?"
"Why are you talking in code?" Raven asked, glancing around. "Who
the hell is listening besides me?"
"Whatever. I just don't know why he stopped. I mean we were getting
so hot and heavy. I know I like him so I wasn't sending a signal to stop.
He just did though. It's not normal to get that hot and heavy then
stop."
Raven wrapped her blonde hair into a ponytail and held it over her head
to allow the wind to cool her neck.
"Maybe he thinks you're special and wants to make your first time all
special and shit? He's no virgin either. In fact, I heard he got a lot of
play when he started fighting. He's not fucking around now, but he
wasn't hurting for chicks in the past. Plus, you've been around the block
a few billion times."
"Hey!"
Raven laughed. "Point is the first time isn't going to be special just
because his scarecrow enters your pumpkin patch."

Frowning at her wording, I noticed a mom and her horde of kids
approaching.
"I just want things to work out with Nick," I said as the kids passed.
"I've had a thing for him for over a year. This is my chance and I don' t
want to scare him away or bore him or whatever. I just want him to be
mine and stay with me forever."
"Don't tell him that. He'll get scared and run."
"Duh. What do I tell him to keep him though?"
Raven let go of her hair and hugged me to her. "Babe, it either happens
or it doesn't. There's no forcing these things. Trust me. I wasted a lot of
time on guys that weren't the one. When the guy and you click, things
happen even if you're not ready. If Nick's not the one, no magic words
will make him the guy for you."
"That's not what I want to hear."
"I know, but I won't set you up to feel bad by telling you that you can
make something happen when you can't. If it doesn't work with Nick,
that's not on you. It's just life."
We returned to the store where Maddy sat next to Winnie on the bench.
They both looked bored.
"Nothing here fits my style."
"Hey, when you say the wedding will be redneck chic, will a banjo play
as you walk down the aisle?" I asked.
Raven gasped. "Ooh, I dare you to have them play Cotton Eyed Joe on
the banjo."
"Not that redneck," Maddy muttered. "I do think a banjo would be a
good idea.
"I was only kidding," I said, leaning against a laughing Raven.
"I know," Winnie whispered and Maddy leaned closer, "a guy in a blue
grass band. He plays the banjo at our church."
Maddy smiled softly, putting on her mom face. "That would be great.
Do you think you can get him to call me so I can see if he and his band
can play the wedding?"
Winnie nodded then peeked up at me for reassurance. Giving her a nod,
I didn't understand why she was so edgy lately. For weeks, she
followed me around like a confident puppy. Now, her tail was wedged

fully between her legs. Luckily for us both, I didn't express this
question out loud. I sensed she wouldn't have liked it and I was already
feeling bad enough without adding guilt to the mix.

Chapter Twelve ~ Nick
The Thunderdome had a single locker room, so the girls were forced to
show up in their fight gear or change in front of guys. Sometimes, their
friends acted as a human curtain while the fighter dressed. The new girl
came alone and she came dressed to fight.
Nearby, I sat on a bench and read Moby Dick. I was supposed to read
the book in high school, but the teacher went out on maternity leave
and her replacement let the classes run themselves. To ensure we
passed the tests, she also gave us the answers. The easiest class I ever
enjoyed now meant I needed to read Moby Dick in between head
injuries and dating Bailey.
The new girl stretched and I caught sight of her face. Until then, she
had kept her back to me as if I might attack her if she accidently made
eye contact. With her blonde hair out of the way, I recognized her, but
couldn't place a name. She was likely a freshman I saw on the quad.
"Don't stretch too much," I said, looking at my book. "I saw a girl strain
a muscle in her warm-up. It hurt her ability to run during the match and
she lost pretty quickly."
"I don't plan to run," she muttered, but I heard more anxiety in her voice
than anger.
"No one plans to run until their crazy opponent runs at them. It's only
natural to move the hell out of the way."
She smiled softly. "I'll keep that in mind."
After she sat on the bench, I set aside my book. "I'm Nick."
"Joy. I've seen you fight once. The guy was huge, but you beat
him."
"Huge is code for slow."
"He didn't seem slow," she said, grinning. "You have any advice?"
"Not really. Everyone has their own style. I'm not the fastest and I' m
certainly not the strongest. My strength is an ability to take a punch and
pretend my opponent is the person I hate the most in the world."
As Joy studied me, I noticed her relaxing. "You focus your anger on the
person you're fighting?"

"You'll be surprised how much energy pure rage will give you." Axel
poked his head into the room and gestured towards Joy. "It's time."
Smiling at me, she disappeared out of the door. The silence of the
locker room allowed me to think about Bailey. About how much I' d
wanted her, yet how I couldn't overcome my self-disgust when she
touched me.
The reality was I never fucked a girl with my shirt off. Even when they
wanted to see the tattoo, I showed them from afar. Up close, they'd see
the old scars. Pity was the best case scenario. The worst was the chick
that noticed the scars in the locker room and said they turned her on.
Irritated after thinking about those past girls, I decided to watch Joy
fight a tall skinny girl with huge hands. I apparently missed a few solid
hits because both girls were bleeding. Joy backed away from the taller
girl and dodged her punch before running to the other side of the cage.
The crowd didn't much care about the skills of the female fighters.
They enjoyed watching pretty girls running around in skimpy clothes.
While Joy got a laugh from the crowd every time she ran away, the
skinny girl grew more frustrated and frenzied. For a while, nothing
happened and the crowd lost their fire.
Joy only needed one good hit to win. She didn't even knock out her
opponent. By the time the punch came, Skinny Girl was worn down
and ready to stop fighting.
Winning her first match, Joy saw me and smiled. I returned her grin.
Women like Joy never intimidated me. Bailey did because I needed
her. The others could shit on me and I didn't really care. Take them or
leave them, my life went on.
Not with Bailey though. She was special, yet I couldn't let her
close.
My father took a normal kid and turned him into trash. Dragon wanted
more, demanded it really, but I was just Nick with Bailey. Poor white
trash with small dreams and a scarred back only barely better than the
horror show in my head, I didn't deserve her.
The guy who stood before me smiled awkwardly and asked for me

to take it easy on him. Don't hurt me too bad, Dragon, he said. The
moment he said the words, I knew he would cheat. Bite, spit, and go for
my balls. His plan was written all over his face.
Instead of facing this dweeb, I imagined my father before me. Dad
knew how to lie and hide the monster inside him. He also knew how to
fight like a man. The only thing he ever taught me was to take and
throw a punch.
Within two minutes, I left the dweeb sprawled on the ground. A short
dull fight for the crowd, but I didn't care. I needed to leave the noise of
the Thunderdome and ride on my Harley. Completely free, I owed no
one. If I drove fast enough, I might even be free of myself.

Chapter Thirteen ~ Bailey
After two days without seeing Nick, I was depressed. Finally when we
could go out, I needed to bail on our date when my recent lethargy
turned out to be the first symptom of a cold. Calling Nick to tell him I
was sick and couldn't go out to dinner, I swore he sounded relieved. I
hung up and cried for long enough to get so stuffed up that I could
barely breathe.
Mom brought me a few boxes of tissues and a bag full of cold
medicine. After she made me soup and tucked me in bed, I dozed off to
her humming Alan Jackson.
I woke later to knocking at the door. Peering out the curtain, I found
Nick wearing another tee too small for his current chest size. He looked
yummy and I felt crummy. Checking myself in the mirror, I panicked at
him seeing me all red-nosed and bleary-eyed.
Ignoring his knock didn't make him leave, though it did draw the
attention of the dogs. The idea of them eating my dream guy finally
overruled my vanity and I opened the door.
"I'm sick," I said, peeking out. "I don't want you to catch it."
"Hello, Bailey," Nick replied, ignoring my crabbiness. "I missed
you."
My chest soared at the sound of those three little words. "I missed you
too."
"I've come to take care of you." "I' m sick," I said again like a dope.
"I have no work," he murmured, pressing softly on the door. "All
caught up on my studies. Nothing to do, but think about you over here
sick and needing attention."
"You'll get sick."
Nick responded by kissing me softly. Before I could complain, he
deepened the kiss while nudging me back into the apartment. Once the
door was closed and locked, he smiled and our lips parted.
"Were you sleeping?"
"Yes. I'm all gross, Nick."

"Look at your pink nose," he said, caressing the chapped tip. "Do you
want to rest more?"
"You're going to sit around while I sleep?"
"I could take a nap too. I even promise not to feel you up while you're
out."
"You want to share the bed?"
Nick finally stopped smiling. "Do you not want me to?"
"Well, I just don't want you to get sick."
"Too late to worry about that now," he said, kissing me again.
Groggy from the cold meds and confused by Nick's sudden affections, I
followed him to the bedroom where he kicked off his shoes.
"Need anything before we crash?" he asked then flopped on the bed
when I shook my head. "Comfy."
The relaxed expression on Nick's face sent me rushing towards the bed.
He looked so open to the idea of us being close. I couldn't wait to spend
time with him, even if I was sleeping for most of it.
"Are you sure you don't need anything?" he asked, resting on his side
and caressing my face.
"I didn't want you to see me looking gross, but I'm really glad you
came."
Nick studied me. "I suck at relationships and I know I'm messing up
things with us. So despite my idiot moves the other night, I hope you
see how much I don't want to lose you."
"I do see," I lied, wanting to touch him. I kept my hands to myself and
watched him instead. At some point, I dozed off. When I woke up, Nick
was sleeping.
I never noticed how long his lashes were until his eyes were closed. My
fingers ached to touch them. I wanted to explore his cheeks and lips.
Even needing to touch him, I stopped myself.
After sneaking off to the bathroom where I washed up and checked for
booger issues, I returned to find Nick still asleep. He almost looked like
a stranger when he slept. I never realized how much tension he held in
his jaw.
Watching him sleep, I struggled to understand his hot and cold routine.
If he were any other guy, I'd have dumped his ass at the first

mixed signal. Nick was special though.
I downed a dose of cold medicine then cuddled under the blanket and
watched him sleep. My mind returned to Cooper's early complaints
about Farah.
My brilliant brother thought his newest conquest was playing with him.
Her hot and cold moods were just games to keep his attention. Cooper
bitched about Farah, but refused to give up. He wanted her. He also
needed her to want him. Like usual, Cooper pushed too hard and nearly
lost her.
I thought about my brother hurting Nick and my rage bubbled.
Normally, I always took my family's side over any outsider, but not
with Nick. I knew Cooper was wrong. I just didn't know why. Not
really. I thought he was an idiot for losing his mind over a girl who
played with his emotions.
Farah wasn't playing and Cooper learned to help her. I knew Nick
wasn't playing either. He wanted me and I wanted him. It was simple,
but I needed to be patient. Unfortunately for Nick and me, I sucked at
patience.

Chapter Fourteen ~ Nick
Loneliness was a common symptom of my upbringing that I'd learned
to ignore. By high school, I didn't seek out close friends. Keeping
everything casual, I didn't let people close. I refused to be in a position
to answer questions about my scars or asshole dad. Desperate to
pretend I was someone else, I found lies were easier when I kept people
at a distance.
Bailey wasn't people though. She was mine. I felt it in my gut, but that
didn' t make letting her close any easier.
For a few hours in Bailey's bed, I slept better than I had in years.
Closing my eyes to the image of Bailey's bleary eyes and red nose, I felt
safe. I dozed off to the aroma of her summery scent mixed with Vicks.
Waking later, I found Bailey snoring quietly. She looked like a very
stuffed up baby drooling on her pillow while breathing through her
mouth. Even sick, she was too beautiful for a guy like me.
Losers occasionally ended up with people above their worth. Pretty
successful girls with ugly lame guys. Overweight dumb girls with the
athletic winners. If a connection happened, the loser's flaws might be
ignored. Bailey felt something for me, so I hoped she might overlook
the scars and intimacy issues. If she could see only the good parts, I
might win her heart.
Unable to sleep, I carefully slid out of bed to ensure I didn't wake
Bailey. Her snoring never paused as I left the bedroom. Feeling dirty,
what I really wanted was a shower. Since this was out of the question
with Bailey sleeping, I cleaned her kitchen. First I washed the few
dishes in the sink. Then I wiped down the counter and the cabinets. The
place wasn't really dirty, but I needed to create order where in my mind
was a ruined mess.
Drying the dishes, I heard the front door open. I prayed Cooper wasn't
visiting because I wasn't in the mood for more dick measuring. Instead,
a curly haired blonde appeared in the kitchen with a lit cigarette
dangling from one hand and a Tupperware container from the other.
Her blue eyes sized me up quickly then she nodded and placed the
container

on the counter.
"You're Nick."
"I came over to check on Bailey."
"How's my baby doing?" she asked, glancing towards the bedroom.
"Stuffed up, but sleeping."
Jodi nodded then sized me up again. "You have mama issues, don't
you, Nick?"
"Should I leave?"
Staring directly into my eyes, she asked, "Do you want to leave?"
Even with her unflinching gaze and my urge for distance from the
judgments she must be making about me, I shook my head.
"Then why should you leave?"
I shrugged as she took a drag on her cigarette.
"Bailey needs a good man. Not only because I want my baby to be
happy, but because a bad man would hurt her and end up in a shallow
grave. I don't want a dead son-in-law, so only a good man will do for
Bailey."
"Was that a threat?"
"Only if you're a bad man."
"I don't think I'm bad. I'm not necessarily good though." Jodi smirked.
"Nick, you're a fucking Boy Scout next to the men I know and love."
"And that's a good thing, right? You know, so you don't end up with a
dead son-in-law."
"Exactly. I like how you defended Bailey at that party last year. Just
because I want someone nice don't mean I want a coward."
When I said nothing, Jodi squinted at me. "Bailey told me about your
parents. Losers who did a shit job. No wonder you look at me like
that."
"She told you my parents were losers?"
"No, she told me your mom was a druggie who ditched you. Your dad
wasn't a winner either. I put the loser stamp on them myself. Am I
wrong?"
I shook my head.

"When Bailey is feeling better, you two should come to the house for
dinner. Let Kirk get to know you. He'll growl and glare. The whole
mean daddy routine, but he's glad you're not a punk ass loser from a frat
house or that stupid deputy. I swear Bailey has the worst taste," Jodi
said, dropping her cigarette in the sink and running water over it. "I
always worried she'd marry some pothead who wrote poetry. Or a
mean fucker Kirk would make disappear. I like this turn of events with
you. Kirk will like them too when he's done giving you shit."
I smiled tightly. "I just want Bailey to be happy."
"Don't you care about being happy too?"
"Sure."
"Yeah, I can tell you had a shitty mom. It happens. Mine was a
bitch too."
I finally smiled for real and Jodi returned it.
"You'll probably get sick from being around her," she warned.
"I grew up in so much filth that I'm immune to most germs."
"There's always an upside to everything. I never get sick either, but my
kids are weak because I raised them well."
When we smiled, her expression relaxed me and I realized she shared
her daughter's smile. I loved when Bailey grinned. When she laughed,
the world was magic.

Chapter Fifteen ~ Bailey
I spent my life avoiding embarrassment. When I tripped or spilled
something, I tended to throw a fit as a way to distract from my original
mistake. Lark pointed out how I was actually drawing attention to my
dorkiness by reacting like a child. Since her loving lecture, I'd been
teaching myself to handle the initial embarrassing moments with more
class.
Waking up covered in drool and snot was more than embarrassing. I
flew into a panic mode and nearly toppled off the bed. Noticing Nick
was missing, I assumed he got one look at my nastiness and made a run
for it.
Instead, I heard him in the living room with Mom. After hurrying to the
bathroom to wash away the nasty, I joined them. Nick sat on one end of
the couch while Mom sat at the other. She was telling him about
Sawyer's curls and how I'd gotten lucky by getting Pop's straight hair.
"Just warning you that you might have curly haired kids," she finished
then smiled at me. "How you feeling, baby?"
"Awkward."
Nick grinned at me, but he seemed relaxed. My mom had worn down
his efforts to keep her at bay like I knew she would eventually. She was
the same way with Farah. Pushing and nagging until Farah opened up
and lost her walls.
"I brought you soup," Mom said, walking to me and checking my face.
"No fever. Wanna eat?"
Glancing past her to Nick, I mumbled. "In a little bit."
"Since Nick wants to take care of you, I'll leave for a while. I'll be back
after dinner to bring you leftovers."
Forgetting my embarrassment, I smiled at Nick. "We have great
leftovers."
Nick returned my smile with an easy one of his own. As soon as Mom
was out the door, he popped up from the couch and erased the space
between us. I opened my mouth to protest his impending kiss, but Nick
shut me up.

His lips sucked hungrily on mine until I started laughing. Nick pulled
back and frowned. Once he realized I wasn't laughing at him, he kissed
me again.
Somehow, we moved to the couch without me falling down. I wasn't
the most coordinated chick, but Nick held me just right and I let him
lead.
"You really are going to get sick," I mumbled when he let me breathe.
Jumping up, he hurried to the kitchen to get me a cup of fresh coffee.
When he returned, Nick smiled brightly. "I better stop kissing you or
you'll suffocate."
"Did my mom talk your ear off?"
"She's like a shorter version of you."
"So yes then?"
Nick sat next to me and grinned. "I know you're sick and that's not cool,
but I' m glad I came over." "Me too. Will you stay?"
Nick glanced back at the door then focused on me. "I didn't think to
bring extra clothes. When I told Jodi that, she said she had sweats and
shirts I could wear. They might even fit and I know I'll like wearing
baggy shirts again."
I reached out and caressed his chest. "These don't really fit you."
"I'm cheap when it comes to buying clothes."
"Maybe we can go shopping. I love buying stuff, but don't need
anything new."
"I don't need you to buy me clothes."
Hearing edginess to his tone, I sniffled then coughed hard and long. By
the time I stopped playing up the sick act, Nick looked concerned.
"Please, let me buy you clothes. It'll be fun and give me something to
look forward to."
Nick nodded, but his eyes revealed how he was onto me. I grinned then
snuggled closer.
"Do I look gross?" I asked, batting my lashes for him. "Am I
disgusting?"
"You look beautiful and you know it too."

"I' m insecure."
"Based on what?"
"Based on the crazy in my head."
"But you know you're crazy which means you can't really be crazy.
People who are really crazy think they're sane because the insanity
makes sense to them. It's the rest of us that seem nuts."
"How do you know?"
"I had a neighbor with mental issues. I don't know what exactly, but he
often talked to me about how he saw the world. What sounded like
madness to me made perfect sense to him," he said, nuzzling my hair
with his lips. "You seek out acceptance even when you have it. I'm not
sure why, but you're not crazy."
"I worry I'll lose what I want."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Did you lose something important before?" "No."
"Did you get more attention after Sawyer was born if you acted
insecure?"
I squinted at him. "You think I'm faking it?"
"I think we get into habits and never know it. I don't like people
touching me," he said, avoiding my gaze. "I never realized that until
you. I wanted you for a long time then I was bothered to have you touch
me. We have habits without knowing it until they slap us in the face."
"So I can just stop being insecure?"
"You trained yourself to feel insecure. Train yourself to feel
otherwise."
"How?"
"I don't know. I guess when you feel insecure, ask yourself why? Like
when you believe I don't think you're beautiful, ask yourself why I
wouldn't? Ask if your feeling is based on anything? Would I really kiss
all over you when you're sick if I didn't think you were beautiful? If that
answer is no, then shove aside the insecurity and accept you're
beautiful."
I bit my lip and thought about my next words. "Can you learn to

like being touched?"
Nick hesitated before looking at me. "I'll try for you."
I drank half of the coffee then wondered about my breath. Catching
myself getting insecure, I remembered Nick was drinking coffee too.
When the feeling eased away, I grinned.
"I used that trick you suggested when I felt insecure about kissing
you."
Nick didn't answer, instead pressing his lips against mine. I placed my
hands on his chest and hoped he worked through his bad habit too.
Instead, he jerked his body away even while his lips remained on mine.
Nick wanted me. I knew he did, so I didn't let his reaction to my touch
set off any negative feelings. He just had a bad habit and I needed to
help him.
"I know I'm all funky with my stuffed nose, but I want to play around."
"Play around?" he asked, immediately wary.
"You don't like people touching you, so I want you to touch me."
Frowning, Nick started thinking reasons to say no until I took off my
shirt and he noticed I wasn't wearing a bra.
"Be gentle," I said, nervous even though I knew they looked great. "The
new ones haven't had a guy touch them before. You're their first."
Still ready to back off, Nick refused to look at my bare chest.
"How were you with all those other girls if you don't like being
touched?" I asked, taking his hand in mine and caressing it.
"It was always crappy sex at parties or in cars. Nothing real."
"Do you like my new boobs?" I asked as his hands remained limp
against them. "I'm curious if the nipples will be as sensitive after the
surgery. Wanna help me find out?"
Nick gave me a pained expression. "I can't do what you want."
"I just want you to touch me," I whispered, caressing his hands. "Touch
me and make me feel good. I won't expect anything more than for you
to serve me as my sex slave."
Nick finally smiled. "I wouldn't mind exploring everything Bailey
Fucking Johansson has to offer."
"You can stay dressed while I get my sickie self naked."

"Wouldn't you rather wait until you feel better?"
"I thought of you when I got my new boobs," I murmured. "I wanted
you to be the first to touch them. No one else."
Nick's expression shifted into one of possession. I'd never seen him
look so primal and my body responded with more need.
"Another guy would be better for you," he said in a hard voice. "He
could give you what I can't, but I don't care. I see you and know you
belong with me. I've always known. I think you've known too."
"Yes," I whispered, no longer teasing. "No one else makes me feel like
you do."
"Because you're mine."
Nick's battered hands slid over my breasts and squeezed gently. Heat
rushed straight between my legs, causing me to squirm. My already
hard nipples thickened between his teasing fingers.
His gaze met mine and I saw something beyond lust. Fear maybe.
"I can't fuck you," he whispered roughly. "Not tonight. Not in the way
you want. "
My heart hurt at his distance. I wanted our feelings to overcome
whatever childhood pains he suffered. Knowing love didn't magically
fix anything, I forced my feelings aside.
"You don't want me to touch you. Touching me is okay though,
right?"
Nick responded by tugging gently at my nipples. Groaning, I smiled at
him as my hand moved past my night shorts.
"You can make me feel good," I sighed. "Serve me, Nick."
His smile spread as his lips met mine. I kissed him hard, cupping his
cheek with one hand while the other teased between my legs. Nick's
lips left mine then sucked at my throat, shoulders, and between my
breasts, leaving wet kisses behind. Sighing, I leaned back and waited
with hungry anticipation as his tongue christened my right nipple.
Kneeling next to the couch, Nick propped himself over me as he
lathered my tits with the kind of affection a girl could get addicted to. I
watched him through half open eyes while my hand stroked my clit
softly.
Unlike every guy before him, Nick wasn't throwing in a little

foreplay before his big move. Instead, he explored. Nick claimed me,
making my body submit to his touch.
Time became fluid. I saw nothing beyond Nick teasing my overheated
flesh. How many orgasms did I enjoy without him ever entering me?
When his teeth teased my nipple, I lost control and nearly ripped his
clothes off. Reaching for him, I was startled by how effortlessly he
pinned my arms over my head while his free hand slid into my shorts
and returned me to bliss.
Nick's name echoed in the apartment as I cried it again and again.
"Please," I whimpered, "I want you inside me."
Nick didn't respond with words. He just smiled then sucked on the
fingers he used to making me come.
"You're not ready," I mumbled, exhausted by so much pleasure. "I can
wait as long as you do that a lot."
A smile on his lips, Nick kissed me. "You never let go. Do you know
that about yourself?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, trying to sound
indignant, but he was teasing my nipples and I really didn't care about
anything else.
Nick's gaze was soft as he explored me leisurely. "You can't see it, I
guess. You're on guard though. Even when you're coming, you don't
really let go. I don't think you trust me."
"Do you trust me?"
Nick shook his head, tugging at my nipple. "Not because of you. I don't
trust you because I don't trust anyone. Not even me. Do you trust
people?"
"I guess."
"Maybe you just don't trust men," he murmured.
"You're not men."
Nick grinned. "No, I'm not."
"Want to play in my bed where we can stretch out and my mom won't
walk in on us?"
Saying nothing, Nick stood in an easy movement and lifted me to my
feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck and climbed him, feeling how
much he wanted to be inside me. Despite his plans to keep his

clothes on, I figured the night was still young.

Chapter Sixteen ~ Nick
Thunderstorms always returned me to the closet in the dirty trailer.
Knees against my chest, I would hide my face and pray for the noise to
stop. As a boy, I cried from how loud everything echoed in the closet.
As I got older, I controlled my tears, yet clenched my jaw so tightly I
often hurt for days afterwards.
Even after leaving the trailer and moving to Ellsberg, I struggled for
control when thunderstorms rolled through. In class once, I spent an
hour digging a pen into my hand to distract from the crack of lightning
and crash of thunder.
Sitting in Bailey's apartment, I heard the approaching storm and knew I
should leave. Yet the moment I glanced at the door to make my escape,
Bailey's expression changed.
"You want to leave?"
"I should probably head out."
"Mom's bringing food."
"A storm is coming. I better head out."
"Stay the night," she whined in a soft voice. "You already spent the
night when I was sick. Why not now?"
Desperate to leave, I paced to the door. Bailey stood behind me and the
will of her personality kept me from turning the knob. I looked into her
beautiful blue eyes and forced out the truth.
"I hate thunderstorms," I said and she nodded like she understood, but I
knew she didn't. "I get tense in them. I can't relax and I don't want to
ruin your night."
"I don't care if you're tense. I want you to stay."
Taking her face in my hands, I was barely able to breathe as the storm
approached.
"As a kid, I hid during thunderstorms. I couldn't think or talk to anyone.
I still get scared. Do you get it? I can't be your boyfriend and watch a
movie. I'm like a fucking baby, needing to hide in the fucking corner
and wait for the storm to pass. When the thunder and lightning really
kicks in... Acting like that at my place doesn't make me feel like

such a loser, but here with y o u . "
"I don't care," she said, caressing my hands which still held her face. "I
want to be with you, Nick. I have a lot of ideas about what can happen
between us. Big things like being together forever. You always run
though. You pull away and put up these walls. I don't care though. Not
about you being scared or needing to sit in a corner. I want to love you.
I think I really can and that means I need to accept everything about
you. Not just Dragon or nice guy Nick. I accept that you come with
baggage from your fucked up childhood. You accept my baggage and I
didn' t even have a bad childhood. I had everything and I still get weird.
Let me accept even the stuff you don't like about yourself."
"I' m a grown man," I said, frustrated to show her weakness. "I know
the damn thunderstorm isn't going to hurt me"
"That's not true. They kill people every year."
"Bailey."
"Am I just a hot girl you want to bang or do you think we could be
more?"
"You know you're more to me."
"Then let me see the real you. If I am going to be an asshole about your
hang-ups, why not get the whole thing out of the way and not waste
time? I know I won't and I want you to know too."
Kissing her softly, I relaxed in her familiar taste and embrace. I wanted
to stay with her. Where else would feel as good as with my girl? I just
didn't want to look like a pussy in front of woman who grew up
surrounded by badasses.
"When I was a kid," I said quietly, "the storms were so loud and the
whole trailer would shake like it was going to be torn apart. I'd see
other people getting ready for the storms. They'd keep their kids close,
but I was alone most of the time. I would hide in the closet and wait for
the storm to end. Even now, I feel like I'm back there."
"It's PTSD," she said, tugging me away from the door and to the living
room. "You're reliving a trauma. My shrink told me about it when I
asked her about Tawny's issues. Like how she and Farah can get really
weird when a lot of bikers are around. They know Cooper and Judd
would never let anything happen to them, but they still get jittery. They

aren't fully in the present, Dr. Dee said. That's your problem too. You
hear the thunder and you're back in the trailer as a scared little boy. No
rational thinking is gonna convince you otherwise." "I'm sorry."
Bailey gave me a soft smile. "For having shitty parents? That's not your
fault anymore than I deserve good ones. It was the luck of the draw.
You did get lucky by meeting me because I'm super smart and sensitive
and all."
"You are sensitive," I said, running my fingers along the seam of her
pale blue tee.
When Bailey squirmed under my touch, I loved the look in her eyes.
Something between lust and love.
Reaching for her, I stopped when thunder shook the apartment. My
skin broke out in heat and I ran my hands through my hair instead of
touching her.
"This is a good corner," she said softly, moving to the counter
overhang. "The wall isn't an outside one and doesn't shake as much as
the others. It's a good corner to sit in."
"Bailey," I muttered, wishing to leave so she wouldn't see me afraid
like a child.
"Sit down here and I'll put on a movie. I'll sit on the couch and we'll be
together. That's better than you driving home in the storm and being
alone."
Giving up, I dropped on my ass with a thump while Bailey knelt in
front of me. "Take off your shoes so I know you won't leave. I feel
needy, but don't hold that against me, okay? You still like me even
though I' m messed up and stuff, right?"
I smiled. "You're not what I thought," I said and she instantly assumed
the worst. "You're better in every way."
"That's true," Bailey said, covering her insecurity. She stood up and
sighed. "I'm going to get a drink. Do you need anything?"
I shook my head while kicking off my shoes. The wind had picked up
and now shook everything with a fury. Leaning my head against knees,
I focused on the clean scent of the apartment. This wasn't the dirty
trailer and I wasn't a boy anymore. My dad wouldn't show up and

pound on me. I no longer had to worry about his friends smacking me
around either. I was safe with the girl of my dreams who was pointing
her butt at me. Enjoying the view, I watched Bailey search her
collection of Blu-rays.
When she turned around, I noticed an odd look on her beautiful
face.
"I don't judge you," she said, walking towards me with a movie behind
her back. "Promise you won't judge me." "Why?" I asked, suspicious
now.
"This is my favorite movie, but no one knows. It's my secret and I' m
sharing it with you because I trust you. Do you trust me?"
Nodding, I tilted my head to see the movie behind her back. When she
kept it hidden, I added, "I promise."
Bailey sighed and showed me the movie. When I just smiled, she
sighed again, sounding relieved this time.
"The Santa Clause?" I said, smiling wider. "You're sweet."
"It makes me happy. Whenever I feel down, I watch it and life gets
better."
"Maybe it'll work for me?"
Smiling at my comment, Bailey hurried to the player. While she set up
the movie, I focused on her rather than the storm.
I' d never seen the movie before, but I watched it with the eyes of a
child rather than the skeptical eyes of a nineteen year old. It wasn't
difficult whenever I looked at a smiling Bailey. She laughed a lot even
though the jokes must be tired after so many viewings. Watching the
movie with her, I allowed the scared little boy to enjoy something he
might have once found funny.
An hour in, I had joined her on the couch. Every snap of thunder tensed
me, but I concentrated on the movie's sweetness and Bailey's warm
body against mine. By the time the movie was over, I didn't jump at
every crack of thunder. Bailey helped me remain in the present when
my past wanted to destroy me. She was much more than I ever dreamed
and I needed to make her mine.

Chapter Seventeen ~ Bailey
The storm raged for the rest of the night and into the morning. I loved
sleeping when it rained, but Nick remained on edge. Every time I
comforted him, he jerked away. If I gave him space, he calmed enough
to rest closer to me on the bed.
Whenever I felt insecure about him refusing my touch, I remembered
how he whispered my name in his sleep. I also thought about how I'd
comforted him the night before without using sex or jokes. I was able to
be gentle in a way I normally didn't have in me.
I woke up later in the morning to find my cold had passed and Nick was
gone from the bed. With the heavy winds and rain, I nearly missed the
sound of running water.
Opening the door to the shower, I saw Nick scrubbing his already red
arms. I turned down the scalding water and started to speak until his
expression stopped me.
"I need to be alone."
I nearly left him to clean his already clean body. Tawny also got in her
weird moods where she needed to be alone or only wanted to be around
Judd. I understood people like Nick and the Smith sisters were raised
fucked up, leaving them with real problems, not insecurities about bra
sizes.
I refused to leave Nick though. His happiness was my responsibility, so
I stripped out of my nightgown and joined him in the shower.
Nick moved into the corner, trying to hide himself.
"You don't have to hide from me. I've seen your scars."
"In the Thunderdome. That's not me. That's Dragon. I don't feel like
Dragon. I f e e l . "
Nick couldn't finish. His expression was filled with such self-loathing
that I wanted to hunt down his father and make him pay. Going
homicidal wouldn't help Nick though.
"I never see Dragon," I said, stepping closer and placed my hands
against the long healed scars on his chest. "I always see Nick and you're

the one I want."
Nick didn't budge from the corner of the shower. "Even after living
here for a year, I can still smell the old trailer. I can never wash it off."
My fingers slid over the circular scars on his bicep that I suspected
were cigarette burn marks. I'd seen one on the back of Winnie's right
hand. She told me that before the Todds saved her she was worth no
more than an ashtray.
No one ever saved Nick.
"When I see you," I said softly, "I don't see the dirty trailer. When I see
your scars, I don't see a loser. I see strength and goodness. You grew up
abused by a monster, yet never became one. That takes courage. You
didn't become a drunk or addict to blind yourself from the pain. That
takes strength. You don't use or destroy people to get what you want.
Instead, I always see you helping people at school. One time, I saw you
help a woman catch her wild dog. You're a good man. Strong and
brave."
Leaning into him, I removed the soap from his hands while a haunted
Nick stared at me. I looked into the eyes of a lost child wanting to hide
from the world.
"You smell like mine," I said, resting his hands on my wet hips. "You
smell like a man who wants me."
I stroked his hard cock, causing Nick to shudder. His fingers grazed my
back up to my shoulders then to my face. I lifted my lips to his and he
kissed my breath away. His need uncontrollable, Nick grabbed me
under the butt and lifted me against him.
"Bailey," he muttered, staring into my eyes my body slid up and down
against his.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I didn't know what he wanted. His
body needed to fuck. His cock wanted inside me. His heart needed
acceptance. What his mind wanted remained a mystery.
"I see you," I whispered in his ear. "You're mine in every way and
nothing will make me let go."
Still staring into my eyes, Nick thrust inside my body until he filled me
completely. There was questioning in his gaze, but also a challenge. I

claimed to want all of him despite his flaws. Was I willing to give him
everything?
My answer was to tighten my pussy around his cock. Nick's hips
moved frantically, needing what he denied himself this last week with
me. Basking in his hunger, I held onto his slick body and murmured my
pleasure in his ear.

Chapter Eighteen ~ Nick
Bailey felt delicate in my arms. Fragile as if I had the power to destroy
her. I wanted to do right by her, but I couldn't stop. My mind blinded by
need, I wouldn't let her go. All my life I needed something to soothe the
pain and Bailey offered freedom. How could I let her go? Or tell myself
to stop when life gave me nothing for so long?
Carrying Bailey out of the shower, I rested her wet body on the
bed.
"You want this," I said, but my voice made it sound like a question.
"I dreamed of this," she murmured while running her fingers through
my wet hair. "A guy worthy of Free Bird."
Having no idea what she was talking about, I didn't care anyway. Her
damp skin tasted sweet as I sucked and nipped along every inch of
flesh. Noticing Bailey reaching for something, I didn't care if she took a
gun and ended me that very moment. She was my salvation and I
couldn't stop.
Music began to play, but I didn't recognize it as Skynyrd until I lifted
her hips and enjoyed a taste of her wet pussy. "Oh, shit," Bailey
moaned.
I might have laughed at her frenzied voice if I wasn't busy devouring
her warm flesh. When Bailey's hips squirmed wildly as I sucked her
clit, I held her still and forced her over the edge. She cried out my name
like she was falling. I heard panic and pleasure wrapped in one word.
Long after Bailey's breathing slowed, I explored between her legs,
teasing and tasting. My fingers plunged inside her then I used the
wetness to test her anus. As I played, Bailey murmured something and
her body remained limp. She only squirmed when I nibbled at the spot
behind her knee.
Crawling over her, I teased her pussy with my cock. "I've only done
that once before," I said, leaning down to kiss her hard nipple. "Did
I do it right?"
"Huh?" she muttered as if stoned from a too powerful orgasm.

"I'll take that as a yes." Bailey smiled. "Yes."
"More?"
Her smile grew. "Much more. Until we can't think of anything
else."
Grinning, I leaned forward and my cock opened her pussy until I filled
her.
"I see you," she said, holding onto my forearms as I fucked her harder.
"And you're perfect."
I could only smile as I moved faster and deeper until her expression
shifted. I knew she was close and I needed her to come apart.
The look on Bailey's face as she came sent a shudder through me. I' d
never created anything beautiful in my life. My claim to fame was
taking a punch. I was often complimented on my dragon tattoo, but that
wasn't my design or talent. With Bailey's pleasure, I accomplished
something divine.
"Nick," she said again and again until my lips met hers and silenced her
with a kiss.
Her arms wrapped around me and didn't let go until I came hard too.
More intense than anything before, I was losing control. As if every
level of protection I'd built up over the years threatened to fall in this
moment.
Wanting to pull away, I need to guard myself from possible rejection
and pain. Bailey refused to let me go. Her grip remained possessive
even after I rested next to her.
"You can't know how good that was," she whispered, nipping at my
lips.
"I do know."
Bailey frowned at my tone. "Are you upset?" "No," I said, feeling dirty
again.
The storm still going strong, I flinched at the lightning and thunder.
Edgy again, I needed away from Bailey until I felt clean. As if sensing I
wanted away from her, she wrapped herself tighter around me.
"Don't leave," she whined. "Guys always leave afterwards and I hate
that. Even when I hate them, I don't like getting ditched. If you

leave, it'll break my heart."
"I' m not leaving," I said, wiggling free.
"Why are you pulling away?" she mumbled, struggling against me.
"Damn boobs are in the way. Don't go."
"Bailey," I said, finally twisting around and breaking free, "I'm not
leaving, but I need to breathe."
"No."
Bracing her wrists over her head, I kissed Bailey hard until she stopped
squirming. When she was docile, I softened my kiss and said, "I' m not
leaving."
"You want to though."
"No."
"What do you want? I know you don't want to cuddle."
Sighing, I glanced at the bathroom then back at her. She looked
delicious with her tits jutting towards me and I was hungry for those
hard nipples. Even aroused, I felt dirty next to Bailey's perfection.
"I need a shower," I confessed. "It's not you."
"I know. I'm amazing."
As I grinned, my gaze rolled over her sweaty body. "I want you," I
whispered, biting my lip to keep from lowering my mouth to her closest
nipple.
"You can have them both," she said and I thought she meant her tits. "A
shower and me. Let's just take our fun back under the water."
Releasing her wrists, I sat up. "I don't know why I didn't think of
that."
"My hot body distracted you," she said, jumping up and running to the
bathroom. I found her standing in front of the mirror. "I don't blame
you. These boobs are to die for."
Pressing my body against hers, my hands covered those lovely boobs
and I found her gaze in the mirror.
"I want to be like normal guys, but this is the best I can do."
Bailey turned around and lowered my forehead to hers. "Normal guys
eat shit. You be you and I'll be happy as long as you stay with me."
Grinning, I reached over and turned on the water. "I'm not going
anywhere," I promised, kissing her as I lifted her up against me. Soon,

the water washed away my past while Bailey kept me pleasured in the
present.

Chapter Nineteen ~ Bailey
The storm intensified until the apartment felt under attack. Staring at
the ceiling, Nick rested perfectly still next to me. I watched him for a
long time without saying anything. A part of me was afraid to upset
him. Finally, I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer.
"You're not in that trailer," I said, scooting closer.
"I know."
"You're safe."
Nick nodded without looking at me. "Do you want to take a shower?"
"No."
"Can I do anything besides shut up?"
Nick smiled tightly and reached for my hand. He placed it on his chest
and sighed.
"I feel... I just need to wait out the storm. You don't need to stay up and
wait with me."
"Are you hot?" I asked, thinking about him trapped in the closet during
a storm. "Want me to put on the ceiling fan?"
Nick didn't react for nearly a minute. Finally, he glanced at me in the
dark room.
"That might help actually."
Feeling brilliant, I jumped up and reached for the fan remote. After
turning it up to high, I returned to bed. We rested quietly as I built up
the courage to ask the question I'd been circling for a while.
"Is your dad a smoker?"
His gaze locked on the ceiling, Nick didn't react except to say,
"Yes."
"Is that how you got the scars?"
"Some of them," Nick whispered. "Cigarettes and lighters were his
favorites. He also played baseball and used metal cleats when he was
drunk. He was just being careful, you know? He didn't want to burn
down the trailer while punishing me for his shitty life."
"Nick." I said, finding no magical words to fix his pain.

"You can get used to the physical stuff. The mind learns to work around
it, but I never figured out how to deal with thunderstorms. Isn't that
funny?" he asked without any humor.
"You are so brave," I said, wanting to touch him, but holding back.
"You were raised by a monster, but you grew up to have honor."
"I'd rather be normal."
"Average is lame, Nick. You're extraordinary." Nick tried to smile, but
failed. "The tattoo hides many of the scars, but not enough."
"I think you're beautiful." "Despite the scars."
Frowning, I sighed. "Not despite. Everything about you is beautiful to
me."
Nick nodded. "People keep telling me you're wild or rude or whatever.
I don't see it the way they do. I guess the heart makes us blind to things
too. I only see how funny and strong you are."
"I want to touch you."
"Please don't."
"I won't, but I want to."
His eyelids growing heavy, Nick smiled slightly. "You hide your
sweetness behind that big mouth, but I always knew it was there."
Sharing his smile, I cuddled closer, but avoided touching him. Dozing
off and on, I found Nick awake each time I opened my eyes. Finally
around three, I woke long enough to find him sleeping.
Nick was still asleep hours later when the bright sun streamed into the
bedroom. I left him looking sexy and serene. Twice while making
coffee, I returned to stare in awe at his buck naked wonder. I suspected
at one point Nick was dreaming about me because his cock thickened.
At least, I hoped he was thinking of me. Yeah, it was probably me.
Nick wouldn't cheat, not even in his dreams.
Mom showed up as I sat down for my first cup of coffee. She placed a
pile of clothes on the counter and joined me at the little table.
"Brought your brothers' sweats and shirts that should fit Nick. I know
he didn't have anything to wear and I sensed he didn't want to leave
you."

"I hope he never does," I whispered, giggling like crazy.
Messing with my hair, Mom grinned. "I guess you're feeling
better."
"A little tired, but that could be from something else." Mom rolled her
eyes. "Be nice to that boy, Bailey. He's skittish like a dog kicked around
for too long. If you push him too hard, he'll run
or bite."
"I am gentle," I balked as if my kindness was a world renowned fact. "I
helped him with his fear of thunderstorms. I helped him get over his
fear of doing me. I was great."
"Doing you. Very romantic. Please use that term when telling this story
to your pop."
I glanced back at the bedroom. "Will Pop be mean to Nick? He's got
dad issues."
"And mom issues and girl issues. Does the boy even have friends?"
"Nick gets along with everyone."
Mom lit a cigarette and frowned at me. "But does he have a good
friend?"
"No, but who cares?"
"Even Tucker has a best friend."
"Joey is in prison."
Mom shrugged. "Still counts."
"Maybe I'll be Nick's best friend."
"Sure and your pop and I go do girlfriend shit together all the time.
Bailey, he needs male friends. I'll make your brothers bond with him."
"Poor Nick. Can't we give him a decent fake friend? Vaughn is funny."
"Can Nick bowl?"
"No."
"Then Vaughn won't pay him attention. He barely remembers Judd
exists now that they've both got women. Aaron might be good, but he's
busy with Lark and soon the twins."
"We shouldn't be controlling Nick's life," I said then added,
"Should we?"
"I'll have Coop take an interest in Nick."

"I'm sure they'll both be thrilled."
Mom smirked. "I like Nick. If things work out, Coop needs to know
how to act around your man without remembering how the two of them
met."
After walking to the bedroom and peeking inside to see his hot body, I
shut the door. Returning to Mom, I sighed dramatically.
"I'm keeping him. He's mine and I'll kill anyone who takes him away.
You might want to warn Cooper about that."
"Baby, don't scare off this boy."
"I won't."
"I'm just warning you that he's on edge. I saw that when we talked.
Even smiling and being friendly, Nick felt on the spot. Not like a
normal boy talking to his girlfriend's mom either. He wants to run, but
he wants you more. Just take your time with Nick and it'll go easier for
you both."
"Girlfriend," I whispered. "I have a real boyfriend. Not some loser guy
I slept with and hope calls me again. A great guy too. I'm keeping him."
Exhaling hard, Mom grunted, "You're not listening." "Take it slow. Be
gentle. I'll do all that because he's mine and I'm keeping him. See, I
listened." "Bailey."
"Why are you acting like I' m a bitch who will torture poor Nick?"
Mom stood up and kissed my forehead. "Baby, you get pushy when
you want something. I also know Nick makes you happy. As much as I
want you to be happy, I need to be brutally honest. You will fuck this
up if you don't watch yourself."
"Okay," I muttered, crossing my arms.
"Don't pout. I'm just saying to be gentle with him like you are with
Winnie, not like how you are with Sawyer. I know he's strong on the
outside like your brothers, but he's not strong on the inside. If you treat
him sweet, you'll both be happy and I can see my baby smile more."
"Okay," I said with less whininess to my voice this time.
"Bring Nick by the house later for dinner. Pop needs to meet him and
get that growlfest out of the way."
I hugged Mom who took a cup of coffee with her. After watching

her return to the house, I crawled into bed next to Nick. He never
stirred, not even when I tugged a sheet over us both. Fitting so perfectly
next to him, I was certain he was made just for me.

Chapter Twenty ~ Nick
Barely awake, I reached for Bailey in bed. Her skin felt warm under my
exploring fingertips. My eyes remained closed until she straddled me.
"A morning fuck is the best," she murmured. "Or at least that's what I'
ve heard."
Grinning, I caressed her hips. "You wake up beautiful." "You're
perfection," Bailey said, guiding my cock inside. Unable to find the
right words to explain how I felt, I hoped my affections spoke in a way
I couldn't. Bouncing up and down, she worked us into a frenzy. When
Bailey orgasmed, she cried out so loudly that the dogs howled in
response. She was just as loud in the shower a half hour later. I could
barely keep hold of her soapy bouncing body. Her enthusiasm was so
intoxicating that I agreed to go to the pool even without knowing how
to swim.
Wonderfully relaxed while walking with Bailey to the main house, I
didn't think about how I was wearing Cooper's clothes. Most of my life
was spent enjoying someone's discards. Cooper's swim shorts and tee
felt better than my too tight clothes anyway.
"I don't know how to swim," I said as we walked onto the back deck
where the pool awaited.
"I'll teach you," Bailey said, smiling over her shoulder. "First, I need to
clean out some of the gunk from the storm."
After scooping up dead leaves and bugs until the pool looked pristine,
Bailey jumped into the pool.
"There's a secret to swimming," she said, giving me a wink. Tossing off
my shirt, I didn't think about how much I hated to go shirtless outside of
the cage. I just walked into the water and returned her bright smile.
"What's the secret?" "Friction."
Before I could ask, Bailey slid her wet body against mine. "Lots of
friction," she murmured, grinning wildly.
The moment my hands went to her ass, her legs wrapped around

my waist. "I feel like I might drown. More friction might be necessary."
When I nibbled at her shoulder, she went soft in my arms. Getting
cocky, I tugged at the strap of her bikini with my teeth.
"Shit," she muttered and I knew we had company.
Glancing back, I found Kirk watching us while Sawyer gnawed at an
ice cream.
"Screwing my daughter in the pool," he said, exhaling cigarette smoke.
"I like a man with balls."
Bailey frowned. "We're not screwing."
To ensure the moment was truly awkward, Bailey slid her hands up and
down my chest. Nothing made a guy piss his pants like having his nutty
girlfriend feel him up in front of her scary dad.
"We're going out to Longhorn's for dinner tomorrow night. Brass Balls
can come with us."
"Thanks, Pop," Bailey said, grinning like her hands weren't on my
ass.
"We're grilling and your brothers are here." Sawyer grinned at me then
Bailey. "A man should die with a full stomach."
Snorting at his kid's comment, Kirk took her hand then walked away.
Bailey watched them leave then looked at me.
"I was going to fuck you in the pool," she whispered. "You're going to
get me killed."
Bailey rolled her eyes. "Pop wants me to have a nice boyfriend, not a
scumbag druggie. You're nice. Very nice," she said, purring the last
word.
Once out of the pool and covered by our tees, Bailey grinned up at me.
"I get to show off my hot boyfriend. Best day ever."
Smiling tightly, I followed her without speaking because no words
could explain how nervous I felt.
The massive deck off the Johanssons' back door was where we found
the family. Standing in front of the grill, Kirk was a big guy like his
sons. Rougher though and I could imagine him killing his way up the
ladder to the head of the motorcycle club. I doubted anything was ever
handed to him, but he still ended up on top.

His kids lived a cushy life. Bailey never thought twice about buying
something. Yet they weren't decadent people. As I walked with Bailey
onto the deck, Lynyrd Skynyrd played from the inside of the house. I
spotted bowls filled with potato salad and coleslaw on the table while
near the grill waited burgers and steaks. This was wealth
Johansson-style. Surrounded by family and large dogs, they enjoyed a
good meal with a beautiful view of the river.
Kirk gave me a nod then smiled for his daughter who returned the
gesture. She looked young and happy in a way I hoped she never lost.
"Nick, come help me out. My boys are too busy chasing their women's
fumes."
Cooper frowned at the suggestion that he was whipped even though he
sat with Farah on his lap. Her bare baby bump smiled up at them both
from where Sawyer drew a happy face on it with her water paints.
Leaving Bailey with Jodi, I joined Kirk at the grill.
"You need to flip them after four minutes. I've got it timed perfectly."
Nodding, I kept an eye on my watch then flipped the steaks like he
instructed. At first, I was simply nervous that Kirk might hit me at any
moment. The coldness in his eyes reminded me of my dad.
Kirk lit a cigarette while watching me flip the food. When the steaks
were finished, I placed them on a plate then added new ones to the grill.
He gave him an approving nod and I relaxed. Kirk Johansson was scary
as hell, but he wasn't my dad. Besides how to take a punch, my father
never taught me how to do shit. In the half hour with Kirk, I learned
how to handle a grill along with the signs of a good slab of meat.
After Jodi filled the plates with more food, Bailey and Sawyer brought
them to everyone. Kirk and I remained at the grill, working on extra
burgers.
"My boys will want thirds. Maybe fourths," Kirk said, giving me a grin.
"Bailey said you're into bacon."
Smirking, I rolled my eyes. "One time I stink like bacon and she thinks
I' m an addict."
"My baby loves bacon. She's fond of you too."
Feeling awkward immediately, I focused on the tattoo across

Kirk's bare chest. Jodi's face looked back at me, smirking with a
cigarette hanging from her red lips. "Did Aaron do that one?"
Kirk glanced at the tattoo then nodded. "I got most of my tats before
Aaron was out of elementary school, but I never trusted anyone to do
Jodi. Right after Aaron started his shop, my buddy got a tat of his dead
kid. It was like looking at a picture. I knew then Aaron could do justice
to my woman's beauty."
We looked at Jodi who noticed our eyes on her. She winked, causing
Kirk to get a look that made me think they would fuck soon. To prove
this point, he left me at the grill to help his wife with something inside.
On the other side of the deck, Bailey talked wedding plans with Maddy.
I kept an eye on my watch and flipped the food as instructed. I never
minded being on my own and usually felt more comfortable alone. I
didn't remain alone for long.
Sawyer sized me up. "I saw you fight once. The guy punched you in the
face a bunch of times and you didn't die or cry. That was cool."
"Thanks. Not crying is one of my talents."
Sawyer stood on a chair so she was closer to looking me in the eye. "I'
m not a crybaby either."
"Planning to be a fighter one day?"
"No, I'm too pretty and rich for that. I'm going to be a chef like Gordon
Ramsey. I want a show like Hell's Kitchen where I have high standards
and call stupid people donkeys."
"I'd watch that."
Sawyer smiled then her gaze latched onto a scar near my elbow.
"Someone hurt you when you were little. Mom told me." I just nodded.
"Was it your dad?"
Again I nodded.
"Want me to have him killed? I know people." Smiling, I flipped the
steak. "No, I'm good, but thanks." "Okay, but I wasn't kidding. Bad
people need to die, so they don't hurt good people. Pop told me."

"He's not wrong. I just never think about my dad," I lied.
Sawyer tore a hot dog in half and threw one part to a nearby dog. "My
sister isn't a whore." When I frowned at her, Sawyer shrugged. "I heard
people say she was and sometimes I throw things at them. Once I bit a
guy who said that, but biting is bad because you can get a disease or
something."
"I think Bailey is perfect."
Sawyer smiled. "She needs someone to take care of her. She's stupid,
you know?"
Laughing, I glanced at Bailey who was eyeballing us. "I don't think
she's stupid."
"Well, she's not smart."
I couldn' t help laughing harder when I saw the expression on her
young face. Sawyer laughed too until she saw Bailey coming our
direction.
"She cries easy and whines a lot," Sawyer whispered. "She really likes
you, so don't break her heart. I can't stand more whining. Seriously."
"What's she saying?" Bailey demanded as her laughing sister ran
away.
"She wants me to be nice to you."
Bailey's angry expression faded and she smiled at Sawyer who was
now fighting for Cooper's attention.
"Oh, well, Farah's been training her to be less evil. It's working too,"
Bailey said, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Was Pop nice to
you?"
"Yeah, he taught me how to grill."
Nuzzling my chest, Bailey sighed. "He likes you because you're
awesome and you're mine." "Just like that?"
"No one has ever made me happy like you do. I' m glad I waited for
you."
Staring into her beautiful blue eyes, I knew I loved this amazing
woman. As much as this realization scared the shit out of me, being
with her and the Johanssons felt comfortable. For the first time ever, I
didn't

feel like an outsider.

Chapter Twenty One ~ Bailey
The Thunderdome was one of three good ideas Tucker ever had. The
other two were Maddy and Scarlet, but those were more about luck.
I had loved the idea of watching fights until I saw Nick in one. He bled
for money after a childhood of bleeding for a freak. Since then, the
whole idea of the Thunderdome bothered me and I never liked visiting.
Now waiting for him in the empty locker room, I wished he was safe
and healthy. Instead after his latest fight, Nick stood over me, bruised
and broken. The guy even fucking bit him!
As Nick held an ice pack to his eye, I wished he was back at my place.
We'd take a hot shower then I could soothe the pains he must be
feeling. I couldn't imagine him returning to the cage to bleed again. Yet
he'd agreed to fight twice tonight. Nick didn't value his safety. I had to
protect him if he wouldn't protect himself.
"If you want me, you have to give up fighting."
"You're kidding," he balked. "You're doing this now?"
"If you're going to have your face bashed in every night, I don't want to
be with you. I want a normal guy with a normal job. So it's me or
fighting."
Defiantly, I crossed my arms and waited. Nick stared at me for what
felt like an eternity. Then he cupped my face with bruised fingers.
"I love you," Nick said in a rough voice. "I also hate you for making me
choose. If you loved me, you'd know I can't do what you want. If you
knew me at all, you'd already know the answer. Fuck you for not
knowing."
Nick let go of me and stormed out of the locker room. The moment he
disappeared out of the door, I burst into sobs.
Sitting on a bench, I didn't understand how he could say he loved me
while choosing to fight and lose what we had. I didn't understand him.
He was right about that part. I thought I made him happy, but
apparently getting battered a few times a week mattered more.
"Are you okay?" a chick asked from behind me.
I had to wipe my eyes a few times to realize the blonde girl was

Harlow. Her cheek was red and her knuckles bled.
"You're fighting here?" I asked, hiccupping as my tears ended. "Does
Winnie know?"
"Yes, but no one else."
Harlow sat next to me and handed me a paper towel.
"I won't tell anyone," I said. "Did you hear what happened between me
and Nick?"
"Yeah, but I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was back here resting and I
didn't know how to leave without interrupting you two."
"That's okay. I'm not going to beat you up for listening in especially
now that I know you can fight back."
Harlow smiled tightly then glanced at the door where Nick
disappeared.
"Do you think I was wrong?" I asked her. "Or did it not matter since we
were always going to break up anyway?"
"I' m not really one to give dating advice since I've never even had a
boyfriend."
"He never told me he loved me before. It seems cruel to tell me right
before he dumps me."
Harlow gave me a sideway glance. "I don't want to be a bitch, but you
actually dumped him, not the other way around."
"I gave him a chance to pick between me and beating on assholes. He
picked the assholes. He dumped me."
"I guess."
"No guessing."
"Like I said, I don't have any experience with dating or love. I do know
something about being pushed around and controlled. I know when I
got free of that life I didn't want to be controlled again."
"I'm not bossing him around."
"He pays for school by fighting. I don't know much about Nick, but I
know he doesn't come from money. Doesn't seem to have a family
supporting him. He probably has more money now than he's ever had
and that gives him freedom. You're asking him to give that up. To
maybe even give up college."
"I' m not asking that. I would make sure he got to go to college. I

have money and I can pay for whatever he needs."
"Would your brother want a woman taking care of him?"
"Nick isn't my brother. That's why I want him."
"Look, I don't know you or Nick. I know me and I don't like feeling
cornered. You made him feel like you were ripping away his choices
and he rebelled. That doesn't mean he dumped you. It means he thought
you were saying he had to be your bitch or you were done with him. I
know you didn't mean it that way, but that's what he heard. If you want
him, you should make sure he hears what you meant before it's really
over."
I stared at my hands for a few minutes then sighed. "I wasn't saying I
wanted him to be my bitch."
"I know. You just want to protect him. It's why I don't tell people I fight
here. My family wouldn't like it. Vaughn either. They want to protect
me, but I don't want to be protected. I doubt Nick wants to be protected
even if you are just watching out for him."
"I hate seeing him all beat up. Is that so wrong?"
"No."
Sighing, I blew my nose and tossed the paper towel in the trash. "I' m
used to bossing people around. I guess I did that with Nick."
"Nick might not be used to nice things and people sticking with him.
You can make things okay by telling him why you want him to stop.
Help him understand and let him choose. I think he'd choose you if he
didn't feel cornered. He's more relaxed since you guys got together."
"How do you know so much about me and Nick?"
"Win has a big mouth."
I smiled. "I might have ruined the best thing I ever had."
"Or you had your first big fight with the best thing you ever had. Only
one way to find out."
"I' m going to hug you now. Try not to get addicted to it. I give great
hugs." Harlow grinned and hugged me back. "Thanks for the pep
talk."
"Thanks for giving Winnie a job. She was losing herself again after the
bastards took us. You're helping her get back what they stole."
Leaving Harlow, I walked outside to wait for Nick next to his

Harley. I didn't know what exactly to say to him, but I would make it
right. Losing him wasn't an option.

Chapter Twenty Two ~ Nick
After Bailey gave me the ultimatum, I was filled with both rage and
fear. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised by her temper. I couldn't
believe she asked me to choose her or my freedom.
As I walked into the cage for my second fight, my fear overwhelmed
my rage.
I walked away from Bailey.
For a year, I imagined us together and the reality was a million times
better. She made me feel like a normal man. With Bailey, I didn't need
to hide, but I' d lost her.
My opponent noticed my distracted mood and took full advantage.
Punching me in the face then gut, the guy quickly shoved me onto my
back. The crowd roared in enthusiasm at the unexpected turn in the
fight. They loved surprises and I was getting my ass kicked when I
shouldn't.
Looking up at the guy, I was exhausted in a way a nineteen year old
should never be. My life pounded me down like this guy and I'd chosen
to walk away from the only good thing I'd ever known. I was born into
shit by no fault of my own. Now with one mistake with Bailey, I' d
chosen to embrace shit forever.
This guy wasn't the reason I was miserable, but I hated him. He was my
enemy who kept me from happiness. If I could get past him, I might
catch up to Bailey and make her understand. Maybe I'd fucking beg her
for another chance. Whatever it took, my future wasn't in this cage with
this loser.
Rolling onto my knees, I wobbled to my feet before he could knock me
down again. The guy waved his arms around, encouraging the crowd to
cheer. I didn't blame him for the pride in his eyes. He beat Dragon so
easily and must have felt like a true badass. Unfortunately for his
surging ego, he was standing between me and my woman.
Blood gushing from a gash over my left eye, I could barely see. My
head hurt and I think he'd sprained my wrist when he stomped on it.
Physical pain was something I could survive. The desperation for
Bailey was something new.

My fist met the guy's jaw, striking a shocked expression across his face.
Diving for him, I used my body weight to pin him to the ground. My
fists smashed down at anything I could see through the blood in my
eyes. Finally, Axel pulled me off the guy.
As the crowd roared, he forced me into the locker rooms where I
grabbed a towel. I tried to wipe blood from my eyes, but only made
more of a mess. Once Axel brought me a wet towel, I cleaned up
enough to see Bailey was gone.
"I don't know where she went," Axel said. "Just let the doctor look at
your eye. You'll need stitches then you can chase down Bailey. It's not
like you don't know where she lives."
Waiting grudgingly, I struggled for the words to make Bailey
understand. By the time the doctor finished stitching my eye, I couldn't
feel past my fear. Life was better with Bailey. I slept when I knew she
was nearby. She made me happy, but I'd walked away from her.
A long hall led to the back parking lot where my Harley waited. Axel
offered to drive me home, but I waved him off. Still parked next to my
Harley was Bailey's SUV. When I approached, the door opened and she
slid out.
Freezing at the sight of her, I didn't know if the guy knocked me out and
I was dreaming. Bailey looked beautiful in the moonlight and I smelled
her in the breeze. While she was perfection, Bailey's expression told the
story of my battered face.
"I was bluffing," Bailey said as her lower lip trembled. "I just wanted to
protect you, but I shouldn't boss you around. It was a bluff though. I
can' t give you up because I love you too."
Staring at her through my swollen eyes, I saw everything I needed to be
happy. Yet I had given her up for less than an hour and the pain was
unbearable. Since no words could express how I felt, I erased the space
between us and cupped her face. She looked delicate and angelic next
to my battered hands.
Kissing her softly, I felt such relief when Bailey returned my affection
by wrapping her arms around my tender ribcage. With every kiss we
shared, my fear eased and our future brightened.

Chapter Twenty Three ~ Bailey
After driving Nick to my apartment, I forced him to take a shitload of
pain medicine. Even after swallowing a few pills, he watched me with
the haunted expression of a man on the brink of giving up. I hated the
jagged stitches over his eye and his lip kept bleeding no matter how
much I pressed a washcloth against it.
"The trailer I grew up in had only the one bedroom," Nick said as we
rested in my bed. "As a baby, my crib was in the kitchen. When I got
older, I slept on the couch. I didn't mind that because I had a roof over
my head and most days I didn't go hungry. There were kids worse off
than me. I saw them sometimes living in cars or in tents by a nearby
river."
I didn't dare speak as Nick continued sharing. "Then my mom went
away and Dad got meaner. He kept me around to keep the food stamps.
I learned at a young age there are people who hated their lives, but won'
t change. They want more and resent everyone else for keeping them
from being happy. It's easier to punish a kid for your shitty life than to
work harder. My dad is lazy. Never wants to work. Never finished high
school because he wanted to sleep in. He used people to pay for his shit.
My mom, me, other women. When I was in junior high, he faked an
injury at a store and got a paycheck every month for his disability. Even
with all that shit handed to him, he hated life. There was never enough
money. Women weren't easy enough. They always wanted stuff from
him."
Nick glanced at me for only a second before returning to his past.
"Women are important to my dad. He's vain and needs sex to prove he's
not getting old. Growing up, there were always women around and I
never knew their names. They weren't girlfriends, as much as regular
hookups. When he'd have them over to party, I was expected to sit
outside. If it got late or the weather was bad or, God forbid, the police
were hanging around the trailer park, he shoved me into a little closet. I
spent a lot of time locked in there until I was old enough to kick the
door open and get out.

"How could no one help you?" I said, caressing the scars on his
shoulder. "They had to know."
"The town I lived in was small and people minded their own business.
They thought everyone had a tough life, so whining made you weak."
"That's bullshit," I muttered, struggling against my temper. "When
someone crosses lines in the club, we don't go to the cops, but handle it
in-house."
Nick glanced at me, but I doubted he would see well with such swollen
eyes.
"I was locked in the closet the first time I saw the dragon. It was the
middle of the summer and I was so hot I thought I would die. I ended up
hallucinating that the dragon destroyed the trailer then the whole park.
It was the only way to cleanse the evil there. To destroy the violence
and sickness everyone suffered from. The dragon would free them by
destroying everything and everyone. Sounds crazy, huh?"
"If I knew where it was, I'd burn the fucking place to the ground right
now."
An exhausted Nick smiled at my anger then kissed the palm of my
hand. "Whenever I felt trapped after that day, I imagined the dragon
freeing me. When my dad made me bleed, I imagined the dragon
punishing him. I relied on the dragon to believe my life would get
better. I saw kids in the park and our town who didn't believe their lives
would ever improve, so they grew up to be like their shitty parents."
"You did amazing, Nick. Coming to Ellsberg and studying so hard,
you've already made a better life than your fucker dad ever did."
"I know I don't need to fight. I mean the money makes life easier.
Having extra cash can be pretty addictive. But it's not the money. I just
can't give up being Dragon. I feel like I found myself when I got here.
Like he finally came alive in me and I'm afraid I can't be strong without
him. It sounds stupid, but I was nothing when I arrived in this town. I
only wanted to fit in, but I was the same guy growing up. I couldn't get
close to or trust anyone. Then a miracle happened. Your brother beat
me unconscious."
"Asshole."

Nick grinned even though it caused him pain. "Yeah, but people kept
saying how I should fight in the Thunderdome because I lasted so long
with Cooper. I figured it was worth making a few bucks. The first shot
to my face made me feel the way I did when I was a kid when I wanted
the dragon to destroy everyone. I became him in the Thunderdome and
life got easier. I didn't care about fitting in or doing what people
wanted. I felt free and I'm afraid to give that up, but I'm more afraid to
lose you."
Nick stared at me in the dark room like I imagine he sat in the dark
closet. That poor little boy was beyond my help, but this man needed
me to calm his fears.
"I' m not going anywhere," I whispered, cuddling closer. "You and me
are the real thing. I'll wait until you're ready to stop fighting. No more
bluffing."
Eyes barely open now, he mumbled, "I shouldn't have said that to you
in the locker room. I shouldn't have walked away like that."
"It's okay. Just sleep and we'll talk tomorrow. I'll take care of you and
you'll take care of me and everything will be better."
Nick watched me as his breathing slowed and his eyes struggled to
remain open. Finally, they closed and I knew he was asleep.
Watching him rest, I thought about how wrong I'd been. When I
imagined having a man, I wanted him to worship me. I saw him
needing me more than breathing. In my head, only that kind of love was
special.
Life wasn't a dream though. Reality came with pain. Nick was better
than I imagined, but remained lost in a way I didn't know how to fix.
When he kissed me in the parking lot, I only hoped for a second chance.
My focus was my pain at losing him. Now I focused on his pain at
losing me.
Nick grew up with nothing and I couldn't even imagine his life. Where
he went hungry, I never did without. A childhood without love from
amazing parents wasn't something I understood. Seeing the pain in
Nick's eyes, I understood on a basic level how he suffered and needed
more for me than I did from him. Logically, it made sense. In my heart,
I was confused.
Leaving Nick to sleep, I walked outside to where the dogs followed

Cooper around in the darkness.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
Cooper frowned. "You shouldn't be out in the dark."
"Fuck off. I do what I want."
Grinning now, he tugged at my ponytail then returned to playing with
the dogs. "Farah wasn't feeling well after dinner, so we're staying here
tonight."
"Is she sick or is it a preggers thing?"
"Preggers, but I didn't want to drive her home. All the bouncing would
make her puke."
"She eats too many corndogs."
Cooper threw a ball and the dogs scrambled after it. "Corndogs are out.
She's really into Eggos now, but I think it was the seafood salad at
dinner that made her want to barf. She went to town on it."
"Will you still want her when she's super fat?"
Cooper rolled my eyes. "You're so shallow. I feel sorry for Nick."
The tears came quickly, startling us both. He moved quickly, hugging
me to him.
"What's wrong? Is Nick being an asshole?"
"No, he's messed up, Coop. Like Farah and Tawny. All broken inside
from a shitty childhood. Mom warned me, but I don't know how to help
him. I feel stupid and selfish to want anything from him."
"What does he want?" Cooper asked, caressing my head.
"Besides me, I don't know."
"I' m confused about the problem. You want him, right?"
"Yeah, but I hate him fighting. I gave him an ultimatum and..." When
Cooper rolled his eyes, I pushed him away. "I was trying to protect him.
You put him in the hospital to protect Farah and she didn't even need
protecting. You're an asshole."
"Old news. Let's go back to how you fucked up recently."
Wiping my eyes, I kicked him in the leg. Cooper just laughed like when
we were kids and I tried to kick his ass.
"I love him," I said when Cooper kept laughing.
His expression softened. "You're cute when you have feelings. Lady
and the Tramp kind of cute."

"How do I make him happy?"
"How the hell would I know? I've talked to the guy three times." "You
suck," I said, walking away.
Cooper threw the ball in my direction and the dogs went running. The
stampede stopped me and I turned to find Cooper grinning. "Does he
love you?" "Yes."
"Then you'll figure it out. Just relax and listen to him, but not to what he
says. If he's like Farah, sometimes he won't say what he means. He
might not even know what he means. Be patient because they're fucked
up and we're not. Or at least they have reasons for being fucked up
while we're just arrogant shits."
"What do you mean by 'we?' Speak for yourself, douche."
Sighing like a put-upon bitch, Cooper retrieved the ball from a
slobbering Rottweiler's mouth.
"Nick said you were his first choice. That was after you were probably
a bitch to him a few t i m e s . " Cooper paused when I glared at him.
"Lucky guess. Anyway, even after the shit with me, he waited for you.
The guy isn't going to bail the first time you fuck up. Or by now, the
hundredth time you've fucked up."
"Eat shit, Coop the Poop."
My brother laughed as I stormed up the stairs to the apartment. When I
got to the top, I smiled at him to say thank you. He responded by
flipping me off.
Leaving my brother to be an asshole, I slipped inside and tiptoed to the
bed where Nick was still out cold. I joined him in bed and decided to
listen to Cooper. Even if my brother was a jerk, he knew a little
something about love. Besides, his advice couldn't any worse than what
I' d tried already.

Chapter Twenty Four ~ Nick
Age was relative. My ID might read nineteen, but I felt like an old man
while stumbling out of bed and into the bathroom. I emerged wearing
sweats and a long sleeve shirt. A long drug induced sleep left me cold
and sore. My eyes remained swollen, but I saw Bailey jump up from the
couch where she sat with Jodi and Sawyer.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, rushing to my side.
"Like shit, but the medicine helped."
My head throbbing, I still basked in the beauty of Bailey's upturned
face. I knew she needed reassurance and I really wanted her in my
arms. My lips met hers and a minute passed before Sawyer made
gagging sounds.
Bailey glared back at her sister who smiled. "Jealous that I have a
man?"
"I' m seven, so no."
I couldn't help laughing. Even Bailey grinned a little while Jodi walked
to me.
"You got your ass handed to you, but still won the fight. I like that
about you, Nicky."
"Thanks," I sighed. "My dream is to win the fight without getting my
ass handed to me. Less painful that way."
Jodi grinned. "Want coffee?"
"Sure, but I can..."
Waving me off, Jodi walked to the kitchen and returned with a cup of
coffee. By then, I was on the couch with Bailey on one side caressing
my aching head and Sawyer on the other side examining my busted
knuckles.
"Not used to being babied, are you?" Jodi asked, handing me the
coffee.
"No."
"We take care of our men," Sawyer said, kissing my hand. "You're so
brave and strong."
Bailey hissed at her little sister who laughed so hard she snorted. I

grinned at them then focused on downing the coffee and waking from
my druggie fog.
"When he's feeling better, you'll come down for lunch," Jodi said as
Sawyer stopped teasing her sister and joined her mom at the door.
"Leftover pulled pork sandwiches and whatever seafood salad Farah
didn' t eat last night."
Bailey smiled at her mother then flipped off her sister. Once the door
shut behind them, my girl studied me.
"If there was a fire and you could only save one person, would you pick
me or Sawyer?"
"I'd save you and not just because you put out either."
Laughing, Bailey kissed my bruised cheek. "Are we okay?"
"You tell me."
"I do love you. I wasn't just saying that last night to make things better.
I know you and I love you."
My fingers explored the delicate curves of her tanned face. I still
couldn't believe Bailey offered me a chance at her heart.
"It's not your money or family," I said, my voice raw. "It's not even
your beauty. I love everything about you. I love the way you see things
and how you react to them. Other people might think you're nuts or
rude, but I think it's all perfect. I want to be enough for you."
"You are."
Seeing the worry in Bailey's blue eyes, I didn't respond. She wanted so
much to believe in us. When I didn't say anything, Bailey cuddled next
to me.
"Farah has gotten super fat."
"I wouldn't know since I haven't seen her in months."
"Well, she has."
"She's pregnant though."
"I'm not looking to make a baby until I'm a year out of college," Bailey
said then added, "At least."
Wrapping her in my arms, I said the words she didn't want to hear. "I
don't know if I want kids."
Bailey immediately squirmed out of my hold and frowned at me. "Why
the hell not? You'd make a better father than my loser brothers."

I shrugged. "Your brothers know how to be part of a family because
your parents showed them the way. I don't know if I have it in me to be
any better than my dad."
"Bullshit. You're wrong." When I said nothing, her expression
softened. "Nick, you'd be a great dad. It's why you can tolerate Sawyer
when she's so awful."
I grinned slightly. "I don't want to be like my dad, but maybe he didn't
want to be like him either. Maybe it's something inside us that keeps us
from being good parents. Like a genetic thing. I mean it's so easy for
me to hurt people in cage fights. I never feel bad. Maybe I'm too
damaged to really care about anyone."
"You care about me."
"And I still mess that up."
Studying my face, Bailey smiled. "This is what's going to happen. You
and I will finish college. You'll get your teaching career settled and I' ll
manage the hell out of the family business. When things are right, we'll
try having a baby. I'll want it and you'll give me what I want because
you love me."
Staring at her, I didn't react to her plan because my greatest fear was
ruining someone like my father did to me.
"Okay," I finally said.
Bailey straddled me and rolled her hips gently. "I don't know anything
about kids either. We don't need to know anything right now. When it's
time, we'll have my mom and pop to help us. My brothers and their gals
will help too. Hell, by the time our kids come along, the crew will have
popped out a dozen babies. We'll let them make all the mistakes and tell
us all the good stuff."
Even unconvinced, I nodded. Bailey ran her fingers through my hair
and nipped at my earlobe.
"I come with an entourage," she murmured. "You spent your life alone,
but we'll never be alone. With me, you'll have a family and the crew.
You'll have Ellsberg and a school and students. You'll belong here. One
day, we'll have children. I know that seems like a lot, but it won't
happen all at once. Right now, we're college sophomores. We don't
need to worry about kids, but the day will come and you'll be

ready."
"Promise," I whispered as she slid her hand past the waistband of my
sweats.
Bailey looked me directly in the eyes and promised, "We'll have a
perfectly amazing life, if you just let me be in charge of everything."

Chapter Twenty Five ~ Bailey
The next two days, Nick and I played house in my apartment. For lunch
and dinner, we joined the family. On Sunday, Nick came along for the
club's weekly family dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. I knew he felt
like an outsider, but Vaughn and Judd entertained him with their
bromance.
"Hard to believe they like the ladies," I said to Nick who just grinned as
the enforcers argued about who was a shittier friend. "Tawny never lets
you play videogames."
This comment from Vaughn caused Tawny to roll her eyes. She looked
at Raven who shrugged.
"Raven insists on playing with us. That's weird, man," Judd said.
When his wife opened her mouth in her defense, Vaughn raised his
hand. "I got this," he said, giving her a wink. "Judd is just jealous that
you beat his ass in every game."
"Not every game," Judd growled.
Leaning against Nick, I whispered loudly. "They're idiots." Vaughn
and Judd turned in unison and glared at me. "Do you play
videogames?" Vaughn asked Nick. "Not really."
"Do you play pool?" Judd asked. "No."
Vaughn smirked. "I've seen you bowl, so we know you can't do that
either. What can you do?"
"Tolerate Bailey!" Tucker hollered from farther down the table. "That
makes him a fucking superhero."
As people laughed, I prepared to scream my response. Before I let
loose, I glanced at Nick who wasn't laughing. In fact, I sensed he wasn't
really listening. Crowds made him uneasy and these weren't his people.
Not yet anyway, so he focused on me like I was a lighthouse in a storm.
Everything around me faded until I was alone with Nick. I thought
about the way he said my name in his sleep. How he woke up edgy until
his gaze met mine. I remembered how he now removed his shirt to
swim

without looking ashamed of what his father did to him. Even pushed
past his comfort zone, he was happy
Knowing I was special to Nick, I let the others laugh. There was no
need to defend myself when I belonged with Nick who accepted me
fully.
His green eyes studying my face, I wondered what he found so
fascinating.
"Hey, Nick," Vaughn said over the chatter, "bowling for shit don't
mean you can't still join our bowling nights. Nailing Bailey means
you're part of the crew."
"Deputy Dickhead even joined us that one time."
I stopped gazing into the eyes of the man I loved, so I could glare into
the laughing faces of my friends.
"You jerks! Why did you invite him?"
"He was your man meat," Vaughn said, laughing against Raven. "You
were a cute couple too."
"Assheads. I was trying to ditch the fucker and you guys invited him to
bowl. Now, he's a frigging stalker."
The minute I said "stalker," the men around me stopped grinning and
became territorial dicks.
"He's stalking you?" Tucker asked, walking to me and leaning over my
chair. "Should my bat and I have a talk with him?"
"I have it handled."
"Is that a yes?"
Nick glanced up at Tucker. "Do you think Bailey can't handle a douche
cop?"
Tucker looked at Cooper who showed no reaction. I knew they were
doing their silent conversation trick that I'd seen them do most of my
life. I had a theory that they shared a brain and Cooper just kept it a
hundred percent of the time. It sure would explain a lot of things.
Finally, Tucker shrugged. "Point taken."
Watching my brother back off, I didn't know if he was showing respect
for me or Nick. Either way, Tucker and Cooper decided to stay out of
my business for the first time ever.
As everyone settled back into their conversations, I leaned against

Nick and stared into his sexy eyes. "Thank you," I said, my lips
brushing his. "Oh, and I really want you inside me."
Kissing me gently, Nick smiled as if I was already under him, begging
for more.

Chapter Twenty Six - Nick
Kentucky Tattoos was where I came to make Dragon come alive.
Aaron created magic and I considered him a friend. Like most of my
friends, I didn't actually hang out with him. Maybe I would now that I
had Bailey.
"Glad you called," Aaron said from behind the counter. "Been slow this
week. With parents' weekend coming up, everyone is faking like
they're saints."
"Well, I don't have that to worry about."
"What are you looking to do?" Aaron asked as we walked into his
workroom.
"Nothing too complicated," I said, displaying my wrist. "I want
Bailey's name on my wrist."
Aaron exhaled slowly. "Are you sure? The Johanssons don't play when
it comes having their women's names on their wrists. It's forever shit
for them. That's how I knew Cooper wasn't fucking around with
Farah."
"Bailey's mine, but I can't find a way to make her truly believe. When I
try, it feels like just words. I know her name on my wrist is a word too,
but maybe it's one that she'll know means forever."
"Fair enough. Just know once the Johansson boys see her name on your
wrist, it's like you've gotten on one knee and proposed. Trust me that
Bailey and Jodi will be talking wedding dates behind your back. If you
lose interest or cheat or break it off, it's not going down softly. The shit
will hit the fan."
"The only way Bailey gets rid of me is to put me in the ground."
Aaron grinned. "Hell, if everyone ain't falling hard in Ellsberg these
days."
I sat in the chair while he prepared his tools. "How is Lark?"
Aaron smiled, but his eyes lost a little of their joy. "The happy version
is she's loving being pregnant. Bed rest is fun because she has people
serving her. Everything is peachy."
"And the real answer."

"She just turned twenty and is carrying twins. We've been married less
than a year and Lark can't do anything more strenuous than move from
the bed to the couch and back. Our idea of a fun evening is me bringing
home barbecue for dinner. It's the only time she gets to pig out now that
she needs to eat healthy crap to keep her blood pressure down."
"Would you do something different?"
Aaron sighed. "No, but it can feel like too much too soon. I worried
until one day while I was golfing with my parents." "Golfing?" I asked,
giving him a look. "I golf. Sue me."
When I just grinned, Aaron continued, "My mom said going through
all these trials in the beginning of the marriage was best. Then we'd
always look back at this time and know we'd make it. Besides, the
babies will be born by the end of the year and we'll be faced with a
whole new ball of crazy."
"No regrets though?"
"If I'd change one thing, I couldn't know what I might lose in the
process, you know? Life doesn't always give us more than one shot at
happiness."
"I wasn't really ready for Bailey," I blurted out. "Maybe I never would
have been ready. I keep feeling like I need more time to change for
her."
"Waiting isn't always the way, Nick. I had a cousin. Smart chick with
her life planned out. When she was twenty five, the guy she was dating
proposed. She loved him and they were happy, but she turned him
down. They'd been together since college and she wanted to make sure
she wasn't settling. I saw her a few years ago and she was with a guy
and thinking about marriage. After a few drinks, she admitted how the
first guy was the one, but she lost track of him over the years and didn't
know if he found anyone else. A part of her wanted to wait to see if fate
would bring them together again. Another part said to settle with this
new guy, but she would always know he was her second choice."
Aaron took my wrist and ran his fingers over the pulse. "I didn't have
any advice for her, of course. I was a sixteen year old guy who didn' t
know shit. Still, I remembered what she said when I watched her

walk down the aisle. I keep it in mind whenever I think about how fast
everything happened with Lark. Like slower sounds better. Fun dating
for a while then a few years married without kids. All that stuff sounds
easy, but life doesn't work that way. You get a shot at happiness and
you need to grab it. Forget about schedules and being scared. Some
people get lucky and life gives them plenty of chances, but most people
are one and done. Screw up your one shot and you'll regret it forever."
"It's why I'm getting this tattoo. If Bailey and I don't work out, I'll still
want her name on my wrist," I said then exhaled hard. "I have a ton of
marks on my body. Reminders of fucked up times. Even the dragon
comes from something ugly in my life. Bailey though is a beautiful part
and I never want to forget."
Aaron grinned. "Poetic, man. Who knew a guy would get all worked up
over Bailey? Not that she isn't hot, but her mouth scares most
guys."
"I'm not most guys."
After giving me a knowing grin, Aaron worked his magic again. Each
letter was drawn beautifully across my wrist. Even if I was a mess most
days with Bailey, I knew her name would remain on my flesh until the
day I died.

Chapter Twenty Seven ~ Bailey
Lark Barnes was one of my favorite people. She had the biggest heart
and a great sense of humor. With all her qualities, the chick's petite
body wasn't built for pregnancy.
Knocked up with twins, Lark had become a giant baby bump on two
legs. By the time the babies were born, I suspected she'd look like
Humpty Dumpty with spiky hair.
Around ten, I sneaked into the house to find Lark still asleep on the
couch. Every morning she got up with Aaron, only to return to sleep
once he went to the tattoo shop. Leaving her to rest, I opened the
backdoor so her ugly dogs could do their business. Next, I focused on
the laundry.
With Lark on bed rest, everyone in the crew was helping out so she
could stay off her feet. Though I hated cleaning floors and left the crap
work to Raven. My skills shined with laundry.
Folding Aaron's millions of wife beaters and the moo moos Lark called
maternity clothes, I thought about kids. I had no interest in the stink
machines. Besides, I was just learning to pull my head out of my ass.
The last thing I needed was to be in charge of a kid. Young in ways I
wasn't, Nick especially needed time to settle into being a man.
When we were ready, Nick and I would make awesome kids who
would play with my nieces Scarlet and Lily. They'd be pals with the
twins too. Once he'd felt safe in Ellsberg like he never felt when
growing up, Nick would be a great dad. We could make a great life
together if I was patient enough.
"You're folding them wrong," a sleepy voice said from behind me.
Turning around, I found a baby bump with Lark attached to it.
Bed head beautiful, she grinned. "Rich girls can't fold for shit."
"Do you want me to stop?"
"Only if you're planning to sweep the floors," she said, waddling away.
"If not, keep folding them in your goofy way."
Carrying the basket with me, I followed Lark into the living room
where she eased onto the couch and propped her feet up on pillows.

"How do you feel, fatty?"
"Svelte actually. Thanks, jealous hag."
I laughed. "Need something to drink or eat?"
"Yes on both. A diet soda and a fruit cup would be great."
In the kitchen, I found lots of food with sticky notes labeled,
"Lark."
"What's with the food? Are you and Aaron already fighting over stuff?"
I asked, sighing. "So sad to see love die."
Lark said nothing, only lifted two middle fingers then laughed. "On my
last checkup, I had high blood pressure. Nothing serious, but the doctor
put me on super duper bed rest. I might need to crap in bed at this
rate."
Despite worrying about her health, I laughed. "What's that have to
do with the food?"
"Low salt diet. I'm supposed to drink tons of water, but I need soda or
else I'll puke. I already had to give up coffee since the caffeine made
me weird."
Once I let the dogs back inside, I brought her the soda and fruit cup. "Is
feeling so shitty for so long worth it?" I asked, sitting at the end of the
couch.
"Hell yeah. I'm having my man's babies. I can't wait to see what they
look like and what personalities they have."
Reaching over, I placed my hand gently against her bump and one or
more of the babies moved inside her. Lark didn't seem to notice as she
ate her fruit cup.
"Farah knows what her baby is. She already named it Lily."
Lark grinned. "I' m announcing our baby names at the first baby
shower."
"Tell me now."
"Nope. You'll blab," she said, finishing the fruit cup. "No, I won't. I
promise," I said, but even I didn't believe me. "Fine, chunky. Keep your
secrets." "How's Nick?"
"Changing the subject, huh? Sneaky," I whispered and she grinned.
"He's amazing. Everything I hoped for, but better. He's mine."

"I'm glad. Nick's a good guy. Are you treating him right?" "What the
hell does that mean?" "You know," Lark said with her eyes closed.
Frowning at her dogs, I wanted to defend my awesome. I didn't though.
"I nearly lost Nick when I gave him an ultimatum and he called my
bluff."
"What kind of ultimatum?" Lark asked, opening her eyes to giving me
a disapproving look.
"I said he needed to give up fighting or I'd dump him."
"I wouldn't want him fighting either. Did he call your bluff or did you
just back down?"
"Does it matter?"
Lark shook her head. "Things are good though?" "He said he loves
me."
Poking me with her toes, Lark grinned. "How could he not?" "Hell
yeah."
"And you love him for real?"
"For real. He's all broken up inside though. I worried I wouldn't know
how to help him. Or even make it worse. I'm not exactly sensitive."
"You do good with Winnie."
"Yeah, but she's weak though. With Nick, he's strong in some ways and
weak in others. I just didn't know if I could handle the weak stuff. I'm
not a sweetie like you."
"But you did right by him?"
"I think so. He loves me, so I must be doing okay."
"You sound nervous."
Sighing, I both loved and hated how well she knew me. "Nick is
difficult to read sometimes and I don't have patience." "No, you really
don't, but he knows that about you." "True."
"Don't try to control what happens, Bailey. You fear being hurt or
embarrassed, so you try to bend everything to your will. With Nick,
that won't work. People don't bend. They run or break. Just relax and
know

he' s the one."
"He really is."
"Then it'll work out despite his problems and your lack of patience."
Rubbing her belly, I grinned. "My man is hanging with your man. He's
getting his dragon touched up."
"Aww, we should have you over for dinner. I love double dates
especially with such great friends."
I squinted at her. "You want something?"
"Feed me," she said dramatically. "I'm gorging myself for three here."
"Sure, Jabba."
Even laughing, Lark struggled for a minute to rest on her side. Once she
was comfy, she turned on the television and ignored me while I
warmed her a can of low salt soup. Pregnancy definitely looked like a
whole lot of trouble just to create a person who would scream at you for
the rest of their lives.
Leaving Lark later as she napped, I returned to the apartment with a
plan to be patient. Yeah, I wouldn't push Nick for anything he wasn't
willing to offer freely. Zen was my new thing.
Nick sat on the couch, but jumped up when I entered. His face was still
bruised, but the gash over his eyes wasn't as puffy.
"Bailey."
"Nick," I said, trying to keep things light.
When Nick frowned, I realized maybe he didn't want light. I told
myself to just roll with whatever he wants.
"How is Lark?" he asked, looking edgy now. "Giant, but adorable."
Nick smiled tightly. "Aaron seems worried about her."
"He should be. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the twins eat their way
out of her soon.
Finally, Nick stopped standing awkwardly near the couch and walked
to me in the kitchen.
"Are you mad?" he asked when I just stared.
"No. Are you?"

"Why would I be mad?"
"I don't know."
Nick stepped back and studied me. "Should I leave?"
"Do you want to leave?"
"No."
Finally, I rolled my eyes. "I hate Zen. Pushy is my new thing," I
announced. "You're mine and you're staying with me. Fuck, I'll even
chain you down to keep you here. Is that a problem?"
Nick took a step forward and kissed me softly. He still seemed edgy, so
I kissed him back with more intensity. I wanted him to know where I
stood.
"I love you. Fuck anyone who thinks that's a problem," I said once our
lips separated.
"Who would have a problem with it?"
"I don't know. People, I guess. I'm just saying that I'll kick people's
asses if necessary."
Nick finally laughed "You're acting weird." "So? Is that a problem?"
This time he rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen. "I'll tell you
later."
"Tell me what? I don't do secrets. Is that a problem?"
Nick flopped onto the couch and stared at the TV playing football.
Joining him, I felt awkward now about ditching my Zen plan so fast.
"I said I loved you and you didn't say it back," I whined. "I'm feeling
insecure. Coddle me please."
Nick extended his hand to me and I caressed it until realizing he wanted
me to look at his wrist. When I realized what was written on his flesh, I
lost the ability to think.
Zen. Pushy. None of it mattered. My man had my name on his wrist.
Just like Pop did with Mom, Cooper with Farah, and dumbass Tucker
with Maddy. Nick wouldn't mock something so important to my
family. By having my name tattooed on his wrist, he was claiming me.
"Are you happy? I can't tell from the look on your face," Nick asked.
Staring into his worried green eyes, I only smiled. "It's beautiful.

I'd really like to fuck your brains out now as a reward."
Nick grinned. "Your smile is reward enough." Yet he stood up and
tugged me to my feet. "I wouldn't mind a shower though."
Walking into the bedroom, I lovingly held his wrist and looked at those
letters. With each one, Nick took a step away from the darkness of his
past and towards the future we could enjoy together.

Chapter Twenty Eight ~ Nick
Bailey wanted me to stop fighting. A part of me wanted to stop too, but
fighting gave me a freedom I wasn't willing to throw away. So I still
woke up early and drove to the Reapers' gym. Even if I couldn't fight
for a few days to allow my eye to heal, I wanted to stay in shape.
One of the few guys to beat me in a fight remained a thorn in my ass.
Entering the gym, Cooper talked on the phone and I hoped he might
walk past me. I wasn't that lucky and he stopped next to my punching
bag while finishing his call.
Hanging up, Cooper shoved his phone into his back pocket and sized
me up. "You and my sister work. I like that, but this fighting shit can't
continue."
"Stay out of it," I muttered, punching the bag.
"You need money. I get that. Farah was afraid to spend too much and
always looking for ways to make more."
"What's your point?"
"I just want to know if you fight because you love it or because you
want the money?"
"I'm not giving up fighting."
Cooper nodded. "Do you worry about your brain at all? Teaching won't
be easy if you're brain damaged." I glared at him. "Brain damaged?"
"I gave you a concussion. You've probably gotten a few others in the
cage. What happens when you fuck up your brain so much that your
dream to become a teacher isn't something you can have anymore?"
Saying nothing, I punched the bag without any real force.
"I know how it is to have a dream like you have with teaching," Cooper
said, leaning against the wall. "Farah is the same way. It's what she
used to pull herself out of a shitty childhood. You used it too, but
fighting so much will leave you fucked up, man. I'm saying this as the
brother of the girl you love. I'm not shitting on you. I take care of what's
mine and Bailey's my responsibility. Her happiness was always
something iffy. She screwed losers and had no direction. I wrote her off

as someone I needed to baby, but she's not that chick anymore. She's
got goals and a guy she loves. I see her future looking real and I want to
make sure she gets what she dreams. My family is tight like I bet yours
wasn't so maybe this seems like meddling. It's not. I love my sister. She
deserves to be happy and she wants you to be happy too. That means I
am telling you that fighting will fuck you up. The guys who stick with
it always end up losers."
"I need the money," I muttered.
"For school."
"And rent."
"Bailey wants you to move into the apartment. If you wanted that too,
you'd need less money."
"I'm not living off Bailey's money."
"No, didn't think you would. I can get you a different job. Something
that pays decent and gives you time to study." "I don't want to work for
your family."
"Again, I figured that out," Cooper said, smirking. "Dylan Campbell is
working on my office. He has a lot of projects and needs help. Not just
the physical crap either. Project manager stuff too. I talked to him and
he'd be cool with trying you out. That is, if you'd be interested."
"Is this how it'll be? You running Bailey and my life together."
"Yeah, Pop and Mom too. Hell, even Sawyer will boss you around. It's
how family works, Nick. You can't just have the fun stuff like
barbecues. There are responsibilities that come with family and one of
them is watching each other's backs. You want to be with Bailey and
that' ll make you family. That means your life matters to me. I want you
to be a teacher. I want Bailey to finish college and do whatever she
wants. If it's helping with the family business, great. If she wants
something else later, I'm cool with that too. I'm happy to know she
won't need me running her whole life, just the small stuff."
Stepping back from the bag, I grabbed my bottle of water. Cooper gave
me a few minutes to think then stood up.
"Your strength in fighting comes from taking a beating and remaining
upright. You win those fights, but you'll lose the battle. If you

were a punk with no skills, I'd say fight away. Enjoy the victories, but
you have bigger goals and you need a healthy brain for them. Don't
think of it as me telling you what to do or the family pushing you
around. Think of it as you getting what you want because you deserve
it. If you were an asshole, I'd bury you rather than let you ruin my
sister."
Finishing my water, I frowned. "I've never done construction."
"Dylan has a few contracts. Fix it shit. Lawn stuff. I don't know it all,
but he wants to expand and prove himself to his old man. I'm sure you
know something about that and Dylan's a good guy too. I thought you
both sucked, but I'm perfect enough to admit I was wrong."
Rolling my eyes, I grinned. "Perfect."
"Look, I nearly lost my girl because I let my ego get in the way. You
might lose Bailey for the same reason. Why give up what you want
when everything is just waiting for you? You're not proving anyone
right or wrong by taking Dylan's offer. You're doing what you need to
do to make shit right for you and Bailey."
Cooper looked ready to leave when I spoke.
"It's not that I think your family is bad. I just can't be part of the
business. I saw the junkie side growing up and I need to be away from
that shit."
"I get it. Aaron is my best friend and like a brother, but he didn't want to
be part of the club. The life doesn't interest him. No harm in feeling that
way."
"I do love Bailey, so I'll think about the job with Dylan."
"Good. I care about Ellsberg and don't want the kids having a brain
damaged teacher."
"Asshole."
Cooper grinned. "Take a break from all this shit and go see my sister.
Life is too short to be frowning all the time."
Opening my mouth to say something, I decided to let it go. My enemy
wasn't my friend, but he had my back as long as I took good care of his
sister. I intended to do just that.

Chapter Twenty Nine ~ Bailey
Ready for her baby shower, Lark waddled out of the bedroom in a
polka dotted maternity dress slash muumuu. She wore no shoes
because her bloated feet wouldn't fit in anything except flip flops. Of
course, she couldn't see her feet enough to slip on her shoes anyway.
Following her sister out of the bedroom, Raven looked winded. "I think
I pulled something shoving your ass into that dress."
Lark settled onto the couch and placed the TV remote on her bump.
Once she was comfortable, she double gunned the middle fingers for
her laughing sister.
"You look ravishing," I said. "Like a sex kitten flower with a hint of
angel around the face."
Lark grinned. "You're doing your fake nice thing again. Aww, thanks."
"You're welcome. You deserve it."
Lark glared at Raven. "Why can't you be more like Bailey?"
"I didn't fuck away my personality when I got a man. Apparently,
Bailey did."
"Allow me to translate," I said, sitting on the coffee table and rubbing
Lark's belly. "Love suits me better than it does Raven. She remained a
grumpy hag while I blossomed into a Candyland of joy, rainbows, and
other happy crap."
While Lark laughed, Raven rolled her eyes while no doubt terribly
jealous of my happiness. I remembered hating her something fierce
when she and Vaughn hooked up. Hell, I resented everyone who found
what I didn' t have. Now, I had Nick which seriously cut down my hate
list.
"Is Nick still fighting?" Lark asked, patting the hand on her stomach.
"Yes, for now. He's not ready to stop being Dragon." "He's living at
your apartment though."
"Not technically. He still goes back to his apartment every day, but
never stays long. I've offered for him to move into my place or get a
new one together. He's not ready though and pushing Nick makes him
close

himself off from me."
As Lark studied me, I felt insecure under her gaze, thinking she was
judging me and Nick. Of course, Lark wasn't a judgmental type, but
things came easily between her and Aaron. When Lark reached for
Aaron last spring, he was fully willing to embrace her. Though my
touch comforted him, Nick still squirmed away when I held him too
tightly.
"Typical guy," Lark said, giving me a smile. "They want you, but
commitment makes them wet their pants. The important thing is he
makes you happy and you've never smiled more than since you two
hooked up."
I hugged Lark gently. "This is why I like you more than Raven."
Heading to the door, Raven snorted. "Kiss ass."
Lark and I grinned then I returned to rubbing her belly. "I feel bad that
you're trapped in the house all the time. I promise when you pop out
these rugrats that I'll take you out and party. Let Aaron deal with them.
It' s his fault you got pregnant with twins even though you were on birth
control. Him and those Thor sperm."
Lark laughed again while rubbing her bouncing belly. "I'm really
nervous as the due date gets closer. Mostly, I'm nervous I won't make
my due date and the babies will be born too early. I'm not really so
nervous about taking care of them. I figure they'll be easier to deal with
once they're born."
"Maddy and the Smith sisters are here and they brought food," Raven
announced. "Lots of food."
Soon, a plate full of barbecue and the fixings rested on Lark's belly as
we enjoyed lunch.
"We'll do a real big baby shower once the babies are here and you can
get out of the house," Tawny said. "The whole roller derby crew will
come. A few chicks from Denny's plus Jade. I've got it all planned out."
Even smiling, Lark already looked worn out.
"I hope I never have twins," I mumbled.
Raven snorted. "We all hope that for you, Bailey."
"Well, I'm totally wishing them on you."
Rolling her eyes, Raven ate the spicy ribs. "I could handle it. Lark and I
are made of tougher stuff than you sissy Johanssons."

"You've been pushing," I said, standing up and showing her my
barbecue covered fingers. "Someone clearly wants an ass whipping."
Raven set down her food and revealed her sticky fingers. "Let's do this
thing."
"Take it outside," Lark cried. "I don't want my house dirty."
"As you wish," I said, winking at the baby bump I called friend.
Raven gave me her game face then took off out the front door. I chased
after her while the two ugly dogs barked excitedly. Quickly catching
her, I smeared sauce on her face. Raven flipped me over onto my back,
but ensured I landed gently on the grass.
"You're so messy. Didn't your mama ever teach you to be a lady?" she
asked, pinning me to the ground as we wiped our hands on each other's
shirts.
"What's this about?" asked a familiar voice.
Turning my head, I found Deputy Ennis Darling standing on the other
side of the fence.
"We're having a baby shower," Raven muttered. "You're not invited."
Dickhead ignored Raven and focused his greedy blue eyes on me. I
knew I looked a mess from my barbecue wrestling, but he still acted
like I was standing in front of him naked.
"What do you want?" I asked as the dogs growled at Dickhead.
"I tried calling you."
"I blocked your number."
"Now, why would you go and do that?"
"You had your chance," I said, glaring into his eyes. "You blew it.
Now, I have someone else."
Dickhead flicked the tip of his stupid cop hat. "That fighter Dragon?"
he said, rolling his eyes. "You know cage fighting ain't exactly legal.
Your boyfriend could get himself into trouble."
"Are you threatening my brother's business?" I asked as Tawny and
Raven stood behind me.
Dickhead looked at the wives of Reapers' enforcers then back at me.
"Your boyfriend is a loser. When you realize that, I'll still be around."

"Whoop-de-fucking-doo," I said, walking away.
Raven and Tawny remained outside for a while, eyeballing the cop. I
wouldn't be surprised if they called their men to make loud complaints
about a pig hassling them. Ignoring the drama, I was more worried
about Dickhead hassling Nick.
"You okay?" Farah asked while I washed off.
"Yeah, I just don't want Dickhead messing with what I have."
"Tell Cooper to handle him."
"No," I snapped then softened my tone when I remembered Farah was
cooking my niece. "I want Coop to respect me and see me as an adult. I
want to run the legal part of the family business. He won't trust me to do
shit if I run to him for help with Dickhead."
"Or maybe he'll trust you more because you knew to ask for help. I
know Coop worries about Tucker making dumb decisions and never
asking for help. He needs people to handle things, but also to know
when they need backup."
Under Farah's steady gaze, I accepted she knew the answers and
wouldn't steer me wrong.
"I' m sorry I slammed you into the wall that day," I whispered.
"It's okay. You thought I hurt your brother and you're protective of
him."
"It was still wrong to hurt you like that," I said, wrapping her long dark
hair behind her ears. "How come you never told him what I did?"
Farah smiled. "Coop and I had just made up and I didn't think he'd
understand what you did."
"I'm sure Coop knows I act like a bitch. It's a pretty established
fact."
"I mean he was in the mood to make things up to me and might have
gone overboard with how he responded to you. I just didn't want him to
do anything he'd regret."
Leaning against the walls, I sighed. "He acted like an idiot a lot when
you two first met. I don't think he liked feeling powerless with
someone. Back then, I didn't know what the hell his problem was, but I
get it now. Nick has the power to chew me up and shit me out."
"It gets easier, Bailey. Loving Cooper scared me and I thought I

should push him away. I'd never had a life like he offered or someone
who could give me so much. Nick might feel the same way with you.
It's why he runs towards you and away at the same time."
Biting my lip, I confessed, "I feel the urge to trap Nick and make him
stay with me. I know what's best for him and I want to force him to
submit. In fact, stopping myself from controlling him takes up most of
my day. I'm not that different from Coop, so you're lucky he never
locked you up somewhere and made you worship him."
Farah laughed. "It's not like he didn't make threats to do just that. He
found the patience to wait for me and you'll do the same for Nick."
Hugging Farah, I soaked in her warmth. "You're a great sister-in-law.
Better than I could have ever hoped for. I thought I hit the jackpot with
Maddy then you came along. How did I get so lucky?"
Farah took my hand as we walked to the living room. "You must have
been very good in a past life."
Joining the others for cake, we found Raven and Tawny had finished
intimidating Dickhead. On the couch, Lark whispered with Maddy
about baby things.
Soon, Lark opened presents, oohing and awing at the car seat and
stroller. With my gift, Lark only frowned.
"I don't get it. What do I do with a picture of Winona?"
"I'm giving you my assistant. She's great with babies and very
organized."
Raven frowned. "You can't gift a person. Winnie isn't your slave."
"I know, fuckwit," I growled then smiled at Lark as if her sister wasn't
pissing me off. "Winnie has trouble going to class with me because it's
full of people. Hell, most of the time I have nothing for her to do. I
think she'd like taking care of the house, dogs, and especially you. She's
not afraid of Aaron either."
Lark pulled me into a hug. "This is a great gift. Winona and I will have
lots of fun together. Plus, Aaron won't have to scramble so much
handling work and the house. He'll have more time to pay attention to
me."
"Are you sure you like my gift? I also have a non-person gift, but
Winnie was the big surprise."

"I need to stay off my feet and your gift will help me do that."
Raven walked over and ruffled my hair. "Your slave gift is actually
pretty sweet. I like when you go Hallmark on the world."
"Shut up, bitch," I said, hugging her. "Save your compliments for Lark.
It' s her special day. Though feel free to praise me later."
Raven acted like another wrestling match might ensue. Instead, she
kissed her sister's forehead and we returned to the cake. My friends
rarely looked as happy as they did together that day. Love suited them
all. For the first time, I knew how they felt.

Chapter Thirty ~ Nick
Bailey refused to watch me fight, but she agreed to hang out in Axel's
office until I was done. I imagined her soft skin under my fingertips and
warm breath against my neck. All I needed to do was get through a
single fight then I could return to her arms.
My opponent was a guy from New Hampton that I recognized from my
freshman math class. Back then, he only attended a few days a week
and always looked wasted. Based on his new thicker build, I assumed
he added steroids to his personal pharmacy.
Even with his increased size, I wasn't worried. My bulk came from
training. I also had experience, so I knew winning was about more than
size. Besides, I felt the luxury of not caring whether I won or lost. I had
nothing to prove.
As Dragon, I was nearly unbeatable. The hottest girl in town loved all
of me. Not only the winner in the Thunderdome, but the loser scared of
thunderstorms. Bailey kissed my scars and soothed my fears. She even
ignored my need to shower so often and clean the apartment more than
necessary. Bailey loved me in a way no one had ever loved me before.
Wanting to intimidate me, my opponent growled before the fight
began. I knew he was worried about losing. A guy with his drug habits
needed money and winning paid more. If he thought growling might
give him an edge, he really needed to cut down on the dope.
Staring into his hard eyes, I knew I would win. Yet the moment my fist
smashed into his jaw, I also knew I was done fighting. The need to be
Dragon felt temporary while my love for Bailey was eternal. Even as I
dodged the punches and followed with my own, I lost the fire I
normally enjoyed in a fight. Now the violence only reminded me of the
suffering of my childhood. I wanted to break free of the pain.
The druggie dropped to the ground and didn't get back up. Looking at
my hands, I never wanted to see them bloodied again. No more wounds
or violence. I was done.
Rushing out of the cage, I pushed past everyone to reach Axel's office
where I found Bailey watching TV on the couch. She jumped up

when I entered. Her eyes were filled with worry over the bleeding
wound over my eye. Ignoring her questioning gaze, I cupped her face.
"I love you and I'm ready to move into your apartment. All my life I
slept like shit until I shared a bed with you. Everything feels different
when I'm with you and I need that kind of different in my life. I'm not
going to fight anymore."
"I love you too. A million times yes at moving in together."
Lowering my lips to hers, I remembered they were bloody. I tried to
pull away until Bailey wrapped her hands around my neck and tugged
me to her. She kissed me like we were the only two people in the world.
"Are you sure?" Bailey asked as I wiped my blood from her lips.
"I don't need it anymore. I have you."
"Yes, you do, Nick. I promise."
"Let me clean up and we'll go out to celebrate."
Bailey's eyes literally glowed with joy as I left her. I hurried to wash off
the blood and get dressed.
In the past, I panicked at the very suggestion of giving up fighting.
Now, I felt as if the choice was always so simple. Relief flooded me
when I accepted I'd never walk into the cage again.

Chapter Thirty One ~ Bailey
Sawyer was the worst baby in the history of babies. Yet my mom and
pop refused to admit this fact. I always figured they were simply
exhausted by the time she was born and didn't even try anymore. This
would explain why she sucked.
True, my little sister improved greatly after Farah practiced her
mothering skills on Sawyer. The kid said thank you and please. She no
longer stabbed people with her fork if they wanted a bite of her food.
She even stopped rolling her eyes whenever I made one of my big
announcements. Less evil was still evil though.
"Sawyer's not evil," Nick insisted as we dressed after a very long
shower.
"Don't be fooled. I've caught her watching me sleep plenty of times.
That's crazy killer kid shit."
"I watch you sleep," he said, wrapping his arms around me as his crotch
said hello to my butt.
"That's because you're hoping I'll wake up and bang you. Sawyer is
watching me sleep because she's plotting evil."
"Maybe she had a bad dream and wants you to comfort her."
"Poor dumb Nick," I sighed. "Sawyer is a bad dream. Besides, why
stare at me? Why not frighten my parents with her Children of the
Damned act?"
Grinning, Nick kissed my cheek then walked to the dresser where his
clothes were stacked.
"You can use my dresser." "I know."
"Are you afraid to commit too much?"
Nick flashed his wrist at me then followed with a smile. "Your dresser
is a mess. I want to organize it before I add my clothes. I'll move the
rest of my stuff in this weekend."
"I know Coop offered to get you a new job," I said, immediately
regretting it.
Nick's shoulders tensed, but he only muttered, "Yeah."

"I didn't send him."
"I know that too," Nick said, glancing at me. "You worry about me and
he worries about you. I' m not used to having that kind of interest in my
life. Feels weird, but I' m getting used to it. This is my new way of
living."
Smiling, I joined him at the dresser. "You'll get used to having people
care about you. All your life, you were alone, but you 're part of a
family now. You have the crew too. You won't ever be alone again.
One day you might regret this choice you've made."
Nick grinned at my fake worried expression. "I want you naked one
more time before we leave."
"Good," I said, pulling my shirt off. "Babysitting is going to suck."
"It was your idea," he reminded me while his fingers explored my
back.
"I want us to practice being parents, so we'll remember why we should
wait for a very long time before doing it for real."
Nick only smiled before his lips sucked on my neck. After a short roll
around the bed, we hurried to dress and reach the house before
someone came looking for us. Maddy and Tucker had already dropped
off Scarlet and made a run for it. When we arrived, the baby was
crawling around the living room.
"You'll need to put in the car seat," Mom reminded us.
"Easy peasy."
Ten minutes later, I was ready to pull my gun on the car seat. "Child
safety is for assholes!" I yelled, fighting with the belt.
"Want me to do it?" Nick asked while bouncing Scarlet in his arms.
Glancing back at the happy baby then at the devil child staring at my
man, I nodded. "This is too hard. I don't think we should ever have
kids."
"If Tucker can manage, we can do it."
Sawyer laughed too loudly and I glared at her while taking Scarlet.
"Stay away from him."
Sawyer squinted her eyes at me. "I'm stealing him away. We'll run off
and get married and make many babies," she hissed. When I looked
outraged, she grinned. "You're stupid."

I rolled my eyes before focusing on Nick's ass as he leaned into the car
to figure out the car seat. Sawyer stepped closer and looked at where I
was staring.
"I like him because he's nice and handsome and doesn't think you're
dumb. Those are rare things in a guy. Although I think he's lying about
the dumb thing."
"Shut up, Sawyer."
"No."
Shrugging, I decided arguing with an evil child was bound to lead to
me losing an argument with an evil child. Meanwhile, Scarlet chewed
on my hair.
"Done," Nick announced and reached for the baby. "Let's go before she
gets cranky."
Sawyer climbed into the car and belted herself in. "Can we go to
Chuck E Cheese?"
"No," I said, getting in the car. "We're going to a normal restaurant and
playing family. You're my fake daughter. Try not to embarrass me."
I didn't dare look back at Sawyer, but I sensed she was glaring at me.
Nick joined us in the SUV and sighed.
"What was the point of this again?"
"I can't remember. Let's just eat and dump these stink machines back
with their parents."
Scarlet babbled wildly the whole ride to the restaurant. She was perfect
while we ordered. The little angel waited until the food arrived to lose
her fucking mind.
"She's teething," Sawyer said helpfully while eating her chicken
sandwich. "Give her something to chew on."
"Like what?"
"Your ass," Sawyer snickered. "How the hell would I know? I'm seven.
Stop treating me like a grownup."
"Fine, you're grounded. Now, go to your room."
My little sister flipped me off then returned to eating. Nick sat next to
me, bouncing a pissed Scarlet. He dipped his finger in a glass of soda
then into her mouth. Scarlet sucked at it for nearly a minute then started
up again.

"I'll take her outside while you eat," Nick announced, standing up.
Doing a poor attempt at faking concern, I said, "I should do it." Rolling
his eyes at my bullshit, Nick walked outside and left me with the
demon child. "Nick is nice."
"Yeah. Too nice. I'll probably destroy him with my bitchiness."
"Probably."
"You're supposed to say something supportive like, 'No, Bailey, your
love will protect him.'"
"I'm not saying that. I don't believe in lying."
"Bullshit. On the way here, you told Nick you were the best ballerina in
your class."
"So?"
"So you don't take a dance class."
"So?"
"That's lying, dumbass." "Not really. If I was in a class, I'd be the best."
"There's something wrong with you." "Not really."
Deciding to ignore her, I returned to eating until the guilt got to me. "I
should stay with Scarlet while Nick eats."
"Yeah. He doesn't want kids and you're making it worse. Even for you,
that's dumb."
"I'm going to kick your ass one day."
"I doubt it."
Leaving a smiling Sawyer behind, I hurried outside to where Nick sat
in the car with a now quiet Scarlet.
"You should go eat," I said, reaching for the baby.
"Why do you argue with Sawyer so much?" he asked, ignoring my
attempts to take Scarlet.
"She's an evil freak."
"She's a child. You treat her like she's your equal then complain how
immature she is."
Hands on my hips, I frowned. "So it's my fault she sucks?"
"No, it's your fault she drives you nuts. Treat her like a little kid

and she won't bother you so much." "It's not that simple."
"Isn't it? I watch how everyone else treats Sawyer. I also notice how she
is with them. Farah expects Sawyer to behave like a seven year old and
she gets along fine with her."
"Farah, huh?"
Nick's gaze met mine and he smiled. "I shouldn't like when you're
jealous, but it's pretty hot."
"I was your first choice, right?" "My only choice."
Smiling, I relaxed against the car until Nick frowned at me.
"What?"
"She's seven, Bailey. Leaving a child in a restaurant isn't right."
"No one will hurt her. She's Sawyer Fucking Johansson. Even if
someone grabbed her, she's a biter. I've seen her bite the damn dogs."
"That's not the point. She shouldn't need to protect herself. I bet you
were tough at her age, but that didn't mean you wanted to be alone in a
busy restaurant."
Glancing back at where I ditched my little sister, I nodded. "Yeah, I
would hate that."
"We'll both go back in. Scarlet is feeling better since I rubbed that
numbing crap on her gums."
My niece sat on Nick's hip like it was the most comfortable place in the
world. With her face dry and cheeks only slightly flushed, she really
was a gorgeous child. I imagined the kids I would have one day with
Nick.
"You'll make a great daddy," I said, holding the door open for him.
"Not yet, right?"
"Oh, hell, right. I like sleeping late."
His eyes nervous, Nick still smiled. He was great with Scarlet and
Sawyer. One day, he'd be great with our kids. Not yet. Thank goodness,
not yet.
"Are you going to marry my sister?" Sawyer asked when we returned.
"Yes," Nick said then added, "When we're ready."

Smiling like he'd announced something I already knew, I was freaking
out inside. Mostly, I couldn't wait to call the girls to tell them how I had
Nick hooked and got to keep him forever.
Next to me, Scarlet sat in a high chair, sucking on a chunk of
watermelon. She showed it to me then smiled. When I cooed over her,
Scarlet looked at me like I was amazing. I couldn't deny loving such
adoration.
"Not yet," Nick said softly when I stared at the baby for too long. "I
know. I really do. I'm just happy."
Nick gave me a killer smile and I saw him finally relax. Life was
moving too fast for him already and I saw on his gorgeous face how he
was dealing with the pressure of so many changes. Yet for the rest of
evening, he smiled easily at me and the girls like he didn't have a care in
the world.

Chapter Thirty Two ~ Nick
Autumn break was days away, giving the campus a festive vibe. My
life had changed dramatically since the break during my freshman year.
Oftentimes, I felt like a completely different person from the kid who
showed up in Ellsberg with a vague dream. The one thing I had in
common from freshman Nick was that no other girl made me feel like
the pretty, yet mouthy babe now holding my hand.
As Bailey and I walked to my Harley after our final class of the day, she
smiled and swung her ponytail back and forth.
"In my writing class, I took my final exam before the break," Bailey
said. "Now I can skip out tomorrow and go shopping with Maddy and
Mom. She's still figuring out the last touches for the wedding, but it's
mostly set. Redneck chic is pretty cool. Hint."
I only smiled. "When our time comes, you can do whatever chic your
heart desires."
"I know, but I still like hearing you bow to my will."
All the good humor left me once I noticed Winnie standing in the
parking lot next to my dad and three of his asshole friends.
"What the hell?" Bailey asked as I walked faster.
"Take Winnie and go," I said over my shoulder before we reached the
men.
My dad looked just the way I remembered. Big, rugged, and handsome,
he hovered over a clearly rattled Winnie. By the expression on his face,
he was flirting with her. His every word caused her face to disappear
more behind her hair.
"There you are," Dad said when he noticed me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, standing between the men and
Winnie.
"I looked you up at the address you gave your grandma, but you'd
moved out. I asked around and a stoner told me this girl worked for
your girlfriend. Is this her?"
Ignoring his question about Bailey, I turned towards her. "Take Winnie
and go," I said again in a hard voice, hoping she understood.

Bailey's temper demanded she ignore the danger of the situation. Even
worried about Winnie, she wouldn't leave me alone with these men.
"Who are these fucking douches?"
"Little mouth on her," Dad said to his friends. "I like the quiet one
better."
"Who are you?" Bailey growled, now in full redneck bitch mode. "I'm
Nicky's dad."
Standing between them, I felt a familiar unease. The same feeling I got
as a kid when violence was coming. These days, Dad knew he couldn't
take me alone, so he brought back up.
I glanced at his shirt pocket where his cigarettes and lighter rested.
Those were his favorite weapons when I was growing up. He once told
me the smell of burning flesh turned him on. I remembered thinking he
was evil. I hadn 't been wrong.
"Why are you here?" I asked calmly, going through the motions until
the first punch was thrown.
"Drove all the way up here to see the great Dragon fight then I find out
you've pussied out and thrown in the towel. Over a slut too."
I glanced at Bailey who took the word "slut" as to be expected.
"You understand?" I said to her, but she only frowned. "Look after
Winnie. She needs you to protect her. Be smart."
"I'm packing."
"Be smart," I said again and Bailey's anger faded. "I want to kick his
ass."
"Not today. Not with so many eyes on us. Think of the family. Don't
hurt them to get revenge. Payback never tastes as good as you
think it will."
I turned to my dad who only smiled. "Nick."
Glancing at his big middle aged friends, I shrugged. "While you've
never been much of a thinker, you were smart enough to bring muscle."
"I didn't come here to fight you," Dad said.
"Too late for that now. You terrorized Winnie and called my woman a
slut. No backing down now," I told him, shoving my hands in my
pockets. "You'd have liked watching me fight in the Thunderdome. I

was pretty good and know how to hurt a man without causing serious
injury. A lesson I won't need today."
Unlike my dad, I never had any swagger. Life taught me true badasses
didn't need it. I doubted the normally silent Judd did much threatening
before he broke a man.
Dad and his friends eyed Bailey standing next to Winnie. I suspected
they planned to use the girls to their advantage. Bailey figured the same
thing and flashed the gun in her purse.
Shaking my head at her, I grinned at my dad. "You came a long way to
bleed, so let's get on with it."
"You always were a drama queen," he said, tossing aside his cigarette.
"Just like your fucking mom."
In my mind, I played out how his friends would kick my ass. I'd never
fought more than two guys at a time, so I wasn't beating all four of
them. I couldn't win the war, but I planned to make sure my dad bled.
Like in the cage, I built up my rage. This man came to my new home,
insulted my woman, and threatened my happiness. He frightened an
already traumatized girl like he'd harmed so many women before. He
was foul, stinking of the trailer. He brought with him the evil of my
past. My father was the enemy and only his pain would free me.
I threw the first punch, hitting him square in the mouth. For whatever
reason, the fucker looked shocked. His life really was too easy if he
thought today wouldn't end badly for him.
His friends moved on me, but I shifted to my right and took my startled
father with me. This move gave me a few extra seconds to pound the
asshole in the ribs. His bones shattering under my punches, I didn't hold
back or worry about the damage I might do to him. I needed him to
suffer.
Even as his friends jumped me, I only had eyes for my gasping father. I
heard screaming nearby and figured students were running around in
panic. The police would arrive soon. The Reapers too, but I didn' t care.
With Bailey ready to use her gun, my only concern was making this
vile man beg.
Everything moved so quickly as one of the guys wrapped his arm
around my throat. Air cut off, I still kicked at Dad, nailing him in the

knee. He toppled to the ground as the others ganged up on me.
"Nick!" Bailey cried.
Hearing the panic in her voice returned me to a world outside my
vengeance. I would pass out soon, leaving only Bailey's gun to protect
her from these fucks. No doubt she would use it, but I hated to think of
the mess my past might create for her future.
I heard a grunt from behind me then the pressure around my throat
ended. Turning quickly, I noticed Dylan pounding on the guy who'd
been throttling me. No time to thank him, I shoved the nearest guy into
his buddy. They landed hard under me as I punched at any open spot.
Kidney shots made them both howl then someone yanked me off them.
"I liked you better in the closet," Dad said, shoving a blade against my
throat.
"Fucker," Bailey growled as the muzzle of her gun smacked him in the
temple. "I'll kill you and walk away from it. Back the fuck off."
My dad stepped back, but I knew he was going for the gun. It never
occurred to a man like him to fear a woman. Before he could grab her, I
barreled into his midsection and flipped him over my back. He came
crashing onto the asphalt and the knife skidded towards Winnie. Even
freaked out, she grabbed the blade and held it at the ready.
Sirens finally broke up the commotion and I patted Dylan on the back.
We stepped away from the bloodied men while nursing our own
wounds.
"Thanks, man."
"We might be newbies to the crew, but that don't mean we can't back
each other up."
Grinning, I hugged Bailey to me. "You're so sexy when you wave that
gun around."
"Motherfucker," was all she could say.
"It's okay."
We backed away from the scene as the police arrived. Looking at the
man who gave me life, I saw him for the loser he was. I also saw too
much of him in me. I knew the other students saw the similarities too.
This guy was poor white trash and so was I.
Nearby, a cop attempted to coax the knife from Winnie, but she

ignored him. Dylan stepped closer and spoke softly. Winnie never
lifted her head or peeked out from behind her hair, yet she handed him
the knife.
Bailey left me and hugged Winnie. "Did the fuckers hurt you?" she
asked softly. "Did they touch you?"
Winnie shook her head and whispered something. Dylan glanced at me
and I sensed he wanted to pound on the guys again. I did too, but the
authorities were fully in charge.
The deputy Bailey dated for like five minutes over the summer came
strolling towards me and Dylan. I knew he was going to be an asshole.
Bailey likely knew too because she quickly returned to my side.
"Dylan, can you take Winnie home?" Bailey asked.
"Sure."
The deputy frowned. "He needs to stay and give his statement."
Bailey ignored Darling and gestured for Dylan to go. Winnie followed
him without looking up, still hiding behind her curtain of dark hair.
"You aren't the law here, Bailey," Darling said.
"Tell that to my dad, dingus," she grunted then turned to me. "You got
banged up. Let's go while the cops take these fuckers to jail."
"What...?" Darling started to say until his voice was drowned out by the
roar of arriving Harleys.
"Whatever you have to say, tell it to my brother," Bailey told the cop as
she tugged me to my bike. She climbed on the back then waited for me.
Watching my dad hauled off the ground and walked to a cruiser, Bailey
caressed my cheek. "Tucker's here. He's got his guys too. It'll be fine.
Let's go."
I looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry."
"For having a shitty dad? Last I checked, it wasn't your choice who you
ended up with."
Even nodding, I felt like the filth of my past had officially tainted my
new life and there was no washing it off.

Chapter Thirty Three ~ Bailey
Before we even reached the apartment, I knew Nick needed a shower.
Still edgy, he kept his shoulders tight even when I nuzzled his back.
"Get cleaned up while I check to make sure Winnie got home okay," I
said, climbing off the Harley.
Nick just stared at the woods. Watching him disappear into himself, I
wanted to say the right words to make him happy. Instead, I left him to
clean up while I walked to the house.
With Mom picking up Sawyer from school and Pop fishing, the house
sat empty. I rested on the couch and called Winnie's cell. When she
didn't answer, I called Dylan who said he dropped her off a few minutes
earlier. Finally, I got hold of Harlow.
"Is she okay?" I asked.
"No, but she wasn't really okay before those fuckers showed up. She
hasn't been okay since the last fuckers came here."
Hearing the anger in Harlow's voice, I imagined Winnie hiding in her
room and disappearing from the world like Nick.
"I' m sorry this happened. They only bothered her because she works
for me."
Harlow sighed. "No, they only bothered her because they're assholes."
"She said they didn't hurt her, but I think she might lie to me."
"She wouldn't lie to me. She said they made gross comments, but they
were more interested in finding Nick. I think the dad wanted to make
money off his fighting. That's what I got from Winnie before she took
her shower."
Thinking about Nick scrubbing himself, I didn't speak for a moment.
"Is the shower thing normal? I mean growing up bad like you did
before the Todds and the way Winnie did. Do you need to take showers
after something bad happens?"
"It helps, yeah," Harlow muttered, sounding irritated, but I sensed

she was mostly pissed about anyone scaring her sister. Her voice
softened when she asked, "How is Nick?" "He's showering."
"We can't pick our families. Not the birth ones anyway." "Will you tell
Winnie I' m really sorry?"
"I will," Harlow said then added, "It'll be okay. Winnie is stronger than
she seems. I'll take care of her while you take care of Nick. We'll meet
for the weekly bowling game on Saturday. Deal?"
"Deal."
Hanging up, I found a text from Mom saying she heard about the smack
down, knew I was okay, and would be home after a quick trip to the
store. I wished she was already back, so I might get a hug. With no
babying in sight, I returned to my apartment.
Nick was still in the shower and I sensed joining him was a very bad
idea. He hadn' t really looked at me since first catching sight of his dad.
After trying to watch TV, I walked outside and played with the dogs.
They were thrilled for the attention since their beloved Cooper spent
his time petting Farah's bump instead of them.
When I returned, Nick was scrubbing the kitchen counter. Sometimes,
his behavior seemed a little weird. It wasn't like his dad polluted the
apartment.
"Are you okay?" I asked when he ignored me.
"No."
"Do you want to talk?"
Nick dropped the sponge and turned to look at me. "This isn't going to
work."
"What? Me being nice? I'll get better at it."
Nick didn't even smile. He just stared with his beautiful eyes that held
no love for me.
"I was fooling myself to think I could be with you. All of it was a
fucking lie I told myself and I told you the lie too."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked as panic rose up in my
gut.
"My name is still on the apartment lease, so I'm going to move

back into my place."
"Wait, are you dumping me?" I nearly screamed. "No fucking way are
you dumping me! You tattooed my name on your wrist. You said you
would marry me one day. If you dump me now, I'll shoot you in the ass!
I' m not kidding either, Nick!"
Pacing around the apartment, I wanted to slug him. He was mine and
the fucker wanted to end things. My heart felt so bad that only cussing
and threatening would keep me from puking in pain.
When I looked at Nick, he was staring hard at the floor. His fists dug
into his hips as he struggled to avoid freaking out. With anyone else, I
might have worried he was going to hit me. Not Nick though.
Instead of lashing out, I really listened to what Nick had said. I didn' t
react to the words, but imagined what he truly meant. He was on the
verge of losing control and only I could help him.
I thought about his father bringing trouble to Ellsberg. How the fight
might have gotten Nick arrested and ruined his future as a teacher. He'd
opened up to me over the last month then his past showed up to shit on
him again. Now, he wanted to hide.
"It's okay," I said softly, taking a few steps closer.
Frowning at me, Nick stepped back. "Bailey, don't."
"You won't hurt me. I know you."
"I can't be with you."
Moving quickly, I took his face in my hands before he could retreat.
"You need space and I'll give it to you because I know you'll return to
me. You belong with me, just like I do with you. We'll never be happy
without each other. You know that, but you' re scared. That's okay. I'll
wait."
"Bailey," he said in a rough voice.
"The fucker came here and you think that changes things. You think he
ruined what you've made here, but you're wrong. Soon, you'll realize
that, but you need time and I'll wait."
"Bailey, please don't cry."
"You can't tell me what to do," I mumbled. "I'm helping you and I' m
wise and shit."
Nick pulled me against him. "Nothing ever changes. I thought I

could change, but I' m still the loser from the trailer."
"No, you're not," I soothed. "You were never a loser. You were a kid
who lived with a loser. He's the same fuck you grew up with and you're
the same good kid who deserved better. Now you can have it all, but
you need space. I'm being understanding about that."
"I love you."
Gazing into his eyes, I saw exhaustion more than steely certainty.
"I don't want you to go back to that apartment," I whispered. "You
didn't feel safe there. I think you should stay here and I'll sleep at the
house. This place makes you feel safe."
Nick stared at me for what felt like forever before speaking. "I didn' t
think when I saw him. I reacted in a stupid way and it would have gone
really bad if not for Dylan and you. All the stuff I worked for since
moving to Ellsberg would have been pissed away because I'm my
father's son. He's an idiot and so am I."
"You want to be away from me for five seconds, so yeah, you're a little
stupid," I teased and Nick tried to smile. "You're not stupid like him.
He came here and called me a slut. The guy is lucky he's only in
jail."
"He'll get out. I threw the first punch."
"That's not what I'll tell the sheriff. Winnie either. I don't care about
lying."
"You shouldn't have to lie."
Studying his face, I suddenly saw the world the way Nick did. "You're
not alone anymore. You don't know what being part of something
means or you'd know that I lie for my family and friends all the time.
The other day, Raven asked me if I thought she'd be hot pregnant. I told
her no, even though she probably will. I just thought her ego was
getting too big and I wanted to help her remain grounded. See, lying for
those you love is okay. It's what we do."
Nick glanced around like he didn't know if he ought to remain in my
arms or make a run for it.
"Dylan helped you because you're not alone. My family and the club
will make sure your dad doesn't hassle you again because you're their
responsibility. That's how life is now, Nick. You're part of a family

and everything that comes with."
Nick nuzzled his lips against my head. "I don't want to leave you, but I
feel toxic while you feel so clean and perfect."
"I really am perfect, so trust that I know what's best. Staying with me is
the answer to all your problems."
Nick finally smiled a little. "I know the men in your family are
badasses, but I feel like a scared kid since I saw that piece of shit today.
The feeling started as a small lump in my gut. Now I can't feel anything
else."
Reaching around, I grabbed his ass gently and squeezed. "Do you
feel that?"
"Bailey, I'm being serious."
"I've had a stressful day. I took that test and nearly shot a loser in the
face. I really feel like only a good fuck will settle me down."
Nick glanced at the bedroom then back at me. "I don't know if it'll help,
but it probably can't hurt."
I ran my finger over his swollen lip. "We'll go slow and take our time
since you're banged up. We might have to go all night though."
Nick smiled, but his eyes were tired in a way I'd never seen them.
Despite his affections, I sensed the rest of the night he wasn't really
with me, but rather back in the parking lot reliving the beat down with
his dad.

Chapter Thirty Four ~ Nick
Holding onto Bailey all night, I felt as if she alone kept my past away.
At breakfast, I pressed my leg against hers under the table while we ate
with her family. Sawyer was in a lively mood, bouncing around while
describing a school project she nailed.
The plan after eating was to return to the apartment with Bailey until
time for class. Instead, Kirk stood up and studied his oldest daughter.
"Bay, go with your mom to drop off Sawyer at school. Nick and I need
to talk."
"About what?" she asked, jumping up like maybe she'd challenge
him.
Kirk only smirked. "Go."
Bailey lost all her fire and turned into a little girl before my eyes.
"Pop," she whimpered.
"It's fine," I said while standing up to follow Kirk outside.
Bailey grabbed for her father's arm and stared up at him. "Don't be
mean."
Kirk rolled his eyes. "You're too old for such drama. Now go help your
mom clean up before you leave."
Bailey watched us walk onto the deck, staring wide-eyed like her dad
was leading me to a shallow grave. I doubted a guy like Kirk would be
so brazen. If he wanted me dead, he'd be subtle about it. Maybe make
my disappearance seem like I bailed on Bailey or my dad came for me.
He could even point the blame at a fighter I beat and who still held a
grudge. Kirk didn't get where he was in life by showing all his cards.
We sat on the farthest end of the deck and looked down at the river
below. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the family's huge dogs
chasing a rabbit into the woods. Above me, a hawk circled the area,
scanning for prey. Everywhere predators lurked including the man next
to me, yet I wasn't worried.
"Your dad is a piece of work," Kirk said, lighting a cigarette. "Talking
all kinds of shit in jail. Wants to press charges against you,

Bailey, Dylan, everyone. Says he's going to sue. It's pretty crazy talk
for a man in a new place and not knowing the rules."
"He's gotten away with that stuff his whole life." "What do we do with
him?" Kirk asked, looking me straight in the eyes. "I'm not looking to
have a trial where the fucker and his friends call witnesses. That won't
do my family any good. Do you understand?" Studying him, I never
considered lying. "No, I don't." "The guy will be out of jail soon. No
getting around it, so we'll need to decide what happens next. Will he go
away and stay away? That's the thing I need to know. No doubt his
friends will go back to that tiny town you' re from, but your pop thinks
you owe him."
"He came here thinking he could make money off my fighting. If he
finds out Bailey comes from money, he might not walk away."
Glancing at his dogs, Kirk exhaled. "I don't like trouble in my town, but
trouble keeps coming around. The Smith sisters had those crap parents.
Vaughn's Devils shit bled into my town too. It used to piss me off, but
maybe this is the place assholes come to die."
As I stared at Kirk, he finished his cigarette. Finally, I said the words.
"Are you telling me you're going to kill my dad?"
Kirk focused his dark gaze on me. "No, I'm asking if I can kill your
dad? You and my baby are clicking in a good way and I want you to
stick around. With that said, I know you're not going to join the club
and know where the bodies are buried. You want that normal life
everyone's always talking about. I figure you might not be okay with
your dad disappearing for good, so I figured I'd ask."
"I don't know what to say. He's a piece of shit, but..." When I never
finished, Kirk did for me. "You don't want to be the one who makes
him dead. Fair enough. I just need to know if he was to go away and
never come back that you wouldn't hold it against Bailey." "Bailey is
perfection in my eyes and nothing is changing that." Kirk nodded. "I
know you want to stay out of the business and away from the club. That
don't mean you should take shit from an asshole like your dad. Trust me
that losers never change. I know people tell stories about them
changing. How they find God or go to rehab or something that makes it
seem possible. In reality, people are who they

are. They might behave, but they're the same fuckers inside."
Thinking about how much I wanted to change from the loser I was
growing up, I didn't like Kirk's philosophy. Kirk lit another cigarette
and shook his head.
"You turned out fine, kid. A man like your dad will make you feel like
shit or actually turn you into shit. I see plenty of guys who raise their
kids like crap and those kids do the same thing to their kids. Your dad is
a user. You aren't. Don't let your childhood bullshit make you think
you're like him."
The thought of my dad gone forever sounded good, yet the image of
him dying because of me left me unsure.
"He might leave town if you scared him."
"Maybe, but for how long? Look, I'm cool with scaring the fucker. I
just know guys like him only scare temporarily."
I watched the dogs linger near their hidden prey. The patient predators
waited out lesser creatures. While I didn't want to think of myself as
less than my dad, I knew he was patient when time came for revenge
and paydays.
"There's a guy in the club," Kirk said, sitting on a lounge chair. "Good
guy really. Funny. Loyal. Good member. His only flaw is a need to beat
on his wife. I don't know why he does that shit. He's not a crazy violent
guy, but with his old lady, he's fast to anger and violence. I'm not
talking slapping her or pushing her around either. I mean fucked up
punching and kicking shit. He finally put her in the hospital and that's
when I stepped in. She didn't want me to, but the guy was a loose
cannon when it came to her. He made me look bad and I got nervous
about him killing her. The chick didn't want saving, but it needed to
happen."
As I sat nearby, Kirk put out his cigarette and sighed. "The guy still
wants to hit his wife. They get in real mean fights and I know he wants
to bash her face in. The chick just sets him off and he thinks he needs to
show her who's the boss. The thing is he isn't the boss. I am and I told
him if he touch her wrong again that I was putting him in the ground.
He's never hit her since, but not because he's changed. He just doesn't
want to die. Every time he gets riled up with his wife, he remembers

what happens between them doesn't stay between them. We'll know if
she has a single bruise. Once we know, he'll disappear, so he behaves."
Nearby the dogs caught the rabbit they were hunting. I looked away
from their bloody celebration and towards Kirk who was studying me.
"We can scare the shit out of him and make him bleed, so he leaves
town," Kirk said. "Like the guy in the club, your dad needs constant
pressure to behave. I can't be checking on the fucker to ensure he
doesn't hassle my daughter and you. So if you can't make the call now,
just know the day will come when your dad will return and I'll make the
call. The truth is, Nick, some people just need killing. Like a rabid
animal, you can't fix what's wrong with them. You can only cage or
kill. Caging your dad ain't an option."
Hearing a car engine start, I thought of Bailey. She could have easily
been hurt or even killed in the fight. When I faced my father the day
before, I never worried about my safety. I knew how to take a beating.
Suffering was more comfortable than safety for me. Bailey's wellbeing
was a different matter.
"Do what you need to do," I said quietly. "I don't want to know what
happens. I won't feel better knowing the details, but I can't have him
anywhere near Bailey ever again."
Kirk stood up and gestured for me to follow him. We returned to the
house where he rested on the couch. After he flipped on the TV and
found a hunting show, he glanced at me.
"Do you really think Bailey is perfect?"
"Yes. Don't you?"
Kirk laughed then focused on his show. Sitting with him until Bailey
returned, we never spoke of my dad again. The issue was settled and
the problem handled. My father would never bother me or Bailey
again.

Chapter Thirty Five ~ Bailey
Maddy was patient like a good mother even when dealing with a florist.
She sat through the reveals of arrangements with roses, another one
with tulips, and a last one with weird looking exotic flowers. Once the
florist stopped speaking, Maddy smiled.
"I want sunflowers."
Hiding her disappointment, the florist no doubt wanted clients like
those on TV shows, but this was a part of Kentucky where exotic
flowers made the wrong kind of impression.
"Sunflowers," I said as Maddy and I walked out of the shop. "Redneck
chic is pretty badass."
"The key is I really like these things, so it doesn't feel fake. Being true
to yourself is the best."
"I don't know. When I was myself, people kept telling me to stop acting
like a bitch."
Maddy grinned. "True, but you were really loud and pointless back
then. Now you're a bitch in a great way."
"Yeah, I really am. Do you think I' m too much of a bitch still? Like
will I scare away my man?"
"If he hasn't run away screaming by now, he's a keeper and you
shouldn't worry."
Even nodding, I thought about my temper and Nick's issues. I might
still say or do something to send him screaming in terror.
"How did you know Tucker wasn't going to ditch you?"
"I don't know. I think it was when I told him I was pregnant and he got
so excited that I knew he was for real. Of course, I didn't know he
messed with my pills to get me pregnant."
"Didn't you? You always say no, but come on."
"Well maybe," she sighed. "I don't know. I took them in the mornings
and I' m pretty out of it until I get a gallon of coffee in me. I don't really
think well until noon. Doesn't matter since it worked out."
"True. You have my stupid brother and a beautiful daughter who so far
doesn't seem stupid. Pretty sweet life."

Wrapping her arm around my shoulders, Maddy grinned. "Thanks for
being my maid of honor."
"Thanks for loving my idiot brother. Guys like him either end up with
awesome chicks or meth whores. It's never in between. I'm happy he
went the awesome route."
Maddy smiled like I'd told her she was a princess. She was still wearing
the grin when she dropped me off at my apartment. When I talked to
Nick earlier, he planned to go shopping. I didn't know for what, but I
soon found out.
The smell of spaghetti sauce hit me as soon as I opened the apartment
door. Underneath the delicious aroma of my favorite food, I detected
Pine Sol. I found him in the kitchen, stirring the sauce. Getting warm in
all of the right places, I shivered at the sight of him in a pair of jeans and
wife beater. The dragon tattoo looked fearsome against his tanned skin.
His scars caught my eye too, but I still smiled when Nick noticed me.
"What's all this?"
"I' m making you mine tonight," he said, watching me in a strange way.
"Jodi said spaghetti is your favorite. I'm nearly finished with the pasta,
so you're right on time."
Nick leaned down and nipped my lower lip. Grinning at his friskiness, I
asked, "Do I smell garlic toast?" Nick nodded as I wrapped my arms
tighter around him. "Why now?"
"Once I pick up the last thing from my apartment tomorrow, we'll
officially be living together. Sounds like a good reason to celebrate."
Glancing to the tiny eating area, I smiled at the set table, complete with
lit candles. "Hot damn," I whispered then glanced at a grinning Nick.
"Let me shower, so I smell as good as you do."
After kissing me while squeezing my ass to make sure both buttcheeks
arrived home safely, Nick stepped back. "Dinner will be in ten
minutes."
Grinning, I ran into the bedroom, stripped out of my clothes, and
hurried into the shower. The scent of his shampoo and body wash put
me in the mood for something besides eating. Even after I dressed and
returned, my nipples stayed hard at the thought of a naked Nick.

The spaghetti was perfection and I ate two platefuls. Watching the
whole time, his eyes were electric. Imagining what all his hunger meant
for our after dinner activities, I devoured my food then leaned back and
let it settle.
"I want you."
"I know," he murmured, still watching me like I was dessert. "Do you
believe in us?"
"Of course," I said quickly.
"I've pushed you away a lot and I still get itchy about little things. Does
that worry you?" "No."
"You're lying."
Caressing his leg with my foot, I sighed. "I know you love me." "That's
not what I asked."
We watched each other for a minute then I sighed again. "I worry you'll
leave."
"I know. I can't promise I won't freak out again. I've spent so long alone
and I've faked like I was happy for so long that I have trouble believing
I can be real with you. Part of being real means I get scared in
thunderstorms and think you're a princess while I'm a piece of shit."
"You're half right," I said and we both smiled. "I come with baggage
too. You accept me and I accept you too. It's perfect."
Nick stood up and walked to my side of the table. After holding out his
hand, he led me to the bathroom. He tugged off my shirt then shorts.
Every time I tried to help or undress him, he shook his head.
"I'm in charge right now, Bailey."
"Okay."
Nick gave me a sly smile then slid my panties to the floor. Once I was
naked, he stripped as I made approving noises. Nick never lost the
hungry look in his eyes. I'd never seen it before and I was both scared
and excited.
"You're mine," he said, lifting me onto his hips and carrying us under
the warm water. "I've waited a long time for you and I've had trouble
letting you close. Now I'm ready and I'm never letting you go."
"Good," I murmured against his throat as I sucked at the flesh.

Nick filled me and fucked like he was on a mission. Only getting
started, Nick moved our lovemaking to the bed where he explored my
damp body.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, walking to the dresser where he kept his
clothes.
"Yes," I said, rolling to my side. "I'm really enjoying the view. Your ass
is a work of art."
Nick grinned at me over his shoulder then turned with two neckties
dangling from his hands. Likely seeing my concern, he asked again,
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes, but what..."
Nick crawled onto bed and gently lifted one of my arms over my
head.
"I don't like that submissive shit." "I need you to prove you trust me." "I
already s a i d . "
"You lie without thinking," he said, lifting the other arm and wrapping
the tie around the head post then my wrists. "I need you to prove it."
"Can I tie you up?" I challenged as he finished restraining my wrists.
"Sure," he said, crawling lower with the other tie. "I trust you."
"I don't like this."
"You want to be in control."
"Yeah, b u t . "
"I' m not going to hurt you," he said, wrapping the second tie around
my eyes. "Nothing bad will happen. I'm not other guys. I won't abuse
you. Or bring other men in here to share. I won't do anything to
embarrass you. I only want you to trust me."
"I do."
"No, not really. You think I' m other guys who have screwed you over
and tossed you aside like trash. You want to believe I'm better, but you
don't yet. You think I'm weak like them. Maybe bad too."
"I'm scared."
"Of what?" he asked then his lips sucked at my earlobe.

"What if you are messing with me and videotape this?" I said,
panicking at the thought of every evil thing a guy pulled against a
chick.
"If I hurt you, I'll lose you and I need you more than anything else," he
whispered then added, "Oh, and your dad would have me killed
slowly."
The tie feeling too tight around my wrists, I struggled against the panic
rising in my chest. Nick's lips and hands explored, focusing their
tenderness on my boobs. Trying to calm down, I focused on the heat of
his tongue on my skin.
"So beautiful," he said softly. A moment later, I felt him spread my
thighs. "Do I love you, Bailey?"
"Yes," I mumbled, pulling at the tie. "Can you let me loose now?" "Not
until you come." "I don't think I can."
"What do you see?" he asked as his hot breathe teased my pussy. "I
can't see, remember?"
"In your mind, you're seeing what's happening. What do you see? Are
you picturing me looking at your sweet pussy? Can you see me
spreading you open and tasting you?"
Before I opened my mouth to reply, I felt his tongue. Imagining Nick
tasting me, I relaxed. I knew and trusted him. He had his moments of
weakness when I needed to be in charge. My man wasn't weak though
and I could trust him to care for me.
Nick kissed my clit then sucked slow and steady until I was too busy
crying out to care about my restrained wrists. He loved me and I was
safe. For the first time ever, I really let go during sex and I never came
so hard.

Chapter Thirty Six ~ Nick
Sporting a black eye, Dylan met me in the front of Cooper's office. I
looked up at where guys were redoing the roof before returning my
gaze to my new boss.
"As much as I appreciate this chance," I said, "I don't want you giving
me a job just to make Cooper happy."
"Cooper's happiness isn't really my concern. The guy's rich and
powerful. I' m sure his happiness is pretty much a done deal."
I smirked. "Yeah, but you really need me to work for you, right?"
Dylan nodded. "I had a guy who helped me manage projects, but my
dad bought him off to work somewhere else. Now it's just me. I trust
my guys to do their bests, but that doesn't mean their bests are good
enough, you know? Someone needs to check on them and deal with
issues that come up."
"I've never done any of that before."
"Cooper said you're a smart guy. My crews are full of guys who saw
you fight too. They'll treat you with respect in a way another new guy
might not get."
I sized up Dylan then grinned. "Sorry for the shiner."
"Those fuckers were going to kill you. Not even on purpose. They just
had idiot written all over them."
"How did you happen to be at the college?"
Dylan shrugged. "Was driving by and saw the commotion. Good thing
I was curious."
I knew Dylan was lying. Not because I was especially smart, but he was
just that bad a liar. Considering he saved my ass, I wasn't pushing him
for details.
After talking hours and job assignments, we stood on the sidewalk
while waiting for Bailey and Cooper. Like most people, we were slaves
to the Johansson siblings' whims.
Bailey's whine found me before she appeared with a disinterested
Cooper.
"I want my own office," she said, staring up at her brother who

only had eyes for his phone. "I need my own office. I'll be running stuff
and I'll need a workplace. A place with desks and file cabinets and shit.
Are you listening to me?"
Cooper didn't react as he typed on the phone. Bailey glanced at me and
frowned. I knew she was about to pull out the full whine.
"Dammit! I need to be treated with respect. I have skills, idiot, and I can
take them elsewhere. Let you handle all the bills and manage shit.
Yeah, let you do more work. Is that what you want? You with law
school and a new wife and soon a baby. Do you want to do my job?
Well, do
you?"
Her last few words were so high pitched that I suspected a dog would
howl at the sound of them, yet Cooper never showed the least bit of
reaction. Defeated, Bailey replaced the whine with a pout. In that
moment, Cooper grinned and looked at her.
"Oh, Bailey, I forgot you were there."
"Asshole," she sneered.
Laughing, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "As long as
your office is nowhere near mine, I' m onboard with the idea."
"You're still an asshole," Bailey said, leaning against him and smiling.
"You're lucky Tucker is my only other choice or you'd be my least
favorite brother."
"How would I survive that?" he asked then looked at us.
"We good?"
Dylan nodded. "Nick will start next week."
Bailey was eyeballing her brother who turned his glare on her.
"What now, bitch?"
"I demand you to tell me how great a manager I'll be."
"You'll be a good manager. Scary as fuck, but also capable of a kind
word or two. Look at how good you are with Winnie."
Next to me, Dylan shifted ever so slightly. I knew immediately that he
had a thing for Winnie.
Ever since the first day of college, I internally reacted to the sound of
Bailey's name. A few times, I just thought I heard her name and my
breathing would catch. She was always in the back of my mind,
lingering on every thought. Though Bailey was mine now, I hadn't
forgotten how

much I worried I'd never get my chance with her.
Dylan walked back inside, likely thinking about Winnie. I hoped Dylan
got his chance one day like I found mine with Bailey. My dream that
once seemed unattainable was now at my fingertips.

Chapter Thirty Seven ~ Bailey
As soon as Nick untied me the night before, I convinced him to let me
explore his back. If he trusted me, I should be able to touch those ugly
marks left behind by his evil fuck dad. I knew he hated for me to really
see them, but I'd proven I trusted him. Now, it was his turn.
His body remained tight and anxious at first. Yet the more I licked each
old wound, the more he relaxed until his body hungered for my touch.
Much like I let go when he took away my control, Nick soon fucked me
like a man unleashed. I'd witnessed the horror of his past and still
desired him. Our walls down, we looked at each other and saw forever.
This morning began with a trip to Cooper's office to see my brother and
Dylan. Afterwards, Nick thoroughly searched his apartment for
anything he might have left behind. While he checked every corner, I
sat in the living room with Danny Boy who stared at my tits.
"One day, some chick will tear out your eyes for gawking like
that."
Never taking his eyes off my chest, Danny Boy nodded. "Probably, but
yours are so perfect."
"They better be. My pop paid good money to get me such nice
boobs."
"Money well spent."
Caught between enjoying the praise and raging at his stupid, I did
nothing until Nick appeared.
"Danny Boy, I won't take your eyes," he said softly, "but I'll cut off
your dick. That way, you can look at girls as much as you want, but
never enjoy them. Get it?"
The freak finally stopped staring and smiled at Nick. "No worries. You
get everything?"
"Yeah," he said, taking me by the hand. "See you around."
Leaving behind the pervert, we carried the bag with his belongings and
headed to the Harley. I was nearly bouncing by the time we got off the
elevator.

"You're officially mine," I said. "I own your sexy ass."
Nick just grinned, but I knew how lucky I was to be with someone like
him. As a reminder of what I left behind, we found a past mistake
standing next to the Harley.
Deputy Ennis Dickhead tipped back his stupid hat and smirked at
me. "Hello, Bailey." "What do you want?"
"I came to talk to your friend here. Just wondering if he'd seen his
dad?"
Nick showed no reaction, but I was pissed to have an asshole ruining
my good mood.
"If his dad was smart, he'd have run the fuck away once out of
jail."
Dickhead tried intimidating Nick with a dark glare. When that didn' t
work, he focused on me. "Bailey, I want to talk to you alone."
"No way. Nick and I are going home to have lots of sex. Now go
away."
"Why are you slumming it with this loser?" Dickhead asked, poking his
thumb at Nick. "You've got options and here you are settling."
"Fuck the hell off, asshole!" I yelled, gaining the attention of a lot of
people who immediately looked away when I glared at them. Focusing
my rage back on Dickhead, I growled, "You need to learn your place,
loser. The only time I was slumming it was when I dated a rent-a-cop."
"Listen here, bitch... "
I never saw Nick move. One moment, he was a few feet away, looking
passive then his fist made contact with Dickhead's face. The cop
toppled back against his car as Nick stood in front of me. Since he
looked hotter than sin, I wanted to feel him up. I was thinking naughty
thoughts when Darling forced his cuffs on Nick's wrists and shoved
him against the car.
"I guess I'm the one who gets restrained this time," Nick said, trying to
keep the moment light.
Dickhead was going to ruin Nick's chances at teaching and I

refused to allow anyone to steal my man's dream. Love made people do
weird shit and I was no exception.
The Taser from Dickhead's belt felt good in my hand as I aimed it at his
ass. The idiot cop didn't even realize I'd stolen his weapon until the
volts surged through his system. My ex-nobody fell to the ground and
twitched. A cuffed Nick stepped back and looked between Dickhead
and the Taser.
"He wet himself," I said to Nick.
"I see that. Now what? You just assaulted a cop."
"So did you."
"True. We're both fucked."
"No way," I muttered. "He attacked me and I was defending myself."
"You shot him in the ass with that thing. I don't know how you make
self-defense stick, babe."
"What a pessimist," I said, digging the keys out of Dickhead's pocket.
"Let's throw on some Jerry Reed and race home like the cops are on our
asses."
"They might be soon enough," Nick said, rubbing his wrists before
cupping my face. "My hero."
Kissing me softly, Nick glanced at Dickhead who was wobbling to his
knees. Still holding the Taser, I followed Nick to his Harley. Soon we
were racing to the house where I hoped a magical Reapers' fix awaited.
I got halfway home before it occurred to me to throw the Taser into the
woods we were speeding past. Evidence was a word my brain suddenly
locked onto.
Pulling the Harley towards the house, Nick parked next to the garage
then we got off. He seemed calm, but that meant nothing. Nick knew
how to hide his feelings, but I had more trouble keeping my cool.
"I've ruined things for you," I said, eyes hot and tears threatening to
fall. "I fucked up and now you'll end up with a record. You'll never
have your dream because of me. I'm so sorry."
Wrapping me in his strong arms, Nick sighed. "I punched him and
made the first move. It's not your fault."
"You had to punch him. He was calling me names and you're my

man."
Nick smiled down at me. "Yeah, I couldn't let him trash my girl."
"I should have just ignored him or been polite."
"I love you enough to know ignoring him and doing the polite shit was
never happening. It's not your way and I don't want you to pretend.
Maybe other people need that from you, but I love all of you even the
crazy temperamental parts."
"I ruined your dream though."
"I'll get a new dream."
My heart broke at how easily Nick accepted his lost dream. "You
wanted that one so bad." "I want you more."
"Maybe we can run. I have money. Let's run and hide. You're giving up
your dream. I can give up my home, so we'll be even."
Nick grinned then looked behind me. "This is my home now too and I'
m not giving it up."
Turning to follow Nick's gaze, I saw my parents approaching. Pop
tossed his cigarette on the ground then laughed.
"I always figured Sawyer would be the one to attack a cop," he said as
Mom smiled.
"He called me a bitch and Nick punched him."
"Seems fair."
"Then he was going to arrest Nick, so I had to do something."
"I can see that," Pop said, hugging me. "Did he rough you two
up?"
"No. Well, his face might have hurt Nick's fist."
"I' m fine," Nick said, giving me an amused look.
"Pop," I mumbled, panicking despite attempts to find the situation
funny. "Dickhead is going to ruin Nick's future as a teacher. You have
to do something."
My pop grinned at Mom then shook his head. "All this drama is Coop's
problem now. I'm retired."
Frowning, I wanted Pop to wave his hand and fix things like he
normally did. Instead, he expected me and my brothers to behave like
adults. Had he never met us?

"It'll be fine," Nick said, lacing his finger in the loop of my shorts and
tugging back against him. "Darling can file charges if he wants, but
he'll put a target on himself too. It's his choice."
My dad smiled and nodded while Mom threw a ball at the dogs.
"Nick ain't wrong. Dickhead might have a big mouth and show off, but
he knows his place. He went to school with your brothers and
understands what happens when the family feels threatened."
"Okay," I said, still worried. "I can't believe I lost my temper like
that."
Mom and Pop laughed first then Nick started up. I just rolled my
eyes.
"You and that temper," Mom said, patting my cheek. "You had it
before you were born. Trust me, I still remember you kicking the shit
out of me."
Frowning, I glanced at Nick. "Babies really suck. We're never having
any." "Okay."
"Well, maybe one," I said.
"Whatever you say. Can we get something to eat? Even though I
stopped all the training, I'm still hungry a lot."
Nick and I followed Mom and Pop into the house. Eating leftover
meatballs and rice, we didn't talk about Tasers or injured cop asses.
Instead, Pop casually mentioned a rundown house for sale on a farm
road.
"Dylan would know how to fix it up," Nick said.
Out of nowhere, I started laughing at how weird my day had gone.
During the ride home, I thought I might lose Nick. Now he was talking
about buying a house and fixing it up just like I had always dreamed.
After a lifetime without a family, Nick bullshitted easily with my
parents. He was theirs now, just as much as mine.

Chapter Thirty Eight ~ Nick
Autumn didn' t mean an end to the summer heat around Ellsberg. After
a long day at school, Bailey told me to get into a pair of swim trunks.
Instead of walking to the pool though, she led me into the woods.
Along a winding path and down an endless stairwell, we walked hand
in hand.
"I used to think the woods were magic," Bailey said, looking
embarrassed under her baseball cap. "I imagined fairies watched me
when I played. There was a tree near the river that I was sure was their
home. When I was twelve, the tree fell over in a bad storm. It'd been
dead and rotting, so I don't know why I was so surprised when the tree
disappeared into the river. I still cried because I thought the fairies died
and that's why I didn't feel them anymore. Does that seem stupid to
you?"
"I used to think a dragon would destroy all my enemies," I said,
squeezing her hand. "So no, I don't think fairies sound stupid."
Sharing her smile, I followed Bailey down the winding staircase to a
deck below.
"Don't be afraid," she said then jumped off the deck and into the
river.
I watched her splash into the water then reemerge seconds later
wearing a big grin.
"The water feels nice."
"I don't know how to swim, remember?"
"I'll keep you safe."
"You can't make that promise."
"Swimming is nothing more than kicking your feet. I've seen you kick
guys plenty in the Thunderdome," she said, flashing a tit at me.
"Besides, there's an inner tube down here for you to hold onto while I
feel you up."
My erection made the decision for me. Diving into the water, I hoped
the water cooled my arousal. So focused on how much I wanted to be
inside Bailey, I didn't think about how I couldn't swim. Once under

water, I kicked my legs until hitting the surface where she waited
topless.
"I wanted to reward your bravery," she murmured as I wrapped one
arm around the tube and the other her waist. "I'm proud of you."
"Prove it."
"However will I do that?" she said, wiggling her hips against mine.
Cupping her face, I brushed her lips with my thumb. "You're medicine
for my soul, Bailey. Never forget that."
Her naughty gaze shifted into something softer. "Thank you for being
brave enough to love me."
Despite her earnest expression, I laughed. "Like I had a choice."
My inability to swim and the public nature of our tryst didn't matter
next to my need for her. Soon, my trunks floated next to her bikini
bottom.
Once I was inside Bailey, I felt like Dragon. I didn't need to hurt anyone
or bleed myself to be powerful. I just needed Bailey.

Chapter Thirty Nine ~ Bailey
Watching Maddy walk down the aisle of the church, Tucker was a
smiling fool. I'd only seen my brother so happy at Scarlet's birth. Now
he was finally making things official with the woman he loved.
I stood next to Farah, Tawny, and Raven, wearing matching pale
yellow bridesmaid dresses. With a little alteration, I could see wearing
it again on a normal occasion. Redneck chic turned out to be pretty
awesome.
Unable to attend, Lark still watched the ceremony live. Aaron sat up
front and sent the feed to his wife. Later, she would say she missed
most of it from crying so much. I could understand since Maddy made
a beautiful bride and my brother looked pretty spiffy too. Hell, even
demon spawn Sawyer looked like an angel in her yellow flower girl
dress.
The reception was a blast. We enjoyed messy food and a Blue Grass
band. The open bar certainly didn't hurt either.
Watching my brothers dancing with their wives, I saw them as men for
the first time.
"This is my family," I said to Nick.
Instead of making a snide comment about how I was stating the
obvious, Nick understood. A girl could be forgiven for being proud of a
family like mine. I finally had great friends who supported me no
matter what, but also knew when to tell me to shut the fuck up.
"I dance like shit," Nick said, taking my hands. "Fortunately, no one
will be looking at me."
Grinning, I liked how comfortable he was these days. A storm still sent
him into a dark mood and he continued to shower more than a normal
guy. Otherwise, he felt at home in Ellsberg. With a new job allowing
him time for school, he also had friends who watched his back. Nick
finally had a family too. At dinner with Pop, Mom, Sawyer, and me, he
never kept them at a distance. He was like a third son and even
managed to help me get along with my little nemesis.
Even growing up the princess of a powerful family, things didn't

fall into my lap. I finally stopped whining about wanting more and took
charge of my life. My reward was the man of my dreams.

Epilogue - Nick
All through college, Bailey and I lived in the garage apartment. Those
years cooking with Jodi, swimming with Bailey and Sawyer, and
hunting with Kirk and his boys changed how I saw the world. Even
more important, it changed how I saw myself. By the time Bailey and I
married on the deck overlooking the river she loved growing up, I
rarely thought of my life before Ellsberg.
Bailey wanted a tropical honeymoon which meant I walked around
shirtless 99% of the time. The old Nick wouldn't have gotten through
the two weeks without fearing the opinions of strangers. The new Nick
only cared about enjoying his sexy overjoyed wife. Bailey in a bikini
certainly kept me focused too.
Returning to Ellsberg, we moved into our renovated farmhouse just
outside of town. Every room torn down to its studs, the place was
essentially brand new. The summer after college and before I started
teaching at St. Joseph's Catholic Academy was a tranquil one. Bailey
and I spent most of our time lounging at the house and learning to bowl
so we might beat Vaughn and Raven. The latter goal was never to be
realized.
A year later, Bailey decided we should have a baby. Only a few months
later, she was carrying our first boy while I struggled with the fear of
turning into my father. Of course, nine months felt like forever. By the
time of his birth, I was more than ready to see my boy.
Unable to tell my sexy pregnant wife no, we named our first son after
me. I did worry having two Nickolas Davies in the house might prove
confusing, but Bailey had that covered.
Bubba began our tradition of giving the boys a normal "N" name then
calling them a "B" nickname. Each following two years apart, Nathan
and Noah went by Butch and Buzz.
Mothering didn't come naturally to Bailey. Fortunately, Bubba was
born at the end of the school year and I could be home to help. Despite
declaring being a mom was her thing, Bailey just couldn't get the hang
of the noise and Bubba cried a lot. Like his mommy, the boy had a

temper. Jodi and Maddy helped a lot. Between the three of us, we kept
Bailey from going nuts as she suffered post partum depression made
worse by her inability to connect with the mini-her.
One day like the sun breaking through the clouds after a long storm,
Bailey and Bubba bonded. Once he smiled at her, she was hooked on
the little guy. By the time Buzz came along and displayed a similar
stubborn streak, Bailey was an ace at outlasting his temper.
Yet Butch was all me. He even had my dark hair unlike his brothers.
Butch was slow to try new things, shy around people, and hung back
when playing with his rowdy cousins. Sly as hell though, he was never
found during hide and seek.
With Butch as my shadow, I did everything I could to give him the
confidence I never had growing up. A confidence I only found when I
let Bailey close. Cooper warned me that his sister came with baggage,
but she really brought a whole amazing life with her.
The first time I saw Bailey, I just wanted her to know I existed. In the
end, I could only survive when she held my heart in her hands. Bailey
Fucking Johansson was my salvation.

Epilogue - Bailey
One of my family's traditions was RVing for several weeks each
summer. We travelled all over the country and to Canada. Growing up,
Nick didn't have any traditions besides his father getting drunk on
Christmas Eve and screaming that Santa was dead. My man never
knew what he was missing until he spent a few weeks in a rented RV.
After following around my parents and brothers, Nick became a
believer.
Eventually, we bought a RV that I named Bailey's Badass Bus. Our
three boys loved driving the RV everywhere even to the grocery store.
During the summers, they viewed the world the way I did growing up.
We ate at campgrounds, sat around fire pits until late at night, and
played in hotel pools.
Bubba and Buzz took to water like me while Butch and Nick were more
likely to sit with their feet in the water. Nick and his shadow smiled in
unison whenever they caught me looking at them. In those moments, I
wasn't sure how I managed to get so lucky, but I hoped the blessings
never ended.
Taking time away from managing the family's legit businesses, I also
gave Cooper slack on the RVing trips. In Ellsberg, I was always on his
ass, protecting my assets. As the head of the club and family's less legit
businesses, he was always putting my stuff second. Our relationship
involved a lot of fit throwing and silent treatments. Occasionally,
objects were thrown and offensive nicknames given. On our family
trips away from home, we returned to brother and sister. Objects were
still thrown and names were still given, but we laughed a lot more and
screamed considerably less.
Cooper and Farah decided four cuties were enough for their family
when they welcomed their final daughter only weeks before I had
Butch. Audrey reminded me of Sawyer as a baby. Quiet, devious with a
hint of evil, they were both prettier than angels.
I never regretted not having a daughter. I liked being the queen of an all
male family. As much as love soothed me, I never quite got over my
need to be the center of the whole fucking universe. For Nick and my

boys, I was just that.
The summer after Buzz's first birthday, we drove to the Grand Canyon
to appease Cooper who humped the place even more than he did Farah.
Aaron and Lark came along with their three rugrats. The tattoo artist
claimed Cooper wanted the Grand Canyon on his ass, but my brother
never took the plunge. Instead, I heard he wanted his butt spotless for
Farah's hickeys.
On the trip, Raven was pregnant with Vaughn's seventh kid and I
figured child birth at that point would be her farting and the kid falling
out. How they dealt with so many wild kids I'd never understand. Hell,
I couldn't even tell all of their blond offspring apart.
Tawny and Judd were especially silly that summer as a result of their
water pistol obsession. They were forever chasing each other around
with their kids toddling after them. Protective of her big brother, Heidi
was known to shoot anyone in the face who gave him less than
complete adoration. One day, Heidi and Audrey would likely rule or
ruin the world. Evil geniuses the both of them, I suspected they would
con Bubba and Butch to be their henchmen. Yep, keep the world
domination plans in the family.
During that trip, Maddy and Tucker celebrated nearly ten years
together. We all celebrated since no one figured they'd last. Love made
fools of logic, I guess. Scarlet was still a wild beauty while their son
Jack might have been the dumbest smart kid I'd ever met. He was
reading before kindergarten, yet struggled with push/pull doors.
Common sense was never going to be his friend.
Sawyer and I stopped hating each other when she turned ten. I never
knew why she didn't seem so awful anymore, but we often talked for
hours. Mostly about my life since it was my favorite subject. When she
was a teen, we'd talk about boys which were her favorite subjects by
then.
During those road trips, Pop and Mom watched over us all like the
protective parents they never stopped being. We grew up and they
backed off, but I never forgot they had my back. Nick's too. My parents
still babied him, giving him the love he never had growing up. Pop
introduced him as one of his boys and Mom was always feeding him.

Nick looked at them in the same way as our boys looked at us.
Love wasn't something Nick knew growing up and he struggled with it
when we first dated. Eventually, he was a man in love with his life. His
wife and sons. His extended family and friends. His school and
teaching. He even loved riding the lawnmower shirtless while I
watched and thought about how I might reward all that sexiness.
Nick no longer feared his shitty past or how it might taint his future. He
was mine and I gave him peace. I was his and he gave me confidence.
Nick no longer hid behind Dragon. He wasn't the scared kid versus the
brave fighter. Everything good and bad about Nick was rolled into one
amazing man and our happy lives together were just beginning.

About Bijou
Living in Indiana with my three sweet sons, two wacky cats, one super
mom (and her ugly dog), I love writing, blogging, and Denny's. Follow
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***Bijou Hunter is the pseudonym of author Angela Horn.