Scarlett Cole's Blog, page 2
April 24, 2025
Her enemy is her last safe place 💔
Hey lovelies 💥
I’ve been dying to share this with you… and today’s the day!
Ready for a title reveal that’s going to make your romance-loving heart ache in the best way?
Introducing 🔥 THE FIRE WE CRAVE 🔥
It’s got everything you expect from my MC worlds:
• Bruised, brooding alpha bikers
• Stubborn, strong, whip-smart heroines
• And the kind of emotional heat that leaves you breathless
But this one?
This one might just wreck you in the most delicious way.
💔 What’s it about? Let me introduce you to Quinn & Smoke…
Quinn
Two things happened on my thirteenth birthday.
My sister vanished.
And I told Smoke Callahan—Iron Outlaws Road Captain—that it was his fault.
Fourteen years later, I still hate him. But hate won’t keep me alive when the Bratva targets me.
So I make him a deal. I help him recover from the burns that nearly took his life. In return? He protects me.
Simple, right?
Until I start to see the man behind the scars… and he starts looking at me like I’m more than just a burden.
Smoke
She was just a kid when she came at me, blaming me for her sister’s disappearance.
I let her. I deserved it.
Now she’s all grown up, in my space, asking for help.
I should say no. I don’t.
Because even if she still hates me, I’d burn the world down to keep her safe.
Even if it costs me everything.
Even if she was never meant to be mine.
And the tropes are just as delicious!
🏍 MC Romance
🔥 Slow-burn enemies to lovers
🧁 Injured smoke jumper and sassy baker
💔 He was her missing sister’s boyfriend
🥵 Age gap tension & sexual awakening
🧨 Heavy angst & emotional wounds
😭 Life-ruining, heart-stopping romance
So, if you’re into danger, desire, and emotionally scarred bikers who love like wildfire, then you already know this is one you don’t want to miss.
💥 Preorder The Fire We Crave now and be the first to dive in the moment it drops.
Pre-order it here: https://books2read.com/thefirewecrave
XOXO
Scarlett
I’ve been dying to share this with you… and today’s the day!
Ready for a title reveal that’s going to make your romance-loving heart ache in the best way?
Introducing 🔥 THE FIRE WE CRAVE 🔥
It’s got everything you expect from my MC worlds:
• Bruised, brooding alpha bikers
• Stubborn, strong, whip-smart heroines
• And the kind of emotional heat that leaves you breathless
But this one?
This one might just wreck you in the most delicious way.
💔 What’s it about? Let me introduce you to Quinn & Smoke…
Quinn
Two things happened on my thirteenth birthday.
My sister vanished.
And I told Smoke Callahan—Iron Outlaws Road Captain—that it was his fault.
Fourteen years later, I still hate him. But hate won’t keep me alive when the Bratva targets me.
So I make him a deal. I help him recover from the burns that nearly took his life. In return? He protects me.
Simple, right?
Until I start to see the man behind the scars… and he starts looking at me like I’m more than just a burden.
Smoke
She was just a kid when she came at me, blaming me for her sister’s disappearance.
I let her. I deserved it.
Now she’s all grown up, in my space, asking for help.
I should say no. I don’t.
Because even if she still hates me, I’d burn the world down to keep her safe.
Even if it costs me everything.
Even if she was never meant to be mine.
And the tropes are just as delicious!
🏍 MC Romance
🔥 Slow-burn enemies to lovers
🧁 Injured smoke jumper and sassy baker
💔 He was her missing sister’s boyfriend
🥵 Age gap tension & sexual awakening
🧨 Heavy angst & emotional wounds
😭 Life-ruining, heart-stopping romance
So, if you’re into danger, desire, and emotionally scarred bikers who love like wildfire, then you already know this is one you don’t want to miss.
💥 Preorder The Fire We Crave now and be the first to dive in the moment it drops.
Pre-order it here: https://books2read.com/thefirewecrave
XOXO
Scarlett
March 22, 2025
The Oath We Take is coming next week!
I can't believe we are only days away from Atom & Ember being out in the wild for you all to read. I'm so ready of you to read this book.
Don’t forget that it’s available wide Monday 24th & Tuesday 25th then it’s into into Kindle Unlimited and Amazon on the 27th.
Amazon : https://books2read.com/theoathwetake
B&N: https://bit.ly/3DgxsyW
iBooks: https://bit.ly/TheOathWeTakeIBooks
How about a taste to tide you over?
“Fuck it,” he says, before kissing me like it’s the last thing either of us will ever do.
And now, as my heart races as he squeezes the cheeks of my ass, I lose myself in the taste of him when his tongue brushes mine.
“Atom,” I mutter against his lips.
A lifetime of daydreams about how it would feel with this man hardly prepared me for the reality. As he drops the pretense of indifference, I allow myself to believe for a heartbeat that it could be real.
For a decade, there’s been an Atom-shaped hole in my life that no one has been able to fill.
His lips brush kisses along my jaw, and I tilt my neck to allow him room to work his magic. He kisses behind my ear and nibbles on the lobe as I run fingers through his hair.
His cock feels so good pressed up between my legs, I have to bite down on the urge to grind against him. Denim rubs against denim, causing a friction and warmth that edges me closer to an orgasm.
He groans against my neck as his fingers dig into the cheeks of my ass and squeeze.
Every part of me trembles with the deliciousness of this moment.
“Stop holding back, Em,” he says, as if he can read my mind.
His lips return to my mouth, and every nerve ending within me sparks.
My muscles relax, and I roll my hips, wondering what it would feel like if we were naked.
“Fuck, feels so good.” His words brush my skin as he speaks.
His thick length grinds against me, and I gasp at how incredible it feels. It shocks me how quickly those feelings turn into the telltale signs I’m going to come.
As if he senses it, Atom pushes harder against me. His eyes meet mine with a fierce intensity and need I’ve never seen before. He wants me as badly as I want him.
“Let me take it, Em,” he mutters against my mouth.
Perhaps the universe owes me this one moment in payment for the years of longing. And if there has to be an underscore to this undeniable thing between us, then maybe an orgasm at his hands should be it.
Because I don’t know what happens next. No promises were made. No conclusions drawn. This could be forever, or it could be the end.
Don’t forget that it’s available wide Monday 24th & Tuesday 25th then it’s into into Kindle Unlimited and Amazon on the 27th.
Amazon : https://books2read.com/theoathwetake
B&N: https://bit.ly/3DgxsyW
iBooks: https://bit.ly/TheOathWeTakeIBooks
How about a taste to tide you over?
“Fuck it,” he says, before kissing me like it’s the last thing either of us will ever do.
And now, as my heart races as he squeezes the cheeks of my ass, I lose myself in the taste of him when his tongue brushes mine.
“Atom,” I mutter against his lips.
A lifetime of daydreams about how it would feel with this man hardly prepared me for the reality. As he drops the pretense of indifference, I allow myself to believe for a heartbeat that it could be real.
For a decade, there’s been an Atom-shaped hole in my life that no one has been able to fill.
His lips brush kisses along my jaw, and I tilt my neck to allow him room to work his magic. He kisses behind my ear and nibbles on the lobe as I run fingers through his hair.
His cock feels so good pressed up between my legs, I have to bite down on the urge to grind against him. Denim rubs against denim, causing a friction and warmth that edges me closer to an orgasm.
He groans against my neck as his fingers dig into the cheeks of my ass and squeeze.
Every part of me trembles with the deliciousness of this moment.
“Stop holding back, Em,” he says, as if he can read my mind.
His lips return to my mouth, and every nerve ending within me sparks.
My muscles relax, and I roll my hips, wondering what it would feel like if we were naked.
“Fuck, feels so good.” His words brush my skin as he speaks.
His thick length grinds against me, and I gasp at how incredible it feels. It shocks me how quickly those feelings turn into the telltale signs I’m going to come.
As if he senses it, Atom pushes harder against me. His eyes meet mine with a fierce intensity and need I’ve never seen before. He wants me as badly as I want him.
“Let me take it, Em,” he mutters against my mouth.
Perhaps the universe owes me this one moment in payment for the years of longing. And if there has to be an underscore to this undeniable thing between us, then maybe an orgasm at his hands should be it.
Because I don’t know what happens next. No promises were made. No conclusions drawn. This could be forever, or it could be the end.
March 7, 2025
Meet my rule breaker....
Hey Lovelies!
Here in the UK, we've just had a handful of sunny days which makes it feel like spring. And you know what spring means! The release of The Oath We Take is just around the corner
It’s finally time to introduce you to the reluctant hero, Hudson "Atom" Addams — the Enforcer of the Second Circle Motorcycle Club, who really didn't want to get written. Atom doesn't like the spotlight at all, but I finally got him wrangled onto the page, and can't wait for you to meet him.
If you love your book boyfriends grumpy, protective, and ready to burn the world down for the woman they can’t have, then buckle up... because Atom is all that and more.
Let me break him down for you:
💪 Enforcer — He’s the club’s muscle. The guy who does the dirty work no one talks about. And you don't want to know what he does to the man who looks at Ember the wrong way!
🚫 Off-limits — The one woman he’s always wanted is the one woman he can never have — his president's daughter.
🐎 Rancher — When he’s not breaking bones for the club, Atom works on his family’s ranch — just him, the horses, and a whole lot of regret. Oh, and a feisty Grandpa who is always on his side.
💔 Regretful — Man, does he carry a bucketful of regret. Five years earlier, Ember laid her heart at his feet. He chose the club and walked away... but it’s the one decision that’s haunted him ever since.
🌧️ Brooding — If there’s one man who can out-grump every other biker in the club, it’s Atom. He’s carrying enough guilt and secrets to fill a saddlebag. Especially now Ember has a new boyfriend.
🔥 Possessive — He’s kept his distance for five long years... but the second Ember’s in danger? He’s ready to claim what’s always been his, no matter the cost.
⚠️ Rule Breaker — There’s one unbreakable rule in the club: no biker touches the president’s daughter. Atom’s about to shatter it into pieces.
I honestly can’t explain how much I loved writing Atom and Ember’s story — the longing, the tension, the heartbreak 🥺. If you've ever craved a hero who's so painfully in love with the heroine he can barely breathe, then Atom’s about to ruin you in the best way.
If this sounds like your kind of jam, please consider a pre-order, especially if you read anywhere other than Amazon. It's only available for two days and I don't want you to miss it. It'll be on Amazon and in KU on March 27th.
With all my love (and more than a little regret for the emotional rollercoaster Atom and Ember are going to put you through),
S 💙
Pre-order it here -
Amazon : https://books2read.com/theoathwetake
B&N: https://bit.ly/3DgxsyW
iBooks: https://bit.ly/TheOathWeTakeIBooks
There is still time to read Wraith first!
The books are technically standalone, so you don't need to read Wraith first before diving into Atom. But on the off-chance you like reading in lawful order (versus chaotic mood reading like I prefer!), now is the perfect time to dive in.
"Talk about starting a new series off with a bang!! This book was so darn good!"
- Reading in the Red Room
Get it here - https://books2read.com/thegriefwehold
Here in the UK, we've just had a handful of sunny days which makes it feel like spring. And you know what spring means! The release of The Oath We Take is just around the corner
It’s finally time to introduce you to the reluctant hero, Hudson "Atom" Addams — the Enforcer of the Second Circle Motorcycle Club, who really didn't want to get written. Atom doesn't like the spotlight at all, but I finally got him wrangled onto the page, and can't wait for you to meet him.
If you love your book boyfriends grumpy, protective, and ready to burn the world down for the woman they can’t have, then buckle up... because Atom is all that and more.
Let me break him down for you:
💪 Enforcer — He’s the club’s muscle. The guy who does the dirty work no one talks about. And you don't want to know what he does to the man who looks at Ember the wrong way!
🚫 Off-limits — The one woman he’s always wanted is the one woman he can never have — his president's daughter.
🐎 Rancher — When he’s not breaking bones for the club, Atom works on his family’s ranch — just him, the horses, and a whole lot of regret. Oh, and a feisty Grandpa who is always on his side.
💔 Regretful — Man, does he carry a bucketful of regret. Five years earlier, Ember laid her heart at his feet. He chose the club and walked away... but it’s the one decision that’s haunted him ever since.
🌧️ Brooding — If there’s one man who can out-grump every other biker in the club, it’s Atom. He’s carrying enough guilt and secrets to fill a saddlebag. Especially now Ember has a new boyfriend.
🔥 Possessive — He’s kept his distance for five long years... but the second Ember’s in danger? He’s ready to claim what’s always been his, no matter the cost.
⚠️ Rule Breaker — There’s one unbreakable rule in the club: no biker touches the president’s daughter. Atom’s about to shatter it into pieces.
I honestly can’t explain how much I loved writing Atom and Ember’s story — the longing, the tension, the heartbreak 🥺. If you've ever craved a hero who's so painfully in love with the heroine he can barely breathe, then Atom’s about to ruin you in the best way.
If this sounds like your kind of jam, please consider a pre-order, especially if you read anywhere other than Amazon. It's only available for two days and I don't want you to miss it. It'll be on Amazon and in KU on March 27th.
With all my love (and more than a little regret for the emotional rollercoaster Atom and Ember are going to put you through),
S 💙
Pre-order it here -
Amazon : https://books2read.com/theoathwetake
B&N: https://bit.ly/3DgxsyW
iBooks: https://bit.ly/TheOathWeTakeIBooks
There is still time to read Wraith first!
The books are technically standalone, so you don't need to read Wraith first before diving into Atom. But on the off-chance you like reading in lawful order (versus chaotic mood reading like I prefer!), now is the perfect time to dive in.
"Talk about starting a new series off with a bang!! This book was so darn good!"
- Reading in the Red Room
Get it here - https://books2read.com/thegriefwehold
January 31, 2025
Want to read a NSFW excerpt?
It's time to turn up the heat a little with this excerpt. Yes. it's a hot one, you have been warned.
I run my fingers along his stubbled jaw as he bites my lip.
He carries me to the bathroom and locks the door before sitting me down on the vanity. It’s cold through my pajamas, but every other part of me is heating fast.
“Fuck, Raven,” Wraith mutters, his lips soft against mine.
We line up with each other, and I can’t help but seek the pleasure I want. I want this man in any way, shape, or form I can take him.
“If you want me, you can have me,” I say on a whisper.
He glances to the wall that leads to the bedroom. “You sure?”
I nod. “The door is locked. He’s a heavy sleeper.”
“Thank fuck,” Wraith mutters. “Lying next to you with your ass pressed up against my cock all night had me dreaming some real freaky stuff.”
I grin at that. “About me?”
He huffs. “Course about fucking you. You see my cock straining for anyone else right now?”
Wraith reaches his hands beneath my T-shirt, slipping it over my head before dropping it onto the edge of the tub.
“You okay if this is a fast fuck? Because, Blue, I’m a patient man, usually, but right now, I want you something nasty.”
It’s strange how the body lets you know what it wants.
Headaches when thirsty.
Bellyaches when hungry.
The twinge I get two days before my period.
And a wetness between my thighs I rarely experienced with my husband because my pussy knows that this is a man who will treat it right.
I bite on the lobe of his ear. “Then take me.”
He cups my face and kisses me with a ferocity I can’t comprehend. Like I’m the only thing in the universe keeping him alive. Like he needs me more than oxygen.
And it’s not just the carnality of it.
It’s more.
Finally, he slides his hands into my pajamas and lifts me while shimmying them down over my butt. Then, he drops them to the floor, before unzipping his jeans. He’s naked beneath them.
His cock is already hard and leaking.
“You were dreaming about me?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“All fucking night,” he replies. He grabs a condom out of his jeans, and carefully rolls it over his piercing.
Then he looks up at my face as he lines himself with my opening and pushes into me. The angle isn’t perfect, and it takes several strokes for him to seat himself deeply into me. His head drops onto my shoulder and then he sucks on the skin. “I wanna consume you, Blue.”
I slide my hand over his shoulders, stroking the skin exposed above the bandages. His cock throbs inside me.
For a second, I wonder if he’s coming already. But then he withdraws and begins to slam into me. I push my hand out to the wall to steady myself. I feel a little out of control, wanton, desperate for what he’s giving me.
The way his piercing rubs me inside is impossible to explain, except it feels like magic.
The feelings I experience are unexpected. I want to say this isn’t like me, but deep down, it’s the me I’ve always wanted to be. Aroused, wet, and so close to begging, even though he’s already giving me what I need.
Wraith slides his hands behind me, clenched on my ass, sweeping me so close to the edge of the vanity that my legs fully dangle. I manage to get them up and hook them around his ass.
His size makes it impossible to fight back and I love the feeling of being overwhelmed and manhandled by him. So, I let my head fall back until I’m leaning on the wall.
The shift in angle is heaven.
His head dips, and he bites and then sucks on my nipples in a way that feels shockingly good.
“More,” I cry, uncertain why I feel like I’m about to burst apart from his touch. My skin feels stretched across my body as Wraith repeats the action on my other breast, harder this time.
It’s raw and primal.
He spits between us, his saliva landing on my hooded clit, before he rubs me in teasing circles.
Wraith places his hands firmly on my hips, holding me in place as he fucks me. “Play with yourself. Help me get you there,” he says between grunts.
I do as he asks, but my actions are unfamiliar. My husband never cared about getting me off. And once, he threw a fit when he found I’d purchased a small vibrator for myself.
I’m out of practice.
Uncertain of what feels good.
“Like this?” I ask.
Wraith watches my fingers. “You tell me, Blue. Looks hot as fuck from my angle.”
And maybe that’s all I need to know.
That Wraith finds what we’re doing hot. That I don’t need to worry about whether I’m enough.
For him, I just am.
I watch where we join, seeing his cock slide in and out, watching his body move as he thrusts into me, feeling the slide of the barbell. All of it starts to well inside me, like a torrent of energy I can’t stop.
“Don’t stop.” The words come out on a whispered cry.
“Fuck,” Wraith grunts. “Love the way your cunt squeezes me, Blue.”
He presses his lips to mine. It’s messy as both of us squirm and thrust to seek that last push of sensation to tip us over the edge.
I find it first.
Light explodes behind my eyelids, and I gasp against Wraith’s mouth. He bites down on my lip, harder than I should like, but it triggers deeper feelings of delicious overstimulation.
I cry out, and Wraith slams his hand over my mouth.
He tips his head back, and I see every muscle in his neck is strained.
His mouth is open in a silent yell.
And then his strokes flounder as he rocks gently back and forth deep inside me. I feel him throb as he comes.
The energy dissipates between us, but the feelings…
They go nowhere.
Wraith kisses me, this time with a tenderness that aches. He runs his hands over my thighs, and I stroke his hair when he lowers his forehead to my shoulder.
“Didn’t think it could be better than the last time,” he mutters before kissing the bite marks on my breasts.
“Me either.”
“Sorry about the biting. You good, Blue?”
I nod. “I am. It felt surprisingly good.”
I guess this is what afterglow feels like. I feel so utterly connected to Wraith right now as my body periodically shudders coming down from the places he took me.
We stay like that for another minute until we start to cool, and Wraith’s cock begins to soften. He reaches between us and eases his cock out before removing the condom and dealing with it.
I wiggle to a more comfortable seating position on the edge of the vanity while he cleans up and zips up his jeans.
“That’s a fine way to send a man out to start his day,” he says when he catches me watching.
Want more, then grab it here in ebook or paperback - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
I run my fingers along his stubbled jaw as he bites my lip.
He carries me to the bathroom and locks the door before sitting me down on the vanity. It’s cold through my pajamas, but every other part of me is heating fast.
“Fuck, Raven,” Wraith mutters, his lips soft against mine.
We line up with each other, and I can’t help but seek the pleasure I want. I want this man in any way, shape, or form I can take him.
“If you want me, you can have me,” I say on a whisper.
He glances to the wall that leads to the bedroom. “You sure?”
I nod. “The door is locked. He’s a heavy sleeper.”
“Thank fuck,” Wraith mutters. “Lying next to you with your ass pressed up against my cock all night had me dreaming some real freaky stuff.”
I grin at that. “About me?”
He huffs. “Course about fucking you. You see my cock straining for anyone else right now?”
Wraith reaches his hands beneath my T-shirt, slipping it over my head before dropping it onto the edge of the tub.
“You okay if this is a fast fuck? Because, Blue, I’m a patient man, usually, but right now, I want you something nasty.”
It’s strange how the body lets you know what it wants.
Headaches when thirsty.
Bellyaches when hungry.
The twinge I get two days before my period.
And a wetness between my thighs I rarely experienced with my husband because my pussy knows that this is a man who will treat it right.
I bite on the lobe of his ear. “Then take me.”
He cups my face and kisses me with a ferocity I can’t comprehend. Like I’m the only thing in the universe keeping him alive. Like he needs me more than oxygen.
And it’s not just the carnality of it.
It’s more.
Finally, he slides his hands into my pajamas and lifts me while shimmying them down over my butt. Then, he drops them to the floor, before unzipping his jeans. He’s naked beneath them.
His cock is already hard and leaking.
“You were dreaming about me?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“All fucking night,” he replies. He grabs a condom out of his jeans, and carefully rolls it over his piercing.
Then he looks up at my face as he lines himself with my opening and pushes into me. The angle isn’t perfect, and it takes several strokes for him to seat himself deeply into me. His head drops onto my shoulder and then he sucks on the skin. “I wanna consume you, Blue.”
I slide my hand over his shoulders, stroking the skin exposed above the bandages. His cock throbs inside me.
For a second, I wonder if he’s coming already. But then he withdraws and begins to slam into me. I push my hand out to the wall to steady myself. I feel a little out of control, wanton, desperate for what he’s giving me.
The way his piercing rubs me inside is impossible to explain, except it feels like magic.
The feelings I experience are unexpected. I want to say this isn’t like me, but deep down, it’s the me I’ve always wanted to be. Aroused, wet, and so close to begging, even though he’s already giving me what I need.
Wraith slides his hands behind me, clenched on my ass, sweeping me so close to the edge of the vanity that my legs fully dangle. I manage to get them up and hook them around his ass.
His size makes it impossible to fight back and I love the feeling of being overwhelmed and manhandled by him. So, I let my head fall back until I’m leaning on the wall.
The shift in angle is heaven.
His head dips, and he bites and then sucks on my nipples in a way that feels shockingly good.
“More,” I cry, uncertain why I feel like I’m about to burst apart from his touch. My skin feels stretched across my body as Wraith repeats the action on my other breast, harder this time.
It’s raw and primal.
He spits between us, his saliva landing on my hooded clit, before he rubs me in teasing circles.
Wraith places his hands firmly on my hips, holding me in place as he fucks me. “Play with yourself. Help me get you there,” he says between grunts.
I do as he asks, but my actions are unfamiliar. My husband never cared about getting me off. And once, he threw a fit when he found I’d purchased a small vibrator for myself.
I’m out of practice.
Uncertain of what feels good.
“Like this?” I ask.
Wraith watches my fingers. “You tell me, Blue. Looks hot as fuck from my angle.”
And maybe that’s all I need to know.
That Wraith finds what we’re doing hot. That I don’t need to worry about whether I’m enough.
For him, I just am.
I watch where we join, seeing his cock slide in and out, watching his body move as he thrusts into me, feeling the slide of the barbell. All of it starts to well inside me, like a torrent of energy I can’t stop.
“Don’t stop.” The words come out on a whispered cry.
“Fuck,” Wraith grunts. “Love the way your cunt squeezes me, Blue.”
He presses his lips to mine. It’s messy as both of us squirm and thrust to seek that last push of sensation to tip us over the edge.
I find it first.
Light explodes behind my eyelids, and I gasp against Wraith’s mouth. He bites down on my lip, harder than I should like, but it triggers deeper feelings of delicious overstimulation.
I cry out, and Wraith slams his hand over my mouth.
He tips his head back, and I see every muscle in his neck is strained.
His mouth is open in a silent yell.
And then his strokes flounder as he rocks gently back and forth deep inside me. I feel him throb as he comes.
The energy dissipates between us, but the feelings…
They go nowhere.
Wraith kisses me, this time with a tenderness that aches. He runs his hands over my thighs, and I stroke his hair when he lowers his forehead to my shoulder.
“Didn’t think it could be better than the last time,” he mutters before kissing the bite marks on my breasts.
“Me either.”
“Sorry about the biting. You good, Blue?”
I nod. “I am. It felt surprisingly good.”
I guess this is what afterglow feels like. I feel so utterly connected to Wraith right now as my body periodically shudders coming down from the places he took me.
We stay like that for another minute until we start to cool, and Wraith’s cock begins to soften. He reaches between us and eases his cock out before removing the condom and dealing with it.
I wiggle to a more comfortable seating position on the edge of the vanity while he cleans up and zips up his jeans.
“That’s a fine way to send a man out to start his day,” he says when he catches me watching.
Want more, then grab it here in ebook or paperback - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
January 24, 2025
In My Wraith Era 💙
Hey Lovelies!
OH MY GOSH! You have all exceeded my every expectation! I can't believe how much love you have shown Wraith and Raven as I sit here watching it come close to breaking the Top 200 on Amazon.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for every share and review and comment. I couldn't do any of this without you. I'm headed to the pub for a celebratory drink and I'll be toasting every one of you.
Read on to see what everyone has been saying about this new series.
S 💙
This book is a fabulous read. I loved it from start to finish. - Alicia
Extraordinary MC Book! This is without a doubt one of the best books I have read. - Sandy
S. Cole cements her place as a master of MC romance with the debut of the Iron Outlaws MC: Colorado series, delivering a gripping, emotional story that will leave readers breathless. - World of Books
Off The Charts Good!!! This is the beginning of a fantastic series. - Doris
Dark, emotional, captivating, and thrilling. The tension, steam and spicy was AMAZING. - Kelly
Scarlett has done it again! Absolutely incredible and written perfectly with the perfect balance of action, angst, and spice! - Brandi Lynn
Talk about starting a new series off with a bang!! This book was so darn good! - Reading in the Red Room
I have zero chance of truly getting across how good this book is. All I will say is strap in for an unforgettable ride full of surprises, hot biker cowboys, and the women who love them. - Rachel
Hold onto your hats, readers, there’s a new crop of Iron Outlaws in the town and all I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW! - Amazon Reader
This is a fantastic start to the series. The hints for the next book have me SO freaking excited to continue, and I can’t wait for more. - Amazon Reader
I have always highly recommended this author’s work and this book is now added to that list. - Amazon Reader
OH MY GOSH! You have all exceeded my every expectation! I can't believe how much love you have shown Wraith and Raven as I sit here watching it come close to breaking the Top 200 on Amazon.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for every share and review and comment. I couldn't do any of this without you. I'm headed to the pub for a celebratory drink and I'll be toasting every one of you.
Read on to see what everyone has been saying about this new series.
S 💙
This book is a fabulous read. I loved it from start to finish. - Alicia
Extraordinary MC Book! This is without a doubt one of the best books I have read. - Sandy
S. Cole cements her place as a master of MC romance with the debut of the Iron Outlaws MC: Colorado series, delivering a gripping, emotional story that will leave readers breathless. - World of Books
Off The Charts Good!!! This is the beginning of a fantastic series. - Doris
Dark, emotional, captivating, and thrilling. The tension, steam and spicy was AMAZING. - Kelly
Scarlett has done it again! Absolutely incredible and written perfectly with the perfect balance of action, angst, and spice! - Brandi Lynn
Talk about starting a new series off with a bang!! This book was so darn good! - Reading in the Red Room
I have zero chance of truly getting across how good this book is. All I will say is strap in for an unforgettable ride full of surprises, hot biker cowboys, and the women who love them. - Rachel
Hold onto your hats, readers, there’s a new crop of Iron Outlaws in the town and all I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW! - Amazon Reader
This is a fantastic start to the series. The hints for the next book have me SO freaking excited to continue, and I can’t wait for more. - Amazon Reader
I have always highly recommended this author’s work and this book is now added to that list. - Amazon Reader
The wait is over! 😘
Hey Lovelies,
It's finally here! Release Day for The Grief We Hold, and I can't wait for you to meet Wraith and Raven, (Stayed tuned to the end for a NSFW excerpt!)
I love writing these bikers on horseback--or cowboys on bikes. Whichever way you say it, it's been a high-octane breath of fresh air to tap into small town Colorado every day as I write.
A widowed biker stuck in the past and a single mom worried about the future made the most delicious pairing. Buckle up...or maybe saddle up... for the ride.
Happy reading and keep scrolling for the excerpt when you find out what Wraith's been hiding! 😉
S 💙
Get it here in ebook or paperback - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
Have a taste below.....
“You need me to go? Plenty of places I can lay my head tonight if you want this bed to yourself,” Wraith says.
“No.” The word comes out too fast, too firm. “No, you don’t need to. I guess I’m trying to make sense of it all. You, me, this. I’m here, but I don’t know why I’m here, which I know doesn’t make any sense.”
“Been thinking similar thoughts since the moment I called. Can’t explain it. I’m not a relationship guy, but I can’t stop thinking about you either. Any other woman, I’d suggest fucking it out of our system, yet here you are, in my bed, and we’re talking.”
Images of him pulling me closer flash through my brain. Of him dominating me in the way I’ve always craved but never received. “Is that what you want to do with me?”
He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear. “You don’t strike me as a one-night-stand kind of woman, and that’s all I’m offering.”
Is that all it would be?
My treasonous reasoning fractures. A part of me wants to revel in the freedom of a no-strings moment with this man.
The other silently cries out, What if one time isn’t enough?
But it’s better than never knowing.
I don’t feel guilty about my husband. He abandoned me long before Wraith climbed into this bed. I just want to be needed by someone, even if tonight is all he needs me for. “Then teach me how to be one.”
“Not that simple, Blue. Can’t teach you how to separate sex and emotions. Only you can do that.”
“You’re confusing, Wraith. I don’t think you would have brought me here today if this were only a fleeting itch you wanted some woman to scratch.”
He tugs me closer, sliding his strong arms around me. His warmth immediately hits me, along with the scent of the soap he used during his shower. “I’m confusing myself. Not sure where the fuck I’m going with all this.”
His hand rubs tenderly up and down my spine, grounding me as I arch against him.
His body is solid, a physical anchor to my spiraling thoughts.
His cock is hard, making it impossible to separate me needs from my own self-interest.
“There are lots of reasons we shouldn’t do this,” he says. “But I can’t think of any of them right now when you feel this good in my arms.”
“I can’t pretend I wasn’t relieved and excited when you opened the door, even though I know getting involved with you is a bad idea for me and Fen.”
“What if we pretended for tonight that I’m just Axel, and you’re just Raven, and this room is anywhere but here?”
My heart beats so fast, I fear for its safety. “I’m not sure I’m mentally ready to sleep with you yet. My body’s there, but…”
“Then take whatever you need. Let me get you out of these clothes. Let me wrap myself around you and sleep with you, knowing you’re safe. Perhaps both of us will think more clearly in the morning.”
“I think I want more than that, though. Physically, I want all of you.”
He kisses my cheek gently, his breath warm against my skin. “Me too. Banging this out of our systems could be a fine idea.”
“You think that’s all this will be.”
“It’s all it can be, Blue. I need to know what it would feel like to fuck you. But, if you tell me to stop, I’ll listen.”
When he kisses me, it seals my decision. We’re both here. We’re both adults. And his kiss is so consuming it’s impossible to pull away. I feel the brush of his scruff against my skin as his firm lips torture me with the promise of everything now, and nothing tomorrow.
His hands slip beneath the hem of my borrowed Henley, and I can barely breathe. Slowly, he begins to gather fabric upwards, exposing my thighs, my butt, my ribs. By the time he grips my waist, then strokes his fingers over my skin, I’m fit to burst.
Anticipation swirls between us, an eddy current that grows with every second. Wraith never takes his eyes away from mine. Never looks down at what his actions are revealing.
My breath catches in my throat.
“You’re beautiful.” His fingers stroke softly over the area where I’m bruised, even though he can’t see the faded marks in the dark. “And I want to kill the fucker who hurt you.”
“Axel.”
My use of his name causes his pupils to flare.
“I need to see you, Blue. Are you going to let me strip you and then lie there naked so I can see all of you? Or is that too far?”
God, how long have I wanted a man to speak to me like this.
The heavy throb in my clit tells me it isn’t anywhere close to enough. But I nod.
“Good girl.” He sits up and slides his Henley over my head. I barely notice the loss of warmth. He dips his fingers beneath the waistband of my panties, and it tickles as he moves across my stomach. He places a soft kiss just above the elastic before lowering them down my thighs to remove them.
“Can I see you too?” I ask. My voice is raspy, filled with need.
He rips the T-shirt he’s wearing over his head, revealing a chest as solid and firm as I imagined. Then he kneels up and shoves the pajamas over his hips. I can’t imagine how painful it must have been to tattoo his groin or the long black line on the underside of his penis, but it’s the metal that glints on either side of his cock that must have been most horrendous.
“Oh my God, is that a piercing?”
He palms his cock and grins. “It is. Is it going to be a problem?”
It's finally here! Release Day for The Grief We Hold, and I can't wait for you to meet Wraith and Raven, (Stayed tuned to the end for a NSFW excerpt!)
I love writing these bikers on horseback--or cowboys on bikes. Whichever way you say it, it's been a high-octane breath of fresh air to tap into small town Colorado every day as I write.
A widowed biker stuck in the past and a single mom worried about the future made the most delicious pairing. Buckle up...or maybe saddle up... for the ride.
Happy reading and keep scrolling for the excerpt when you find out what Wraith's been hiding! 😉
S 💙
Get it here in ebook or paperback - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
Have a taste below.....
“You need me to go? Plenty of places I can lay my head tonight if you want this bed to yourself,” Wraith says.
“No.” The word comes out too fast, too firm. “No, you don’t need to. I guess I’m trying to make sense of it all. You, me, this. I’m here, but I don’t know why I’m here, which I know doesn’t make any sense.”
“Been thinking similar thoughts since the moment I called. Can’t explain it. I’m not a relationship guy, but I can’t stop thinking about you either. Any other woman, I’d suggest fucking it out of our system, yet here you are, in my bed, and we’re talking.”
Images of him pulling me closer flash through my brain. Of him dominating me in the way I’ve always craved but never received. “Is that what you want to do with me?”
He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear. “You don’t strike me as a one-night-stand kind of woman, and that’s all I’m offering.”
Is that all it would be?
My treasonous reasoning fractures. A part of me wants to revel in the freedom of a no-strings moment with this man.
The other silently cries out, What if one time isn’t enough?
But it’s better than never knowing.
I don’t feel guilty about my husband. He abandoned me long before Wraith climbed into this bed. I just want to be needed by someone, even if tonight is all he needs me for. “Then teach me how to be one.”
“Not that simple, Blue. Can’t teach you how to separate sex and emotions. Only you can do that.”
“You’re confusing, Wraith. I don’t think you would have brought me here today if this were only a fleeting itch you wanted some woman to scratch.”
He tugs me closer, sliding his strong arms around me. His warmth immediately hits me, along with the scent of the soap he used during his shower. “I’m confusing myself. Not sure where the fuck I’m going with all this.”
His hand rubs tenderly up and down my spine, grounding me as I arch against him.
His body is solid, a physical anchor to my spiraling thoughts.
His cock is hard, making it impossible to separate me needs from my own self-interest.
“There are lots of reasons we shouldn’t do this,” he says. “But I can’t think of any of them right now when you feel this good in my arms.”
“I can’t pretend I wasn’t relieved and excited when you opened the door, even though I know getting involved with you is a bad idea for me and Fen.”
“What if we pretended for tonight that I’m just Axel, and you’re just Raven, and this room is anywhere but here?”
My heart beats so fast, I fear for its safety. “I’m not sure I’m mentally ready to sleep with you yet. My body’s there, but…”
“Then take whatever you need. Let me get you out of these clothes. Let me wrap myself around you and sleep with you, knowing you’re safe. Perhaps both of us will think more clearly in the morning.”
“I think I want more than that, though. Physically, I want all of you.”
He kisses my cheek gently, his breath warm against my skin. “Me too. Banging this out of our systems could be a fine idea.”
“You think that’s all this will be.”
“It’s all it can be, Blue. I need to know what it would feel like to fuck you. But, if you tell me to stop, I’ll listen.”
When he kisses me, it seals my decision. We’re both here. We’re both adults. And his kiss is so consuming it’s impossible to pull away. I feel the brush of his scruff against my skin as his firm lips torture me with the promise of everything now, and nothing tomorrow.
His hands slip beneath the hem of my borrowed Henley, and I can barely breathe. Slowly, he begins to gather fabric upwards, exposing my thighs, my butt, my ribs. By the time he grips my waist, then strokes his fingers over my skin, I’m fit to burst.
Anticipation swirls between us, an eddy current that grows with every second. Wraith never takes his eyes away from mine. Never looks down at what his actions are revealing.
My breath catches in my throat.
“You’re beautiful.” His fingers stroke softly over the area where I’m bruised, even though he can’t see the faded marks in the dark. “And I want to kill the fucker who hurt you.”
“Axel.”
My use of his name causes his pupils to flare.
“I need to see you, Blue. Are you going to let me strip you and then lie there naked so I can see all of you? Or is that too far?”
God, how long have I wanted a man to speak to me like this.
The heavy throb in my clit tells me it isn’t anywhere close to enough. But I nod.
“Good girl.” He sits up and slides his Henley over my head. I barely notice the loss of warmth. He dips his fingers beneath the waistband of my panties, and it tickles as he moves across my stomach. He places a soft kiss just above the elastic before lowering them down my thighs to remove them.
“Can I see you too?” I ask. My voice is raspy, filled with need.
He rips the T-shirt he’s wearing over his head, revealing a chest as solid and firm as I imagined. Then he kneels up and shoves the pajamas over his hips. I can’t imagine how painful it must have been to tattoo his groin or the long black line on the underside of his penis, but it’s the metal that glints on either side of his cock that must have been most horrendous.
“Oh my God, is that a piercing?”
He palms his cock and grins. “It is. Is it going to be a problem?”
January 17, 2025
Ready to meet this Grumpy hero in just under a week?
Hey Lovelies,
Want a first look at Chapter One?? Read on.
It's exactly one week until a new Iron Outlaws chapter hits your Kindle (earlier if you're wide so don't forget to grab it on Monday!).
I'm so full of nerves. You loved the New Jersey Chapter so much, and I really wanted to bring you a different chapters. Same tough men with a small town/country vibe. Hopefully, I nailed it.
Read on for the first chapter!
Happy reading
S 💙
Here we go......
I pull my bike to a stop at the diner on the edge of town. Rain batters me, and the last hour of the ride has been nothing short of treacherous. I’m soaked through to the bone, but the cold can no longer reach me.
I push the door to the diner, and the little bell rattles above me. A flood of thoughts overwhelms me, memories of the million and one times I’d hear that sound and then within seconds, Hallie would be in my arms.
Now the fucking bell is a dreary reminder of what we once were.
What I once had.
If Ma, my mother-in-law, didn’t own the place thanks to a silent partner loan from me, I wouldn’t even come here anymore. There are too many memories wrapped up in the white tabletops and stools next to the counter.
Ma begged me, pleaded with me, on the day of the funeral. Said we were the only two on the planet who understood the loss, that I couldn’t just disappear from her life.
Hallie was carried by my brothers in the Outlaws, while I walked in front carrying Lottie’s little white casket in my arms. Last time I ever held my baby girl.
Only one casket was put in the ground. I lifted my baby girl out of the perfect white casket lined with ivory silk and put her in the stiff arms of her momma.
Kissed ‘em both one last time, closed the lid, and buried them with my heart.
They’re on my mind today. Over the past two years, I’ve personally closed down the Denver, Colorado, chapter of the Midtown Rebels Motorcycle Club. It’s hard to find new members when the old ones keep getting murdered. But I’m still running down loose ends as I find addresses for those who were members. Yesterday, I killed a man who went nomad after the first three deaths.
Fucking coward.
Now he’s weighed down with concrete at the bottom of a lake, making his peace with the fishes.
I remove my helmet as I step inside, immediately ambushed by the smell of ground beef and apple pie and coffee. Condensation runs down the inside of the windows as heat hits my cheeks in waves.
“Axel,” my mother-in-law says when she sees me. “Close the door and come in out of the rain.”
The diner is cozy, but there’s a weariness in the gently worn leather of the booths and the stoic faces of the patrons.
Little glass rainbow suncatchers hang from the ceiling by the windows. On sunny days, they send multicolored lights all over the ceiling—all Hallie’s doing because she loved rainbows. But on a day like today, without the sun behind them, they look as dead as I feel.
“Ma,” I say as I bend to kiss her paper-thin cheek. She’s the only one who uses my real name anymore. And I call her Ma because it was what Hallie wanted. Guess I’m now the only person who will call her that, so to take it away and pretend we’re nothing to each other would be cruel.
“Oh, you’re freezing. Let me get you a coffee. Floyd made meatloaf. You want some of that too?”
“Sounds good. Just got back and don’t have anything in the fridge.”
Ma taps my Sergeant at Arms patch but doesn’t ask me any more questions. “Go take your seat.”
I head to my regular booth, the one farthest from the window. There’s no way I’m leaving my ass a sitting duck for any trouble that comes down Main Street.
Thankfully, no one is there. I tug off my jacket and hang it on the hook, then sit, wet road gear and all.
Can’t face getting out of the waterproof pants only to have to wriggle back into them in an hour.
A cup of coffee slips in front of me. “Thanks, Ma.”
“I didn’t know how you take it. Do you need milk? Half ‘n’ half?”
The voice isn’t Ma’s. It’s soft. Soothing.
I look up and get caught off guard by the black-haired beauty staring back at me. Her skin’s so pale and smooth, it’s almost ethereal. “Half ‘n’ half, please.”
“I’ll be right back,” she says with a smile.
The diner uniform is laid-back. But her jeans hug her ass, and the black T-shirt with the diner logo on it fits her perfectly. She’s got those perfect high tits. Nice and round, but not too big.
First time I had sex after Hallie died, I almost fucking cried. Missed her softness and warmth beneath me. Missed the way she’d run her fingers through my hair as I lay spent, my head on her chest.
Tried to find something that felt like it with a club girl to ease the loneliness.
Instead, I kicked the poor bitch out of my clubhouse room because I couldn’t face spending the night with a body that wasn’t Hallie’s.
Got better at it over time, because a man has needs, after all.
Sex is sex.
But I’ve never felt a connection to anyone ever again.
Never kissed a woman. Never let one sleep next to me in my bed. Never took one to our home.
My home.
Two years on, I’m capable of acknowledging a hot woman is worth fucking.
New Girl is petite. Looks like a stiff breeze would knock her over. Bet she’d squeeze the everlasting shit out of my cock.
She laughs at something Ma says as she hands her the carton. It’s a pretty smile.
Always thought Hallie’s was the prettiest smile, and I’m mad at myself for a millisecond for admiring what New Girl’s face is doing.
“Margie said to hand you the whole thing.” She places it down on the table. “Guess you like your coffee sweet, huh?”
I add an exceptionally generous dollop. “Not a lot of sweetness elsewhere in life.”
She sighs wistfully. Her tits lift at the gesture. “That’s the truth.”
Must be the long black hair that makes her eyes so blue. Or the pink of her lips. All cool colors that make me think of thunderstorms and lightning bolts.
“Well, enjoy your coffee.” She heads to another booth and begins clearing the table as I wrap my hands around the steaming mug.
My fingers ache, a slow and steady throb as blood finally flows back into them.
The new girl is efficient with her movements and her smiles. She’s graceful in the way her hips sway and her arms move, but there’s a tightness and tension in her shoulders that reveal she isn’t as relaxed as she would like us to believe she is.
A bell rings as she hurries to the kitchen, and a few moments later, she reappears at my table holding a generous serving of meatloaf and mashed potatoes that make my mouth water, plus a side of mixed vegetables I could do without.
“There you go,” she says, slipping it in front of me. “Can I get you anything else?”
I shake my head. “What’s your name?”
“Raven,” she says.
“That a nickname because of the hair?”
She runs a section of hair through her fingers. “Kinda. I was supposed to be called ‘Natasha’ until my dad saw my hair. Said it looked like a raven’s wing.” She shrugs, then smiles as if embarrassed. “The blue tone is thanks to my hairdresser. Is Wraith your name?”
She tips her head towards my patch.
“It is. What brings you to our little town, Blue?”
I don’t miss the way she looks nervously outside the window. “Decided it was time for a new chapter.” She’s about to say something, then catches herself. “Enjoy your dinner.”
I watch her until she disappears from sight, headed to the kitchen.
The meatloaf cuts perfectly, and I scoop it and some mashed potatoes onto the fork and then eat it like I haven’t seen food in days. Took me thirty-four hours round trip on a bike. Six overnight stops at shitty motels.
Revenge gives me an appetite.
I know it puts a strain on my club when I fuck off for days at a time, but I can’t rest knowing there’s someone out there who saw a defenseless woman and child and decided killing them was the only option.
I wonder if he thinks about what he did that day. Know he sure as fuck must be looking over his shoulder, waiting for the day I find him, given the deaths that precede me.
I continue to make my way through the food, even the vegetables because I know Ma will give me shit if I don’t.
“You doing okay?” Ma asks, holding her own mug of coffee as she slides into the booth opposite me.
“Same shit, different day,” I say.
The new girl catches my eye again, and I can see Ma’s face change. “Stay away from her, Axel.”
I look at my mother-in-law. “Watch your tone, Ma.”
“It was only the two-year memorial of our precious girls last month.”
Ma never once blamed me for what happened that day. It might have been easier to move on if she had. Instead, she met me with compassion for the loss. Some days, I think that makes her a saint. On others, it feels like a leash around my throat.
I put my fork down. “Don’t need you telling me that. I came here for some food, not a motherfuckin’ lecture.”
Ma sighs. “Fine. It’s just…I got some feeling about that girl. Blew into town, and I gave her a job. That night there was blood around the moon.”
I roll my eyes. Ma has always thought she has some kind of sixth sense. She’d call Hallie and say she’d done her tarot cards or that the full moon was moving into her seventh house. “You know I don’t believe in that bullshit.”
Ma looks over where Raven is furiously wiping down the counter. “She arrived with two suitcases and a little boy about five. Who only has two suitcases and a little one? Living in that skeleton of an apartment the Dobsons have above the hardware store.”
I know the one. Can’t be more than two rooms with solid walls and a watertight roof.
“We all have our stories. If she’s arriving with a kid and only what she can carry, she must have good reason. You ask what it was when you hired her?”
Ma shakes her head. “She’s a good girl. Hard worker. Offered to do her first shift for free to show me what she can do. Hired her on the spot. But I don’t want any drama she might bring spilling on to you.”
For a second, there’s a protective beat in my chest, but I bury it. Last thing I need is some clingy damsel in distress looking to me to pay her bills and be a baby daddy to some kid who isn’t mine.
But everything that happens in my town is an Outlaw problem.
And I can’t help but think that Raven’s gonna bring trouble.
Want more? Then make sure you pre-order. It releases everywhere BUT Amazon on Monday and Tuesday then I will take it down everywhere and it will be available on Amazon on Thursday and into Kindle Unlimited.
Pre-order - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
Want a first look at Chapter One?? Read on.
It's exactly one week until a new Iron Outlaws chapter hits your Kindle (earlier if you're wide so don't forget to grab it on Monday!).
I'm so full of nerves. You loved the New Jersey Chapter so much, and I really wanted to bring you a different chapters. Same tough men with a small town/country vibe. Hopefully, I nailed it.
Read on for the first chapter!
Happy reading
S 💙
Here we go......
I pull my bike to a stop at the diner on the edge of town. Rain batters me, and the last hour of the ride has been nothing short of treacherous. I’m soaked through to the bone, but the cold can no longer reach me.
I push the door to the diner, and the little bell rattles above me. A flood of thoughts overwhelms me, memories of the million and one times I’d hear that sound and then within seconds, Hallie would be in my arms.
Now the fucking bell is a dreary reminder of what we once were.
What I once had.
If Ma, my mother-in-law, didn’t own the place thanks to a silent partner loan from me, I wouldn’t even come here anymore. There are too many memories wrapped up in the white tabletops and stools next to the counter.
Ma begged me, pleaded with me, on the day of the funeral. Said we were the only two on the planet who understood the loss, that I couldn’t just disappear from her life.
Hallie was carried by my brothers in the Outlaws, while I walked in front carrying Lottie’s little white casket in my arms. Last time I ever held my baby girl.
Only one casket was put in the ground. I lifted my baby girl out of the perfect white casket lined with ivory silk and put her in the stiff arms of her momma.
Kissed ‘em both one last time, closed the lid, and buried them with my heart.
They’re on my mind today. Over the past two years, I’ve personally closed down the Denver, Colorado, chapter of the Midtown Rebels Motorcycle Club. It’s hard to find new members when the old ones keep getting murdered. But I’m still running down loose ends as I find addresses for those who were members. Yesterday, I killed a man who went nomad after the first three deaths.
Fucking coward.
Now he’s weighed down with concrete at the bottom of a lake, making his peace with the fishes.
I remove my helmet as I step inside, immediately ambushed by the smell of ground beef and apple pie and coffee. Condensation runs down the inside of the windows as heat hits my cheeks in waves.
“Axel,” my mother-in-law says when she sees me. “Close the door and come in out of the rain.”
The diner is cozy, but there’s a weariness in the gently worn leather of the booths and the stoic faces of the patrons.
Little glass rainbow suncatchers hang from the ceiling by the windows. On sunny days, they send multicolored lights all over the ceiling—all Hallie’s doing because she loved rainbows. But on a day like today, without the sun behind them, they look as dead as I feel.
“Ma,” I say as I bend to kiss her paper-thin cheek. She’s the only one who uses my real name anymore. And I call her Ma because it was what Hallie wanted. Guess I’m now the only person who will call her that, so to take it away and pretend we’re nothing to each other would be cruel.
“Oh, you’re freezing. Let me get you a coffee. Floyd made meatloaf. You want some of that too?”
“Sounds good. Just got back and don’t have anything in the fridge.”
Ma taps my Sergeant at Arms patch but doesn’t ask me any more questions. “Go take your seat.”
I head to my regular booth, the one farthest from the window. There’s no way I’m leaving my ass a sitting duck for any trouble that comes down Main Street.
Thankfully, no one is there. I tug off my jacket and hang it on the hook, then sit, wet road gear and all.
Can’t face getting out of the waterproof pants only to have to wriggle back into them in an hour.
A cup of coffee slips in front of me. “Thanks, Ma.”
“I didn’t know how you take it. Do you need milk? Half ‘n’ half?”
The voice isn’t Ma’s. It’s soft. Soothing.
I look up and get caught off guard by the black-haired beauty staring back at me. Her skin’s so pale and smooth, it’s almost ethereal. “Half ‘n’ half, please.”
“I’ll be right back,” she says with a smile.
The diner uniform is laid-back. But her jeans hug her ass, and the black T-shirt with the diner logo on it fits her perfectly. She’s got those perfect high tits. Nice and round, but not too big.
First time I had sex after Hallie died, I almost fucking cried. Missed her softness and warmth beneath me. Missed the way she’d run her fingers through my hair as I lay spent, my head on her chest.
Tried to find something that felt like it with a club girl to ease the loneliness.
Instead, I kicked the poor bitch out of my clubhouse room because I couldn’t face spending the night with a body that wasn’t Hallie’s.
Got better at it over time, because a man has needs, after all.
Sex is sex.
But I’ve never felt a connection to anyone ever again.
Never kissed a woman. Never let one sleep next to me in my bed. Never took one to our home.
My home.
Two years on, I’m capable of acknowledging a hot woman is worth fucking.
New Girl is petite. Looks like a stiff breeze would knock her over. Bet she’d squeeze the everlasting shit out of my cock.
She laughs at something Ma says as she hands her the carton. It’s a pretty smile.
Always thought Hallie’s was the prettiest smile, and I’m mad at myself for a millisecond for admiring what New Girl’s face is doing.
“Margie said to hand you the whole thing.” She places it down on the table. “Guess you like your coffee sweet, huh?”
I add an exceptionally generous dollop. “Not a lot of sweetness elsewhere in life.”
She sighs wistfully. Her tits lift at the gesture. “That’s the truth.”
Must be the long black hair that makes her eyes so blue. Or the pink of her lips. All cool colors that make me think of thunderstorms and lightning bolts.
“Well, enjoy your coffee.” She heads to another booth and begins clearing the table as I wrap my hands around the steaming mug.
My fingers ache, a slow and steady throb as blood finally flows back into them.
The new girl is efficient with her movements and her smiles. She’s graceful in the way her hips sway and her arms move, but there’s a tightness and tension in her shoulders that reveal she isn’t as relaxed as she would like us to believe she is.
A bell rings as she hurries to the kitchen, and a few moments later, she reappears at my table holding a generous serving of meatloaf and mashed potatoes that make my mouth water, plus a side of mixed vegetables I could do without.
“There you go,” she says, slipping it in front of me. “Can I get you anything else?”
I shake my head. “What’s your name?”
“Raven,” she says.
“That a nickname because of the hair?”
She runs a section of hair through her fingers. “Kinda. I was supposed to be called ‘Natasha’ until my dad saw my hair. Said it looked like a raven’s wing.” She shrugs, then smiles as if embarrassed. “The blue tone is thanks to my hairdresser. Is Wraith your name?”
She tips her head towards my patch.
“It is. What brings you to our little town, Blue?”
I don’t miss the way she looks nervously outside the window. “Decided it was time for a new chapter.” She’s about to say something, then catches herself. “Enjoy your dinner.”
I watch her until she disappears from sight, headed to the kitchen.
The meatloaf cuts perfectly, and I scoop it and some mashed potatoes onto the fork and then eat it like I haven’t seen food in days. Took me thirty-four hours round trip on a bike. Six overnight stops at shitty motels.
Revenge gives me an appetite.
I know it puts a strain on my club when I fuck off for days at a time, but I can’t rest knowing there’s someone out there who saw a defenseless woman and child and decided killing them was the only option.
I wonder if he thinks about what he did that day. Know he sure as fuck must be looking over his shoulder, waiting for the day I find him, given the deaths that precede me.
I continue to make my way through the food, even the vegetables because I know Ma will give me shit if I don’t.
“You doing okay?” Ma asks, holding her own mug of coffee as she slides into the booth opposite me.
“Same shit, different day,” I say.
The new girl catches my eye again, and I can see Ma’s face change. “Stay away from her, Axel.”
I look at my mother-in-law. “Watch your tone, Ma.”
“It was only the two-year memorial of our precious girls last month.”
Ma never once blamed me for what happened that day. It might have been easier to move on if she had. Instead, she met me with compassion for the loss. Some days, I think that makes her a saint. On others, it feels like a leash around my throat.
I put my fork down. “Don’t need you telling me that. I came here for some food, not a motherfuckin’ lecture.”
Ma sighs. “Fine. It’s just…I got some feeling about that girl. Blew into town, and I gave her a job. That night there was blood around the moon.”
I roll my eyes. Ma has always thought she has some kind of sixth sense. She’d call Hallie and say she’d done her tarot cards or that the full moon was moving into her seventh house. “You know I don’t believe in that bullshit.”
Ma looks over where Raven is furiously wiping down the counter. “She arrived with two suitcases and a little boy about five. Who only has two suitcases and a little one? Living in that skeleton of an apartment the Dobsons have above the hardware store.”
I know the one. Can’t be more than two rooms with solid walls and a watertight roof.
“We all have our stories. If she’s arriving with a kid and only what she can carry, she must have good reason. You ask what it was when you hired her?”
Ma shakes her head. “She’s a good girl. Hard worker. Offered to do her first shift for free to show me what she can do. Hired her on the spot. But I don’t want any drama she might bring spilling on to you.”
For a second, there’s a protective beat in my chest, but I bury it. Last thing I need is some clingy damsel in distress looking to me to pay her bills and be a baby daddy to some kid who isn’t mine.
But everything that happens in my town is an Outlaw problem.
And I can’t help but think that Raven’s gonna bring trouble.
Want more? Then make sure you pre-order. It releases everywhere BUT Amazon on Monday and Tuesday then I will take it down everywhere and it will be available on Amazon on Thursday and into Kindle Unlimited.
Pre-order - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
January 4, 2025
🥂 That's a wrap, 2024. HELLO, 2025!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, PASSIONISTAS!
I hope you all had the very best holiday season. My greatest gift was that my mum made it though massive health issues in October and November was happily sitting with us at the Christmas table. And as I type this, I'm recovering from a a new year's eve filled with too much Prosecco, chilli, and pavlova with friends.
As many of you are probably doing, I'm thinking about what worked in 2024 and what I want to change in 2025. And when I asked what you would like to see in my newsletters, many of you said you'd like to know more about me and my process. So, let's go ... a 2024 wrap up and sneak peak into 2025! (Which kicks off with Wrath and The Grief We Hold this month, so don't forget to pre-order).
Pre-order - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
🎉 What is the most fun scene to write last year?
Honestly, anything with Niro in it. I've never written such a profound character arc before and he naturally stole every scene he was in. And I loved writing Avery and her panda backpack that just got more and more full with Niro's money over time.
🎉 What was the best part of 2024?
Meeting so many of you at various signings throughout the year. It never ceases to amaze me how many of you show up, time and time again. I don't take any of it for granted.
🎉 Favorite couple to write in 2024?
Oof! This is like picking a favorite child. I mean, we're talking Bates, Halo, Switch, and Vex. Bates was definitely the most fun to write. Halo's was the easiest. Switch's story had the most research (which I ALWAYS love!). And it was so important to me to write Vex's story. So, I can't answer this one!
🎉Your best accomplishment in 2024?
Definitely May. I had a number of TikToks go viral and it made The Souls We Claim break the Top 100 on Amazon which is so hard to do. But it also caused the entire series I had written to date to break the Top 1000. I cried and got very drunk that night!
🎉 How did your writing evolve this year?
I became focused in preparing up front to write quickly. Choosing clear tropes, plotting in four acts, and trying to focus more. With ADHD, that's hard, but having the preparation up front made it easier to manage. I remain anchored in writing character driven stories as that is what I love to read, and have focused on bringing that even more to life on page.
🎉What are you most excited about in 2025
Growth. This is the year I redo my website, open an on-line store, start a patreon, figure out special editions for signings. I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but the back end of 2024 was about building a team to help me do it all so I can write!
🎉 Do you have a secret you can give a one word hint about for 2025?
Here's two words ... Cowboy Bikers! Honestly, bikers on horses or cowboys on bikes ... whichever way you describe it, the Iron Outlaws Colorado chapter is already a lot of fun to write.
🎉Are there any new genres or themes you’re exploring this year?
Yes - in my Patreon. Watch this space for more details.
Rapid fire questions -
Tea or coffee ? Tea.
Gin or vodka ? GIN - obviously. (Read my Love Distilled series!!)
Early bird or night owl? Early bird. I hit the 6:15am CrossFit to get my workout done for the day.
Work from home or in the office? I work from my home office.
Books or movies? Books (and K-Drama TV shows! Watch Tale of the Nine Tailed in Netflix then come talk to me about Lee Dong-wook.)
Beach vacation or mountain retreat? Beach. I love being by the sea.
Cats or dogs? Cats.
Sweet or savory? Sweet. Especially sour candies!
City life or countryside? City for living, country for visits and hikes.
Summer or winter? Neither. Spring. I'm like Goldilocks and the three bears. Summers to hot, winter's too cold, but Spring is just right!
Texting or calling? Texting. Please don't ever call me!
Sneakers or dress shoes? Sneakers for day-to-day, but I do have an extensive collection of Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Christian Louboutin heels! I need more opportunities to wear them.
I hope you all had the very best holiday season. My greatest gift was that my mum made it though massive health issues in October and November was happily sitting with us at the Christmas table. And as I type this, I'm recovering from a a new year's eve filled with too much Prosecco, chilli, and pavlova with friends.
As many of you are probably doing, I'm thinking about what worked in 2024 and what I want to change in 2025. And when I asked what you would like to see in my newsletters, many of you said you'd like to know more about me and my process. So, let's go ... a 2024 wrap up and sneak peak into 2025! (Which kicks off with Wrath and The Grief We Hold this month, so don't forget to pre-order).
Pre-order - https://books2read.com/TheGriefWeHold...
🎉 What is the most fun scene to write last year?
Honestly, anything with Niro in it. I've never written such a profound character arc before and he naturally stole every scene he was in. And I loved writing Avery and her panda backpack that just got more and more full with Niro's money over time.
🎉 What was the best part of 2024?
Meeting so many of you at various signings throughout the year. It never ceases to amaze me how many of you show up, time and time again. I don't take any of it for granted.
🎉 Favorite couple to write in 2024?
Oof! This is like picking a favorite child. I mean, we're talking Bates, Halo, Switch, and Vex. Bates was definitely the most fun to write. Halo's was the easiest. Switch's story had the most research (which I ALWAYS love!). And it was so important to me to write Vex's story. So, I can't answer this one!
🎉Your best accomplishment in 2024?
Definitely May. I had a number of TikToks go viral and it made The Souls We Claim break the Top 100 on Amazon which is so hard to do. But it also caused the entire series I had written to date to break the Top 1000. I cried and got very drunk that night!
🎉 How did your writing evolve this year?
I became focused in preparing up front to write quickly. Choosing clear tropes, plotting in four acts, and trying to focus more. With ADHD, that's hard, but having the preparation up front made it easier to manage. I remain anchored in writing character driven stories as that is what I love to read, and have focused on bringing that even more to life on page.
🎉What are you most excited about in 2025
Growth. This is the year I redo my website, open an on-line store, start a patreon, figure out special editions for signings. I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but the back end of 2024 was about building a team to help me do it all so I can write!
🎉 Do you have a secret you can give a one word hint about for 2025?
Here's two words ... Cowboy Bikers! Honestly, bikers on horses or cowboys on bikes ... whichever way you describe it, the Iron Outlaws Colorado chapter is already a lot of fun to write.
🎉Are there any new genres or themes you’re exploring this year?
Yes - in my Patreon. Watch this space for more details.
Rapid fire questions -
Tea or coffee ? Tea.
Gin or vodka ? GIN - obviously. (Read my Love Distilled series!!)
Early bird or night owl? Early bird. I hit the 6:15am CrossFit to get my workout done for the day.
Work from home or in the office? I work from my home office.
Books or movies? Books (and K-Drama TV shows! Watch Tale of the Nine Tailed in Netflix then come talk to me about Lee Dong-wook.)
Beach vacation or mountain retreat? Beach. I love being by the sea.
Cats or dogs? Cats.
Sweet or savory? Sweet. Especially sour candies!
City life or countryside? City for living, country for visits and hikes.
Summer or winter? Neither. Spring. I'm like Goldilocks and the three bears. Summers to hot, winter's too cold, but Spring is just right!
Texting or calling? Texting. Please don't ever call me!
Sneakers or dress shoes? Sneakers for day-to-day, but I do have an extensive collection of Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Christian Louboutin heels! I need more opportunities to wear them.
December 21, 2024
💙 Are you ready for Wraith?
Hey Lovelies,
The Grief We Hold is out next month, and I can't wait for you all to meet Wraith. So, I thought I'd ease the wait by introducing him to you and sharing an excerpt where Wraith is simply being who he is, which is:
Grumpy: Man, does this hero get grumpy about the tiniest things, like how Raven is self-sufficient and doesn't need him...even though he doesn't want her to need him at all.
Widowed: Urgh, the heartbreak he feels over the loss that happened two years ago. I may have cried while writing.
Loyal: This man is so loyal to his club and former family, that he barely has room in his heart for the new single mom and her son who drift into town.
Sergeant at arms: Vengeance gets in the way of doing his job properly...and it takes an Outlaw from another chapter to set him straight! (Any guesses who that might be? WINK!)
Afraid to commit: Oh, boy, does he fight his fall into love!
Dirty talker: I can't even with this one. But the combination of his mouth and a fondness for hot wax, you'll melt with this one.
Now read on for that unedited excerpt, and please consider pre-ordering!
Pre-order - https://books2read.com/thegriefwehold
S 💙
UNEDITED AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
“Okay. Let’s make this a game,” I say to Fen. “See the bakery down the street there?”
His little nose screws up as he looks ahead for a second. “I see it.”
“If you can help me get this dresser there without complaining, I’ll buy you a dessert for after dinner tonight.”
Fen claps his hands. “Can I get a doughnut?”
“If they have doughnuts, yes. If they don’t, you could maybe get a cookie or something.”
He puts his little shoulder against the free dresser we just found on the sidewalk. “Let’s go, momma. They might not have anything left by the time we get there.”
I could reassure him that it’s a bakery, open all day, and unlikely to run out of anything for a few hours. But I capitalize on his hustle.
“Lift, don’t push.”
We make it a few more feet, and even I feel tired.
I hear the truck pull up alongside us before I turn and see Wraith, face like thunder. His boots make a crunching sound when they land on the asphalt. “Where are you going with that?”
I look at the dresser, then at Wraith. “Hmm. Let me think. I saw a dresser on the road and said to Fen we should see how long it would take us to drag it the full length of Main Street for kicks.”
Wraith crosses his arms across his chest. “It was a simple question, blue”
“That already had an obvious answer. You saw my place. The dresser was free. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Fen a doughnut if we get it to the bakery without stopping.”
Fen looks up at Wraith. “Does the bakery sell doughnuts, Wraith?”
Wraith looks down at my boy, and for a millisecond, I swear his features soften. “Pretty sure they do, kid.”
“Well, as lovely as this interaction was, we need to get going before it rains or something,” I say.
The three of us look up at the utterly cloudless blue sky.
“Yeah. I can see why you might think that might happen.” He walks to the dresser and pulls the first drawer out before depositing it into the bed of his truck.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He huffs a laugh and starts to grab the second one. “Guess I’m not the only one capable of asking obvious questions.”
“I don’t need begrudging charity. I don’t need your help when it’s obvious you’d rather be any place other than here.”
Wraith tosses the second drawer into the back of the truck, then pauses to unfurl a ten-dollar bill and hands it to Fen. “Go with your mom and get that donut. I’ll drive the dresser over to your place and leave this in the doorway for when you’re done.”
Fen gleefully takes the bill from Wraith’s hand, then surprises both of us by reaching to throw his arms around Wraith’s waist. “Thank you for helping us. It was heavy.”
Wraith looks uncertain for a second then pats the top of Fen’s head. “You’re welcome, kid. Guess you’re the only one in your family with manners.” He tips his chin in the direction of the bakery. “Go get yourself a donut too.”
I think about my husband. How everything was earned, had consequences, and required repayment. Nothing was ever freely done. So, I take the money from Fen’s hand and pass it back to Wraith.
He holds his hands up. “Not taking that back.”
Maybe it’s because I’m tired and still recovering from being so sick, and exhausted from trying to lug the heavy furniture the mile to our home.
Or maybe I’m just overwhelmed by the memories of the life I used to have and the fear I have of repeating that mistake.
So, I step into Wraith’s space and fold the note before putting it into the pocket of his leather cut.
“I can’t afford to owe you.”
Wraith reaches for me, as if to touch my cheek but quickly draws his hand away. “You don’t owe me shit.”
“Men always say that.”
The air between us hums with tension. I need to leave, but I’m desperate to know what it would feel like if one of his large fingers brushed against my skin. What it would feel like if he placed a knuckle beneath my chin and lifted my lips to his.
His tongue runs over his lower lip, and I wonder if it’s because he’s thinking the same thing I am.
My breath catches, and while my brain is screaming at me to take a few steps back, to move out of his orbit, I could no sooner move than two opposing magnets placed next to each other.
Wraith reaches out his hand toward Fen, but I notice his pinkie finger is hooked. “Hey, Fen. Come here and make a pinkie promise with me.”
“A what…?” I say. Which is ridiculous because I know what a pinkie promise is. I just don’t know why this intimidating biker is offering to make one with my son. “Wait.”
He crouches to eye level with Fen, his pinkie finger still raised. “You know what a pinkie promise is, kid?”
Fen nods enthusiastically because unlike me, he seems happy to be around Wraith. “I do.”
“Well, I want to make a pinkie promise with you that you two will never be expected to repay me for moving the dresser to your home.”
“Never?” Fen asks.
“Never. Not you. Or your mom.”
Fen offers his pinkie, tiny in size compared to Wraith’s. And Wraith shakes it gently. “You got a strong grip,” Wraith says kindly, and Fen soaks up the compliment.
His father always called him weak. Stupid and pathetic. He berated him for his love of nature and the birds that used to come to sit in the garden.
Wraith stands and looks at me. “Good enough?”
“You and I both know it’s not legally binding.”
Wraith smiles softly, then pulls the ten-dollar bill from his pocket before handing it to Fen. “A man’s only as good as his word. And my word is all I got. Go get Fen a donut. The dresser will be outside when you get home.”
I reach for Fen’s hand. “Thank you.”
He tips his head once, then returns to removing the drawers and putting them in his truck.
Walking away is harder than I thought. For a moment, I pretend it’s the risk of him putting the dresser on the sidewalk outside the apartment entrance and someone else deciding to take it.
But I made a pact with myself when I left, that I wouldn’t lie to myself again.
I won’t ignore warning signs. Or try to convince myself that things will be okay if I simply do better or be better, or love better.
So I admit it’s leaving Wraith.
And so on brand for me that I’m attracted to another dangerous and reckless man.
The Grief We Hold is out next month, and I can't wait for you all to meet Wraith. So, I thought I'd ease the wait by introducing him to you and sharing an excerpt where Wraith is simply being who he is, which is:
Grumpy: Man, does this hero get grumpy about the tiniest things, like how Raven is self-sufficient and doesn't need him...even though he doesn't want her to need him at all.
Widowed: Urgh, the heartbreak he feels over the loss that happened two years ago. I may have cried while writing.
Loyal: This man is so loyal to his club and former family, that he barely has room in his heart for the new single mom and her son who drift into town.
Sergeant at arms: Vengeance gets in the way of doing his job properly...and it takes an Outlaw from another chapter to set him straight! (Any guesses who that might be? WINK!)
Afraid to commit: Oh, boy, does he fight his fall into love!
Dirty talker: I can't even with this one. But the combination of his mouth and a fondness for hot wax, you'll melt with this one.
Now read on for that unedited excerpt, and please consider pre-ordering!
Pre-order - https://books2read.com/thegriefwehold
S 💙
UNEDITED AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
“Okay. Let’s make this a game,” I say to Fen. “See the bakery down the street there?”
His little nose screws up as he looks ahead for a second. “I see it.”
“If you can help me get this dresser there without complaining, I’ll buy you a dessert for after dinner tonight.”
Fen claps his hands. “Can I get a doughnut?”
“If they have doughnuts, yes. If they don’t, you could maybe get a cookie or something.”
He puts his little shoulder against the free dresser we just found on the sidewalk. “Let’s go, momma. They might not have anything left by the time we get there.”
I could reassure him that it’s a bakery, open all day, and unlikely to run out of anything for a few hours. But I capitalize on his hustle.
“Lift, don’t push.”
We make it a few more feet, and even I feel tired.
I hear the truck pull up alongside us before I turn and see Wraith, face like thunder. His boots make a crunching sound when they land on the asphalt. “Where are you going with that?”
I look at the dresser, then at Wraith. “Hmm. Let me think. I saw a dresser on the road and said to Fen we should see how long it would take us to drag it the full length of Main Street for kicks.”
Wraith crosses his arms across his chest. “It was a simple question, blue”
“That already had an obvious answer. You saw my place. The dresser was free. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Fen a doughnut if we get it to the bakery without stopping.”
Fen looks up at Wraith. “Does the bakery sell doughnuts, Wraith?”
Wraith looks down at my boy, and for a millisecond, I swear his features soften. “Pretty sure they do, kid.”
“Well, as lovely as this interaction was, we need to get going before it rains or something,” I say.
The three of us look up at the utterly cloudless blue sky.
“Yeah. I can see why you might think that might happen.” He walks to the dresser and pulls the first drawer out before depositing it into the bed of his truck.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He huffs a laugh and starts to grab the second one. “Guess I’m not the only one capable of asking obvious questions.”
“I don’t need begrudging charity. I don’t need your help when it’s obvious you’d rather be any place other than here.”
Wraith tosses the second drawer into the back of the truck, then pauses to unfurl a ten-dollar bill and hands it to Fen. “Go with your mom and get that donut. I’ll drive the dresser over to your place and leave this in the doorway for when you’re done.”
Fen gleefully takes the bill from Wraith’s hand, then surprises both of us by reaching to throw his arms around Wraith’s waist. “Thank you for helping us. It was heavy.”
Wraith looks uncertain for a second then pats the top of Fen’s head. “You’re welcome, kid. Guess you’re the only one in your family with manners.” He tips his chin in the direction of the bakery. “Go get yourself a donut too.”
I think about my husband. How everything was earned, had consequences, and required repayment. Nothing was ever freely done. So, I take the money from Fen’s hand and pass it back to Wraith.
He holds his hands up. “Not taking that back.”
Maybe it’s because I’m tired and still recovering from being so sick, and exhausted from trying to lug the heavy furniture the mile to our home.
Or maybe I’m just overwhelmed by the memories of the life I used to have and the fear I have of repeating that mistake.
So, I step into Wraith’s space and fold the note before putting it into the pocket of his leather cut.
“I can’t afford to owe you.”
Wraith reaches for me, as if to touch my cheek but quickly draws his hand away. “You don’t owe me shit.”
“Men always say that.”
The air between us hums with tension. I need to leave, but I’m desperate to know what it would feel like if one of his large fingers brushed against my skin. What it would feel like if he placed a knuckle beneath my chin and lifted my lips to his.
His tongue runs over his lower lip, and I wonder if it’s because he’s thinking the same thing I am.
My breath catches, and while my brain is screaming at me to take a few steps back, to move out of his orbit, I could no sooner move than two opposing magnets placed next to each other.
Wraith reaches out his hand toward Fen, but I notice his pinkie finger is hooked. “Hey, Fen. Come here and make a pinkie promise with me.”
“A what…?” I say. Which is ridiculous because I know what a pinkie promise is. I just don’t know why this intimidating biker is offering to make one with my son. “Wait.”
He crouches to eye level with Fen, his pinkie finger still raised. “You know what a pinkie promise is, kid?”
Fen nods enthusiastically because unlike me, he seems happy to be around Wraith. “I do.”
“Well, I want to make a pinkie promise with you that you two will never be expected to repay me for moving the dresser to your home.”
“Never?” Fen asks.
“Never. Not you. Or your mom.”
Fen offers his pinkie, tiny in size compared to Wraith’s. And Wraith shakes it gently. “You got a strong grip,” Wraith says kindly, and Fen soaks up the compliment.
His father always called him weak. Stupid and pathetic. He berated him for his love of nature and the birds that used to come to sit in the garden.
Wraith stands and looks at me. “Good enough?”
“You and I both know it’s not legally binding.”
Wraith smiles softly, then pulls the ten-dollar bill from his pocket before handing it to Fen. “A man’s only as good as his word. And my word is all I got. Go get Fen a donut. The dresser will be outside when you get home.”
I reach for Fen’s hand. “Thank you.”
He tips his head once, then returns to removing the drawers and putting them in his truck.
Walking away is harder than I thought. For a moment, I pretend it’s the risk of him putting the dresser on the sidewalk outside the apartment entrance and someone else deciding to take it.
But I made a pact with myself when I left, that I wouldn’t lie to myself again.
I won’t ignore warning signs. Or try to convince myself that things will be okay if I simply do better or be better, or love better.
So I admit it’s leaving Wraith.
And so on brand for me that I’m attracted to another dangerous and reckless man.
