Authors: Kylee Parker
BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset)
DIESEL BOXSET
AN ALPHA BAD BOY MC ROMANCE
BY KYLEE PARKER
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Table of Contents
PARANORMAL ROMANCE BONUS SERIES
BAD BOY ROMANCE BONUS SERIES
Copyright 2016 by (Darkness & Light Publishing) - All rights reserved.
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Chapter 1
Kim ran her fingers through her long, straggly hair. It hadn't been washed in days, and the thought of a nice, hot shower was the only thing keeping her legs moving up the steps that led to the faded yellow door she was sure she wouldn’t walk in again for a while.
With her guitar strapped over her shoulders and a bag dragging behind her, she bent down to pull the key out from under the mat. She shook her head at the fact that the man was so trusting, especially considering the type of people he was involved with. She had told him for years not to leave the key out there where someone could get it and break in, but then again perhaps the joke was on her since he hadn't ever had a break in.
As she opened the door she sighed at the familiar decor; the old couch that she sat on most of her life and the mismatched furniture from good will and various antique shows. The only difference is that the collection of guns hanging in the case on the west wall had gotten bigger in the last month. The most ridiculous thing about that was he never used them. The man had never even owned bullets for them. he just liked to look at them. It was all part of his bad boy image that had stuck around from his younger days she supposed. Her father had been the same way, but his story had been much shorter.
Kim slinked down the hallway and threw her stuff down onto her bed which was the same as she had left it even though she hadn't officially lived there, beyond having a few meals with her grandfather, in almost a year.
She didn’t feel like reading too much into it at the moment, so she stripped down to nothing and headed into the tiny bathroom that had a stand-in shower, toilet and sink shoved against one wall. She wasn’t at all worried about her grandfather walking in since he was known to be gone for hours and even days on end. He had even texted her when her flight had landed to let her know he wouldn’t be home. So, she left the door open and climbed into the shower, turning the hot water up as far as it could go without doing real damage to her skin. Kim leaned her body against the tile and let the water just run down her body and gather in her hair, making it feel heavy. The heat wrapped around her as the steam wafted through the bathroom and out the door. She hugged herself tightly, letting the memories from the past month pile up on her. All that time she had spent holed up in some hotel room in Seattle trying to come up with the perfect album and make something of herself had been wasted. But then, she thought about the underlying betrayal that had taken place. It almost hurt more since it was a waste of much longer than a month of her ridiculous life.
Kim lifted her head up and banged it lightly against the tile behind her. She got the feeling it was going to take a harder hit than that to forget her idiocy, but then again, if anything had come out of what she had been through it was that she would be smarter from then on. Guys, bands, heck, people in general were not going to get the better of her because she was going to be the smart, tough girl her exterior made her seem like instead of the soft-hearted, doe-eyed dolt.
She grabbed the bar of soap that sat unused on the tiny shelf that hung in the corner of the shower and began to run it over her body. Her pity party had to be over. She needed to pick her life back up and move on; find a new dream and a new reason to live. Until she did she would be the local girl who was in her 20s and still living with her grandfather. She couldn’t even claim that she was here to take care of him because everyone knew that guy was healthy as a horse beyond his round gut.
Not that it was an unheard of situation in a big place like Montréal for kids to end up living with their parents or whatever when they were older. It was a cut throat world out there, and no minimum wage job was ever going to pay for a house half as good as her grandfather's old two bedroom. But she was supposed to be different. In high school she had been the songwriter; the one who made it obvious she was going to get out of there and be somebody. She had told all of her friends she was going to be a famous singer and that she was going to front an awesome band. She really didn’t look forward to anyone finding out how badly she’d failed at both of those dreams.
But it didn’t matter because hard rocker chicks didn’t care what people thought. Kim shook her head at the ridiculousness of her thoughts as she flipped the faucet off and stepped out of the shower. She dripped all over the tile below her, making the floor slippery. She tried not to fall and break her ass as she reached for the ugly yellow guest towel hanging on the rack and wrapped it around herself. Once she patted her body dry, she leaned over the sink and began the process of wringing out her long hair. There was no walking around the house without doing that since her dirty blonde locks would pour water all over the carpet if she didn't.
Finally, she sauntered back into her room to slip on an old Van Halen tee shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans before heading for the kitchen. After getting clean, her next priority would be food, though she was sure she would be utterly disappointed by the offerings.
As she opened the fridge to find half empty curdled milk, a mostly empty carton of eggs, and a meatloaf that looked dry as a bone, she wasn't all that surprised. Her grandfather had never been that great at taking care of himself for the house. It was a bachelor pad even when she lived there. It was the place other men came to relax and drink beer while the game was on; not a place for a young girl like herself to live. But she couldn’t imagine it any other way. Even on her own she hadn’t been that clean either. She guessed she got that from him.
What she did pride herself on, however, was cooking amazing meat free meals. Because naturally, she was a vegetarian.
So, she slipped on her boots and a light jacket, walking out of the house towards the nearest bus stop, which was a few blocks away. It was a nice day for a walk anyway.
***
Like a timer had gone off in his stomach as Kim opened up the oven and pulled out the black bean and cheese enchiladas she'd made, the front door swung open to reveal a rosy cheeked and chubby as ever Don Duncan; Kim's grandfather.
It never ceased to amaze her how badass he looked for a nearly 70-year-old man. He had tattoos all over both of his hands and up his left arms. On both hands he wore various skull rings, and his leather vest and Harley bracelet made it more than obvious he was part of some kind of MC.
Kim smiled and greeted him at the door, reaching up to tickle his well-trimmed, white as snow beard. He blushed, and she smiled brightly. She loved to embarrass him. It made him look like one of the seven dwarfs from Snow White.
"You cooked," were the first words he spoke as he began to sniff the air like a dog. That saying about men's hearts being linked to their stomachs was completely accurate as far as Kim was concerned.
"Yes, Papa, I did," she told him affectionately. She wanted to butter him up before she scolded him for his lack of groceries and general tidiness. It was a routine they both knew well. She led him over to the breakfast bar and made him a plate, setting it in front of him. "Eat up," she told him. She watched every bite he took with great scrutiny until he was down to just a couple mouthfuls. Then, he looked up at her suspiciously.
"You bought all of this, didn’t you?" he asked, squinting his eyes at her. It was as if he had forgotten that he had nothing in the fridge. Kim nodded with her chin resting on her hand. "I'm sorry. I got used to being on my own again, and I didn’t think about you needing special food. Guess there's gonna be some adjustments." A chortle shook his chest, but Kim didn’t return it.
"I think more than a few adjustments are in order, Papa. You know I hate when you don’t take care of yourself." She glared at him before stomping off to her room.
"I'm sorry about that record deal and about the boy!" he called to her just before she waved at him and slammed the door.
Kim slid down the back of her door and sighed. In a way it was so good to be home.
Chapter 2
Kim stretched and yawned, looking over at the radio alarm clock by her bed. It let her know she had slept past noon, which didn’t really surprise her since she had spent all night unpacking and watching marathons of old television shows on Netflix until she passed out around five or so in the morning. But as the sun streamed in through her window, she decided there was no time like the present to come out of hiding and call up someone to let them know she was back.
She slid her phone out of the pocket of her jeans that she had laid in a crumpled pile by her bed when she had finally been ready to lay down. She scrolled through her contacts, pausing on one in particular for a moment trying to decide if she was ready to hit that delete button before moving on. She had to think about who she wanted to reveal herself to first; who might not be so judgmental. Then, she hit a name she knew would be perfect for her first day back at home; Spencer.
Spencer’s parents actually lived a couple of streets down, but he had moved to a loft in downtown Montreal a few years back. They had been friends for years; since she was five or six. They had grown up playing together and had naturally been inseparable through her teen years. Every time her heart got broken he was the shoulder to cry on or the one telling jokes trying to make her feel better. Kim knew he would be thrilled that she was back and up for anything. Plus, he was the only MC member other than himself that her grandfather allowed her to associate with. That was mostly because, like Don, Spencer was also still a slight outsider. He was their accountant and nothing more. Kim couldn’t even recall seeing him drive his own motorcycle more than ten times in her life. Her grandfather used to tell Kim that Spencer was a lot like her father; curious and helpful but level headed within insanity. She didn’t remember much about her father, but that did seem to describe Spencer perfectly.
Kim pressed the phone symbol next to his name and pressed the phone to her ear as she began raiding her closet for something that said ‘chilling at home but not pitiful and gross.’
“Eh!” Spencer called loudly into the receiver as he picked up. “It’s Kim! To what do I owe this pleasure? I’ve gotten nothing but radio silence for weeks.” Kim felt a pang of guilt at his comment but said nothing, letting him continue. She did not want to get into that lengthy story over the phone. “So, how are things in Seattle? I bet you’re ready to come home by now.”
“Actually, I am home.” She tried to sound casual, but there was no point. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. “That’s kind of why I called. I was hoping that you could swing by later with some pizza or Asian take out and maybe some awesome flicks for us to binge on?” It just occurred to Kim as she asked that that perhaps it was presumptuous to think he was still free for her to call up and hang out with whenever. For all she knew he had found a girlfriend while she was gone. He certainly deserved one.
“Absolutely; say no more. I can tell by the sound of your voice that you are in need of some best friend therapy. I don’t know what happened up there, but I missed you and am glad you’re home.” His comment made her feel warm inside and suddenly calm like he was going to come and instantly fix everything. He always did.
“Alright, I’ll see you in a bit. I’ll let Papa know you’re coming.” Kim hung up and let out a sigh of relief before she put her hair up into a ponytail and slipped on a comfortable black tank and her black jeans again. They always seemed to be the right choice.
It didn’t take more than an hour or so for Spencer to show up at the door with three take out pizzas and a stack of movies in his hand. As soon as he had set all of it down on the wooden coffee table that sat in front of the old couch where Kim’s grandfather was smiling at Spencer like it was his long lost son, he came and gave Kim a hug that made her feel like her guts were about to be squeezed out her bottom.
Kim stepped back and took a look at him as if he might have changed so much in a month or two. Then again, at least on the inside, she had changed a whole lot. He did look a little different than she remembered; perhaps more clean cut. He still had a black beard and mustache that attached to his hair by way of his sideburns, but his hair was better trimmed in a trendier style, and his beard was clean. He looked somehow sleeker and maybe even thinner. "Have you lost some weight?" she asked him, spinning him around in circles so she could look at him from every angle.
"I've been working out a little more," Spencer said with a shrug as if it was nothing, but Kim knew better.
"C'mon, Spencer, tell me who she is," Kim coaxed with a laugh. Not that he wasn't handsome in a rigged way, but he had never been one to make so much of an effort with his looks. An awkward silence passed between them, and the expression on Spencer's face was unreadable.
"Oh, let the man keep his secrets," Papa Don bellowed, coming up to give Spencer a big man hug. Spencer smiled and hugged back, seemingly glad to be off the hook for the moment. She was definitely going to have to press it later on. "So, what do you kids have planned today?"
"Just some movies and pizza," Spencer answered with a smile.
"Well, I'll leave you guys to it. I think I better do some shopping before this one here scolds me again." Papa pointed at Kim and chuckled. "She's real lucky she’s got you right now. I know she could use a friend." Kim rolled her eyes at all the hints dropped in there before her grandfather stepped out the door. As soon as they heard the engine of his motorcycle roaring down the street, they both popped in a movie and sat down for some much needed pizza. Kim was also pleased to see a six pack of beer waiting for them.
"So, am I going to have to pry it out of you, or are you going to tell me why you're back in Montreal?" Spencer's look turned serious as his eyebrows furrowed at her. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. She was still afraid to say it out loud and admit to her weakest moments. But she knew she didn’t need some thick exterior around Spencer. Still, she didn’t want to get involved in another pity party. "I'm not beyond tickle torture," he warned her, a half smile turning up one side of his mouth in a cute and childish way.
Kim shook her head silently, begging him not to do it. Really, though, it would make her feel more normal than she had in the past 72 hours. So, she let him lean in and began tickling her sides and hips before moving up to her neck. She was writhing around on the couch in a fit of cackles by the time he was done.
Kim kicked at him and panted until he finally stopped, leaving them both exhausted. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I don’t want you to go spreading it around, and I definitely don’t need you to feel sorry for me," she warned him. He nodded, waiting for her to tell him what had become of everything she had been hopeful about when she had left Montreal behind.
"I don’t wanna draw this out forever, so let's just say we were made a bad deal. It was a lot of money with a lot of promises for fame and tours and lots of albums. It sounded like an absolute dream until you read the fine print, which I did. I don’t regret it, though because I would have hated life being a part of the contract. Basically it was signing our sound and our look; everything about us over to the company for them to do what they want with it. I didn’t want that no matter what it meant, and I was sure my bands mates would feel the same. It turns out that they really didn't. Even Roy chose to side with them in the end and basically kicked me out. He even helped hold auditions for new singer. I guess the whole time he was chasing his way to the top instead of actually being with me. So, I checked into another hotel for a couple of days hoping that they would change their minds or at least he would..." Kim trailed off, feeling herself getting very emotional. She was not in the mood to cry over it all again.
"Anyway, he ended up bringing me some of my stuff and a plane ticket. That was that."
Spencer gave her some much needed silence, placing his hand comfortingly on her leg. Kim looked up at him and saw something in his eyes she hadn’t noticed when he looked at her before she left for Seattle. She was afraid for a slight but fleeting moment that he might try to kiss her or say something mushy. Instead, he nodded and patted her before popping open one of the beers and passing it to her. "Sounds like you could definitely use one of these things," he told her before opening one for himself. "Looks like it’s a good thing I came." He smiled over at her, and it was so easy to smile back.
"Yeah, I guess it is a good thing."