What the Outlaw Craves (4 page)

Here is a sample from another of my stories that you may enjoy:

Courtney peered into the darkness as she heaved her bag over her shoulder and made her way down the dusty road. It was a clear night and the stars above her twinkled so brightly she imagined them tinkling and could almost hear the ringing out up there, high over her head. It was the only thing that kept her from crying. She was on the run now and nothing was going to change that. She had messed with the wrong guy and now she was going to have to leave her hometown behind and start again.

“I could end you, do you realize that?” Mark had said as he’d wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed so tight she never thought he was going to let go.

“Please,” she choked, “Stop.”

When he’d let go of her, she had caught sight of her reflection in the mirror behind him and her eyes were bloodshot and red.

“I’m sorry,” she’d whispered, clutching her neck as the tears rolled down her face.

“Get the fuck out of my sight,” Mark spat. “If I ever lay eyes on you again…”

But instead of finishing his sentence, he shook his head.

Courtney scrambled to her feet and ran out of the office as fast as she could. For someone from a solid and decent background, she sure had a knack for finding trouble.

It was less than twenty-four hours later since her run-in with Mark, and she knew she had to leave. Her parents were elderly now and just settling into retirement. How could she screw everything up for them and bring criminals to their door? She hadn’t meant for everything to go so horribly wrong when she took the job as Mark’s assistant. But as usual, she had jumped in head first and hadn’t researched the company, nor her boss. And before long she found herself running drugs for him across Arizona.

It hadn’t been her fault, but he blamed her anyway.

It was in her possession. Nearly ten grand’s worth, and she had somehow managed to lose it.

She didn’t know how it happened. She had stopped at a gas station, filled up the tank, locked the doors and nipped quickly across to pay the teller before getting back into the driver’s seat. No one else had been there. No one had come or gone. She had even returned to the gas station later that night and asked to check the CCTV but there was nothing to suggest someone had been into the car while she was inside. Someone had intercepted her somewhere, but she didn’t know who or how.

Mark was suspicious. Even though she had worked for him for over a year, her story didn’t add up.  She was lucky he’d given her a head start. He could have killed her right there and then. He said as long as he didn’t see her again, he would leave her alone… But Courtney knew Mark, and she knew that once the heat was on him, he would want someone else to blame. And if it wasn’t him who came for her, then it would be whoever he owed. She couldn’t take that chance.

Cars hurtled past her as she kicked her way along the side of the highway and held out her thumb. She could keep walking until she reached the bus station, but her legs were tired and her feet were aching inside her boots. She stopped and let her bag fall to the floor, then swiveled her round, curvy hips into the passing lights of the cars and trucks as they flashed by.

Someone would be kind.

She was sure of it.

She flexed her leg so her shapely calves cast long shadows out onto the desert banks behind her. A colony of bats squeaked overhead and made her jump.

She laughed to herself as she held her hand up to her heart. Bats were the last thing she should be afraid of.

She caught her breath and pouted as she pushed out her breasts and let the lights fall on her, making her feel like she was a movie star. She imagined the flash-flash of the paparazzi and almost fell into a daydream. Suddenly she was snapped out of it by a car that beeped and came slowly to a halt about forty feet ahead of her.

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this compelling short story, and I just want to thank you for reading my other story! Below are links to lots of other MC stories and others I have written, as well as to those of some other authors that are in my writing group.  Thanks again, and have a great day!

Other Quality Romance Books from Love You First Publishing

Kindle Unlimited subscribers read this entire catalog for FREE!

MC Romance

What the Outlaw Wants
by Samantha Leal

What the Outlaw Needs
by Samantha Leal

What the Outlaw Craves
by Samantha Leal

What the Outlaw Demands
by Samantha Leal

What the Outlaw Takes
by Samantha Leal

Post-Apocalyptic Steamy Romance

Finding Love in a Dark World: A Post-Apocalyptic Romance, Book 1
 

Finding Love in a Dark World: A Steamy Post-Apocalyptic Romance, Book 2
by Cynthia Wilde

Welcome to Zombie Island
by Natalie Nixon

For the Love of Zombies
by Sadie Simms

Paranormal Books

Chased by the Bear
by Cynthia Wilde

Saved by a Werewolf Billionaire
by Samantha Leal

The Bear Wants Babies
by Cynthia Wilde

His Darkness Revealed
(Vampire Romance) by Samantha Leal

Saved by the Billionbear
by Stephani Sykes

Desired by the Billionbear
Pamela Avery

Babies for the Bear
by Cynthia Wilde

A Baby for the Bear
by Samantha Leal

Contemporary Romance

The Billionaire’s Rumpus Room
by Natalie Nixon

My New Billionaire Stepbrother
by Cynthia Wilde

My Holiday Billionaire
(BBW) by Pamela Avery

Badass Billionaire
(BBW) by Leela Ash

Time Travel/Fantasy Romance

Through the Highland Gateway
by Leela Ash

Through the Gateway
by Iona Savage

Touched Through Time
by Samantha Leal

Into the Highlander’s World
by Samantha Leal

In the Time of the Caveman
by Samantha Leal

Alien Romance

Taken by Aliens
by Cynthia Wilde

Taken by Alien Lords
by Samantha Leal

And one more thing…

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this book and if so, please leave a review
here
. Either way have a fantastic day and may all your dreams come true.

This is another of my stories…this time a Werewolf Romance. If you didn’t already join, please take a look at the
Totally Romance Reader’s Club
circle that I am a part of! I am including this extra story as a thank you for reading!

Saved by the Werewolf Billionaire

Samantha Leal

Copyright ©2015 by Samantha Leal. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review

1.

Laurie lay back in bed and looked up at the ceiling. It was almost midnight and she had been waiting for her moment since earlier that evening. Brad had come home drunk, again… it was the fourth night in a row and with each one he had become more angry and uncontrollable than the night before. He was lying next to her, face down with his mouth lolling open and a big string of drool snaking its way onto the flattened pillow beneath him. She could almost taste his breath as the sweet tang of whiskey lingered in the air between them. He breathed in and out deeply, snoring as he inhaled and puffing back into the bed sheets. Laurie closed her eyes and gathered her courage. She would have to do it soon.

She’d known for at least two months that this day was going to come, but now that it had and as she was finally getting ready to make her move, she was terrified. Her and Brad had been together for a year, and for at least half of that he had been completely unbearable to live with. It had started with the odd dig at her clothing choice or selection of friends and had progressively gotten more and more belittling and cruel. One moment he had loved her and the next he seemed to despise her. The compliments she had been honored to receive had turned into sneers, and instead of wanting to spend time with her and appreciate her, he had done nothing but lay around in bed all day. Then when he had had his fill of sloth, he would drag himself to the nearest bar, get wasted, and eventually come back home in a terrible mood, goading for yet another fight.

Laurie remembered what it had felt like to fall for Brad. He had been the first person she considered herself to have been in love with, but as his true colors revealed themselves, she had just felt foolish and naive. He was a brute of a man and wasn’t nearly good enough for her. The night he had come home so drunk that he could barely stand up straight and had then preceded to accuse her of having an affair with a man at work had been the tipping point. He had physically pinned her against the wall by her throat. She knew then that she was going to have to get away from him. He wasn’t stable and she wasn’t safe being anywhere near him at this point. If she didn’t get away from him who knew what would happen when he’d had one shot too many again? Surely it wouldn’t be long before the threats turned into even more serious aggression, and she wasn’t going to wait around for the inevitable.

She never could have been prepared for what happened next though. She had not even known that he had ever been engaged, but when a girl walked into the jewelry store where Laurie worked she knew the minute she laid eyes on her that she was somehow connected to Brad and that she was going to drop a bomb.

“Laurie Miller?” she said quietly, as timid as a mouse when she opened the door and stepped inside. “Do you have a minute?”

Even though her heart was pounding and her mouth was dry Laurie had agreed to meet her out back and excused herself for a ten minute break. She rounded the corner at the side of the store and turned into the alley. As she looked at the girl in front of her she saw for the first time the shadows that seemed to play just behind this woman’s eyes. She appeared completely broken and scared.

“You need to get away from him,” she whispered, “He’s not sane.”

Laurie had already figured this out for herself, but had been taking a more measured approach to her withdrawal from the relationship. Now, though, with this woman standing right in front of her confirming all of her worst fears, her sense of urgency was peaked and she knew the time had come to leave. No more excuses.

“He knocked six of my teeth out,” the girl said quietly, looking down at the road and instinctively putting her hand to her mouth. “I had to get a restraining order.”

Laurie’s head was spinning. She didn’t even know how the girl had found her. She said she’d been engaged to Brad three years before and that it was after they’d moved in together that he had started his mind games and abusive behavior. He’d made her life hell, blaming her for things that hadn’t happened, criticizing her appearance, and had verged on violence many times. Then one day he’d finally snapped completely and shoved her head against the refrigerator door.

“I heard he was with someone new,” she said quietly, “Took me a while to get the courage, but I had to warn you…” With that, she turned and made her way to the end of the alley. As she approached the road with its steady stream of cars driving past, she turned and added, “Get out while you can.” With that she turned one last time and was gone.

Laurie stood in the alley, resting against the wall and for the first time in months she went into her handbag, rooted around in it for bit, and pulled out a cigarette. She dragged on it hurriedly three times before throwing it on the floor and stamping it out.

“Fuck,” she whispered to herself. She leaned her head back and looked up to the sky as she felt the tears well up behind her eyes.

It was after work that day that she’d gone home and started to pack. She’d dragged her clothes out of the drawers and thrown them into the trunk of her car. A lot of her things were still in their shared wardrobe but she didn’t dare touch them in case he went in there when he got home and saw that they were missing. She would just have to leave them behind. Her car keys were on the central island in the kitchen and she put them in her handbag which she then placed by the door. When she heard the familiar sound of his truck swerving onto the street she turned out the light and pretended to be asleep, although underneath the covers she was mostly clothed.  All she would have to do was throw on a pair of jeans with some shoes and she would be good to go.

Brad practically kicked open the front door in his drunkenness before he staggered down the hallway, stopping at the kitchen to grab yet another beer. Finally, he crashed into the bedroom, the still unopened fresh beer in hand, and fell down next to her, face first on the mattress. He dropped the unopened bottle on the floor and she heard it roll under the bed. He was asleep within seconds and she was very glad she hadn’t waited up to face him.

This is it
, she thought.
This is the first day of the rest of your life
.