Split - Coffin Nails MC (Contemporary New Adult Erotic Dark Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 7) (5 page)

Asty

Asty took a deep breath, then another,
filling her lungs with the calming, thick scent of the special candlesticks she
made with herbs that encouraged spiritual reasoning. She inhaled once more and
waved her hands over the nearest candle, fuming her face with the smoke. The
sharp scent penetrated her nostrils, and soon enough, a sense of peace settled
in her chest. She needed to relax, regroup, and find a solution that her
conscious mind wouldn’t offer. The cards burned her palm, but just touching
them always made her calm. She vaguely remembered her mother teaching her about
the tarot a long time ago, and it stayed with her as a ritual that never failed
to provide answers. She was doing it all for her brother, Beelzebub. Her big
brother Bell ...

Now that she was safe in the quiet of her
own room, away from the clubhouse and the rude fuckers who hadn’t deserved to
be a part of a sacred ritual, she could focus on herself, and she slowly placed
five cards on her reading table. The first two were
Death
, which
corresponded to her present situation, and
Rebirth
, which did express
Asty’s expectations. The cards were so right. She massaged the base of her nose
and uncovered the third card.
Lovers
. Reversed. Well, there would be a
lot of disharmony in her future. She was sure of that.

A rustling somewhere behind Asty made her
cat, Behemoth, hiss and skitter under the bed. She looked to the window and
screamed at the sight of an arm, and then Hot One’s head, which emerged out of
the darkness like the demon she had originally thought he was.

“Chill, chill! It’s just me,” he said with
a cocky grin and climbed up to the windowsill. She was too stunned to act at
first, so the fucker stood on her carpet in no time. “Nice place you’ve got
here.” He looked around her room as if he had the right to be here.

Asty placed the deck on the table as slowly
as she could and tried not to lose her cool as this pig broke into the
sanctuary of her room, the one space she always felt safe in. He crawled
inside, and the Coffin Nails patch at the back of his cut made Asty shudder
with humiliation. She had slept with her Dad’s men, and she’d always promised
herself not to go for a biker at that.

“You didn’t bring your friend this time?”
she asked, clenching her lips, as she searched the room for a weapon.

The guy waved his hand dismissively and
scooted down to have a look at Behemoth, who only hissed at the uninvited guest
from under the bed. “Nah, that shithead? No way. That’s why I came. I didn’t
want to leave a bad impression.” He looked at her from below, and she realized
he was peeking under the oversize T-shirt she wore to bed.

Asty closed her thighs, breathing hard, and
decided to defend herself with the small metal lamp on her reading table, were
this to go downhill. “You think
this
is the way to not leave a bad
impression? Breaking into someone’s house? I told you I’m not interested,” she
said as somberly as she could.

He got up, reminding her just how much
taller than her he was. “Oh, come on, I just want to get to know you better.
You blew my mind the other night. I’m Hunter, by the way.”

Asty wasn’t sure if she wanted to blow
anyone’s mind at this point. She was a woman of purpose, and she wasn’t
interested in any relationship, romantic or otherwise. And even if she were, his
invading her privacy like this didn’t make him a suitable candidate, no matter
how good his cock felt inside her. Life wasn’t on the to do list anymore.

She leaned back and froze when she sensed
the cool touch against her hand. The ceremonial dagger. She had it in her
purse, and it was right next to her! Relief washed through her as she watched
Hunter’s every move, with her heart beating furiously.

“I told you I’m not interested. This wasn’t
about sex. It was a ritual, and you have nothing to do with it!”

Hunter frowned and raised his hand with the
cut on its inner side. “I think I have a lot to do with it.”

Asty scowled, remembering the scent of his
blood against her nose. “Well, you had an orgasm, isn’t that enough? No matter
what you think, I’m not some crazy nympho!”

Hunter wrapped his arms on his chest. “You
seemed pretty eager to me.”

Asty swallowed hard, feeling a flush emerge
on her face. “I was a virgin until that night. I wasn’t there for the sex.”
There, that should scare him off.

His lips parted, and his thick dark
eyebrows came closer in a frown. She was waiting for something snarky to come
out of his mouth, but for a good long moment, there was nothing.

“A virgin?” he finally muttered and leaned
on her tabletop with his fine ass.

Why was he still here? Asty blinked, slowly
pulling the ritual knife out of her bag underneath the card-reading table and
hid it in the long sleeve of the hoodie she wore on top of the T-shirt. “Yes.
Why are we even having this conversation?” she asked, embarrassed. Of course,
she was the only person who’d lose their V to two complete strangers.

“I mean … You have to be shitting me? It’s
kind of an unlikely way to lose your virginity. And you didn’t seem
virginal
to me. No offense.” Hunter raised his hands with a silly grin.

“What does that even mean?” she hissed,
feeling offended. Of course.

“You know. You didn’t seem to be in pain,
or bleeding, or whatever. Come on. You took two cocks in a row, babe. A virgin
can’t do that.” He reached out with that sexy smile glued to his face and put
his hand on her hip.

“Oh, because you know so much about popping
cherries,” she said, leaning away from him.

“I’m no expert.” He spread his arms. “But I
do know a thing or two.”

“For your information, a girl doesn’t need
a man’s help to get rid of her hymen. All she needs is a vibrator,” said Asty,
proud of having the upper hand. “There’s nothing magical about it.” But it had
been, even though she would have rather lost her virginity to Hunter than his
idiot friend if she had had a choice. At least Hunter seemed to know what he
was doing. Just the memory of how he had pulled her up into his lap to fuck
her, how steadily he had held her, made her need to look away, afraid he’d read
it from her eyes.

“Oh yeah? You’ve got a lot of vibrators?
Wanna show me?” He leaned closer, and his scent, so earthy and fresh, made her
knees weaken.

Asty’s gaze darted to her bed and then to
the pink toy she had left on the nightstand before leaving for the club party.
Her brain exploded with shame, and as she saw him smile in recognition, she
darted to the bed and grabbed the vibrator. She could hardly catch her breath
when she noticed him approaching, and she did the only thing that came into her
mind. She threw the toy out through the open window and regretted the rash
decision the moment it happened.

Hunter’s eyes went wide, and he started
laughing. “Oh. Wow. That’s gonna be fun for your neighbor’s dog.”

“Shut up. I’m not some crazy nympho witch,
and I’m not your type. You should go,” she repeated as calmly as possible, even
though her heart sped up when he came closer with his long hair, angular face,
and broad shoulders. He even smelled so nice. And she would never admit it, but
she’d fantasized about him many times in the last few days.

“Pierced, compact, with a nasty mouth,
perfect tits, and looks sexy even in an old T-shirt. I think you’re very much
my type.” Hunter leaned down, and only after a second, she realized he wanted
to kiss her.

She was unaware of the short blade leaving her
oversized sleeve until she held it to Hunter’s chest as she tried to catch her
breath. “I told you I’m not interested. Are you stupid?” she uttered, angry
there was a bit of a tremble in her voice.

Hunter’s pupils widened, and in one quick
move, he grabbed her wrist behind the blade, and then grabbed her other hand
when she tried to punch him. “What changed your mind? Did I lose my charm
without the corpsepaint? Admit it, you loved every second my cock was inside of
you,” he whispered, and instead of pushing her away, he pulled her closer.

“I did not!” she shrieked, frantic as she
realized she couldn’t possibly overpower him. She had a weapon, but without the
freedom to move her hand, it was useless. “It was a one-time thing. I don’t
want anything from you. Let me go, or my father will know you’re stalking me!”

Hunter squeezed her wrist so hard she had
to drop the dagger, and then he let her go with a huff. “At least I’m not a
liar. I loved fucking you like no other girl before. You’re fucking twisted,
but it turns me on.” He tapped her forehead with his finger and stepped away.
“But if you want me to go, I’ll go. Just don’t lie to yourself, babe. It was
the best sex you’ve ever had. I know it’s not a hard with just Ray for
comparison, but still …” He shrugged and grinned, walking backward toward the
window.

There was a twitch to her lips at the dig
at Gold Tooth, who was apparently called Ray, but Asty made sure no smile would
come to the surface. “You weren’t as good as my vibrator,” she said as a sendoff,
but she was lying. Nothing compared to having a warm, pulsing dick pound into
her, strong hands holding her in place, and a sexy mouth suckling on her lips.
Regardless, the sooner he forgot about her, the better. He was far too hot for
her own good. The touch to her forehead still burned, even after he stepped
away.

“You gotta let me practice then,” he said,
already halfway through the window.

Asty slumped against the wall, curling her
hands into fists in the overly long sleeves. That comment was the worst. “Do I
look like a dummy to you? You’re such a pig. No wonder you joined a club called
Rabid Hogs,” she said, knowing it would hurt his pride because the Hogs were no
more thanks to her Dad and his men.

And there it was, the cocky grin drained
from his face, and he eyed her with his lips clenched. “You know nothing about
that, silly girl.” He didn’t even wait for an answer and climbed down the
drainpipe.

Asty couldn’t help the slight pang of guilt
at the thought of hurting him, and she drifted to the window despite part of
her wanting to show Hunter the finger.

Words grew in Asty’s throat as she watched
him jump to the grass and walk to the gate that would lead him to the front
garden and into the street. “You asked for it,” she called out, just loud enough
for him to hear it, without alerting the neighbors.

He leaned down to pick up something from
the ground, and Asty froze when she realized it was her vibrator. Hunter turned
around to her. “As Priest’s daughter, I bet you know ‘hog’ stands for a Harley
bike. Or are you too busy using this three times a day to absorb any
knowledge?” He made a show of smelling the toy. “I better take it so you don’t
hurt yourself.”

She was speechless, and even as rage
squeezed at her muscles, she couldn't help but be attracted to his cocky
behavior. He was just the guy she didn’t want to have anything to do with in
real life. “Pig. And a thief,” she said in the end.

He flashed her a short grin, but she
couldn’t see his eyes anymore. He put the vibrator into an inner pocket in his
jacket, but just as she thought he would disappear from her sight, he had to
get the last word.

“Just use your fingers, babe! I can show
you sometime!”

Without waiting for an answer, he rushed
past the gate and out of her sight.

She groaned and hit the windowsill with her
forehead. This guy was unbelievable, but at least he left eventually and didn’t
try to force his touch. She stumbled into her chair, sinking into the soft
upholstery and allowing herself a deep, slow inhale as the sound of an engine vibrated
across her skin from the other side of the house. The smell of Hunter’s cologne
still lingered in the air, only enhanced by the herby aroma of the candles, and
she couldn’t help but reminisce about the strength in his hands when they
grasped her wrists, the scent of his long hair, and the dark tattoos covering
most of the skin on show.

She could use that vibrator right now.

Hunter

Visiting Lucky’s barbershop was Hunter’s
idea of trying to fish for information about Astaroth. Just because she had been
rude the other night didn’t mean she wouldn’t bed him again. Chicks did that
all the time.

He knew Astaroth’s brother owned the salon,
and he still cringed when he remembered what he’d said about Lucky the other
night. He was trying to make conversation, and nothing else had come to his
mind. Befriending the guy might be a way to get into her good graces. Hunter
and she had ridiculous amounts of chemistry, and she had to feel that, too. Not
to mention that the whole “ritual” thing intrigued him to no end. What a way to
lose her virginity. His fling with a hangaround at the Rabid Hogs clubhouse
seemed like nothing in comparison.

Even though he was a Coffin Nail now, he
didn’t exactly feel like one just yet. He and Ray had everyone’s eyes on them,
and staying in a small room at the Nails’ clubhouse had been so suffocating in
the last few days that he went out for long drives around Detroit whenever he had
the chance, just to breathe some air. The Coffin Nails had his uncle, the Rabid
Hogs president, Head, and his VP assassinated with no mercy after a deal
between them went sour. Truth be told, Hunter secretly thought they got what
was coming to them. Many of the Hogs guys wanted to be patched over into a big,
lucrative club like the Coffin Nails, and they didn’t care about stupid shit
like the VP of the Nails being gay or that they’d have to give up their Hog
patches. What they saw was a chance to be part of an international club, more
prestige, more money, more pussy, and club rallies all over the US.

As fallout of the conflict, after the
deaths and the patch over, he and Ray, as Head’s nephew and son, had been
“invited” to stay in the Nails’ Detroit clubhouse for a year. They weren’t
guests. They were potential hostages if anything went sour. Not a comfortable
thought when Hunter went to sleep. Still, a part of him was relieved he didn’t
have his uncle ordering him around anymore, even if he’d never say that to Ray,
who held a grudge the size of Mount Everest and burned with a need for revenge
as hot as hellfire. Hunter was as at ease with what had happened as one could
be in an environment that still felt slightly hostile. He just needed to make
sure to extinguish the fire in Ray so the brash idiot wouldn’t do anything
stupid and get himself killed.

Sure, Ray was a pig-headed brute, but they had
grown up together, and it was enough that his father was dead. Maybe without
Head baiting him, Ray could become a saner individual. As long as Ray stayed
away from Astaroth, they’d be good. They’d always had an agreement about not
going after the same girls, but the lines got blurred the moment they both
banged Astaroth.

Located right next to the hair and beauty
salon owned by Priest, Lucifer’s Barber Shop was a little retro gem. The logo
with the face of a demon that decorated the floor-length window at the entrance
set the tone of the establishment even before Hunter opened the glass door and
entered the compact space, decorated with black and white tiles on the walls
and livened up with red accents here and there. There was a big mirror over the
waiting area with a comfortable-looking sofa and a framed picture that
presented some of the satisfied customers with their barber. It looked like a
million dollars, and when Hunter’s eyes grazed over the self-service coffee
maker, he knew he’d not only get his intel here but also enjoy himself while he
was at it.

Lucky looked up from above a magazine. As
long as he didn’t talk and move, he looked like a regular headbanger, maybe a
little young. He was wearing a Megadeth T-shirt, tall combat boots, and ripped
jeans, not exactly what Hunter would expect from a gay guy. Maybe there was a
flower-printed G-string somewhere under the denim, but Hunter wouldn’t let his
thoughts linger on that idea. Somehow, he doubted it.

Lucky put down the magazine and casually
pointed his index finger at Hunter. “Wait, you’re one of the new patches,
right?”

Hunter held out his hand. “Yeah, I’m
Hunter.”

Lucky introduced himself as well, but his
eyes quickly skimmed over Hunter’s face in a way that felt uncomfortably like
petting. “Are you here for a shave?”

“My hair’s getting shaggy. I heard you’d
know how to make it better.” And it’s good to meet the prez’s son and all that,
since I’ll be sticking around for a while.”

Lucky’s eyes twinkled, as if the
perspective of touching a man’s head was making him giddy. And sure enough, as
soon as Hunter was in the seat, Lucky’s fingers dove into his hair, pulling on
it gently and separating the strands as they talked. Turned out Lucky’s real
name was Lucifer, and that seemed to be a theme in that family, considering
Astaroth’s own name. Lucky’s mouth wouldn’t close for a minute as he talked
about options to help with Hunter’s imaginary problem. The mission to suck
information out of him was failing so far.

“Is Priest really a Satanist?” Hunter was
surprised to feel so at ease around Lucky, since he’d never met an out gay guy
before. Both his religious side of the family and the outlaw one always pushed
the idea that homosexuality was wrong, sinful. But after running away from home
at sixteen, Hunter generally thought people should do whatever they damn well
pleased, as long as they had the balls to back it up. Not that he’d have ever
mentioned that to his late uncle, unless he wanted to get a smack.

Lucifer pulled a comb through Hunter’s hair
and nodded. “He is. Dolly, his wife, always thought it gave him an advantage in
the lifestyle he chose. You know, that the
Dark One
would protect him.”

Hunter closed his eyes, but as soon as he
did so, that night at the church with Astaroth appeared under his eyelids.
“Does he do, like, rituals? Do the other guys in the club participate?”

“No, I think it’s more like a philosophy to
him. You know, each person is their own god, and so on. But Dolly was a real
demon worshipper. She looked the part too.”

“Oh, did she? Like your sister?”

Lucky looked up, and his bright eyes met
Hunter’s in the mirror. “Why, did she talk to you about it at the party?”

“No, just thinking out loud. Nuns, they
save themselves for Jesus, right? So, does she only love Satan, or something
like that?”

Lucky blinked and then burst out laughing,
squeezing his hands on Hunter’s shoulders. “What? Why? Do you want to lure her
out into the light? Maybe you should just ask for her number.”

Hunter couldn’t help a grin. “You think
she’d be up for that?”

“Maybe,” teased Lucky, wiggling his
eyebrows. He was clearly eager to set his sister up, with or without her
approval.

“What’s the type of guy she goes for?”
Hunter asked.

Lucky grinned and gently massaged Hunter’s
shoulders, sending him deeper into the chair. “You know, long hair, hot, tall ...”

Heat rose in Hunter’s face, as he had no
idea how to get out of this without offending Lucky, but the bell at the door
saved him, and the warm hands were gone. But when he looked in the mirror,
relief drained out of him like oil from a damaged bike. Tooth’s powerful
presence filled the barbershop the moment he opened the door. Long dark hair
and a thick beard framed the stern face of the Coffin Nails vice president,
making him look like a wild caveman dressed up in cotton and leather. His boots
thumped against the floor as he scrutinized the two of them with a deep frown.
Hunter didn’t like that look from someone whose nickname came from his
proficiency in torturing people by working on their teeth.

“I didn’t expect you here,” said Tooth and
sat in the other barbering chair, as if it was reserved for his use.

Hunter gave Tooth a nod. “Thought I’d check
out the neighborhood since I’ll be staying here for a while.” He was not about
to be intimidated.

Lucky gravitated toward Tooth and stroked
his shoulder before walking over to the coffee machine.

Tooth leaned back in the chair, his gaze
pinning Hunter to the seat. “Weren’t you guys against the patch over because of
me? And now you’re visiting Lucky?”

“I wanna understand the way of the gay.”
Hunter snorted but neither Tooth nor Lucky laughed, so he coughed and went on.
“I mean … Not all the guys were against it. I wasn’t. I was actually going to
ask Lucky how you two met.”

Tooth glanced at Lucky and accepted a
steaming cup from him. “He’s the son of my club president. There isn’t much
secret to it,” he said, leaning his head back to look at Lucky as the same
hands that earlier made Hunter so uncomfortable slid under Tooth’s jaw and into
the beard.

“We just hit it off,” said Lucky with a
smile.

“Why are you asking? You don’t know us,”
added Tooth, sending Hunter a glance so full of mistrust that it was surprising
the Nails had Hunter and Ray stay at their headquarters in the first place.

Hunter groaned and leaned back in his
chair. “Just making conversation. Fuck me, you’re touchy. We can change the
subject. So, Priest is fine with his kids dating? He’s not some weirdo dad who
tries to claim his kids as
his precious
?”

Tooth exhaled, letting his body slump as
Lucky moistened and soaped up his beard. “Are you after Astaroth? Because
Priest will skin you if you lay one finger on her. She’s everybody’s little
sister here, so if I were you, I’d stick to hangarounds.”

Lucky’s mouth pressed together, and he must
have pulled on the now foamed-up hair, because Tooth blinked and gave him a
mean glance. “She’s an adult woman. Priest can’t tell her what she should and
what she shouldn’t do.”

“She looks grown up to me,” Hunter
muttered, but he got serious the moment he saw Astaroth in the mirror behind
him.

She looked like a goddess even out of the
church, away from the strange markings on the floor and candlelight. Her pristinely
pale skin made her soft, delicate features pop, and the skinny jeans and a
tight shirt showing from underneath a black crop top stressed her lithe figure.
Seeing her again only made Hunter’s memories of having her underneath his body
come alive again.

“Are you talking about me?” she asked in a
low voice, and Tooth immediately looked at the mirror and scratched his nose,
as if he hadn’t participated in the discussion.

“You’re Priest’s daughter, Astaroth,
right?” Hunter gave her a polite smile and turned around in the chair despite
his hair being slightly damp. “I’m Hunter.” He held out his hand.

“Didn’t you two talk about the occult
yesterday?” asked Lucky before pulling Tooth’s hair back and pushing him
forward so he would lean over the washing space in front of the chair.

Astaroth scowled, and even that looked
attractive with a mouth as pretty as hers. “No. We didn’t,” she said and gave
Hunter a short nod. Her gaze went everywhere but to his face.

“I hear that your dad flays your potential
dates, is that true?” Hunter pushed on despite lack of answer, drawn into her
tangled web yet again.

“Yes,” she said without blinking. “And we
feed their meat to the goat.”

Tooth smirked, but Lucky didn’t let him say
anything and started washing the soap out of his beard.

“She’s not always this rude,” Lucky said
and squinted at her.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Hunter waved his hand and
got up, never taking his eyes off her. “I think that’s kinda hot. Can’t get
more naked than being flayed.”

Asty crossed her arms on her chest. “Good
luck. I hear they still do that in some places. Maybe you should emigrate?”

Lucky grinned. “The sense of humor runs in
the family.”

Hunter’s smile widened, and he nodded at
Astaroth. “Just think what our kids would be like.”

Tooth grumbled through the water Lucky was
still splashing into his face. “That’s enough.”

“I’m busy,” said Astaroth, and contrary to
what she was saying, she walked up to the coffee machine.

“Don’t be, maybe you two could hang out at
that cafe nearby. Hunter was telling me he’d like to talk to you about cards.
He wants his future foretold—” started Lucky, but his boyfriend cut him off.

“That’s enough,” hissed Tooth, and he sat
up with water streaming onto his shirt from the wet beard. “You don’t want to
be on my radar.”

Truth be told, Hunter didn’t, but he’d
still risk it to fuck Astaroth again. In a way, the sex
was
magical.
When they connected, she made him feel like he could conquer the world.

Hunter looked at his phone when it beeped
and was annoyed to see a text from Ray, which read,
“Come over to the
Vanilla Lounge, I got some important shit.”

“I’m good. I know my future. How much do I
owe you for the treatment?”

Lucky shrugged and moved a longing stare
between Hunter and Astaroth. “It’s on the house. I barely did anything.”

“See you soon,” said Tooth, wiping himself
with a towel, and it sounded just as threatening as the promise of Hunter being
on his radar.

Hunter nodded at his new VP, and as he
passed Astaroth by the coffee machine, he discreetly put the tarot card he stole
from her a few days back on the table.
The Lovers
.