Crushing Beauty (Harbingers of Sorrow MC): Vegas Titans Series
Read Crushing Beauty (Harbingers of Sorrow MC): Vegas Titans Series Online
Authors: Celia Loren
A Hearts Collective Production
Copyright © 2014
Hearts Collective
All rights reserved.
This document may not be reproduced in any way without the expressed written
consent of the author. The ideas, characters, and situations presented in this
story are strictly fictional, and any unintentional likeness to real people or
real situations is completely coincidental.
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Faster
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Damaged
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CRUSHING BEAUTY
Harbingers of Sorrow MC
A VEGAS TITANS
NOVEL
by Celia Loren
Britton was laughing a little louder than was called for;
this kid’s joke wasn’t even funny, but that wasn’t the reason for her laugh—she
wanted someone else's attention. Britton wanted her boyfriend’s attention. She
loved to say
that
word. She loved knowing that she was his.
In his presence, she was able to feel something she wasn’t
able to feel at home: young, naïve, innocent, and loved. They shot flirting
glances at each other. These two knew they had something everyone else envied.
They may have only been in high school, but these two knew love. They would do
anything for each other. He flashed a sly grin in her direction. She loved his
dimples, and he knew that.
He couldn’t stay away from her any longer. Without finishing
his sentence, he pushed his drink into the hands of his buddy, shoved the kid
with the bad jokes out of the way, and passionately pinned his girlfriend up
against the plaster wall. He teased her a bit, playfully biting just out of
touch from her lips. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted his hands all over her
young and willing body.
He wanted nothing but her. He knew she deliberately wore
that red dress to drive him crazy. When he'd originally bought it for her he
imagined how amazing it would look over her gentle curves, but his imagination
did not do her justice. He needed to take her home now: to
their
home,
their secret place. It was a place they had escaped to whenever their lives
became too much to handle, and it was there that the world seemed to stop
spinning. It was the place they met eleven years ago; it was the place they
fell in love, and it was the place they gave themselves to each other. He
wanted to take her back there tonight; he wanted to show her what he had done.
He may have had too much to drink, but neither of them had
put much thought into that as they snuck away toward their getaway car. Their
hormones were raging. To be that young, that invincible, that willing: it was
all they needed. A clap of thunder pounded amongst the trees around them as
they quickly raced inside the Camaro.
Rain tumbled from the sky as he started the car. She looked
at him. He looked so good, so right in that seat, behind that wheel. But then
again, he looked good anywhere. Her friends couldn’t believe that she managed
to snag Jagger Stromm, the hottest guy in school, but to her, he was so much
more. He revved the engine, excited for what the night had in store, and took
off.
Jagger raced around the curves of the road, showing off his
driving skills. He wanted to impress her. He wanted to give her everything she
deserved in this world and more. He had to constantly remind himself that this
was the reason he had taken the oath with the motorcycle gang. They had the
means to provide him with the money he would need to give her the life he
wanted for them both. He would do anything for her.
He shook his head, erasing those thoughts from his mind.
Tonight was about her. Tonight was about loving her. He reached over, grabbed
the back of her head, and pulled her into his kiss. He knew this road. Why
would he keep his eyes forward when this beauty was sitting next to him? His
kissed warmed her, and she wanted more.
Britton took hold of his broad shoulders and swung her small
body on top of his. He was excited by her aggression, and his all-too-obvious
sign of approval caused her to quickly catch her breath. He was the only man
she'd ever been with, and even after two years, he still had this effect on
her. She grabbed the pulsing vein of his neck between her teeth and lightly bit
down. He groaned, urging her to bite harder.
The passion in that moment was excruciating, not being
inside her physically hurt him. She trickled her hands down his shirt, feeling
his muscles pulsating underneath. She loved having this power over him. Her
talented hands undid the top of his snug jeans, and she reached inside,
claiming his glory. He gave a small yelp, knowing he wouldn’t be able to bear
this much longer. He needed her. He needed all of her. His eyes widened as she
pushed her head lower. She knew what he wanted.
Her tongue grazed his stomach, tickling his navel, and she
nipped the skin around his lower abdominals. His breath deepened as he ran his
hand through her long chocolate hair, sending chills up her spine. She wanted
to please him. It was time to do that. She felt the car turn around a sharp
corner as she breathed heat on his cock, and his hand suddenly grasped tightly
around her hair as the sound of screeching tires ushered screams of terror.
Everything went dark.
Britton wildly awoke from her dream as her boss slammed a
cup of coffee down on her desk.
“Long night, Special Agent Ramirez?” He laughed.
“I couldn’t sleep. I was studying my notes.”
“You have those notes memorized. What else do you need to
study?”
“Something? I don’t know. I’m missing something big. I
just…” Her thought was interrupted by a yawn.
“Okay, that’s enough of that. You’re coming out tonight.
You’ve been here for three years and no one even knows your name.”
“That’s not true.”
“Well, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but sometimes you
got to put work down and have a bit of fun. Come on, we’re all heading to the
Village Pub. You look like you could use a drink.”
“I look like I could use a nap.”
“Yes, but a drink will help you get there faster.”
“Thanks David, but—”
“Nope, you’re not blowing me off again. I'm ordering you to
come out. I’m tired of hanging out with all these guys. We need a hot chick in
our group.”
“Hot chick?”
“I can say that. It’s not sexist. You are a hot chick, and
Lloyd over there is a cool dude. It’s just my vernacular. Don’t you dare try to
file a report because of this friendly, non-sexual conversation.” He grinned.
Britton smiled at him; she knew David's intentions were
pure. He did often make her laugh...and maybe she needed a night out, away from
the undercover world.
“Okay, fine, I’ll come. Just give me a minute.”
“Wahoo!” he bellowed loudly. “Guys, it worked! She’s
coming!”
Britton chuckled as she tidied up her desk. She looked down
at the case file she had fallen asleep on top of. The dark brown eyes in the
picture stared back at her, calling her soul to his. It was Jagger. It had been
ten years since she'd seen him last, and yet this picture still made her
insides boil. She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and quietly hummed her
exhale.
“Okay, Mr. Stromm, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She packed up her notes and neatly placed them inside her
black leather bag. Her hands slapped against her tight thighs as she rose from
her swivel chair to go have a night out with the guys.
“To Britton!” They all dedicated the first clink of glasses
to her.
Working at the Bureau wasn’t an easy job, but these guys
knew how to take the edge off. They spent their entire days fighting crime and
saving lives; they deserved this drink. She recognized that, and yet couldn’t
wait to get out of that bar. She enjoyed her coworkers. They were hardworking,
amusing people, and she was fairly certain that they were extra nice to her
because of her feminine novelty.
There was only one other woman in her office, and she was
more of a “guy” than the rest of them. Britton was different. She chose a
career in criminal justice because of
him
and what he did all those
years ago. She wanted nothing more than to find Jagger. Her thoughts kept
spiraling hopelessly back to her case.
“Hey proby, you okay?” David noticed her wandering eyes.
“Yes, I’m fine...I’m just tired.” Then, realizing that he
was teasing her, she fired back. “And hey, I’m not a proby anymore, thank you.”
“Until the next new guy shows up, you’re the resident proby.
And we love you for it.”
She smiled at him. David knew how to get her out of her head.
He was her superior, the one who brought her into this branch of the FBI, the
one who dropped this case on her desk a year and a half ago. She’d been looking
at his picture for eighteen months, but still had yet to see him in person
again. She wondered if he had changed. She wondered if his shoulders were still
broad and his right dimple deeper than his left. She thought about him
constantly, though she was certain he had completely forgot about her the day
he walked away ten years earlier.
Sometimes Britton had to remind herself that she was only
twenty-six years old. She felt that she had lived an entire lifetime in the
past quarter century. Her body ached from the life she'd already lived, the
life she thought she was running away from.
“I hear you had Masterson at Quantico?” that name brought
her back into the conversation.
“Yeah, she was actually the agent that suggested I look into
the Bureau in the first place. She gave me my recommendation.”
“I’m pretty sure she never said one direct word to me. She
just stared at me in class. Like I was stupid.”
“Well you are stupid.” Another agent sloppily chimed in.
“Get back to your beer. It’s getting warm.” David
retaliated.
Britton couldn’t understand what was pulling her away, but
she wanted time to herself. These guys were fun, simple enough, and after everything
she was dealing with simple should’ve been exactly what she needed, but she
couldn’t allow herself to relax. She chugged the remainder of her beer and
slammed it down on the bar. The guys cheered, and she allowed her genuine smile
to appear across her face.
“I’m actually falling asleep. You guys are boring me.” She
joked. “Time to hit the hay; see you tomorrow.”
They all said their goodbyes and thanked her for finally
joining them for once. She promised that it wouldn’t be the last time, but it
was a promise she wasn’t sure if she could keep. She enjoyed her alone time.
She enjoyed having her thoughts to herself. These guys didn’t know her. They
didn’t know the person she was before the FBI, and she wanted to keep it that
way.
Britton made her way to her car, climbed in, and turned the
key. The engine roared to life. It brought her back to her dream. So many
things in her life reminded her of him. Him. Stupid him. She wanted to see him.
She wanted to slap him across the face. He was the only one in the whole world
who'd cared, who'd loved her...or so she thought. She wanted to just keep
punching until the hurt and abandonment she felt was gone. Her eyes filled, and
she lashed out, slamming her fists into the steering wheel.
“Woah, Nellie!” She heard David’s voice outside her window.
She rolled the glass down reluctantly, incredibly
embarrassed that someone had witnessed her tantrum.
“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. I’ve punched my share of
steering wheels. I just wanted to make sure you were okay to drive.”
“Yeah, I only had one drink.”
“And nothing to eat all day.”
“Yes I…” Britton thought through her day. She hadn’t eaten.
She hadn’t eaten anything more than a granola bar in over a week. She had
noticeably lost weight: at least ten pounds.
“You forget, I see all. Please eat something. You're already
too skinny, and we don’t have the budget to buy you a new wardrobe once those
pants fall clear off of you.” He paused, going over his last words. “Don’t file
a report about that comment either.”
She couldn’t help but laugh again. Maybe she needed to spend
more time with David. Maybe it would bring her out of her funk.
“I’ll eat something as soon as I get home.”
“I don’t believe you.” He said half-joking.
“I will. Now move, or I’ll run you over.”
He smiled at her. She knew from that smile that he cared
about her. He wanted to protect her. Right now, she needed that.
She pulled into her driveway and turned off the car. Her
body froze. Every moment felt like she was going to crack. Her bones felt
brittle. She needed to get her mind off of this case, but how?
She needed to go for a run. That always settled her mind,
and she needed the rush of endorphins after her dream had been haunting her all
day. She went inside and changed into her running gear.
Her shoes hit the pavement, and with each pound, flashes
from the accident flooded her thoughts.
She remembered Jagger. She remembered the quick right
turn, and she remembered the blackness. She woke up to the sound of sirens. She
couldn’t see clearly; her eyes were blurry. There was rain on her face. Why was
she on the pavement? She called for him, unable to move. She screamed his name
over and over, but he never came for her. An officer appeared in her line of
sight.
“Miss, can you move?”
“What?”
“Can you move your legs?”
“Umm, yes.”
“Are you able to stand?”
“I don’t know. Where is he?”
“Who?”
“My boyfriend. Is he okay?”
“There’s no one here. Just you. Were you driving this
car?”
“No.”
“Were you wearing a seatbelt?”
She thought about this for a while. Of course she was;
she always wore a seatbelt. Wait, no, she was straddling Jagger. She was on top
of him when everything went dark. She can’t control her tears. The one stable
thing in her life had disappeared.
“No. I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt...but he...he left me?”
“I’m sorry, Miss. There was no one else at the scene when
we arrived. The ambulance is on the way.”
Tears began streaming down her face as she recalled that
night. The combination of Las Vegas heat and lack of food was causing her to
become faint. She had to get back to her house. She spun around, but in the
dark night, had lost her way. This was the path she ran every day. How could
she be lost? Her vision was swimming, her mind was getting fuzzier and her legs
suddenly felt so weak. Reaching the point of extreme exhaustion, she allowed
her body to collapse on a small patch of grass.
This wasn’t healthy. She knew that. She knew she was
allowing this case to get the best of her. She knew this man still had power
over her that she couldn’t explain. She hadn’t seen him in ten years and yet
her world was spiraling out of control because of him. She closed her eyes for
a few moments. Just for a few moments. She needed to calm herself down.
