Rider (Defenders M.C. Book 3) Read online

  RIDER

  DEFENDERS MC

  AMANDA ANDERSON

  Copyright © 2015 by Amanda Anderson

  All rights reserved, except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted material is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

  http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/

  This book is a work of fiction and any similarities to persons living or dead, places, incidents are completely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Other Works by this Author

  Full length Novels

  Christina’s Chance

  Mystery Lover

  A Beautifully Normal Life

  In Love With The Wrong Cowboy

  Reclaiming Life

  Too Much Trouble

  Life, Love, and Second Chances

  The Tiger Series

  The Tiger Within (Book 1)

  Highland Tigress (Book 2)

  Captive Tigress (Book 3)

  Stripes (Anthology Containing Books 1-3)

  Freeing the Tiger’s Soul (Book 4)

  Big Sky Series

  Books 1-3

  Defenders MC Series

  Shadow

  Lawless

  Rider

  Novellas

  Samantha’s Choice

  Redemption of a Soiled Dove

  Taming a Montana Maverick

  One Good Cowboy

  Vengeance

  Prologue

  Rider felt alive. Damn he hadn’t felt this good in a long time, maybe ever. He tried to think of a time in his life when he had ever felt this content. It hadn’t been since his childhood, before his father died, before his mother started drinking, before she’d married again. That had been almost twenty years ago. So now why was he so damned happy?

  He stretched and took a deep breath. Then it hit him. He smelled her. Fuck what had he done. He couldn’t stand to roll over and come face to face with the biggest mistake he had ever made in his worthless life. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what the fuck had led him to this place.

  She had been in his room. She had helped him with something and he had made the mistake of looking at her ass. Damn fine ass the woman had. He’d let himself dream for a single minute and that had been enough. She had turned and looked at him like he was a man. The same look she had always given him. Nothing had changed in her eyes. The scar that ran from his left brow to just under his chin didn’t make any difference to her and he had craved it.

  He remembered with excruciating clarity" ao. every inch of her body and how well it had fit with his own. He remembered the taste of her skin and the feel of her body wrapped around his. He remembered the sounds she made when he plowed into her. She hadn’t protested when he had gotten rough, she had loved it. He had loved it too. He felt the stinging welts that ran down his back where her nails had raked it. She had been more than he could ever have dreamed. Fuck he was screwed.

  He rolled to his side carefully and there she was. Her blonde curls spread out over his pillow. She lay on her belly and her hair covered most of her face, but it was her. Her skin glowed in the morning light and his mouth watered to taste her again, but he couldn’t. He knew he would never taste her again. She wasn’t part of this life. She was better than this hell he lived in. He cursed himself for being so weak. Everyone knew she was off limits to the brothers and she was only allowed in the clubhouse because of him. Her father would skin him alive.

  Rider moved and felt his injuries pulling. It hurt still even if he was mostly healed. He had lost himself in a woman and she had carved him up like a Thanksgiving turkey. That bitch had spouted love words all while she had been working with the Devils. He had fallen for it hook line and sinker and he had been made a fool of. He knew this one could do it if she wanted to. He was crazy over her and always had been. He knew she wanted him too, but he had always held her off. This was not the kind of woman who wanted a biker for the long haul. Sure she would go slummin’ and then when she left him he would be empty.

  Fuck he sounded like an old woman. He knew Lizzie understood what life with the Defenders meant, her old man was the Prez and her whole family was wrapped up in it, but Lizzie had made her choice. She had gotten out. She had gone to school and become a nurse because she wanted to help people. All Rider did was hurt people. He wondered if any of the men he’d fucked up had ever been treated by Lizzie and he wanted to go back and kill them. What the hell had he done?

  Deep down he knew Lizzie would never betray him, but he couldn’t risk it, not yet and when he did he would make damned sure it wasn’t with her. She didn’t belong here. She would regret getting mixed up with him and she would hate him for it. What kind of life could her offer a woman like her anyway?

  He let himself drink her in for another moment before he pushed her roughly away.

  “Get the fuck out of my bed. This is some bedside manner. You offer this shit to all your patients or am I just one of the lucky ones?”

  Her green eyes opened and widened as she realized what was happening.

  “What the hell are you talking about Rider?”

  “Get the fuck out Lizzie and try not to make a show of where you’ve been all goddamned night. Everybody knows you’ve wanted to be here for a long time. Damn did you drug me? I can’t believe I did this shit on my own.”

  Rider saw it. He saw when his barb hit the mark and he saw her jaw harden as she refused to cry in front of him.

  “Don’t worry about it Rider. No one would guess what happened. They would assume I was just checking on you. No need to be ashamed.”

  “I hope that’s the truth. For fuck sake. This if fucking ridiculous. I’m sure there are laws against this sort of shit.”

  Lizzie stood and pulled on her clothes unashamed of her body. Rider watched from the corner of his eye knowing it was the last time he would ever see those curves her craved. He hated hurting her like this, but he knew it was for the best.

  “How do you feel this morning Rider?”

  “Fan-fucking-tastic and yourself?”

  She ignored him. “Are you experiencing any pain?”

  “Fuck. Is that what you were up to? A test drive to see if I was still able to perform? Did I pass Nurse Lizzie?”

  She met his eyes and he saw nothing there. There was no hurt and there damned sure wasn’t any adoration.

  “No, I’m making sure you are alright so I can tell my father that I won’t be needed anymore.” Her eyes grew hard. “You keep this to yourself Rider and you damned well better pray to God that you don’t get hurt anytime soon because right now I’d rather piss on you that give you a fucking band aid.”

  Rider was speechless. He knew Lizzie had spirit, but she had never lashed out at him before.

  She turned and walked out of the room as calm and collected as she always did and Rider knew he had fucked up.

  One

  Lizzie sat at the bar and brooded. She twined a blonde curl around her finger as she sat staring into her ginger ale. She hated being at Tease, but the brothers were still too paranoid to let her out of their sight for long so here she was. Jack was just a prospect but he was handsome and she liked the way he smiled at her when she flirted, but he wouldn’t really do anything about it. She was so frustrated!

  She sighed and secretly admitted that she had terrible taste in me
n. Her last boyfriend had been working for the Devils and was planning to use her as leverage against her dad, who happened to be the Prez of the Defenders MC. Then there was Rider… she cut her eyes to the front of the club where the redheaded stripper practically fucked Rider in his chair. She hated that woman.be I

  Rider must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up and smirked when he met her eyes. He squeezed Mace’s enormous breasts and grinned when Lizzie just looked away.

  Would Lizzie never learn to stop chasing after the wrong men? Rider got a lot of pleasure out of hurting her lately. He had been doing it since he’d been hurt. She had taken over nursing him and he had taken to torturing her. She knew it was because she had seen him in such compromising and embarrassing situations, but she didn’t hold those against him. What he did to show her he was still a man though, she did.

  Spec walked in and sat beside Lizzie at the bar. He bumped her leg with his knee and leaned toward her.

  “Weren’t you in his bed about an hour ago?”

  Lizzie nodded.

  “That’s a shitty thing to do.” He nodded to the front of the club.

  Lizzie nodded again. “Not like it doesn’t happen all the time though to the other girls.”

  He shrugged. “Club whores aren’t the same as you and you know it. He should too.”

  “How about you take me upstairs for a while and see if he loses that fucking grin?”

  “I’m not sure he would care.”

  “That is bullshit. He wouldn’t make such a show of being a total ass if he didn’t care. It’s the only way we know. He’s treating you like a club whore… I think it’s my duty to help you act like one for…” He looked down at his watch. “About forty-five minutes.”

  Lizzie threw her head back and laughed. She loved Spec. He never did anything expected. His blue eyes twinkled as he raised a brow in question. Lizzie nodded and stood. She grabbed his hand and headed for the stairs. She snuck one more look at Rider before she turned the corner and winked at his dark scowl. Spec really was a genius.

  Spec slapped her ass as she made the turn that took her out of Rider’s sight and she squealed. She wasn’t planning on actually fucking Spec, but at this point she wouldn’t argue if he actually made a pass, but she doubted he would. He always did the opposite of what anyone thought. He respected Rider and for some damned reason none of the brothers would touch her, either out of respect for her father or Rider and that just made no sense.

  “You know I won’t fuck you Lizzie, but I wouldn’t refuse a lap dance.” Spec wiggled his brows and Lizzie felt like she could breathe again. Spec always liked to push the limits and Lizzie was learning to like the ride too.

  She slowly slid her hands up her body as she started to move.&nbs I to movep; She slid her hands to her breasts and squeezed. Even if Spec wouldn’t fuck her, he was looking like he wanted to and Lizzie loved it. Loved feeling a man want her instead of deliberately hurting her. Loved feeling desirable and young.

  She reached up and unfastened her halter top and let the material slip down to reveal her breasts and watched Spec swallow hard. Maybe she could convince him after all.

  She danced to the music that thumped under her feet and slid her legs along his outer thighs and laughed when he grabbed her and pulled her in hard. Spec’s hands gripped her hips and Lizzie moved suggestively against him until he groaned and pressed against her.

  “Fuck Lizzie.”

  “Yeah Spec, good idea.”

  Spec laughed. “You and I both know it isn’t me you want.”

  Lizzie’s smile faded a little. “And we know both know you don’t give a flying fuck.”

  Lizzie saw it in his eyes. Spec liked the thrill and the chance that someone would challenge his right to fuck who he wanted or his right to anything for that matter. He grabbed a handful of Lizzie’s hair and pulled her mouth to his while filling his other hand with her breast. She felt on fire and she felt alive.

  She kept expecting the door to burst open, but it didn’t and before long she was glad no one bothered them….

  Rider would skin Spec if he touched Lizzie. He looked up at Mace as she rubbed against him. Lizzie had to know he didn’t want this shank, but she looked pissed when she turned that corner with Spec.

  He started to stand when a meaty hand landed on his shoulder and held him in place.

  “If she wanted you brother, you should have done something about it then, right now she’s with Spec and you ain’t gonna interrupt ‘em.”

  Moose never got in anybody’s way, but here he was standing in Rider’s way, keeping him from going to Lizzie and it pissed him off more than a little. Everyone had given him the cold shoulder for what went down with the devils and how he had handled the aftermath. That shit hadn’t been his fault. Fucking Ginny. How was Rider supposed to know she was a Devil whore? She sure as shit didn’t look it.

  “Fuck off Moose.” Rider shrugged off the man and turned back to Mace. “Spec knows better than to fuck what’s mine.”

  “Think we all know Spec does what the fuck he wants to and she ain’t been claimed.” Moose spat as he sat back down and turned his back to Rider and the display he wa ofisplay s putting on with Mace.

  “Some pricks don’t deserve a good woman.” Jack said as he sat down two beers and walked away.

  Rider snorted. Everyone knew Jack had it bad for Lizzie, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day while she mooned over Rider like a lost puppy. Rider found it hilarious.

  “That’s right you pussy, some men deserve them all!” Rider shouted at Jack’s back, but his brothers didn’t laugh like they once would have. The mess with the Devils had caused them all to go hard. Too much shit had gone down. A man they had called brother had turned out to be a traitor and that was heavy for the brothers. Rider had missed it. He had been too busy fucking a woman who was on the Devils’ payroll to do his job. He had almost died for it and he knew that if he hadn’t his brothers might have called for his blood as retribution. He knew some still felt his betrayal even if it was only by accident. He hated the way they looked at him as if they didn’t know whether to pity him for being a fool or hate him.

  He felt Shadow’s eyes on him and wanted to punch the fucker. Everyone knew what had gone down between Shadow and Rider. Shadow was a crazy fuck and got Lacey because she felt sorry for him. Who the fuck wanted a woman like that. Lacey had wanted Rider for different reasons altogether and they had been happy. Fucking club had stood in his way of that and he had stayed loyal. Fuck them for questioning him now.

  He stood shoving Mace away and stalked to the door. A man needed to be able to feel at home in his own house. Maybe it was time to move on. Maybe it was time to find a new house with new brothers where the past didn’t matter so much. Where brothers had your back and bitches had their place.

  He stepped out into the bright sunlight and squinted up to an upstairs window in time to see Lizzie drop her top and run her hands up her body. So that was it then. She would move on that fast. Fuck her too then. He didn’t need her and he didn’t need this fucking place anymore.

  He climbed on his bike and just rode away.

  Two

  Lizzie had found her happy place. It had taken her weeks to get over Rider’s desertion, but she felt as if she was starting to heal again. She was still watched closely as the war between the Defenders and the Devils raged on, but she found little freedoms in the strangest places. She still spent time at the clubhouse and was never shocked when she was dragged from bed to patch up a brother who had met with the wrong end of a knife or a bullet, but it became normal to her. It was still home after all and she was able to enjoy time with her family. She had missed it over the years and even if she didn’t want to live life in the club she found that she didn’t mind being near it nearly as much as she had thought.

  She found that she enjoyed Spec’s company too, far more than she had ever thought. He was the most intelligent man she had ever met and even though she had known it be
fore she hadn’t known the depth of his intellect until she began spending time with him. His moniker suited him better than she thought. Spec was short for inspector and he was nothing short of amazing. She had never found conversation with most of the club to be stimulating on an intellectual level, but Spec fed her need for it. He was always more than willing to sit and talk about just about anything whereas most of the others would prefer to talk about bikes, guns, and sex with a few exceptions.

  Lizzie had begun spending as much of her free time as she could with Spec. She also spent hours working at the local hospital even though her father hated it. He hated that she was so exposed and insisted on having a prospect guard her. She agreed if only to make him happy. Her life was taking a turn for the better and if she wasn’t ecstatically happy at least she was becoming content. There was something to be said of contentment after all.