Free Hellbent (Four Horsemen MC Book 5) by Sara Rayne Page B

playing with. I always play to win. " Shep felt something dangerous creep into his tone. He was drunk, frustrated and weary. He'd given up on falling asleep, deferring to habitual drinking and passing out to get a little shut eye. And that made him a damn, mean drunk.
    That's why he usually avoided people in the wee hours.
    "You think my father did a number on me?" Shep knew his smile hadn't reached his eyes.
    The pissed off warning radiating from Pretty Boy's tight shoulders should have turned him off. Should have.  Chin tucked down, he glared at him through a fringe of hair falling in his face. "You trying to say something?"
    "Quick and dirty—I wasn't the guy that shoved a lit cigarette down a man's throat then broke his neck to get a little payback on daddy." He meant his words to hurt. “Doesn’t matter who you’re punching, it’s always his face you see.”
     Problem was seeing Pretty Boy all worked up over what Shep said, all wounded pride and righteous fury and you can go fuck yourself —was just goddamn beautiful. Hypnotically striking didn't begin to cover it. So even if he got Pretty to back off, Shep'd still be aching.
    Pretty Boy's head snapped up. "Had nothing to do—"
    "C'mon. Who you talking to?" Shep darted a hand out to circle Pretty Boy's wrist, flipping his arm over to the soft, pale underneath. White, circular scars shone in the moonlight spilling in the windows. Shep traced one with the tip of his finger, feeling Pretty Boy shudder under his grip. He barely bit back a groan. He tried to remind himself why he couldn't have this, shouldn't want it. He was coming up empty. "You going to tell me that had nothing to do with this.”
    Pretty Boy took a long swallow of 'shine. "I could use a smoke."
    "Thought you just had one?"
    Pretty Boy waggled his eyebrows. "Not the kind I intend to have now."
    "Roll it. I'll take the heat from Ryker." Shep leaned back, studying Pretty Boy's methodical movements as he rolled a blunt, the flash of his thumb ring catching the moonlight.
    "You're mad I killed that guy?" He ran his tongue along the seam of the cigar wrap.
    "I worry about what it says when a man kills a person and doesn't even blink," Shep said softly. He flicked his Zippo open running the flickering flame along the seam as Pretty Boy perched the blunt between two fingers.
    "You did."
    Shep took a long swallow of his drink. "I blinked."
    "Yeah, I guess so," he said, bitter bristling around the words. "You dropped out of seminary, dropped the church … dropped me."
    "I …" How did he want to say this? "I came back for you."
    Pretty Boy smirked. "Yeah, led me to the promise land of the Four Horsemen MC. And here I am. What the fuck are you going to do with me now?"
    "That's the million dollar questions, isn't it?" Shep stared at the bits of peach floating in his Mason jar.
    "There's no answers in that glass," Pretty Boy said. "But I can give you some, if you need. " Somehow, his low growl of the word made it sound X-Rated.
    Shep swallowed hard. "Hit me."
    Pretty Boy inhaled deep, holding the smoke in his lungs as he rasped, "You came here tonight to see me. You locked all the doors before you sat down so our little chat wouldn't be interrupted. And you can't lie when you're drunk."
    "That a fact?"
    "Yeah it is." He grinned. "So, judging by the relax in your posture, now's a marvelous time for us to have that talk you've been working up to, don't you think?"
    "Talk?" Shep asked softly. Pretty Boy wasn't wrong. He was a shit liar when he was sauced. Which probably put him on really dangerous ground.
    "About me kissing you in the alley. Or about you kissing me back." Pretty Boy took the smoke out of Shep's hand. He'd let it burn to the filter in one long cylindrical ash. He put it out in an empty saucer. "Which was it?"
    "I … didn't." At least, he shouldn’t have. Dammit.
    "Didn't what?" Pretty Boy smirked. "Kiss me back?"
    He shook his head. Pretty Boy licked his lips and said, "Try again, Shep. You