Free Tease: A Kings of Korruption MC Novel by Geri Glenn

because from that single touch of his face, I knew he’d lived a hard life – that he’d been through something tragic.   Something that changed his life forever.   Just like me.
    Picking up my phone, I direct it to call Travis.   It rings seven times before I remember he’s driving.   Pacing back and forth, I ignore the burn in my foot from where I’d stepped on the glass.   My anxiety takes over, numbing any pain.   I will never forgive myself if I can’t apologize to him.
    Unable to take it anymore, I try his number again.   I wait ten full rings before I hang up.   When he checks his phone next, he’s going to think I’m a stalker.   I send him a text.
    Laynie:   Travis, I need to talk to you.   Please answer your phone.
    Thinking back to just a little while ago, I remember the feeling of Travis beneath me.   Of his hard body firm under mine.   Of his soft lips moving in rhythm with my own.   Nobody had ever kissed me that way.   Nobody had ever set me on fire like that.   Nobody had ever even tried.
    Three more times I try Travis’s number, each time letting it ring a little longer and a little longer still, but he never answers.   My head aches right along with my heart, and I decide it’s time for me to go to bed.   I will get ahold of Travis first thing in the morning and apologize, making this all better.   He’ll come back.   He has to.
    I take Dex out for his nightly pee and ready myself for bed, trying Travis just one last time.   Still no answer.   Settling under the blankets, my heart sings when my phone rings, breaking the gloomy silence in the room.   I scramble for the phone, pushing the button for the verbal caller ID.   It’s my mother.   Groaning, I bury my face in the pillow and try to get some sleep.

NO MATTER HOW FAST or how far I rode last night, I couldn’t get the memory of her fucking gasp from my head.   I can’t stop thinking about that kiss, still feeling the ghost of her lips on mine.   I’ve reasoned with myself all day that it meant nothing — that she meant nothing — but I know I’m fucking lying.
    Sitting in the back corner of the clubhouse, I drain my fourth beer of the night.   I’m determined to drink until the memory fades, giving my aching heart a fucking rest.   The place is packed.   Whores dance around the room, tits hanging out of their shirts.   Old ladies sit together in the corner, drinking and laughing.   The rest of the Kings are scattered throughout the crowd, partying it up and having a great time.   I wish I knew what it was like to be like them.   To let loose – have fun.
    A commotion by the front door drowns out the laughter around me.   “Well hell-o, Barbie!”   Fucking Jase.   The guy is always the life of the party – never fucking serious, and tonight, I just don’t want to listen to it.   “Come on in, sweetheart!   We don’t bite!”
    “Speak for yourself,” someone calls out.
    “Well damn.   I must be at the wrong party then because I was promised there’d be biting.”   My whole body freezes.   That voice .   I’m out of my seat and at the front door before Jase even gets a chance to respond.   He has that flirty grin of his on his face and is reaching for her hand when I push myself between them.
    Grabbing her arm, I pull her and her dog away from him and speak harshly into her ear.   “How the hell did you get in here?”
    She flinches, a wounded look flashing on her face before she wipes it clear of emotion.   “The guy outside let me in.   I told him I was with you.”
    Fucking Mouse.   “I’ll talk to him later.   You need to fuckin’ leave.”
    Another flinch.   “OK.   I’ll leave.   But first, I wanted to apologize.   That kiss …”   She smiles softly, and at the mention of our kiss, my heart beats a little faster.   “Travis, that kiss was beautiful.   I didn’t – “
    “Hi!”   Fuck me.   Both of our heads whip in the direction of the high-pitched