Bound (Dark Horse #1) Read online

  Bound

  A Dark Horse Novel

  Copyright 2016 by J.S. Scott and Cali MacKay

  All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission.

  Cover Design by Cali MacKay

  ISBN: 978-1-939962-95-9 (E-Book)

  ISBN: 978-1-939962-96-6 (Paperback)

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1 Kane

  CHAPTER 2 Anna

  CHAPTER 3 Kane

  CHAPTER 4 Anna

  CHAPTER 5 Kane

  CHAPTER 6 Anna

  CHAPTER 7 Kane

  CHAPTER 8 Anna

  CHAPTER 9 Kane

  CHAPTER 10 Anna

  CHAPTER 11 Kane

  CHAPTER 12 Anna

  CHAPTER 13 Kane

  CHAPTER 14 Anna

  CHAPTER 15 Kane

  CHAPTER 16 Anna

  CHAPTER 17 Kane

  CHAPTER 18 Anna

  CHAPTER 19 Kane

  CHAPTER 20 Anna

  CHAPTER 21 Kane

  CHAPTER 22 Anna

  CHAPTER 23 Kane

  CHAPTER 24 Anna

  CHAPTER 25 Kane

  CHAPTER 26 Anna

  CHAPTER 27 Anna

  EPILOGUE Gavin

  CHAPTER 1

  Kane

  Squeezing my eyes shut against the sunlight streaming through the hotel window, I woke up with my head throbbing, my cock hard, and only a vague recollection of the trouble I’d gotten into the night before. I’d been at some club—and then I think I recall another—or had I just come back to my hotel room? Not that I could remember with my head swimming in a thick fog.

  Too much booze, too much trouble, too much pussy—that much I remembered, at least. Though I drank if I went out for the night, I never drank to the point of not remembering—and no drugs. Never drugs. So what the hell happened last night? Did I just have one too many?

  That must have been it…

  Besides, I’d lived a hard life and had no problem taking some time to enjoy myself. It’s not like I didn’t bust my ass the rest of the time. I’d built my fortune from nothing more than bad luck, a lesson learned, and a whole lot of charm.

  So now? If I wanted to drink and fuck between making million dollar deals, that was my prerogative.

  Still half asleep, I reached down and gave my morning wood a rough stroke, my shaft hard in my hand as I half-wondered if whoever I’d brought back to my room was still around or if they’d left in the middle of the night.

  I vaguely recalled fucking someone last night, and wouldn’t mind a repeat, since I liked nothing better than waking up with a morning lay. I knew there’d been a pretty blonde with a killer ass, and earlier on in the night, there’d been a gorgeous brunette who would have been smoking hot had she skipped the breast implants and stayed natural.

  Yet as I tried to shake myself awake, I started to realize that something felt different.

  I was used to drinking, but this morning, my thoughts were foggy, slow. Even my body, my muscles, felt like they didn’t want to work, every movement taking three times the effort and happening at half the speed.

  And it was a damned rare thing that I couldn’t remember what I’d done the night before.

  Must have had something to drink that was a hell of a lot stronger than I thought. Maybe Candy…no, Cindy…remembered what the hell we got up to.

  Rolling over onto my side, I reached out and wrapped my arm around Cindy’s waist, pulling her to me, when I felt something wet. Something wasn’t right. I pulled my hand away, my heart pounding—and saw the blood that coated my palm and fingers.

  “Fuck.”

  The girl was dead…the blonde.

  A surge of adrenaline kicked through my system as I leapt out of bed on shaky legs, taking in the scene around me, and half-expecting an attack.

  My world spun, my head pounding as I swayed, a horrible dread gripping me.

  Fucking hell…someone must have drugged me.

  I swallowed down my panic, forcing myself to focus.

  Those fucking bastards. My enemies had promised they’d take me down, one way or the other. I just hadn’t expected them to go this far.

  I needed to get out of here, needed to find out the truth of what happened here, and get enough evidence to prove my innocence. Because I might not be sure of a whole lot in life, but I was damn sure of two things.

  I hadn’t killed that woman—and there was no way I was going back to jail.

  I didn’t have any choice but to make a run for it. Unfortunately, my enemies were plenty and they were powerful. So until my team found the evidence needed to clear my name and figure out which one of my enemies was behind the murder, my only option was to lay low and get the fuck out of Dodge—which was exactly what I was doing.

  It’d been five days since the police found the girl’s body in my hotel room. Of course, the media had plastered my face all over the TV and internet, all too happy to tell my rags to riches story and pick apart my entire life, implying I was a murderer. Luckily, it only lasted all of two days, before the vultures moved on to a new story, courtesy of several DC politicians who’d gotten caught up in a high-end prostitution ring.

  Several states away, I was finally a few hours from my great uncle’s cabin, which was nestled in the middle of nowhere. It’d been my one chance to get out of the city when I was a kid, and so my mom would send me away for the summer, no doubt happy to get rid of me and my brothers.

  Woods and mountains surrounded the cabin, so unless someone knew exactly where to look, chances were slim to none that anyone would find me. And given my Uncle Jack’s anti-government paranoia, there was a good chance it’d take someone highly motivated to link ownership of the place to him, and then to me.

  I’d already grabbed some supplies, since Jack hadn’t been to the cabin in years, having moved to a more…secure compound. I’d still head to the cabin every now and then, when I needed a break from civilization, especially now that the place was empty.

  I knew that the town I was now driving through was the last bit of civilization for those few heading into the wilderness that lay just beyond this last, sparsely populated area. There might be a few hunters, depending on the season, but I’d be heading deep enough into the mountains and there’d be few who’d go through the trouble.

  Yet as I neared the last few buildings in town, I couldn’t resist pulling into the parking lot of the tiniest diner I’d ever seen, desperate for a cup of coffee and a hot meal. Even though it was late, and the diner seemed fairly empty, I parked on the side of the building, tucked in the shadows and away from the lights.

  Before stepping out into the frigid winter air, I took a quick look in the mirror of my visor, wondering if I looked different enough to not be recognized now that I had a bit of a beard growing in. I was taking a bit of a risk, but there was just one other car in the lot, and that likely belonged to whoever was running the diner. It was already fairly late, and the dinner crowd was already long gone, so there was a slim chance there’d be a rush, especially not so close to closing time.

  I grabbed my old battered baseball cap—an item that I’d somehow managed to hold onto through the years—and pulled it down low over my head, before turning up the collar on my old leather jacket. Just needed to go in, have a quick bite, and then get the fuck out of there so I could finish my drive into the mountains.

  The bell on the glass door jingled and jumped as I pulled it open, though it’d be hard to miss anyone walking into the place. It was o
ne of those old diner cars, but half the space was taken up by the kitchen, and there wasn’t a single customer around. Hands down, this was the smallest diner I’d ever seen—which is probably why it only needed one person to man it. And fucking hell, but the girl behind the counter was smoking hot. A red head, too, rocking some sort of fifties rock-a-billy vibe, which perfectly matched the décor in the retro diner.

  “Always love new customers—and I definitely haven’t seen you around before.” She grabbed the pot of coffee and held it up to me in question as I slipped onto the stool and nodded. Once she’d poured me a cup of steaming hot coffee, she handed me a laminated menu. “Specials are on the board, sugar.”

  “Sugar?” That had my eyebrows perking up in question as I cracked a smile, despite my intentions to remain distant and quiet. “What do you recommend?”

  “I’m the one cooking, so it’s all good. But it’d be a damn shame if you didn’t have the pie. Apple, pear, and raspberry with a hazelnut crumb topping.” She leaned against the counter and gave me a smile that had my cock going hard. The girl was all curves, and I was betting that with such a pretty little mouth, she’d look downright amazing with those plump lips of hers wrapped around my hard cock. “I’ve got homemade vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream, too, if you prefer it a la mode.”

  “Let’s start with the pie, and then round it out with a bacon cheeseburger and fries.” Why the hell not? It might be my only decent meal for a damn long time, since I wasn’t known for my cooking. Though if this was good, I might have to risk coming down out of the mountains for more.

  “My kind of guy. Dessert first.” She cut me a generous slice, and stuck it into the broiler to heat through. “Name’s Anna, by the way.”

  Kane was my name, though there was no way I was telling her that. Instead, I opted for one of my nicknames. “My friends call me Phoenix.”

  “You sticking around at all or are you just passing through?” I could have sworn she was looking rather hopeful, though maybe I was reading more into it than was actually there. There was just something about her that made me want to linger instead of downing my food and getting the hell out of there.

  “Passing through, I’m afraid, though if the pie’s as good as you say it is, I might just have to detour back through here.” I gave her one of my most charming smiles, then took a long sip of the steaming hot coffee, drinking half the cup in one go. Fuck, it’d been too long since I had a decent cup of brew, having to make due with gas station dregs.

  “Oh, trust me. It’s good. Don’t let the tiny diner in the middle of nowhere fool you.” With a smile over her shoulder, she pulled the pie out of the broiler, then bent over to get the ice cream, giving me a perfect view of her plump ass.

  “Is this place yours then?” I looked up into blue eyes that drifted on a sea of freckles as she dolloped whipped cream on top of the already-melting ice cream.

  “It is now.” She leaned against the counter and watched me with a curious interest as I took my first bite. “Well?”

  Sweet and tangy…creamy and crunchy…hot and cold… “It’s fucking amazing, Anna. But then again, you already knew that.”

  “So I did.” She put the ice cream and whipped cream away, then wiped down the counter before tossing the burgers onto the flattop and getting the fries ready to drop. “Take your time…I’m just going to lock the door in case anyone else shows up, and start cleaning up. But if you need anything at all, just let me know. I’m not trying to rush you out of here or anything.”

  If she was the only one running this place, then she’d likely been on her feet since early morning. It was clear she was dedicated. Talented, too, since this was easily the best pie I’d ever eaten.

  “As good as this is, I might have to take a few slices to go.” I couldn’t help but watch her walk out from behind the counter as she went to throw the bolt on the front door. And when she started walking back in my direction, I just had to swivel around, even though there was no way I should be thinking the dirty thoughts that were crossing my mind.

  I needed to get going. I was already taking too big a risk, and lingering wasn’t going to do me any good. But then she slowed as she started to walk by me, and with my long legs stretched out in front of her path, I couldn’t resist grabbing her hand and pulling her to me. Pie wasn’t the only thing I wouldn’t be getting once I headed into the mountains.

  Nestled between my legs, I tangled my fingers with hers as my other hand reached over to grasp her hip, her mouth parting on an inhale as her tongue darted out to lick her lips. “Now, what exactly do you think you’re doing, Phoenix?”

  I gave her a casual shrug and bent my head to hers, as I took in her sweet scent, her lips but a breath away. “Just thought I’d thank you properly for that pie.”

  “And how exactly were you going to do that?”

  CHAPTER 2

  Anna

  My body’s response to Phoenix was immediate, even as my mind told me I was crazy for even considering kissing a stranger who’d just wandered into my diner. I could feel his warm breath against my lips and I was mesmerized. Something about him had drawn me in from the moment he’d entered through the door, even though I knew he was probably trouble.

  I reluctantly freed my hand from his and pushed against his chest, needing to put some physical distance between us before I did something stupid. “Money works. No need to thank me any nicer for the pie. Just make sure you leave a big tip, sugar.”

  I wondered vaguely how I could possibly be attracted to him as I left him to his pie and finished up his food order. He looked like he’d been dragged to hell and back. His baseball cap was obviously a relic, the leather jacket expensive but worn, and the dark circles under his eyes and his weary look very real.

  He’d said he was just passing through, and it was clear he’d been on the road for days. The scruff on his face was unkempt, obviously not a practiced look just to appear rugged and hot. Nevertheless, I’d been flirting with him, something I usually didn’t do with unknown customers. Hell, it was something I really didn’t do at all.

  I was in the customer service business now, and I made great small talk. But I didn’t hit on any of the guys who entered my restaurant.

  I shook my head slightly, wondering why I was even bothering to think about him. Think about him? Hell, I was actually flirting with him, and it wasn’t just to be kind to a customer. Sure, I’d put on my working smile and persona the minute he’d walked in the door. I always did. As the owner of a tiny diner, I needed every customer. But he’d be gone shortly, and I’d never see him again. Why did that thought somehow bother me just a little?

  The guy had a definite bad boy, down-on-his-luck, desperately hungry look going on. Maybe I was just drawn to men who needed to be fixed, or maybe I kind of liked his cocky attitude, which was different for me. I had hunters, campers, and plenty of drifters come through the door of the diner, but my body had never reacted to a single one of them.

  “I think I liked my idea better,” he answered with a smirk as I set his food in front of him.

  “Sugar…that only makes one of us. And it takes two to tango.” Okay, I had sort of liked his idea, but I generally didn’t screw the customers as part of my dinner service.

  I finished serving up his meal, then watched him eat as I plopped on a stool just a short distance away, but far enough that he couldn’t touch me…unfortunately. I couldn’t figure out if I liked him, or if I just wanted him to fuck me up against a wall until I screamed in climax. There was something about this forward jerk that really did make me want him. Maybe after he was gone, I’d finally figure out exactly what it was.

  He liked my pie, so that was something, I guess. By the way he was inhaling my burger and fries, I assumed he was enjoying those, too, although it was possible he was just hungry.

  “Where are you headed?” I was curious, since he didn’t exactly look
like a hunter—not animals of the four-legged variety anyway.

  “To the mountains,” he answered casually as he finished off his food.

  His answer was purposely vague and nonchalant, and his words made me shiver. I hated the mountains, which is why I lived in a remote area of the foothills, and owned a diner which had very few new visitors, especially in the fall and winter. It was ironic that I couldn’t move away, but I now hated the very geological formations that kept me here.

  “You aren’t going to find many people up there this time of year.” I nodded my head toward the high snowcapped peaks outside the front window.

  “That suits me just fine,” he answered in a graveled, weary voice.

  “You could end up stuck there when the snow flies.” They closed the rural mountain roads plenty when the snow became overwhelming, sometimes for weeks at a time. This remote mountain area of Colorado wasn’t a priority when it came to clearing roads. Most of the hardy residents had their own plows. There were no official ski areas nearby, and the population was sparse. The department of transportation spent most of its time trying to keep major roads open in the mountains, areas that actually had traffic.

  Phoenix shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

  I glanced at his face, noticing I was being intensely studied by a pair of intelligent hazel eyes, and he wasn’t just checking me out now.

  He’s analyzing me. Why?

  People fled to the mountains for plenty of reasons, but mostly to find solitude. For some reason, I wondered what his particular issues were. Usually, it didn’t matter, and I kept my mouth shut. But I could sense there was something off about Phoenix, since I doubted that being alone, up in the mountains, was really his style.

  Thick, dark locks of hair had escaped his ball cap, but it didn’t look like it had been long since he’d had a haircut. The stubble on his face told me that he usually shaved, although he’d gone at least several days without touching a razor.

  Then, as my eyes left his face…I saw it! The cuff of his leather jacket had inched up, or he’d pushed it back himself to eat. I squinted at the intricate scrawl of tattooed writing that ran up his arm, two wolves and mountains peeking out from underneath the leather and disappearing beneath the cuff of his jacket. The marks were beautifully drawn, but it was the words that had my body suddenly going tense.