Claiming Mine (Unforgiven Riders MC Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Epilogue

  Epilogue part 2

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Ana

  Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched? Ever felt the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and shivers run down your spine, only to turn and find no one there?

  I get that feeling, but he is there. I know better than to let him get to me, but he does. Every time.

  He smiles at me and takes a drink of his coffee, and my body heats from his intense gaze.

  Ace McGowan.

  Aka Sergeant-at-Arms for the Unforgiven Riders.

  I couldn’t escape him if I wanted to.

  You see, I work for his mum, in her café: Nancy’s Coffee Nook. I have for the past twelve months.

  I shake my head and walk over to the table recently vacated by an elderly couple, where I stack the dirty plates and struggle to pick up the two mugs as well. I turn back to walk towards the kitchen, when the plates start to topple. In a flash, Ace is there, saving the day.

  “I got them, babe.” His deep, husky voice resonates through my body. He always has the power to make my lady parts tingle—and he knows it.

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “No problem, baby.” I shiver when he calls me ‘baby’ or ‘babe’. Most women don’t like the endearment, thinking a bloke only uses it because he doesn’t remember the girl’s name, but when Ace says it to me, it does things to my body. I try to hide the effects, but I fail every, single time.

  “Can I get you anything else?” I ask, knowing he always has one of my homemade, mini heart-shaped chocolate cakes. They’re a simple chocolate sponge, with a raspberry cream filling and covered in chocolate ganache.

  “You know what I want,” he states, his gravelly voice causing goose bumps to appear over my skin. Oh Bugger.

  His smirk says it all: he saw the effect he has on me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This back and forth has been going on for over a year—ever since Nancy, Ace’s mum, gave me a job here in her café after I rolled into town.

  A shiver of a different kind—a nasty kind—snakes down my spine as I remember why I fled to this town with my sister. My past surges up to greet me, bringing with it all the pain he caused. But I push it back, refusing to let it darken my new life and praying it never catches up with me.

  Leaving was the safer option for me.

  I open my eyes and look straight at the man who owns my heart—and who has the power to tear that heart into a million pieces. His eyes are a pale green and stand out against his tanned skin and the well-trimmed beard he’s sporting. His dark hair is shaved at the sides and back, the length on top slightly slicked back, but not in a way that says he uses gel or hair products. More like he’s pushed it back with his hand, running his fingers through it all the time.

  “I can’t be what you want, Ace,” I whisper.

  It’s like being on a merry-go-round with him.

  “Yes, you can; you just don’t know it. Go out with me, Ana.” He picks up a piece of my hair and rubs it between his fingers. Our gazes are locked in some kind of tug of war with each other, neither one of us wanting to break the connection. But gradually, my head forces my eyes away.

  “I can’t.” I take a step back, hoping he will leave the subject alone.

  I can see the annoyance on his face. I seem to piss him off whenever he tries this, but I need to stick to my guns. I can’t be hurt again, and I know Ace can hurt me—not physically, but hurt me nonetheless.

  “We’ll see.” He leaves me standing there and heads for the door without a backwards glance. I watch his back as chairs start to scrape across the floor. I feel the first touch of lips on my cheek and can’t stop myself from smiling.

  The boys from the MC kiss me on the cheek, one by one, adding their thanks for the breakfast and coffee. First Batch, then EC, then Pitch, and finally Dyson. I have to look up to smile at the boys because they are all well over six feet tall—plus, it doesn’t take much to be taller than me.

  Dyson winks at me and whispers, “Wait for it, Mouse.” He steps away, after using my nickname the boys in the MC have given me.

  I frown at him, just before I see Ace marching back towards us. My breath catches in my throat as he gets closer and closer. He comes to a complete stop in front of me and cradles my jaw in such a soft touch I have to blink a few times just to make sure it’s really Ace.

  “Always last.” He kisses my cheek, over the exact place where the boys just laid their ‘thank you’ kisses. The kiss is so sweet that I get lost in the soft touch, his scent invading my senses—Ace always wears Paco Rabanne aftershave. Our eyes lock before he turns and walks out of the cafe, leaving me gaping like a fish out of water. Damn that man for making me feel like this. He’s making me want more. More with him.

  More with Ace McGowan could be the best thing for me, or he could ruin me for all men who follow.

  Ana

  I wipe the tears from under my eyes and try to control my breathing. Nancy just broke the news that her cancer is back, and by back, I mean with a freaking vengeance. She has a few weeks to live. The cancer has spread throughout her body. She has known for some time but didn’t want to bother anyone with the news. She knew there wasn’t anything that could be done.

  #FuckCancer

  I hate that she’s having to go through this again. I wasn’t around the first time she had it, but she’s told me the stories. Nancy has breast cancer and it’s spread to her bones. She kept her illness a secret for a long time, knowing it had progressed to the point there was no cure, and is now refusing any form of treatment.

  Ace is angry; he’s yelling and bossing people around, snapping at anyone who comes within breathing distance of him. The boys help with calming him down, but sometimes he needs to vent.

  I can hear him shouting at someone in the café, and I stay hidden in the back of the kitchen, trying to compose myself. I hate seeing Ace like this. He’s normally so strong, but I can see he is devastated by the news that his mum only has a few weeks to live.

  “I don’t fucking care if your tea is luke-fucking-warm. Fuck off to another cafe if you don’t like it,” he screams, and I can only assume a customer has made him react like this.

  I take a deep breath and walk out the front to try and calm him down.

  He’s standing over a man around my age, who is shaking in his chair. I hope he doesn’t pee himself. I don’t fancy clearing that, and I can’t see Ace McGowan cleaning up urine.

  “Ace.” I stomp over to him and he snaps his head in my direction. His narrowed eyes don’t scare me. Nothing about him scares me—other than when he’s trying to get into my knickers, and my heart.

  “Leave the man alone,” I state, putting my hands on my hips. Ace cocks an eyebrow at me but I don’t allow any emotion other than annoyance show.

  “Fuck that! He was bitching because his tea isn’t hot enough.”

  “Ace, it’s fine. We’ll get him another cup, it’s not a problem.”

  “Bullshit. He can take his shitty comments e
lsewhere. You are rushed off your feet, so lukewarm tea is the least of your fucking problems.” I sigh and lay a hand on his forearm. The heat from his skin sears my hand. I don’t normally touch him, from fear of my body reacting to his.

  This touch just proves my point.

  My being tingles at the contact and my breathing picks up. Ace straightens his back at the minor changes in my body. The anger slips away and a smirk slides into place.

  Bugger.

  Ace looks down at my hand on his arm and then back up to my face, where our eyes connect. I pull away like his skin burned me and tuck my hands into the pockets of my maxi skirt, shifting my gaze around the room. Some people are staring at us, but others are just getting on with their day. I think our regulars are used to the MC boys being in here.

  “Always better,” Ace says. Dyson sniggers from behind him but Ace keeps his eyes locked on me. My gaze snaps to Dyson and he winks at me.

  “What?” I ask, but think better of it. “Do you know what? Never mind. Sir, I will get you a new cup of tea, on the house of course.”

  “The fuck you will.” Ace’s voice booms through the room. People gasp from his outburst but I just stare at him.

  “Ace McGowan, I suggest you stop this instant.” Nancy’s voice comes from behind the counter. I didn’t even see her come in. She’s lost quite a bit of weight and her appetite is almost non-existent. She winces a little before my sister, Zarah, helps her to a nearby chair. Ace moves swiftly to be by his mother’s side. My heart swells at seeing this bad-arse biker man go all soft like a marshmallow over his ill mother.

  “I think you should leave,” Batch says to the man complaining about his tea. He nods nervously and pretty much runs from the cafe. The rest of the MC brothers chuckle at the man bolting.

  “Pussy,” EC mutters. I give him a stern look and he shuts up. These boys act all tough and hard, but when a woman they respect gives them the eyes and a stern talking to, they crumble. These boys respect me, and on some level I think that’s down to Ace and Nancy. But I also think these boys know how to treat women. Yeah, they sleep around, but they never give the girls false hope that they will get more out of their session with them.

  “Don’t you lot have somewhere else to be?” I ask the table.

  “Nah, Mouse,” EC replies with a cheeky grin. EC aka Eye Candy is the pretty boy of the club. He only has to smile, and the ladies drop their knickers. Shameless.

  “We’re on a break, pretty girl. We work hard as fuck, ya know,” Batch pipes in. I laugh and walk closer to the table.

  “You—work hard? Are you joking?”

  “Nah, babe.”

  “Batch,” Ace growls from behind me. I turn to see him still kneeling in front of Nancy, but his gaze firmly locked on Batch.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know, fucker.” My eyes snap back to Batch and he shrugs at me.

  “Do you know what? I don’t wanna know.” I walk over to the table the man just vacated and start to clear away the dirty cups and plates. I stack them up and make my way out the back to the kitchen. Once I’m there I load up the dishwasher and see how Zarah is doing with the lunch orders.

  “You okay?” I ask her. She lifts her head up and smiles at me.

  “Yeah, just need to add the gravy to this and you can take the food out. You okay?”

  “I’m okay.” I know my voice doesn’t convince her. She frowns at me and I sigh. “Ace again.”

  “When are you going to let yourself be happy again, Ana? Not all men are like the knobhead. Ace could be good for you,” she states. I know she only wants what’s best for me but letting go and being with Ace could ruin me. I inhale a deep breath and take the two plates of roast chicken out to the customers.

  I look around the room, a little disappointed to see the boys are gone. My heart sinks at the thought that Ace left without saying goodbye. God, this man has my mind in a tizzy. I see Nancy is still sitting in her chair, chatting to a lady next to her. I smile and walk over to them.

  “Do you need anything, Nance?” She looks up at me and offers a smile, a smile that could light up the bloody world. Nancy is not afraid of dying; she has made that perfectly clear. She sat me down yesterday and told me she wanted to live her life in the cafe and around her family rather than vomiting in the bathroom for her remaining days. I cried myself to sleep that night, with Zarah holding me tightly.

  “I’m good, my darling. Ace said he would see you tonight.” She winks at me. She’s made it known that she wants us to be together, but I keep shooting her idea down. She knows about Gary—I broke down not long after me and Zarah arrived here and she took us in—and she is adamant Ace and the boys can protect me, but I don't want to bring my troubles to the club. We have gone over and over this time and time again.

  “I’m not going, Nance. I have told him this and I’m sticking to my decision. I don’t belong there. I’ve seen the women who hang around, and I don’t fit in. I don’t want to fit in. Ace needs to understand that.”

  “But, Ana—” I cut her off.

  “No. I need to do this for me.” I walk away before I upset her. I know she wants her son to be happy, but I can’t give that to him. I can’t bring him into my troubles. I refuse to. She’s told me Ace and the club will help, but this is my problem, not theirs.

  The rest of the day goes without any other issues. A guy comes in and flirts with Zarah, and she takes him up on going out for a drink later tonight. It’s nice to see her living her life. Maybe one day I will too; just not now.

  We close the cafe and make our way home, Zarah talking about her date tonight all the way. She talks about what she’s going to wear, even though they’re only going to a pub in town, and I listen to her and think about when I first started dating Gary. He was great in the beginning, but we had a rush wedding because I fell pregnant. He wanted us married before the baby came; told me his kid wouldn't be known as a bastard.

  Not long after we married, I lost the baby. I was thirteen weeks pregnant at the time and it devastated me. Gary changed after that. He became abusive, both physically and mentally. He controlled every part of my life until I had no friends or family. I was only twenty at the time. I lost my parents not long after that, so my world became a very dark place to me.

  Zarah was the only shining light in my life because she refused to leave me alone. She would make a point of bumping into me when I was actually allowed out of the house.

  Mine and Zarah’s house is in a small cul-de-sac of new builds. We share the mortgage and all the other bills. It’s great living with her.

  “I’m going to have a quick shower and get ready. Dan is picking me up in an hour.”

  “Go. Get. Make yourself look pretty for this bloke.” We’re a strange dynamic, me and my sister. Zarah is thirty, two years older than me, but I’m wiser. I always acted like the older sister, until shit hit the fan with Gary. Zarah was always the wild child of the family.

  I climb the stairs and walk into my room, stripping off my work clothes. Opening my drawer, I pull out my comfy cotton shorts and a tank top. Then I brush my hair out and tie it up in a messy bun. After throwing my dirty clothes into the washing basket, I head down to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.

  I take my mug over to the patio doors that lead out to our very well-manicured garden, thanks to the MC boys. There is a flower bed along one side, filled with a variety of flowers—I like colours. The large tree at the bottom of the garden allows for perfect shade in the summer.

  I never would have thought a bunch of bikers could clean up a garden and make it look pretty. They even added some solar fairy lights along the walls and some solar lights mixed in with the flowers.

  I sit on the white bench Zarah found at a car boot sale one Sunday and take in the evening weather. The sun is still high in the sky. It’s summer here in England, so we get sunlight until around nine p.m. We enjoy the nice weather whenever we have it because it could be raining tomorrow. Luckily, we’re supposed to have sunny weather all w
eek.

  I lose track of time while reading a sexy rock-star book. Who doesn’t love rock-star triplets? A knock at the front door startles me from my reading bubble. I slap my hand over my heart and calm my rapid breathing. After placing my Kindle down on the bench, I walk through the house to the front door, giving a quick glance at the clock on the wall and noticing it’s just before eight-thirty.

  I pull the door open, not expecting who is on the other side.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask my visitor.

  “Why, were you expecting some other bloke to visit you at this time of night?” I shake my head at him.

  “I’m here alone, Ace. Zarah is out on a date with some guy she met today at the cafe. But again: what are you doing here?” He folds his arms across his chest, making the black t-shirt tighten around his biceps. His club cut fits him like a glove. So does the sexy leather jacket he wears during the winter months. His green eyes shine bright under the security light, and they bore into mine as I wait for an answer to my question.

  “You didn’t come to the club party. Why?” I sigh and wrap my arms around my middle, protecting myself from this man.

  “You know why, Ace. When are you going to understand that we,” I wave my hand between us, “can’t happen.” He sighs and drops his hands before inching forward and resting his forearms on the doorframe, leaning into the house just a little. My heart skips a beat at how close he is. This is what Ace McGowan does to me. He affects me so bloody much. The little touches that have passed between us over the past year have made it almost unbearable to be around him.

  “Why? Clearly you find me attractive, and you know I find you sexy as fuck. So why?”