Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition by Elizabeth Knox (top 5 ebook reader txt) 📕

“Summer, baby, you need to calm down,” Dozer’s voice washes over me, immediately making me feel safe and warm.

“D-Dozer, I hurt,” I groan out, my throat hurting worse than the rest of my body almost.

“I know, baby. I’ll get the nurse in here to give you some more medicine,” he tells me.

When I think he’s going to leave my side, I try to hang on to him with a firmer grip. Dozer leans over my side and places a kiss against my forehead while assuring me he’s not going anywhere. It feels as if I’ve been run over multiple times across my entire body. Dozer’s kiss, while sweet and assuring, makes the pain in my head radiate even more through my skull and down into my jaw.

It’s not long before a nurse rushes into my room and I’m pulled back down into the abyss where I feel no pain and see nothing but Dozer’s face in my mind. He’s so sweet and loving, attentive when we’re in the same place. I’m still not sure if he’s the man I can be with any longer though. I want to settle down and have a family of my own. Dozer is a Nomad for a reason and that doesn’t involve settling in one place for the rest of his life. He’s meant for bigger things and traveling across the world. To go wherever he’s needed and help other chapters of the Wild Kings.

Waking up again, the steady beeping sound lets me know I’m still in the hospital. I’m not sure why I’m here or what happened to me. Trying to open my eyes, I find that I can this time. Not much, but at least enough to make out the blurry images of Dozer sitting next to me and someone else standing in the room. My heart rate spikes as I don’t know who else is with me. Dozer is sleeping with his head on the edge of the bed and I don’t want to wake him up.

My eyes slowly begin to focus. Standing at the end of my bed, against the wall, is a man from the club we were at. I believe his name is Skull, the President. I’m not comfortable with him being in here, but I know he’s not the man who hurt me. Suddenly I’m filled with images of what happened at his clubhouse. Eating breakfast and then a man assaulting me. He took me to some small shed outside and tried to rape me. Thankfully things didn’t get that far before he took off and left me there to die.

“Summer, how are you feelin’?” Skull asks, keeping his voice low so he doesn’t wake my man.

“Not good,” I respond with my throat still bothering me as it’s dry.

Skull walks over and places a cup of water next to me. He turns the straw toward me so I can sip the water. The coolness of it refreshes me and helps take the pain away. Pulling the cup away, he sets it on the rolling stand and steps back. At the same time, Dozer wakes up and squeezes my hand.

Turning my attention toward him, I take in his appearance. There’s more than a five o’clock shadow covering the lower half of his face while his eyes are dull and purple circles fill his skin under his eyes. Dozer’s clothes are rumpled and wrinkled as he leans forward and kisses the back of my hand.

“Do you need me to get the nurse?” he asks me, his voice low and gentle.

“No. I’d just like to be alone now,” I answer him, turning my head to face the wall in front of me. “You should be with Blaze. Please, just leave me alone.”

“I’m not leavin’ your side, Summer,” he states, his tone hardening and confused.

“Yes, you are. You’re a Nomad, Dozer. It’s what you do. I’ll heal and make my way back to Clifton Falls. That’s how this works between us,” I respond, keeping all emotion out of my voice.

“Things have changed,” he tells me, getting me to look at him again.

“Nothing has changed. Blaze needs you by his side and I need to think about things,” I tell him, knowing Skull is leaving the room.

“Think about what?” he demands.

“I don’t know if this is what I want anymore. I want to settle down and have a family. You don’t want that, and I don’t blame you for it. It’s just time to go our separate ways. I love you, Dozer, enough to let you go and not make you do something you don’t want to do,” I say, not looking him in the eyes.

“Who says I don’t want that?” he growls, releasing my hand from his own.

“If you weren’t a Nomad, I might think you did. We’ve been doing this for years and you’ve never once mentioned the need to settle down or have a family. That’s how I know you don’t want that,” I answer him honestly.

“Summer, I’m ready to get off the road. I’ll settle down with one chapter of the club and we’ll build a life. Any life you want to have,” he says, picking my hand back up. “I’ll call Grim right now and find out which club I can go to.”

“It’s not enough,” I try again to make him understand. “You’re going to end up resenting me and I don’t want to see that happen.”

“Summer, you’re pregnant,” he deadpans. “I didn’t want to tell you because we still don’t know if the baby will survive your injuries. But, you need to know.”

Tears fill my eyes as I look at him. This can’t be happening. Not now. I will not be that girl. The one who traps a man into being with her and giving up everything he loves because of a baby. I fully believe that’s what my mother did to my father for some reason and I don’t want to be like her in that regard.

“Dozer, a baby