Worth the fight royal ba.., p.1
Worth the Fight: Royal Bastards MC, page 1
Worth the Fight
Royal Bastards MC
J.L. Leslie
Copyright 2023. J.L. Leslie. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes, promotions, authorized giveaways or teasers only.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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Dedication
I want to, first of all, dedicate this book to my mom, like I do all my books. She is who always supported me in my writing, and I dedicate all my words to her. I miss her each and every day!
A special thanks to my husband and kids for allowing me to go into my writing cave (which I do quite often) and for their love and support! Also, to my sister for listening to my ideas and never complaining! You’re the best! I love you all!
To my fan group, J.L. Leslie’s Fiction Addiction, for being the best fan group an author could ever ask for! Thank you!
To my Beta Babes: thank you for giving me honest feedback and critique!
To my ARC team: thank you so much for reading my words! It amazes me each day that people take the time to read what I write and sometimes actually enjoy it!
Last, but not least, a special thanks to the Royal Bastards World and all who participated! I truly am honored for being allowed to take part in this amazing adventure! You are all so wonderfully talented, and I appreciate being part of this world with each of you!
Contents
Royal Bastards Code
1. Munsey
2. Taylor
3. Munsey
4. Taylor
5. Munsey
6. Taylor
7. Munsey
8. Taylor
9. Munsey
10. Taylor
11. Munsey
12. Taylor
13. Munsey
14. Taylor
15. Munsey
16. Taylor
17. Munsey
18. Taylor
19. Munsey
20. Taylor
21. Munsey
22. Taylor
23. Munsey
24. Taylor
25. Munsey
26. Taylor
27. Munsey
28. Taylor
29. Munsey
30. Taylor
31. Munsey
32. Taylor
33. Munsey
34. Taylor
35. Munsey
36. Taylor
37. Munsey
38. Taylor
39. Munsey
40. Taylor
41. Munsey
42. Taylor
43. Munsey
44. Taylor
45. Munsey
46. Taylor
47. Munsey
48. Taylor
49. Munsey
50. Taylor
51. Munsey
52. Taylor
53. Munsey
Untitled
Thank you
Freebie
Royal bastards mc
Mayhem makers
Jaden
Harloe
Royal Bastards Code
PROTECT: The club and your brothers come before anything else, and must be protected at all costs. CLUB is FAMILY.
RESPECT: Earn it & Give it. Respect club law. Respect the patch. Respect your brothers. Disrespect a member and there will be hell to pay.
HONOR: Being patched in is an honor, not a right. Your colors are sacred, not to be left alone, and NEVER let them touch the ground.
OL’ LADIES: Never disrespect a member’s or brother’s Ol’Lady. PERIOD.
CHURCH is MANDATORY.
LOYALTY: Takes precedence over all, including well-being.
HONESTY: Never LIE, CHEAT, or STEAL from another member or the club.
TERRITORY: You are to respect your brother’s property and follow their Chapter’s club rules.
TRUST: Years to earn it...seconds to lose it.
NEVER RIDE OFF: Brothers do not abandon their family.
1
Munsey
I’ve been avoiding this place like the fucking plague for months. The place I used to call home. Being a member of the RBMC and hanging out at the clubhouse used to be a dream. Now, it’s my nightmare.
Mason told me they rebuilt after the fire and made the compound bigger and better. We have a small set of apartments in the back for the women the Royal Harlots help. It’s pretty much a safe haven for former addicts and women escaping from abusive relationships.
We have a separate building for the guys who want to be close to the clubhouse but not live there full-time. A place for families. Fuck, it’s like our own village, all thanks to insurance money and men who are willing to pick up a hammer and nails.
I’m welcome back anytime I am ready. But how do I face it? How do I accept the fact that I couldn’t save them?
“You could just come inside.”
Taylor Cross.
Carson and Lina took her in when they found her beaten and bruised, begging for food at the grocery store. The club became her family. Protected her at all costs. Hell, I killed for her. And I can’t help but wonder if her piece-of-shit mom and pedophile stepdad were somehow involved in the attack on the clubhouse.
She leans forward, slipping her fingers through the chain link fence. They brush against mine, and I don’t have the strength to pull away.
“Why are you here?”
The question comes out rude, which isn’t necessarily my intention. Taylor is the last person I want to be rude to. She’s the only person who seems to truly understand what I’m going through.
“Unlike you, I actually feel at peace here.”
“I feel at peace here.” I lie.
“We both know that isn’t true.”
I glance over at her, taking in her soft blonde hair and ocean eyes. The tattoos on her arms make her appear much older than nineteen. She’s a fucking kid, but she’s witnessed more than most adults. Survived it all. I shouldn’t want her, but I do. My feelings for her cause a storm of emotions inside me. With everything I’m already dealing with, I can’t deal with her right now.
“What the fuck do you want from me, Taylor? For me to admit I still have nightmares about what happened? That I still blame myself? Well, there you go. I admit it. Happy?”
This isn’t me. At least it’s not who I used to be. I was always laughing and joking around. Didn’t have a fucking care in the world. I was a patched member of the RBMC and afraid of nothing and no one. I was the one who was feared.
“I miss you, Christian,” she says quietly, using my first name. She’s the only one who does.
“You don’t miss me, little girl. You don’t even know me.”
“We both know that isn’t true either.” She smirks.
“You think because you slept in my hospital bed a few nights that you mean something to me? It meant nothing. When I look at you, all I think about is the possibility that had Carson and Lina not taken you in, they’d still be alive.”
She flinches at my words, tears filling her eyes. Snatching her hands away from the fence, she backs away and walks toward the clubhouse, not turning back.
Another lie. It did mean something, although I’m not sure what.
More than anything, I think about how perfectly she fit curled against me. How her scent and touch soothed away the nightmares. And how I lost count of how many times I wish I’d fucked her.
2
Taylor
He’s still running. Well, running might not be the appropriate word. He talks to the guys still. Phones into church so that he still has a vote. And I know that because Mason busted me trying to eavesdrop.
But he isn’t here. He hasn’t stepped foot inside the compound since they got it rebuilt. Almost a year has passed, and he still hates himself for what happened.
I want to know who attacked them just as much as they do. I finally had a home. People who cared about me. Whoever is behind the attack is responsible for their deaths.
Part of me wonders if it could be my mom. I despise even calling her that. Moms are supposed to love their children. Not sell their bodies to any man willing and able to pay.
The possibility that she’s behind it makes me sick, but I stopped hoping to find the goodness in my mom a long time ago. She’s very capable of being behind the attack, and it hasn’t escaped my attention that I haven’t seen or heard from her since. No more threats to get me and put me back to work. No more begging for me to come home or lies that she’ll never hurt me again.
“Is he still refusing to come in?” Skylar asks.
Her son is playing with some trucks on the floor while she and Jake watch TV. They have their own place off the compound, but like me, they feel at peace here. I could stay in one of the apartments if I wanted. They’ve offered several times, but I choose to stay in the spare room here. It’s where I feel the safest.
“Yep.”
“Give him some time,” Jake suggests. “We all deal with things our own way.”
I can relate to that. I dealt with losing Carson and Lina by staying with Christian. I’d sneak down the hall to his hospital room and crawl into his bed. The nurses didn’t attempt to stop me.
We never spoke. Just held each other through the pain. I don’t know w hat it means. According to him, it meant nothing. I thought it meant everything. That we both found someone who made things better.
He tried to save Carson and Lina. But who saves him? Why aren’t the guys pushing him to return?
“What if he doesn’t come back?”
“He will,” Jake assures me. “The club is the only family he has.”
Another thing we have in common. I don’t have a clue who my biological father is. My stepdad is dead. My mom’s whereabouts are unknown. Christian’s parents don’t live anywhere near here, and as far as I know, they rarely speak to each other.
Yeah, the club is my only family now. And the way I see it, Christian is too. And it’s time I fight for him.
He’s worth it. No matter what he thinks.
3
Munsey
I punch the bag, letting out my anger and rage with every contact. Sweat pours down my bare chest. Fuck the burn scars. I don’t give a shit who sees them anymore. They’re as much a part of me as the hatred boiling inside me.
“Munsey.” I turn to see Mason standing there, gloves in hand. “Spar with me.”
I may be avoiding the clubhouse, but I still respect my president. I haven’t lost contact with him or my brothers. When he tells me to do something, I do it.
“I’m not gonna beat around the fucking bush,” Mason says, making a quick jab and connecting with my ribs. The hit catches me off guard, but I shake off the pain and put my hands up.
“Clearly,” I remark.
“It’s time you came back. You’ve been running long enough.”
I deflect another jab. “I’m not running.”
“What the fuck do you call it? It’s been almost a year.”
What do I call it? Fuck if I know. I’m lost. The place I called home is gone. My peace is gone. My fucking sanity is gone. The big fancy compound doesn’t change what happened. Our home was attacked and burned to the fucking ground. People died. I almost died.
“You said I could take all the time I need.”
He catches me with a right hook, and I stumble. “Didn’t think that meant this damn long.”
I clench my jaw, annoyed that he’s giving me shit. “You weren’t there, Mason. You didn’t hear their screams. You didn’t have to try and decide who you could and couldn’t save.”
“No, I wasn’t. You were there. You did everything you could. You couldn’t save them, and no one faults you for that.”
I do. We exchange blows with Mason letting me fight through my self-hatred. I should’ve saved them. I’ll never forgive myself for failing. I’ll never stop hearing their screams.
Lost in that thought, I miss my block, and Mason hits me with a southpaw. Pain explodes in my jaw, and I drop to my knees, breathing labored.
“It’s time to come home, brother. Call it an order if you have to but come home.”
4
Taylor
Seeing Christian walk into the clubhouse makes my damn silly heart soar. My feelings aren’t reciprocated. That’s why I resist the urge to go throw my arms around him. But he’s finally here. He gives me a slight nod, then follows Hunter toward Mason’s office.
The layout here is a bit different than the old place, but definitely better than them setting up shop at Harlot’s Haven. They can’t truly replace their original clubhouse. Can’t get the history and memories back. But they can get revenge and move on. Somehow. At least, that’s what I choose to believe. Otherwise, it feels like Carson and Lina…their unborn child…died for nothing.
They would’ve loved this place. All the work everyone put in has made it our very own sanctuary. It’s more than a clubhouse. It’s home.
“Do you think Mason made him come back?” I ask Allie. She’s here restocking the fridge and pantry while I clean. It’s the least I can do for Mason for letting me stay here and for not chewing me out for constantly asking about Christian.
“I wouldn’t doubt it. It was time.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“You’re still going to have to give him more time, though.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “So I’ve heard.”
She puts her hand on my shoulder. “He won’t be any good for you right now. Trust me, I’ve tried forcing it, and it never works. You end up with so much pain. It’s unbearable. I don’t think you want that for either of you.”
I nod as though I understand. The truth is, I’m not any good for him. I’ve been spoiled goods from the moment I got pubic hair and breast buds. I’m not fit to be an old lady. These women deserve the men they have. They earn the respect of the club.
Not me. I’m tolerated, accepted even, but not respected. So, when it comes to Christian, I’ll take any part of him I can get. Anything he’s willing to give is more than I deserve.
5
Munsey
The liquor is flowing, and half-naked women dance around. Just like old times. Then, I remember the PlayStation and television used to be on the other side of the room. The pool table was set up differently. Those aren’t the same barstools.
Everything is different. I’m fucking different. That’s what I hate the most.
I finish off my beer and stand from the sofa. Grabbing the first clubwhore I see, I pull her to me and toss her over my shoulder. She giggles, and I smack her ass, ignoring the glare I receive from Taylor. She shouldn’t even be here.
Walking down the hall, I find an empty room. Doesn’t matter who it belongs to. They wanted me back. I’m back. I toss the woman down, and she licks her lips, spreading her legs to expose her bare cunt. I knew she wouldn’t be wearing panties underneath that short skirt of hers.
Would Taylor be shaved, or would she have a perfect blonde landing strip? Would she skip the panties if she knew I was dying to sink inside her? Holy fuck.
I strip my shirt off, and the woman stands, unbuckling my pants. “Condom?”
Things really have changed. The clubwhores don’t usually care if I use protection or not. Doc makes sure we’re all clean and that the ladies have birth control.
“I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “I’m new and just started my birth control. I can’t take any chances, you know. Go ahead and get naked. I’ll be right back.”
She hurries off, apologizing again before she disappears out the door. With a sigh, I fall back on the bed, eyes closed. This is a mistake. Fucking her isn’t going to change a thing. My dick agrees, losing its hard on. The bed sinks, and I start to sit up, but soft fabric covers my eyes. She blindfolds me, urging me to lie back.
“You know, this isn’t a good idea.” I reach for the material, but she eases my hands away, shushing me.
She kisses down my bare chest, her tongue flicking over my nipples. When she softly bites the sensitive area, my dick roars to life. She palms it, rubbing me through my jeans before slipping her hand inside to stroke me.
“Jesus,” I mutter.
This was supposed to be a quick fuck. A way to remind myself that I can be the way I used to be. Foreplay wasn’t part of the plan. Yet, her mouth closes over my dick, and I do nothing to stop her.
