"A house without love ain't a home." — Merle Haggard
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Chapter 4
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Luke

"Can't you stay the night this time?" blonde #5 purred, her acrylics lightly grazing the skin along my back. "Promise I'll make it worth your time."

I shoved one leg through my pants sleeve, casting a glance at her over my shoulder. At her perky tits and long, slender legs I had just had over my shoulders, my cock twitched, again. I couldn't use that head, right now, though.

"Nah," I mumbled, removing my eyes from her. "You know I don't stay the night." I didn't need to say anything else; it was a casual fuck, and nothing more. We both knew what we were here for, at least I did.

Before I could rise from the bed, she leaned forward until her tits were pressing into my back. Her hand curled around my neck until she reached my jaw.. "Sure you can't make an exception?"

I rolled my eyes, side-glancing her. I couldn't even remember the chick's name, the only distinct part was her hair, and the size of her tits. They were real, I had found out tonight.

My best friends, Kade, Levi, and I used to play a little game. We would place bets about whether or not a girls' tits or ass were fake or not before fucking. Whoever won got a thousand dollars from each of us, and whoever lost was forced into an ice bath for ten minutes.

That was before the two turned into pussy-whipped bitches, though.

Kimberly and Raven were definitely attractive, but not on the level on what either man had before. We had all been with countless women, with a never ending list of pleasure and whatever the fuck else we wanted.

But, they threw it all away for their girls. So, I was alone when it came to women, now. Not that it made any harder to attract them. It was just far more fun when I had someone else to do it with.

I couldn't even joke about another woman, before the two got on my ass, now. Instead of our usual shit, I was now succumb to Kades' nonstop discourse about how good of a cook his girl was, or Levis' constant bragging about Ravens' fucking decor. Decor and pasta is what the hell I had to hear every time I pick up a call from those two assholes, now.

Those two fuckers though, as much trouble as they were, were my brothers. It had taken me awhile to accept their decisions, but both deserved their best lives, and if they saw it in those girls they were with, then so be it. I just didn't plan on joining the group anytime soon. They could be on their pussy-whipped shit, alone.

That was how I'd ended up here. In blonde #5's bed: tired, and in need of another cigarette. I was sure her fiancé was on the way home, and if I didn't need to get home so soon, I would gladly stay to witness the train wreck.

"When will I see you, again?" blonde #5 asked, dragging her lips along my collarbone. I chuckled, glancing down at the risen little bastard in between my legs. Not tonight.

I stood up. She had to catch herself from falling. "Soon," I responded shortly.

Her big, blue eyes narrowed at me. I averted my gaze from her pink capped tits as she scowled. "You always say that."

I tossed my shirt on quickly, then glanced at the time. I should get there quick enough. "And, you always pick up, don't you?"

I ignored her angry gaze and grasped my wallet, my phone, my keys, then made a check for anything I could have missed. That should be it.

She was expecting something, I could tell, but she wouldn't get it. No one ever had, and no one ever would.

"But—"

Annoyance rolled right through me until I huffed. With a glare, I jerked around to face her. "Your pussy isn't good enough to avoid getting blocked, blondie. Chill with the possessive, cry baby shit. You got fucked, and I got fucked. That's it. You knew what the deal was."

Everyone did. If you thought you'd get more, then you'd be setting yourself up for failure, every single time.

I didn't drag anyone along. I didn't give false promises, or get hopes up when it came to this. I was as straightforward as can be.

Before I even stepped foot into a girl's bed, I made the rules as clear as possible. If they forgot them, then it wasn't on me. Delusions and attachments definitely weren't, either.

Her brows rose before drawing in with anger. With a scoff, she pulled the sheet to cover her body before standing. I didn't have time to catch her string of curses, and insults before I was out of the door. I did hear glimpses of asshole, prick, and all of the regulars.

Too basic.

I couldn't focus on the raging woman behind me, though. I needed to get to Prestons' before he decided to forget the check, and went home. I couldn't have that; I was so close to this shit.

Preston was one of the very few people I trusted, other than Kade and Levi, to get shit done. I'd given him the money to dig, and I knew he'd deliver. He was one of the best at bringing up ghosts of the past, no matter how hidden they were.

I had the money for this for a while, that and more, but I needed to wait until there was more distance between my father and I to actually do it.

If he knew, he would have claimed the building as his own, then gifted it to me purely for a good look in the blogs. I didn't, and I wouldn't have that. This was mine, and my mothers. Other than her savings, I'd done it on my own.

My father, Ryan motherfucking Vaudest, loved to suck the life out of anything he could. And, if he couldn't latch on, he would find, and pay someone else who could.

I was burdened with his blood, and with his lingering name. Everyone around this damn town knew it, and fell to their knees to any member of the Vaudest family, but they had no idea. He wasn't the man they wished and painted him to be; he was one of the monsters they told to their children, and the worst of the worst.

Whatever he wanted, he took. Whatever he didn't want, he'd destroy.

I was right on the thin line of it.

My very life was a reminder of what could destroy his career. I was the mistake he'd created, and he spent the past nineteen years making sure I knew it. And, I did.

It was bred right into my head the moment I came into this world. And, as bad as I was to the others', I didn't see why I shouldn't live up to the doom my father had foreseen for me.

It wasn't that I enjoyed being the villain of the story. It wasn't that I was broken, and needed someone to heal me. It wasn't that I felt the urge to push my shit onto other people.

It was that, this was the only way I knew to be.

I'd never been taught anything other than manipulation and anger, and how the two mix perfectly for a selfish bastard like me. I blossomed in disaster, in fucked environments, and messy situations. I'd been born from it, and I didn't didn't to change the course set out for me any time soon.

I did what I want, and whenever I wanted. I didn't give two fucks if someone, didn't like that, or me. Join the fucking fan club.

The car hummed from under me as I started it. It was strange not hearing that constant rattle that the car been experiencing for the past week. I didn't want a mechanic to nearly shit himself, and repair my car for free since I was a Vaudest. So, I was planning on going far out of town, and getting it checked and repaired, but all that went down the drain the moment I got back from Pennsylvania. Before I knew it, I was stuck on the side of the road, and Maggie Norris was telling me to eat shit with her grin.

I didn't give a damn about a girl fixing my car for me; I could care less about that factor. But, if it had been anyone else other than that damn girl, I would have been satisfied.

Even though I paid her for the work, I still felt the notion itch at my agitation. I didn't even know that she had a hand for cars until then, and even though I'd never admit it to her, she was pretty damn good. Newer models required much more knowledge than the average, and I guessed that big ass head of hers held it.

I shook my head away from anything else involving Maggie Norris. She was hot, and easily the best pussy I'd ever had, but that was it. Her mouth, despite how good it was on a cock, would make anyone rip their ears from their head. At least I'd never have to hear it again, though. Thank fuck.

To clear the toxins the brat created, my mind fell right back into the idea of my building. A sense of pride flooded in my blood at the thought of it. As much of a fuckup as I was, I had actually done this right.

The building was old, and nearly a waste of junk. But, I saw it's potential. I wanted to give it a chance.

It would take a while, and a shit-ton of cash to accomplish what I wanted, but I already had everything set in stone. I had a vision, and I wouldn't stop until I saw it come to life. All I had to do was see it through.

I'd been with the cages, an underground spot for buckets of illegal shit, for years. As fucked as it was, the money wasn't. I had nothing better to do, and the idea of pissing my father off fueled me to go through with it.

Even though I trained Kade, I didn't fight as much as I had in the previous years. I had raced and stolen so many vehicles from my dads' friends, it became as easy as a snap of the finger. I didn't think my father caught on, but if he had, he didn't show it. I guessed he didn't want the chance of it getting out, and since it kept me away from him and his perfect family, he let it pass.

Kade had left a year ago for Kimberly, and Levi followed soon after for Raven. I had helped with Kade since he was far too deep to just walk out of the cages, and the dumb fucker took off to try, and earn his girl back. Levi wasn't as deep, so with a fee, he was able to leave. I was the mayors' kid, they knew better than to try and keep me there, even though I would have never exposed them.

With as much adrenaline and money as it gave me, I didn't find the same rush without my friends. I'd never admit to the cocky little fuckers, but they were the majority of the reason I stuck around for so long.

Now, they were gone, and had moved on from that life. As much as the shit stung, I was proud of them. They were my best friends. My brothers.

We were all the other had for years, and during that time, we had formed something much bigger and something I could have never imagined happening. Nothing could change that. Whatever made them happy annoyed the shit out of me, but I would still stand for, by, and behind them, regardless.

I'd admit it, though. Out of the both of them, I was mainly shocked at Kades' departure. He had came to me, with that stupid ass serious face of his, and we talked for hours on how to get him out.

He hadn't given me a reason, but it was pretty damn obvious. Kimberly, his girl, had him wrapped around her finger. I'd never seen the man even remember a chicks' name before, but when it came to Kimberly, he could recite any question thrown at him, without hesitation.

Levi wasn't any better with Raven, Kimberly's best friend. Every time she came around, he'd abandon all plans, and follow her like a lost fucking puppy.

They were both idiots. I didn't see the big deal. I knew a block of Kimberly's shared past with Kade, but she was just one girl. So was Raven. There were countless women they could have had, but they'd given it all up for those two. It didn't make sense, no matter how hard I tried to make it. It just...didn't.

I was a technical son of a bitch. And, technically, I didn't believe love existed.

If it did, I didn't, and wouldn't know it. It was all a concept.

Humans only wanted to exchange and receive, and somehow, someway, that had been concluded as love. Fucking idiots.

I was yanked out of my thoughts as soon as I saw my phone light up.

"The fuck?" I mumbled to myself as it chimed. Several times.

I glanced across the dark road for a lingering second, before reaching for it. It continued on, rattling and humming with a ring.

My eyes skipped back to the road a couple of times until I finally grew confident enough to get the read. The phone powered off for a moment until it blared again, so loud that I cursed. Finally, I got to look down at it.

Out of all of the things I expected, I didn't expect to see this. A notification that my building had been broken into.