Book Title: My Iron Knight (An Enemy Territory Story)
Author: S. J. Coles
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: April 12, 2022
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance, Biker Romance, Action/Suspense/Drama
Tropes: Forbidden love, Enemies to Lovers, Small Town Romance
Themes: Redemption
Length: 32 900 words/ 137 pages
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
Universal Link | Pride Publishing
Dash Cassidy loves his town even more than his bike, but his priorities have a violent shift in gear when an irresistible Russian hitman comes along.
Blurb
Darius ‘Dash’ Cassidy has ended up president of the small town of Salvation’s Iron Knights motorcycle gang, almost by accident. His sister, Zara, is the more business-savvy and ambitious of the two, but their father—the infamous Butch Cassidy—was far from politically correct, so Dash was left in charge.
Up to now, Dash has been more than happy to muscle his way through life as his father did before him, even if he is starting to suspect that something might be missing.
But now there’s a new player in town. Iris Damaro has plans to make Salvation the center of her international smuggling operation. Dash isn’t going to sit still while Damaro steamrolls through his town, but when the crime boss sends her alluring Russian number two, Nikita Vasiliev, to do her negotiating, Dash realizes he may be in over his head.
Can Dash figure out where his priorities lie before his town—or his heart—is lost forever?
“Protecting Salvation isn’t my job. It’s my life.”
Vasiliev blinked at his vehemence. The unguarded look made him look young, vulnerable. Then he frowned and the impression was gone. “It will cost you your life.”
Dash examined him. “You were shocked it was so big. You didn’t know she was planning to work on that kind of scale, did you?”
“I told you… It’s not my job to care about such things.”
An unwelcome thought crept into Dash’s mind, like a thorn catching in the skin. He glanced at Vasiliev’s hands, balled into fists on the threadbare sheets. Dash reached out and took a gentle hold of the right one. Vasiliev appeared so startled that he didn’t pull away. Dash turned the hand over. His skin was unmarked. Vasiliev gave him a baleful look and showed him his other wrist. No tattoo.
“I am not a sex worker, Cassidy.”
“Then why…?” Dash heard himself asking, still staring at the hand that lay limp in his grip. “Why did you do it?”
“What? Suck you off?”
Dash glared. Vasiliev pulled his hand back.
“You Americans. No deep thinking. No nuance.” “Tell me why you did it.”
He hesitated then his gaze slipped away. “Damaro has the power to go through Salvation like a tsunami—but that takes time, blood, and would…attract attention. She pays me to pave the way…to make things easier. I thought I was making it easier for you, too.”
“I don’t do business that way. Anyone would tell you that.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me you didn’t enjoy it?”
Dash seized his wrist again. Vasiliev’s face shifted into not quite a wince. His free hand tightened on his leg. Dash forgot what he was going to say. Instead, he heard his voice from far away saying,
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“No more than you’ve done already, you mean?”
Not breaking eye contact or his grip on Vasiliev’s wrist, Dash shouldered his free arm out of his jacket, exposing the bandaging.
“You did this to me. Now I guess we’re even.”
“Is all we owe each other flesh wounds?”
“You tell me.”
A breathless silence fell between them. Slowly,
hesitantly, Vasiliev lifted his free hand. As delicate as a butterfly landing, he brushed his fingers up Dash’s tattooed skin, over the bandage and down again.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not as much as your leg, I’m guessing.” Vasiliev looked down at his thigh with a grim expression. “Drink. It’ll help.”
Vasiliev drank, grimaced and lowered the bottle again. “No vodka?”
“No vodka,” Dash said, took the bottle and emptied it in one swallow. It burned in his gut and made his skin feel hot.
“So,” Vasiliev murmured, looking away. “I confirmed your suspicions. Can I go now?”
Dash chewed on the uncomfortable thoughts for another long moment. “In the morning. You’ll need to rest before you can hold on to the back of my bike.”
“That wasn’t the deal.”
“You think you can ride now?”
Vasiliev tried moving his leg and went pale with pain.
He muttered something in Russian that Dash was willing to bet was not polite.
“No one’s ever run me down before,” he said in a low voice. “How did you?”
“I’ve been riding these roads my whole life,” Dash murmured. “The road treats you better when you care about where it leads.”
When Vasiliev spoke again his voice was hoarse. “You took my clothes off.”
“I cut them off,” Dash snapped, rising to search the cupboard for more booze, “to stitch you up.”
“Is that right?” Vasiliev gasped. Dash turned. He was trying to get to his feet. Dash hurried back to him and steadied him with a hand under his elbow.
“You should lie down.”
“Ah, so that’s how you want me. On my back?” “Fuck,” Dash snapped. “Is that all you think about?” A ghost of Vasiliev’s former smile twisted his mouth.
“You’re saying you haven’t thought about it?”
“That doesn’t—”
“Admit it, Cassidy,” he murmured, leaning into Dash’s hold. “Whatever you want to think about your morals, you thought about me. About today. About what we did.”
“That’s not—”
“Did you touch yourself?” he whispered, his gaze hot. “Did you masturbate, thinking about me on my knees? Or bent over your bike? I’m guessing you like to top, yes?”
Dash shoved him away. He hit the bunk and sat heavily, clutching his head.
“What happened to you to make you this way?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Vasiliev said through clenched teeth. He lowered his hands. His breathing was heavy again, but Dash guessed this time it wasn’t from pain.
S.J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK. She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.
She finds writing LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation, emotion and sexuality.
Among her biggest influences are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice.
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