Page 1 of Tarnished Hands (Chained Hearts Duet #7)

Chapter One

PIPER

I assumed I would never want more from a man than his body.

That was until him— the man who is standing feet away from me wearing black jeans that hug his ass so perfectly, and a black tank top that molds to his massive, muscular chest, and shows off his tanned skin. And now, I hate him.

My jaw tightens as I watch him smirk—God, I hate that smirk, too. I want to slap it off his gorgeous face. Mostly because it makes my thighs clench, and that is what I hate more than anything.

My eyes flit to his, and staring back at me are the most gorgeous green eyes with tints of blue. But the green is unlike anything I have ever seen. It’s a sparkling green, almost iridescent. His lashes are so long. It should be illegal for men to have such beautiful lashes.

My boss, Keir, nods to him, then walks away as they conclude their business conversation. Usually, I would be there next to Keir, but I chose to stay back this time—away from Ezra, whose gaze kept flicking to me throughout their conversation.

Stalking me like prey.

“You should talk to him,” Keir says as he reaches me.

I suck in a shocking breath at his remark, but I don’t reply. Not that it would do me any good because he doesn’t wait for me to give one before he strides out the door, his brother Joey following him, leaving me alone—and way too close to Ezra.

Ezra runs his own business that specializes in old cars and motorcycles. Most of his cars and bikes come from Keir, who takes possession of them for late payment.

That’s usually if he doesn’t kill the people first.

But Ezra has been with Keir for a few years, always silently working away in the background.

He understands Keir doesn’t meet for friendly chats—it’s always business with him. And Ezra is now an expert at dealing with Keir. Not many can bargain a nice chunk of profit for themselves, which was risky when he first carried out business with him.

It could have gone one of two ways.

Keir could have killed him and taken over the shop. But that would have left a gaping hole regarding who would do all the repairs and sales. Sure, Ezra has a small team, but he’s an expert at what he does, and more importantly, he is committed to silence. Loyal to the marrow of his bones.

Keir respects that more than anything else.

So Keir’s only other option was to agree.

Keir initially approved the business transaction, requesting a high turnover.

But Ezra wasn’t one to take things lying down and lose money on the transactions.

He knew exactly what he was worth, and Keir also respected that about him.

“Do you plan to just stand there?” The words drawl from Ezra’s lips, and I can’t help but stare at said lips. Lips that are soft and rough. Lips that can do very wicked and delicious things, and a body that’s nothing but solid, packed muscle.

I shake my head and turn to walk away, but as I do, my body tingles like it does every time he comes close to me. His hand pauses just short of my skin, like he’s waiting to see if I’ll take a swing at him again.

The first time he laid a hand on me, I turned around and punched him in the stomach.

He wasn’t expecting it.

I didn’t care.

Now he knows better.

But then I had to go and have sex with him just once.

One freaking time. And somehow, he’s altered me in ways no one else has before.

When I close my eyes, I dream of his lips all over my body. And even when I open them, I can still smell him.

Cigars and honey—it’s such an odd combination, but the scent is divine with a touch of grease.

“Stay,” he demands as one of his big hands encircles my wrist. I ignore the way his touch sizzles across my skin, before turning around, glancing at his grease-covered hand, then giving him a blank, disgusting stare.

I hate how I don’t mind that he’s always covered in some type of car grease. I remember washing that grease off my body only a few weeks ago when he came to one of Joey’s parties. I may have had too much to drink and gone back to his place for the night. Then I snuck out and haven’t seen him since.

Not that he would know where to find me outside of business unless I wanted him to.

Even so, I assumed it would be easy to forget about him.

A meaningless one-night stand.

But I haven’t been able to get him out of my head since.

And how do Keir and the rest of them know? Well, I suppose my making out with Ezra that night was a clear indicator.

“I have work to do,” I declare, pulling away. But I don’t pull hard enough for his hand to break contact. Instead, his grip tightens on my wrist.

“Come back later. You know where to find me.” That smirk rides higher, and he boldly slides his gaze down my body. I can’t help the way heat spreads when his tongue darts out like he’s starving and would give anything for a taste.

By the time he’s trailed back up to meet my eyes, his are smoldering.

Filled with greed. Like he wants to throw me over his shoulder, pin me beneath him and fuck me into next week.

The image of him above me as he drives his long, fat cock into me while whispering dirty things, flashes in my head.

“I shouldn’t,” I tell him, erasing the erotic images from my mind.

“You should.” He drops my wrist and spins on his heels, returning to the car he was working on. I watch as he bends over, picks up a rag, and wipes a wrench on it. “Come back later so I can fuck you until you scream, just the way you and I both like it.”

My chest flushes hot, the heat rising to my cheeks at his words. He has no shame, no filter when it comes to what he says to me, but when he speaks to others, he’s calm and clear. It’s like he leaves all his wicked, nasty words for me. My mind wanders back to our last encounter…

“ Christ, does this sweet cunt squeeze my cock good? What a fucking masterpiece it is.”

I shake my head to clear his words from that night. I decide not to reply before I leave.

Let’s face it… I don’t know what to say.

The car is waiting for me when I exit the shop. Joey is in the driver’s seat, and Keir is in the passenger’s seat. They both twist around and set their eyes firmly on me as I slide into the back. It’s rare to have a woman in this business, but I’ve proven myself to them time and time again.

And now I’m considered one of them, even though they’re family. Ranking in this family is incredibly important when your cousin controls everything that supplies the money. And the power.

Some call him Mafia King.

I call him Boss.

“So, Ezra?” Joey asks with a small laugh.

Keir says nothing. And if he didn’t approve, I can honestly say I would listen.

His opinions are extremely important to me.

He’s in power for a reason. And we all respect the authority and strength that he exudes.

The man doesn’t have to say anything, and you know the control, command, and, particularly, his potency seeps from every pore.

He has changed how our family sees women. Before Keir, it was known that every first son would take over the business, even if a daughter were born first.

But Keir changed that situation when Sailor had his daughter.

His daughter, Wren, is the apple of his eye. And she means everything to him, maybe even more than Sailor, which is saying something.

And no other woman has the power I have. It took a while for people to recognize that I contained the strength within me to do the required tasks. The first time I walked into a deal, the men laughed at me. The last time, one of them left in a body bag. They don’t laugh anymore.

Then they fucking listened.

I didn’t need Keir or the other men in the family to tell them who I was.

I fucking showed them.

And now, I love what I do and who I am.

But sometimes I’m lonely.

They’re still staring, waiting for my answer.

But I respond with an emphatic, “No! Not Ezra. We fucked. End of story.”

“It seems to me the guy was looking at you like he wanted to do it again,” Joey says as he starts the car.

“I like him,” Keir says, out of the blue and definitely out of character to speak the words out loud.

“We know you like him. If you didn’t, you would have killed him already,” Joey replies, smiling as he drives off.