Steel Read online

  Guts & Glory: Steel

  In the Shadows Security, Book 5

  Jeanne St. James

  Copyright © 2019 by Jeanne St. James, Double-J Romance, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Acknowledgements:

  Photographer: FuriousFotog

  Cover Artist: Golden Czermak at FuriousFotog

  Cover Model: Mac Robinson

  Editor: Proofreading by the Page

  Beta readers: Whitley Cox, Andi Babcock, Sharon Abrams & Alexandra Swab

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  Keep an eye on her website at http://www.jeannestjames.com/ or sign up for her newsletter to learn about her upcoming releases: http://www.jeannestjames.com/newslettersignup

  Join her readers’ group for all the inside scoop here:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/JeannesReviewCrew/

  Contents

  Books by Jeanne St. James

  About the Book

  A Note to Readers

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Guts & Glory: Brick

  Sneak peak of Guts & Glory: Brick (Unedited)

  If You Enjoyed This Book

  Also by Jeanne St. James

  About the Author

  FREE Erotic Sampler Book

  Books by Jeanne St. James

  * Available in Audiobook

  Made Maleen: A Modern Twist on a Fairy Tale *

  Damaged *

  Rip Cord: The Complete Trilogy *

  Brothers in Blue Series:

  (Can be read as standalones)

  Brothers in Blue: Max *

  Brothers in Blue: Marc *

  Brothers in Blue: Matt *

  Teddy: A Brothers in Blue Novelette *

  The Dare Ménage Series:

  (Can be read as standalones)

  Double Dare *

  Daring Proposal *

  Dare to Be Three *

  A Daring Desire *

  Dare to Surrender *

  A Daring Journey

  The Obsessed Novellas:

  (All the novellas in this series are standalones)

  Forever Him *

  Only Him *

  Needing Him *

  Loving Her *

  Temping Him *

  Down & Dirty: Dirty Angels MC Series™:

  Down & Dirty: Zak *

  Down & Dirty: Jag *

  Down & Dirty: Hawk *

  Down & Dirty: Diesel *

  Down & Dirty: Axel *

  Down & Dirty: Slade *

  Down & Dirty: Dawg *

  Down & Dirty: Dex *

  Down & Dirty: Linc *

  Down & Dirty: Crow *

  Crossing the Line (A DAMC/Blue Avengers Crossover) *

  Guts & Glory Series

  (In the Shadows Security)

  Guts & Glory: Mercy

  Guts & Glory: Ryder

  Guts & Glory: Hunter

  Guts & Glory: Walker

  Guts & Glory: Steel

  Guts & Glory: Brick

  Blood & Bones: Blood Fury MC™

  Blood & Bones: Trip

  Blood & Bones: Sig

  Blood & Bones: Judge

  COMING SOON!

  Blue Avengers MC™

  Magnum: A Dark Knights MC/Dirty Angels MC Crossover

  Brothers in Blue: A Bryson Family Christmas

  Everything About You (A Second Chance Gay Romance)

  About the Book

  Strength is what we gain from the madness we survive.

  For Anson “Steel” Sterling, former Marine Raider and current bad boy of the Shadows crew, kicking ass and talking shit is all in a day’s work. His boxing skills make him lethal in and out of the ring and his mind is just as quick as his fists. When an assignment has him heading out to Nevada, he’s prepared for boredom. After all, how hard can protecting one female athlete from a stalker be?

  Katheryn “Kat” Callahan has one goal, prove to everyone, especially her judgmental father, she can be the best female MMA fighter. She’s more than capable of defending herself and doesn’t need a hulked-out alpha-hole bodyguard with a sharp tongue and a surly attitude shadowing her every move. With the biggest match of her career right around the corner, one crazy stalker’s not going to bring her down.

  The pint-sized fighter fascinates Steel. With her striking amber eyes and honed physique, the attraction is immediate, but it’s her grit and determination that really gets his blood pumping. He’s ready to go a few rounds if it means seeing her worked up. But Kat needs to remain focused on her goals and Steel isn’t making that easy.

  Can their mutual passion and stubborn attitudes make them the perfect team? Or will they remain in opposite corners, forever fighting alone?

  Note: Steel is the fifth book of the Guts & Glory series, a six-book spin-off from my Dirty Angels MC series. While it’s recommended to read both series in order, each book can be read as a stand-alone. As with all my books, this has an HEA, no cliffhanger or cheating.

  A Special Thanks:

  To Alexandra Swab for assisting me with Steel’s blurb. Your help, as always, was invaluable!

  Also, thank you to ALL my readers who belong to my readers’ group:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/JeannesReviewCrew/

  You all encourage me to keep writing!

  Love to you all!

  A Note to Readers

  Dear readers who are MMA fans:

  The MMA fighting in this book does not follow UFC guidelines/rules. UFC may currently be the top MMA promotion organization but it’s not the only one. There are many more out there. Please keep that in mind when you’re reading.

  I never thought I’d be writing about an MMA fighter, especially a female one. But here we are! I learned a lot during my research (I was an MMA virgin). I hope you enjoy Kat and Steel’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. They are TRUE fighters and now one of my favorite couples.

  When they say you can’t, prove that you can.

  Chapter One

  Strength is what we gain from the madness we survive.

  Steel pulled the toothpick out of his mouth and flicked it across the bar at Moose to get his attention. “Who’s the new girl?”

  Moose straightened up from behind the bar and narrowed his eyes on Steel. “Why?”

  “Because maybe I want a motherfucking lap dance, that’s why.”

  The manager of Heaven’s Angels Gentlemen’s Club barked out a laugh. “You’re too motherfuckin’ cheap to pay for a lap dance.”

  Steel twisted his neck to look at the woman on the stage who was working the pole like a fucking pro gymnast. And looked like one, too. A lot of guys didn’t like a muscular woman, but that just left more for him. Because it no fucking doubt did it for him.

  He wasn’t like his veteran brothers
and fellow Shadows, who went for the softer, curvy, cuddly type. Fuck no.

  Though he had to admit, their women had some great tits.

  But then, so did the woman who worked the men who sat along the stage, encouraging them to tuck their last dollar into her G-string. Though, Steel doubted her tits were real.

  Didn’t matter. He’d still let her crush his cock with those thighs. Or those implants.

  He liked when women had enough muscles to crack a walnut. Or his balls. And with strength came endurance, meaning they could ride him for a long time, while he just sat back and enjoyed the show.

  He grinned. “Give me another fucking toothpick.”

  Steel could hear Moose’s sigh, even over the loud music which was rocking the joint. The big biker threw a box of toothpicks onto the bar in front of Steel. “That box has your fuckin’ name on it. No one in this decade, except assholes, chews on fuckin’ toothpicks.”

  Steel gave Moose the finger, while saying, “Chew on this.” He tucked a fresh pick into his mouth and slid the box across the bar top toward the Dirty Angels MC member. Moose didn’t need to know the reason for his habit.

  One of the servers stopped in front of him, blocking his view of Moose. That didn’t matter, either, since Tawny was much prettier than Moose. And she wore a tight leather corset, not a leather cut. And had a bottle opener tucked between her generous cleavage.

  “Hey, honey. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

  “Been busy.” He leaned over the bar, so she was sure to hear him. “Hey, who’s the new girl?”

  Tawny’s eyes slid over to the stage and back to Steel. “Why?”

  Steel sat back, shaking his head. “Really?”

  Tawny raised her tawny eyebrows at him. “Yeah, really.”

  Steel swore he heard Moose laughing behind her. He frowned. “Get me a beer.”

  “Please,” Tawny added.

  “Last I checked, Tawny, you’re a fucking server. Your customer shouldn’t have to say please for you to serve them.”

  “You might not have been here in a while, Steel, but I see you haven’t changed. You’re still an asshole.”

  “Can’t expect miracles.”

  Tawny leaned over the bar giving him a good view of her tits. “Her name is Cherry. And I hope she makes you swallow your own fucking dick. Get your own goddamn beer.” She stomped away on her four-inch heels.

  “You hear that?” he asked Moose, who was now leaning back against the counter, his thick, tattooed arms crossed over his chest, a huge smile on his bearded face. The man was a big boy. Not only tall, but almost half as wide.

  “Heard it.”

  “Well?”

  “Well what? I agree with everything she fuckin’ said.”

  “Great customer service,” Steel grumbled.

  “You get a pass here, Steel, only ‘cause of who you are. That’s the only fuckin’ reason. Now, if you really wanna pay for a lap dance, Cherry ain’t cheap. She’s got skills that’re worth every fuckin’ penny. Got me?”

  “Got you. How much?”

  “Fifty for fifteen. But that fifteen will be good enough to make you blow your load.”

  Steel whistled low, yanked his wallet out of his back pocket and threw the money at Moose. The biker grabbed it, jerked his chin up at one of the DAMC prospects working as a bouncer and then pointed at Cherry.

  The prospect did an answering chin lift and moved off.

  “VIP Red Room. Fifteen minutes. Make sure you tip her well.”

  Steel grinned and slid off the stool.

  But Moose wasn’t done yet. “You know the rules. No fucking touchin’, Steel. Or will have one of the prospects toss you the fuck out an’ then all you did was blow your fifty.”

  One of those young prospects wouldn’t be enough. “Just want to inquire about her workout routine,” he tossed over his shoulder with a wink as he headed toward the private rooms at the back of the strip club.

  Ten minutes later, he was staring at Cherry’s bullet proof ass as it was bent over in front of him and she was shaking it. It hardly wiggled.

  No surprise his cock was as hard as her ass.

  But it was the way her muscles flexed that got him off the most. And when she turned and climbed onto his lap...

  Yeah.

  Maybe he wasn’t allowed to touch her, but nothing stopped the ladies from touching their customers. It was their choice and apparently Cherry saw something she liked.

  The only thing she still wore was a thong, which was no more than a string up her ass and over her hips, and obscenely high heels.

  As she ground down against his cock, he groaned, then was surprised when she shoved his face into her tits with a hand to the back of his head.

  Yeah, maybe this was worth fifty bucks. She was definitely getting a tip.

  “You want the extra special?” she asked, her voice husky.

  The extra special?

  He pulled his head away from her tits, dropped his gaze to her crotch and then closed his eyes, his heart racing.

  For fuck’s sake, don’t tell me she has a dick.

  Don’t have a dick.

  Don’t have a fucking dick.

  “Are you tucking?”

  Cherry stopped grinding against him. “What?”

  “Are you tucking your dick?” His voice might have cracked when he asked that.

  “My dick?” she repeated with her eyebrows now dropped low and pinned together.

  “Is that the extra special? You having a dick?”

  Cherry jumped off his lap and before he could stop her, slammed both palms into his shoulders, knocking both him and the chair backward. He hit the ground hard, his head bouncing off the floor with a grunt.

  “You asshole!” she screeched, picked up her scraps of clothing and flung open the door. “He’s an asshole!” she screamed at the prospect who had been standing outside the door.

  “Fuck,” Steel muttered, untangling himself from the chair.

  He heard a snicker and saw the prospect’s head quickly disappear from the open doorway.

  Just as he got to his feet, his cell phone buzzed in his back pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was a text from Diesel. Did Moose call the big man already about what just happened? There was no way.

  Fuck.

  He opened the text. It was typical D. Short and to the point.

  Here. Now.

  He assumed “here” was the warehouse and “now” was non-negotiable.

  It was close to nine o’clock. It was late for the boss man to be working, so it had to be important.

  “Moose ain’t happy with you, asshole.”

  “That’s why I’m here?”

  “Fuck no.”

  “So, does Cherry have a dick?”

  “How the fuck do I know if the fuckin’ bitch has a dick? Got three kids an’ an ol’ lady, you think I got fuckin’ time to watch snatch swing around a goddamn pole? Then I got you six to deal with. Always tryin’ to fuckin’ take work on for fuckin’ free. Like we’re a fuckin’ charity. Well, we ain’t.”

  “Okay then, why am I here?”

  “’Cause a payin’ job fell into my fuckin’ lap an’ I’m assignin’ it to you.”

  Steel sat up straighter in the chair in front of D’s desk. Or what should be D’s desk. It was covered in loose crayons, rag dolls and a couple stray pacifiers. “What kind of job?” Steel hesitated and wrinkled his nose at the sudden stink. “Did you shit yourself?”

  “Fuck,” D muttered and lifted a month-old sleeping Scarlet up to his nose. “Fuck.”

  “There’s got to be a clean diaper in this mess somewhere,” Steel said, glancing around the office that was jam-packed with baby and toddler shit.

  “You wanna change her?”

  Steel’s eyes snapped back to Diesel’s. “No fucking way.”

  When Violet was born, D wouldn’t let anyone touch her. Now at kid number three, he wasn’t so worried. In fact, he might even hand her over to a stranger just
for a diaper change.

  He didn’t blame the big man. The moment changing shitty diapers was added to his job duties, Steel was out. “Where’s Jewelee?”

  “Home. Tryin’ to get some fuckin’ sleep.”

  “Well, now what?”

  “Fuck,” D muttered again, hauling his big body out of his office chair and handing a stinky Scarlet off to Steel.

  “I don’t want her!”

  “Just hold her ‘til I find a fuckin’ diaper.”

  Steel held the baby as far away from him as possible. “Like ya, kid. But not when you’ve crapped your pants.”

  Diesel looked like The Hulk smashing up a city as he dug through shit on the floor searching for a diaper.

  “Didn’t you bring a diaper bag along?” Steel bit back his laugh at picturing D with a pink diaper bag hanging over his bulky tattooed arm.

  “Fuckin’ forgot.”

  Steel smirked. “That’ll teach you.”

  D grunted and kept digging. Finally, he found an open box of diapers, snagged one and after pushing shit off his desk—Steel had to turn away, so he didn’t gag—D cleaned up his girl and changed her, all while muttering curses.