(Kiss of Death MC 13)
Date Published: April 17, 2026
Publisher: Changeling Press
Mia looks like heartbreak. When her toxic ex follows, he doesn’t
know what he’s up against.
Mia: I caught my boyfriend cheating with my best friend. So I did what any
emotionally stable woman would do. I rented a secluded cabin in the Smoky
Mountains and swore off men forever. Then the motorcycles arrived, along with
Oktober. He’s six feet of tattooed temptation with a voice like sin and
a stare that says he’s already picturing me against the nearest solid
surface. He doesn’t offer sympathy. He offers control. And after being
lied to, gaslit, and humiliated, control sounds… therapeutic. What
starts as a revenge-fueled vacation fling turns into possessive heat,
obsessive chemistry, and the kind of dark romance that makes bad decisions
feel like personal growth. But when my toxic ex tracks me down, I learn two
things. Eric still thinks I belong to him. He has no idea who he’s
competing with.
Oktober: I came to the mountains for downtime with my MC brothers. Beer.
Bikes. No drama. Then I found Mia next door looking like heartbreak wrapped in
stubborn pride. I don’t chase women. I don’t beg. And I definitely
don’t do feelings. I claim. She says she just wants a distraction. I
give her protection, obsession, and enough heat to make her forget her
ex’s name. When the idiot shows up trying to intimidate her, I almost
feel bad for him. Almost. Kiss of Death MC doesn’t tolerate disrespect.
“Touch her and die” isn’t a cute slogan. It’s
community policy.
Mia
I walked up the three flights of stairs to our apartment, conference badge
still hanging from my neck, my rolling suitcase bumping rhythmically against
each step. The academic panel had ended early. Budget cuts meant fewer
speakers, fewer questions, fewer reasons to stay. I hadn’t texted Eric.
The thought of surprising him, of seeing his face light up when I walked
through the door two days ahead of schedule, made my lips curve into a smile.
We might even head early to the little cabin retreat I’d been planning
for after the weekend. Maybe I’d call ahead and see if I could get it
starting tonight or tomorrow. I shifted the takeout bag to my other hand and
dug for my keys, the scent of his favorite pad thai spiraling up from the
paper sack.
The hallway stretched before me, same beige carpet I’d walked nearly
every day for the past six months since I’d moved in with Eric. Our door
waited at the end, looking exactly as it always did. I took comfort in the
mundane. I loved surprises but preferred my quiet, steady life as drama free
as I could keep it.
I opened the door and stepped inside the spacious apartment Eric owned in
downtown Nashville. I heard them before I saw them. A muffled laugh, a thump
against a wall in the bedroom. For a moment as I approached the closed door, I
thought maybe Eric was watching something on his laptop. He did that
sometimes, sprawled across our bed as he watched or even worked from bed. When
he did, he sometimes hit the wall as he shifted.
The bedroom door swung open, and time moved to slow motion around me.
Eric’s bare back faced me, the knobs of his spine visible as he hunched
over her. My best friend, Jade’s, legs were wrapped around his waist,
her head thrown back against my pillow on my side of the bed. Her dark hair
spread across the soft linens I’d washed before leaving for the
conference the day before.
My keys dangled from suddenly numb fingers. Thank God I’d set the
takeout bag on the counter as I’d passed by the kitchen or I’d
have dropped it. Just like I did the keys two seconds later.
They froze. Their heads turned in unison, like puppets controlled by the same
string.
“Mia!” Eric’s voice cracked as he shoved up from Jade and
the bed, his junk on full display. Without a condom. Just ducky. “Jesus
— you’re… You weren’t supposed to –”
Jade yanked the sheet up to her chin, her eyes wide and glassy. “Oh God,
Mia, I can explain –”
Could she? Could she explain why my best friend since sophomore year of
college was naked in my bed with my boyfriend of three years? Could she
explain why they were both looking at me with expressions more annoyed than
ashamed, as though I’d interrupted something that was rightfully theirs?
I didn’t want to hear it.
I stood there, my suitcase forgotten in the hallway, watching Eric scramble to
pull on his jeans. His mouth was moving, explanations tumbling out. I heard
something about loneliness and mistakes and too much wine. His words hit a
barrier around me, sounds without meaning. I noticed things instead. Like the
wineglass on my nightstand with Jade’s lipstick on the rim. The way she
clutched my sheet to her chest like she had any right to modesty in this
moment. The condom wrappers on the floor.
“Mia, please say something,” Eric pleaded, his hand reaching for
my arm.
I stepped back. My body felt disconnected, operating on primitive autopilot
while my mind floated, watching this scene unfold to someone else, trying to
detach myself from the stark reality of what I’d just witnessed.
“How long?” My voice sounded weak and thready. Like I had to force
the words out. I suppose I did because I really had no desire to know how long
I’d played the fool and looked like an idiot in front of all our
friends.
They exchanged a look. That look told me everything I needed to know.
I turned away, walking to the closet where we kept our luggage. Eric followed,
his bare feet slapping against the hardwood.
“Mia, it’s not what you think. It just happened. We were both
missing you –”
I pulled my large duffel bag from the top shelf, the one I’d planned to
use for our cabin trip next week. The trip I’d booked six months ago
because Eric had complained we never went anywhere, just the two of us.
“Mia, please –” Jade appeared in the doorway, my robe wrapped
around her body. My robe. On her body. “We never meant to hurt you. It
was a mistake.”
I moved around our apartment like a ghost. The only thing I really needed was
my laptop and that was still packed. The duffel had already been packed with
my favorite, most comfortable clothes from jeans and T-shirts to a couple of
nice sundresses for the early spring weather. Plenty of underwear and my
toiletries. Beyond that, I didn’t need anything else.
“What are you doing?” Eric’s voice rose, panic edging in.
“You can’t just leave. We need to talk about this.”
I looked at him then, really looked at him. His face, the face I’d woken
up to nearly every morning since I’d moved in with him six months ago,
suddenly seemed foreign.
“The cabin,” I said, zipping the duffel bag closed.
“I’m going to the cabin.”
“Our cabin trip? That’s next weekend.” His confusion was
genuine, as if he thought we might still have a future with plans and dates to
keep.
“No,” I replied. “My cabin trip. You’re not invited
and I need some space to think.”
I walked past them both, grabbing my purse from the hook by the door. My
suitcase waited in the hallway, a silent witness. I left it there. I
didn’t want anything I’d packed for the conference. This
homecoming had further emphasized why I hated drama. It also reminded me of
how I’d changed my life’s direction to meet Eric’s
expectations and needs. I’d chosen academia over social work even though
my own background had called me to that field.
“You can’t drive all the way to the Smokies right now,” Jade
said, her voice thin with forced reason. “It’s getting late.
You’re upset. Stay at my place if you need space from Eric.”
The laugh that escaped me was brittle. “Are you for real right
now?”
I was already down the hallway, duffel bag slung over my shoulder, when Eric
caught up with me. “The cabin’s over three hours away.
You’re not thinking clearly. At least let me drive you.”
I shook him off. “Don’t touch me. You never get to touch me again,
Eric.”
I hurried out of the apartment building and got into my car. As I tried to
leave, he got in front of my vehicle and stopped me.
“Mia! Stop acting like this! Go back inside and we can discuss this like
adults.”
“Get out of my way or I’m going to run you over, Eric.”
He smirked. “No, you won’t.”
I saw red.
Eric must have seen something shift in my expression because his eyes widened.
He backed up and out of the path of my vehicle, just before I gunned it and
peeled out of the parking lot.
* * *
About the Author
Marteeka Karland is an international bestselling author who leads a double
life as an erotic romance author by evening and a semi-domesticated housewife
by day. Known for her down and dirty MC romances, Marteeka takes pleasure in
spinning tales of tenacious, protective heroes and spirited, vulnerable
heroines. She staunchly advocates that every character deserves a blissful
ending, even, sometimes, the villains in her narratives. Her writings are
speckled with intense, raw elements resulting in page-turning delight entwined
with seductive escapades leading up to gratifying conclusions that elicit a
sigh from her readers.
Away from the pen, Marteeka finds joy in baking and supporting her husband
with their gardening activities. The late summer season is set aside for
preserving the delightful harvest that springs from their combined efforts
(which is mostly his efforts, but you can count it). To stay updated with
Marteeka’s latest adventures and forthcoming books, make sure to visit her
website. Don’t forget to register for her newsletter which will pepper you
with a potpourri of Teeka’s beloved recipes, book suggestions, autograph
events, and a plethora of interesting tidbits.
Author on Instagram & TikTok: @marteekakarland
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
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