(Kiss of Death MC)
Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap
Date Published: August 22, 2025
Redemption doesn't come free. And sometimes, the price is paid in blood.
Pain -- When I walked out of Terre Haute Prison, I wasn't the same man who went in. I've got blood on my hands, but I'm determined to pay my debt and take back what's left of my life. Once I'm home, inside the walls of the motorcycle club that welcomed me when I had no one, I have more hope than I dared to have the whole time I was incarcerated. Problem is, the past doesn't stay buried. When I recognized Nadine, a young woman from my past, and got to know the woman she'd become, I'd convinced myself there's no way to be worthy of a woman like her. Until she's put squarely in the crosshairs of a situation she knows nothing about. That's when it's time to earn my road name and bring her enemies a world of hurt.
Nadine -- I know better than to fall for an ex-con. I've seen the worst of humanity from inside prison walls where I work as a nurse. But something about Dr. Raven, or Pain, as they call him, gets under my skin. There was a time when he was my hero, the person I wanted to be most like. I admit I might have a huge case of hero worship and the tiniest little crush on him. I don't know the rules in his world outside the prison, but I know I need to learn fast. Especially since corrupt cops seem to be hell-bent on cutting in on the Kiss of Death territory. It sometimes feels like I'm fighting just to breathe. But the scariest part? It's not the blood, the bullets, or the bodies. It's that I might actually be falling in love with Ford "Pain" Raven.
A gritty, steamy romance featuring a protective alpha, a fierce heroine who refuses to break, and the family you choose when the world tries to tear you apart.
Pain
The minute I stepped foot in the infirmary, the smell of antiseptic hit me like a damn freight train. It’s the same scent that used to greet me every morning when I started my day as a surgical intern five years earlier. That scent had been soothing to me then, proof of how clean and organized my environment was. But now it’s a black stench, tainted with the putridity of this godforsaken place. You’d think after months of being in prison, I would have been immune to the smell, but I guess some things just stuck with you. Besides, every hospital -- or infirmary -- had a unique scent underneath all the bleach and other chemical cleaners. This infirmary was no different.
I was escorted by a guard who probably ate doughnuts for every meal and kicked puppies for fun, but hey, I’m not judging or anything. He shoved me into a chair, cuffed me to the table, and disappeared, probably off to shake down an old lady or something. I seriously doubted he was capable of anything more strenuous.
“See ya around, Brutus.” I lifted my chin at the rotund man. He frowned at me but I just grinned. I liked to pick one guard at a place and harass him until he broke. I was a surgeon and, if I was honest, I didn’t think I saw psychiatrists as “real” doctors. I’m ashamed to admit it now for multiple reasons. Mostly because I’ve been in places in the prison system where there is more true mental illness than I ever thought could possibly be concentrated in a single building, but also because I’ve learned a new appreciation for how a good psychiatrist could get into someone’s head. It was a powerful feeling. I had no desire to fuck with someone’s head -- much -- but teasing them a little was too fun to resist. The guards anyway. Occasionally I’d fuck with other staff members or the occasional prisoner if he was a pain in my ass, but mostly it was the guards.
As I sat there, I caught a glimpse of a nurse. She looked like a tiny, curvy angel in this sea of steel and misery. Honey-colored hair pulled up in a messy bun, and those gray eyes that seem to see right through me. For some reason, I don’t associate those eyes with a woman. I knew I’d seen those eyes before, but for the life of me, I couldn’t place her.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Raven,” she said as she approached me, and holy shit, I recognized that tinkling voice. Then her eyes widened and she winced. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, obviously devastated at her inadvertent mistake. We both knew I was no longer a doctor. While a felony conviction didn’t always mean someone had to surrender their medical license, doing so had been a condition of my plea agreement. One I didn’t fight even though my brother tried to get me to. With anyone else, or if I didn’t know this woman, I’d have thought it was intentional, designed to either make me feel small by reminding me of how far I’d fallen or to see if they could make me snap with mental torment. But not Nadine Brentner.
“It’s all right, Ms. Brentner. I know it wasn’t intentional.”
Her jaw drops. “You remember my name?” Real wonder and a touch of hero worship tinted her expression. She looked more than a little starstruck and for the first time I could ever remember, I wanted to puff my chest out in pride. Because some girl I never knew very well was happily surprised I remembered her fucking name. Maybe Knuckles, the fucker, was rubbing off on me. I’d heard about him and his woman and how disgustingly mushy they could be. Only this wasn’t my woman. Also, when I knew her, she was still in high school, volunteering in the hospital’s Explorer program, a “class” in which the students volunteered at the hospital in different departments so they could see what the world of healthcare was like and outside the classroom.
I couldn’t help but smile. Nadine had been a ray of sunshine from the first day I saw her in my OR waiting room. We didn’t interact, though I tried to acknowledge her when I saw her. She had been handing out snacks and taking family to their loved ones as they came out of recovery. It seemed like she had a natural ability to empathize with those around her. On more than one occasion, I saw her help calm someone down when no one else could. Administration had been angry with her for stepping in. She was underage and a student, but she’d been there at the time and had already made a connection with the woman. I didn’t see her after that and I’d wondered on more than one occasion if she’d been moved to another department because of that incident or if she was simply finished with her class.
“Of course, I remember you.” I tried to drop my “Pain” persona and adopt some kind of gruff, long forgotten version of “Dr. Raven” she might remember. “You were one of the few Healthcare Explorers to come through my area who I thought might make a career in medicine someday.”
She seemed startled before she gave me a smile filled with wonder. Her eyes widened and she looked down at the floor. Taking a breath, she met my gaze again. This time, she looked more settled. Apparently, she hadn’t thought I’d notice her. Truth was, it was impossible not to notice her.
Nadine Brentner, the teenager, had been beautiful, but like a porcelain doll you were afraid to touch for fear of breaking her. I appreciated her outer beauty then, but it was her inner beauty that caused me to remember her. I don’t think there was ever a time I saw her without a smile.
“I hope I live up to your expectations then.” She smiled as she pulled a computer in front of her and began typing. “Give me just a moment,” she mumbled as she continued to peck on the keyboard. “Stupid thing locked me out again.” She gave me a sheepish grin. “I took too long and it thought I’d left.” She was muttering under her breath now and it was almost too cute for words. Mainly because I could remember her doing much the same thing a few times back when I’d had a life and an identity. Only thing she’d improved upon was that now, she seemed to need to stick the tip of her tongue out while she concentrated.
She sat across the small table from me. I was shackled at the ankles and wrists and secured to a bar bolted in the middle of the steel table. This might be medical, but I wasn’t sick or injured and the guards didn’t know me. No one was taking any chances. New face, new place.
As she continued her login, I glanced around the room. The big guard who brought me here was gone, but there were two other guards. One of them cleared his throat and frowned in our direction.
Nadine glanced at him before she looked up at me again. This time, her smile was still polite but not as welcoming. I noticed she seemed nervous now when she hadn’t before. I made a mental note and waited until Nadine was deep into her questioning about my medical history and such before I snuck a glance at the guard. There were no names on their ID badges, but I’d find out who he was and what beef he had with Nadine. And why the fuck she was scared of him.
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
Thanks so much for reading today's post. Hope you enjoyed it!
Follow me on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tina-donahue
Please feel free to share the post via FB,
Bluesky, Linked In, and more...share buttons at the bottom of this post :)
