Zeke (Devil's Flame MC Book 2)

by Romi Hart

  “It ain’t nothing like bitch beer if that’s what you’re thinking.” He poured the liquor into the glass in front of him and pushing it toward Eli. “Drink up.”

  “Right,” Eli said, slamming the drink back. “Ah, damn that shit is hella smooth.” He said it with a surprised expression. He lowered the glass and pushed it toward the bartender, “Hit me with about half that bottle there, if you don’t mind.” The bartender shook his head.

  “Eli, I don’t think you need this glass. Just take the whole bottle,” he offered, pushing it toward him. Eli nodded and reached in his pocket tossing several loose twenties on the counter.

  “Think that ought to do it?” he asked. The bartender nodded and went to the register as Eli lifted the bottle and strode toward a corner booth where the light hardly reached and he might be able to hide in peace. His own little oasis.

  But he had trouble sleeping that night, his mind shifting to the way Zeke had acted when he came back in from talking with Leigh. It was just as he had suspected; he had offended Leigh by being a jerk to Rory. And now, Zeke expected him to find some way to make nice with her during the celebration. He sat in a bunk room down the hall from the office reflecting on their earlier conversation.

  “You know, you really pissed Leigh off. Did you see that Aurora actually left the clubhouse? She was a guest invited to hang out, Eli. You may not be much for conversation, but I’ve never seen you treat a guest like that, completely blowing her off,” he hissed. Eli rolled his eyes.

  “Jesus Christ, you act like I called her a barfly to her face or some shit. There are bigger fish for us to be frying right now,” Eli said flatly.

  “You might as well have. Now, Leigh’s all stressed out about whether Rory will even show up to the commitment ceremony. You have some idea how you can fix it?” Zeke asked, pulling the Tennessee Honey away from Eli’s grip and devouring a health swallow of it.

  “Hey, fucker, I bought that bottle with clean cold hard cash,” Eli protested, reaching for his bottle and tearing it from Zeke’s fingers.

  “Yeah, well, that money goes right back into the club anyway. Besides, I think you may need to slow down a bit. Maybe go take a bunk room tonight?” he asked, eyeing the bottle carefully. By now, it sloshed at the sides about half empty, though granted, Eli’s vision blurred and sloshed much like the bottle.

  “Yeah, well, I think you should keep your paws off this bear’s bottle,” Eli mumbled.

  “Fine, but can you at least make nice with Rory the next time you see her? I mean, cordial conversation. This is practically my wedding, and I will not put up with a bridezilla because of you.”

  “I know that, bro, but I’m not looking to get hitched and shackled any time soon, or ever, for that matter, so why do I have to entertain Aurora and her fucking crush on me?” Eli asked in exasperation. It was like having to put up with a screaming stalker, when all Eli wanted was his own damn space.

  “You don’t, but if you were at all wise, or a red-blooded male you might want to consider what she’s offering,” Zeke joked.

  “You’re never going to stop giving me shit about this, are you?” Eli asked. But even before he asked it, he already knew the answer.

  “Well, when you see a friend with his head in the wrong lane don’t you have a duty to give him a head’s up? I think you’re about to lose out on a great opportunity. And I also don’t want to wind up in the doghouse with Leigh – so can’t you at least humor her for a game of pool or some simple shit?” Zeke asked.

  Eli grunted. “Look what happened to Rafe over a game of pool.” He still couldn’t believe their vice president had ended up sleeping with the enemy, literally, and falling in love.

  But Zeke gave him a warning look, and he held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, if it will get you two off my back.” Eli muttered, lifting the whiskey and polishing off a greedy draw. He smacked his lips loudly and admired the contents of the bottle, barely a quarter of the amber liquid remaining.

  “Well, that’s all I could ask for, bro.” Zeke started to walk off before he glanced back in Eli’s direction, “But, when a fine piece of ass ceases to find you the sole focus of attraction, don’t come crying to me over your mistake.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Eli groused, walking forward and brushing past him as he stumbled back to the corridor where an empty bunk room awaited him, “I’m going to bed. Leave me the hell alone until well after daylight, will ya?” he asked, pausing just before the corridor entrance. Zeke chuckled and gave a light nod.

  “Yeah, seems like that’s the best solution for you now, bro. Enjoy your bitch-whisk,” he joked.

  “Yeah, and fuck you, too.” Eli lifted the bottle and finished off the remnants of golden fluid, placing it on a corner table as he nodded and turned to swagger down the hallway, knowing he was hammered.

  Eli ran through the conversation over and over, still unsure how he was going to come up with an apology. He wasn’t the sort who was good at such thing, rarely opening his mouth and stepping in shit that required the skill, and to be honest, he didn’t really feel he had done anything to Rory, other than reject her flat out. When had part of the role he played required him to be a wingman?

  Eli gritted his teeth, pulling the pillow over his head in hopes that it would shut out his thoughts. It didn’t, but he forced my eyes closed and sucked in a breath, as sleep finally overtook him.

  He woke with a pounding headache, and while honey had sweetened the drunk the night before, it instantly soured his mood and his stomach this morning.

  “Fuck,” Eli groaned, rolling from the bed and cradling his head between his hands. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought that someone had shoved a drill into his skull. He wasn’t the kind of man to wake up with a hangover; in fact, he lived on a healthy diet of whiskey nightly. Leave it to the ‘bitch’ liquor to screw up his day. He scoffed and rose from the mattress.

  The bed creaked slightly as his weight lifted from it, and Eli ran his hand through his greasy hair. “Time for the three S’s.” Eli took a deep breath, stepping out into the corridor and looking up and down it. There was a light on in Corey’s office, and Eli wondered if he had already come in for the day, or if like Eli, he was nursing himself back to health after a night full of drinking.

  Eli’s knuckles lightly rapped on the door as he waited.

  “Yeah?” Corey called out, obviously awake in there.

  “Hey, it’s Eli, mind if I come in?” Eli asked, hoping to pick at his friend’s mind a bit.

  “Sure, door’s open,” Corey called through the wood. Eli opened the door gently and peeked inside. Corey sat with his boots up on the desk and his head cradled on his palms, his arms folded behind him as he looked back at Eli, “What’s up?” he asked, casually.

  “Anybody else awake yet?” Eli asked, hoping not to see Zeke this early in the day.

  “Not that I know of. They went on an early morning ride, I think.” Corey mumbled.

  “Zeke and his girl go, too?” Eli asked.

  “Yeah, I think so. Why, you need to talk to him?” he asked.

  “No, I need to avoid him and that girlfriend of his for a while. Last night, I think I kind of pissed Zeke off when I wasn’t interested in Leigh’s friend,” Eli admitted.

  “Why did that piss him off?” Corey asked, arching a brow.

  “Not sure, I think maybe Leigh was hoping to hook a friend up with her man’s friend. You know how chicks think,” Eli muttered.

  “No one knows how chicks think, bro,” Corey chuckled, “, but if you’re not interested I’m not sure why there’s a problem.”

  “Because I was really a coldhearted jackass last night,” Eli stated flatly, rubbing his forehead with finger and thumb.

  “What did you do to her?” he asked, looking like he was ready to start yet another battle to save a woman. It seemed like that had been their business for a while now, between Rafe’s hard on for their most hated rival’s sister and the club everyone wanted to ruin ki
dnapping Leigh.

  “Completely ignored her ass, like she wasn’t even there. How the hell else was I supposed to let her down nicely?” Eli complained. Corey began chuckling, and shook his head.

  “Damn, well, you did swear off women for good, didn’t you?” Corey asked.

  Eli shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t think Rory got the memo. I did what I thought was best, but now, I’ve got Leigh giving me the evil eye and Zeke crawling up my ass to fix it.”

  “Well, just tell her you’re not interested nicely next time? I’m sure she’ll eventually get the point. Or friend zone her.”

  Eli shot him a baleful look. “I don’t do friends, especially with women. It’s too much maintenance. I have the club, and that’s it.”

  Corey sighed. “So, what are you thinking.

  Eli shook his head and sighed. “Not sure, but Zeke has demanded I make nice with her before his old lady celebration, and it looks like I’m going to have to at least humor the chick through that. Honestly, she’s real trouble, Corey. She’s the perfect testament to, ‘if it has tits, gears, or tread, it’s gonna give you trouble.’” Eli stated.

  “That hot, eh?” he remarked, smiling, “I should have been paying more attention. Maybe Zeke is right, and you should make nice with this girl,” Corey winked.

  “Not a chance in hell, Core. I can’t see myself with anyone else ever again. I’ve had my ride or die. Once is enough for me. Love and loss aren’t my kink,” Eli said.

  “Well, can’t say I don’t understand that, but you look like hell. You might wanna think about a shower,” Corey mentioned, nodding toward the door.

  “Yeah, I was headed there when I saw your light on. Thought it might be wise to check in on you.”

  “I’m all good, but like I said, you look like utter shit.” Corey laughed. Eli nodded and shot him the bird.

  “Yeah, I know you’re the godlike one here,” Eli murmured, walking out the door and heading to the bathroom down the hall. He stepped out of his boxers and turned on the water.

  It heated quickly, and he welcomed being surrounded by the hot steam. He leaned forward and ducked his head beneath the spray, sucking in a breath as he wet his hair. The water felt calming as it rushed across his skin. He gripped the bar of soap in one hand and began scrubbing beneath his armpits. This was one of the few moments that he got to himself, and it was these times he could really reflect on his choices. Lathered up, Eli turned to rinse his back, and wondered what it might be like to have someone help him with the hard to reach places, but he knew that simple things like affection and convenience weren’t all that women wanted, and the games they played were for kids, as far as he was concerned.

  He twisted the tap off with a tight grip and flicked his head once, scattering droplets of water all around the walls as his hand swiped at the mirror. He grinned, winking at his reflection playfully,

  “Yeah, you’re still a sexy beast, with a steel horse and an appetite for destruction.” He chuckled, referencing the Metallica album. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he hurried back to his bunk room, where he pulled a white t-shirt over his chest and stepped into his pants. Socks and boots followed, and Eli pulled a comb through his hair as a final act of self care. Then he opened the door to face the world.

  “Hey you!” a voice called out behind him, Eli paused, eyes clenching together as he recognized the voice. It was female, and he knew immediately who it was approaching him. Turning on heel he lifted his eyes to meet with hers briefly, wishing he could blink and make a mug of fresh, hot coffee appear in his hands before having this conversation.

  “Hello, Leigh,” he mumbled. She tilted her head and leaned into the corridor wall, arms crossing over her chest as she looked back at him.

  “You know, my friend, Rory – she’s really not that bad,” Leigh began.

  “Never said she was, but that doesn’t really matter.” He considered trying to walk away but knew that would only raise all sorts of new issues. Resigned, he stood there, prepared to take the verbal lashing.

  “Well, she’s coming to the clubhouse more often, so you should probably get used to her presence,” Leigh commented. Was this a scolding? Or a warning?

  “I already told Zeke, and I’ll tell you, too. I’ll make nice with the girl, but don’t expect it to go anywhere else. I’m only doing this out of respect for you and Zeke.” He gave a shrug. Leigh was breaking a number of cardinal rules right now. Engaging him freshly out of bed without coffee. When he had a hangover. And an empty stomach. In fact, considering how he felt about talking, she shouldn’t push for more than five words at a time from him, regardless of the situation or timing.

  “Alright, fair enough, but can I ask why you felt the need to pretend she didn’t even exist?” Leigh asked.

  And there it was. He already had to explain himself to a woman that didn’t even belong to him. He certainly didn’t need one of his own. “Because I’m not a commodity, Leigh. I’m a fucking real person. Not just a cock on a bike like so many women seem to think.”

  “Damn, I wasn’t aware you felt like a piece of meat. For the record, you shouldn’t judge,” Leigh said pointedly, pushing off the wall to brush past Eli as she headed back to the bar. Eli huffed, aggravated by not only the lecture he had received from Zeke, but now the hounding of his old lady, too.

  He shook his head, knowing that walking into the bar right then would only make things worse. He reached back into his bunk room and grabbed his jacket, pulling it over his shoulders. His pace, swift and motivated, carried him through the main room quickly, and as his hand pushed open the door, the sun burst into his vision, causing pain to slice through his head again as hurried to the shop in back.

  “Eli!” Zeke’s voice filtered into his ears. Pausing, Eli closed his eyes and balled up his fists at his sides. If it ain’t one thing it’s another. “Where you headed?” he asked as he caught up to Eli.

  “For a solitary ride,” Eli mumbled, hoping Zeke would catch his drift.

  “Alright then. Nice day for it. Leigh and I just got back ourselves.”

  Eli nodded and strode toward the shop, waving Zeke off.

  Alone didn’t have to mean lonely.

  Click here to keep reading Eli…

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Zeke. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it.

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  About the Author

  Romi writes steamy contemporary romance with hot alpha rugged bad boys and their strong heroines. You'll love her if you like reading books with passion, love and HEAs.

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  Also by Romi Hart

  Devil’s Flame MC Series

  Rafe

  Zeke

  Eli

  Harrison

  Corey

  BOX SETS

  Stamina

  Out of Bounds

  Playing to Win

  Untamed Billionaires

  Dangerous

  Untamed Billionaires Series

  The Billionaire Bull

  The Billionaire Bold

  The Billionaire Brute

  Playing to Win Series

  One Kiss to Win

  One Chance to Win

  One Cheer to Win

  Out of Bounds Series

  Temptation

  Addiction

  Passion

  Dangerous Series

  Dangerous Play

  Dirty Play

  Daring Play

  Stand Alone Books

  Sinner

  Big Slide

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  Romi Hart, Zeke (Devil's Flame MC Book 2)