With his Dad home, he thought that some of that pressure would ease up. If anything the past three weeks had been more like hell than before. His Dad was determined to figure out what was going on with Xander and his group and he wasn’t wasting time planning out strategies for getting his territories back.
So far, there has been no progress. No one would talk to Manny. No one was talking—period. Over the past couple of years several large storage units had been set up on the smaller club’s properties. Two or three times a year they would see large trucks unloading boxes into the units. Without breaking in they had no way of knowing what was in those boxes.
The Karthadossians were flush with funds. They didn’t dabble in the drug trade the way some of the other clubs did and no one knew where the sudden flow of money was coming from.
Manny wanted to cut the lock on one of the storage units. They could be in and out quick but the chances of getting caught and starting a war between the two clubs was high. Until they knew what was going on, Rex wasn’t keen on the idea of a break-in. His Dad had always been a hot head, ready to go at a moment’s notice with a half-assed scheme. It’s what had gotten him popped by the Feds. It’s really easy to set someone up when they are shooting off at the mouth all the time.
Rex played his cards close to his chest. Growing up with so many people with little to no impulse control had taught him a thing or two. One of the most important was keeping your thoughts to yourself. Not drinking to excess and running off at the mouth was smart.
Yesterday his Dad had come to him and said the break-in idea was tabled for the time being. He had a new plan he wanted to talk to him about. When Manny Pershing came up with a plan it was hell trying to talk him out of it.
***
Xander Thorn was a smart man. Smarter than the men who worked for him. Smarter than the cops and smarter than the men he was working for. He had his life under control. Things ran smoothly and he liked it that way.
The past ten years had been a real boon for Xander. Getting Manny tossed in the federal penitentiary was the best idea he’d had in a long time. Well, that and getting to take over the clubs he needed by exploiting an old agreement made between them when their kids were little.
Admittedly, he’d had a few sleepless nights over the idea of using his baby girl as a tool to gain more power but in the end it had worked out. Worked out so well, he’d done it two more times.
Without access to the routes surrounding those clubs his plan would have never worked. Manny had unwittingly let his one weakness be exploited for Xander’s gain. It was the only time he was glad that his little girl and Manny’s kid had been friends in school.
Now that Ellie was grown up and able to take care of herself, their little agreement would be coming to an end. Not that he thought Manny would do anything to his daughter. No, Manny was too nice. Too bad Xander wasn’t nearly as nice.
***
Rex sat at one of the scarred up tables in the club with his Dad, half listening to him while texting a possible hook up for the night. He hadn’t slept well last night and his head was already pounding.
Whatever plan his Dad had come up with hadn’t panned out so he was back to the break-in scheme. He’d spent the better part of the morning arguing with him and his Dad’s fuse was getting shorter and shorter by the second.
When he finally had enough, Rex got up and walked away before the argument got any worse. His Dad would never get physical with him but he could find other ways to cut him to the bone. Rather than wait around for that to happen, he hopped on his bike and headed into town.
For a while he just rode, letting the stress go, letting the frustration go. When his chest stopped feeling tight and his mind was calmer, he went to find a place with good beer and better burgers. The place he picked had outside tables and his favorite brew. He settled in to eat his meal and people watch.
The woman he’d been texting earlier texted him back, wanting to meet up at a local bar later. He had no plans to go back and argue with his Dad so the arrangement was fine with him. She’d be happy to give him a warm place to sleep for the night, he was sure.
CHAPTER TWO
The bar was loud, hot and packed to the eaves. A haze of smoke that was doubtful to be from cigarettes hung over the dance floor. They’d barely been there an hour and already Ellie was ready to go home. She had chapters due and should have been working instead of drinking. If it wasn’t so crowded she’d be having more fun.
They’d come to dance but so far, they hadn’t even had a chance to get near the dance floor. Honestly, turning twenty-one and becoming legal hadn’t been a huge deal to Ellie. She grew up in a world where drinking, smoking and sex weren’t limited by any age restriction law. Not that she’d been a huge part of it. Her Dad had kept her away from the rougher parts of that world as best he could. Still, she wasn’t a novice.
This place was trendy, which was why it was so busy. New clubs always were. She’d wanted to go to a place where they knew more people, could relax a bit but she’d been outvoted by her own crew.
After another half hour they were ready to go someplace else. Ellie tried to bail but her friends were having nothing to do with that. They had their eyes on a bar down the street, a place better suited in her world than their safe suburban one.
There was just as much smoke, and it was as loud as the last place but the crowd was smaller, more diverse and less polite. They walked in on a fist fight and had to quickly move to the side to avoid the fists that were flying and the bouncers that were trying to gain control.
Laughing at their near miss, her friends rushed the bar and began ordering drinks to make up for lost time. Ellie held back, knowing her limits was something she’d learned the hard way.
Settling at a table, the three friends she’d come with immediately began perusing the crowd, checking out the available merchandise. She wasn’t there to hook up. She’d simply wanted a break from all the words in her head.
After guzzling a couple of strong drinks they got up to hit the dance floor. Finally, she could lose herself in the music and shut out everything else. Closing her eyes she let the beat of the hard base notes flow over her.
***
Rex had been stood up. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last but it sure pissed him off when the women he met didn’t have the courage to say no thanks, not interested. Instead they’d rather waste his time and leave him waiting.
He shrugged off the irritation. It didn’t do him any good to be angry. Women loved the idea of a bad boy but when push came to shove, most of them were wary and for good reason. He wasn’t exactly husband material.
Skipping out on the place she’d chosen to meet up, Rex hopped on his bike and headed downtown to a place better suited to his personality. There were several other bikes in the lot. He could feel the base in the pavement under his feet.
Inside it was dark, smoky and smelled of hot bodies and cold beer. Like coming home. He made a beeline for an unoccupied corner of the bar, ordered a beer and sat back to do a little more people watching.
A streak of light swept over the dance floor and his eye caught on a flash of wild tawny hair. Nice. The light moved but he could be patient until it came back. When it did, it highlighted lush hips and long, long legs bared by a short skirt.
His interest piqued, he stood up and moved to the edge of the dance floor to get a better look. With her back to him, he could openly admire the curve of her ass—she was no stick, she had meat in all the right places--and the way she moved to the beat. Very nice.
Until she turned around he’d have no way of knowing if the front was as nice as the back. Unconsciously, he moved a little closer, waiting for her to show him her face. Her arms were up in the air when she did, a wide smile of pure happiness on her full lips. He choked on the sip of beer he’d been taking. Holy hell. The lush piece he’d been eyeing was none other than Ellie Thorn, all grown up.
***
Ellie had blocked o
ut the world around her so completely that she never noticed she was being watched. Her friends did though and their sly smiles as they informed her were proof enough that whoever he was, he was hot.
When the beat changed and slowed, her friends deserted her. A large hand fell on her shoulder while a second snaked around her waist. She felt his head coming down and he whispered in her ear, ‘Dance with me?’ as if he wasn’t already claiming her with his hands.
Something about his voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t place it. She tried to turn but his hold was firm as he started them swaying in place, pressing her tight to the front of his body. His hard, well-muscled body.
She allowed it for a moment, lost in the mystery of it. The hand that was resting on the front of her waist was wide and tanned, with long fingers. The way he had them spread had his thumb nearly brushing the bottom of her right breast. The hand led up to an arm that was covered from wrist to forearm with tattoos. Biker symbols. Familiar biker symbols.
This time when she made to turn he allowed her but kept her tight to his body. Her eyes came up clashed with his dark blue gaze. She’d recognize those eyes anywhere. “Rex,” she breathed, eyes wide with shock.
“Hi, Ellie. Long time no see.” He spoke in her ear so she could hear him clearly. A little shiver ran down her back, surprising him.
With his mouth at her ear, hers was close to his. Long jet black hair was pushed behind that ear, making it easy to place her lips close and speak. She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice but she wasn’t sure it would work. “It has been a long time.”
It may have been a long time since he’d seen her but she’d been watching him forever. Even as a kid she’d watched him, seeing something in him that others didn’t. She’d had such a crush on him, until the year he’d dropped out of school. That year he’d gotten mean, pretending he didn’t know her. It had been a hard blow but she’d gotten over it. Sort of.
She’d watched him after that from afar. They lived close by each other but he never noticed her. She was just that chubby little girl he’d used to push on the old tire swing out in front of her house.
He’d starred in more than a few of her adult fantasies. Not that she’d ever tell him that. He was too cocky, so sure of himself all the time. She’d never been that way. Until recently. Words had given her a power that she’d thought was lost to people like her.
They danced quietly for a minute. The feel of his thighs rubbing against hers was nice. He smelled of cologne and the wind. No doubt he’d ridden here on that blood red Harley of his. It was a wild combination that made her heart thump a little hard.
The song was coming to an end and neither one of them had said another word. She was so nervous that her hands were starting to shake. One of his hands came up to brush the hair off her shoulder so he could get close to her ear again. She tried really had not to tremble.
“Come sit with me. I’ll buy you a drink.” The word please was there in his tone.
She pulled back just enough to be able to see into his eyes. They were shiny and full of mischief. Same way they’d been when he was a kid. Always up for some kind of trouble.
She’d never been up for trouble. Not as a kid. She was always worried about what her Dad would do if he found out she’d gone with Rex on some hair-brained scheme. He’d always called her a chicken and run off to go do something stupid and fun. Now, here he was again, his hand out, offering her a chance to do something stupid and fun.
She took his hand and followed him back to the bar.
CHAPTER THREE
They talked for a long while. Caught up on things. She gave him the same lie she gave everyone when they asked what she did for a living. Editor. Really boring. Fixing other people’s mistakes for a living. Glossing over it, she turned the tables on him and really listened as he talked.
His voice was much deeper than she remembered. He bought her a beer, then another but she paced herself when he offered a third, asking for a water instead. He told her about his Dad coming home from prison and how he’d taken over the spot of second when he was eighteen. It was a big deal in their world and she congratulated him.
They talked about the old days from when they were kids and how the only time their old men had gotten along was when it came to the two of them. Ensuring that no one hurt them was important to both men.
She had a throaty, full laugh that went all through him. He found himself trying to find ways to make her laugh. She also had a habit of touching his arm with her smooth hand whenever she did. If she was flirting she wasn’t doing it consciously. It was too genuine and didn’t feel put on. He could tell the moment she realized that it was getting late. Her face sobered and she gave him a sad smile.
“I really should get going. I’m sure my friends are ready to go--” She turned to find them but the table they’d been sitting at was empty.
“Your friends ditched you about a half an hour ago. I was going to tell you but I got distracted.” Of course, he’d seen them getting up to go and had waved them off. They’d been more than happy to leave her with him, shooting naughty little looks at each other, and him.
“Some friends.” She crossed her arms under her ample chest and huffed.
He didn’t want her being upset with her friends. Even though he agreed that they weren’t the greatest to just leave her alone with a man when they’d come together. “I have to confess. I kind of waved them off when they came to get you. I wasn’t ready for you to go yet.”
Her mouth fell open. “Shouldn’t you have asked me if I wanted to stay first?”
“If I had, would you have stayed, or would you have gone home?” He moved closer when he asked, eyes drawn to that full bottom lip she’d started worrying with her teeth. When she didn’t immediately answer, he stood up. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”
There he was, once again with his hand out, asking her to do something she never did. They might have grown up together but that was a long time ago. He was virtual stranger. If she were writing this story, she’d take his hand and run off with him into the night. Thing was, she never did the things her characters did. He was waiting patiently while she decided. She stood up and took his hand.
***
It had been a close call. He’d thought for sure that she was going to say no. If she had he’d been prepared to get her a cab to make sure she made it home okay. Then something had changed her mind and a rebellious little smile had crossed her face and she’d taken his hand.
He led her through the crowd and out the door. He didn’t let go of her hand until they got to his bike in the parking lot out back, releasing her to get out his keys and unlock the storage area under the seat. He pulled his helmet out and a spare for her.
It hit him that she might not have been on a bike before. Her Dad had been so strict about not letting her be involved in anything to do with the MC’s. “You’ve ridden before, right?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I may have been sheltered as a kid but I’ve been on rides. I even own a bike.” His eyes shot up in shock and she laughed.
Gesturing for her to get on, he noticed her hesitation, looking down at the short skirt on her sundress. It wasn’t like he’d be able to see much. She’d just have to tuck the skirt around her thighs after he got on and settled. Otherwise she’d be flashing the town on the way home.
Putting on the helmet, Ellie didn’t bother being lady like. She got on, scooted back and smiled, waiting on him. He shot her a huge grin, impressed that she wasn’t as uptight as he’d thought.
He paused, realizing he had no clue where she lived. For all he knew she still lived at home. That wouldn’t look good, him dropping her off at her Dad’s place considering the history between their parents. “Where to?”
“I’m over on Strickland Place. You know where that is?”
“Yeah, south of the Pike, right? Little bungalows from the forties?” He pulled his hair back with a leather tie and slipped the helmet on when she nodded.
Taking a left out of the parking lot, Rex breathed a sigh of relief to be out in the open and feeling the wind in his face. Too long in enclosed places always made him a little anxious. Of course, having a good looking woman behind him didn’t hurt any.
He took the highway going south and relaxed even more as he got up to speed. Behind him, Ellie had let go of his belt loops and was leaning back, letting the wind rush over her, arms out to the sides. He could feel her laughing.
Her hands came back when he took the exit. She moved with him naturally as he navigated the turns and curves leading to her neighborhood. When he got to Strickland Place she pointed directions at him, leading to her house, a Spanish style bungalow with arched windows and door.
Devil's Angels Boxed Set: Bikers and Alpha Bad Boy Erotic Romance Page 15