by Joanna Wylde
God, I loathed him. I hated his stupid long legs and his dumb arm muscles, and his hair. He’d gotten it cut, I realized. Had to have been that morning because it’d still been all shaggy last night. Definitely hadn’t shaved, though. Just a hint of stubble around his chin… Shit.
Eli was being all sexy today, and that was the worst.
He lifted his bottle, flicking his tongue across his bottom lip right before taking a sip. I found my breath faltering because it reminded me of—
No. Not going there. Never going there. Didn’t matter how attractive he was, didn’t matter that Gus said he’d always seen us together. And it really didn’t matter that Eli’s ass looked absolutely fucking fantastic in a pair of faded jeans.
The man was a force of pure destruction, something I knew all too well, and the fact that he’d come back from prison even more pumped up and ripped than before, well…that was just God’s sick joke on women everywhere. Under all those muscles, Eli was still the asshole who’d taken Lemur hostage when I was five.
The torment hadn’t stopped there, either.
When I was sixteen, he’d beaten up my first boyfriend, Mark McDougal. Mark had dumped me after that. Said I wasn’t worth getting an ass-kicking. Not even when I wore my black bikini. Just thinking about it made my jaw clench. Ugh.
I forced myself to take a nice, deep, refreshing yoga breath, repeating a peaceful mantra as I refused to notice how Eli’s throat moved when he swallowed.
Inhale the goodness and love. Exhale the negativity and darkness.
He lowered the beer, still holding my eyes. Crap. He’d gotten into my head again, and he knew it. Not only that, he knew that I knew, which meant we weren’t just catching each other’s gaze across the room by accident. Nope. This was now the latest battle in our little war. My fingers tightened around the lemon I’d been slicing, sending juice squirting across the counter.
Yet another mess I’d have to clean up because of Gus’s stupid nephew.
“The two guys in the office with Gus,” Megan said, breaking through my thoughts. I hadn’t even remembered she was standing next to me, let alone what we’d been talking about.
“What?” I asked, trying not to blink because Eli wasn’t blinking.
“What do you think they’re talking about?”
“Doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be curious about them,” I replied absently, my eyes starting to burn.
“Are you serious?” she asked, a hint of laughter in her voice. “That sounds a little dramatic.”
I sighed. Megan had only been waiting tables at the Starkwood Saloon for a week. She didn’t know the rules yet, so I’d have to educate her.
“They’re part of the Reapers Motorcycle Club,” I said. “And it’s not a great idea to be asking questions about them. Doesn’t matter what they’re talking about because it’s none of our business… Hey, does it seem like he’s planning something to you? I don’t trust that look on his face. That’s the look he gets when he’s up to something.”
“Huh?”
“Eli,” I said shortly. My eyes were seriously starting to hurt. Why wasn’t he blinking? Was he even human? Maybe he’s half demon. Demons probably don’t have to blink at all.
“Eli?” she asked, sounding confused. “Why are we talking about Eli?”
“He’s been watching me.”
“Um, I think he’s just drinking a beer,” Megan said. “Maybe checking out your boobs a little, but that’s nothing new.”
Hmm… It couldn’t possibly be that simple, but it did give me an idea. Maybe it was time to create a diversion. I shifted my shoulders, expanding my chest.
Disappointingly, his eyes stayed on mine.
“Someday I’m gonna own this bar, and firing his ass is the first thing I’ll do.”
Megan giggled. “That sounded sort of super-villain-ish. Do you have a lair? I wish I had a lair…”
I blinked, caught off guard. I hadn’t realized that I’d said the words out loud. Eli smirked at me, gloating because he’d just won our little pissing contest. Dammit!
“I can’t believe I wrote to him in prison,” I told her, turning my back on the bikers. “Never should’ve been nice to him. He probably thinks that, deep down inside, we’re friends or something. We’re never going to be friends.”
“Didn’t he give you a ride home after work last night?” she asked, her voice light.
“Gus made him,” I snapped.
“And did Gus make him hug you the other day?”
“He caught me and gave me a noogie. And it hurt, too. It’s not a hug if it leaves bruises.”
“He left bruises?” Megan asked, startled. Shit. I might be able to justify a rumor about him not being able to get it up, but telling her that he’d hurt me for real…yeah, that probably crossed a line.
“No,” I admitted. “That was an exaggeration. But he’s still pure evil, so don’t fall for his shit. Or sleep with him. Every time a waitress sleeps with him, she ends up quitting without notice. Then I have to cover their shifts.”
Megan nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. “Okay, then… Um, I think I’ll go check the bathrooms. Make sure there’s no ugly surprises before things start getting busy.”
“Great idea,” I told her, and she scuttled off. Then I reached for a washcloth because I had lemon juice to clean up. Then I’d have to go back over there and check on them. See if they wanted more… Eli would, I could already tell. Not because he was big on drinking, though.
He just wouldn’t be able to resist an opportunity to order me around.
* * * *
~Eli~
“Looks like you gentlemen could use another round,” Peaches said, her voice so sweet it hurt my teeth. She offered bright smiles to the brothers around the table. No smile for me, though.
Kinda surprising, actually.
Usually, the more pissed off she was, the sweeter her smiles got. Sweet and polite and so damned terrifying that I’d been afraid to sleep in the same room as her after Gus took me in. I liked to think that was because of the snakes she kept putting in my bed, but they weren’t the only reason. Nope. The scariest part had been the way she’d glare at me through the darkness every night.
I spent a lot of time that first year wondering if Peaches would be strong enough to smother me with a pillow. You know, if I fell asleep before she did. Which never happened. Not once. Because I really didn’t want to find out the answer.
At least I’d always held my own with the payback.
It’d probably been for the best when her mom and Gus broke up, all things considered. We might’ve killed each other for real if she hadn’t moved out after second grade.
“I’d love another beer, gorgeous,” Rollins said. He’d been the Bellingham sergeant-at-arms for more than a decade, and the man was one scary-ass motherfucker. But Peaches didn’t seem too worried.
The girl had no sense of self-preservation.
I’d seen her go after a man my size with a bat during a bar fight just last month. It was shit like this that’d bothered me the most when I was locked up…knowing she was out in the world, unprotected, and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it.
And Peaches needed protecting, no question. Instead of backing away from Rollins like a sensible woman, she giggled, then accidentally brushed against him as she leaned over to pick up his empty bottle. The move essentially flashed her tits for all the world to see, and I felt my smile stiffen. Fuckin’ hated it when she did that.
Peaches knew this. That’s why she did it.
Rollins shot me a look, then very deliberately checked her out. Mostly to piss me off—because he was an asshole—but also because he was a guy with a dick. And it was hard to blame him for appreciating a sight like that. The girl had an amazing rack. One I’d spent no small amount of time thinking about over the years.
High school had been hell for me and Gus both, although the reasons were different.
Peaches had started popping out of he
r shirts the summer before ninth grade. I could still remember my uncle telling me we needed to have a talk that August. He’d grabbed us a couple of beers, and we’d found a shady spot out back. Then he’d explained that it was my job to protect her from all the guys who’d be trying to get into her pants once they saw those new tits.
He’d also told me what’d happen if I touched her myself, starting with a casual comment about how many bodies were hidden out in the forest lands.
Bodies nobody would ever find.
Keeping her safe from the boys at school had been easy. Keeping my own hands off her was the hard part. Wasn’t the only hard part, either. Most days, I’d jacked off two or three times thinking about that girl.
“I’d be thrilled to fetch you another drink,” Peaches cooed at Rollins, all sunshine and flowers. “And it’s good to see you again. How’s Bella doing? I sure enjoyed meeting her last year.”
Rollins’ face softened. A chill touched my spine—the same one I’d felt in the darkness when Peaches and I had shared a room all those years ago. Guy like that shouldn’t be so easy to manipulate, yet she’d just turned him from horny dick to whipped pussy with one question. “She’s due any day now.”
“I didn’t know you had a baby on the way!” she squealed, and her eyes lit up. Jesus Christ, we were all fucked now. Peaches loved babies, and she never got tired of talking about them.
Some nights in prison, I’d have nightmares about another guy knocking her up. Other nights, I’d wake up shaking and covered in cold sweat because I’d flashed back to the time she’d suckered me into giving her a ride to a baby shower.
This was truly terrifying shit.
“I’m ready for another drink,” I announced, cutting off the conversation before things got ugly.
Peaches turned on me, fury flashing in her eyes before she tamped it down. In an instant, her face was blank again. Still, it’d been enough to give away her new game.
She’d decided to give me the silent treatment.
“Draft this time,” I added, wondering how long she’d be able to keep it up. Her smile reappeared, but I sensed the effort it took. Perfect. Time for another jab. “And try to pour it right so there’s not too much head on it.”
She stilled, her smile tightening. I could almost hear her arguing with herself. Would she stay quiet or go on the attack? Then her eyes narrowed.
Attack it was.
“Don’t worry, I’d never give you head, Eli,” she said sweetly. Rollins snorted, and I blew her a kiss. Goddamn, but I loved pissing her off.
“Hey, Eli!” Gus called out across the room, his raspy voice disrupting the moment. He sounded older every day. Old and tired.
“Looks like they’re ready for you,” Rollins drawled, his laughter fading.
“Yup,” I agreed, keeping it casual. Couldn’t be one hundred percent sure what was about to happen, but I could make an educated guess.
If that guess was right, I’d spent half my life waiting for this moment.
Pushing back my chair, I stood, pausing to survey the room. The Starkwood Saloon hadn’t changed much over the years, at least not on the surface. Menu had gotten better while I was gone, though, and profits were up. That was all thanks to Peaches.
It’d be a shame to fire her, but I’d do it if she couldn’t show some respect once I was her boss. Still, I’d rather have her working under me. Or just under me in general. I swallowed… Yeah, this was gonna get complicated.
Gus slapped my back when I reached him, although I couldn’t tell anything from his expression. Following his gaze, I realized he was watching Peaches as she collected the empties. Then she started walking toward the bar with her hips swinging. That’s when it hit me again—the same feeling that’d made me break that teacup and steal that stuffed animal of hers all those years ago.
Got me every single fuckin’ time.
“Hey, Peaches,” I said, well aware I was playing with fire. Gorgeous, glorious fire. Totally worth the burn. She pretended she hadn’t heard me, but she was listening. Time to push more buttons. “You know, you’d be a lot prettier if you smiled.”
She didn’t respond, but I saw her fingers whiten around the empty bottles. Satisfaction rolled through me, and my cock twitched. Then I pictured her glaring at me right before I bent her over the bar. That gave my cock a lot more than a twitch.
Yeah. Firing her would suck… And now I was thinking about sucking…
You gotta shut this shit down, I told myself firmly, which was just stupid. Shutting it down wasn’t an option. Peaches Taylor had crawled under my skin when I was seven years old, and by now, I was addicted to the sensation. Sooner or later, I’d bend her over that bar for real.
Until then, I’d just have to get off by torturing her.
Seemed only fair, all things considered. I was a strong man. I’d had to fight for my club, and then fight to protect myself in prison. There weren’t a lot of things on Earth that scared me…but every time I saw a snake, my heart about pounded right out of my chest. That’s how much those fuckers freaked me out.
Peaches still owed me for those fucking snakes.
Chapter Two
~Eli~
Gage nodded as I walked into the office, pushing a battered folding chair toward me with his foot. He sat in one just like it, looking relaxed. That was a good sign. Rance had settled in behind Gus’s desk, his face thoughtful.
“So, you know why we’re here, right?” asked Gage, getting straight to the point. The question might’ve felt like a trap coming from someone else. But he was the president of my chapter of the Reapers MC, and I’d trust him with my life. Had trusted him with my life, actually. More than once.
“I’m thinking it’s about the bar,” I said, glancing toward Gus. The old man nodded, and a tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying lifted.
“Gus says he’s ready to retire, and we need someone we can trust running the place,” Gage continued.
That was an understatement. The Starkwood wasn’t just a bar. It was a meeting place on some nights and a convenient alibi on others. Not to mention handy as hell for taking in dirty money and spitting it back out again, all shiny and clean. My new part to play wasn’t a surprise, either. Gus had always planned on me taking over someday. I’d planned on it, too—until I got sent to prison.
The club had done their part, bringing in the best lawyer their money could buy. He’d ultimately gotten me out of prison on appeal, but that’d come down to luck. For all we’d known, I could’ve been stuck in that cell for the next two decades.
That’s why they’d needed a backup plan—Peaches.
I knew Gus had talked to her last year about buying him out, and she was gonna be pissed when she learned that I was taking her place. Again.
“I’ll give you a good deal,” Gus told me, clearing his throat. “But it has to be reasonable, or it’ll look suspicious.”
“The money is covered,” I reminded him. “Haven’t touched it since I got out.”
“Obviously, the club will throw in some resources, too,” Rance added. “Just be aware that if you do this, there’s no going back.”
Somehow, I managed not to laugh out loud at that one. Wasn’t a good idea to laugh at a club president—not unless he was joking on purpose. “All due respect, I already served five years for the club. Running a bar is nothing compared to that.”
“And we appreciate it,” Gage said. “We all know what you did. You were tested, and you didn’t fail. We’ll get the papers drawn up. Thanks for coming over, Rance.”
“Anytime,” the Bellingham president grunted. “And, Eli, I wasn’t trying to question your commitment. Gage is right. We all know what you did for us. You know you’ve always got our support if you need it.”
“Appreciated,” I told him, savoring the moment. This was mine, now. All mine. Savage triumph hit as the full reality started to sink in. Today, the Starkwood Saloon was finally mine. Sure, I’d be working in a partnership with the Reap
ers, but I’d never expected anything else. Hell, I’d grown up in the club.
We all stood and slapped backs like it was any other day. Then Gage and Rance stepped out, leaving Gus and me alone in the office. I looked around the grubby room. It still held the same battered desk that’d been there when I was a child, although the old couch had been replaced at some point.
First time I’d ever gotten laid was on that couch.
“You could’ve given me a heads-up,” I said finally, after a long pause. Gus shrugged, and I noticed that his shoulders seemed narrower. Less bulky. My uncle was getting old.
“Wasn’t a done deal until today. There’s a process for things like this. Gotta follow protocol.”
I considered that, realizing he was right. And we still had one more step in that protocol. Not an official move, but an important one. Shit. Just thinking about it was enough to kill my mood.
“So…you gonna give her the news or should I do it?”
Gus sighed heavily. “My decision, my job to tell her. But I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m nervous. She might just torch the place.”
The point was valid.
“Yeah, we should probably hide the matches.”
“Peaches won’t need matches,” Gus said slowly, raising a hand to rub his temple. “She’ll shoot fire straight out of her eyes. Her mom could do it, too. Never piss off a Taylor woman, Eli. They’ll make you pay for the rest of your life.”
“Too late.”
Gus grunted, then nodded. “Can’t argue with that. Do me a favor. If she kills me, make sure they never figure out what happened. It should look like an accident, not a murder. Understand? She’s the closest thing I’ve got to a daughter.” He shook his head slowly. “You know, if you’d claimed her ass when you got out, this wouldn’t be such a big fucking deal.”
“Have you met Peaches?” I asked, raising a brow. “It needs to be her idea. Otherwise, it’s not happening.”
A faint, bittersweet smile spread across my uncle’s face. “Yeah, you’re right about that. Her mom was the same way... I fucked that shit up, and I’ve regretted it every day since. Don’t make the same mistake, you got me? She’ll never forgive you.”