Eli (Devil's Flame MC Book 3)

by Romi Hart

  “Shit,” he recoiled, slamming the door shut on her. “Jesus Christ,” she heard him curse again. He walked to the driver’s side and climbed in, “Aurora, that’s your name, isn’t it?” he asked.

  She glared at him with fiery darts in her eyes. “What’s it matter to you? It’s not like you’re going to remember it tomorrow, or address me anytime in the future.” She heard the pettiness in her tone and didn’t give a shit.

  “Where do you live?” he asked, completely ignoring her.

  “In hell!” she groaned, leaning her head against the car window. “I’m a living, breathing, and some might even say beautiful woman who can’t even attract the attention of one man. You’re either gay or impotent because as far as you’re concerned, I’m a ghost, and you look right through me!” she seethed. Eli sighed, glancing up at the dash.

  “Guess that means I’m going to have to get personal,” he stated, reaching into her corset, despite her sputtered protests, and drawing out the wallet. He read the address on her license to the GPS, and sure enough, the typical woman’s voice began rattling off the directions. “Awesome, problem solved.” Aurora shifted suddenly, turning toward him, and in her state of intoxication, grinning as she reached over and unbuckled herself.

  “Fuck GPS, and fuck going home!” she said, realizing this was her one and only opportunity. Leaning over, she slid her hand down over Eli’s chest. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, shaking his head.

  “Rory, you’re seriously bombed. Do you even know what you’re doing?” he asked. “I don’t randomly hook up with anyone, especially if they’re three sheets to the wind.”

  “Even if I’m throwing myself at you?” she asked, struggling to get closer so she could press her breasts into his face.

  “Especially if you’re throwing yourself at me. You can’t make real decisions in this state, Rory.”

  “You just don’t get it, do you?” she asked, pleaded as she tried to climb over the center console and failed. “I don’t want to go home, Eli. I want to go home with you.”

  Eli scoffed and leaned away slightly. “Put your seatbelt back on, Rory. You need to get into bed and sleep off some of that Jim.”

  “I just don’t fucking get it. You acted like I had the plague a couple days ago. Tonight, you barely took a shot with me and turned me away like I was poisonous. Now, all of a suddenly you give a fuck if I get home safely or not. I’m not sure I get you at all.” She slammed back down in the seat and winced, her bottom bruised from her fall, much like her knees.

  “Good, I’m not the type of guy who wants to be ‘gotten,’” Eli stated dryly.

  “No worries, I get it. I don’t have a chance in hell there. That’s why I had to go find somebody else to keep company with,” she moped, slumping down in her seat.

  Eli drove the short distance and turned left into Rory’s apartment complex. It was a nice and fairly upscale area, and Rory groaned inwardly. Now, he was going to have all the wrong idea and think she was too haughty to really want something from a biker.

  “You know, maybe you and I got off on the wrong foot,” he hedged as he parked. “And you know your gas pedal sticks a bit?” he asked. Aurora’s gaze remained sealed out the window, and consciousness slipped away.

  * * *

  Suddenly the sound of her snoring hit Eli’s ears. He sighed, “I guess I should have expected that.”

  Eli checked the clock and winced. It was a little after four in the morning, and he grumbled to himself as he walked around to the slumbering Rory’s side. He opened the door gently and leaned in, picking her up and cradling her against his chest as he walked up the two flights of stairs to her third floor apartment, glad she was small.

  Aurora was dead to the world, her dangling curls brushing against his strong biceps, which bulged as he finally stepped up to her front door. With the keys in one hand, he struggled to unlock it and pushed it open with his hip. His elbow shot over and bumped the light on, noting that Aurora’s couch was nestled right up against the front living room window.

  He sighed, wondering if he should put her on the couch or go looking for her bed. After her snapping attitude toward him while helping her, he figured getting out of dodge as quickly as possible was the best idea. But the couch seemed like a vulnerable place for a drunk girl, especially so open to viewers with no shades over it, so he strode down the hall and found her bedroom door open, switching on the light and placing her gently on the mattress.

  As he gazed down on her, he couldn’t help but notice how innocent and sweet she appeared, despite how she was dressed. A glance around her room brought a smile to Eli’s lips. There was something odd about the décor she had chosen, a mix of everything meditative and conducive to the idea of serenity, interspersed with a lot of Harley insignia. Strange as it was, it seemed that Rory had a really nice and welcoming place, something he found intriguing and surprising at the same time.

  He knelt down and pulled the sheets and blankets up from around her, then began to untie her stiletto boots carefully. He slid her feet from the boots and replaced her feet gently back atop the mattress, drawing the sheets and blankets up all around her, “Hope you sleep well, Aurora.”

  He turned to walk out the door. A sudden nagging hit him as he put her keys on the nightstand, and he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, scribbling down a number and a short note for when she woke up. As rude as he had been, he couldn’t have let her risk her life trying to drive. But bringing her home made him realize he had been wholly wrong. It wasn’t Aurora’s fault she found him attractive, nor was it her fault that he had sworn off women. He should have offered her an explanation up front. Looking down at the note, he slid it onto the nightstand and dropped the keys on top of it.

  Glancing back one more time, Eli flipped the light off and closed Rory’s bedroom door and made his way out. He chuckled as he noticed a motorcycle men calendar hanging on the wall and shook his head. He didn’t feel that any of those pretty boys represented the truth of what an MC offered, especially what he and the other Devil’s Flames had created for themselves, and it had been this ideology that had turned him off to women in the first place.

  He turned the knob lock and pursed his lips. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her asleep without the deadbolt locked, but this was the best he could do for now. Worse yet, he needed to call a ride to get back to his bike, and dawn was too damn near the horizon.

  “I sure hope you enjoyed yourself, Rory,” he muttered as he pulled out his phone and dialed one of the prospects, smiling briefly as he recalled the events of the night.

  4

  Any warm-blooded male would have struggled with instinct had they found themselves in the position Eli had – all in the name of being a decent guy, despite Rory’s assumption that he was a heartless bastard. And yet, Eli could sense that if he’d wanted, he could have easily crawled into bed with her and, just as easily, could have left the next morning with no strings attached, which was what Aurora seemed to want.

  Eli was a biker, but he was still a gentleman who concerned himself with chivalry, lost cause or not, and he knew that the last thing he wanted was to jump into the sack with a woman who wouldn’t remember a damn thing about it the morning after. As he lumbered into the clubhouse with the sun peering over the horizon, he found Harrison sitting at the bar’s edge.

  “The fuck are you doing here? I thought you left like an hour ago,” Harrison said.

  “Had to come back to get my bike. I might just crash out in my bunk,” Eli muttered, his voice full of grit from lack of sleep.

  “You left your bike?” Harrison blinked at him, confused, and made a circular motion in the air. “Is there something I’m missing?”

  “A hell of a lot apparently. Didn’t you pay any attention to anything that went on here tonight?” Eli asked.

  “Somewhat,” Harrison shrugged noncommittally.

  “I was trying to do a solid for Zeke and Leigh,” Eli remarked.

  “D
oes this have something to do with the chick Guy stomped at pool?” he asked.

  Eli scowled at him. “Her name’s Rory.”

  “Yeah, I bet she’d make me roar. Did you get lucky?” Harrison asked, quirking his eyebrows playfully.

  “It wasn’t like that,” Eli said, irritated. He was too tired for this and started to walk away.

  “What do you mean? That bitch was smoldering and seemed to be looking for a good time.” Harrison chuckled, “Are you telling me you didn’t hit that?”

  “That’s what I’m saying,” Eli stated firmly, almost daring Harrison to challenge him again.

  “So, what the hell did you do?” Harrison asked, perplexed.

  “I drove her home and put her to bed, where her drunk ass belongs,” Eli told him.

  “Let me get this straight,” Harrison began in disbelief, “You drove her home. In her car. Carried her inside. Tucked her under the covers in her little princess bed. Like a good daddy would?” he asked. “And you didn’t even peek under those clothes?”

  Eli rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like there was much skin covered to start with anyway. “I took off her boots.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  But Harrison scoffed. “You must be getting a limp dick from all this abstinence, my friend.”

  “You’re a dick, Harrison,” Eli grunted, turning away. He really needed to get to bed before he slammed a fist into his club brother’s mouth.

  “Well, shit did you even leave your number or anything?” Harrison asked, exasperated.

  Grinding his teeth, Eli shut his eyes and told him in measured tones, “I wrote a note. Figured she might want to know how she got home when she wakes up. I doubt she’ll remember anything.” Although it would serve her right for her bitter diatribe to be at the forefront of her mind as her head throbbed from the hangover.

  “You’re a dumbass,” Harrison stated flatly. “I can’t believe you let something like that pass you by. I don’t get it.”

  In all honesty, he didn’t give a rat’s ass what Harrison thought, and he was tired of being harassed.

  “It’s like a teenage crush, Harrison. Girls like that seem like a great option, so you can move on, leaving their ass in the dust. But all women cling, and the ones who play the game and pretend otherwise are the worst. I don’t need to collect leeches.”

  “You’re still a dumbass. Life’s too short to dwell on the past or future trip, brother. Live in the present, and quit denying yourself the pleasures this world throws at you,” Harrison said pointedly. Eli clenched his teeth and shook his head, walking away before he said or did something he regretted.

  Harrison didn’t have a clue. That girl was going to move on in a heartbeat, no questions asked. Rory’s place had been strangely warm and inviting, but seeing her mix of serenity-inducing materials paired with the hardcore biker motif gave Eli the impression it wouldn’t take long for her to turn her attention the next hardbodied, tatted bad boy. She’d find another target as soon as her rejection wore off.

  * * *

  A few hours of shuteye, and Eli slipped back out into the bar. Running his hands through his hair, he sighed and approached the bartender.

  “Back already?” the bartender asked curiously, “I thought you left with that hot bitch last night.”

  Eli’s brows drew together. Too many nosy fucks around here. “I gave her a lift so she didn’t wind up on the morning news. Can I get a cup of joe? I’m starving, but I’m not going anywhere till I’m caffeinated.”

  “So, what did you do?” the bartender placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. “Did you walk back or what?”

  “I called a ride,” Eli answered shortly. He wasn’t in the mood for conversation with this kid. He couldn’t remember the prospect’s name, and it bothered him.

  “She as hardcore as she looked?”

  Eli scowled and opened his mouth to tell the kid to leave him alone, but he stopped. “I don’t know. I can’t tell. Her style’s a little eclectic. Half biker, half hippie.

  “Are you saying she’s fake?”

  “No, I’m saying she’s multifaceted. Maybe a little less shallow than she seems. She’s Harley memorabilia and tattooed leather-bound model calendars thrown around in the middle of all this peace, love and happiness stuff. Kind of weird, honestly,” Eli said.

  “Well, she sure seems to have the hots for you.”

  Eli shrugged, gulping down the remnants of his coffee. “She’ll get over it. Besides, one of the other guys could always come take her off my hands.”

  “Are you serious? Do you think I have a shot?” The kid snorted and shook his head. “You’re crazy, Eli. She’s not going to settle for anything else.”

  “Then she’s shit out of luck.”

  “What happened? Lose your balls in a bet or something?”

  Getting up to leave, Eli shot him a warning look and pressed a finger into his chest. “Watch how you talk to a patched member, prospect. All I’m saying is she needs someone with a little more free time who might enjoy the ride.”

  “Bullshit. You’re afraid,” the kid challenged. As much as Eli wanted to bust out his teeth, he had to respect the prospect’s determination not to be intimidated, “That chick is far too hot to be passing her off like damaged goods.”

  “Yeah, she’s hot, and I’m not blind. But it’s not my style to take advantage of a drunk girl, and it shouldn’t be yours, either.” That finally shut the kid’s mouth, and he turned to walk over toward the billiard tables.

  “Hey, Guy,” Eli called over to their resident pool shark, “You remember that girl you cleaned out last night?”

  “You mean the hot bitch that keeps tagging along with Zeke and his old lady?” he asked.

  “Yeah, you think you’d do your boy a favor?” Eli asked.

  “What do you mean?” Guy questioned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

  “Well, she’s been on my ass constantly, every time she comes around, and you two had some fun last night. Think you might want to take a problem off my hands?” Eli tried to sound casual. Guy wasn’t one to hop on the bandwagon if you sounded anxious.

  “Why is she a problem?” Guy asked.

  “Because I can’t get it through her head I’m not looking for a woman. Not for sex or a relationship or anything. And I don’t want to piss Leigh off by continually giving her friend the cold shoulder. I’m already on thin ice with her and Zeke,” Eli explained.

  Guy started chuckling and shook his head. “Come on, man. I’m not stepping in the midst of that shit. If she’s trouble for you, she’ll be trouble for me. That’s the last thing I’m looking for right now. Sorry, but you’re gonna have to find another sucker.”

  Eli huffed. “So, I’m on my own. Got it..” Turning to walk away, he waved Guy off. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Hey, I wasn’t trying to piss you off,” Guy called after him.

  “Whatever,” Eli muttered to himself. “Shower, shit and shave time.” Locking himself in the bathroom, he pulled his shirt from his chest and threw it on the back of the toilet.

  His pants unzipping followed by the soft thud of them dropping to the floor were the only audible sounds in the room. Eli leaned forward and turned on the shower, sighing as he ran both hands through his hair, “Fucking life.”

  He glanced in the mirror at his reflection frowning slightly at the bags under his eyes and the lines around his mouth. He still thought of himself as young, but he had to admit there was no reversing the aging process. And there was a part of him that remembered how much he’d looked forward to growing old with someone. Watching their kids grow up and counting the gray hairs they caused to pop out on his head.

  Grunting with disapproval at his own thoughts, he shook his head at his reflection and turned away from it, stepping under the warm stream. As it cascaded over his shoulders, Eli sucked in a breath and groaned softly. Why did he need a woman when simple little things like this did enough to comfort him on the daily, and he didn’
t have to listen to any whining, bitching, or complaining about his other obligations?

  And he certainly didn’t have to concern himself with the possibility of loss.

  Eli bent his neck so the water could rush over his hair, a relaxing relief of the pressure that often built up in his temples. He massaged his scalp with the tips of his fingers and found himself battling against images of how beautiful and sweet Rory had looked as he tucked her into bed. It pushed him to finish his shower in a hurry, needing a distraction.

  Dressed and ready to go, he made a beeline for the front door. The last thing he wanted was to deal with anyone else harassing him over not acting on the very tempting offer Rory placed before him. In fact, he was aggravated at how everyone seemed to expect him to take the offer blindly without question.

  In Eli’s opinion, if you were going to sleep with a woman, you needed to make it memorable, make a mark on her so that, when she thinks about you, she wants more. It wasn’t just about the wham, bam, thank you, ma’am mentality most men paraded around. Eli, unlike most men, felt commitments to responsibility were more important than a roll in the hay later forgotten by both parties.

  With that logic, Eli knew how to take care of his baser needs. He walked up to his bike, caressed it like a treasured lover, and threw his leg over it, mounting and flexing his fingers before gripping the handlebars.

  It was time for a ride.

  He revved the engine to life and pulled onto the road. Most of the time, Eli found sanctuary at the clubhouse, but after the long night and all the gossip that was twittering around about him like the brothers were some old biddies at a quilting club, he would be better off with the solace of the road.

  * * *

  The wind blew through Eli’s hair as he pulled the bike off to the shoulder for a moment, his eyes focusing on the clear blue horizon stretched out before him. Sitting on the bike, he stared out over the landscape and admired the beauty of rolling Texas plains, a few shrubs scattered around, and the edges of fences in the distance around farmland. His eyes flickering over the scenery with appreciation,