Harrison (Devil's Flame MC Book 4)

by Romi Hart

  “You’re going to spoil me,” he growled at her, nuzzling his nose between her breasts. It was intimate but not sexual, and that was even nicer as she cradled his head against her lovingly.

  “Just make sure you do the same for me.”

  He grunted. “I’ll give you the entire closet and two drawers in my dresser.”

  She stilled, and Harrison cursed himself. Had he overstepped his bounds again? He’d figured that, being together, they could shack up. It would make more sense, since he knew he wanted her in his bed every night for the rest of his life. And her apartment was pretty small. He had this house, and it was lonely enough at the moment that he wasn’t here much. Maybe if he had Skye to come home to, he’d take advantage of the place.

  “Make it three drawers, and we have a deal. Oh, and you’ll have to clean off counter space in the bathroom.”

  Her response made him laugh, feeling truly happy for the first time in longer than he could remember. “I can do one better. I’ll move all my shit to the second bathroom, and you can have that one all to yourself.” God, this was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he couldn’t believe it. This seemed surreal, that he could be with a woman like Skye, that she had chosen him, and that he was going to commit to her without bucking like a bull in a rodeo. In fact, he was eager, wanted to get started on this new chapter of his life right away.

  Sure, there were a lot of changes, and there was a lot of business to take care of. He had to keep Skye safe, not only from lecherous men but from the Ravens. Some of the others had already been threatened and had their women threatened by the Ravens, and he wasn’t about to let those bastards get their hands on Skye. If they got her in their clutches, especially after the incident at the club when her ex had come for her, there was no telling what they’d do to her.

  That part was terrifying, but they also had the Ravens within their clutches, and Gomez was going down any day now. Still, that was the only thing that frightened him. He was in utter disbelief that the idea of living with a woman, of committing to one and only one, was a pleasant thought. Of course, after the incident on the last run and the fact that he hadn’t been interested in anyone else since sleeping with Skye went a long way in proving that he wasn’t going to suffer at all from longing for his old life. But that still came as a shock to him.

  Maybe he needed to look in the mirror and make sure he was the same person he had been a few months ago. Because everything about his philosophy and his life said otherwise.

  “You’re far away, aren’t you?” Skye smirked, patting his cheek.

  He shook his head. “No, actually, I’m right here with you, thinking about what it’s going to be like to always be here with you.”

  She searched his face, as if she was looking for some sign he wasn’t serious, but she found none. Harrison wanted this, more than almost anything he’d ever wanted. In fact, he hadn’t even wanted to become one of the Devil’s Flames this badly. The only thing that matched his desire for Skye was his desire never to lose that family he’d gained, and he knew he could find a way to meld the two. He just needed a guiding hand, and he had a feeling Skye had no problem being one.

  “I love you, Harrison,” she said quietly, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. “I should have said it sooner, before you beat the hell out of anyone the first time. But know that I love you, very much, and I think that feeling is only going to get stronger with time.”

  He nodded. “The more I know you, the more there is to love.” He kissed the tip of her nose and gave her a boyish grin. “What do you say we take a ride over to your place and start packing?”

  She laughed. “I don’t have any boxes.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll call some of the boys. I’m sure they’ll come help. That’s what prospects are for.”

  20

  Skye felt a little out of place, but she’d promised Harrison she’d be here. And she’d even gotten a message from Rocky, begging her to come. She gazed around at the Devil’s Flames clubhouse, having only been inside once before, quite a while ago, and she approved. Sure, it was still a very masculine hangout, and it was rough. But they’d pulled out every piece of insignia they had, she figured, to decorate the place for the ceremony.

  She was nervous. After all, she walked in alone. Harrison was presumably still in Church, as they called it, sitting around the table with all the officers of the club, mulling over which prospects were going to get their patches today. Rocky was a shoe in. Not only had he been extremely reliable at the strip club; to hear tell of it, Skye couldn’t believe it had been this long, before they’d finally made him a fully patched member of the MC. He’d been a go-to guy all along, and maybe he’d had to grow up a little, but he was more mature than some of the other brothers already patched in, if Skye’s opinion counted for anything.

  So, arriving on her own and parking the ride that she’d inherited from the man who tried to kill her, Skye had a seat at the bar and was promptly approached by Rory and the bowling ball of a stomach. Twins. If Skye every had children, she prayed they would come one at a time. The woman looked so uncomfortable, and she had several months to go. She also gave one of the bikers a dirty look as he started to light a cigarette, hateful enough to chase him outside with a nervous expression.

  Skye had to laugh. “Looks like you’ve got more than Eli wrapped around your finger.”

  Rory rolled her eyes and grunted as she leveraged herself onto the bar stool. “They smoke in here a lot, but they all know better than to smoke when I’m here. My lungs are precious, and I want to keep them clean, but my kids? I’ll murder a bastard.” She wiped a brow, and Skye noticed for the first time she was sweating. “It’s taxing carrying this extra weight in a lump right here.” She gestured to her stomach.

  “I can only imagine,” Skye nodded. “But you seem happy.”

  “Happy and comfortable are two different things. I’m hot as hell, and my back hurts, but the yoga and exercise help. I’ll be fine. It’s totally worth it.” With a bright beaming smile, she said, “I hear you got moved over to Harrison’s place.”

  Skye nodded and shrugged. It was still strange, still new and exciting, but for some reason she was shy and hesitant to talk about it, especially since the whole business deal was wrapped up in the deal. Her new relationship energy was overwhelming, and yet, she still felt guilty for the sum of money that had been transferred from Harrison’s personal account into a new business account for her.

  But this was Rory, and that girl could pull teeth from a shark and not get bit. “It’s nice. I got used to having a warm body in the bed at one point, and it’s been a long time. This time, though, I feel like I have an actual partner, someone who isn’t going to just run off and leave me behind or treat me like the gum he scrapes off his shoe.”

  Rory nodded. “I agree. I’m really happy for the two of you. I think it’s a match made in heaven.” She turned, Skye following her gaze to where the door to the conference room opened and all the authority figures filed out. With rapt attention, along with the rest of the gathered crowd, Skye faced Corey as he took up his stance in the center of the room, flanked by Rafe, Eli, Harrison, and Zeke. The other officers stood behind them, and the prospects were lined up against the wall.

  Catching Harrison’s eye, she quirked a brow in question. She shouldn’t have had to worry about it, but there were several of the MC members she didn’t know as well, and she had no idea how their votes would go. But Harrison winked and gave her a quick half smile to reassure her that the patch ceremony would include Rocky’s initiation as a full fledged member of the club.

  What that meant, as far as she understood, was that he ultimately would be a brother for life, as long as he didn’t betray the MC. His family and, when he found one, an old lady, would be protected for life, and beyond. He would wear the insignia on his cut now, as well, with the patch and the leather being sewn together while they all shared a drink.

  And when they had finished celebrati
ng here today, they would get him the tattoo that Harrison and the others wore so proudly on their backs, the flaming skull with horns that was the insignia on their cuts. Skye was proud, almost as if the kid were her own son, and as she glanced over at Rory, she saw the same look of pride on her face. She had a feeling Rocky was a crowd favorite, and that almost everyone had adopted him as their own.

  But he was truly a man of his own now, and he was about to gain incredible amounts of respect. Corey silenced the crowd and addressed the need for loyalty, for a vetting process, and how the prospects had worked hard to try to prove themselves. Glancing over again, Skye saw there weren’t as many as she’d thought. Then again, after she’d nearly been raped because no one had responded to her cries for help, several of the candidates had already been removed.

  And finally, it was the crowning moment. Rocky was one of only two who had made enough of an impression to get through, with a kid named Ben being the other. Ben was a little older, and Skye had seen him at the strip club. He had filled in out front a few times, kicking asses in the parking lot when there were brawls or a lack of cooperation.

  Both new members were asked to say something, and while she listened to Ben’s speech, her mind glossed over a bit, her gaze focused on Harrison behind him. He looked good in his full regalia, with the leather pants he so rarely wore and the bandana around his head. He had a ticket he needed to go pay; she wondered if he would choose this or something more ‘respectable’ when he went.

  She didn’t really care. He looked good no matter what he wore, and the amazing thing was that, unlike most men, he still looked good when he wore nothing at all. In fact, she was on the verge of becoming a nudist at home because she just couldn’t get enough of his physique.

  There was applause, and Skye joined in with a smile for the guy. If he’d been patched, he deserved it. And then Rocky stepped forward, bringing the room back to silence. “Thanks, guys. I…I don’t have a family of my own. The Devil’s Flames took me in, sort of adopted me. I was younger than what they like to deal with, and I was a little lost, but they gave me a path and made sure I had a place to stay, work to do to keep me honest, and hope for the future. And here I am. I appreciate all of you being here. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this club, and that means all of you are family. And I’m blessed to have such a large, accepting family.”

  The place erupted with roars of appreciation and encouragement, and it literally brought a tear to Skye’s eye. She noted several people dabbing at the corners of their eyes and dind’t feel the least bit self conscious about her reaction. People loved Rocky, and so did she, like her own son.

  The ceremony broke, and she noted several of the prospects giving their mandatory congratulatory greetings to Rocky and Ben and then bowing out, their heads hanging. A couple she didn’t know stuck around, in the midst of their own pity party. A few were sincere, but Skye didn’t care. She wanted to hug Rocky and tell him how proud she was.

  Harrison intercepted her on the way, kissing her soundly as if she needed a reminder that she was here as his guest. Or maybe, from the way a couple of the others leered at her, he was reminding them that she was off limits. She pulled out of the kiss but not his arms, not wanting to test his level of security when it came to his possessive nature. “Hey, you. I want to give my best to Rocky. Are you my escort?”

  Harrison nodded, backing away but keeping a hand at the small of her back. “I’ll get you past the line, VIP style.” She laughed as he guided her past the horde of people trying to get to the newest member of the motorcycle club. Rory was there with Eli, so despite Harrison’s urging her forward, she wasn’t going to interrupt that. Pregnant women were delicate, even when they seemed to be the baddest bitches on the planet.

  But finally, she nudged her way to Rocky’s side, giving him a big hug and planting a large, wet kiss on his cheek. “I know I haven’t known you your whole life, kid, but I’ve known you long enough,” she told him, watching his cheeks turn redder by the moment with all the attention. “I’ve watched you grow, and I’m damn proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Skye,” he said, truly grateful. “I’m going to miss you at the club. It just won’t be the same without you.”

  She gave him a regretful smile. “I would have stayed, but it’s time to move on. And you’ll be alright. You’ll get your eyes full of tits and ass.”

  “Nothing like yours, though,” he called after her as Harrison escorted her away.

  “And there never will be,” Harrison called back, Skye laughing at the exchange.

  “Aww, does that mean I can’t strip for him for his birthday?” Skye pouted out her lip comically. Harrison gave her the most heated, jealous look in the world, and it amused her as much as it aroused her. To know how badly he wanted her and to think how unwilling he was to share her in any way was incredibly sexy.

  “Don’t ever say anything like that again,” he groused. “But you can give me a lap dance any day of the week, if you feel the urge to go back to your old ways.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said dryly.

  Pulling her aside, Harrison grew serious, and she wasn’t sure she was going to like what he had to say from the grim set of his lips. “After all this is over, I have to ride out with the boys for a few days. We’ve got an errand that desperately needs to be taken care of.”

  Skye frowned. “Does this errand have anything to do with the Ravens?” She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The Ravens had caused a lot of trouble for the club, even kidnapping some of the women, and the Devil’s Flames had been working for a while with several other clubs, including some of their rivals, to destroy the leader of the Ravens. They were incredibly dangerous, and their president seemed to evade the raids every time.

  “It does, but I’m not going in guns blazing. None of us are. We’ve got a different plan this time,” he told her. She was skeptical, but he smiled and kissed her reassuringly. “I’ll be gone for a few days this time, maybe four or five. But when I come back, I plan to take you to bed and ravage you, and then I’m going to take you out on the town for a night you won’t forget.”

  She almost argued that taking her to bed would always be memorable enough, but going out sounded like an amazing idea for once. “And who are you going to have watch over me while your gone?” she asked, knowing there was no way he would leave for that long without a plan.

  Scratching his chin, Harrison shrugged. “You can handle yourself, but someone needs to make sure your work crew doesn’t slack. I’ve got Ben on the detail, and he’s just going to check in with you once a day to make sure everything is on track and that you don’t notice anything suspicious. And for the record, he’s checking on all the old ladies.”

  Skye’s breath hitched in her throat at that statement. They’d only been together for a week, and there had been no mention of making it official. Yet, Harrison seemed to be lumping her into the category of ‘old lady’ right alone with Leigh and Rory and a couple of others. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? She wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to sound like she was desperate or pushing.

  So, she tried to be playful about it. “Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’m not on that list. I’m not an old lady.”

  With a growl, Harrison shot an arm out, wrapping it around her waist and yanking her hard against him. She could feel his erection starting to grow. “Do you want to be?”

  If it meant being committed to Harrison, and having him commit to her, for the rest of their lives, Skye wanted that more than she wanted to get the premier topless club up and running. But she didn’t want to be silenced and roped into submission, if that came with the territory. Carefully, she hedged, “If I said yes, would anything change between us?”

  He sighed. “If you’re talking about your need for independence, of course not. I knew what I was signing up for when I told you I loved you. And in case you weren’t listening when I said it before, that’s one aspect of
you I fell for right away. You aren’t with me because you need me to support you, and I admire that.”

  She relaxed, and the elation took hold. “If that’s the case, are you asking me to be your old lady?”

  He searched her face for a moment and then gave a short nod. “It’s not something to take lightly. Being my old lady takes more loyalty than marriage does, and it also means dealing with the MC life. Are you prepared to do that? I’ll be running off like this pretty often, and there are a lot of details I can never share with you.”

  Skye mulled that over for a moment, and then she told him, “I won’t ask a lot of questions, Harrison. I’m not going to make demands like that. And I won’t try to talk you out of going. The extent of what I need to know about these things is that you’re going to try to be safe, that you’re not going to land yourself in the hospital, and that you’re faithful to me. As long as you’re coming home to me, and in one piece, I can handle that.”

  He kissed her soundly again and smiled. “God, I’m glad I fell for you and not one of the other girls around here. You’re strong willed, but you know a thing or two about privacy.” He glanced past her, and Skye was pretty sure he was eyeing either Kira or Rory, two of the old ladies who were very demanding about knowing their man’s whereabouts at all times.

  Skye just smirked. “I’m sure I’ll have my moments, and you’ll reel me in, the same way I’ll do with you when you fail to remember your place and start to get a little controlling. But overall, I think we’re going to be fine. And yes, I would love to be your old lady. There’s nothing that would please me more.” As she said it, the truth of it hit her, and she thought back to her past. No, she had never wanted that before, not with her ex or anyone else. But Harrison was different, and her feelings were so strong she was just as afraid of not being with him as she was of losing him to his lifestyle. “I love you.”