The Devil’s Blaze

by Zoey Parker

  Handsome didn’t suit him; he was more than that—rougher, harder than handsome. To say he was hot felt a little juvenile, but there really wasn’t a better way to describe him.

  “You gonna look at me all morning?” His rough voice scared her out of her examination. One eye opened to focus on her, and his lips curled into a teasing grin. “Didn’t meant to startle you, babe.”

  “I…uh…it’s fine.” She held the sheet tighter around her chest. He’d already seen her, licked her, and fucked her in more ways any other man in her life had, but the need to cover her bare breasts from him hadn’t gone away.

  He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands then sat up, taking some of the sheet with him. “What time is it?” He grabbed his cell from the nightstand and cursed under his breath. “Didn’t mean to sleep in this late. But some gorgeous woman wouldn’t get out of my head last night.” A sexy wink and a crooked smile met her gaze.

  “I should get back to Mom, too.” Turning away from him, she scooted off the bed, taking the sheet with her. When she glanced over her shoulder at him, she realized that by keeping her modesty she’d stripped him of his. He leaned against the headboard with his ankles crossed and his erect cock lying against his thigh. She swallowed and quickly scurried into the bathroom, ignoring his chuckle as she went.

  Now that the new day had dawned, she thought back to her decision to allow this man to get pregnant. While the water in the shower warmed, she placed an open hand over her belly. There could very well be a baby in her womb at that moment. Shaking her head and convincing herself that it probably hadn’t worked, she stepped into the tub and doused herself under the stream.

  It would be weeks before she would find out, but one thing she knew was that she needed to get back to the hospital and try to forget Lucas. Even if he wanted to see her again, he was in a bike club, and she wasn’t going to get involved with that.

  After toweling off, she peeked her head into the bedroom to find it empty. Good. With each step she took toward her pile of clothes on the bed, which he must have put there for her, she could feel tenderness between her legs. She hadn’t been a virgin, but having as much sex, in such a rough fashion, as they did during the night left her feeling as though she had been.

  She found him in the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee to his lips and leaning against the sink. One leg was casually thrown over the other as he drank the brew. His shirt, a new black t-shirt, clean and pressed, fit snuggly to his body, showcasing all of his muscles and strength. She swallowed and averted her gaze from the obvious bulge in the front of his jeans.

  “Coffee?” he asked, tipping his cup toward her.

  “Uh, no, thanks. I’ll grab some at the hospital.”

  “I said I’d take you for a real breakfast this morning.” He turned away to pour out his cup and flip off the coffee maker. “If you’re ready, we can head out now. There’s a great diner nearby with the best hash browns in the county.”

  “Hash browns?” They sounded next to heaven at the moment. Breakfast wouldn’t be the end of the world. Sharing a meal with the man who offered to father her child seemed the polite thing to do. But then she’d go to the hospital, and he’d go his way, and they’d never see each other again.

  She was getting good at bargaining with herself.

  # # #

  Having breakfast with the woman he’d spent the night with wasn’t something Lucas made a habit of doing. Hell, spending the night with a woman wasn’t even in danger of becoming a habit. It was usually a mutual fun time of rolling in the sheets followed by an hour of chill time before he either suggested the girl leave or he dressed and headed out.

  Josephine wasn’t like those girls. He knew the moment his eyes had landed on her. That was probably why he felt such a strong pull toward her. Something new. Something fresh.

  When the waitress brought their plates, he expected her to nibble at her scrambled eggs and maybe take a bite or two of the hash browns he’d insisted she order. Instead, she sprinkled salt over the hash browns and dug right in, looking like a kid eating candy for the first time in years.

  “Good, right?”

  A soft blush kissed her cheeks when she realized she’d shoveled the potatoes in. She covered her mouth with one hand and nodded. He laughed, shoveling his own breakfast into his mouth.

  They didn’t talk much during their meal, and it felt good to eat without having any pressure to keep up with a blabbering woman or trying to fill the void with conversation that was nothing more than noise.

  “Big plans for today?” she asked him after sipping her orange juice while he checked his phone. Jeff was getting out of the hospital today, and he needed to be sure a few guys were going to be around to watch his house while he recouped for a few more days.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary.” He slid the phone in to his back pocket and readjusted his kutte. Her eyes flickered over the patches and then went back to her food. “Does my club bother you?”

  “No, why would it?” She smiled—a tense smile. It didn’t bother her, but it was a concern; he could sense that much in the way her fingers clenched her fork a little tighter. “I’ve heard you actually do some good things in the community. The basketball courts at the park were your club’s doing, right?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. A small price to pay for the board members to look the other way when the club was given the contract to also put up their newest building at the clubhouse and obtain a business license where their girls lived and worked. One hand washed the other. “That was us. What about you, big plans?”

  “Me?” She laughed. “Yeah, talk with a few doctors, help Mom get cleaned up, and hope she’s released soon to go home.”

  “Maybe I can help. Our VP has a girl at the hospital who helps us from time to time. Maybe she can see what can be done for your mom.”

  “Thanks, but that’s okay.” She pushed her plate away from her and patted her stomach. “I think I’ll be full for about a month after that.” Her smile held a little sadness to it. She wasn’t happy or relaxed. She was terrified; he could see it in her eyes. Whatever waited for her at the hospital scared her.

  “Josephine?” A man dressed in a gray suit walked over to their table and looked down at her, surprise crossing his expression when he glanced at Lucas.

  “Max.” Josephine sat up straighter and gave him a tight smile. “Hey.” Her hands moved to her lap. Whoever this ass was, he was making her nervous.

  “I was hoping to hear from you.” He turned his body, putting his back to Lucas as he continued the conversation.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy, and my mother’s been ill.”

  “Yeah, I heard. Sorry about that, but you could have called. I could help.”

  “Hi there, uh, Max, is it?” Lucas interjected. The suit turned back to him and gave him a forced grin, nothing pleasant about it.

  “I’m sorry. Max, this is Lucas.” Josephine nodded in Lucas’s direction, but her eyes avoided both men.

  “Hi.” Max gave him a curt nod then turned back to Josephine. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, Josephine, but you deserve better. Much better.”

  Lucas scooted out of the booth and stepped around Max, effectively blocking Josephine from his view. “I think Josephine is able to determine what’s best for her, and I’m pretty sure when she didn’t call you or whatever, she was making her decision pretty clear.”

  Max took a small step back. His little eyes narrowed. “You don’t know the first thing about her, what she needs and wants,” he swept his eyes over Lucas, and he shook his head. “It’s not you.”

  Not a direct insult, but close enough. Lucas closed the gap between them, leaning in closer so they wouldn’t be overheard. “I may not know everything about her, but I know she doesn’t need some puny assface like you. She needs a real man who can protect her and take care of her, in every way a woman should be taken care of.” Lucas gave him a wink then pulled back.

  Josephine tugged on his
kutte. “Lucas, it’s okay. Max’s a friend.”

  “Friend?” Max scoffed at the word, which eased a little of Lucas’s tension. She didn’t see the prick as anything more than a friend, maybe even less, but she was too kind to tell him. “I have a meeting to get to. I just stopped to grab a coffee. Josephine, call me when you outgrow this little phase of yours.” He gave Lucas a quick glance before turning on his heel and marching off toward the counter.

  Lucas waited until he’d gotten his coffee and left the diner before sliding back into the booth. Josephine’s eyes settled on him and looked a little more heated than he would like. “Don’t turn that temper on me.” He pointed a finger at her.

  “I don’t have a temper,” she admonished.

  “Did you date that prick?” he asked, jerking a thumb out the window where they could see Max climbing into his beige Honda.

  She sighed and grabbed her purse. “I really do need to get back.”

  Digging his wallet out of his back pocket, he pulled out the cash for the bill. “You pissed because I stopped him from bothering you?”

  “No. I’m pissed…” She took a deep breath. “I’m not pissed. I mean, you just stepped in like some Neanderthal protecting his territory!”

  Lucas leaned across the table before she could scoot her little ass out of the booth. “You’re sitting here with me.”

  “Oh, for…never mind. It doesn’t matter.” She rolled her eyes and moved out of the booth. He waved to their waitress, signaling the cash was on the table, then cupped Josephine’s elbow and led her out of the diner.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked when he handed her the helmet.

  “Fine. It’s fine. You can’t help yourself.”

  The hairs on the back of his neck started to stand at attention. Her attitude was starting to piss him off. “What can’t I help? Making sure some other fucker doesn’t come over to my table when I’m having breakfast with my girl and start shit with her? That asshole was being disrespectful, acting like you owed him something.” Maybe she hadn’t noticed it in his tone, but Lucas picked up on it well enough. Max wasn’t someone who walked away when he wanted something he couldn’t have. He was someone who would take it if need be, and he had his eye on Josephine.

  “I’m not your girl,” was the only response she gave, though he could tell she was trying to come up with something better.

  “What?” He turned his head to the side so he could hear her better.

  “I’m not your girl. I mean, not really, not at all.” She started fidgeting with her purse strap.

  “Until you get off my bike at that hospital, you sure as hell are.” Her slight wince told him his tone had been sharper than he intended. Why he felt so protective, so bound to this woman he’d known less than twenty-four hours baffled him, but there it was all the same. “Now. How are you feeling? You know, like, physically.” He waved a hand in the general direction of her stomach.

  “Good. I feel good.” The irritation in her eyes vanished, and she smiled. “Even if it worked, I wouldn’t feel anything for a while. You don’t have to worry. I’m sure it doesn’t work the first time, and even if it did, I meant what I said. I won’t bother you for anything.”

  Why did the idea of her walking off with his kid in her belly bother him so much? When she’d made the offer the day before, he’d just seen a free night of pussy with no worries of the after effects. But now, looking at her slipping the helmet on her head and tucking her hair into place, how the fuck was he going to let her get off the bike and never see her again?

  “If you do, though, if you need something—”

  “I won’t. That was our deal,” she reminded him, moving her purse strap to cross over her chest. The strap nestled between her breasts, and he shook his head.

  “Why didn’t you ask that Max guy?” He pulled out his helmet and snapped the chinstrap in place.

  “Max is a friend. We went to dinner a few times, that’s it. I had no interest in him then or now.”

  “You didn’t sleep with him?” He ran his thumb over her cheek. “You’re blushing.” He accused. “You sleep with all your friends?”

  Her eyes narrowed, and the heat was back in them. “I slept with him once and broke it off with him a few days later. We had nothing in common.” She didn’t wait for him to speak, just jumped on the bike. “Are you ready yet?”

  He nodded, not sure what else to say or where to take the conversation. She was right. She wasn’t his girl, at least not after today. This was a one time, one night thing. She wasn’t going to cling to him the way the other chicks at the club did. She wouldn’t be popping up at the diner looking for him or stopping at the garage to see if he wanted to grab lunch and have a quickie in the storage closet. No, he’d pull up to the hospital, let her off, and never see her again.

  Her arms circled his waist, and she held on tight as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the end of their road. He let himself think of the girls back at the clubhouse. They wanted him, were always looking out for any sign that he was interested in them, and he wanted nothing more than a quick fuck from them. Then there was Josephine, who was nothing like those girls—nothing at all. She was totally on the straight and narrow. He couldn’t imagine her sitting at the clubhouse on a night of a celebration for a clean run or new deal gone right. She wasn’t that type, and she obviously had some issues with his club, not like other women who looked at his kutte with some disgust and worry. No, her concern was more cautionary. She’d been hurt before, he had no doubt about that. And she’d never been with a man who could satisfy her; he knew that firsthand. He couldn’t imagine having sex with a woman and leaving her unfulfilled. What kind of asshat would do that? Well, he could name a few. Not all of his brothers were as concerned with the girl beneath them as he was.

  The hospital entrance was vacant when he rolled up to it. He parked the bike and helped her off, taking her helmet off of her. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair to put it all back in place. “So, uh, ‘thanks’ doesn’t really seem the right word.” She laughed. A soft sound that was carried away by the chilly breeze.

  “Give me your phone.” He held out his hand.

  “Why?”

  “Because I said so.” He couldn’t help it; that was his honest answer. When he told someone to do something, they did it. They didn’t pause to ask him why.

  She sighed but dug out the phone from her purse.

  He quickly programmed his phone number into the contacts and handed it back to her. “There. Now if you need me, you can get a hold of me.”

  “I already told you, I promised—”

  He put two fingers over her lips to stop her. “I said, if you need me, you can get a hold of me. I don’t care what you said yesterday. I’m telling you now, if you need me, even if it’s to pick up some milk from the store, you call me. Got it?”

  She nodded but didn’t pull away from his fingers.

  He moved his hand, cupping her cheek and placed a soft kiss to her lips. “If I find out you needed something and didn’t call, I’ll blister your ass with my hand, babe. That’s my promise.” Before she could register what he said, he pressed his lips to hers again—hard, unyielding. His hand slid from her cheek, to behind her neck, and into her hair. The little tug he gave elicited a moan from her, and he knew if he slid his hand down her jeans, he’d feel her wetness gain. The girl looked soft, but she wanted everything but when it came to him. She wanted his strength, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

  When he broke the kiss, she touched her lips, a gentle smile hidden behind her fingers. “Okay, Lucas. I get it. Call you if I need something.” Before he could say anything else, she turned and jogged into the hospital.

  And just like that she was gone.

  Chapter 6

  Three Months Later

  “I don’t understand! If she gets a referral, then it’s covered, so why can’t she get a referral?” Josephine made every attempt to keep her temper in check while she tal
ked to the customer service department at her mother’s insurance provider.

  “Ma’am, the specialist you want her to see is out-of-network, and since we have physicians in-network who provide the same services, we can’t authorize the visit with the out-of-network physician. It’s all spelled out in her plan book.”

  Josephine counted to ten in her head and took another deep breath. All the calm breathing was starting to make her dizzy. “The doctor in her plan doesn’t perform the procedure that this specialist does. That’s the issue!”

  “I’m sorry, but since she can see an oncologist within her plan, we can’t refer her out.”

  “You’re sorry? My mother needs this surgery in order to save her life, but the doctor in your stupid network is still in training for the procedure, and you’re sorry?” It was rare for Josephine to lose her cool, but she’d been on the phone for hours trying to make people at the HMO understand what seemed like a simple issue to her.