by Romi Hart
Eli
Devil’s Flame MC, Book 3
Romi Hart
Copyright © 2019 by Romi Hart
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Also by Romi Hart
Devil’s Flame MC Series
Rafe
Zeke
Eli
Harrison
Corey
BOX SETS
Stamina
Out of Bounds
Playing to Win
Untamed Billionaires
Dangerous
Untamed Billionaires Series
The Billionaire Bull
The Billionaire Bold
The Billionaire Brute
Playing to Win Series
One Kiss to Win
One Chance to Win
One Cheer to Win
Out of Bounds Series
Temptation
Addiction
Passion
Dangerous Series
Dangerous Play
Dirty Play
Daring Play
Stand Alone Books
Sinner
Big Slide
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Harrison (Devil’s Flame MC, Book 4) - Special Preview
Author’s Note
About the Author
Also by Romi Hart
1
“Boot heels and dust are pretty much all you can ever expect around here,” Rory mumbled, sliding her body atop the bar stool closest to her. Long, tanned legs seemed to go on for miles as she leaned her elbows onto the bar top, “Ever wonder why that is?” she asked, glancing up at the bartender staring her down. It was a new bar, but the statement still held true. No matter where the hell one wound up in this part of Texas they always ended up dealing with those two things. It had been a cultural way of life for about as long as the Texas Rangers had existed – and then some.
“Sounds like a lot of lip smacking.” The bartender snorted. “You gonna order something, or what?” he asked. Rory shrugged, shaking her head slightly as she reached into her blue jean cutoff pocket.
“What can you get me that’s under five bucks?” she asked, slapping a crumpled bill on the bar in annoyance. She didn’t have the time for the bullshit with what she had been going through lately, and knowing that her friend had just landed the one thing Aurora wanted most, had sent her gears into overdrive; with very little gratification, resulting from the end of the ride. How the hell was Leigh always so lucky? She didn’t even find motorcycle clubs that appealing and yet, she still ended up landing herself a ride or die man. Another wave of envy fluttered through her – her disappointment having been the very thing that sent her to this shithole dive bar to start with.
“I got beer on tap. PBR, Bud, Coors?” the bartender remarked. Aurora couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Five dollars for a freaking domestic beer, and no hard liquors to choose from? What the hell was going on in the world?
“Haven’t you got any craft beers?” Rory asked, I can’t fucking stand any of those domestics, she thought.
“Craft beers run ya a bit more. Alternatively, I can give you a stiff shot – it isn’t…well…night, sugar.” The bartender stated in a gruff voice. Rory winced, Who the fuck did this guy think he was, talking to her like that? She’d made a mistake in choosing this new, obviously lousy and overpriced bar.
“And I reckon I’m two minutes late for happy hour, right?” she asked. The man stared at her for a moment and gave a shrug.
“Not sure I follow what ya mean there, hon. Fact is, happy hour isn’t for another four hours.” He mumbled. Rory chuckled, using all the force of self-control she could muster – and immediately failing.
“Pft, are you truly that dense? Fuck this,” she muttered, slapping her hand back down on the bill and shoving it into her pocket. Her right hand lifted, and she smiled the sweetest syrup dripping grin she could muster as her middle finger extended, “A little birdy told me to give you a message: fuck you and the dusty donkey balls you rode in on.” She muttered, sashaying through the bar and slamming the door behind her. If there was one thing Aurora hated more than any other thing, it was an asshole who didn’t treat their customers right. There was really only one place she would get what she was looking for, and it sure as hell wasn’t in this dead-end joint.
* * *
“Hey,” Leigh’s voice broke through Rory’s thoughts as she sat at the end of the bar nursing her drink.
“Hey,” Rory said, her earlier sentiments finally giving her a little break, as if the devil himself must have been on break and leaving her to her lonesome for a while.
“Why are you so sullen and pitiful?” Leigh asked. Rory’s eyes flashed to the brooding biker laughing with some other dude as they played pool.
“Just feeling a little lonely is all,” Rory mumbled.
“You’re still hung up on trying to find you a ride or die guy, aren’t ya?” Leigh asked.
“Well, since you already have one, it seems I’m the only one who’s lacking,” Rory muttered, “I came here hoping that things would turn out differently,” she finished.
“Well, maybe your sights are set out on the wrong brother. I mean, there’s lots of other patches out there,” Leigh mumbled.
“And yet the one that I’m most attracted to doesn’t even fucking know I exist,” Rory stated as she cast a yearning glance back at Eli. Why does he just stare past any woman who attempts to get his attention? she wondered.
“I think you just settled my argument for me, Rory. I mean, that’s the issue right there. He can’t be the only guy here who is badass or sexy. Trust me, there’s someone out there for you.” Leigh smiled, lifting her arm and waving the bartender over, “Hey, get her another, will you?” she asked, turning back toward Rory, “On to topics of greater happiness. I have a huge thing coming up, and I really want you to be a part of it.”
“What’s that?” Aurora asked. She’s going to brag more about her great relationship. Just watch, she thought to herself.
“Well, my man and I are…I’m getting marked to be his official old lady. Can you believe that?”
“Honestly, no, and how does that happen? You hated the MC life before,” Rory stated. Just as she’d thought; right into the deep end, hook, line, and sinker.
“Don’t be such a sour puss, Rory. You sound a teeny bit jealous, and for the record, I still hate the MC life, but I’m not going to let that get between me and Zeke. It’s his culture, and I love him.”
“Quit razzing me, Leigh. My life’s already depressing enough,” she mumbled, stealing a quick peek back over at Eli, who had his back turned to the two of them by this point, deeply engaged in conversation such that Aurora knew immediately he had no interest in anything the two of them were doing or saying.
“It’s my job to give you a little shit here and there. It toughens you up.” Leigh giggled,
“And if you don’t stop staring at him his skin is liable to melt off his bones. You’re practically devouring him with your eyes,” Leigh muttered, “Go over there and talk to him already,” she encouraged, and Aurora inhaled a breath and lifted her glass, quickly downing the contents and placing the tumbler back down on the counter.
“You’re right. If I don’t make my existence known, he’s never going to realize I’m interested.” She smoothed her hair with one hand while her other hand slid down over her tank top. She sauntered through the bar, eyes never leaving Eli’s backside as she admired it from a distance. Finally within reach of him, Aurora slipped up beside him and the other biker he was chatting with.
“Hey, it’s Eli, right?” she asked, a smile as sweet as sin overtaking her face. Eli glanced at her, then back at his friend and immediately followed with his conversation.
“Yeah, I feel like Ten Thousand is a game not too many know anymore either. Pool is standard, but dice like that, you only find a few players here and there,” he mumbled. Rory glanced at the other guy and back over toward Leigh. She winked at Rory, smiling widely, as if she had completely missed what had just happened.
Feeling about the size of an ant, Aurora mumbled as she turned to walk away, “Okay, then.” Moving through the bar quickly, Aurora shook her head and made a beeline for the door, with Leigh at her heels.
“What are you doing?” she asked, barely catching Rory as she slid out the door.
“What’s it look like?” she asked in annoyance, slipping her jacket over her shoulders as she walked out into the breeze, full of swirling dust.
“Like you’re pissed as royal fuck and headed to god knows where, to be real,” Leigh stated.
“Yeah, and this princess is about ready to throw a right hook at the next annoying thing that pops in my face. Leigh, please don’t let it be you.” Rory mumbled.
“Okay, won’t take that personally, but what the hell happened?”
“I’ve got shit to do. I’m headed to yoga class,” Rory muttered.
“Okay, well you go and get all Zen then, but call me later?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Aurora replied.
* * *
Call it sexual frustration or a lack of confidence, but Rory couldn’t believe how things went down at the clubhouse. It also really ruffled her feathers that Eli had the nerve to treat her like she wasn’t even there.
Standing in the locker room, all she could think of was working her anger out somehow. Hoisting her tank top off, she flexed her shoulders slightly to adjust her sports bra. Factually, Aurora was a gorgeous woman, but at the moment she felt anything but, and all of it could be properly credited to one jerk of a biker who refused to give her even the smallest acknowledgement like the time of day.
She slid on a light t-shirt and wriggled her backside into a pair of black yoga pants, which accentuated every curve that the incredibly blessed young woman possessed. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and exited the locker room, making a beeline for the bench press. Sure, she was a girl, but Rory could lift some serious weight, and with the way she was feeling, it was better to push it off her chest than to knock someone in the teeth, though either would’ve worked. There were a few moments to kill before her class started, and Rory knew she needed to project all that negative energy somewhere quick.
“Hey,” a handsome baldheaded man stated as he walked up to her. “You need any help?” he asked. Rory forced a smile and shook her head.
“No, believe me when I say, I may look delicate, but there’s some incredible strength hiding under this.” She waved at her own body. A light chuckle slid from the man’s lips.
“I’d say so, from looking you over, I’d say there is some fine muscle mass under all of that.” He winked playfully as he admired her physique. Rory’s lip dipped in slightly as a half-smile graced her face, her eyes lighting up briefly from the obvious pass the guy had just made.
“Well, I’d say that you have a way with the ladies,” Rory muttered, shaking her head as she continued with a slight smile. As good as it felt to have someone else point out that she was still a living, breathing and attractive woman, Aurora felt a sense of sadness wash over her because it wasn’t the one she wanted, and as fun as it may be to throw one’s inhibitions to the wind with the first cute guy who glanced her way, Rory had been holding out. And, honestly, that was the way she wanted to keep it for now.
“Mind if I show you my way?” he asked, raising his eyebrows excitedly. Rory chuckled and shook her head, realizing her interlude of lifting wasn’t going to happen, not with only ten minutes until class started.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got a class to teach.” She slipped out into the main corridor and made her way toward the back room where her pupils were likely already waiting.
“Tsk, shame. Maybe later, teach,” the man stated. Rory could feel his eyes burning into her back as she rounded the corner and disappeared.
Why the hell can’t Eli have a reaction like that? I mean, damn that man was fine but totally not my type, she thought miserably. It was true there was a varsity aura that surrounded the guy, and while he was good looking, there was just an all-around too uniform appearance. And gym guys typically carried it way too far. It gave Rory the impression of making love to a steel wall, not exactly romantic.
Oddly, Rory had always pictured Leigh winding up with someone like that. She was the squeaky-clean good girl, the average innocent girl next door. Hell, cheerleader and quarterback status is what she had always pictured Leigh with, which was why she’d indulged the ridiculously boring relationship her friend had with Chris. A guy just like that one back there, she mused.
Sauntering into the classroom, she smiled as she looked over two of her favorite pupils, DeLaney and Carlene. The two were young twins but couldn’t be further from the same, as if two ends of the same magnet. Though both had fire engine, naturally red hair, Carlene wore hers cropped in a style that Rory had dubbed the Aeon Flux because it looked just like Charlize Theron’s hair in the movie. DeLaney, on the other hand, had incredibly long and thick hair that she kept swept back in various beautiful and intricate braids.
“Rory!” both girls exclaimed happily as she walked in the room. Rory grinned widely as she stepped forward to hug the girls.
“Hey, you guys ready for a great session?” Rory asked enthusiastically.
“Laney has a date tonight,” Carlene mumbled, biting into her lower lip, just to the side of her center lip ring. It was a tic she resorted to whenever she was about to splurge or gossip.
“A date?” Rory folded her arms over her chest and smiled as she thought, A sixteen-year-old ginger has a date and I couldn’t even so much as get a passing glance from Eli. Damn.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a date, Rory. Carly just keeps getting ahead of herself,” DeLaney muttered, “I have a science project partner that is truly the hottest guy in school, though. I think his girlfriend is probably majorly crushed by his need to spend time with another girl for any reason.”
“Oh, please. Tell me you see how beautiful you are, Miss Luxurious Redhead with striking blue eyes. I can definitely see why any girlfriend would be intimidated,” Rory commented, hoping to lift Laney’s spirits. Why was it that all girls thought so little of themselves and never seemed to realize their own true beauty until it was too late? Of course, she realized instantly that she was just as guilty of the very same thing. If anyone ever thought age got rid of those doubts, they were wrong. It didn’t go away unless you spent a hell of a long time building a strong foundation of self-confidence.
And Rory had. For most of her adult life, she’d been almost as arrogant as any strutting bachelor. But lately, she had been drilling at her own foundation with a jackhammer, and she could already feel her stability crumbling from beneath.
“I guess I’m guilty of the sin of self-mutilation,” Laney muttered. Rory tilted her head, quirking her eyebrows curiously.
“What?” she asked.
Carly shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“She means she’s guilty of self-loathing. She wouldn’t dare destroy herself physically. She’s too sensible to do something like that.” Rory realized instantly that she too was a repeat offender when it came to annihilating her own self-esteem.
“Well, it sounds like we all have something to work out through class today, don’t we?” Rory asked, smiling with a wink, “Go ahead and take your positions. I’ve got something I want to go over with everyone once positions are full.” Laney’s eyes brightened, ever excited to hear what new things Rory might introduce to the class. She immediately sat down and crossed her legs, closing her eyes as she curled her fingers into her palms and rested her hands atop her knees with the palms facing the heavens.
Watching her, Rory reflected inwardly, her mind still focused on what she was doing wrong that made Eli impossible to crack, and it was with this in her head that she realized that was exactly what she was doing wrong. Assuming she was the problem. And with renewed logic, Rory took position smiling as she looked over her class. Nothing is going to stop me henceforth. I will get what I want, one way or another. She solidified her intentions in her mind in that moment; the one thing she had control over was her own universal projections. Best to project her true intentions and absorb the repercussions of going after what she wanted most.
“So, to open class today I want to talk about a new idea I had, but it all depends on your comfort zones. It is possible I may branch out to having two smaller classes if only a few of you want to participate in what I’m thinking of doing,” Rory said.
