Devil's Angels Boxed Set: Bikers and Alpha Bad Boy Erotic Romance (25 page)

All she could do was shake her head. “Yeah, I guess smart people would call it just that.”  She rubbed her hands over her face, tired and a little ashamed that she’d misjudged them both so badly. “Guess I’m not as smart as I think I am.”

“Ellie, you’re plenty smart. Smart but naïve when it comes to what goes on in these clubs. No one here is an angel. Not even Rex. We fight hard, we drink hard and we play hard. Most of us are good people deep down.” He sat down next to her and made her look him in the eye. “Most, but not all. Your dad, he’s bad. The kind of bad that scares good people deep down in their souls.”

Looking in his eyes she could see that he was telling the absolute truth. Manny had changed so much from the man she remembered. The angry man was gone, replaced by one who was calm and understanding. She found herself wanting to hug the rough-looking biker. “Call Rex. I have some apologizing to do.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rex was half-awake when his cell dinged. Opening one eye he could tell it was much later in the afternoon. He flipped open his phone and through blurry eyes, clicked on the message from his dad. The words popped up and so did his attention. Jumping up, he grabbed his shirt off the end of the bed and pulled it on as he raced down the steps and around to the front of the club.

Several people tried to stop him or speak to him as he pushed his way through the Saturday crowd, but he ignored them and raced down the hallway.

He had to stop outside of the office door and try to calm his racing heart. What on earth had she been thinking? Coming here was dangerous. Still, he couldn’t wait to lay his eyes on her. It felt like he hadn’t seen her in months instead of just a few hours.

When he opened the door, he was in control and breathing more evenly. Then he saw her, sitting on his dad’s couch, smiling and laughing with Manny like they were the best of friends. “You shouldn’t have come here, Ellie.”

Manny stood up and stepped towards the door. “I’m going to leave you guys to talk.” He’d seen the hurt in Ellie’s eyes and he paused by his son to shoot him a look. He was sure that Rex got the message.

Rex closed the door behind his dad and locked it. He didn’t want any interruptions while he was talking with Ellie. She had pulled into herself and was staring at her hands. He knew his tone had been harsh and he needed to apologize for that. “I’m sorry I said that the way I did. When Dad texted and said you were here, I freaked out. What if someone from—”

She put her hands up and raised her head to look at him. “I already got the lecture from Manny. I understand. I wasn’t thinking. I’m still dealing with—everything.”

“I should have told you the truth. I thought it was for the best and I was wrong about that.” He pulled away from the door and cautiously approached her, sitting as close as he dared on the couch beside her.

“I overreacted and I’m sorry for that. Manny, he told me that you both felt it was for the best if I didn’t know. Plausible deniability and all that.” She smiled, feeling the tension leave the room. The air was clear and so was her head. Her hormones, however, were raging out of control.

Smiling back, he moved a little closer. He had been without her scent for too long. Everything about her pulled him in and made him burn. Distracted, he didn’t notice that she’d started to say something. He came in at the end of her sentence and tried to make his brain catch up. “—lied to you too. It’s been killing me.”

“Wait, what?” He made himself focus on what she was saying. “Lied about what, Ellie?”

“It’s not really a lie, per se. More like a secret.” She moved closer, laying her hand on his thigh, trying to distract him. She was pretty sure after the other night that he’d be perfectly okay with hearing what she had to tell him.

“A secret, huh?” Rex looked down at the long, scarlet-tipped fingers currently stroking up and down the top of his thigh. She was definitely trying to distract him.

“The deepest, darkest secret I have.” Leaning forward she dropped her voice and let her eyes wander over his lips. “I can trust you with that—can’t I?”

Willing to say anything at that point to get her to do more than just stare at his lips, Rex nodded his head. “Absolutely.”

She slid her cheek against his, moving her lips close to his ear. She whispered, more breath than sound. “The book that you liked so much the other night—I wrote that.”

***

“You—what?” Rex pulled back, shock making him inarticulate. Well, more than usual. “I thought you said you were an editor?”

Ellie nodded, a tinge of worry creeping in at the edges of her mind. “I write under a pseudonym. The genre of work I put out doesn’t exactly make for wanting widespread notoriety.”

He nodded, mind racing. Getting up, he paced away, his brain replaying the words he’d read yesterday at her place. His heart rate was up and his jeans were a little snug. He wondered if she knew how often she surprised him. Pleasantly surprised. 

Rex could be hard to read at times and this was one of those times. Concerned, she got up and moved closer to him. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I-I had to—” He turned and the look in his eyes had her stuttering words coming to a halt.

Neither would remember who took that first step. It wasn’t important. Rex had her in his arms and pressed against the back wall, her legs tight around his waist. He needed her, needed her scent on his skin, in his head—pressing her jaw up with his thumbs, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled her, taking her scent deep into his lungs. He wanted to make sure that he never forgot it.

Ellie held on to Rex, but didn’t move. The look in his eyes had screamed of a need so big that it had nearly overwhelmed her. She’d thought, mistakenly, that she was the one with the bigger need. She could feel his heart racing against her breast.

He wanted the taste of her on his lips. Nipping at the skin on her neck, he listened for that noise she made, that little gasp of air that always sent waves of fire zinging through his brain. Her hands fisted in the back of his shirt, pulling him closer.

Ellie wasn’t used to feeling like the world was shifting under her feet. That’s what this felt like. Something important was shifting and if he wasn’t holding her body so tightly against the wall with his own, she was sure to fall into the abyss.

The idea of having sex up against the wall was hot. The reality of it was a little more complicated. Especially when both participants were wearing jeans. The logistics of removing clothing while supporting another human being was too complicated and time consuming for the level of need he was feeling at that point. Making a swift choice, he wrapped his arms around her waist, turned and laid her on the floor, immediately pulling her shirt and bra up so he could latch on to her hard nipples.

The change of position was fast and had her head spinning and before she could clear it his mouth was on her nipples, pulling hard, making her muscles clench with need. Lust, dark and deep, roared through her system and in desperation she yanked and pulled at their clothes.

There was no finesse. Between the two of them, clothes came off and got tossed wherever. Something fell over with a crash, but neither noticed. His hands pushed her thighs wide and his fingers found her, hot and ready. His thumb raced over her clit, causing her body to arch up off the floor and a growl rumbled from low in her chest.

Despite the frantic need pushing both of them, they were quiet. The sound of rapid breaths and the occasional low moan were all that were heard. Pulling her thighs over his, Rex leaned over and slid the length of his cock inside of her. Her head tipped back and her teeth clasped onto her bottom lip to silence the scream that tried to slide up her throat.

Ellie’s hands locked around the back of Rex’s neck, pulling at him until his face was level with hers. His eyes were tightly closed and the vein in his neck was throbbing visibly. She rubbed her thumb over the spot, slowly and gently, before pressing against the vein, causing his eyes to open.

That need, that desperation, was still in his eyes, but so was something else. Something softer and fluid. Something she hadn’t seen before tonight. Before she could analyze it further, he was moving. Stroking into her body faster and faster. The quiet of earlier was broken by the sound of their flesh slapping together.

His hands gripped her shoulders hard, pulling down for leverage. Ellie gripped his upper arms and held on. She was close, so close. Remembering another time, he changed his angle of thrust and she dug her heels into the floor, matching him thrust for thrust.

Rex had moved beyond any rational thought of control. All that mattered was the feel of her heat wrapped around him and the softness in her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered and her jaw tightened just moments before she clamped down around him, her thighs locking tight around his. She was gone and taking him with her. The clenching and releasing motion of her sheath made him gasp loudly, muttering incoherently as he came deep inside her.

Her eyes opened when his forehead touched hers. Gasping, taking in each other’s breath, the moment stretched out while their bodies began to relax. Words were there, but neither of them dared speak them. It was too soon and their emotions too raw.

Eventually Ellie smiled. Happy, she pressed her lips to his in a quick, sweet kiss and pushed on his shoulders, wanting up. Reluctantly, he rolled off of her and watched lazily while she gathered up their clothes and righted the lamp his jeans had knocked over. She tossed his stuff at him, stuck out her tongue and quickly pulled her things on.

When he didn’t get up to follow suit, Ellie put her hands on her hips and gave him a look that clearly spoke volumes against his decision to remain in his current position on the floor. “I want to go home. I want to be with you in my bed. The longer you stay here, the less time you have to be there, with me.”

That got him up and moving.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Manny was still dealing with the blonde when Rex and Ellie finally emerged from his office. He stood, silencing the screeching woman seated across from him and headed towards them. “Rex, we need to talk before you leave and yes, it’s serious. Ellie, I’m going to have someone follow you back home and stay there until Rex gets there.”

Seeing the blonde from earlier sitting at Manny’s table with an ice pack over her nose, Ellie tamped down the twinge of guilt that rose up in her chest. She hated that Manny, and now Rex, would have to deal with her, but she wasn’t ashamed of defending herself. “That sounds like a good idea.” She touched Manny’s shoulder in thanks then turned to look at a confused Rex. “Have fun. Don’t be long.”

Manny motioned one of his guys over and he immediately glued himself to Ellie’s side, walking her out. When she was out of earshot, Manny hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the harpy sitting at his table. “That one attacked Ellie when she came in the door.”

“She did what?” Rex took a threatening step in Tara’s direction, Manny’s hand on his chest stopping him in his tracks. “What the hell happened?”

“Jealousy happened.” Manny smiled at his son, laughing inside at his predicament. “Tara there took offense to Ellie coming here looking for you. Claimed you as her man then laid into Ellie with that sharp tongue of hers. When Tara pushed her too far, Ellie grabbed her by those big ass ears of hers and smashed her face into her knee.”

Rex laughed, he couldn’t help it. He wished he’d seen it. Tara had been a thorn in his side for a long while, but he’d wrongly assumed she was past all her issues when she’d taken up with a younger member of the club. He was going to have to set her straight once and for all. “I’ll take care of her. Thanks for keeping her occupied while I talked with Ellie.”

Manny shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t have to keep Tara company for long. She stormed out of here earlier and just got back a few minutes ago. She’s demanding I give her permission to get retribution.” He looked at his son closely. “I’m guessing, from the marks on your neck and arms that you two made up?”

“Yes, and this time I’m not leaving her until all this is over. No matter what she wants.” Rex looked over at the blonde watching them anxiously. “I gotta take care of this then get to Ellie’s.”

Manny watched his son stalking the suddenly contrite appearing Tara. That woman wouldn’t come out of this confrontation with any semblance of dignity intact. People were already talking about her since Rex had come in and gone straight to find Ellie. Her reputation would be nothing but dust after Rex was done with her. Still, Manny stayed close. Just in case.

***

Tara started crying the moment Rex started her way. He wasn’t buying it. She’d pulled this kind of crap too often in the year after he’d dated her. Five dates and one night together over a year ago and still, she acted as if she had some kind of hold over him. Her possessive ways were what turned him cold to her in the first place.

“Tara, you can knock the tears off. You’ve played that game way too often for it to work on me.” Rex didn’t sit. Staring down at her, he waited for her to switch personalities and come at him. He didn’t have to wait long.

“That fat bitch attacked me!” She pulled the ice pack away from her extremely swollen nose. “Look at what she did to my face!”

“From what I hear, you had it coming. We aren’t together, Tara. We never really were. We dated, it ended. Period. Stay out of my business or I’ll have you thrown out of this club.”

Her face twisted into something wrong and mean. “So it is true. You’re fucking Xander’s little tramp daughter.”

“Watch your mouth, Tara.” The words were quiet, but his tone was hard and frightening. There was a light in her eyes that worried him.

“People here have been talking, but I didn’t believe them. I defended you when they said Xander’s fat kid had you under her thumb. I told them they were wrong and that you’d never take up with a Karthadossian whore.” She snarled, her busted lip breaking open, a trickle of blood running down to her chin. “I demand retribution. She hit me first. She’s an outsider and a member of a rival club. It’s my right.”

Pure, white heat flooded his chest. “Ellie is not an official member of any club. You provoked her and I’m denying your claim. As Ellie’s lover, I’m telling you straight out—go anywhere near her and you’ll regret it. Keep pushing and I’ll call for a vote right now to have you removed from this club.”

“You don’t have the balls for it. You proved that by hooking up with that little whore.”

Why had he never seen just how ugly she was? There was something sick inside of her. “Manny!” He knew his dad was close by and turned when he reached his side. “I want to call a vote.”

Manny took in the crazed gleam of hate in Tara’s eyes and nodded. She wasn’t what he wanted in his club. “I’ll gather the board. You’ll have to abstain from a vote since you’ll be presenting the case for rejection.”

Rex nodded, understanding what this meant. He’d have to explain his relationship with Ellie to some that didn’t know yet what was going on. It wouldn’t be easy to do without revealing certain things he and Manny were trying to keep quiet. He’d find a way.

The board members, Rex, and Tara left the main room and secluded themselves in the back storeroom. Tara was allowed to plead her case first, screaming like an insane person and basically using the argument that Ellie wasn’t welcome at the club as if she were in a position to make that type of decision. Rex felt confident that he could plead his case and end this quickly.

Rex stood up and turned towards the people he’d worked hard to gain respect from over the past couple of years. “Tara wasn’t lying when she said that I am in a relationship with Ellie Thorn. Yes, Ellie is Xander’s daughter, but she is not a member of her Father’s club. Most of you know that Ellie and I were friends as kids. Manny allowed that because Ellie’s mom removed herself from Xander’s club and kept Ellie protected from her dad and his influence. Many of you also remember what Xander did to Ellie’s mom.”

He looked at a couple of members shake their heads as they remembered the night Ellie’s mom had been found beaten nearly to death. It had been the start of a more serious rivalry between the two clubs that had led to Manny’s incarceration and the loss of two smaller clubs to Xander, along with a good portion of those club members.

“Ellie has had very little contact with her father since her mom passed away. Frankly, she’s not unaware of what kind of man he is and she wants nothing to do with him. Our being together is much more dangerous for her than it is for any of us. Then, the first time she steps foot in this club since she was a kid, she gets attacked by a crazy woman.” Rex gestured to Tara as if she were an afterthought. “Her obsessive ways are well known to many members of this club which is why I called for a vote. She’s destructive, she causes problems in other people’s relationships with her delusions and now she’s attacked an innocent woman.”

Having had his say, Rex went and sat in one of the chairs while the three witnesses he and Tara had each lined up were questioned and made their statements. They were halfway through the process when Tara stood up and began to scream at one of Rex’s witnesses. She was completely rabid with hatred and two of the members were forced to jump up and restrain her when she made a threatening motion towards the man talking.   

They held her by the arms as she thrashed around. Manny began to look at her closely. The overly bright look in her eye was something he’d seen recently in an inmate. A new kind of drug, a meth/ecstasy mix, had recently started making the rounds, but it was known to cause some people to have bad reactions. Uncontrollable anger and paranoia mostly. It was one of the drugs Xander was peddling out of his club. It all began to come together.

Manny stood and walked to where Tara was being held, grabbing her by the chin to force her to look at him. “You went to him didn’t you? What did you tell him?!”

Everyone stood at Manny’s words. Tension immediately filled the space and Rex moved quickly to stand behind his dad. Tara’s face split with a smile so evil that his heart lurched. When she spoke his blood went cold.

“I told him his precious baby slut had taken up with our club. That she was one of us now and that she belonged to our Second.” Her fevered gaze landed on Rex. “He rewarded me very well for the information.”

Rex was out of the room at a dead run, her nasty laugh following him out the door.