Wildfire (Men of Inked: Heatwave Book 3) by Chelle Bliss
“Whatever you’re selling, sweetheart, we’re not interested,” the badass biker guy says as he starts to close the door in my face.
“Crow’s expecting me.”
He grunts, slowly pulling the door back open. His gaze sweeps over my body, taking a little too long on my chest before getting a good look at the rest of me. “Yo, Crow! You got company!” the burly man yells, blocking the entire doorway and making it impossible for me to get inside.
“He told me to drop by anytime. So, I’m here. Yay.” I throw up my hands, looking like a complete moron, but I’m trying to put on a good show.
The corner of grumpy’s mouth twitches, and I think I’m getting somewhere until he yells, “Crow! Get your ass out here before this girl makes a bigger fool of herself.”
The smile on my face falls, and I narrow my eyes, wishing we were close to the same size because I’d sock him right in the jaw. “You’re so rude.”
“Babe, you show up on my doorstep, claiming to be a guest of Crow’s, throwing your tits around like it’s going to earn ya something. I’m just being as real as those beautiful tits of yours.”
I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but I snap it shut because he said I had beautiful tits.
“Goddamn it,” Crow says, his boots pounding the cement floor as he walks up behind the grumpy guy.
My stomach knots, but I plaster a smile back on my face, pushing my jitters away. I know Crow’s going to be excited to see me. He has to be. Last night before he left the bar, he told me to drop by sometime and he’d show me a good time.
“What the hell?” is all Crow says as our eyes lock. “What are you doing here, doll?”
“Surprise!” I say, lifting my arms up, along with my tits, ready to throw my arms around the hot badass biker’s neck.
But before my hands get anywhere near his shoulders, he wraps his fingers around my wrists. “What the shit?”
I blink, furrowing my brows. “What the shit?”
“Yeah?” He dips his chin, his black hair falling in front of his dark eyes. “What. The. Fuck?”
My arms are still in the air, my body tilted toward him as he holds my wrists captive. “You told me to drop by.”
“Yeah. So?” He rakes his eyes down my body as he lifts my hands higher, making my tits a little perkier. He steps outside, pushing me backward by his grip on my wrists. “I figured you’d call or some shit. You can’t just show up at the compound.”
“Well, I did.” I yank my arms backward, glaring at him. “Why the fuck are you being the world’s biggest cocksucker right now?”
The grumpy fucker who opened the door snorts, but he quickly stops as soon as Crow glances over his shoulder.
“Go the fuck inside, Eagle,” Crow growls before facing me again. “Want to say that again, doll?” he asks, raising an eyebrow like maybe I’d rethink my statement.
I don’t. “You’re being a cocksucker,” I snap, staying true to what I said just a second ago.
He is being an absolute and complete, first-class cocksucker. The version of Crow I’d met a few days ago, the one who called me doll, is gone. Now, I am stuck with this prick who’s acting as if he doesn’t even know who the hell I am. As if he didn’t tell me to stop by for some fun sometime and I’m nothing more than a nuisance.
Crow reaches back and pulls the door shut before grabbing the cigarette from behind his ear. “I get that this is all new to you and you don’t know how shit goes down around here.” He places the cigarette between his lips, rolling it around as his dark eyes narrow. “So, I’m going to let that slide just this once, but call me it again—” he pauses as he reaches into the front of his jeans pocket, fishing out his lighter “—and I won’t be so nice.”
I blink, staring at him as he flicks his thumb across the lighter and lifts the flame near his face. “Nice?” I snap, blinking a few more times as he inhales the smoke. “This is you being nice?”
“Doll,” he says, his full mouth curving around the smoke tucked between his two lips, “this is me being really nice. So, I’m going to give you thirty seconds to walk your fine ass back through the gates, climb in your car, and get gone.”
I curl my fingers into a fist until my nails bite into the skin of my palm. I glare at him, breathing heavily, wishing I were a guy so I could knock him on his ass. “That’s it? Get gone?”
“Yeah,” he mutters, throwing up a shoulder like it’s no big fucking deal.
“I fuckin’ left everyone behind to come to see you. They went home already, goddamn it. I grabbed a taxi here. You promised me an epic adventure, and I figured I’d cash it in early.”
God, I’m such a fool. I thought I meant something to him. I thought he’d follow through on all the promises he made, but I should’ve known better. I’d known plenty of men like him, and they were all the same. Every single word out of their mouths, total lies.
“Babe,” he says the word short and not so sweet. “We were just bullshittin’. Didn’t think you thought I was serious. You were babbling on about wanting an epic adventure, and I figured why the fuck not indulge you, maybe get in your pants last night, but got nothing. I’m not into cockteases, and I sure as fuck don’t have time for your epic adventure when I have club business to deal with.”
Every time he says the words epic adventure, he raises his voice, making me sound like a Valley girl. “Cocktease?” I shake my head, pulling my arm back like I’m about to hurl my fist right in his smug-ass face.
“Two times I saw you. Two times I left without so much as a hand job. If that ain’t a cocktease, I don’t know what is.” He takes the cigarette from his lips, tapping the ash to the ground. “You going to hit me or just stand there, pretending like you’re a chick of action again?”
I blink again, dropping my arm back at my side, confused as shit by the change in his attitude and the shitty way he’s acting toward me. “Fucker,” I hiss.
“Good girl,” he says, placing the butt of the smoke back between his lips. “Now get that fine ass of yours moving before I take matters into my own hands.”
I gape at him, wondering if I’d imagined the sweet guy from the few days before. Was I drunk the entire trip and totally misread the entire situation? Um, that was a hard no. Then there were the sweet text messages, soft touches, sexy whispers—all of which I remember very clearly.
“I’m going to count to ten, and if you’re not…”
The door swings open behind him, and my eyes widen. Morris, Pike’s friend, is standing in the doorway, shoulders high and hard, looking like he’s about to leap off the steps and strangle me.
“Hi,” I squeak, taking a step backward. “I’m going to go.” I pitch my thumb over my shoulder, shuffling my feet in the cinders. “Just wanted to say hey to Crow before I head home.”
“Stop!” Morris barks so loud, I jump and stop moving. “Tamara, get your ass inside.”
My gaze moves to Crow and then back to Morris. “But Crow said I needed to get gone. So, I was…” I rub the back of my neck, grimacing. Jesus Christ, this is embarrassing. “…gonna get gone.” I smile, lifting my shoulders higher, wishing I could freaking crawl inside my own body and disappear.
“What the fuck?” Morris snaps, glaring at Crow and pointing his finger at me. “You know who this chick is, and you’re just going to send her off by herself?”
Crow shrugs, rolling the cigarette between his traitorous lips, eyes never leaving me. “Don’t give a fuck who she is, Morris. She isn’t my problem, and she sure as hell isn’t my guest.”
I grind my teeth together. “Still a fucker.”
“Leave us,” Morris says.
I step back, lifting my hands. “I’m going. I’m going,” I say, glaring at Crow as he gives me a smug smile.
Morris groans, shaking his head. “Not you, Tamara.”
I stop moving, stop breathing, as my gaze flickers to Morris.
He ticks his head toward the compound, narrowing his eyes on Crow. “Go the fuck inside,” he mutters. “Before I lose my temper and do something I’ll regret.”
Crow throws down his cigarette, smashing the paper into a pulp under his boot. “Are you going to let some bitch cause problems?” he sneers.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just call her a bitch because you’re going to walk inside and shut the fuck up,” Morris tells him, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes becoming slits.
When Crow moves toward the door, I gulp and my knees wobble, but somehow, I stay upright. “I can just go. It’s not a big deal.”
“Stay,” Morris snaps, but it’s not in a pleading tone. He’s commanding me like I’m one of the club’s soldiers or, hell, like a dog.
Damn. I’ve done some dumb shit in my life, but man, this takes the cake. At least no one’s here to witness my misery. I’d never hear the end of this stunt if Gigi were here. And if Pike were around, I’d be ripped a new asshole.
Morris and I stare at each other in silence until the door slams shut, leaving us alone.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, moving backward as he comes down the stairs. “I didn’t mean to cause a problem. Just let me leave, and I promise to never come back.”
He sighs, stopping a few feet away. “Where the hell have you been?”
I tilt my head, thinking I heard him wrong. “Excuse me?”
“Pike called twelve hours ago looking for you.” Morris rubs his forehead slowly. “So, I’ll ask again, where have you been?”
“I, uh…” I think about running, but I know I won’t get too far before Morris catches me. He’s too close. “I spent some time on the beach, working up the nerve to get here. Then, I took a taxi until I got close. The guy wouldn’t drop me off at the compound gates.” I shrug. “So, when he left me at the main road, I walked the rest of the way.”
“That’s a three-mile walk.”
I nod, feeling every step of those three miles in the soles of my feet.
“Fucking hell,” he mutters.
“It’s not a bad walk. I’ll just head back to the main road and call an Uber.” I twist, starting to make my way back to the gate. “Just please don’t tell Pike I was here.”
“Don’t move,” Morris says, taking a step toward me. “You’re not leaving.”
“Please,” I beg. I’m too young to die, and for what? An asshole who probably didn’t even have a memorable cock. “I won’t tell anyone I was here.”
His hand comes toward me, and I flinch, squeezing my eyes shut, waiting for the pain. “What are you doing?” he asks.
I open one eye, noticing his hand near my arm, frozen in midair. “Just make it quick. If you’re going to kill me, just please use a bullet,” I beg.
Morris lets out a gravelly laugh. “I’m not killing you, li’l girl. I was just going to…” He throws his hand behind his head, rubbing his neck. “I don’t know. I was just going to try to comfort you, put my arm around you, and bring you inside until I can get you a ride.”
I blink, taking in everything he’s just said, craning my neck to look into his eyes. “You were going to comfort me?” My voice cracks when I say the last two words. “You weren’t going to kill me?”
He shakes his head, grimacing. “Why would I kill you?”
“I showed up here without being invited.” I cover my face with my hands and mumble into my palms. “Because you’re a badass biker dude, and that’s what they do.”
His hands touch mine, peeling my fingers away from my face. “I’ll never hurt you. Never.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Okay,” I whisper.
“Come on, sweetheart.” Morris ticks his head toward the compound. “Let’s get you inside and find someone to drive you home.”
I don’t move at first, but then I remember all the things Gigi and Pike said about Morris. They raved about the man, talking about his honor and loyalty. I don’t have a reason not to trust him to help me. “I just need a ride back to Daytona.”
“They’re not there anymore. They headed home.”
“I know.” I smile, looping my arm in his when he offers it to me. “I’m not going home yet.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You’re not going home?”
“I have a few weeks before school starts again, and I’m going to enjoy the hell out of the time I have left.”
Morris curses under his breath. “We’ll call them to let them know you’re safe, then.”
I shake my head, pausing before we’re by the steps. “Only if you promise to tell them I left, and you don’t know where I went.”
“Whatever you want as long as you let me get you somewhere safe.”
“That’s a deal, Morris.”
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