Allegiance (The Chicago Defiance MC Series Book 8) Read online

  Fucking hell, she’s a damn goddess.

  My cock jolts in my slacks slightly as I will him to calm the fuck down. Jeans can hide a semi-hard-on. Black slacks—not so much.

  Her hazel eyes widen, and her tongue darts out licking her bottom lip.

  That’s right gorgeous, take me in.

  She’s affected by me, I can tell.

  I know I look good. After all, I haven’t had a single complaint. I have muscles on muscles, and in this button-down, the material stretches over them tightly showing their outline perfectly.

  Arrogant? Yeah.

  Cocky? Absolutely.

  Maybe it’s why I haven’t landed a long-term woman.

  My head’s too far up my own ass.

  I step up to the coffee cart, feeling her eyes on me the entire time. The barista peers down at me, the expression on his face telling me he wishes he was anywhere else but here right now. “Can I take your order?” he asks in a monotone voice.

  “Sure.” I glance at the woman again, then back at the barista. “Americano, please… extra shot, three sugars.”

  He doesn’t react in any way but simply walks off as if the world owes him something.

  I turn my head slightly.

  The woman is eyeing me intently as she waits for her coffee too. “Long day?” she asks, her voice sweet like fucking honey.

  “Long twenty-four hours.”

  “Geez, no wonder you ordered liquid tar.”

  I snort out a laugh. “And I guess you’re more the decaf, soy latte with an extra shot of princess swirled around on top?”

  Her eyebrow raises. “I see we have a wild one here, all brawn with added bite.”

  “I only bite…” I pause to add suspense, “… when you ask me to.”

  She bursts out laughing, the sound fucking heavenly to my ears. She steps closer as she subtly eyes me up and down. “You’re too funny.”

  “Funny? I was trying to be seductive and sexy,” I tease.

  She tries to fight the smile by biting her lip. “Oh, right, I see. Well, then, Mr. Americano, you don’t have to try so hard… just so you know.”

  Was that a compliment?

  “I don’t?” I raise an eyebrow in question.

  She eyes me up and down again. “What do you do?” She completely avoids our previous conversation as she continues, “You’re halfway to wearing a suit. But you’re bigger than a normal businessman, so you can’t be an accountant or something mundane like that. I can’t figure you out.”

  I peek down at my attire—the white button-down, the black slacks—that’s who she’s attracted to—the businessman. The man she perceives me as, not the biker I am. Guess I can play on this for a while. She doesn’t know me, where I’m from, who I live with, so I can milk this for a bit. A woman as gorgeous and as strait-laced as her wouldn’t be seen dead talking to me if I were wearing my cut.

  “I’m a CEO,” I lie, standing taller and feeling proud, puffing out my broad chest a little more.

  Her eyes widen as she takes in my lie, processes it, then reacts like she’s shocked by my untruth. “You don’t look like a CEO. What kind of business do you run?”

  Shit, I didn’t think this through.

  Think, Lift, think.

  Quick.

  It has to be something I can pull off.

  My mind ticks over as she continues to assess me.

  Then it all clicks into place. “I own and run a chain of gyms in Chicago.”

  She tilts her head like she wasn’t expecting that answer, but I’m pretty sure she actually believes me. “Ahh… yeah, I can see that.”

  The uninterested barista sticks his head out the window. “Vanilla latte and Americano, extra shot.”

  I gaze at the woman as she flashes her pearly whites, leaving me in awe. The expression shines from her face like the sun’s rising morning rays. For a moment, time stops still. She’s the only thing brightening the darkness in all the bad that is my life. As she heads to the window, she’s simply breathtaking.

  I have to remember to breathe as I snap myself out of my trance. “Vanilla Latte?” I ask while pulling my shit together.

  She nods as I approach the window drawing my wallet out of my pants pocket. “I got it,” I tell the man at the window handing him a twenty.

  The woman grabs her Vanilla Latte and nods her head. “Thank you… I don’t even know your name.”

  I take my change from the dude who clearly hates his job and reach for my coffee, then turn to face her. “How about… I’ll tell you my name if we go have a seat and drink our coffee together?”

  “Is this a date?” She gasps exaggeratedly like she’s shocked, but I know she’s messing with me.

  “I could ask you to marry me if you think I’m moving too slowly?” I tease.

  She giggles, tilting her head to the left. “There’s a bench down there. Let’s go have a seat. But I’m telling you, my engagement ring better be a massive rock and fucking gorgeous.” Her quick-witted reply makes me smile as I blow into my cup, then take a sip as we walk in silence to the nearest bench.

  I’m out-and-out lying to her.

  I know once I tell her who I really am, she’ll take off running, and there will be no stopping her.

  There are only certain women who can handle bikers, and Miss Vanilla Latte is not one of them. She’s attracted to the suit, to the business mogul she thinks I am.

  This won’t go anywhere.

  It can’t.

  But for this moment, I’m going to let myself be entertained by the fact that a woman is attracted to me, and she’s giving as good as she’s getting.

  Even if I don’t know her name.

  We take a seat on the bench where the view isn’t great. There’s nothing special about where we are, not even a park overlooking a pond. Nothing exciting to give this a feeling which might make it unique and special. We’re simply sitting in front of a brick building in the city, with commuters passing us by, paying no attention to us whatsoever as we sit quietly drinking our coffee.

  She turns to me straightening her shoulders. “So, Mr. Americano, my name is Lily.” She places her free hand out for me to shake. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”

  I wrap my large palm around hers. It envelops her tiny hand completely, and when I touch her, a spark smashes through my body sending a shockwave straight to my soul. I inhale as her eyes lock onto mine while she holds her breath.

  Damn! I know she felt something as well.

  Static electricity? I have no fucking clue what that was. I’ve never felt anything like it before in my life. All I know is I can’t take my eyes away from hers right now. The flecks of gold in her hazel eyes are shining so brightly, I can barely focus on anything but them mesmerizing me.

  Suddenly, I remember I need to say something before I look like a damn fool staring at her for what could be considered way too long. Stalkerish even.

  She can’t call me Lift—how could I explain that?

  I have to give her a name. My real name. “Elijah. Eli… just call me Eli.”

  There are those dazzling pearly whites again.

  “Eli…” She nods. “It suits you.” She begins twisting and playing with a necklace around her neck. My eyes drop to see it’s a simple silver cross, and my chest squeezes. She’s religious.

  Is that a sign for me to back away now?

  I don’t want to hurt her.

  When the truth comes out, she’ll be terrified of me.

  Lily drops the cross to her chest, takes a sip of her latte, then smiles at me somehow easing my nerves. Her beauty takes my breath away. She’s not like the women I’m used to. She’s classy, elegant, sophisticated. It’s like she has a good head on her shoulders and knows what she wants out of life. Settled. Confident. I don’t know anything about Lily, but one thing I do know is, she’s smart.

  “Thanks… so now we’re getting married and all, I guess I should get your number?” I tease.

  Lily bites her bottom l
ip, trying to hide the inevitable happiness spreading across her lips. She seems so genuine that an insatiable warmth flows through me at the unexpected shyness she’s suddenly displaying. She hesitates for a moment but then pulls her cell out of her handbag.

  Inwardly, I cheer myself on but then also beat myself up at the same time.

  This will never work.

  Why I am even bothering is beyond me, but for some reason, I can’t help myself.

  Lily’s the perfect woman. Being around her makes me feel things I never thought I could.

  She hands me her cell, so I program my name and number into it, hand it back to her, then she dials, and my cell starts ringing. “There. Now you have my number, too.”

  The ringing stops as I pull out my cell and program her name in, so I don’t lose it. “Do you work in the city?”

  She shrugs. “Here and there. Kind of all over Chicago. Wherever the job takes me.”

  I nod matter-of-factly. “What do you do?”

  She tenses a little, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. “Mainly paperwork. Lots of paperwork in the office. I guess I’m kind of the go-to girl for fixing problems.”

  “Like a secretary?”

  She purses her lips. “Ahh… kinda. A little higher up, but that’s the general description.”

  “Great. I totally dig the dress suit, by the way.”

  She snorts out a laugh. “We’re a perfect match wearing suits. A true power couple.”

  I lift my chin. “Oh, yeah, no one will dare step on our toes.”

  “Hell, no. So, Eli, gym owner extraordinaire… all jokes aside, it has been nice to meet you today.”

  “You, too, Lily. You’re honestly a breath of fresh air.”

  Her eyes shift to the ground as a blush reddens her cheeks. It’s the first sign of innocence I’ve seen from the sassy woman so far. I move my finger to her chin, lifting her head slightly, her eyes locking onto mine at my intimate contact with her.

  Lily’s breath catches as I stare at her. “I honestly don’t know how to take you, Eli. One minute you’re joking around with me, the next you’re sweet as hell. Who are you? The joker or the sweet guy?”

  “Can’t I be both?”

  “Yeah, I’m just not used to it. The men I know are either assholes with a cocky attitude, or so sweet it makes you want to puke.”

  I scoff out a laugh. “Then, you’re hanging out with the wrong types of men.”

  She raises her perfectly arched brow. “I think maybe you’re right.”

  She’s fucking incredible.

  I have no doubt I could spend a hell of a lot of time with her. But I have no question the second she finds out I’m a biker, she will hightail it away from me.

  So, what’s the best play?

  Do I tell her now and let her walk away?

  Or do I let this play out for a little longer and see if she will come around to the idea?

  If I keep her dangling on my lead, though, the longer I’m in this, the further I could be buried in this lie. It goes both ways. Not only could she get hurt, but me too.

  Am I willing not only to risk her feelings but mine as well? Yes.

  Because from what I’ve seen, I don’t want to let this one go, not without finding out what could happen.

  Lily’s different in just the right way.

  I need to figure out what that means.

  Whether it could be the destruction of us both, I don’t care, I have to do this.

  LILY

  I’ve been sitting with Eli for far too long. I must get back to the office and deal with this new case I’ve been working on. But it’s heavy, and in all honesty, I don’t want to handle it, at all.

  I’m delaying the inevitable, though.

  It’s not my job to judge—my task is to do what I’ve been assigned. So, I have to get off my ass, stop flirting with Eli, and get back to it. It’s been nice having a reprieve. Finding a man as attractive as Eli, who seems like a decent type of guy on the inside, appears too good to be true. Guess I’ll see how this plays out. I’m keeping my options open and not holding up my hopes because my track record with men is appalling, especially considering my job takes up so much of my time.

  We’ve been sitting here on this bench talking about all sorts of things for almost an hour, but I have to leave right now. My boss, Howard, will probably be on the warpath. I must make my excuses and regrettably leave. “I’ve had a great time, Eli. But if I don’t go back to work, I’m pretty sure my boss will fire my ass… an hour-long coffee break is probably not something I can talk myself out of.”

  His gorgeous face falls. “Shit! Sorry. If I get you in trouble, let me know. I’ll deal with your boss.”

  I snort out a laugh. Cocky much? “Oh, yeah, and what will you do? Act all macho and tell him not to fire me?”

  He chuckles. “Nah. I’ll send him a stripper-gram and tell him it’s his payment for keeping you on. Bosses are usually smarmy assholes, so sending him a pretty lady to grind on him will probably do the trick.”

  I burst out laughing. “Jesus! How do men think of this shit?” Problem is, Howard would more than likely love it because he is basically a smarmy asshole.

  Eli shrugs. “We’re simple creatures. Masters of habit. Give us a pretty lady, we’re putty in your hands.”

  My brow lifts. “So, that’s all it takes? For us to look good, and we’ll get whatever we want from you?”

  “Depends.”

  “On?”

  His eyes lock onto mine. “Whether we think you’re worth the risk.”

  “The risk?”

  He sits back against the bench, his arms stretching out along the back of the woodgrain behind me. “The risk of losing our balls. If the woman is worth losing your balls over, then you let her have whatever she wants.” He shrugs. “It’s how it works.”

  “Wow! You think a man has to lose his balls in a relationship? He can’t stand on his own and work with his partner?”

  His eyes narrow like he’s deep in thought. “I’ve seen it happen, with my brothers…” his eyes widen, “… my brother, I mean. He and his woman are tight, but she has him wrapped around her finger. I’m happy for them, truly. She’s good for him. But it’s the same for all men… once you start falling, you tend to lose a part of yourself.”

  Maybe he is just like all those big brawny guys I know—not so sensitive after all. “Well, if you think that, then maybe you’re not in a place to let a woman into your life?”

  Eli’s eyes widen, and he sits forward, staring into my eyes intently. “No, you have me all wrong. What I’m saying is… even though men lose their balls, and I see it happening all the time…” he shrugs, “… I want that.” Suddenly, he turns away from me running his hand over his shaved head. “Shit. I have no idea why I admitted that to you.”

  “‘Cause I’m pretty?”

  Eli’s head snaps back to look at me. The corner of his lips slowly lift when he realizes what I’ve implied—that because I’m pretty he’s losing his balls right here in front of me. Just like he’s been talking about. “Yeah… because you’re pretty,” he confirms.

  I reach out grabbing his hand, and give it a squeeze to let him know what he’s admitted is pretty freaking cool. What I initially thought was him degrading women was actually his weird way of saying he likes me. That all he’s known is men fawning over women and losing themselves in them.

  He can see himself doing that with me. I can’t help but feel good about that fact. Sure, I’ve known Eli for all of what? One hour. But the chemistry’s there. No doubt.

  As we stare at each other, the alarm bells are ringing loud—I need to go. I really need to go before I end up taking the rest of the day off to spend more time with Eli–which is exactly what I want at this moment. But for now, I have work to do.

  So, I break my gaze and move to stand. He follows while I hoist my handbag over my shoulder. He steps to me, our bodies so close I can smell his woodsy aftershave.

  Fuck, he smells
amazing.

  Focus, Lily. Focus!

  Eli’s hand moves in to cup my elbow. I glance up, my eyes meet his as my heart rate spikes. The energy surges all around us while people casually stroll past like nothing miraculous is happening in front of them. As I stare into his eyes, which match my own color, a spark ignites all around me. I swear if this were a Disney movie, there would be swirling magical glitter circling us right now as we continue to face each other. The atmosphere’s electric.

  My lips part as I let out a small breath. He licks his lips. There’s something about Eli which has me undeniably drawn to him. I’ve known him for a single moment in time, less than it takes to get ready for a night out, but the connection we’ve made is a real one.

  I swallow a lump caught in my throat as the corner of his lips turn up, dazzling me with his gorgeous smile. Both his cheeks pop in giving him this boyish dimpled effect. For a guy who screams all-man, he has a face that could melt any heart, especially with the way he’s staring at me. He’s making me feel a little less like the monster I am, and more like the person I want to be—the woman I want to be, for him.

  “It was nice to meet you, Vanilla Latte.”

  My insides melt. I can’t help but return his expression. “You, too, Americano.”

  Eli slowly drops his hold on my elbow.

  Instantly, I regret the loss of contact while biting on my bottom lip. “I’ll talk to you soon?”

  His already turned-up lips push up even more if that’s possible. “Damn straight! I’ll call you.”

  In preparation to turn away, I steady my shoulders. I’m simply having one hell of a time actually achieving that process, but somehow, I find the strength to break the connection. Losing our eye contact as I swivel, my heels click on the pavement as I take a step to walk off. My chest squeezes knowing he’s still behind me, but as I take another step, his hand grabs hold of my arm spinning me around. I lose my footing slamming into his muscular chest. My hands rush up around his neck as one of his lands on my lower back, the other swoops up into my hair. His fingers loop through the threads when our eyes connect.

  Suddenly, he pulls my head forward, our lips crashing together in a flurry of passion. The second his lips touch mine, I’m completely dazed. My body swarms with an insatiable heat as I ignite in a wave of happiness like never before. My mouth opens, allowing him access as his tongue dances against mine. And just like that, we’re kissing on a sidewalk in the middle of a busy city street in downtown Chicago.