Hard as Steel Read online

  “Because if I ever find out you put your hands on Eloise again, touched her in any damn way, I’ll hunt you down like a dog and slit your fucking throat.”

  Hanson stuttered out something, looked away, and Steel reached out and slapped him across the face.

  “You fucking look at me when I’m talking to you, asshole.”

  Hanson promptly looked up.

  “Eloise will no longer work here, but what I said still holds true.” He leaned in an inch. “I know how to make a person look like they died on accident, or fuck, not found at all, got it?”

  Hanson nodded.

  Steel turned and left, not about to deal with this piece of shit a second longer. He wanted to go back to Eloise and make sure she was okay, make sure she wasn’t alone after that fucking prick attacked her. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn’t give up on what he wanted with her, wouldn’t just walk away. There was something about her that Steel wanted, something innocent and pure, totally different from what he was used to. Steel fucked hard and liked dark temptations. He saw a glimmer of something in Eloise that called out to the man that was not only a biker, but a Dom as well. The images of Eloise tied to his bed, her body stretched out for him, and the thought that he could do anything he fucking wanted, had his cock so hard on so many occasions that not even beating off had relieved his ache.

  Shakes and Striker showed up shortly after he stepped outside. Shakes climbed out of the SUV, and once Steel handed over his keys to his bike, the three of them headed toward Eloise’s place. Striker could take Shakes bike to the clubhouse once they got to Eloise’s, and then Steel was going to have her all to himself.

  He was going to lay it out there for her, tell her that he wasn’t just going to walk away, not until they sated each other into sexual exhaustion. If she was done with him after that then Steel could try to step back. However, if he fucked her and needed more, well then, he might not be able to walk away.

  Eloise twisted her fingers together and stared out her window. She knew Steel would return, felt that knowledge in the pit of her stomach. He might not know she was aware that he’d been outside the store on several other occasions, watching her, maybe trying to convince her that she was for him, or at least for one night. Maybe she should have called the cops, because hell, wouldn’t that constitute stalking? He knew where she’d lived. Despite the creepy factor, there was another part, an almost forbidden part, which liked that he had taken such an interest in her. What man had ever done that? She’d never been attractive in school, not with her chubby, short body, or the fact she was the geek. She’d never been so desired that a man felt the need to watch her, or insist that she be with him. Well, to be fair, he’d only asked her to go home with him once, but even though she’d said no, he still came to the store, still looked at her as though she were his prey.

  The sight and sound of a vehicle pulling into her apartment complex parking lot had her heart beating faster, and a tightening in her gut. She was nervous, so nervous, because the truth was she did want Steel. Eloise wasn’t a virgin, but she had never spoken of what she really wanted in the sexual department, too afraid of what the two men she’d slept with would say to her, think about her.

  Although Steel scared her on a primal level, and one of the reasons she’d turned him down, she knew he wasn’t like the men she’d been with in the past. He was harder, stronger, and darker in every aspect. Would he want to tie her up, want to spank her until her flesh burned and turned red? Would he like denying her pleasure, only to see that it heightened hers even more? She’d been ashamed of her desires, of the pain that she wanted to experience with sex. She was humiliated because she wondered who would want to do those things with a Plain Jane like herself.

  Moving away from the window, she smoothed her hands down her thighs and felt her heart skip a beat. What would he say right now? What would he want from her? Was he the type of man that would demand she offer him some kind of payment because he’d helped her out? He certainly had that hardcore, take no shit look and attitude to him. Eloise might be many things, but she wasn’t a weakling that would take shit from anyone, least of all a biker that would want her to sleep with him because he’d saved her from a prick like Hanson.

  The knocks on the door had her jumping slightly. They were hard, forceful, dominating. Eloise moved close to the scarred wood, wrapped her hand around the tarnished brass knob, and pulled it open. She’d be strong in the face of Steel, but her desire for him also made her weaker in that sense. But being with him, giving herself to him wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world…right?

  Steel leaned against the front door of Eloise’s apartment door, waiting for her to open it. He didn’t want her alone after the shit that had happened. He’d already spoken to Demon, and it was fine with him to have her working at the club. She’d serve beer and do the general cleaning around the main part of the clubhouse. All Steel cared about was the fact she’d be closer to him. He didn’t like the thought of her being out there all alone.

  “It’s me, Eloise,” he said, calling through the door.

  She opened the door, staring at him. “I didn’t know who it was, but I’d hoped…”

  “That it was me?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s a good thing it is.” He noticed she hadn’t taken a shower like he’d told her to. “Do you want to go to the police?”

  “No.”

  “Why didn’t you want to take a shower?”

  “Because nothing happened. You stopped it.”

  “Let me tell you something, Eloise. I stopped him from raping you. That fucker was going to try and shove his dick where you didn’t want it to be. If I’d not come along when I did, you’d be telling a whole different story.”

  “Who’s going to believe me anyway?” she asked.

  He frowned. “What?”

  “Who in their right mind is going to believe that someone wants to rape me? Look at me? I’m nothing pretty to look at. Why would anyone go through the effort of getting into trouble over me?”

  Steel was shocked, too stunned to even say a word.

  “I’m ugly and plain. There’s nothing amazing about me. They’ll all just laugh.” Tears were streaming down her face and he wanted to kill Hanson for being responsible for them.

  Reaching out, he grabbed her arms, hauling her up against him. “Don’t ever fucking put yourself down like that again. Do you hear me? I don’t want to fucking hear that kind of shit coming out of those pretty plump lips.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s not the truth.” Sliding his hands up her arms, he cupped her face, forcing her to stare right back at him. “You’ve got no idea how beautiful you are.” He couldn’t look away from her even if he’d wanted to.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Baby, even though I shouldn’t be admitting this, I’ve spent a great deal of time camped outside that place you work just to see you. I’m not fucking lying and I’m not blind.” He took her hand and pressed it against his stiff cock. “You feel that? That’s how fucking hard I am for you right now. You’re not plain or ugly. You’re fucking beautiful and you don’t even see how gorgeous you really are.” He stroked her cheek, releasing her hand from his cock at the same time. “Don’t ever put yourself down in my company or I swear to God, I’ll make sure you can’t sit down for a damn week.”

  “You swear a lot.”

  “Get used to it. Now, you’re going to get washed. I don’t care what you say. I’m going to take care of you and for me to do that, you’re going to learn to listen.”

  He watched as she bit her lip, clearly wanting to fight him. Steel wasn’t prepared to listen to a word of what she had to say.

  “I’m not used to this. You don’t have to stay.”

  “I’m staying. I’m going to order Chinese. You do like Chinese, right?”

  “Yes, I do.” She stared down at his chest, licking her lips. “What about Hanson? You hurt him pretty bad,
and he’s not a nice person.”

  “I’ve talked with Hanson. He’s not pressing any charges and if he does, I’ll tell the cops exactly what I was breaking up. You wouldn’t let me be put away for helping you, would you?” he asked.

  “No. Of course not.”

  “Good. Go and get washed. I’ll be right here.” She nodded her head, taking a few seconds before she finally turned on her heel and walked away. He waited until she was gone before removing his jacket.

  Her place was nice, a little small, but then he didn’t know much about her. She didn’t seem to have any family close by or many friends. The only real thing he knew about her was the job at the grocery store. Glancing around her living space, he didn’t see any personal photos of friends or family. Was she a loner? Was she trying to run from a life she didn’t like?

  So many questions and yet so few answers from looking around her space. She liked to read, he saw that with all the used books. They were all well read, but he didn’t recognize a single author or title.

  He put the order in for the Chinese, asking for half of the menu since he didn’t really know what she liked. When that was finished, he walked into her very small kitchen, which consisted of a sink, stove, fridge, and a small counter. Rubbing the back of his neck, he groaned. He didn’t like the small space that she lived in. She deserved something bigger, grander than this. What the fuck was he talking about? Grander? He didn’t even know her, not well anyway. Yet here he was, unable to even go a day without her on his mind. Something about her called to him, and he couldn’t deny that having her in his head caused this pleasure to fill him. Shaking his head, he opened the fridge, sighing even louder as he saw she only owned soda. Was Eloise that repressed?

  Taking out a plain soda, he took a seat on her couch, and started to drink. He didn’t know what he planned to do for the remainder of the evening. The sweet-butts back at the clubhouse didn’t hold any appeal. There was no challenge to them nor were they enticing. He heard Eloise moving around in the tub and his cock became alert to the smallest of sounds she made. She’d be naked and wet. Fuck, he couldn’t get the image of her out of his mind. He hadn’t seen her naked yet and already he was hard as a rock for her.

  He didn’t have the first clue what to do with her or what he was going to tell the rest of the brothers at the club. The only thing he knew for certain was he didn’t want any of them fucking with her, or hell, fucking her in general. Eloise was his to play with, his to own, and his to fucking claim.

  There was a man, a rough and hardened biker in her apartment, possibly on her couch. Eloise leaned back in her small tub, trying to make sense of whatever was going on. Here she was, naked in her bathroom, soaking in the tub because that man out there deemed it so. Why was she even listening to him, deciding that it was safe to be with him? Yes, he’d saved her from a situation gone horribly wrong, but he was still a stranger. Thinking about him, about how she’d seen him lurking in the parking lot of Markham’s should have told her he was dangerous, unstable, bad for her. But the truth was she’d never had this kind of attention, and in a strange, screwed up way, it made her feel good. The last person she’d ever expected to come to her aid was Steel. She’d been such a bitch to him. She’d noticed him lurking in the parking lot. There was no way he was waiting around for her. He could and probably did have many women begging to be fucked. She wasn’t interested in sex, not at all. You lie.

  Closing her eyes, she counted to ten in an effort to push down the awakening need that Steel inspired in her. Her pussy grew slick, and it wasn’t because of the water. No, it was because of one man she couldn’t get out of her mind. Steel was breaking past all of her barriers. She couldn’t let him know what she wanted or craved. He’d take and take from her until there was nothing left. Letting out a breath, she opened her eyes, happier that she’d not been overcome or swamped by desire or lust. She’d seen how disastrous giving into a person’s need was.

  She’d seen it in her parents. Her mother and father had been destructive to each other and to everyone around them. But Steel had come to her rescue and now he was waiting for her. Lifting her arm out of the water, she started to sponge down her body. Eloise should have hurried, but for some reason she felt slower, less concerned about having to rush. She felt safe having Steel around. She couldn’t get him out of her mind or the way he’d hurt Hanson to get the beast away from her.

  Everything about Steel screamed mess and chaos. After getting out of the tub, she quickly dressed in her ducky pajamas, and walked out of the bedroom to find Steel sitting on her couch.

  “You didn’t take long.”

  “I didn’t need to take long.” She didn’t admit that she’d felt like she was in there forever.

  “Dinner should be here soon.”

  “You ordered already?” she asked, fisting her hands at her sides. She didn’t know what to do with him in her apartment. The space was so small and yet he was still here, making the place feel smaller.

  “Yeah, Chinese.”

  She tried her hardest to smile, but the truth was, she didn’t feel in the least like smiling.

  “Come here.”

  She should have argued. Any ordinary, sane woman would have. Instead, she went to him without putting up a single fight, because the truth was she liked that he had this dominating aura to him. It called to the darker side of her, the part she’d never shared with anyone.

  “Sit down.”

  Taking a seat beside him, she folded her arms across her breasts, trying her hardest to ignore the uncomfortable, misplaced need rushing through her. It wasn’t her fault what happened.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Seriously, Eloise, you don’t need to lie to me.”

  “I’m not lying. I mean, I know it happened, and it scares me, but you stopped him.”

  “He’ll think twice about trying that with another woman.”

  She gasped. “What if he does try to, erm, try to force another woman?”

  “I’ll handle it, baby. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

  Eloise glanced at his hand on her knee. She liked his touch way too much. Looking back into his eyes, her heart started to pound. She really wanted to say or do something to change what was happening. He leaned in closer. She didn’t pull away or put a stop to it, even though she should have. She shouldn’t be in this situation, allowing him to touch her, be in her apartment, because she knew nothing about him. He was a biker, hardened who probably did illegal things.

  The knock at the door interrupted them.

  “Fucking door.”

  For the first time in her life, Eloise really wished they’d not been interrupted, and that scared the hell out of her.

  They’d just finished eating, and Eloise stared at Steel, wondering why she felt so comfortable around a man like him. All her life she’d had to rely on herself. Her parents had been a disappointment and keeping control in her life was key. She was shy and quiet, reserved even, but she was comfortable at this point, and that suited her just fine. But she’d never admit to anyone the darker things she liked, the deeper, masochistic desires that she housed inside, too afraid to reveal them to anyone else.

  “You’re staring at me,” Steel said with amusement in his voice.

  She turned away, feeling her face heat with embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” and she was, because she’d just made an ass out of herself. She’d been watching him, thinking about what he’d do if she just blurted out the things she wanted to do, the things she wanted someone—him—to do to her. He moved closer to her, and when she felt his hand on her chin, turning her head so she was forced to look at him again, her breath stalled. He was such a big man, intimidating and frightening in many aspects. Eloise felt so small compared to him, so thin and fragile, despite the fact she’d always seen herself as a bigger girl, plumper than she liked at times, but generally accepting of herself. But sitting beside Steel, having his nearly six and
a half foot height towering over her, his big, muscular body seeming to dwarf hers, had this tingling sensation moving through her. Her breath stalled in her lungs, her heart started to beat faster.

  His gaze was on her lips. “I can tell you’re wet right now, can see the arousal on your face,” he said in a low, deep voice. “I can see the blush on your face, the way your pupils are dilated, and the fact your nipples are hard as fuck.”

  She wanted to cover her chest, block out her embarrassment, as she knew everything he spoke was the truth, but she was frozen.

  “I also know I make you nervous, unsteady, and a part of you is afraid of me.” He slowly lifted his gaze, so he was looking into her eyes. “Isn’t that right?”

  She felt herself nodding. Of course, he was right. This man might be in an outlaw biker gang, but he was intelligent. She could see that in his eyes, in the way he looked at everything, calculated what his next move would be. She inhaled deeply, took in the scent of motor oil, clean sweat, and something stronger, something more untamed. He smelled of leather as well, and she lowered her gaze and stared at the leather vest he wore. There were patches stating the club he was affiliated with, a 1%er patch, and she knew on the back of that vest was the Soldiers of Wrath logo. It was frightening in appearance, dangerous and violent almost, but she also liked it. It made her feel this realization that she was awake and didn’t have to hide.

  “If I kissed you right now what would you do, Eloise? Would you slap me, tell me to stop?”

  His question had her looking at his face instantly. She licked her lips, moved an inch back on the couch, and thought about his question. Before she could really contemplate what she should have said, the words tumbled out of her mouth. “Would you even ask me? Would you just do it and not care what I thought?” Eloise didn’t know why she’d blurted that out, but before she could even think about what had happened or what she’d said to Steel, he had his mouth on hers and his tongue thrust between her lips. For a second, she didn’t know what to do, how to react. He pulled back, his breathing harsh, and his pupils dilated in clear arousal.