Fury: Book 2 in the Vengeance MC series (21 page)

Shocked, I place my palm flat on his chest and lament,

“You don’t mean that, Tanner. You’re upset, that’s all.”

Shaking his head ‘no’ once, Fury covers my hand with his own.

“I’m not upset, Avery, I moved past upset a long fucking time ago. And I do mean it. Yeah, I loved Rosalie, she was my wife and she was pregnant with my kid, but I wasn’t in love with her. How could I be when I was already in love with someone else?”

Dropping my head to his chest, I take a deep breath through my nose and am instantly rewarded with the musky scent that is uniquely, Fury.

“This is so not where I thought this conversation was heading when you got here tonight,” I mumble ruefully into his t-shirt. And then, stupid, stupid, not think clearly me blurts out, “Can we go back to that? Not that I’m saying I don’t want to hear your life story because I do. It’s just, I think my brain’s gonna explode with the amount of information it’s trying to process.”

“Sure, baby, we can do that,” he says grinning.

How do I know he’s grinning? Because, why wouldn’t he be? I dropped myself right into that one.

Ignoring Fury’s smirk – the one I’d be more than happy to erase for him – I ask politely,

“Do you think you can let me go for this portion of the conversation?”

“No. I like right where you are. It’s safer too. Less likely for you to be able to throw a tantrum and get away.”

Dammit! Thwarted again.

“Alright,” I huff, knowing there’s no use arguing with him about it. If Fury wants me to stay where I am, I’m not deluded enough to think I can overpower him to get away. It’s better to just go with it.

“You gave in pretty fast there, baby. You sure you don’t want to fight me on it?”

“No,” I snap. “What’s the point? Your Highness has decided he likes me where I am, so where I am, I shall stay.”

“Glad we’re in agreement. That means there’s a good chance we’ll see eye to eye on the other shit we’ve got to talk about too,” he replies still grinning at me.

“Consider me your own personal magic eight ball when I say; that is highly unlikely. My agreeable quota just expired, next time I suggest you use it more wisely,” I inform him sagely.

“I’ll bear that in mind, but we’ve got more important things to discuss than your awesome powers of foresight, Avery. So, how about you close that beautiful mouth of yours and let me say my piece. That way, we can get to the you screaming at me for being an inconsiderate asshole portion of the evening,” he offers congenially.

“I’m so sure,” I humph, pouting childishly.

“Right, let’s get this done quick,” Fury starts. “I’ve already explained why I broke my promise to you, and trust me, there’s nothing I’d like more than to go back in time and erase how much I hurt you by not keeping my word, but I can’t. All I can do is tell you again how fucking sorry I am, and spend the rest of my life making it up to you. People fuck up, it’s a fact of life, which means if you’re with me, you’ll have to forgive me for fucking up a lot more. But when I’m not, what I can guaran-fucking-tee you is, things will be so good between us it’ll make the not so good times worth it.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I bite out,

“I don’t even know what that means. One minute you’re there and we’re friends, the next you’re gone and we aren’t anything, and now, you want me to believe you’ve been harboring feeling for me for over a decade?”

“Yep,” he says, shrugging again.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I screech only inches away from his face. “Either you are and it isn’t funny, or you’re certifiably insane. Whichever it is, this is not normal behavior, Tanner Scott. Not normal behavior at all.”

“Never claimed to be normal, Avery. I don’t want to be either,” he grunts, shifting us until my head hits my plush, European accent pillows, and his body is lying on top of mine.

I’d probably be remiss if I didn’t point out, I don’t notice the intimacy of our position since currently, all I can see is red.

“Don’t fight it, baby,” Fury growls suggestively in my ear, nipping at it with his teeth. “You and I both know we want to explore this.”

“Seriously, I’m worried about your mental health, Tanner. I think we should seek help for you immediately. Who knows if your current condition could become permanent, and if it did, what would you do then?” I utter, still unperturbed by the weight of his body pressing me into the mattress.

“Anyone ever told you you’re fucking adorable when you’re angry?” He returns, unfazed by my rambling.

“Yes. My Dad,” bitchy Avery retorts sharply.

Giving me another one of his sexy half smiles, Fury lifts up on an elbow and stares down at me.

“I’m sorry, Avery. I’m so fucking sorry I hurt you, and I wish I could promise it won’t happen again. But just know if I do, it won’t be intentional. I’d never hurt you on purpose, you know that right?”

For your information, when Tanner ‘Fury’ Scott gazes at you lovingly, with soft eyes, an even softer mouth, and apologizes sincerely, there’s not a woman alive who can resist him. And I am no exception.

“I know,” I whisper, watching as his eyes turn liquid.

“It’s time to make a choice, Avery, so I’m going to put all my cards on the table so you’re playing with a full deck,” he says, not moving his eyes from mine. “I want you, and I want to see where what we’ve got between us goes. I can’t promise you it’ll last, and that’s not because I don’t want to, it’s just not realistic. You might not be able to stand me not putting my shit in the hamper and leaving the toilet seat up. And I might not be able to handle having to wrestle through your panties and bras hanging in my shower when I’ve got somewhere I need to be. That said; if the promise of you is half of what I believe it is, I’ll deal with all that and more if it means I get to come home to you at the end of every day. If you’re in my bed, my house, my life, I can’t imagine there’s anything you could do that will make it so I’d want to change that. All I need is for you to give me one more chance. One more chance to prove to you how good we can be together. The only condition I’ve got is if you say yes, that means you’re all in.”

Holy crap. No, I amend that. Holy fucking crap.

“And, um, what prey tell does being all in entail?”

Running his nose down the length of my neck, only stopping to pepper kisses across my collarbone, Fury goes on to say,

“That means, you’re mine. No other man gets to touch you, and you don’t touch any other man. It means you’ll start and end all of your days in my bed, and we’ll be spending a fuck of a lot of time in it together at other times of the day too. It means you’ll trust me to keep you safe, talk to me about your day, and let me take care of you whenever I think you need taking care of. It also means you’ll have my heart, my devotion, my protection, and my cock. The last one as often as you’ll let me give it to you. I’m not going to lie to you, Avery. I want this, but I want you to want it too. You’ve been through more than most women do in a lifetime already and you’re only twenty-five, so it’s understandable if you don’t want to tie yourself to a man right now, but that doesn’t change how I feel. You decide this isn’t what you want, I’m not who you want, I’ll respect that. I won’t say I’ll be happy about it, but I’ll let you go so you can find your slice of happy. No matter what, me and you, we’ll always be friends. That won’t ever change. It might take me a while, if ever, to come to terms with you not wanting me the same way, but I’d never let that jeopardize our friendship. I fucked up once and risked that, I won’t do it again. I love you, Avery, but I’ve got to be your choice.”

Blinking up at the man who has held my heart for over a decade, I know he’s right. He does have to be my choice. The funny thing is, that was never in question. I would always choose Tanner.

Just because I hadn’t told him as much, I chose him when I met him for the first time when I was twelve. I chose him when he became my first crush the very same week. I chose Fury when I was fourteen and learned the meaning of love, and I’ve chosen him every day since.

Staring down at the woman I love more than life itself, my gut twists with anxiety at what her answer will be.

I’ve laid myself bare, put my heart on the line, and told her everything I’ve wanted to say to her for years, but Bella was right. This has to be her choice and as much as it pains me – and trust me, Avery’s silence is fucking killing me – I’m not going to coerce her into making a decision she’ll one day end up regretting.

Reaching out, tracing the line of my jaw, Avery skims her fingers tentative over the contours of my face. I love that she’s touching me, that she’s brave enough to put her fears aside for me, but I need her to answer me more.

Kissing the tips of her fingers as they make their next pass, I plead,

“Talk to me, baby. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I think I need help deciding,” she replies, after a lengthy pause.

“And how do you suggest I do that?” I hedge, hoping like hell she means what I think she does.

Fighting to keep her anxiety at bay, Avery searches for the words to tell me how much she needs me. This is another of those times I wish I could help her, but this has to be all her too. This is a huge step for her, and as desperate as I am for her, it’s not something I’d ever rush her into.

Which is why she shocks the shit out of me when she says,

“I need you to make love to me.” Diverting her eyes as if she’s embarrassed by her admission, she goes on to add, “I need to know if I’m even capable of having that kind of intimacy with someone, Tanner. It would be wrong for me to trap you into something if I can’t give you that piece of myself.”

The fact that she thinks for a second that matters to me steals the very breath from my lungs.

Of course, I want to make love to her. There’s nothing that would make me happier than to show Avery without words how deeply I feel for her, but at the same time, I need her to know I couldn’t care less if we were never together that way. As long as I have Avery sleeping in my arms every night, wake up to her in my bed every morning, and get to hold her all the time in between, that’s enough for me.

With that in mind, I ask,

“You sure about that, baby because I’ll wait as long as it takes? After what you went through, I don’t want you forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to because you think it’s what I need.”

Gripping my shoulders, Avery doesn’t hesitate to assure me,

“I haven’t been surer of anything, ever.”

Pulling her into my arms, Avery comes willingly, which has an almost instantaneous feeling of peace washing over me. It’s always been like this with her, though. All it takes is to see her smile, hear her laugh or me to touch her for the darkness knocking at my door to recede.

Knowing that I have to take my time with her, make this experience good for her, I begin stroking my free hand down the length of her side, only stopping to gently raise the material of her shirt.

I can feel Avery’s eyes drilling into the top of my head, as I descend, settling myself between her thighs with my mouth level with her belly button. Neither of us has shed any clothes, but still, this has to be the single most intimate moment I’ve ever shared with anyone.

Licking a path around her navel, I groan as I get my first taste of her. Avery’s skin is sweet like her. Fucking delicious.

“If at any time you want me to stop, say the word and I’ll stop immediately.” Looking up to ensure she heard me, I repeat, “One word, baby, that’s all it’ll take for me to stop and just hold you, okay?”

Nodding, Avery doesn’t use words to reply. Instead, she glides her hands through my hair, locking my head in place and gifting me with a shy smile. That tells me all I need to know. She’s ready and she wants this just as much as I do.

“I’m going to need you to guide me here, baby. I don’t want to go to fast that I’ll scare you, but if I don’t get us naked with me inside you soon, this might all be over before it starts,” I confess.

I’ve never wanted a woman more than I want Avery, and regardless of the fact her attack and the aftermath will be forever burned in my brain, my little head hasn’t seemed to get the memo. He wants in, and he wants it now.

“Tanner, I need you to listen to what I say next because it’s important,” Avery insists.

Dragging myself away from the soft skin of her stomach, I rise over her, making sure to keep the majority of my weight off her much smaller frame.

“I’m listening,” I assure her once I have us both positioned comfortably.

“I’m going to do my best not to let what happened to me intrude on the present but I’m going to need your help with that. You have to stop thinking so much. I want this, and I want it with you. I’m sure there will be some things we do that will trigger flashbacks that aren’t pleasant, but it’s your job to make sure I stay in the moment with you. Most of all, I need you to be the one to erase the memories they left me with.” Kissing the corner of my mouth, she prompts, “Do you think you can do that for me? Can you forget about what happened long enough to make this special for both of us?” 

Avery’s tender, trusting expression proves she’s serious about what she said. And if it’s possible, I love her even more because of it. I didn’t think it was possible for her to trust me again – definitely not so quickly – but she does, and that means more to me than I’ll ever be able to express.

“I can absolutely do that, baby. All I ask is you talk to me. While I’m touching you, when my mouth is on you, and eventually when I get my cock inside you, I need you to talk to me. Now, tell me how you like to be touched, Avery,” I demand. “Do you like a gentle caress?” I ask, skimming my fingers under the hem of her shirt. “Or do you like a firmer hand?” I push, gripping the flesh at her hip tighter.

Exhaling a moan, Avery answers my question wordlessly. She likes the roughness of my hand on her skin, the flush spreading across her chest telling me everything her eyes are begging for.

Not pausing my exploration of her, I command,

“Take off your shirt, baby. I want to see you.”

Avery complies without complaint. Her chest is heaving as she works the thin material over her head, throwing it on the floor somewhere be
t
side the bed. Allowing my eyes to look their fill, they linger on the scars her tormentors left behind.

Going into this, I thought I’d be the stronger of the two of us. After all, it wasn’t me who suffered at the hands of those motherfuckers. But here, now, Avery is faring far better than I am.

The latent rage I believed I’d worked out of my system months ago rears its head. The emotion so overwhelming, it’s all I can do to keep it in check and not scare the woman so beautifully splayed beneath me, putting her trust in me that I’ll take care of her.

Standing, I remove my cut, folding it and placing it on her dresser. Reaching behind me, I strip my shirt over my head and unthread my belt from the loops of my jeans. Next, I unbutton the top two buttons, giving my cock some much-needed breathing room as it strains the confines of the stiff denim.

“How you doing over there?” I ask as I kick off my boots, followed by my socks.

“Better if you’d hurry up,” she returns, hunger lacing the desperate tone of her voice.

“Your wish is my command,” I whisper, crawling onto her bed, making my way slowly toward her. “I’m going to take these off now,” I warn, letting my hands travel up the outside of her thighs until they reach the snap of her jeans. “When I do, I’m going to take your panties off too and put my mouth on you. I need to taste you, Avery, and you’re going to let me.”

The way I’m talking to her makes as little sense to you as it does to me. I shouldn’t be demanding anything of her. What I should be doing is letting her run the show, but there’s something about the way her eyes flash, her nipples harden, and the smell of her arousal becoming stronger that says she wants me to take charge.

With other women, I took it as it came. Them riding me, me riding them, me taking them from behind, whichever way worked for me. But with Avery, I want nothing more than to sink into her wet heat staring into her eyes. I need her to see me, and nothing but me the first time I have her. She needs it too. Maybe even more than I do.

Slowly, watching to see how she handle it, I unzip her jeans and start working them and her panties down her legs until they’re tangled around her ankles. Avery wriggles, flicking the offending items off, closing her legs quickly, trying to hide my prize from me.

“Open your legs, baby,” I groan, running my tongue up the seam of her thighs. “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, Avery. You’re fucking beautiful everywhere.”

And she is.

Her long, slim legs, flared hips that are the perfect fit for my hands, full, high tits I’m going to love licking, sucking, biting, and teasing, and her tight, flat stomach has nothing on the treasure between the creamy skin of her thighs.

When Avery still hasn’t responded, I repeat,

“Open for me, Avery. Let me see all of you.”

Nervously biting her lower lip, she inches her thighs apart, giving me the first glimpse of her perfect, pink pussy. While I want to dive in and feast on her, I know if I do there a good chance I won’t come up for air for hours. I’ve been waiting what feel like forever to taste her, and I intend to spend a good deal of time with my tongue exploring every inch of her core. But right now, I’ve forgotten one very crucial thing.

Catching her off guard, I crush my mouth to hers in a bruising, passionate kiss. This isn’t gentle or coaxing, it’s possessive, demanding like I am, and branding.

Avery’s mouth opens under my ministrations, her tongue coming out to play with mine as I tilt her head with one hand in her hair, and deepen the kiss until she doesn’t know where she ends and I begin.

At her moan, I plunge my tongue into the warm recess of her mouth and take ownership of her. Avery’s hands stroke the hot skin of my back, her fingernails clawing at the muscle there, fighting to get closer to me. Not that she can. We're as close as two people can be without her climbing inside me and becoming one.

My body blankets hers as she rocks her hips, grinding restlessly against the outline of my cock still restrained by my jeans. Breaking apart, Avery’s eyes have gone hazy with need. It’s a good look on her, but I feel it’s only right for me to warn her again.

“I’m hanging on by a thread here, baby. If you don’t want me to sink inside your tight, hot pussy, you’ve got to slow down. I want to make this good for you, but the way you’re grinding on me is making it fucking hard for me behave myself.”

“I don’t want you to behave. I need you, Tanner,” Avery moans sweetly.

Hearing her call me Tanner, now, when I’ve got her exactly where I’ve wanted her for years is a dream come true. For the most part, I don’t like anyone referring to me as anything other than, Fury, but the way Avery says my name, I might just forbid her from calling me anything but.

Kissing her again, this time, slower and much more reverently, I work my jeans over my hips, leaving me naked above her. Avery lost her bra sometime between me coaxing her to open her legs for me and me claiming her mouth. Stroking the side of her breast, closing in on her nipple, I roll it between my forefinger and thumb, eliciting a long, low moan from her.

Any notion I had of our first time together being slow flies out the window when Avery’s soft, wet tongue darts out tasting the column of my throat. I hadn’t known that was one of my erogenous zones, but I suppose the other women I’ve been with are more interested in what I can do for them, not the other way around.

My hand reluctantly abandons her nipple, trailing down her side and over her belly, delving between her legs to test her readiness. Hoping like fuck she’s wet, I couldn’t be happier when my fingers find her dripping for me. Teasing the heated lips of her pussy, caressing up and down the length of her slit, I take my time building Avery’s desperation until her legs spread wide, giving me a fantastic view of her shaved core.

The tightly beaded nub of her clit is practically throbbing for me. What I wouldn’t give to put my mouth on her, but that’ll have to wait. She’s ready, and there’s no fucking way in hell I can wait any longer to bury myself so deep inside her she’ll be feeling where I’ve been for the next few days.