Tanner's War (7 page)

He rode to a house on the outskirts
of the town, a single-story house with a wrap-around porch and a small but
beautiful garden. There was an ancient apple tree, crooked and heavy with
fruit, at the side of the house and a wooden swing hung from one branch,
twisting gently in the light wind. The air was heavy with the scent of apple
blossom and wet grass, and Beth fell in love immediately. It was like something
out of a fairy tale: pastoral, peaceful, and perfect.

“Is this your house?” she asked as
they got off the bike. It was hard to imagine rough-edged Tanner here, but he
grinned and nodded.

“I don’t usually bring people
here,” he said, lacing his hands behind his head and surveying the garden. “
Me
and my sister share it, and she likes her privacy. No
strangers, no strange dudes, especially. But she’s working today and you’re not
a strange dude, so …” He shrugged.

Beth went to test out the swing.
The wooden boards making up the seat were wide and sturdy, the frayed rope
holding it up deceptively strong. She gave herself a gentle push, smiling at
the creak of wood as the tree groaned. She glanced at Tanner to see him staring
at her with a hot, naked longing that hit the pit of her stomach like … like
the beer last night. Like his kiss had hit her. She stopped swinging, nerves
fluttering.

Tanner cleared his throat and sat
on the porch step, beckoning her over. “I need to talk to you.”

She joined him, careful to keep a
modest amount of space between them. His words were ominous and didn’t match
the raw heat in his eyes. Still, she reminded herself that she was owed a fair
explanation for his behavior.

“I was kind of a dick last night,”
he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I just … this is a pretty fucked up
situation, you know?”

“Which part?” she asked, surprised
at the wry snap in her voice. If he’d been a Church member, she wouldn’t have
dared use that tone with him.

He shifted uncomfortably in his
seat, and she found she liked that he was nervous too. It made her feel less
inexperienced and naive.
“Me kissing you.
I shouldn’t
have—but not because I didn’t want to. Don’t think that.” He caught her hand
suddenly, squeezing hard as if he could impress his words on her skin. “I did
want to. I …
fuck,
I wanted to do a lot more than just
kiss you, Beth. But you can’t … It would have been so fucking sleazy of me,
taking advantage of you like that.”

“Is it taking advantage if I want
it too?”

He scowled, but didn’t release her
hand.
“Yeah, if you’re a drunk virgin out in the world alone
for the first time ever.
I’m not Prince Charming, Beth. I’m the black
knight.” He did let go of her now, cracking his knuckles.

“Aren’t you being a little
melodramatic?” she asked, resting her hand on his knee. “I wasn’t expecting a
gold ring and a white dress last night, Tanner. I know I can’t stay in town.
Abram will come after me and Nash doesn’t want me to anyway. And I’m a virgin,
but I’m not an idiot. I don’t see my virginity as some mythical treasure to
guard, or something cheap to throw away. If
me
being a
virgin is a problem here, it’s your problem, not mine.”

He looked startled, then annoyed.
“It’s not a problem. I just …” He shrugged and covered her hand with his. “I
don’t want to be something you regret.”

Her heart raced. “That sounds like
something Prince Charming would say.”

He closed his eyes and groaned low
and long, like a wild animal. “You’re trouble. I knew you would be.”

Before she could answer, he seized
her, almost dragging her into his arms and kissing her with a possessiveness
that shook her to the core. He raked one hand through her hair, hooked his free
arm round her waist and pulled her hard against him. His tongue plundered her
mouth, exploring hungrily while he pushed his hand up her shirt to sink his
fingers into her skin. Beth clung to his T-shirt, soaking up every touch, every
movement of his mouth and fingers. Searing heat filled her body, and everywhere
he touched her she felt deliciously tender and delightfully trapped.

She wanted more but she didn’t know
how to ask for it, so she wrapped her arms round his neck and thrust her
breasts against him, hoping he’d just know what she needed and how badly she
needed it. She was senseless, nothing left but need. When he broke away from
her to kiss and suck at her throat, she gasped. “Touch me.”

Chapter Nine

Her words were like an electric
current against his skin, simple but so fucking powerful. His cock was begging
for her, straining against his jeans, and all he could think about was how good
it would feel to fling her into the grass, rip her own jeans away and bury his
cock inside her. He palmed her breast, pinching her nipple and relishing her
squeak of surprise. She might not care that she was a virgin, but the thought
of being the first man to claim her, the first man to touch and tongue and kiss
every part of her … Tanner was shocked at how much of a turn on it was for him.

He pulled her into his lap, still
sucking at her neck while she moaned her encouragement. He unzipped her jeans,
shoving his hand down to rub her clit through her panties. She cried out,
bucking her hips and Tanner thought he'd never heard anything so fucking sweet.

He dragged his tongue along the
curve of her neck and bit the lobe of her ear, whispering to her, "You
want me now then? Out here where anyone could walk past and see me finger-fuck
you?" He slipped two fingers inside her panties, brushing her clit and
drawing another breathy cry from her. "Is this how you want it?"

She writhed against him, eyes
closed, lips parted, but she didn't speak. Not good enough. He wanted to hear
her say yes. Hear her beg him.

He slid one finger slowly into her
cunt and found her already wet. She twisted in his arms, a yearning moan
escaping her. "Say it, Beth. C'mon, say the word."

She grabbed his hair with one hand
and slammed her other hand down over his, forcing his finger deeper inside her.
"Yes!"

He wanted to take her. Fuck, he
wanted to
own
her. But he had no protection and as much as his dick
thought this was a DEFCON one situation, he knew it wasn't. He wasn't going to
fuck Beth on his doorstep ... But he was going to make damn sure she was ruined
for any other man.

He swung her round so her back was
against his chest and hooked her legs over his, leaving her spread and open to
him. Her ass pressed firmly down on his cock, a private and pleasurable
torture, but he tried to ignore it and focus on her. He cupped her mound with
one hand and, ever so gently, clasped his free hand round her throat, exerting
only the slightest pressure. She stiffened against him, chest heaving.

He whispered in her ear, “I do
anything you don’t like, you tell me to stop, okay?”

“Yes.” Her voice trembled.

“You like this? You okay with my
hands where they are?”

“Oh …
Yes
.”

Tanner had no intention of choking
her, but he'd found a lot of women got off on the slight pressure— it
intensified everything and he sure as fuck got off on the sense of control it
gave him. He pushed two fingers slowly into her welcoming pussy. She gasped and
ground against him. Tanner gritted his teeth. He wanted to make this about Beth
but she was making it hard ...Or harder, anyway.

He started gently easing his
fingers in and out, feeling her grow slicker and hotter with every stroke. He
curved his thumb around her clit, pressing lightly on it as his fingers worked
her, and she gasped and arched against him. Her pleasure was clear in her
breathy moans and the rhythmic rocking of her hips. Tanner rested his head
against hers, struggling to control himself, to keep it slow and tender.
Because he wanted to fuck her, really fuck her, hard and dirty. He could smell
her musk as her juices flowed round his fingers and he wanted to taste it,
drive his tongue inside her pussy, then drive his cock in and claim her in the
most primal way.

He quickened his motions and rubbed
her throat, increasing the pressure just a touch. Beth sank against him as if
she'd melt into him, her own movements growing more erratic. Had she ever
orgasmed before? He pictured her masturbating, pictured her own fingers roaming
over her tits and down between her legs, and he couldn't help the groan that
left him. He buried his head in the curve of her neck, biting her soft, sweet
skin. She yelped, and then mumbled an encouragement, reaching back to knot her
fingers in his hair. She covered his hand with her other, forcing his fingers
deeper inside her cunt.

"Fuck me, Beth." He
obeyed her silent plea, pumping his fingers in and out of her harder and
faster. "You're going to kill me." His cock felt like it was going to
explode. He hadn't exactly been celibate since leaving prison, but he couldn't
remember the last time he'd felt this kind of raw, hungry lust for a woman.

She was panting, little helpless
cries spilling from her. He felt her pussy clench around her fingers and knew
she was close to coming. It was the hottest fucking thing and Tanner was pretty
damn worried he was going to lose it and come in his pants like an idiot
fourteen-year-old.

And then she cried his name, her
whole body convulsing as her orgasm hit her. Tanner rubbed her clit as she
came, pushed his fingers as deep as he could, feeling her cunt tighten around
them. He was determined to make it as intense for her as possible, and if her
reaction was anything to go by, he was doing a good job. She twisted and bucked
on his lap, her ass pushing down on his cock, creating an irresistible
friction. Tanner snarled and bit her throat one last time, hard enough that he
knew he'd leave a bruise.

Good. Let every fucking man from
here to the Church of the Serpentine Cross know she was his.

As the last waves of her orgasm
flowed out of her, she went limp and Tanner let wrapped his arms around her,
cradling her. She pressed her legs together, trembling and breathless. He
kissed her throat where he'd bitten her. "Are you okay? Was that
okay?" he asked.

"Okay?" She laughed
shakily. "Yeah, that was okay."

He hugged her hard against him,
feeling a fierce sense of pride and possession. If she thought he was letting
her go, that he'd let her just run off ... Hell no.

They sat in silence for a few
minutes, nothing but birdsong and the distant roar of traffic to be heard. Then
Beth shifted slightly so she could look at him. "Tanner? Will you tell me
why you were in prison?"

"Shit, Beth, you know how to
ruin the moment, don't you?" He said it without malice and kissed her to take
any sting out of his words. He sighed.
"I'm not fucking
proud ... No, that's a lie.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat, so I guess I
am proud of it." He turned that thought over in his head, trying to find a
simple way to explain the chaos of emotion behind what he'd done.

Before he could, his phone started
ringing. He was tempted to ignore it, but the Ace of Spades ring tone meant it
was one of his brothers, and you didn't ignore that. Cursing, he stood and took
his phone from his pocket. It was probably a minor miracle it hadn't been
crushed while he and Beth made out. "Wolf, this better be a matter of life
or death."

Wolf's voice was tight with anger.
"You need to get to Mia's diner.
Now, man.
No
fucking around."

Adrenaline shot through Tanner,
burning off any lust for Beth he had left. "What happened?"

"Come see for yourself."
Wolf hung up.

"Fucker."
Tanner pulled Beth to her feet.
"Ready to ride again?"

"What's wrong?" she
asked, fear plain on her face. Tanner knew he ought to drop her off at the mill
or something, but the thought of letting her out of his sight brought a burst
of anger to his chest.

"I don't know yet." He
pulled her into a rough embrace, not quite sure why he suddenly felt the need
to hang onto her, but unable to resist it. "Let's go find out."

****

Beth closed her eyes as she clung
to Tanner and they raced to the Five Mile Diner. She wished she could revel in
being so close to him, with the sensations he'd created still rolling through
her, but there was a knot of anxiety in her stomach getting tighter and
tighter. She wanted to beg Tanner to drive past the diner and keep going, take
her away from the Church and Warren's Mill and just ... escape.

She didn't think he was the type to
run away though. Whatever had happened at the diner, he'd face it head on. She
had to draw courage from his strength.

The diner's parking lot was empty
apart from a few bikes, and the sign on the door was turned to
"closed." No music, no lights. The welcoming, homely atmosphere she'd
felt yesterday was utterly gone. Beth got off the bike and hugged herself,
watching Tanner. He surveyed the parking lot, jaw clenched, eyes stormy.

"Wild Blood bikes," he
told her. "At least it's not some shit going down with a rival MC."
He snatched her hand in his and all but dragged her into the diner. The door
was unlocked despite the "closed" sign.

Chaos greeted them. Chairs were
tipped over and several bottles had been smashed across the counter, leaving
sticky streams of soda and cola gleaming under the lights. Behind the counter,
the floor was covered with cracked and broken plates, half-eaten burgers and
splatters of apple pie. It was like a hurricane had ripped through. A chill ran
through Beth.

"What happened? Where is
everyone?"

"I don't know." Tanner
headed for the door at the back of the diner. "Mia! Wolf?" he called,
shoving the door
open
.

"Mia's room!" someone
called back.

Mia's tiny bedroom was packed with
people, and at first Beth couldn't see past the men to Mia.
Three
bulky bikers, all in leather vests, crowded around the bed.
She
recognized Rattler, and the auburn-haired, wiry man was the one she'd seen
chasing a naked woman at the mill last night. The third man she didn't know.

But it was Mia who snatched her
attention anyway, once Tanner elbowed the men aside so they could see her. She
sat huddled on the
bed,
her clothes stained with ...Oh
no. Beth gagged.
Blood.
Mia's pristine white shirt was
streaked with blood. When she raised her head to look at Beth and Tanner, her
face was a bruised, bloodied mess. She had one black eye and a split lip. Tears
and mascara lined her cheeks.

"Oh,
Mia!"
Beth dropped to
her knees in front of Mia, clasping Mia's hands in her own. "What
happened?" A horrible guilt filled Beth. She wanted her fears to be wrong,
but her heart knew better.

Mia smiled, and then hissed in
pain.
"Oh sweetie.
It's not your fault."

Beth's stomach turned.
"Who?" she asked.
"Nathaniel?"

Mia nodded.
"And
two other guys.
They scared Lacey off and
they
..." She sobbed, ducking her head. "I didn't tell them anything."
She addressed this to Tanner. "I didn't tell them where she was,
Tanner."

"Jesus
fucking Christ, Mia."
Tanner dropped down onto the bed next to her, a mixture of rage and sorrow on
his face. "You fucking should have. You should have sent them straight to
my door and let me—"

"Fuck no, Tanner." The
auburn-haired man shoved his shoulder, hard. "You bring these freaks down
on the MC, how
d'you
think
that ends?"

"Oh, so you're on Nash's side
now, Wolf?" Tanner shot to his feet, shoving the other guy back with real
anger.

Wolf staggered, but held his
ground. "That's not what I mean. You cut up these guys on our
doorstep,
you're right back in the slammer. You
wanna
fight, fight smart."

Mia glared at them both. "Or
you could do the really smart thing and go to the police.
Which
is what you should have done yesterday.
" Mia pointed at Tanner.
"Beth needs real help, not Neanderthals slugging it out over her."

Tanner slammed his fist into his
palm, clearly itching to strike out. "You don't know the full story, Mia."

"I know enough, now." Mia
stood, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Those thugs made it clear they
won't stop looking for her. If you care about her, Tanner, get her proper,
legal help."

"Legal
help?"
Tanner all but
sneered at her. "Scumbags like these guys wriggle out from under the law
all the fucking time. You think the police would do anything to help Beth? They
don't give a shit when women are being beaten and abused."

Beth's cheeks reddened as the men
turned to look at her. She wanted desperately to run from the room and escape
the glare of attention. She stood, shuffling behind Tanner. "I never
wanted to cause any trouble."

"You haven't. These sick fucks
have." Tanner slung his arm round her shoulder, forcing her back into the
circle. "Their shitty acts aren't your responsibility."

"He's right," Rattler
said, surprising her. His face was a mask of rage, his hands balled into fists.
All his attention was on Mia—Beth was amazed he'd even heard Tanner talk.
"A man hits a
woman,
he's not a real man."

"Let's stay focused," the
third man, a hulking blond with a deep, commanding voice said. "Mia needs
to get to the hospital."