TUCKER: Valley Enforcers, #3 (14 page)

“God, Tucker. You brought my dog a treat. You brought me a bag of gifts just because. Who else? Who else would do that? Do you think the man you think you are would? You’re a good man, Tucker. Despite whatever you think, you’re good. And I – and I love you for all those things. I am in love with the thoughtful, protective person sitting next to me… not the person you think you are. I need you to decide who you want to be, Tucker.”

My senses were on overload; my heart thumping so hard against my ribs I was almost positive I needed to go to the hospital. Part of the heaviness on my soul lifted, and though it was still there, I was surrounded with startling clarity. It was too much at once. I never once thought I was a bad seed, just not good
enough
. Especially not good enough for her.  I still wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

She loved me. She was
in love
with me. If she believed I was enough, I was going to try my damnedest to be the type of man she deserved. Instead of automatically thinking I was going to fail, I pushed some of the darkness aside and breathed in her light.

“Say something,” She pleaded, insecurities shining through her façade.

The ton of bricks that slammed into my chest fell to the side, allowing me to talk. “You love me?”

“I thought that was pretty obvious.”

I waited, the unspoken words hanging between us. Did she just love me? Or were we more? Every atom in my body screamed; each minute she existed without my mark on her delicate skin was painful. My throat started to close up, and in a desperate attempt to get her closer, I reached over and circled her waist, pulling her onto my lap.

“Tell me again.”

“I love you, Tucker.”

My world was thunder and lightning, but she was a beacon of hope in the middle of the storm. “God, Em. I don’t know who I have to thank for getting you into my life, but I’ll be damned if I ruin this because my head is too far up my own ass. I love you. It’s scary and exhilarating and real, but I do. I love you, Emily.”

“Marla Hope,” She laughed.

That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. “What? Who?”

“Marla Hope,” She repeated, playfully. “That’s who you have to thank. If it wasn’t for her and that dollhouse, I never would have been driving around the mountains in the middle of a blizzard.”

A very ungentlemanly snort escaped my lips. “Wise guy, yeah?”

“The wisest.” She rested in my lap, hips wiggling. I was aware of our closeness – the intimacy of our position, her legs on either side of me and her breasts near my face – but I didn’t want to be skin-to-skin for sex. At least, not at first. I just wanted to feel her warmth so I knew she was real. But now that those three words floated around us and our tensions were eased, I was very aware of the layers that separated our cores… of her scent; the beginning tendrils of want creeping through the sawdust and coconut. She leaned back, bottom rubbing against my half hard cock, and I chewed on the inside of my mouth to keep from moaning. Was she saying something?
Shit.
“What do you think, Tucker?”

“Hmm?”

A finger guided my eyes up from her chest to her smirking face. Breathlessly, she repeated, “What do you think? Should we move to the bedroom and make this a proper apology?”

Fuck proper.

Emily

I was already floating on cloud nine, but the look in Tucker’s eyes told me things were about to get a hell of a lot better. I’d imagined the two of us reconnecting a half dozen times, but none of them ended up quite like this. Yeah, some scenarios were full of romance novel worthy sex. But I never could have imagined the emotions fueling our lust. I took a risk and laid it all in the open (well, almost everything… I couldn’t bring myself to talk about the ‘m’ word) and instead of rejection I got, well I got
him
. Tucker was emotionally bruised by his own hand, and thinking that I had any role in that made me sick to my stomach. I knew how easy it was to blame yourself – how easy it was to spiral down the rabbit hole. He was far from broken, but one look in his espresso eyes and I knew he honestly didn’t feel like he was good enough.

He didn’t need fixed, but my soul ached for him. I wanted him to see his worth. To me, Tucker was like the distant rainbow after a misty storm. He was twinkling Christmas lights covered in snow. He was a fresh cup of coffee in the morning and a bubble bath at night. He was magic. I hoped that maybe, even if just a little bit, he thought I was magic, too.

Answering me with actions, not words, he reached up and cupped my head to bring it to his. It felt like years had passed since we last were together, and half of my body wanted our coupling to be fast and hard. The other half knew that the moment was tender and deserved something sweeter. Tucker gave me a mix of the two. The way he devoured me was far from slow. Our mouths joined almost painfully; our tongues dueled with a sensuality and desire that I’d never experienced before. His hand slipped under my stained and dirty shirt. I expected him to go straight for my breasts, but his fingers teased the skin around my bellybutton. Back and forth, like gentle strokes of a paintbrush, he played with the soft skin of my stomach. Just when I thought I’d hit a breaking point, he stopped and pulled away.

“Take it off.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him. I peeled the grimy shirt off, tossing it over my shoulder. It must’ve landed by Echo because she let out an annoyed huff and, bone in mouth, trotted away. I was glad that she left; I really didn’t think Tucker and I would make it past the couch. I didn’t
want
to make it past the couch.

Bringing me back to reality, Tucker’s hands circled my waist. This time, they didn’t stop at my bellybutton. He went higher and higher until he was cupping my breasts over the cotton bra. I cursed myself for picking out one of my plainest granny bras, but Tucker’s chest still vibrated with want. His teasing caress had me slick with my own desires. I reached back and undid my bra, letting it fall around his hands. My chest pushed out as if drawn to him, and I felt the warm air hit my already puckered nipples. 

“God damn, Em.”

The thickness of his voice paired with the way he was thumbing my nipples was too much, but I didn’t want it to stop. I never wanted it to stop. Tucker’s hands were on my back, pushing me forward. I fell, bracing myself on either side of the couch. The breathless gasp of surprise turned into a satisfied moan as he captured a nipple in his mouth. His hands stayed stationary on my hips, branding me with his heat. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stay still. His erection was pressed against my core, layers separating us from what we both needed. As much as I wanted to feel him sheathed inside of me, the flicking of his tongue was making it hard to think beyond the next second.

Awkwardly reaching down between our bodies, I pawed him through his jeans. Tucker groaned, mouth leaving my breast. I expected to feel him capture the other one, but he attached his lips to my neck like a leech; he nibbled and bit love marks that would be there until I shifted. He was claiming me, even if just for the night. My wolf howled with pride. I’d never been more certain that I wanted forever with the man beneath me.

My urgent but delicate strokes above the denim turned into a desperate mauling as my patience waned. I fumbled with the button and zipper, growling when they got stuck because of our strange angle.

Tucker growled, too, but his was more of a husky laugh. “Need help, baby?”

It was the first time he’d ever called me baby. Whatever was left inside my heart turned to mush. I was a sucker for pet names. To be honest, I was a sucker for anything related to Tucker.

“It’s not funny. I want you naked.”

Smirking, he leaned forward and traced my collarbone with his tongue. My breath hitched. It would be so easy for him to sink his teeth into me and mark me as his forever.

“Get up and strip for me, Em.”

“I’m half naked already. It won’t be much of a show.”

His teeth grazed my skin and my body went into overdrive. He wasn’t going to bite me, was he? Without us talking about it? Without understanding what it really meant? “Do it, now, Emily.”

The authority in his voice was a heatwave in my ovaries. I made fun of Kate for reading BDSM romances because they seemed so unbelievable, but the hard edge in Tucker’s voice made me quiver with anticipation.

I never thought of myself as sexy, and I’d never performed a strip tease before. I was about as graceful as a giraffe, but I’d make an attempt for Tucker. Instinctually, I covered my breasts with an arm as I wiggled off him (earning a strained groan) and rose to my feet. Tucker cocked an eyebrow, head tilting to the side as if silently commanding me to drop my makeshift cover. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before; hell, he’d done a lot more than look at them. But the passion in his eyes and the depth of the emotions passing between us made me feel more naked than I’d ever been, even standing there fully clothed on my bottom half.

Tucker lifted his hips and undid his pants, sliding them down to his knees along with his boxers. Lust fogged my vision when his cock sprang to life. Like Pavlov’s dogs, I salivated at the sight of it. When his hand wrapped around the shaft, I sucked in a breath, but he didn’t move. I knew if I finished stripping for him, I’d get to see him pump his hand over his hardness as a reward. That was all the motivation I needed.

Channeling my inner vixen and pretending like music filled the room instead of the thunderous sound of our heartbeats. I cupped my breasts and squeezed them. In my mind, they were his hands, not mine. Instead of focusing on the white space above his head between the mirrors –
holy shit, I look sexy
– I found his eyes and didn’t break contact. Not when I slowly trailed my fingertips down my stomach, and not when I moved them back up and tweaked my nipples. Tucker’s breath hitched and, out of my peripheral vision, I saw the fuzzy up and down motion of his hand as he worked himself. It was too tempting to look away, so I licked my lips and let my eyes drop.

The erotic scene instantly stapled itself into my memory. Tucker, shirt half raised and pants around his knees, fisting his cock while his hungry eyes promised me all the naughty things he’d do once he got his hands on me. I was mesmerized by the fluid up and down motion – the way his thumb occasionally pressed down on the tip, red with frustration and need, before he’d stroke down again.

Wanting to give him more to look at, I unzipped my pants. Instead of pushing them off, I pushed my hand inside. Alternating between staring at his cock and his eyes, which grew round with appreciation, I circled my clit and applied pressure. Instead of easing my arousal, it made it worse. My body knew it wasn’t Tucker’s touch, and anything less than his hands, mouth, or cock was subpar. I wiggled my fingers down further, parting my slick folds with ease. My pants were constricting, and I was only able to push one finger inside. I plunged in and out a few times, heartbeat accelerating as I imagined it was Tucker’s cock driving into me.
Why are you torturing yourself when the real thing is right there?
Instantly deciding playtime was over, I retracted my hand.

I went to push my jeans down when a devilishly wanton thought struck me. I brought my fingers, dewy with my own arousal, to my lips and sucked on them. Tucker’s strangled groan filled me with womanly pride. They didn’t have any particular taste, and when I was done cleaning, I popped them out of my mouth and gave him a satisfied grin. His lips were parted, like he was going to say something, but only a strained moan passed his lips.

Ready to feel him against me again, I turned around and began to push my jeans and nondescript cotton panties down. To give him an even better show, I bent and stuck my ass out as I finished undressing at a glacial pace. Over exaggerating every tiny hip movement, I was giving him a close up view of my bottom and framed sex. There was something about Tucker that made me unashamed. With him, I felt like a goddess.

I heard a ruffle of clothing behind me but before I could turn around, I felt strong arms around my waist pulling me towards the couch. Every nerve in my body jumped to life at the skin-on-skin contact. Tucker sat back down, turning me so we were in the same position before I put on my bold show. Without the layers of unwanted clothing between us, his cock was pressed between my cheeks. I braced myself on his shoulders, readying myself to lift to ride him, when my eyes noticed fresh scars on his chest.

Startled, I reached down and touched them. “What are these?”

“Punishment.” He gripped my wrist and slowly moved my hand back to his shoulder. It was the beginning and end of that conversation. “Tell me what you want, Emily. I need to hear you say it.”

Just like that, we were back in the moment. If I really wanted to, I’d press him for answers beyond ‘punishment’ later. As a shifter, I had an understanding of how things played out in packs and clans or whatever the breed called their group. His business with his Alpha wasn’t my business – at least not yet – so his vague answers were more than enough for me.

He flexed his hips, his cock pressing closer to me. I moaned, hips lifting up. “Fuck, Tucker. I want your cock; I want you deep inside of me.”

I didn’t have the chance to sink down onto him. Fingers digging into my flesh, he lifted me up and impaled me on his rod. It was the first time we hadn’t used a condom, and I was too busy enjoying the feeling of being completely full to think about the emotional ramifications.

“Aw, shit, baby. Is that deep enough for you?”

I was completely seated on him, my ass resting against his thighs. I was straddling the barrier of pain and pleasure, but for some reason I wanted him closer. Deeper. My voice was broken when I let out a soft but very enthusiastic, “Yes!” It was a lie, though. He’d never be deep enough; not until our souls were tangled together and his mark was on my shoulder. Even then, I doubted I’d be satisfied.

“You are, without a doubt, the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Tucker’s voice was strained, but there was no denying the awe. “And I am so in love with you that it hurts, Em.”

It was the perfect time to tell him how I really felt; he was my mate, and the fates intended us to be together forever. The words formed on my tongue, but they didn’t seem right. The timing was off. I could never tell him just how much he meant to me – the words didn’t exist. I swallowed forever and leaned forward, kissing him softly. We were connected, core to core, but neither of us moved.

Words were failing, but our bodies knew the untold story. He kissed me, and it felt like I was standing in the middle of a burning building. I was lost in Tucker, but I wanted the licking flames to pull me under for good. Through my panting breath, I whispered, “You are my moon, Tucker, my North Star.”

He kissed my cheek, hips rolling so he moved inside of me. The sudden friction made me want to cry out with pleasure, but I gnawed on my tongue to keep the noise inside. When he held me in place and picked up his pace, all while his mouth moved to my collarbone, I couldn’t help but let the swelling emotions out of my chest. My heart went into overdrive, but the second his teeth scraped against the sensitive spot just below my shoulder, it stopped beating completely. Tucker pulled away and looked up at me, the outline of his bear so visible in his dark eyes that I thought he was going to shift right then and there.

Instead, one grated word so rough it was barely audible filled the inch between our skin. “Soon.”

It was all I needed. A promise. A commitment.

And then, tender moment aside, he started to fuck me. My thighs squeezed against his, but I didn’t need to support myself. His rough hands kneaded my ass, one hand on each cheek, pulling as he gained enough leverage to piston up into me. I shook with the sheer power of each thrust, and then I shook with pleasure as his bare cock hit every inch of my core. I leaned forward, burying my head in the crook of his neck. The move was one of comfort, but half a stroke later I realize it was a better angle. I thought I’d been in heaven, but Tucker took it to an entirely new plane of euphoric bliss.

He slipped his hands up from my, twisting my arms so that they were slightly behind my back. A gruff order echoed in my ear. “Hold your hands together.”

My body was on a lag, but I finally managed to make my fingers intertwine. Tucker’s fluid rhythm slowed to a staggered few thrusts as he readjusted, his arms wrapping around me like he was pulling me into a hug. It pinched my muscles, but I was far more interested in just how restrained I was. I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to, and I
really
didn’t want to. I was hyper-aware of the way his biceps pressed into me and the roughness of his stubble against my skin.