At six forty-five, Marcie stood outside her motel room in the sweltering evening heat waiting for the cab to arrive, a bakery box tucked under one arm. She hadn’t spoken to Tanner since the taxi dropped them off at the motel hours earlier and he’d stormed off. Hook had the presence of mind to ask if she needed anything from the car before she left the garage, which prompted her to remember her suitcase in the trunk. She’d wheeled the bag straight to the front office of the motel. Thankfully, they had a few vacancies and she was able to procure a room of her own. The unintended expense would suck, but she also looked into purchasing a last-minute plane ticket. No way was she spending the next few days trapped in a car with Tanner.
Spending time with Hook and Striker this evening would be great; even better if some of that time ended up as Hook-only time. All afternoon, she’d replayed the stolen moments in the bathroom with him until she was so turned on she’d had no choice but to do something about it. She’d lain on the cheap motel linens and fingered herself until she came, hard, Hook’s name flying from her mouth. Unfortunately, instead of being sated, all she could think about was how much better it would feel if it were Hook’s fingers inside her, or his tongue, or his cock.
Jesus, she needed to get her libido under control. Technically, she was now single, but she wasn’t the type to hop from one bed to another. Although, Hook might be a temptation far too delicious to resist.
While she was still waiting on her cab, Tanner stumbled around the side of the building, with the bleary-eyed look of someone who’d had one—or six—too many drinks. Well, shit. This was not going to be good.
He seemed to be staggering his way straight toward her, so she steeled herself for an unpleasant encounter. The taxi would arrive any second. At least that gave her a quick out.
“Hey, hon,” he greeted her as he sidled up to her. Bending down, Tanner landed an open-mouth kiss on her shoulder.
“What the hell? Get off me.” She gently pushed him off and took three sizable steps back.
“I missed you all afternoon,” he said as he moved closer. “I thought maybe you’d like it if I came with you to your friend’s house.”
She shook her head. Just how many personalities did the man have? “No, Tanner. I wouldn’t like that. You crossed way over the line this morning into abusive. And I told you we were finished. You need to go sleep it off in your room for a few hours.”
He advanced on her until he was close enough she could count the bloodshot lines in his eyes.
“Come on, honey, don’t be like that.” An arm snaked around her and he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. His other hand slid up her stomach and cupped a breast.
Every cell in her body stiffened. She was about two seconds away from grabbing his balls and twisting with all her might. “Tanner, if you ever want the option of having children, you’ll get your fucking hands off me, right now. I told you this morning we were finished, and I meant it.”
“Don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing.” Tanner snarled and plastered himself against her. “You want to end this so you can fuck those dirty bikers.”
Well, he was partially right. She sure as hell wanted Hook, but that fact had nothing to do with the end of their disastrous relationship.
She tried to nudge him back, but his hold was surprisingly strong. “No, Tanner, I don’t want it to end. I ended it already. This morning. There isn’t anything left to end. Now back the hell off. I have no idea what you think you’re going to accomplish here. There is no way you’re coming with me. I don’t want you there, and Striker and Hook will not tolerate your presence.” As the words left her mouth, a huge sense of peace and relief wrapped around her like a soft blanket.
Dammit. There she went, throwing their names around like they were her personal bodyguards. Using them to solve problems she needed to handle on her own. And there was the problem with spending any time with Hook. It was just far too easy to forget the importance of independence. Against all her self-reliant instincts, the idea of Striker and Hook waiting for her, supporting her, provided a sense of calm that was immediate and strong.
It lasted all of about twenty seconds.
With a too-firm stroke, Tanner slid his hand up her back and fisted it in her hair. He gripped the short strands tight and twisted his wrist until the taut wrench brought tears to her eyes. Marcie’s heart leaped to her throat and the bakery box dropped to the ground. She might be independent, but she had zero skills as far as self-defense. A mistake. She’d be enrolling in a class the second she returned home.
“Tanner, please,” she said, fear ratcheting up her anxiety with each passing second. She was completely immobile. Any movement only increased the pain of his grip on her hair. She felt the pop as strands were uprooted from her scalp.
“There’s something you need to understand, bitch,” he whispered against her ear. “This is over when I say it’s over. You think I’m going to walk away so you can go fuck one of those grease monkeys from the garage?” He snorted. “Think again, honey. Here’s what’s gonna happen.”
His hot breath reeked of stale liquor and Marcie breathed through her mouth to avoid the nauseating stench.
The rumble of a vehicle rolling into the lot diverted Tanner’s attention and he loosened his hold on her hair. Marcie rammed her elbow into his stomach. Thankfully, the impulsive move had him grunting and he released her.
She drew her phone from her rear pocket and held it out as though brandishing a weapon. “Stay the hell away from me. If you try to get in this cab I will call the cops and you can spend the night in the town lock-up instead of your hotel room. It’s over, Tanner. Done. This is the last we’ll talk about it.”
She retrieved the box of sweet treats and walked backward away from Tanner, reluctant to take her focus off him.
The cab pulled up to the curb and Marcie turned her attention away from Tanner. One quick peek over her shoulder as she slid into the seat proved he was smart enough to take her threat of calling the cops seriously.
Heart pounding, she rattled the address off to the pleasant, balding driver. As he hit the gas and drove onto the road, she blew out a giant breath. The eight-minute drive was spent in silence, and was just enough time to get her erratic breathing and hammering pulse under control.
“That will be ten dollars, miss,” the driver said as he coasted to a stop in front of the requested address.
She dropped a ten and a five into his open palm. “Thank you. Keep the change.”
“Thank you, miss. You have yourself a good evening.”
That was the plan. The night certainly couldn’t end worse than it began.
Marcie opened the door and stepped out into the oven-hot air. With her legs a bit unsteady, she took in the sight of Hook’s home. The boxy, modern style wasn’t one seen frequently in the desert, and was quite the step up from the trailer park all three of them grew up in. Managing the only garage in town apparently paid well, though she wasn’t naïve enough to believe that was the MC’s only source of income.
Typically, desert residences were one story; cooling a second floor in the scorching heat of summer became quite pricey. Hook, however, had two stories, and the entire roof of the home was covered in solar panels. Why every house in the desert didn’t have solar panels was something that always baffled her. Must have something to do with the large upfront expense, though the savings over the long haul were entirely worth it.
The intoxicating smell of grilling meat tickled her nose and her stomach growled in approval. Hook and Striker were just feet away. That knowledge calmed some of her nerves and comforted her. She’d missed them throughout the years. The two had been such an integral part of her childhood. Friends, protectors, and in Striker’s case, a surrogate brother. Her feelings for Hook had never been quite so benign.
A car door slammed and Marcie jumped, spinning just in time to see Tanner emerge from a second taxi.
“What the hell?” she muttered. Reacting on instinct, she started to march toward him, but then thought the better of it. He’d have to be completely stupid, besides being an asshole, to actually try anything out here with Hook and Striker just a scream away, but she’d be the stupid one to test the theory.
Tanner’s footsteps crunched along the gravel.
“You need to call that driver back here right now. You aren’t welcome here and you’re not coming in with me. How the hell did you even know where to go?”
He smirked and her blood went from the normal ninety-eight degrees to boiling in an instant. “I remembered the address that your friend gave you.”
Marcie took a calming breath and willed her legs to cease trembling. “I’m serious, Tanner. Hook and Striker aren’t like your friends. You don’t want to mess with them.” The urge to punch that smug grin off his face was almost more than she could resist.
Fine, his funeral. “You know what? Knock yourself out, asshole. Just remember this conversation when one or both of them are kicking your ass.”
As she marched up the walkway, she attempted to absorb the quiet peace of the fading evening. It would not be ruined because of Tanner.
The door swung open before they reached it and Hook stepped out, his eyes darkening with lust the moment they landed on her.
“Hey, Hook. I brought you some brownies from Sugar Rush bakery.” She winced. Could she sound any more like a pissed off woman hoping to fool everyone with phony brightness?
Apparently not. Or at least she wasn’t fooling Hook. He shifted his focus beyond her and his gaze iced over. “Hey, gorgeous. I see you still remember the way to my heart.” Brownies had been Hook’s all-time favorite treat when they were kids. If the beaming smile he threw her, despite the murderous look he tossed Tanner, was any indication, he approved of her offering.
He took the dessert and kissed her cheek. For a friendly hello, he lingered a bit too long. “What the fuck is he doing here?” he whispered against her ear.
A shiver raced down her spine at the feel of his lips barely brushing the sensitive skin of her ear. “He followed me. Apparently, he has a death wish,” she whispered back.
“Hmm. No problem. The more the merrier.” Hook returned to his full height.
Huh? What the hell? He was just going to let Tanner bust in on their evening?
“Tanner.” Hook nodded at the other man, but his voice was frosty despite the warm evening.
A lump formed in Marcie’s throat. No. He wasn’t just going to invite Tanner in. He had something up his sleeve.
With a mischievous grin, Hook threaded his arm across her shoulders guiding her into his home. “I’ll give you the tour later. Striker is manning the grill out back and I don’t trust his ass with my beefy beauties.”
Marcie laughed as they entered the house. Hook didn’t give her much of a chance to scope the place out as he propelled her straight through to a set of sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. Stepping out, she gasped at the surprising beauty of his property. “Wow, Hook! This is amazing.”
“Thanks, babe. I’ve had it for a few years. Did most of the rehab and landscaping work myself. It was a hole when I purchased it. The effort has kept me out of trouble…mostly.” He winked and she laughed.
A large pavers-stone patio with an artistic pattern spanned much of the yard. On the left edge of the patio, an impressive grill station was set up. A huge stainless grill, mini-fridge and small work area were lined up and made from stone as well. In the middle of the patio, a round table that could seat eight sat surrounded by comfortable looking plush chairs. And on the far right, a stone fire pit rose from the patio with a double chaise lounge and three armchairs around it.
It was obvious Hook spent a lot of time out here and it was an impressive setup. The man surprised her. Never would she have guessed that the rebel she knew growing up would have such a domestic space.
“Hey there, beautiful.” Striker gave her a quick and more appropriate peck than Hook had. “Pretty impressive, huh? Hook basically lives out here, it’s his sanctuary.”
“It’s truly fantastic. You’d have to drag me back inside kicking and screaming if I lived here.”
“Fanfuckingtastic,” Tanner mumbled behind her.
With a sigh of frustration, Marcie ground her teeth together to keep the multitude of angry words inside her mouth. Losing her cool wasn’t exactly the picture she wanted to present to Hook.
Besides, it took enough of her brainpower to ignore the fact that the instant she walked into Hook’s house she had an overwhelming sense of being exactly where she belonged.
~ ~ ~ ~
Hook had had just about enough of that dickhead. He hadn’t so much as uttered a greeting since he’d been here and now he was trying to send Marcie some kind of subtle insult. Why the hell did he even bother to show up?
“Uhh, what’s he—” Striker shut up when Hook shot him a death look. He wanted to see what the asshole’s game was. Why he’d come. What he wanted from Marcie. Easiest way to do that was to let the shithead in for a bit.
“Well, anybody want a beer?” Striker asked.
“I can grab some if you trust me in your house. They in the fridge?” Marcie stepped backward, her thumb pointing toward the house over her shoulder.
Since it was apparent Marcie wanted a second to escape, Hook allowed her to go in and get the beer even though he had a few chilling in the mini-fridge next to the grill. “Yeah, babe, kitchen is to the right when you walk in.”
The second she slid the door closed and was out of earshot both he and Striker turned their attention to Tanner. Hook spoke first. “Fuck’s your problem, man?”
Tanner rounded on them. His eyes were glassy and he puffed out his chest like an overgrown peacock. “What’s my problem? Hmm, maybe it’s the fact that my girl and I are spending our vacation taking a trip down memory lane with two guys she spent her teenage years fucking.”
Striker’s face hardened with fury, while Hook looked on mildly amused. The thought of Striker touching Marcie with anything other than brotherly fondness was comical, as his friend had treated her like a beloved kid sister from the moment he met her. Hook, on the other hand, had one too many fantasies about fucking her in the past, and fully planned to fuck her in the very near future.
“She told you she fucked us?” Striker’s voice reflected his shock.
“No fuckin’ way she’d say something like that,” Hook said. “Never even came close to happening. She was a fuckin’ kid. And you’re a piece of shit.”
“You take turns with her? Or did you double team her? Her mother was a whore. Looks like the apple didn’t fall too far.” Tanner slurred and wobbled on his feet.
Great, a belligerent drunk. Just what Hook wanted to deal with.
“Is this guy for real?” Striker balled a fist and took a step forward, ever ready to step up for Marcie.
“Hold up, Striker.” With a hand out, Hook warded his friend off. “Marcie is no doubt watching through the kitchen window right now. Her mother died this week and she’s back here for the first time in ten years. She’s got a lot of shit to deal with now. I don’t want to upset her further.” He focused his attention on Tanner. “And as far as I hear things, Marcie is no longer your girl. So, you get one more chance tonight, asshole. Sit down, eat your steak, and shut the fuck up. I’ll kick the shit out of you myself if you blow it.” Hook turned and strode toward his house, wanting a few moments alone with the woman who’d set up camp in his head and didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.
He found her at the kitchen sink, watching out the window as predicted. Both hands rested on the edge of the sink and she was bent slightly forward, putting her in the perfect position for him to lift her dress over her ass and plunge into her from behind. His cock awakened at the thought, lending its approval, and his hands itched to palm the shapely globes.
Speaking of that dress… She wore a little yellow sun dress that cupped her pert breasts and allowed just a peek of cleavage. Two tiny straps held the entire thing up and Hook had visions of ripping them off and peeling the dress down her body. His favorite part, though, was how the fabric hugged her hips and ass as it fell halfway to her knees.
Marcie must have realized he’d come in the house since she watched the scene from the window, but she made no move to acknowledge his presence. No matter, going to her was no hardship.
He came up behind her and pressed his erection against her ass, wishing there was no clothing between them. Hook wrapped one arm around her lower abdomen and wound the other just below her breasts. He couldn’t resist feeling the weight of them resting on his forearm.
“What the hell is this thing you’re wearing?” he whispered against her ear, enjoying her shiver as his warm breath and lips caressed her skin.
Her back rumbled against his chest as a husky laugh slipped out. “You don’t like my dress?”
“Are you kidding? This thing makes you look young and innocent, like a good girl who wouldn’t be caught dead with some badass bikers. But we know differently, don’t we?”
“Umm…”
Hook slid one hand up her torso to the bare skin above her neckline while the other hand splayed across her flat stomach, anchoring her against him. His wandering hand dipped down into the top of her dress, curling around a plump breast. “Jesus,” he whispered when he encountered the braless flesh. “Definitely a little bit of naughty girl in there, huh, baby?”
“Hook…” She gasped and her head fell back onto his broad shoulder as his fingers found her nipple. He pinched it between his thumb and forefinger, drawing a tortured moan from her tempting lips.
“What, baby?” Taking advantage of her exposed neck, he added his lips to the sensual assault, kissing along the column of her throat.
“What are you doing to me?” She trembled and wiggled her ass against his groin.
A sharp gasp ripped from somewhere deep within him. “What I want to do, baby, is make you come. Then I want to fuck you hard, right here. So hard you can’t even imagine going back to the motel.”
“Yes, Hook, please.” She sounded desperate and needy, just how he wanted her.
Unfortunately, they’d have to save any games until later because the two other men were waiting outside and were bound to come looking for them at any time. That was, if Striker could resist killing Tanner.
“It will have to wait, beautiful. Striker and Tanner are getting impatient.”
At the mention of Tanner’s name her shoulders sagged. “Why didn’t you kick him out?”
“I don’t trust him. I’m keeping my enemy close.”
“We’ve only been together a few weeks. The relationship was nothing serious.” She spun in the circle of his arms. “I don’t date much. My boss set us up so I felt kinda pressured into it. Figured there wasn’t any harm in having something to do a few nights a week.” She shrugged as though it was enough of an explanation. “I was thinking of breaking it off when my mom died. He offered to come with me though, and the thought of having at least some support was too good to pass up.”
Marcie had never trusted easily, her upbringing and her mother saw to that. For some reason, she’d placed all her young trust in him and Striker, but never let anyone else in. He wondered if she’d spent the ten years in Seattle much the same way. Alone. No family. Minimal connections. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me. But I’d have been here for you in a heartbeat, baby. Striker, too.”
She traced a finger over the letters of the words No Prisoners on his T-shirt, her gaze on the action instead of his face. “I closed that chapter when my mom moved us away. I was in college by the time she came back so I didn’t come with her. We weren’t speaking at that point anyway.” She shrugged and finally lifted her gaze.
The sadness and loneliness reflected in her gaze squeezed his heart like a vice.
“That time in my life was so full of chaos. I was weak, ashamed. I don’t like to remember who I was then. Plus, I had too many muddled feelings where you were concerned. So I never let myself think about you.”
“Babe, you were a kid.” There was so much more Hook wanted to say to her, starting with begging her to stay in Crystal Rock, but could he ask that of her? She had a job, a life in Seattle. How selfish would it be to ask her to stay? He almost laughed out loud. They’d been back in each other’s lives for less than a full twenty-four hours. Of course, he couldn’t ask her to stay.
“You sure he got the message that you broke up?” Responding to her confession of feelings would have to wait.
She huffed out an exasperated laugh and shook her head. A lock of golden hair fell across her forehead and Hook brushed it aside. “Apparently, he doesn’t accept my breakup.” She looked away again and as a cloud moved across her face.
That answer only aroused more questions. Hook gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face back to his. “Did the fucker lay a hand on you? Did he hurt you?”
“Not really.”
“Not really?” Hook didn’t want to scare her, or bully her, but he wouldn’t accept a lie. And he wouldn’t accept her covering for Tanner. “Babe.” His voice was full of soft warning which he tempered by releasing her chin and stroking a finger along her soft cheek. “There is only one acceptable answer to both of those questions. And it’s no, he did not touch me. No, he did not hurt me. Anything else is the same as a yes I need you to be straight with me right now.”
She sighed and turned her head until her lips met his palm. She pressed a chaste kiss that should not have sent a shock of electricity straight to his dick. But it did. “He said some shit, scared me a bit, and was a little…rough. But no, he didn’t actually hurt me.”
Later, when he looked back on this, Hook would be really proud of the way he kept his cool despite the rage brewing in his gut. It was quite obvious Marcie downplayed Tanner’s rough treatment. Well, fuck that.
Time to take out the trash.