For Her Honor (12 page)

The look he gave her was one of pure vulnerability.
This pierced devil now looked like a frightened boy worried about his ma. “Why would I’ve minded?”

She shrugged.
“Because I’m a stranger.”

He took her hand.
“You ain’t
that
strange to me, sweetheart.” That charmed speech and what it implied sent that warmth through her again – in a hospital with his sick mother right in the other room. Sheesh! “Don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t there.”

She gave his hand a com
forting squeeze out of instinct and felt something gritty in the center of his palm. Lifting his hand, she saw what looked like dried blood. “Did you get hurt?”

He pulled his hand away.
“It’s nothin’.”

Karen was her accountant father’s daughter and added up the scenario early.
Janice had told her he wasn’t in town, and the fact he’d shown up with two other members at the same time - all dressed the same way - told her they were together. They were obviously on their way back from……something. She didn’t ask. She didn’t want to know.

“Taz?
That you?”

He smiled when he heard his ma call out from behind the curtained area.
He went to see her, then Karen heard her voice again. “Karen still here?”

“Yeah, ma.”

“I want to see her.”

Taz popped his head out and waved her in.
Janice was lying in bed, her arm hooked up to an IV with a bag of antibiotics being slow-dripped into her, while a contraption was clipped to her finger to monitor her vitals. She looked a bit pale and very fatigued. “How are you feeling, Janice?”

“Like the oxygen was sucked out of me.
Hot and cold.”

“Doc says you got a fever.
Keepin’ you overnight to pump in the meds. I’ll stay with you.”

She shook her head.
“Don’t you dare. Stay at the house tonight and take my car to pick me up. Oh, and bring me back something clean for me to wear home.”

“Like what?”

“Clothes, Taz.”

He looked confused as to what to bring,
and did he didn’t look too keen about having to rummage through his mother’s underwear drawer. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, okay. Shit, I don’t know…..”

“I’m giving him a ride,” Karen cut in.
“Maybe I can put together a bag of stuff.”

Janice smiled and took her son’s hand.
“Settled.” She then looked at it and frowned when she saw the dried blood as well. However, their exchanged look was more knowing, as if Janice knew exactly why her son was out of town tonight. “Taz?”

“Ma, d
on’t. I’m fine.”

Two orderlies showed up to bring Janice up to a room for the night.
“We’re going to take you up now.”

Janice looked at the clock.
“Perfect. There’s a Cake Boss marathon on tonight.”

Taz leaned over and gave his mother a kiss on the forehead.
“Sure you don’t want me to stay?”

Her eyes flitted between him and Karen.
Go home.
Both
of you.”

Chapter Twelve

The house was stuck in a time warp between the seventies and eighties, but it was simple and warm.
Janice Morrell did without all the fussy, decorative trappings Karen’s mother had strewn around her house. Of course if her mother saw the dated paneling, mirrored walls and tacky furniture she’d suck her teeth at the lack of class and ambiance. That’s what these small town people were about to Karen – living simply and comfortably. The tight bond this motorcycle club shared with each other and their immediate family was stronger than any genuine act Betsy Hanson could’ve mustered.

The ride back from the medical center had
been pretty quiet, with the broken down radio providing a buffer when an AM station finally sputtered in. She left Taz in peace with his thoughts, only asking him a question or two about his ma or to get directions. When they got to the house, he got out without a word, and she silently followed. He walked right to a bedroom which, by the blues and beiges of the curtains and bedspread, Karen assumed was his. Did he still live with his mother? There weren’t any personal items strewn about, so if he did he wasn’t here that much. “Do you still live here?” Yeah, that had just slipped out.

He dropped his hoodie and – was that a gun holster? – on the bed.
Her eyes never left it. “On occasion. Live at the clubhouse mainly.” He walked over to her, all in black from his hair to his t-shirt to his jeans. “Guess that makes me a mama’s boy after all?”

She shook her head, trying to worm around his closeness.
“Hey, you’re talking to someone who lives in a motel. Well, until next week.”

“Yeah?”
He edged his face closer. “You movin’ into Ben’s old place?”

“Mmm, hmm.”
He was close enough to kiss her, but just hovered dangerously close. “Um, I should put together a bag for your mom. Then I’ll be out of your way.” Shit, she was nervous. After what he’d done to her last week, she should be past that.

“Ain’t in my way, sweetheart.
But if you want to leave…”

“Do you want me to stay?”
Her eyes flitted over to what was on the bed.

He turned her head to face him.
“I
want
you to stop lookin’ at my gun.”

She glanced down.
“And the blood on your hands?”

That smile he gave her didn’t have that dazzling charm she’d seen up un
til this point. Instead it matched his dark look. “I’ll wash ‘em.” He then nudged her face with his. Ma’s room’s on the other end of the hall. Be right back.”

They parted ways and Karen found the room
, feeling funny going through the woman’s drawers, but yeah, she didn’t think Taz would’ve been cool with fishing around his mother’s unmentionables. She grabbed undies, a t-shirt and a pair of knit pants. Janice could probably wear the same shoes home. She then went to the bathroom and got her toothbrush, toothpaste and some miscellaneous toiletries. She came out just as Taz walked back from the kitchen with a plastic bag. “Here.”

Karen placed everything inside
, then handed it to him. “All set.”

He took it and hooked it on the doorknob while his other hand came up behind her neck.
“So. You stayin’?”

“You want me to?”

He kissed her, hard and with purpose, then pulled away while her eyes were still closed. “Does that answer your question?”

She backed away and played it cool.
She had to. Yeah, this guy was dripping with sex, and that kiss had sent a rush flowing beneath, but she didn’t want to be another one of his playthings either. “You kiss all your women like that?”

A black brow slanted up.
“What if I do?”

“Guess you’re really the lady’s
man your ma says you are.”

He tipped his head back and rolled his eyes.
“Shit. And you think that’s all I want?”

“Isn’t it?”

He looked at a loss, shaking his head as he walked into his room. He sat on the edge of the bed, swiping his holster out of the way. “I don’t know, Kar. You….,” he ran a hand roughly through his hair, “shit, you just showed up out of nowhere and suddenly I’m findin’ reasons to be around you. You’re in my town. You’re in my head. Just,” again, he roughly tugged at his hair, “shit.”

He was fighting something, Karen knew.
She was fighting the same thing. They’d known each other, what….two weeks? That wasn’t enough to constitute
something
, regardless of the smoking hot sex they’d had. They were worlds apart in every way. She couldn’t get involved. He did everything to avoid it. What the hell could possibly come from this? Maybe she just needed to take the reins and stop whatever
this
something
was. “I think I better leave.”

“No.”
That one word stopped her dead cold. “Come here.”

“Why?”

“Because.” As if it was enough of an answer.

She shook her head.
“It’s only going to confuse things. You don’t want anything serious, and I’m not going to be some late night booty call.”

He shot off the bed and was in front of her in seconds.
“
That
offends me.”

“Sorry.” She tried to put some space between them, but he just continued to close the gap.
“I’m just being honest. Am I wrong?”

He
grasped her head, threading his fingers through her hair. “I’ll let you know after.”

“After what?”

“After this.”

He kissed her a
gain, without pulling away this time. And neither did Karen. Shit, shit, shit, this was all wrong. She wasn’t going to be another piece of ass to him when the urge came on, but dammit, the man knew how to use that mouth of his. And his tongue. She sucked her breath in, feeling the cool tip of that stud circle inside her mouth, and lost it. He was pure, dark, sex on a stick and knew it.

They were on the bed within seconds, fervently tugging at each other’s clothes, the holstered gun lying by her head.
The entire scenario was hot, forbidden and dangerous. She was down to just her panties while he was stripped to his boxer briefs. Those liquid black eyes hungrily devoured her from the waist up, and her arm wanted to cross over her chest. Shelia had gotten the boobs in the family while Karen barely broke a B-cup. Before she could decide, his mouth came down on one, sucking her nipple like a hungry infant, that stud flicking over its tip and sending her into oblivion. Holy fucking shit, what a sensation that was! She couldn’t keep her upper body from arching up, wanting more and more, until she let out a groan when he pulled away. Bracing himself above her, he ran his hand from her neck, down her tits, over her ribs, in towards her waist and over her hips until he fisted her panties and pulled them down. “Fuck, yeah,” he growled, taking in her completely naked body.

She wanted him the same way and reached for the waistband of his briefs, sliding them back.
He grinned and assisted, then reached over to where he’d discarded his jeans. With expert precision, he retrieved, opened and rolled on a condom with one hand then went to lie between her legs. But Karen wouldn’t have it. Last time he had the control. Now she wanted it.

“Nope,” she said, grabbing his shoulders and flipping him onto his back.
“This way.”

His smile lit up the room
. “Whatever the lady wants.”

Karen wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted
, because she had no idea what she was getting into here. She could be making a huge mistake, but the feel of his cock pressing against her, wanting entrance, made her toss what was right or wrong out the window. She flattened her body against his, chest to chest, and kissed him as she slid her bottom backwards. She felt the tip of his cock right where it needed to be as she wiggled and, little by little, pushed back. He made a sound which rumbled to the back of her throat, then felt his fingers dig into her hips, lifting her up. He took her control away by taking over, violently pushing her down on him until he was fully imbedded inside her.

She gasped then
, harshly sucking her breath in at the invasion. “Oh….Taz….oh my God!”

“Ah, shit Karen!”
He bucked his pelvis up. “Yeah. That’s it.”

His hands
continued to rock her back and forth as she arched her body back while absorbing the sensation running through her. It wasn’t about control right now. She thought if she could maintain some, she’d gain back what she had lost of it. Her upbringing, her manipulative mother, her attorney – they’d all run some part of Karen’s life. But this man wasn’t about taking something away from her. He was giving her the opportunity to kick back and feel. She leaned back farther, balancing on the tops of his thighs while she put her own little spin on things. Pressing down, she dug in deep while sharply pivoting her hips which ground him into her farther.

“Holy fuck, Karen!
Yeah, keep doin’ that. Yeah….yeah…..!”

Her
hands moved on top of his, squeezing hard while an orgasm ripped through her body along with a scream. She slowed her pace as she came down, releasing her grip. She then felt his hands slide up her arms to pull her down flush to body. A sprinkle of black chest hair tickled her nose while his heartbeat rushed in her ears. Scratchy fingertips ran from the base of her spine up to her neck, trailing a sensual path that set her nerve endings on fire.

She
had a strong feeling they were way past
something
.

~~~***~~~

This was
not
good.

Taz enjoyed his post-coital come-down as much as the next man, but it never lingered to the point of cuddling.
He wasn’t one to kick a woman out of bed afterwards, but had a playful way to get his point across to wrap it up and split. But here he lay with Karen plastered to his front, unable to keep from touching that scintillating skin of hers. Her hair splayed across his face and was most likely tangled in his hardware, but oddly enough, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to move her. He wanted to lie just like this with nothing but her slowing heartbeat lulling him. His ma had told him not to entertain his lap candy in house. But Karen wasn’t that. She was a strong, independent, decent woman, the kind his ma had been trying to steer him in the direction of for the last fifteen years.

Again, this was not good.

“Hey.” He had to get a grip, and he lifted her head, gently rolling her off to the side. “Sweetheart?”

“Hmm?” She hummed,
her eyes partially closed.

“You’re wrong.”

“About?”

“About what we were talkin’ about before,” he motioned between the two of them, “
this.

She let out a satisfying sigh which made him grin with arrogance.
“Refresh my memory?”

Cuddling?
Stroking? Now talking after sex? What. The. Fuck? “About you ain’t bein’ just a booty call.” There, he’d said it, and a weird feeling instantly came over him. Maybe because she was the first decent woman he’d bedded in - wow, he really couldn’t remember. It felt different. Was this different? Or was he still in a haze after watching her ride him like a prized stallion?

“Good to know,” she finally said.

He braced himself for the ‘
so, where are we going with this?’
line, which is why he kept his fucks to club girls who knew the drill. But she didn’t. Instead, she trailed a finger lazily up his arm. A simple gesture to touch him that drove him insane. What the hell was going on? If she was going to twist his shit around, then he needed something in return. Like some answers.

“Karen?”

“Yeah?”

“Talk to me.”
Yeah, he’d just asked a woman to talk to him – in bed. After sex. There had to be a full moon.

“About what?”

That finger continued to trail up and down his arm, her nail lightly tracing the designs of his ink. “You know what. How about a bit more background info, sweetheart?”

She rolled away and onto her back
, those pebbled nipples jutting out of her little tits. He almost wanted to forget about it and just latch on again. “I thought we agreed you’d respect my privacy?”

“I never agree
d to anything. I just didn’t ask more questions. But I’m askin’ now. C’mon, Karen.” He reached over and turned her face to him. “Gimme somethin’. You ain’t in trouble with the law so how bad can it be?”

She was thinking
, her face mass of discomfort and what looked like shame. “A jailed fiancé,” she said. “That’s how bad.”

Really?
That was it? “You still engaged?”

“No.”

“You have any part in it?”

“No!”

“Whoa, chill
, sweetheart. Just askin’. So, you made a bad choice. Join the fuckin’ club. You learn, you live another day and you move on. Case closed.”

She hmph’d
. “Tell that to my mother.”

“But it wasn’t
your fault?”