For Her Honor (8 page)

Taz worked Ziggy over hard, making sure the kid followed orders, obeyed his superiors and didn’t have some hot button that would go off
at any moment. Not that Taz wouldn’t beat the pulp out of him if he did, but the Skulls needed guys who had a cool head. Leveler in hand, Taz placed it on top of the door Ziggy had just hinged to the newly installed molding. Both men waited while the yellow bubble bobbled back and forth until it halted – dead center. The prospect let out a breath.

“You’re a lucky man, my friend,” Taz told him.
“Now, prep it and stain it. And the color better match – perfectly. I’ll be back with a magnifying glass to make sure.”

His phone buzzed in his work shirt pocket
, and he left Ziggy shaking in his boots to check it. It was a text from his ma, probably wondering if he was stopping by later or for dinner tonight. Sometimes he felt she treated him like the ten year old terror he’d been….well…..still was, just older. While he had the club, work, brotherhood and business, he and her bakery were all his ma had, and he never argued about indulging her.

He looked at the phone’s screen.
‘Ben’s old place unrented?’

Ben
had given up his little bachelor pad this past January, after he and Eva tied the knot spur-of-the-moment on Christmas Eve. It was a small, cottage-style home with one bedroom, a bath and an open kitchen/living room area. It was in Tippitt, near the school where a lot of families with kids lived, so it wouldn’t attract a single person, except for Ben, who’d just slept and showered there sometimes.
‘Not sure. Why?’

‘Ask.
Know someone interested.’

Okay, he wasn’t sure why his mother was playing real estate agent. People weren’t exactly banging down the doors looking to move to Tippitt and, if so, they were usually couples
who worked over the West Virginia border. He couldn’t imagine someone moving here on purpose and wanting to hole up in a three room……

Holy shit.

Karen.

‘
Hold tight.’
He texted back, then put Wes in charge of the shop. He needed to pay a surprise visit to his ma.

Chapter Eight

Karen waited for almost fifteen minutes
, as two customers came in. Janice took care of one, while the young girl, Tina, took the other. Soon as Janice finished, Karen went over to her. “Well?”

“
My son’s finding out.”

Her son?

Taz?

“Uh
.” That was all Karen was able to mutter before a motorcycle rumbled up to the front door of the bakery.

Shit!

In he walked, all black hair, black leather, black ink and looking like the poster child for debauchery. She looked stunned, while he looked unfazed to see her here. Shit, had Janice told him she was here?

“What the….?” Janice looked as shocked as she did.
Okay, maybe she hadn’t said anything. “I’ve been waiting for you to text back. Why’re you here?”

Removing his sunglasses, he gave Karen a glinted look before sneaking behind the counter.
“Good morning, ma,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Karen thought that was sweet. So did Tina, who had a stupid grin, which flashed a mouthful of metal. Straightening up, Taz slid his glasses on top of his head. “I called Ben on the ride over. Said he thinks it’s still available. Who’s lookin’?”

With a stupid grin of her own, Janice nodded in Karen’s direction.
Taz flashed that charming smile. Mother and son were definitely a pair. “Oh, hey.” “
Karen
, right? Met you at Eva’s.”

He was playing dumb in front of his mother, which
she appreciated. It was as if he was keeping her honor intact by not announcing their little rainy overnight at the Super 8. She played right along. “Yes. Right.”

“So,” he went around to the floor.
“You lookin’ to live where you’ll be workin’?”

He knew.
Damn him, he knew it was her Janice had called about. Their parting talk in the motel two days ago about looking for a place must’ve struck a note. She guessed not a lot of outsiders moved here, so a call that someone was interested in renting a place must’ve had Taz put two and two together and figure it was her. Just like he’d figured out exactly which motel she was at. Damn, he was a tattooed, pierced GPS device! “I think it’ll be convenient. But like I told your mother, I’m just getting ideas.”

“Well,
the place is still available if you wanna take a look-see. Small, low rent, decent neighborhood.”

“Sure.
Sounds good. Can you give me the address?”

Taz jerked his head towards the door.
“C’mon. I know the way. Follow me.”

“You know, it’s pretty hot out,” Janice said.
“Maybe take her on your bike. Be a lot cooler.”

Both Taz and Karen gave Janice a look.
The idea didn’t appeal to either of them. Okay, it was obvious to Karen that she’d piqued his interest, but he wasn’t looking to be pushed together with someone by his mother. Karen didn’t know why that bothered her, because the last thing she needed was a relationship. But still. “No, it’s fine.” She decided to get her upper hand back, took her keys out and went to the door. “Let’s go.”

~~~***~~~

Aside from the hideously overgrown lawn, the little house looked like one of those tiny, seaside cottages built for people who just needed a place to sleep at night after surfing all day. The street was pleasant, with a middle school down the end. Taz leaned against the front step railing while watching Karen walk around. Well, really just watching her in general. She had on this dress that was made of t-shirt material and clung to her with perfection. It showed a good deal of skin – arms, hint of cleavage and a slender neck left uncovered by her hairdo. His teeth itched to nip that tender flesh, to make those goose bumps appear on her again, to feel her clutch his arm in anticipation.

To wonder what she’d sound like when he ran that studded tongue of his over other areas.
Shit, fuck, his cock felt like it just doubled.

“You won’t be home all day
, so you don’t gotta worry about screamin’ kids and crazy parents whizzin’ by to pick ‘em up once school starts.”

Karen peeked through the windows
, which were filthy with dust and haze. “True.” She stood back and folded her arms. “The rent?”

He told her what Ben had been paying and that the landlord would accept the same.
“See? Cheap. Close to the plaza. You can come home for lunch if you want. And, if you wanna walk around, there’s a reservoir down the other end. Has a falls. Me and a bunch of guys used to ditch in ninth grade and sneak down there to get high. Good place to go and chill after a long day.”

She stretched her head down the end of the street to see if she could see it from here.
“Sounds nice. Maybe I’ll drive by when we leave.”

Against everything, against his better judgment,
against his love for his freedom, he held out his hand. “C’mon. Let’s ride by.”

Her eyes flashed from his bike then back to him.
“I don’t think so.”

“I d
idn’t ask you to think, sweetheart. I asked you to ride.”

“You didn’t look too happy earlier when your mom su
ggested it.”

He walked over to her.
“I love my ma. One of the toughest broads I know. But if I caved and we took off like that, we’d be married by the end of the month.”

“She really is a woman on a mission.”

“I’m thirty-six and single. She thinks it’s too old for a guy to only have his ma as the only female in his life.”

“Hmm,” Karen hummed.
“Most single, thirty-six year old mama’s boys are usually gay.”

He closed in on her.
“You really want to test my sexuality, sweetheart?”

H
is eyes devoured her face, from those luscious lips to those haunting, pale green eyes. She swallowed hard, then stepped back. “I’ll take your word for it.”

He nodded, letting her off the hook.
“So, c’mon. Let’s ride down.”

“Taz, I don’t think…”

“There you go again with thinkin’.” He stopped at his bike, took his helmet in one hand and her chin with the other. “Karen, you obviously packed up a life in one state and moved it to another. What’s one more rash decision?” He handed her the helmet. “Put it on, hitch up that dress and slide on.” Okay, that last statement made him horny. He was glad he had a bitch seat on his bike. Most single guys didn’t, as there wasn’t a point. Taz was always thinking about the ‘what ifs’, not to mention he never resisted giving a lady in need a ride. His ma was at least successful instilling good manners in him.

He got on first and started the engine, then felt Karen awkwardly sit behind him.
Damn, to turn around and get a flash of panties between her parted legs. He winced, using his gloved hand to force his cock down inside his jeans. The ride would be short, but uncomfortable. He went to tell her to put her arms around him, when she did. Instinct must’ve told her that, or the fear of winding up road décor. “Not too fast.”

“Nope.
Only down the street.” Feeling she was secure enough, he turned around and rolled down the other end of the street. He meant what he’d said, that it was close. He could already hear the rushing water as he pulled into the dirt lot surrounded by a metal railing overlooking the falls. He felt her slide off as soon as he killed the engine, and he took the helmet she handed him. As if she gravitated to it, she walked right over to the railing, looking as if she’d never seen water before. Instead of joining her, he sat on his bike and just watched. She looked enthralled. She looked relaxed.

She looked damn, fucking beautiful.

The sun was high and shining bright, bouncing off her red highlights and - holy fucking shit – through her dress. He made everything out – from the curve of her waist, the swell of her hips, the roundness of her ass right down to a pair of shapely thighs and an enticing space between. He had no idea why she affected him so much. He had his share of ass, tits and legs whenever he wanted and from women who knew not to expect anything more. He wasn’t that old, enjoyed his freedom and the ability to be – as Vic called it – on standby for his club. Vic grew up two children. Tanner had a long time old lady and a kid, and Big Ben was still in his honeymoon phase. All club members willing to do whatever needed to be done for it and always put it first. They made their two worlds work. So why did Taz think he was different? Why couldn’t he make it work with a civilian the way Ben did?

Why was he even considering th
is at all?

Miss Karen Hanson had his shit going in different directions.
Was he allowing his natural curiosity to make him fall into a trap? This chick still had baggage attached to her, which he had yet to pry open. He wouldn’t make a decision about anyone – a woman especially – unless he knew what kind of past she was carrying. She’d asked him to respect her privacy and not ask questions and he wouldn’t – for now.

And right now, he contented himself with watching her.
“Was I right?”

She turned around, spreading her arms across the railin
g behind her. “Yeah. This is,” she paused to look around at the slated rocks glistening under the falls, “nice. Real nice. I think I could walk here every night.”

Even though the neighborhood was safe and full of kids, th
e thought of her walking here – alone and at dusk - bothered him. He felt suddenly…..protective of her. Maybe that was what really bothered him. Damn her, with those little tits sticking out in that position she was in. He swung off his bike, angry and frustrated for what he was thinking. Tearing his sunglasses off, he shoved them inside his cut then trudged over to her. Taking her by surprise, he cupped her face and kissed her. Hard. Urgent. His tongue wasting no time thrusting between her parted lips and finding her own, hearing her gasp when she felt the stud. If she wanted to stop, then he’d wait for her to pull away and place a cold, hard slap across his face.

But she didn’t.
Those hands clutched his arms the way they did that morning. It only intensified the pressure of his lips on hers. She tasted real good - feminine and sensual. His knee parted her legs, and he felt her slowly move against it. That was it. He tore his mouth away. “Fuck, sweetheart. What’re you doin’?”

She
hid her face against his chest and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I …..I didn’t mean to…”

“Yeah, you
did, Karen. I felt it. I smelled it. You reek of it. Fuck it, just tell me what you want.”

Again, she shook her head.
“I can’t. I can’t have this. It isn’t right.”

“Fuck what’s right, Karen!
What do you
feel
?”

Maybe it was the dizzying sun or the rush of water behind them, but something just….clicked between them
that very instant. She raised her head, those pale green eyes sharp with lust. She lightly ran the tip of her tongue over his lips, and he almost lost it. His hands came up to grasp her upper arms. He didn’t need to see to know he’d given her his most dark and dangerous look. “You do that again and there’s a chasm down below I’m gonna drag you to and fuck your brains out, sweetheart. Fair warnin’.”

He heard her breath suck in as well as felt her body shake in his grip.
She was aroused to the max - he knew it. If there was one thing he knew, it was a woman’s body when it was turned on. Karen was a mass of trembling, soft skin. If he didn’t have her now, he’d lose his mind. “Say it, Karen.”

Those trembling lips opened to speak.
“Where?”

One word was enough.

Grasping her hand, he pulled her down the cement steps to the base of the falls. There was a part which cut away and in where he and buddies used to hide out and smoke weed when they were fourteen. No one could see, and the whooshing water drowned out any sound. Inside the privacy of the rocky area, he pushed her up against it, his mouth crashing down on hers, tasting every bit of her essence. Her hands reached up to grip the base of his hair, the collar of his cut, anything she could grab onto. He got his own hands into motion, feeling every inch that sunshine had revealed – ribs, waist, hips, damn she was shaped just right. And – finally – his hands slid down to that ass and, sweet Jesus, it felt as good as it looked. She continued to pull as he continued to push, grinding his brick-hard cock up against her lower belly.

Her breath rasped in his mouth.
“Taz.”

“
Dammit,” he whispered back, as his hand slid further down. He fisted the material of her dress and brought it up until it bunched around her waist, then began its descent again. His palm grazed over a pair of satiny panties that his fingers itched to dig inside. Shit, how she must feel right now. He’d fucking die if he didn’t find out. “Karen.” His voice was hoarse with lust as his fingers slipped under the satin and….

“Holy fuckin’ shit, woman!”
She was so wet his two fingers slipped right in and up her pussy. She bucked forward, her fingers pulling his hair until her nails ran down the base of his neck. Yeah, that’s how he liked it. Getting a woman so hot she was out of control. He liked it frantic. He liked it rough. He liked waking up the morning after with scratches and bites. And he gave as good as he got. Faster, his fingers pumped as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her lower body matching the thrust of his fingers. It didn’t take long. It never did. He considered himself a good lover who knew what made a woman tick and explode. But with Karen, it was record time. She let out such an intense cry of pleasure that he didn’t think he could contain himself. It was followed by her pussy throbbing all around his fingers. Fuck, she came quick and hard. And that was only the beginning.