Her Grizzly Outlaw (7 page)

He actually looked down, and for
a second she thought maybe he was embarrassed. But when he looked back at her
she knew he was just playing like he was coy. He smiled wide. “Well, what else
am I going to do in Steel Corner?” He threw her statement back at her, and she
chuckled. It felt good to tease with him.

“Touché.”

He scrubbed a hand over his short
dark hair, and stared at her with those piercing blue eyes of his. “
Wanna
go for a ride?” He winked, and she swore that her
panties damn near caught on fire.

“Seriously?”
She eyed the bike. “That thing
looks fierce as hell, and besides, I brought my car.”

“I can have one of the guys pick
it up and bring it to your old man’s house.” He grinned. “But come on. Beats
the truck doesn’t it.” He stated it without asking it like a question, and then
it was like this weird silence descended between them. All she could picture
was exactly what they had done in the back of that truck.

He cleared his throat, and turned
to pat the backseat. “Come on, one ride home, and maybe a beer afterwards.” He
grinned, flashing his straight white teeth at her. “For old times’ sake. I feel
like we haven’t really sat down and talked,
ya
know?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
Breathing out and telling herself nothing had changed, and that they were just
friends, she put the other strap of her bag over her shoulder. Taking the
helmet he offered, she climbed on the back, and a zing of electricity slammed
into her when he reached around and took hold of her hip, helping her on. And
when she had her arms wrapped fully around his waist he started the engine and
took off. Soon they were heading away from the college and onto the main road.
But then instead of staying in the main street that would take them right into
Steel Corner, Lucas turned off and drove on the back roads. It was an isolated
strip of asphalt, one that took double the time to get into the square of town,
but bypassed all of the businesses that made up their town.

The mountains and forest were on
either side of them. She wrapped her arms tighter around his waist, and her
heart picked up when she felt him place a hand over both of hers, and give them
a light squeeze. The wind blew her hair in a wild blonde mess around her face,
and she closed her eyes to absorb it all.

This wasn’t the first time she
had been on a bike, obviously, since her dad was in a biker club, and all of
the men she had grown up around had all been heavy into the motorcycle
lifestyle. But this was different from being on the back of her father’s Harley.
This was about feeling the strength come from the vehicle beneath her, and the
male in front of her. She curled her fingers round his, inhaled the scent of
his leather jacket, and smiled.

Ten minutes later and they were
pulling into a small sandwich and soup shop that had been in Steel Corner for
as long as she could remember. They were led to one of the small wrought iron
patio tables out front. The sun was starting to set, and the conversation was
so easygoing and comfortable. It made her feel as though they were back before
the sex between them had happened and this weird vibe had settled over their
relationship.

Half an hour later and they were
leaving the café and getting back on his bike. It wasn’t very long before he
was pulling into her dad’s driveway. Her parents’ SUV was gone, but then again
it was Friday evening, and that was usually when they went out into Denver for
their alone time.
Tarren
did admit that even though
her parents were older they still had the same intense love they had always
had. It was something she had always admired, and something she wished she
could have one day for herself.

Tawny came out of the house with
her overnight bag in hand, and her cell between her ear and shoulder as she
riffled through her purse. She stopped when she noticed them on Lucas’s bike in
the driveway. She said something to whoever she was on the phone with, but
Tarren
couldn’t hear what was being said because the engine
of the bike was still going. And then as if Lucas heard her thoughts he cut the
engine and glanced over his shoulder at her, a grin on his face. He climbed off
the Harley, and before she could do the same he had his hands on her waist and
hauled her off the bike. She took the helmet off, handed it to him, and forced
herself not to blush at the way he smirked at her. God, a male should not look
so good cocking the corner of his mouth.

“Thanks.”
Tarren
felt herself blush at the kind act, but she felt her arousal come on full
force, and cursed internally. “Where are you off to?”
Tarren
asked Tawny, and then cleared her throat.

Tawny moved closer to them,
stopped and turned to look at Lucas, and then at
Tarren
.
“Moira and I have a test on Monday that we need to study for. We are doing an
all-weekend cram course.”

She nodded, but before
Tarren
could say anything in response Tawny was speaking
again.

“Mom and Dad already know, and
they won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” She eyed Lucas again, and smiled.
Tawny might be a couple of years younger than
Tarren
,
but she was wilder, especially when she seemed to enjoy tormenting their dad
and bringing home bad boys. Tawny moved past them and to her little Honda.
Tarren
turned and stared at Tawny as she opened her car
door and tossed her bag in the front seat. She climbed in, gave them the peace
sign, and then started her car and backed out.

“Come on,”
Tarren
said to Lucas, and then led them up the front steps and into the custom made
cabin her father and the other bikers had all helped build. Compared to the
small cabin she still went to when she wanted to clear her thoughts, this place
she called her home for her entire life was ten times the size. Rustic
furnishing, dark wood, and a massive fireplace in the living room, it brought
the word “country” to a whole new meaning.

He shut the door once he was in
the cabin, and she walked into the kitchen. The floor plan was open, with the
living room and kitchen one massive area and the bedrooms upstairs. The loft
was opened as well, with a thick oak banister wrapping around the second level.
She looked over at him, saw that Lucas was checking out the pictures on the
bookshelf, and asked, “You want a beer?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he said
without turning and facing her.

She grabbed the beers and a roll
of cookies out of the fridge. Setting the bottles on the island in the center
of the kitchen, she opened the roll of cookies and cut them into circles before
placing them on a baking pan. Not that she was especially hungry for cookies
right now, but the truth was she was trying to keep herself busy because she
was nervous as hell. Once the pan was in the oven and she had it turned on, she
headed into the living room to stand beside him. For several seconds they just
stood there staring at the pictures. There were ones of Tawny and her as
babies, ones of her mom and dad before they had either of them, and pictures of
the club members during get-togethers with their families.

“Those were good times.” He
pointed his beer toward the few pictures of the club members and their
families.

“Yeah, but that seems like it so
long ago,” she said, thinking about the last time they had all been together
like that, which had been during their graduation.

“Seems like
longer than a year.”

Tarren
nodded.

He turned, and the way he stared
at her, as if he wanted to say something, or hell,
do
something, flashed across his face. She swallowed, feeling her
pulse beat faster, her dormant animal rise up, and her arousal increase.

“I’ve been thinking about you,
Tarren
… a lot,” he said and looked at her lips. She licked
them involuntarily, a soft moan leaning her when his eyelids dropped low and he
stared at the act.

God she hated and loved her
reaction to him. It was dangerous, tempting, and as much as she wanted to say
fuck it all and just let her emotions take over, she knew that this would
totally ruin the last year of trying to mend their once strong friendship.
Hell,
Tarren
hadn’t even said anything to Alexis or
anyone else for that matter.

And then the air changed between
them. She lifted her beer and chugged the rest of it as she watched him over
the rim. This wasn’t a friendly look he gave her, but one that was filled with
heat and intensity, and it was directed right at her.

Chapter Five

Lucas
moved toward her, staring at the way her chest rose and fell, and the way she
was retreating from him, maybe thinking she could escape. Maybe this wasn’t the
best laid plan, but having her in front of him again, smelling the sweet,
floral scent of her perfume, and the fucking mega curves that he could see
beneath her clothes, had his cock harder than fucking steel. The truth was over
the last year she was all he thought about, all he envisioned when he jerked
off. He couldn’t even get hard for another female. He remembered the tight, wet
heat of her pussy around his cock. God, just thinking about it had him getting
harder.

 
She paused, the counter stopping her from
retreating. He stood in front of her, his pulse pounding in his ears and his
bear pushing forward. The bastard was insistent when it came to her, and
although he had known staying away was the best because he wasn’t worthy of
being with her, that didn’t mean his animal was going to forget about what they
had done with
Tarren
. She had been so primed, so
fucking wet and ready to take his dick last year. He had gone on the run to the
other charters, hoping that he’d be able to patch up the colossal screw-up he’d
made by not being able to keep his dick in his pants. It might have been a
mistake, one that had tarnished their friendship and put this fucking huge wall
between them, but he had always promised himself he’d make things right. And
here he was, making things worse again because he couldn’t stop himself from
wanting her.

He
set his beer down on the counter, grabbed her now empty one and set it aside as
well. Then he placed his hands on the granite on either side of her body, and
leaned in. Without thinking about anything else, because right now the scent,
sight, and feel of her consumed his senses, Lucas closed his eyes and inhaled
deeply. She licked her lips, her breath stalling, and he leaned in further and
stroked her tongue with his before she could retreat from him again.

He
spun her around just as she gasped out in surprise. With her ass now pressed to
his groin, he placed his hands back on the counter, and ran his tongue along
her nape.

“Lucas,
we shouldn’t,” she said, but there was this hitch in her voice, and he knew
that she wanted this really fucking badly.

“Do
you really want me to stop,
Tarren
?” he whispered
against her ear, hearing the growl from his bear coming through.

“No,”
she breathed out, and a soft moan slipped from her when he smoothed his hands
over her hips, and curled his nails into her flesh.
 

“Don’t
move.” His voice was hard and demanding. He was staring at her ass, running his
hands up and down her bottom, and trying not to tear the thin cotton away from
her. Her pants were fucking skin tight, showing off her big, juicy ass and her
thick thighs. “Shit,
Tarren
, what in the hell are you
wearing?” Yeah, he had seen her walking out of the college with her thighs
looking so damn delicious, but up until now he hadn’t gotten a good look at the
way they made her ass look.

“Pants,”
she breathed out, and without thinking he brought his hand back and spanked her
ass cheek. The big globe shook slightly, and he groaned out. Grabbing a chunk
of her ass cheek and making a low sound at the thickness of it, he pressed his
dick forward, right up against her bottom. Although he wore jeans, his cock
pressed right into the crease of her bottom.

“They
look fucking painted on,
Tarren
.”

She
looked over her shoulder, her eyes slightly lowered, her cheeks red, and her
breathing fast. “Is that a problem?”

“Fuck
no.” He grabbed the other cheek of her ass, gave both globes a firm shake now,
and ground his dick into her even harder. “Although I don’t want to stop, I
want to make sure you’re good with this,
Tarren
.” He
smoothed his hand up her back, pushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder,
and leaned in to lick and kiss at the nape of her neck again.

“I
shouldn’t want this, should stop it, too,” she breathed out, and he leaned back
just enough to see her eyes closing. “But I’m not about to tell you to stop.”

Yeah,
this wasn’t going to help get their friendship back to the way it was, but then
again for the last twelve months it had been kind of awkward. Anytime they had
seen each other it had been strained hellos and weird little waves. Even a year
later that shit hadn’t been smoothed over, and he didn’t think it ever would.
But right here and now they could have this moment together, and he hoped she
wouldn’t think about what a total fuck-up he was.