Out of Darkness (16 page)

“You know this is extremely disrespectful, my brother,” Tyler started, pacing the room like a caged wolf.

“I know,” Jagger swallowed hard. There was no sense in trying to make excuses for what he had done. None of them would matter. Now was the time to take his punishment like a member of this club.

The big man stalked up to him, and he could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. “I’m holding myself back from beatin’ you to a bloody pulp because I know you were just trying to do something nice for the woman I care about. For that I’m going to give you fair warning. You do it again and I will kick your ass from here to next Sunday.”

The breath Jagger had been holding came out in a rush. He visibly relaxed. It was then that Tyler grabbed him by the sides of his cut and shoved him against the wall.

“Anyone asks and I gave you motherfuckin’ hell. Do not—and I repeat—do not mistake my kindness for weakness. I won’t offer it again.” The tone of his voice let Jagger know that he was being completely honest with this statement.

“Understood.”

Tyler dropped him from where he’d held him and stepped away, taking a deep breath. Before he exited the room, he literally put his own back against the wall and took a few slow inhales and exhales.

“She really didn’t mean anything by it,” Jagger offered softly.

“I know, and she’s never been around this lifestyle before. That’s why I’m tryin’ to calm my out of control nerves and anger. She doesn’t deserve it, but she needs to know it pissed me the fuck off knowing she was on the back of your goddamn bike.”

Meredith sat in the office with Janice, her nerves on edge. The only sound was the tapping of her foot against the floor and the low hum of the space heater they used there.

“He won’t hurt ya honey,” Janice tried to calm the nerves of the other woman.

“I’ve never seen him this pissed off before. Much less been the one who did it,” Meredith explained sticking her thumbnail between her teeth.

Just as Janice was about to say something else to her, Tyler opened the door and stuck his head inside. He pointed at Meredith. “You, come here now,” he crooked his finger at her.

His high-handedness really pissed her off, but she figured it wouldn’t be wise to say that to him right at the moment.
Maybe that’s a conversation for another time
, she thought. Silent, she followed him through the door out to the parking lot, where his bike was.

“Get on,” he instructed her. Obviously, they were going for a ride.

Reprimanded, she put the manila envelopes into one of the saddle bags, put her helmet on, and reluctantly got on the back of the bike.

It didn’t escape Tyler’s attention that through the ride she didn’t hold his waist as tight as she normally did and she sure as hell didn’t sit as close. He hated that she knew his anger, but he also knew he had a right to it.

She was surprised when they pulled up in front of his house. This couldn’t be good, he wanted to be alone. He stopped the bike, and they both sat there in the silence after he shut it off. Neither one of them made a move. Gradually, she moved her hands to his back and ran them up the muscles there, her touch so soft he probably could barely feel her.

“I don’t want to be angry with you, but we have to talk about this. You have to understand some rules if we’re goin’ to keep doin’ this,” he explained. His voice was full of gravel, like he didn’t want to have to tell her the things he knew he needed to. It was obvious he didn’t think he should have to.

“I know and I’ll take my punishment.” Her words surprised her, but she knew they were the truth. The understanding that they had come to in their relationship was that compromise and trust went both ways. He had done so much for her, it was time for her to do something for him.

Squaring his shoulders, he got off the bike and then held out his hand to help her off the back of it. Before walking inside, she reached into the saddlebags and grabbed out her important documents. “When we’re done with whatever this is going to be, I really do need to speak with you about this.”

He brought his hand up to her cheek and cupped it slightly. “We will,” he promised.

They walked inside the house, and he led her to the bedroom that she loved so much, that held such good memories for her. Maybe he wanted to put her at ease because of the memories they shared there. He had a seat on the bed and spread his long legs out in front of him.

“You can’t be on the back of another man’s bike,” his voice turned hard. “That’s completely disrespectful to me. If I ever catch you on the back of a man’s bike besides Liam, who I trust with my life, I won’t be happy. In fact I may just kill the motherfucker right there. Hearing about you on the back of Jagger’s bike pissed me the fuck off. That seat, when you ride bitch, at least for me is my woman’s seat. I thought you understood that.”

In reality she hadn’t. She hadn’t grown up a part of this culture. She knew that it was important, but she didn’t realize it was
that
important.

He continued. “You need a ride, I’ll give you one. You need a ride when I’m not around, you take my truck, my car, you ask Denise or another woman for a ride. You don’t get on the back of another man’s bike. Are we clear?”

She ground her back teeth.

“I can tell you want to lay into me, so I’m giving you permission right here, right now. Tell me what you’re thinkin’. It’s good to see some fire back in your eyes. Fight me on this, I’m begging you.”

She felt a spark of how she used to be. The bulldog who didn’t let go of the story. “First of all, I didn’t know what truck or car was yours. You never told me. I didn’t know where your keys were. Again, you never told me. Besides they’re yours, not mine.”

“What’s mine is yours. I thought we’d covered that.”

“No, we haven’t. You may
think
I know what we’re doing here, but I really have no damn clue. Like you told me the other day, I’m not a mind reader. You’ve got to
tell
me things.”

Tyler didn’t like his words thrown back in his face. “Don’t turn this around on me.”

“I’m not. I’m just explaining to you that I felt like I had no choice. You did not provide me with the tools I needed to get my job done. I made the best decision that I knew in order to get that job done.”

“What job?” he was confused now.

“I’m trying to figure out who the fuck raped me. You failed to mention I had mail at the shop. Why did you do that?”

He didn’t like being questioned, especially by her and especially when she reverted to reporter mode. Frustrated he ran a hand through his hair. “Because you weren’t ready for it.”

“How dare you tell me what I’m ready for!”

“Go ahead baby, get pissed. The fact of the matter is, before today you’ve never really
been
angry. Not really. You’re fuming right now. You’ve been walking around in a cloud. You’re actually showing some emotion here, and if you have to get mad at me to do it, then do it.”

That even pissed her off. “You don’t get to make decisions for me, Tyler Blackfoot.”

“Someone has to,” the arrogant smile that spread across his face did exactly what he wanted it to. It pushed her past all the emotions she’d been holding inside. It broke through the careful wall she had erected around herself that only allowed the sadness to come through.

With a growl, she launched herself at Tyler, fists flying as she tore into him.

Chapter Twenty-Two

H
e sat there on the bed, taking the blows that she directed towards his body. She was pissed and they hurt, but he would take whatever she could dish out.

“Stop making decisions for me, I am my own person and I can make my own decisions,” she cried out, pushing him back on the bed where he landed with a thump.

“Then start making them,” he goaded her.

She realized he was right. She hadn’t made any kind of decision really without talking it over with someone since her attack. Doc Jones, him, Denise. Someone always had to be a sounding board before she made her decision or plan of attack. It stopped tonight, it stopped right now.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he caught the glint of defiance in her eyes.

“Making my own decision,” she thrust the words out at him.

He watched as she kicked off her shoes and then reached down to the button of her jeans. Within moments she’d unbuttoned them and stripped herself of the heavy material, along with her underwear. The long sleeve shirt she wore was next, along with her bra.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” he told her, knowing that this would be completely her decision.

“I know, and this is what I want. We aren’t discussing it. I want you to make love to me, and that’s what you’re going to do.”

He raised an eyebrow, a bemused smile transforming his features. “Anything in particular you don’t want?” he asked her softly as she came into his arms.

His large hand grasped her around her hip, moving back to palm her ass. Her face went into the crook of his neck, placing light kisses there. She moved so that her mouth was even with his ear. She didn’t want to say this too loud, afraid it would ruin the moment.

“Not from behind, that’s what he did,” she whispered.

“Like always, you tell me if you don’t like something that we do. Unless you say something, I’m goin’ to assume you’re good with it. That’s your decision.”

She appreciated that. Climbing onto the bed with her knee, she straddled his thigh. To stabilize herself, she brought her hands up to tangle in his hair. He moaned when she pulled slightly on the length there. Keeping his cool here would be the death of him.

“Kiss me,” she all but begged him.

His other hand cupped her neck, allowing him to bring her mouth down to his. With small, nipping kisses, he coaxed her mouth open to allow his tongue inside. She tasted of sweetness and something a little spicy, almost like she was just a little bit dangerous tonight.

When he sucked on her tongue, she could feel it straight down to the center of her body. It caused her to flex her fingers against his strong shoulders, allowing her to bring her other leg up so that she straddled him completely.

Afraid she would fall, he brought his hands around to cup her ass, holding her strongly against his body. Pulling his mouth from hers, he ran his lips down her throat, causing her to lean back just slightly. His hands went to her back to brace her, and he buried his face in her chest. Her breasts were full and sat high on her chest, especially at this angle. Her nipple hardened in anticipation as she felt his mouth inching ever closer. She moaned loudly and flexed her fingers as his mouth closed over the hardness there. Her thighs tightened when he applied suction and worried the hard tip between his teeth.

“Don’t stop,” she breathed heavily.

Without her noticing it, her hips had begun to rock against the hardness at his lap. Shaking, she leveled herself up with the strength of her thighs and pressed his back against the bed, following him down. His lips never left her breast, and without having to hold her, his other hand moved to the other breast, using his long fingers to tease that nipple into hardness.

He made her feel out of control as she rocked her core against him. The feelings he evoked within her made her want to throw every inhibition she ever had out the window.