"Do you miss it?" she asked a few hours later. They were lingering over a chocolate cake she'd made, and they were slowly dwindling away the alcohol she had in the fridge. It was nice, it had loosened both their tongues and taken the last little bit of hesitancy they had with each other away."I wouldn't say I miss it." He looked thoughtful. "The reason I joined the sheriff's office was stupid in the first place, but I miss the people. Believe it or not, as many people as I arrested, I helped too. It wasn't just about how many felons I could get in the back of a squad car. I will admit that I was probably harder on your brother than I had to be. That's my issue and his. We've worked on it and we'll probably never be the type of friends that we once were, but I'm happy with where we are right now.""So you miss helping, not arresting?""Yeah, there are always those things that stick with you. That wife who was beaten by her asshole husband. That kid who was in a bad car accident b
Rooster made his last round of the almost empty school. The first day of classes was tomorrow and most of the teachers had already headed home. Football practice had let out about an hour ago, and the cheerleaders had been dismissed around thirty minutes before. Usually he would have already been gone, but something told him to take one more lap, make sure it was empty before he told Stacey they could lock up for the night. He rounded the corner of a group of lockers that faced the cafeteria."Drew, I don't like it," he heard a female voice say.It was panicked, and that made him uneasy. He stood deep in the shadows, so he could see what was going on but they couldn't see him. Drew stood in front of a girl Rooster thought he recognized as Charity, the daughter of Jasmine, a stripper at Wet Wanda's. He had her backed up against the locker, and if Rooster was reading the situation right, they knew each other well."It's only for a couple more weeks, Charity. I need to make varsity.
"I'm glad I got you here by yourself," Rooster was saying, but Roni wasn't sure she was following any of it. All she could do was watch the way his mouth moved, the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down while he talked."Are you listening to me?"She shook herself out of it. She had to get a grip; otherwise, she'd be crazy by the time he was done in this office. "Sorry, I'm listening now."He walked around the desk and stood in front of her, holding his hands out.There was no hesitation as she grabbed those hands and let him pull her up. Once she stood in front of him, he caressed her neck with his hand, paying special attention to the part that held his mark."It's cute that you can't pay attention to me, but I'd really like for you to."Nobody had called her cute in a very long time, and she didn't know how to respond to that. "You have my full attention," she told him, putting her hands at his hips to steady herself. Her gaze met his and she did her best not to sway.
Rooster pulled his bike into the parking lot of Roni's apartment building and cut it off. He sat there for what seemed like forever. Since talking to Cash, he had gone back and forth with whether he should tell Roni what was going on with Drew. He still hadn't been able to make a gut decision. For once, he wanted to be completely selfish, he wanted them to have a real shot at a forever. If he told her what he had found out, that could potentially put a stop to the relationship they had begun to build. He knew it was misguided, but he felt responsible for not only Drew but the other kids at the school. He had been an officer for the county; he was supposed to have kept them all safe, keep all the bad shit away. It was still hard, at times, for him to turn off what his former life had been. What if she blamed him for this too? It was something else in a long line of ways he'd failed her. What would he do if that happened? He wasn't sure he could stomach it again. For a few more days, he
Roni dug her fingers into his hair when she felt his big hands cup her ass and lift, bringing her legs around his waist. In the water, in this position, she was weightless. It pushed her further up the rock so that his mouth was even with her chest. It seemed like forever that he stared at her before he glanced up, gave her a grin, and dove headfirst into his mission of blowing her mind.There was one thing he hadn't been as a teenager, and that was smooth. He'd learned over the years what women liked and what they didn't. He hoped that Roni was similar to most women he'd encountered since their split. Using the flat of his tongue, he licked a path to where her nipples jutted at him, capturing one in his mouth, worrying the nub with his teeth. He felt the pull of her fingers against his scalp, and then he felt her press harder."Don't stop, Rooster," she moaned.Those words affected him like no others could. He hadn't heard them from her in years, and to know she was with him in
Rooster was beginning to get frustrated. He'd figured out without a whole lot of trouble which kids at the high school were the ones dealing the steroids, and he kind of had an idea as to who the kids were that were taking them. Drew and his best friend Dalton Morrison were knee-deep in this whole situation. He still hadn't found out a way to tell Liam, he was still skirting the truth with Roni, and he was pissed about the whole situation. He was selfish because half of the reason he wasn't confirming anything about Drew was because he didn't want Liam to shoot the messenger. His biggest fear was that Liam and Roni would say he was lying and be done with him, even if they both suspected that Drew had a problem. In his experience, when telling people things they didn't want to hear, it was easy as fuck to turn a blind eye and accuse the person bringing the truth to them. The hardest thing to do was to sit back and wait for it all to unfold, but that's what he kept telling himself that h
An hour later, Rooster had what he was looking for and Travis was asking questions that he knew he couldn't answer. That seemed to be his token job lately, having answers that he couldn't reveal."This is the high school football coach. What the fuck is going on?" Travis whispered as he held onto the papers he had printed for Rooster."I can't explain that right now, I need this information, so I need you to let go of the fucking paper," he whispered back.It was stupid, the two of them whisper shouting at each other in Steele's cave, but Rooster couldn't afford to let someone else hear them. What if Liam heard and then he had to confess that he'd kept all of this a secret? That he hadn't been completely on the up and up. It made his stomach hurt, but he didn't want to cause emotional pain to anyone until he knew exactly what he was dealing with. It didn't matter that he was waiting to get a bead on everything, to find out if what he thought was true was actually true. Liam wasn'
Roni sat on the couch in Doc Jones office, wringing her hands together. She wasn't sure how people were supposed to feel once they got here, but she was nervous as hell. Everyone that she'd spoken with told her how easy it was to talk to the older woman once they got going, but Roni was beginning to doubt that. They'd been here for almost fifteen minutes and neither one of them were any closer to spilling their guts than they had been when they first walked inside. Neither one of them had barely said a sentence, much less anything else."Roni, you're the one who called me," Doc Jones started when it was apparent the two of them weren't going to offer her any information. "Why did you feel the need to have me around when you speak to Rooster?"She shifted in her seat; this part was the hard part. It felt like the spotlight was on her and she was on display. Being on display was never something her personality had craved and it made her very uncomfortable. If it helped her move on wi
The temperature in the cab of the truck was downright frigid as Remy drove to Tyler's house to drop off Addie first. Tatum refused to meet his gaze and that flat out pissed him off. If she was going to give herself to another man and then have the balls to sit in front of him like this, she should at least have the decency to meet his eyes when he looked at her."Am I going to have to explain to Tyler why I'm dropping you off at one in the fucking morning?" Remy glanced in the review mirror of the truck, looking back to where Addie sat in the extended cab."No," she shook her head, looking about as tired and unhappy as he felt. "He's at the clubhouse. He and Mom had planned to stay and they took Caelin with them."Well, thank God for small favors, because the one person besides Liam he didn't want to face off with tonight, was Tyler."You're lucky I don't call him and tell him where the hell you've been. How could you let her go up there with him?" he questioned her, the irrita
Tatum's heart beat through her chest as she followed Gavin upstairs to a much quieter part of the house. Her mouth was dry – the result of her nerves, or the alcohol she'd consumed – she wasn't sure which. Her hand gripped Gavin's tightly, but she knew it wasn't because she was excited, it was because she wanted to yank on it, and stop him from leading her into the empty bedroom. Part of her wanted to put a stop to it, the other part wanted to go through with this so she could throw it in Remy's face. Those stubborn traits she'd inherited from her dad were alive and well tonight.She glanced over her shoulder, spotting Addie pulling out her phone and making a call. The worried look on her friend's face told her all she needed to know. Addie was probably calling in reinforcements and her time had suddenly become very limited."You feelin' good?" his deep voice questioned in her ear, causing her hair to stand up and goosebumps to appear on her arms. This time it was different than wh
Remy was in a piss-poor mood, had been since the night of the Christmas party and everything that had gone down with Tatum. He bit off the head of anyone foolish enough to ask if he was okay. He'd been eating lunch by himself, and overall had been a miserable fucking loner. Even right now, while everyone else was partying their asses off, his big date was being in the gym and beating the ever-loving shit out of a heavy bag. It was the only thing that seemed to calm him the last few days.Hearing his fists connect with the bag felt good, even if it was muted by the gloves he wore. His arms burned, his shoulders and back ached, his chest heaved, and sweat poured down his forehead and into his eyes; making them sting. The sting felt good though, because it distracted him from the guilt he felt for the way he'd treated Tatum. And that guilt was pressing down on him like he was trapped under a thousand-pound boulder.He'd felt every emotion on the spectrum since she'd walked out on him
Tatum's blue eyes took in the party-goers around her. In different parts of the room, she could see members of her graduating class, some kids that were now seniors, and a few college kids. God, this had never been her thing, she'd never found high school or college parties worth anything to her. She could see everything that went on at them and more, at the club parties. Plus, this was a mob mentality – everyone here went along with everyone else, and it was so boring. Nobody had any individuality. Normally, she'd have tossed the invitation in the trash can and not even thought twice about it. She would have spent the night at the club's New Year's party and have an actual good time with her friends and family.Tonight though, she was on a mission."Do you see anybody?" Addie asked as they surveyed the room.Tatum took a drink from the bottle of Strawberry Boone's Farm she carried in her hand. It was the bottom shelf stuff, guaranteed to get you loaded in the least amount of tim
Tatum had never felt anything like the all-consuming lust that blasted through her as soon as Remy grabbed her hip and pulled her deep into his body. She'd thought she had but damn, she was wrong. Her fingers grasped at his shirt, trying to ground herself in the feelings, when she felt his bare palms slip up under the hem of her dress. The sharp intake of breath, and the way he nipped at her lip indicated he'd discovered she'd worn a thong."Fuck, Tate," he moaned as he pulled his lips from hers.She almost cried as he abandoned her lips and smeared his mouth down her neck. She felt the sharp nip of his teeth down to the core of her body. It caused her nipples to tighten further against the lace of strapless bra, and before she knew what she was doing, she was rubbing up against him."Please, Rem," she gasped out when she felt one of his hands on her ass venture back over her hip, and closer to the wetness and heat she felt between her thighs."Has anybody touched you?" he grow
He knew the second she walked in, just like he'd known when she'd entered the bakery. Even seven shots of Pappy in, he could feel her, he knew she was there by the way the hair on the back of his neck stood up, the goosebumps he got on his arms and the way his dick stirred to attention. He wasn't sure what kind of hold Tatum Walker held over him, but it was strong, maybe dangerously so, like some sort of Jedi Mind Trick he'd never be able to resist. And dammit if his hand didn't shake as he took his next shot."Too much for you?" Drew asked as he noticed the slight tremble of the other man's hand.How did he tell the man sitting beside him, he was hard up for his little sister? Easy. He didn't."Nah, I'm good, but I gotta hit the head. Be back."Plan number two when plan number one didn't work? Run and hope she wouldn't follow. As much alcohol as he had consumed, he wasn't sure he could push her away this time. After all, he was only a man and he wasn't immune to the way she lo
He should have brought a date. Those were the first words Remy thought when he walked through the door of the clubhouse. It hit him like a ton of bricks, and all he wanted to do was turn around and head back to Cash and Harper's. Normally, he lived at the clubhouse, but he'd had dinner at their place tonight. He could relieve the babysitter watching Maddy, and he wouldn't have to worry about keeping his guard up.Couples were paired off, which meant anyone without a plus one would be inevitably thrown together. Looking up, he saw mistletoe was hung randomly around the room. Shit. Since he was the youngest, he seemed to be one of the few without a woman on his arm. Sure as the world turned, he'd find himself thrown toward someone tonight.Gazing around the room, he didn't see Tatum and for that he was extremely thankful. He'd been able to avoid her since the day at Harper's bakery, but it'd hadn't been easy. Not that she'd gone out of her way to be around him but they were in the sa
Remy told himself to slow down as he grasped her neck, hauling Tatum closer to him. He cautioned his lust-drunk body not to make a fool of itself. He warned his libido not to let this go too far. They were in the middle of the bakery, in the middle of downtown. Anyone could walk through that door from some dumbass off the street, to her brother, to her dad. But he couldn't stop, couldn't force his hand not to trail down her body and grasp her tight ass in his fingers. He wanted desperately to pull her lower half into his, wanted to shove his thigh between her legs and feel the heat he knew would be there. His tongue was forceful as it made its way into her mouth, testing how far she'd let him go.Turned out she'd let him go as far as he wanted to.His brain tried to warn him that this was progressing too quickly. It was getting too out of control, too fast. If he didn't watch it, he'd be picking her up and putting her ass first against the nearest wall. He was losing his mind, losi
Son of a bitch. Something in the way Tatum's gaze met his made him think he'd said those words loud enough she could hear them. But fuck, she looked amazing. Even more than she usually did. Tatum had been gorgeous for a long time, but with her hair in this new cut, she looked sexy, and almost… sophisticated. But this was Tatum. She'd never fully be a lady, not really. She didn't do dresses unless she had to, she didn't do caked on makeup, and she could hang with the guys – no matter how raunchy it got."Do you like it?" She asked again, this time looking much more unsure than when she'd started out. Very slowly, she ran her fingers through her hair, giving it a tousle.Remy cleared his throat, not sure how honest he wanted to be, but at the same time knowing he couldn't help but be honest. If he lied to her, she would know, and it would do nothing to help the situation they seemed to always find themselves in. The two of them always seemed to be either pushing or pulling at each ot