Mandy wasn't sure if she wanted to fume, rage, or chase after Dalton as she watched him pass by the window of Charity's law office. He looked good on the bike, completely in control of the horsepower between his thighs. It'd always been a turn-on for her, and it pissed her off he could still affect her like this. More than anything, she wanted to get out of her chair and run after him, force him to stop and listen to her. She wanted to take her rightful place behind him, throw her arms around his waist, put her cheek on his shoulder and let him drive her to a place they could be alone together. He taunted her, showing her a little bit of what she could have, but also what she couldn't have, what he refused to give her. As in all things with him, she was undecided on what to do.Her heart wanted one thing, while her head told her to do something completely opposite. It wasn't the first time he'd done a drive-by of a place she'd been in, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. She wanted
Dalton pulled into the gas station at the corner of Porter Pike and Louisville Road for three reasons. He needed gas, he desperately wanted a cigarette, and he was nervous as hell to ask Liam for a leave of absence from Heaven Hill. Truth be told, he was wavering, wondering if it was really the smartest decision he'd ever made.Getting off his bike, he stuck his debit card in the gas pump, selected his fuel grade, and filled up. Fuck, his shoulders were tight; hell, his whole body was tight. He had no idea what he was doing, all he knew was worry. Worry that everything could be pulled from his hands before he even got a chance to enjoy it. That must be what other men waxed poetic about; why they protected the women they loved with their lives. Thinking of losing them was scary, pushing them away was dumb, but watching them grow to hate you? He rubbed his chest. That hurt like a motherfucker.The gas pump kicked into the off position as he finished topping the tank. He hung up the n
Dalton tapped a beat that only he heard against his jean-clad thigh. Nerves caused his stomach to clench and a slight sheen of sweat to pop out on his forehead. He'd been waiting for what felt like a year to get a one-on-one meeting with Liam. While their pres was accommodating, times had been busy, and he hadn't wanted to press his luck. Especially because of what he wanted to ask. Liam could easily say no, and he hoped being patient would get him some leeway with the man so many of them looked up to. He needed this favor like he needed his next cigarette. If he had any hope at all of helping his uncle, he needed time, and right now, that was a precious commodity.The shop was busier now than it had ever been, fuck what his dad thought. Their client base was strong, and they'd been getting by legitimately for a long time. They didn't have to have their hands in everything because they made damn good money doing things their own way."Dalton, c'mon in." Liam walked through the club
There were few times in her life when her dad had sent her a text that said…Dinner tonight. Don't miss it.Usually it was when he or someone else had an announcement, or it was because he was missing his nuclear familial unit. As far as she knew, nobody had an announcement, so it had to be that he was missing everybody. The older he got, the more sentimental he got. Mandy had to admit, she was missing her family too.In order to keep her secret, she'd withdrawn herself from everyone, because she was so scared of someone finding out or slipping up and telling them. Doc Jones had told her it was a self-preservation technique. If she didn't want to answer questions, the easiest thing to do was avoid the people who would ask them. It was a shitty way to be, and she knew it, but right now peace of mind was the most important thing to her.There hadn't been any other time she could remember when she kept this kind of information from her family, but she wasn't yet sure how she and D
Tired didn't even begin to cover the pure emotional and physical exhaustion Dalton felt. Last night he and Deacon had gone all over creation looking for Samuel, but had come up empty-handed. He was sick of this. All he wanted was to spend his nights and days in the company of the woman he loved, but he knew it was a danger he couldn't risk. Today, he was going to some of the places he knew Samuel liked to frequent in Warren County. But damn if he wasn't frustrated.For a year, he'd noticed changes in his uncle. He'd been secretive about the places he went late at night, and he always had a wad of cash on him. For a while, Dalton thought he had a girlfriend and was waiting until the time was right to introduce her. Eventually though, the truth had come to light. In the end, it'd taken him almost four months to figure out what the fuck was going on. It wasn't until he'd heard the conversation in the hallway of Wet Wanda's that he'd known for sure his uncle was in trouble. Since that da
She'd looked beautiful. Pregnancy agreed with her in a lot of ways. Even though he had seen the tension around her face, he'd also noticed the way her T-shirt pulled tight against her breasts, the way her skin glowed in the sun. Dalton wanted nothing more than to follow her as she'd given up her place in the drive-thru line. His hands ached to touch her, his ears wanted to hear her voice again. It'd been weeks since he'd heard her speak, longer than that since he'd touched her. He physically ached with the wanting.Last night when he'd gotten back into town, a part of him had wanted to be as close to her as he could be. With the dark of night covering him, he'd driven over to her apartment building and watched her window for hours. He'd relived moments they'd shared together in his mind. Memories were the only things that kept him going these days. They kept his head above water and the depression at bay because he was damn tired of wanting something he couldn't have.There was an
Dalton was vibrating with fury as he pulled up to the trailer on the lake. The dwelling had seen much better days, but it still provided him with shelter whenever he needed it. It had been the only home he'd known as a young kid, and it was one of the most important places in his memory bank. As they always did, memories assaulted him of that night he and Mandy had sealed the deal in this trailer. She'd given herself over to him and told him he was good enough for her.What a crock of shit those words had ended up being. He'd done the one thing he'd promised himself he'd never do. He disappointed her, not been the man she needed, and he had a suspicion that before this was said and done, he'd never get the chance to be that man again. He didn't deserve the chance. He knew that. There was no telling what he'd have to do to help the man who'd helped him as a kid. He knew his days were numbered, expected he'd go down in a blaze of glory, and he was okay with that.Taking the steps two
Mandy laughed, bringing her arms around her stomach. "What did you tell him?" she asked Tatum, still giggling. Her younger sister was something else. She'd gotten the best parts of them all; feisty, spicy, head-strong, and fiercely loyal. Mandy noticed for one of the first times how grown-up she looked. Gone was the shoulder-length bob cut she'd worn for years. In its place was longer hair, worn curled, as silky looking as anything that could be done in a salon. The makeup was darker now too, more professionally done, in colors that suited her. Looking at her fingernails, Mandy also noticed Tatum sported a manicure—something she wouldn't have been caught dead having a few years ago. It wouldn't be long until Tatum would be ready to leave the nest and maybe bring home a man of her own.Mandy could remember being her age and being so in love with Dalton she couldn't see straight. Not much had changed. Except now that love was twisted up in anger, and she hoped at some point she could h
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