I am a hot mess. I completely went off on Tyler and Denise yesterday. I embarrassed myself beyond belief, and the truth is, I'm not sure whether it did any good or not. I still have so many emotions and thoughts running through my head. I just don't know how to get them all out, how to let go of these feelings that keep eating me up from the inside out. I had a breakthrough though. I realized I need it. I need human touch. I want Tyler to hug me, his finger to brush my cheek, I want him to hold me while I sleep.Meredith put down her journal and bit her thumbnail thoughtfully. Last night had been the first night of real sleep she'd gotten since this whole ordeal had started. Why, she wasn't sure, but thought maybe she'd reached a turning point, and perhaps the emotions of the last few days had finally gotten to her. For the first time when she'd woken up this morning, she believed that she would come through this on the other side. Not unscathed, but possibly able to enjoy her life.
Meredith couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she and Tyler made their way north up I-65. Being with him on a bike was quickly becoming her very favorite place to be. As he wove in and out of traffic, she enjoyed the scenery. A few years before, a major ice storm had destroyed most of the brush and trees along the interstate, but they were beginning to make a comeback. Given the time of year and the fact they'd had plenty of rain, the colors were beautiful. Gripping his waist, she took the moment to lean her head against his back and just breathe.It felt like this every time.She could breathe with him around. She could let down her guard and not worry that someone would hurt her. It was nice, relaxing, and freeing. His presence seemed to be the only relief she could get from the jittery, nervous feelings that constantly resided in her stomach.Watching the miles tick away, she glanced at the next green sign that indicated how far they were away from certain de
An hour later, the two of them pulled up to an old farmhouse that she'd never seen before. It was charming, with a tin roof that looked like it'd been recently replaced, but the paint peeled off the sides of the weather beaten house. He turned the bike off and threw his long leg over the side."What's this place?" she asked."It's mine. It's my refuge when I need time to myself."That was news to her. She'd never heard anyone talk about Tyler having a home of his own, and he'd sure never said anything about it. Her reporter's mind had a ton of questions. Inquisitive for the first time since the attack."I can see the questions in your eyes, but can you respect that I really don't wanna talk about it right now."He'd respected everything about her situation, and she realized for the first time that she wasn't the same person she'd been before. The types of questions that sprung to her mind now weren't the ones she'd had before. These were much more humane, they were more about
She had to give it him, he lay on the bed with his arms behind his head, never once flinching as she walked towards him."Whatever you feel comfortable with," he reminded her.She'd taken the time in the shower to shave and do all the things she'd hadn't felt the need to do in the past weeks since her attack. She'd found some girly shampoo and body wash and had treated herself like she'd been at a spa. It had been on the tip of her tongue to ask if the girly stuff had been for her or if he'd had another woman at this place before, but she didn't want to ruin the mood.Her hands shook as she made her way over to where he lay. Her brain screamed at her to run the other way and never look back, but she knew that she had to do this. She knew that she couldn't let this defeat her anymore."You're beautiful," he whispered.The smile that came to her face was so genuine it made him want to cry. It seemed to give her the push she needed. Without hesitation that he had suspected, she
Tyler felt the warmth of the tears that Meredith continued to shed on his bare chest. She had immediately collapsed against him and had snuggled up so tightly to him, he didn't want to let her go. Even though she still cried, it had slowed considerably and her breathing had evened out, matching his."Thank you," she whispered, running the back of her hand across her nose."Hey," he caught her chin, tipping it so that he could look into her eyes. She felt his hand come up behind her head and tangle in her hair to keep her steady. "The pleasure was all mine. You are one hot piece of ass," he teased.She gave a very unladylike snort that caused a smile to spread across his face. "I can still feel how hard you are," she wiggled against him."Doesn't matter," he shook his head. "This has been the most pleasure I've ever had. You let me worry about how hard I am."That didn't sound fair to her, almost like he was taking something away that should be hers. "What if I wanted to help
I took back a major part of myself today. The part of myself that had been missing. I let Tyler touch me in ways that I've never let a human being touch me before. Both physical and emotional. It feels like a part of me has healed. That gaping hole that was once in my stomach – causing all those jitters – it's gone. I'm happy and ready. Ready to move on. Ready to find my rapist. I just need to figure out how to tell other people. What if they try to talk me out of it?"You warm enough?"His deep voice caused so many feelings in her now. He wasn't just the man who protected her now. He was her lover and it felt so right. The mere fact that she was writing in her journal – in his arms – and trusting him not to be nosey, said an awful lot about how far she had come."Sure am," she assured him lazily.It had started raining, and she told him how much she loved the rain in the country and how it sounded against the tin of his roof. He'd suggested they go out back where he had a cove
"Did I miss anything important?"Liam looked up from where he sat on the garage floor, putting together some parts for a bike he was working on. "I'm so glad you're back, man. Oh my God, it's been crazy since you left.""I was only gone for a little bit," Tyler laughed, pulling over a chair so that he could have a seat."The curse of your damn cup is alive and well. Jagger got us lost, the GPS wouldn't work for him, he's still nursing himself from that fall, and to top it all off he broke the starter on his bike," he held up the parts in his hands."How did he do that?""Like I need to tell you. Everyone firmly believes it's your curse."Tyler laughed so hard tears streamed down his face. "This is getting way out of hand. I never thought that cup would cause all this grief. This is great.""Is it cursed or not?" Liam asked, leveling a glare at the other man."Don't try to scare me with that look. You know I don't scare easily. It is whatever you think it is," he said cr
"Where is the semi?"Liam had the exact same question. They had been sitting in the parking lot of a local clothing manufacturer for over an hour. Word had it that the manufacturer was in deep with the Mexican Cartel and within some of the shipments of clothing lay weapons that were needed to win the drug war. Since Heaven Hill had signed on to help, they were expected to make sure the semis got to the state line where another MC picked up the run."This guy was supposed to come here, drop off his trailer, pick up another, and be gone, right?" Liam verified with Jagger. "You didn't fuck this one up, right?"His nerves were on a string. His eyes met William's and he could see the triumph there. This wasn't working out and William knew it. Almost like the fucker had planned it. Their relationship was strained, at best, these days. It made Liam and his guys look weak."I didn't. I think I've finally gotten over the curse of the cup. I've gone a full fifteen hours with nothing bad
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