Tap'd Out

by Harley Stone

  I had to admire the way the club’s protection and provision extended to the families of the members. Not only was it the right thing to do, but it encouraged loyalty and gave everyone a sense of belonging. I understood why even an introvert like Tap had been drawn to the club.

  “Tap, I encourage you to send your mother and daughter with us,” Link said. “I know your home is secure, but since Sasha is wanted, she needs to stay here. Your family will be safer with us in case anything happens.”

  Tap seemed to consider this for a few minutes before pulling his mom aside and discussing it with her. As they chatted in the corner, I watched the way Tap listened to her. It was plain to see he valued her opinion and advice, and I loved that about him. Just watching them together made my heart swell.

  Tap returned to the table to let Link know Doris and Hailey would go to the club, and that his mom was packing them each a bag and would be down soon.

  “I drove,” Emily said. “They can ride with me and Jay, so you don’t have to leave Sasha here alone.”

  “Thank you,” Tap said. Then he and Emily went outside to transfer Hailey’s car seat to Emily’s car.

  Doris came down with the bags and we said our goodbyes. Then everyone was on their way. Tap locked the door behind the group, and we listened as the roar of Harleys faded down the road.

  “Is your bike in the garage?” I asked, suddenly realizing I’d only seen a couple rooms of his house.

  “No. I don’t keep her here.”

  “Her?” I asked.

  “Babe, if I’m riding it, it’s female.”

  “Jayson’s gonna be super disappointed.”

  Tap chuckled. “He’ll get over it.”

  “So, does this other woman that you ride have a name?”

  “Valkyrie.”

  Surprised, I asked, “Because she chooses who falls in battle?”

  He shook his head. “I already died. She carries me through this afterlife.”

  I disagreed. Tap had never died. He’d just put himself in a medical coma to survive. He was waking up now, and I was happy to be a part of his reanimation plan. “This is your Valhalla?” I asked.

  His eyebrows arched. “I had no idea you were such a nerd. It’s like you keep getting hotter.”

  “Just wait until you see my Star Wars collection.” I had a light saber and a Yoda plushie I won as a kid. It wasn’t much of a collection, but I’d sure buy more if it turned him on.

  “Stop, or I’m gonna jump you right here in the living room.”

  “Maybe that’s my evil plan. Maybe I’m jealous of this other woman and wanna make sure you’re riding me more than you ride her.”

  “Oh?” He sauntered over and threw one arm around my waist, tugging me against him. “After everything shakes out and we clear your name, I’ll put your fine ass on the back of my bike, and you can ride her with me.”

  “Kinky.” I settled my hand on his chest, thoroughly enjoying the feel of the hard muscle beneath his shirt. “You know, I like to ride big powerful things.”

  “Come on. There’s something powerful I wanna show you in my bedroom.” He took my hand and led me up the stairs.

  I was all too happy to follow him.

  Tap

  EVER SINCE JOINING the military, I’ve had trouble sleeping. When I moved to Seattle, I dropped almost two grand on a king-sized Puffy Lux mattress that Mama saw on Ellen, because she swore up and down it would help me sleep. I tried to tell Mama that the problem was in my mind, not my mattress, but it was less painful to spend the money than to argue with her. Besides, the bed was comfortable. I still don’t sleep for shit, but at least now it feels like I’m lying on a goddamn cloud while I stay up all night staring at my tablet and trying to convince my mind to shut the fuck up and go to sleep.

  Insomnia is some stupid shit. No matter what I’ve accomplished, it somehow manages to make me feel like a failure because I lack the ability to master this one normal bodily function necessary for survival. It doesn’t matter how many techniques I try, how often I meditate, how many hours of relaxing sleep music I stream, every night is a wrestling match with my brain. Because of this, my bedroom is my least favorite room in the house.

  Or, it was until Sasha tumbled onto my bed naked—her body and hair still damp from our shower—spread her legs and arms out like some X-rated snow angel, and said, “I claim this spot.”

  “The whole bed?” I asked, enjoying the view. Her pale skin looked sexy as hell against my navy-blue sheets. Her dark pink nipples were still pebbled from the attention I’d paid them in the shower, and the idea of having full, unrestrained access to her body was making me painfully hard.

  She closed her eyes. “Yep. You’re gonna have to sleep around me.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of in you.”

  “I suppose that could work, too. I mean, if you insist.” She grinned.

  It was all the invitation I needed. I crept up her body slowly, kissing every inch from her ankle to her knee. Then I started at the other ankle and didn’t stop at the knee. As I worked my way up her thigh, she giggled and squirmed.

  “Your whiskers are tickling me.”

  I sat up. “That’s it. I’m gonna go shave them.”

  “No!” She grabbed my arm to stop me. “I like it. Do you ever grow a beard?”

  I nodded. “I had one before Mama shaved it off to disguise me for that gig at Buzz’s house.”

  Her eyes softened. “That was a good night.”

  “Good night? You got the shit beat out of you.”

  “Yeah, but I met you.”

  I hadn’t expected her to say something so sweet, and it kind of knocked me on my ass. Her expression was so damn serious as she watched me watching her. Lying there naked, spread wide and vulnerable, she waited for my reaction. There was no way in hell I’d leave her hanging. “It was a great night, but tonight’s better. You look damn good in my bed, babe. Almost look like you belong there.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Almost?”

  “Yeah. You need something to complete the look, but I can’t quite put my finger on what.”

  Her eyes darkened. “Then you should try your tongue.”

  It was one hell of a good suggestion, so I dropped back on my hands and knees and went to town on her pussy. I loved the way she tasted, the way she arched her back and bucked her hips, the mewling sounds she made when I drove her out of her mind. Most of all, I loved the bliss written all over her face as she came undone.

  Kissing up her belly, careful to keep my weight off her ribs, I played with her tits while she recovered. Then I rolled on a condom and positioned myself at her entrance before driving home. Balls deep in Sasha I stilled and took a moment to look her over again.

  “Now you belong in my bed.”

  “Good, because I like it here.” Her incredible green eyes looked up at me with a level of understanding and respect I’d never known before.

  “You’re fuckin’ beautiful, Sasha.”

  Gaze locked on mine, she replied, “You are, too, D’Vonte.”

  Hearing my birth name roll off her tongue ignited something fierce within me. I had to fuck her, to claim her, to make sure she knew she was mine. Keeping myself braced above her body, I dropped my gaze to where we were joined. The contrast of our skin tones was sexy as hell and it drove me as I pumped in and out of her sweet, tight cunt.

  She threw her head back and her pussy squeezed around me as she came, milking me with each stroke. Finished and feeling wrung out and exhausted, I discarded the condom and collapsed on the bed beside her. She snuggled against my side.

  Physical exhaustion had never knocked me out before, and it didn’t now. It didn’t matter, though, because I was perfectly content to lie there and hold her. Minutes ticked by as I thought about the road we’d taken that had led us to this moment and mentally went over the shit I’d have to do in the morning. I’d set two alarms, and I was thinking about setting a third one, just in case.

&nb
sp; “Are you worried about tomorrow?” Sasha asked after a time. Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at me.

  “No. I’m thinking about it, but I’m not worried. We have a solid plan of attack and I’m confident it’ll work.”

  “Good.” Another minute or two ticked by as she continued to watch me. Something was on her mind, but I gave her time to work through it. Finally, she piped up. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Her tone had changed, became more uncertain. “Yeah. Of course.”

  “It’s none of my business, and you don’t have to answer.”

  Now I was curious. “Spit it out, babe.”

  “Where’s Hailey’s mom?”

  The question took me off guard, and I had to think about how best to answer.

  Obviously misreading my silence, she added, “You don’t have to tell me. It was just on my mind and—”

  “I’m pretty sure she’s dead.”

  That shut Sasha right up. She rolled onto her belly and propped her chin on her hands to look at me.

  “Her name was Elaine, and she was my recruiter.”

  “Your recruiter into the military?”

  I shook my head. I’d never told anyone but Mama what I had done after the service, but apparently Sasha was getting all my secrets, because I wanted her to know the truth. “No. Into the CIA.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow. That explains… a lot actually. The CIA. That’s crazy.”

  “Yeah. I was just a nerdy young introvert who was damn good at gathering intel when she took an interest in me.” Tall, leggy redhead with bedroom eyes and a hip sway that could knock a man right out of his mind, she knew what she was doing. I was young, dumb, and full of just enough cum to believe her interest in me was legitimate. Even after I signed up, she continued to play me, getting me to take the jobs nobody else would. I did a lot of shit to win Elaine’s favor, but I learned the hard way that I was just another job to her. “We had a fling and she transferred out of my department a few months before I left the CIA. Thought I’d never see her again, but two years ago, she showed up on my doorstep with Hailey.”

  My mind drifted back to the desperation I’d seen in Elaine’s eyes.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, but this could be my big break, and I can’t pass it up. We’ve been after this terrorist group for months, and we finally have a lock on them. I won’t be gone long, three weeks at most. It’s just temporary. I’ll be back for her.”

  A lot to take in? She was introducing me to a kid she claimed was mine, and she wouldn’t stop blabbing about the job. I didn’t give two shits about the CIA, I wanted to know what game Elaine was playing now.

  “How do I know she’s even mine? You told me you were clean and on birth control, and after you disappeared, I found out you were fuckin’ half the department.” Elaine was everything that was wrong with the CIA—every dirty little secret and whispered sin of it. “It’s like you wanted to get pregnant and now you’re trying to rope me into this, too. Why?”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

  “Yeah, this time, you fuckin’ do.”

  “Look at her. She’s obviously yours.”

  Studying the baby in the car seat carrier at Elaine’s feet, I couldn’t deny the resemblance, but that didn’t change a damn thing. “If she’s mine, why the hell are you just now telling me? Because you need me to babysit while you do a job?”

  “It’s not babysitting. She’s your child! I thought you’d be happy to spend time with her. Why are you being such an asshole about this?”

  Shocked, I glared at the bitch. She had to be certifiable if she expected me to handle this differently. “I’ll take a paternity test.”

  “Good. But I have to go, so you figure that shit out while I’m gone.”

  Then she turned and sprinted back to her car, leaving the baby behind.

  Too shocked to chase after her, I stared at the little girl with my eyes and my lips. I didn’t know if she was mine, but I couldn’t leave her alone on the porch. I picked up her carrier and took her into the house. Then we called Mama.

  “She just left Hailey on your doorstep?” Sasha asked.

  “Yeah. She said she’d be back in three weeks top, but that was the last time I saw her.”

  Sasha’s eyebrows rose. “But can she find you? I mean you told me you’re good at hiding.”

  “Babe, she’s the one who trained me. After two years with no contact—not even to check up on Hailey—she’s either dead, a prisoner of war, or has one hell of a case of amnesia. Regardless, she’s dead to me and Hailey. Hailey is definitely mine, and I have the paternity test to prove it now. If Elaine ever shows back up to take her, she’s gonna have one hell of a fight on her hands.”

  Sasha smiled and tapped me on the chest. “Good. You would have liked my dad. He was protective and funny and when he was around, everything was better. He just… handled everything. He died while I was in middle school, and I hated that he wasn’t around to give me advice on guys. He would have been like those protective dads on TV… sitting on the front porch cleaning his shotgun when my dates arrived to pick me up. I wanted that; someone to care about me enough to possibly do jail time to protect my honor. I bet you’re gonna be that kind of dad.”

  “Fuck that! My girl’s not dating until she’s thirty and out of grad school,” I said.

  Sasha laughed. “You’re a good dad, Tap. Hailey is one lucky little girl.”

  Her praise meant far more to me than it should have. “Thanks.”

  She kissed my chest. “Now close your eyes and go to sleep. You have to get up in a few hours to rescue a bunch of daughters who don’t have dads nearly as awesome as you. You need to be well-rested.”

  She snuggled against my side and I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes. And surprisingly enough, I slept until my alarm went off the next morning.

  Tap

  MY FIRST ALARM went off at 2:15 a.m. With Sasha splayed across me, I was so damn comfortable I didn’t want to move, but I managed to roll over and turn it off. I tried to slide out from under Sasha without waking her, but her eyes popped open the instant my feet hit the floor.

  “It’s time?” she asked.

  “Yeah, babe. You should relax and try to get some more sleep.”

  She leveled a stare at me. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “More like wishful thinking.”

  The second and third alarms blared, so I turned them both off.

  “You’re risking your life to do my job. The least I can do is guzzle pots of coffee and pace circles into your living room floor while you’re gone.” She scooted off the bed, and I tried not to notice the way her tits bounced with the movement. We didn’t have time for morning sex, and I needed to focus.

  I chuckled and tugged her against me for a quick kiss. “If it makes you feel better.”

  “It won’t. Going with you would make me feel better, but I understand why I can’t. I hate it and I want to throw a toddler-sized fit about it, but I understand.”

  I grabbed the solid black clothes I’d set aside last night and started dressing. “I’ll tell Link. He’ll be relieved. He’s worried that you hate him.”

  She snorted. “Right. That man doesn’t give a single fuck what anyone thinks of him.”

  Pulling on my socks, I chuckled. “I kinda like that about him.”

  “Yeah, me too, but don’t tell him.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me.” I glanced at my watch. “Shit. I gotta go.”

  She followed me into the closet and watched me step into my black sneakers. “Already? But… I need more time with you.”

  “The sooner I go, the sooner I can get my ass back home.” I headed downstairs and she followed.

  “And you will come back, right? This isn’t just some grandiose scheme to ditch me, is it?”

  She needed more reassurance than I had the time to give her, but I stopped in front of the garage door and gave it a try. “Of course I will. I wou
ld never leave my bed behind. Didn’t you feel that thing? It’s like sleeping on clouds. Fucking clouds, Sash.”

  She socked me on the arm. “Smartass.”

  “At least I’m not a nameless one anymore.”

  Her face lit up. “Alright, D’Vonte. Bring your smart ass home safe and sound and we’ll test the hell out of that bed’s warranty.”

  “Deal.” I kissed her, doing my best to transfer every ounce of affection I felt into the gesture. It must have worked because when I released her, she was breathless, and her eyes were bright.

  I pulled into the fire station at 2:43 a.m. I was early, but we still had a few last-minute plans to go over and I wanted to check on Mama and Hailey and meet with Morse to make sure I understood exactly what he needed me to do. By the time the club was ready to roll out, I’d handled my personal business and had a clear understanding of my job.

  Since the op required stealth, bikes were out of the question. The fifteen of us who’d been selected for the mission piled into a fifteen-passenger rental van. We were all dressed in black with our game faces on, and the tension was so damn thick I could barely breathe. As we settled in for the drive, Wasp made some wisecrack about us looking like a group of environmentally-friendly carpool ninjas. It was just what we needed to break the tension and bring some levity to the situation. The air cleared, and the rest of the drive was silent as we all mentally prepared for the task ahead.

  The plan was a good one, certain to be a success as long as everyone did their job.

  Teamwork was a new and disturbing concept for me and every time I wondered about the competency of our group, my asshole puckered. I had a lot riding on the success of this mission, and I had to hope that my teammates were as committed as I was. I said a silent prayer that nobody fucked up.

  As expected, the Serpents’ compound was still dark when we parked across the street. Link had pulled some strings and called in a few favors to get us the gear we needed. We were each equipped with a bullet-proof vest, headset, gas mask, flashlight, stun gun, and handcuffs. Designated brothers wielded smoke bombs, sleeping gas cannisters, wire cutters, and flash bang grenades. To put it lightly, we had more options for incapacitating the enemy on us than most third-world countries had in their entire police force. For my role, I carried a portable cell phone jammer, a screwdriver set, a wrench, wire cutters, and a sleeping gas cannister.