I am too much of a good girl, she thought. Maybe it’s about time I was bad…
She thought back to the last time she had been with a guy and realized it had been years. She had a high school boyfriend who she eventually broke up with not long after they graduated. But he wasn’t a man… Not like Lynx was. He had been nothing but a boy and the prospect of being made love to by a strong, sexy biker was almost too much for her to handle.
“But I want it so bad,” she said aloud.
Her body was still so ready and her nipples were erect and aching to be touched. She rolled over and bit her lip.
When is he coming for me? she wondered, checking her cell phone.
She hadn’t given Lynx her number, but there was a part of her that wished he had asked Lexi for it if he had been over at the clubhouse. With no messages to greet her, she sighed and decided her fantasy would have to wait until later. She had no idea when she would see him again; all she knew was that when she did, she was going to pounce on him.
She made herself coffee and turned on the TV. An old sitcom was on, and she half watched it while she painted her nails a rich red and flicked through social media. After she had been awake for around an hour, the buzzer to her apartment sounded and she picked up the phone to see who it was.
“Hello?” she said.
“It’s me!” Lexi called from the other end.
Tammy buzzed her in and waited eagerly for her to climb the stairs. She wondered if she had seen Lynx and if she had heard that anything had happened between them.
When Lexi came bounding in, Tammy could tell instantly that she was happy.
“You found him?” she asked her eagerly.
“Oh my god, Tam… Yes!”
Tammy jumped up and hugged her, and Lexi’s eyes welled up with tears.
“I can’t believe this is happening, but yes, I found my dad.”
She told Tammy how she had gone to the club house with King and he had introduced her to Reid, one of the oldest members of The Forsaken Riders.
“He’s so sick, Tam,” she said with a sniff. “But I’m just glad I got to meet him and we’ll have some time together… I’ve been robbed of so much.”
Tammy rubbed her arm sympathetically. She knew how much this meant to her friend, and she was so pleased for her that she was getting to spend some time with her father before he passed.
“And I believe you have news…” Lexi raised her eyebrows and Tammy blushed immediately.
“Well…” she trailed off.
“I can’t believe you’re digging one of the bikers!” Lexi slapped her hands together ecstatically. “I never, not in a million years, thought that you would end up getting mixed up with those type of guys… Not that I can talk!” She burst out laughing and smiled.
“I know, it’s crazy,” Tammy admitted. “I never thought I would, either… But there’s something about him, he’s just so different.”
Lexi’s eyes fell to the floor, and she looked uncomfortable for a moment. Tammy picked up on it instantly and grabbed hold of her hand.
“What are people not telling me?” she asked seriously.
Lexi looked up at her again and went to open her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“Lexi,” she shook her slightly. “What happened to him? Why do I get the feeling that something terrible has happened, and I’m being kept in the dark?”
Lexi sighed and rubbed her temples.
“I don’t really know how to tell you this,” she said heavily. “I mean, if it was anyone else, I don’t know, I think maybe they could handle it, but I’m not so sure about you…” She trailed off and looked into the distance.
“Lexi,” Tammy said angrily, “you can’t keep something important from me… I have a right to know, if I’m getting involved with him. I’m already in way too deep!” She got to her feet and stood in front of Lexi confrontationally, like if she wasn’t going to tell her, she was ready to throw her out.
“He told me about his past…” Tammy tested the waters. “About the foster homes…and about how The Forsaken Riders are the only real family he’s ever had…”
Lexi pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed.
“Yes,” she said. “From what I’ve heard, that’s right.”
Lexi was still not telling her something, and Tammy knew she was going to have to force it out of her.
“Listen Lexi, you’re like a sister to me. So why the fuck this is taking you so long to spill is really lost on me…” She crossed her arms over her chest and breathed in deeply.
“He just got out of jail, Tam!” Lexi spat the words as if she couldn’t bear to say them, and they were so venomous and harsh, they felt like a punch in the chest.
Tammy shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
“Jail?” she asked with disbelief. “What for?”
“For murder, Tammy… Lynx has been inside for over ten years, and he just got out.”
The whole bottom of her world seemed to drop out in that instant, and she gripped to the side of the couch for support.
“You must have it wrong,” Tammy said as she sat back down next to her friend and put her head in her hands. “How could he have done something so terrible?”
Lexi shook her head and bit her bottom lip.
“King doesn’t think he did…” she trailed off. “He wasn’t part of the riders back then, but apparently he’s protecting someone.”
Tammy’s head was spinning… If what Lexi was saying was true, Lynx had just spent over ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
“This is too much to take in,” she said and she realized she was shaking.
“He’s not a bad guy, Tam,” Lexi said sadly. “And I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to ruin this for you…”
Tammy could feel the tears coming, and she covered her eyes and started to sob.
“How could I even consider taking this any further?” she cried. “I’ve never even left Slate Springs, I have zero life experience… How could I shack up with a convicted murderer?”
“He didn’t do it,” Lexi grabbed hold of her hand. “But it’s going to follow him around for life, and I thought you should know. Okay?”
Tammy got to her feet and pointed towards the door.
“I need to be alone for a while,” she said. “I’m not mad, I just really need to get my head around all of this…”
“I’m sorry,” Lexi said as she tried to wrap her arms around her, but Tammy shrugged them off. “I really am. But I couldn’t not tell you. You only would have found out anyway.”
“It’s fine,” she said as she marched to the door and opened it up wide. “I made you tell me. I just need some time to think, okay?”
Lexi nodded and made her way out into the hallway. “Whatever is going on with you two… You know if it’s worth sticking with or not. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I honestly don’t think he’s a bad guy. I just think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Lexi turned on her heel and clipped down the hallway. Tammy closed the door behind her and slid down the wall. She was shaking with nerves and disappointment. When she met Lynx, she honestly thought there was something different about him. Their connection had been so intense, and she had even thought he was The One. She could see herself having kids with him and walking down the aisle towards him. She would have given up anything to be with him, but now, barely forty-eight hours into their relationship and he had already made her feel like a fool twice.
She looked across at her cell phone lying pointlessly on the table. After rushing over to it, she dialed Lexi and held it to her ear.
“Lexi,” she said when she picked up. “I need you to ask King for Lynx’s number…”
“Are you sure?” Lexi asked.
“Yes,” Tammy said defiantly. “More than anything I’ve ever been sure of in my life.”
9.
The time it took for Lexi to respond with Lynx’s number seemed like the
longest stretch of time Tammy had ever endured. In the meantime she jumped in the shower and scrubbed her skin raw. Even though she still smelled of him, she no longer knew if she wanted to.
She had to see him.
She had to speak to him.
She had to know…
When her phone finally beeped and the number flashed up on her screen from Lexi, she copied it directly into her contacts and pressed dial. She held the phone to her ear and waited impatiently for him to answer, but to her dismay it went to voicemail. She didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but she took a chance. As the line went cold with a beep, she took a deep breath and left him a message.
“Lynx, it’s Tammy… I’m sorry for calling you so early, but I have to speak to you. Please can you call me as soon as you get this…?”
She hung up and wiped her eyes. She couldn’t give him any idea what she was about to ask him, or he’d be able to lie to her. He could prepare his story.
She lay back down on the couch and closed her eyes. Even though she had only been awake for around two hours, she felt exhausted and emotionally drained and fell easily asleep.
***
Waking to the beeping of a horn and the growl of an engine, she opened her eyes. She was still on the couch, lying on her back and baking in the midday sun. She sat up quickly and jumped to look out of the window. For a moment when she saw him there, sitting astride his bike in his sexy leathers and wearing his gorgeous smile, she almost forgot why she had called him there. But it came flooding back within seconds, and her heart sank.
He seemed to sense that something was wrong and his smile fell too. Lynx climbed from the bike and walked quickly to the front door of her building. Her hands were shaking as she unlocked the door and went out into the hallway. She waited for him there, and she could hear him running up the steps two at a time. When he got to the top, he was breathless, and she swallowed down the tears, willing herself not to get emotional.
“Babe…?” he said cautiously. “What’s the matter?”
Tammy walked back inside her apartment and let him follow. All of the fight inside of her seemed to drain the second she heard his voice. Could it all be a lie? What if Lexi didn’t want her to be happy?
She sat down on the couch, and Lynx entered slowly. He looked around at her little home and smiled at a photograph of her as a child with her mother that stood proudly in a frame on her bookcase.
“Cute,” he said as he picked it up and ran his finger along the frame.
“Did you kill someone?” she said it before she had a chance to change her mind.
Lynx calmly put the photograph back down on the shelf and turned to look at her with hurt in his eyes.
“I was going to tell you…” he began.
Tammy jumped back to her feet and held up her hands. “This is crazy,” she said, backing away from him. “I can’t believe I just welcomed you in here!”
He sighed and shook his head. “Will you please let me finish?” He was calm and he sat down on the arm of a chair and stared at her.
Tammy stood in front of him, unsure of what to do next. Her instincts were telling her that she had nothing to fear, but he obviously knew what she was talking about…and he wasn’t denying it.
“Tam.” He looked at her with tear rimmed eyes. “I wanted so badly to tell you why you’ve never seen me around here before. But I didn’t want to scare you away.”
“So you just lied?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I just wasn’t very generous with the truth,” he sighed. “I did go to prison, but I didn’t kill anyone. And you’re probably the only person I’ve ever admitted that to in my entire life.”
She shook her head with disbelief and shrugged.
“Well, Lexi seems to think you’re innocent, too… So if you’ve never told anyone you didn’t do it, why the hell would she think that?”
He rubbed his eyes and breathed out deeply.
“King has always suspected I was covering for someone… But I could never tell anyone at the club. It’s not right for the other person to pay for a mistake that’s already been absolved.”
Tammy could tell he was being honest, but it still didn’t change the fact that he had spent the past ten years of his life in prison. He was a criminal, even if he was innocent… He must have been mixed up in something pretty horrific to be accused of murder.
“I don’t know what to say,” Tammy said as she sat down and tears began to roll down her face. “I want to trust you… But this is so hard for me.”
Lynx rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her.
“You have to believe me, I’m not a murderer. I’m what you’ve seen, okay?”
“But the way you were with me the night we met… And now this…? I just don’t know who you are.” She wiped her eyes, and even though she couldn’t bear to be near him, she knew she couldn’t stand to be apart from him, either.
She was addicted to him.
He had pulled her in, and his big, rough hands had a hold on her heart.
He tilted her chin up so her eyes locked with his and the deep blue swirl of his soul worked her over and made her feel calm and like she was falling into a trance.
“The second I saw you, I knew I had to have you,” he whispered. “I’ve never been so attracted to a girl before… I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you, and I’ve never felt so fiercely protective and ready to fight for anyone… Do you understand?”
Tammy felt a shiver roll over her entire body. Just hearing him say those things, knowing that he felt exactly the same way she did, was more than she could’ve ever hoped for.
“I didn’t do it.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “But I had to go away and protect the person who did.”
He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her again. She was so confused, but at the same time, everything seemed so clear. She knew in her heart that he was being genuine. She had known it from the second they met, and that had allowed her to open up to him like she never had with anyone before.
He pushed her back onto the couch and climbed on top of her. Clinging to him, she wrapped her legs around him. The heavy scent of last night’s liquor, stale cigarettes, and gasoline clung to him and it drove her wild.
“I don’t ever want to lose you,” he whispered as he kissed her ear and down her neck. “When I met you, I knew you were the one…”
Tammy pulled his face up to meet hers and looked at him dead in the eye. His features were so open and honest, and the fact that she had only been thinking the same thing a few hours before proved to her that this was meant to be.
She had to believe him.
She had to give this a shot.
“I trust you,” she whispered and he kissed her again.
He lifted her up from the couch, and with her legs wrapped around his waist, he carried her into the bedroom. He lay her down and she watched him as he pulled off his jacket and vest up over his head. His chest was richly tanned and perfectly chiseled. She had never seen a man so godly before—his entire physique was like something she had only seen in her dreams. He moved forward and climbed on top of her. His chains and jewelry jangled against her and she ran her long fingernails up his back. His tattoos were black and aggressive, and it wasn’t until he sat back and turned his head slightly as he took off some of his chains that she caught sight of the magnificent piece of artwork adorning his entire back.
She gasped and sat forward, holding onto his shoulders and turning his back towards the sunlight.
“Wow,” she breathed. “This is….”
“A lynx,” he said with a smile.
She ran her fingertips over the most wonderful portrait of a wild cat that she had ever seen. Its teeth were bared and its eyes were bright and wide. It looked full of life and vitality, but it was also dangerous and ready to attack.
“I love it,” she beamed. “It’s amazing.”
“Not as amazing as you,” he said as held her neck and
traced kisses down to the tops of her breasts.
She lay back and let him remove her clothes, piece by piece, and when she was beneath him fully naked she opened her legs wide and let him see how wet and ready for him she was.
He grunted at the sight of her pussy and pulled at his belt, ripping it off and jerking down his trousers so his thick, engorged cock sprang free. Tammy whimpered. She was in awe of him, and as he towered above her holding his dick in his hands, she knew he was going to fuck her so hard with it. She almost unraveled right there before he even touched her.
He climbed on top of her and she wrapped her legs around him. Rolling with her, he pulled her on top of him and held onto her hips.
Tammy gasped. She was so nervous to have him inside of her, but she also couldn’t wait to feel him in his entirety. He pulled her forward as he pushed the tip of his cock to the opening of her sex and held her there in place. He looked up at her, deep into her eyes, and as she held her breath, he pulled her down onto him, spearing her and filling her up so she felt split in half.
The heat spread through her and she cried with pleasure as she rode him and grinded herself up and down. Lynx grunted and moaned as he held onto her at the waist, but it was only a matter of time before the alpha male in him took over and he had to be in control.
He flipped her onto her back, and as he held onto her neck he pushed himself deep inside of her, burying himself in her folds as he fucked her hard and slow.
Tammy had never experienced anything like it. He was such a man, such a powerful, animalistic man who was full of aggression and lust that it was turning her on even more with each thrust.
She could barely hang on any longer, and as she unraveled beneath him and her orgasm tore through her, Lynx’s thighs tensed and he grunted into her neck as he exploded inside of her. She felt his hot and powerful seed fill her pussy, and her tight muscles gripped onto his shaft as he pumped and emptied himself into her.
He collapsed down next to her and pulled her close to him. Both of their hearts were hammering in their chests, and Tammy could barely hear anything over the rush of blood that was thumping through her whole body.
Shifter Romance: BODHI (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 4) Page 77
