by Debra Kayn
"That's not what happened."
"Then tell me what the fuck is going on because from my view it looks like you purposely left me. That you made a conscious decision to kill someone as an excuse to stay in prison." She planted her hands on her hips. "Make me understand what happened to the boy I loved. What happened to my best friend who listened to me dream my life away, and had plans to spend the rest of his life with me? Not once had you ever mentioned how you're going to give your freedom away for your club or kill people."
He stared at her. His stomach tied in one unbreakable knot. He'd never tell her what drove him into his need to control the club. There were no words to describe his thought process or reasoning. He only knew deep down; he only had one direction to go if he'd ever make something of his life.
Tiff shook her head, shook it harder when the silence grew between them. Her expression changed from firm denial to understanding. Inside him, his chest pounded needing her to say what he wouldn't allow himself to tell her. To tell anyone.
"Oh, my God." She panted, unable to look away from him. "You became the kind of man your dad would want."
The four walls suffocated him. He opened his mouth, and nothing came out. She understood him better than she knew, and he stood in front of her raw and naked, unable to hide the truth.
He blinked once. That's all he could do.
Guarding himself from showing any weakness, fear, vulnerability was a way of life in prison. So deeply ingrained in him to protect himself, he would give no one the key to taking him down or rip away what belonged to him again.
"You went to prison to fulfill your requirement to be a lifer in Moroad and made it impossible for Cam not to want you," she whispered.
She stepped closer. His rapid pulse throbbed inside his skull. He would never give her more information. She had it all.
"You've made it impossible for me to walk away from you. You've made it clear from the beginning that you want to make sure I understood I couldn't go on alone and that I wanted your protection if I planned to continue running the bordello. You want your MC brothers to want you as their leader." Her eyes softened. "Tell me I'm right. I need to hear you need me to want you."
His throat locked up, he stood there and looked at her for a long, silent while. She never moved. She never gave up on him. She never stopped wanting him.
So, he kissed her.
His lips the only part of his body to touch her, moved and deepened the kiss. She opened for him and breathed life into his body. He slid his tongue against hers, slow, hot, and precise. He answered her question with one kiss.
She put her hands on his stomach, leaning into him. He could taste her warmth, and she responded because she wanted him. She wanted the boy who dreamed with her. The man who killed. The stranger that returned to her. The best friend that would never leave her. He greedily took everything she handed him with her submission.
He pulled back and whispered, "Did you hear me?"
Her eyes welled up, and she nodded. "I heard."
Before she could ask any more questions, he led her back to bed. There in the dark, the neon sign flashed below the window outside, he rolled her close to the wall and held her.
He couldn't lose her.
Chapter Twenty
Jeremy poured a cup of coffee and stood in front of the counter studying the creamer. Tiff set the laundry basket down and not for the first time in the last twenty-four hours, melancholy fluttered over her.
After Jeremy's talk with her last night after the meeting, he'd woken her up with sex and disappeared outside while she was in the shower. She stepped over to the kitchen and stopped by the marble-top island. He put on a good act to keep her content and in a good mood, but when he believed she wasn't around—like now when he knew she was doing laundry downstairs—his thoughts centered around whatever was bothering him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He turned and raised his brows. "Yeah. I changed the oil on the Harley and thought I'd grab a cup of coffee before I head over to the motel and check on my brothers. They'll probably have questions about what went down now that they had time to think about the changes."
The constant reminder that Jeremy would never again be only hers sent her funk to a new low. She picked up the basket. "Okay, well, I'll see you when you get back, right?"
His gaze intensified. Her pliancy over the situation only seemed to provoke him when he should be thrilled she wasn't causing a shit-storm. Throughout her sleepless night, she'd gone over every option she had to rid herself of the fear and uncertainty in their relationship, and came to the conclusion this morning that Jeremy was right all along. She wanted him, and she was willing to put up with his club, his status in the club, and the risk of belonging to Moroad.
It wasn't as if she was sacrificing herself for him. She continued to live in the Sterling Building with him, and he allowed her to continue running her two businesses.
Once she'd gotten past her anger and to the bottom of what Jeremy wanted from her, she understood that the man she had loved before prison was the same man standing in front of her. Her heart would always belong to him whether she was with him or alone.
They could make their relationship work.
She believed in him.
She even trusted him when it came to how he treated, respected, and cared for her.
His skill at keeping club activities away from their personal life is what made her forgive him for not telling her the truth about why he was incarcerated. With time, she'd get better at trusting him to know what was best for both of them.
He walked around the kitchen island and hooked the back of her neck, dragging her forward. She dropped the laundry basket again.
He gave her a kiss, letting his lips linger on her skin. "Concentrate on me, your work, and things will work out. I'll make sure of it."
"I'm trying." She sighed, slipping her arms around his waist. "Will you be back in time to enjoy the evening here?"
"Yeah. I'll only be a couple of hours." He kissed her lips. "Call me if you need me, but use the phone I put on the table. I don't want you using your contracted phone."
"I remember." She squeezed him one more time and let him go.
He drank from his coffee cup, put it down on the island, and walked toward the door. She called his name before he could leave. He turned, and the one thing they hadn't settled despite how much she tried to convince herself she had no reason to worry popped out of her mouth. "Are you going to see Lola?"
"She lives at the motel, baby."
Her body tightened. "I know, but are you going to see Lola?"
"If I do, she has nothing to do with you and me." He lifted his chin. "Walk me out and set the alarm."
She stayed behind him in the hallway, followed him down the stairs slowly, and when they entered the main floor of the Sterling Building, she had the sudden urge to grab his arm and drag her feet along the floor to keep him with her. Disgust over her behavior and insecurities kept her from saying or doing anything.
At the back door, she kissed him when he lowered his head. Passive, polite, and hating the fact he was leaving on her day off.
"See you later." He backed away.
She leaned against the door. "Later."
The sheriff's vehicle pulled up against the curb behind the building and Jeremy stopped. She pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked outside ready to play mediator between Jeremy and the sheriff, so he could get away and go to the motel.
"Hi Colby." She smiled. "What brings you around here today?"
Sheriff Colby removed his hat, glanced at Jeremy, and spoke to Tiff. "Courtesy call."
"What's going on?" Tiff exhaled, relieved the sheriff's appearance had nothing to do with Jeremy.
"Yesterday, we hired two new officers through the county," said Sheriff Colby.
"Congratulations." Born and raised in Federal, she understood the hardships on keeping good men in the department since the silver mines fluctuated ever
y year. Funds dwindled in the county as people left the small valley. Law enforcement officers never stayed long because earnings were scraping the bottom of the barrel. Those serving to protect often left within a year, moving to the bigger cities where wages were higher, leaving Federal shorthanded.
"Thanks." Colby ran his hand through his thinning hair. "Deputy Jay Williams will be overseeing crowd control and safety during the hours Silver Girls open their doors starting Wednesday. Nothing changes, except the officer patrolling the crowd. Until Deputy Williams gets used to the town and people, we thought it'd be best if he gets to know the familiar faces of the miners and people who frequent the establishments in town."
Tiff fiddled with the edge of her shirt. "Okay, thanks for letting— "
"What's the deal?" Jeremy walked over and stood by her. "He doesn't need to babysit the customers at Silver Girls. Bantorus Motorcycle Club and Moroad Motorcycle Club always have men here watching out. It's been that way for almost twenty years. There's a reason you would choose someone new to shadow Silver Girls during business hours."
Sheriff Colby's mouth firmed. "You're right. Deputy Williams came to us on a lateral transfer case after an arbitrator cut a deal with the internal investigator working on his case. He's on probation until he's had some time in with our department and will be covering the low-risk jobs issued by the county."
Jeremy widened his stance. "What's his record?"
"I'm not going to discuss that with you. He was hired on with Silver Valley Sheriff's Department, and is a vital part of our team." Colby slipped his hat back on his head and turned toward Tiff. "If you have any problems, you know how to contact me."
She nodded and reached for Jeremy's hand. When Sheriff Colby pulled away and drove down the street, she turned to Jeremy. "What did all that mean?"
"I'll find out." He walked her over to his bike. "I'll have Bear run a background check on Jay Williams and have an answer for you when I get back."
Jeremy reached into the pouch attached to his bike and removed a can of chew. Tiff tilted her head surprised to see Jeremy pinch and dip.
He used his tongue to position the wad and briefly closed his eyes before grinning at her around a lipful. "Best damn taste in the world, not counting your pussy."
She laughed, remembering him saying the same thing years ago. "Brush your teeth before you come up to the suite later."
"Yeah?" He tagged the front of her shirt and pulled her into him. "Kiss me."
She wrinkled her nose. "That does nothing for me."
His brow cocked. "Try it."
"Keep your mouth closed." She rolled up to her tiptoes and pecked his mouth.
He wrapped his arm around her back, pulled her in, and opened his mouth, rubbing his lips against hers. She groaned, turning her head, and breaking the kiss. The bitterness of the chew tainted her lips. "That wasn't funny."
"Good?" His dark eyes lit with amusement.
"No." She laughed, rubbing her forearm across her lower face. "Get out of here, and hurry back."
He threw his leg over his motorcycle and slipped on his sunglasses. "You going to miss me?"
"No." She stood grinning on the curb. "Absolutely not."
He started the bike and over the roar he said, "You're going to miss me, baby."
Her rebuttal got lost in the noise of him riding away. She turned, shaking her head, and went back inside. He'd succeeded in putting her in a better mood, and she had the wild urge to get ready for his return.
Chapter Twenty One
Jeremy passed Cam and Bear on the Old River Road out of town on his way back to the Sterling Building. He held out his arm and made a circle, and then watched his dad and MC brother perform a U-turn in the road and follow him into town. He'd split before the party started at the motel to return to Tiff, and hoped his dad had the information he wanted before the day was over.
At the back of the Sterling Building, he parked and waited at the door. The overall feel after talking with the Moroad men gave him security in knowing they blindly followed his orders and supported his opinion.
Cam limped over to Jeremy, followed by Bear. "You never mentioned the guy I had Bear pull records on was a fucking badge."
"Williams wearing a uniform with a pistol at his hip doesn't matter." Jeremy looked at Bear. "What did you find out?"
"He has two arrests for assault and battery on a female family member." Bear hitched up his jeans. "Court records said the first time he grabbed the female by the throat and threw her against the wall. The second time, he sent her through a window. Both times the court acquitted him of the charges."
"Domestic abuse?" Jeremy ran his tongue between the empty space between his lip and gum.
"Nope." Bear scratched his chin underneath his heavy beard. "A woman married to one of his cousins. Not blood."
Jeremy arms tensed. He wanted the abuser nowhere near Tiff and the other woman. Tomorrow night, he'd scope the deputy out himself. He could spot an abuser in prison without the person saying a word. It all came down to the way they walked, moved, and their eyes. Their fucking eyes never stopped moving.
Abusers learned not to mess with Jeremy when he jumped first and they went on to fuck with the weaker, smaller, more conflicted inmates.
"I'll need three men here on Wednesday night." Jeremy looked at his dad, Bear, and quickly chose other men to do the job. "I want Jacko, Johnson, and Merk."
Purposely leaving out the ones Cam would pick, he needed to build a strong and dedicated line of men on the outside.
"I'll make the call." Cam slapped him on the arm. "Get inside and make sure your woman knows to watch her step."
The advice his father handed down was a given. Nobody would touch Tiff. Unlike Cam believed, Jeremy had the confidence that Tiff only had his interest at heart, and that included the club. Privately, she'd fight him every inch of the way to hold her independence with her employees, but she'd shown nothing but control to everyone else.
Cam and Bear returned to their motorcycles and rode off. Jeremy walked to the building and unlocked the back door. Once inside, he punched in the code before the security alarm sounded.
Despite the news over Williams, he'd enjoyed his time with his brothers. The solitary attitude reminded him of the bonds he had with the Moroad members on the inside. Each man, including himself, survived trusting no one and yet appreciated the rules and power of the club.
He double checked the front door to make sure Tiff locked the place up tight, then headed upstairs, unlocked the upstairs door, set the alarm, and entered an obvious party going on.
Marci noticed him first and grabbed Hannah's arm, stopping her from dancing around Tahleena, who lay flat on her back in the hallway, doing some kind of contortion with her back fully arched. She held her belly up with only her feet and hands planted on the floor.
"This is worth at least ten extra dollars." Tahleena grunted, her arms wobbling. "I'm going to pass out. All the blood is rushing to my head."
Marci cleared her throat, poking Tahleena with her bare toes. "Get up."
"Wait." Tahleena moaned, sliding her feet wider and collapsed on the floor laughing. "Shit. Can you imagine the men wanting that position?"
"No." Hannah stepped behind Marci and whispered, "Get up, Tah. Now."
Tahleena rolled her head, spotted Jeremy, and scrambled to her feet. She swayed, and Marci caught her before she careened into the wall.
Jeremy walked through the opening they'd made in the hallway. "Ladies..."
Silence greeted him back. He stopped at the suite and put his hand on the door. The women hadn't moved an inch. He found the suite unlocked and walked inside. The hysterical giggles from the hallway at his departure permeated the door.
Barely eight o'clock, he expected to find Tiff awake and waiting for him. He stopped in the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and took a quick shower. He'd finished drying off when he heard Tiff call his name.
Tossing the towel to the floor, he walked naked to the bedroom.
He paused in the doorway. All the lights were off, except for that damn neon sign reflected on the wall over the headboard of the bed.
A hand touched his stomach. He grabbed the wrist out of habit and loosened his grip at Tiff's squeak. "Baby?"
"I'm sorry." She moved in front of him. "I didn't mean to startle you."
He grunted. He'd broken a man's arm in prison for surprising him, and the other prisoner hadn't laid a hand on Jeremy. "It's early. What are you doing in here with the lights out?"
She trailed her hands along his sides, down his arms, and latched on to his hands, pulling him into the room. She let go of one of his hands and the light beside the bed came on. He gazed down Tiff's naked body, and his cock twitched to life, hardening and pulsing for attention.
"I have the whole night planned, but I want to show you something first." She twined her fingers with his and led him over to the dresser. He stayed a foot behind her, enjoying the sway of her ass.
"This side of the dresser is yours. I put your clothes in the top one, and I plan on buying you a few more shirts. You need socks, too." She lifted her face to him. "Is that alright?"
"Do what you want." He took his free hand and ran it down the slope of her hip.
She wiggled away from his touch. Her voice shook when she continued. "I hung these photos up on the wall. I know it's nothing fancy, but I'm going to buy a frame for each one when I get a chance to go shopping."
He followed her finger pointing at the wall and stepped closer. She'd taped half a dozen pictures of the two of them together before he went to prison. He let go of her and studied each one. They were partying, walking, and sitting on the porch at his dad's house. But, it was the picture in the middle that grabbed his attention.
Tiff stood in the yard, her hand on her hip, her hair tossed, smirking at him as he held the phone and snapped her picture. He ran his thumb over the small piece of tape holding it to the wall.
