“How did they know?” Tina whispered when the anchorwoman began the next news item.
“As she said—someone tipped them.”
“But who? It had to be Seth or Marshall.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Jack said, though he had to admit the evidence was against either one of them was compelling. “It could be as simple as someone saw me move one of the cars into the building. I won’t believe Seth or Marshall would sell me out.”
“Maybe,” she mumbled, unconvinced.
“Now that they have the cars, and know I’m involved, maybe I should turn myself in.”
“What?” she whispered harshly, trying to keep her voice low. “Why would you do that?”
“If I take the heat, if I tell them I acted alone, you and the rest of the Sons will be off the hook.”
Tina stared at him like he had grown another head. “Let’s go,” she said suddenly as she rose and walked away without a backward glance.
Jack tossed a couple of bills on the table for a tip, paying for the rest of the meal with cash—one of the three accepted forms of payments displayed on the register, along with Visa and MasterCard.
Outside he found Tina surrounded by three men. They men didn’t appear threatening and Tina was relaxed as she talked to them. As he walked up she introduced him as her husband, then they spent the next ten minutes discussing Harley Davidson motorcycles in general, and Jack’s 1939 Knucklehead in particular. Jack didn’t like the attention, but to brush them off would only make them remember them more if someone were to ask questions later.
Finally the men excused themselves and entered the restaurant. Without saying a word, Tina swung a leg over her bike, put on her helmet, then kicked it backwards out of the parking spot as she started it and rode away. Jack was puzzled by her strange behavior, but he kicked his bike to life and followed.
They got separated at a light so by the time he arrived at the motel her bike was parked and she is already in the room. “Tina… what’s wrong?”
‘You, Jack! You’re what’s wrong!” she barked.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Turning yourself in, Jack. Why would you even think about doing that?”
“Is that what this is all about?”
“Yes, goddammit!”
“What are you being so pissy about? I would do it to protect my brothers. And to protect you.”
“Why? Why do you care what happens to them? Somebody in the Sons probably ratted you out for the reward. You don’t owe them shit!”
“We don’t know that. There could be a lot of reasons that the cops found the cars.”
“Yeah? Give me another reason that makes a much sense.”
“I told you. Someone may have seen the cars.”
“Did you look to see if anyone was around before you unloaded the cars? Did you see anyone around?”
“Yes, I checked… and no, I didn’t see anyone.” When she gave him a there you go motion with her hands he continued. “But that doesn’t mean someone didn’t see me.”
“Horseshit! Why won’t you admit someone, probably Seth or Marshall, sold you out?”
“Because they wouldn’t, okay?” he snapped. “We’ve been doing this for more than five years and we never had a leak before!”
“You’ve never had a hundred million dollars’ worth of cars, or the police breathing down your neck before, either, have you?”
“No,” he had to admit.
“So why do you think you owe them anything?”
“What about you?” he asked quietly.
“You don’t owe me shit! I knew what I was getting into! If I go back to prison because of this, it won’t be your fault!” she cried in frustration. “I’m just a fuck-up,” she added more quietly. “I guess I always will be.”
“That’s not how the Sons are,” he said quietly. “We watch out for each other. We help each other when we need to. You’re one of us now.”
“Thanks,” she said flatly, then softened. “Look, I know what you are doing. It’s okay. I don’t need you to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can. But that isn’t what this is about. It’s about loyalty and doing what is right by your friends… your brothers and sisters.”
“What about you? Shouldn’t this be a two-way street? Shouldn’t they be trying to do what is right by you?”
“Yes. So…?”
“So… wait before you do something stupid like turn yourself in and take the rap. At least wait until you find out if they deserve that kind of loyalty. Jack, I’ve been to prison. It’s not a fun place, and trust me, you don’t want to go there. If you take the fall for this, you are going to go away for a long time. I…”
“You what?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.
“I don’t want you to do that. Not for anyone. Not even me.”
He studied her for a long time as she stared at her feet. “Okay. I will wait for now. But I planned the heist. I pulled it off. If it looks like anyone else is going to take the fall for it, I will come forward.”
“Thank you, Jack,” she said with a ghost of a smile, but he could see a sadness in her eyes.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Their spat had put a bit of a damper on their evening. Rather than frolicking in the pool they sat together on the bed and obsessively watched the news. Tina started out stiff and kept her distance, but after a time she softened and scooted in close, Jack’s arm going around her as she leaned in against him. The story of the recovered Ferraris popped up about every thirty minutes on the cable news channels, but they learn nothing new. Finally, at about ten o’clock, he clicked the television off and slid down the bed as he tugged her into his arms.
“Jack?” she asked as she snuggled in close.
“What?”
“Why do you feel like you need to give yourself up for someone else? All of us are guilty of stealing the cars. Why does it have to be you that goes down?”
“Who, then? You?”
“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve already got a record. Maybe it should be me.”
“Bullshit. I dragged you into this. Why should you take the fall?”
“Why does it have to be you, though?”
“It’s my organization.”
“Seth is the President,” she pointed out.
“So?”
“Is it true, what Nic told me, that you don’t want to be the president of the Sons?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Just wondering. Why not?”
“I just don’t. It’s not important to me. The only reason I’m Vice-President is because whoever is President keeps nominating me and they vote me in. It’s gotten to be a running joke.”
“Or… they respect you and value your judgment and input.”
“For all the good that has done them. Look what that judgment has gotten them into.”
“Your part of the deal went off without a hitch. If the buyer hadn’t backed out you would have gotten away scot-free. You can’t be blamed for that.”
“I’ll be sure to tell that to the judge.”
“Don’t be an ass,” she said softly.
“I just don’t want someone else to take a fall for me, that’s all.”
“I know. But… I don’t want you to take the fall, either. That’s why I don’t want you to turn yourself in. Maybe everyone can escape this mess now that they have the cars. If we go to ground long enough, maybe they will forget about us.”
Jack snorts softly. “Somehow I doubt that, and five years is a long time to wait for the statute of limitations to run out.”
“Yeah,” she murmured sadly. She lay still and enjoyed being in Jack’s arms. She had known him for only two weeks but for reasons she couldn’t easily articulate, being here, on his right side and tucked into the crook of his arm, just felt right and natural. Like she belonged here.
He held Tina, the warmth of her body against his a comfort as he spun in
a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. He didn’t want to go to jail, but he didn’t want anyone else going in his place either. If the fucking buyer just hadn’t backed out, none of this would have happened! he mused. But the most disturbing part was finding the cars. Having the cops show up at the clubhouse was suspicious enough, but having them find the cars the next day? That beggared belief… unless someone on the inside talked. He trusted the Sons with his life, and had for years… but what if someone did talk? But why? For the reward? Would one of the Sons roll over for a hundred grand when they could have a million if they just sit tight? Only Seth and Marshall knew where he stashed the cars, but he couldn’t believe it would be one of them. Especially Marshall. There had to be another explanation! But what? Tina had planted the seed of doubt and he hated that it had taken root. For now she was the only person he could trust absolutely, but he needed to talk to Marshall and find out what the hell was going on.
“What?” she asked as he looked at her and smiled.
“Nothing. I was just thinking that you went from trying to steal my hog to being the only person I can trust.”
She smiled, warmed by this comment. “I would never break your trust, Jack. I owe you too much to ever do that. You’re the only person that has ever given me a second chance.”
He watched her eyes fill with tears as she spoke and once again he could feel his heart go out to her. Sometimes there was so much pain in her eyes it made his heart break. He turned slightly to bring his lips to hers. They kissed slowly, gently, as her hand came to his face in a soft caress. Their lips parted and he stared into the infinite depths of her eyes, losing himself in them as he felt something change within him… something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
When he pulled slowly back from their kiss, she watched as his face and eyes softened into a look she hadn’t seen before. Then he smiled. Though she couldn’t say why this smile was different than the hundreds he had given her over the past two weeks, it touched her in a way she had never felt before. As he brought his lips to hers again, she felt a warmth spread through her… like the heat of passion, but this time, it filled her heart.
As their kiss deepened, Jack could tell something fundamental had changed between them. They had been fucking their brains out almost every night for the past two weeks… sometimes hard and fast, sometimes slower and more gently. But as he kissed down her neck, tonight was different in ways he couldn’t describe, but could feel. Gone was that animalistic need… replaced with something more meaningful, the pleasure of the flesh complemented with the pleasure of the soul. He still wanted Tina, perhaps more than ever before, but now he wanted her and not just her body.
She groaned as his lips danced over her skin. Over the past two weeks Jack had fucked her like no man has before and had given her orgasms like she only dreamed possible. But for all of that, it was just fucking, the taking and giving of pleasure between man and woman. But here, now, in this very moment, that pleasure paled in comparison to how she felt. Before it was superficial… but now, as his lips caressed her skin, the sensations ran deep, pleasing her in ways she had never felt before. He had made her cry out in ecstacy before… but now he made her want to cry out in joy… to scream to the world that Jack Carter was filling her to overflowing with happiness.
He felt her come alive in his embrace. She had always participated in their love making as she moved with him, but this was different somehow. Now she was… vibrant. Alive in a way she had never been before. He couldn’t explain the difference, but he could feel it as her energy washed over him and charged him up like a battery. Never had he wanted a woman more than he wanted her at this very moment. He pulled back, wanting, needing, to see her eyes, to determine what was there. As he gazed down at her again, she smiled at him—a smile that warmed him to his very core. As he stared into her beautiful eyes, taking in that soft little smile that touched his heart, her hands touched his shirt buttons.
She didn’t know what had happened, and she didn’t care. Jack had been her savior, taking her into his home while he offered her food, shelter, and comfort. While she slowly worked the buttons on his shirt her eyes never left his and she realized that she no longer looked at him as just a nice guy helping her out. He had become more… so much more. As she pushed his shirt from his shoulders, she leaned up for a kiss. When their lips met that connection she felt with him grew stronger and more resilient, binding her to him. As he pulled back, her eyes once again met his and she promised herself that she would do anything, everything, to protect him from harm. Before the world could hurt Jack Carter, it would have to go through her!
He gently pulled her upright and removed her shirt, kissing along the edges of her bra with feather-light touches as he worked the clasps. As her covering came free, she fell back to the bed and pulled him down with her. Their skin touched and he tingled in pleasure as the feeling that she was energizing him grew stronger. They slowly devoured each other as the kiss grew deeper and more erotic. He broke the kiss and moved back to her neck where the taste of her was more intoxicating than the finest chocolates. She had come into his life to steal from him… and she was indeed stealing something now: his heart.
As Jack kissed down her body, Tina couldn’t stay still. Each touch of his lips was a pinprick of pleasure, a flare of pure joy. He paused at her breasts where he suckled at her nipple before giving it a gentle bite. The nip made her gasp and heave in pleasure as he soothed the sting with his tongue. He continued to torment her with pleasure as she wrapped her hands in his hair, first to hold his mouth in place, then to urge him lower… an urging he ignored.
He felt her push gently on his head as she encouraged to move lower, but he refused to be rushed. She had awakened something in him—a warmth he hadn’t felt in years. He basked in the warm glow that was thawing his heart, one that he thought was long dead. This was his chance to right a wrong, to atone for a mistake that had haunted him for years. He would protect this woman from harm and keep her safe… as he had been unable another.
Tina felt something change with Jack. His kisses became even more loving and passionate as his hands caressed her, and his lips began their slow march down her body. Reaching her pants he slowly opened them as his lips traveled behind in the widening vee. She moaned softly in anticipation. His erotic actions sat her on edge and her skin felt as hot as if she were basking in New Mexico sun. He removed her pants, but as he slid them down to her knees he pinned them to the bed with his body, binding her legs and preventing her from moving. As his tongue touched her she shuddered as a wave of pleasure coursed through her.
He touched her with his tongue and tasted her nectar as he began to fence with her clit. He forced his tongue into all her secret places and soon she began to moan softly, writhing and thrusting. She wrapped her hands in his hair once again and pulled him to her as he his tongue flicked and probed.
She struggled to get her legs free of her pants but she was too tightly bound. As he drove her deeper into passion she realized that she had no choice but to accept the pleasure he was giving her, that she was completely in his hands, and the knowledge caused her excitement to spiral to unknown heights. “Please, Jack, please…” she begged, not even knowing what she wanted other than for this night to never end.
As she begged he smiled and pressing into her harder. He used his tongue like a rapier as he thrust with a quick sharp movement. She shuddered again and pulled him even tighter into her as she strained against her binding pants. He pressed in harder still as his lips tugged and pulled even as he slid a finger into her wetness.
The moment his finger touched her sweet spot, her approaching orgasm swelled to a terrifying height before it crashed down upon her and drowned her in pleasure. As he stroked and nibbled at her she was battered by a wave of pleasure so great it took even her ability to give voice to the pleasure that consumed her like a wild fire.
He continued to lick and pinch and stroke as she squirmed. He groaned as she pulled his face to her with re
newed intensity, but the discomfort paled in comparison to the pleasure he felt as he made love to her.
“Wait! Jack, wait! I need to catch my breath!” she panted as her orgasm washed out of her and left her breathless in its wake. But he didn’t wait. He didn’t want to give her a chance to regain her balance… he wanted to make her mad with pleasure. Helpless, she began the climb up the mountain as he continued to torment her with lips, tongue and finger. “Jack, please…” she managed to gasp out before another withering orgasm took her.
Wild & Inked: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Desert Sons MC) (No Saints in Biker Hell Book 2) Page 14
