Her first instinct was to run, and maybe weeks ago that’s what she would have done. But she’d changed since Zane walked back into her life, and in the last few weeks she’d moved on. She had always known he would leave her again. This time she wasn’t prepared to take him back.
“You missed it,” she said.
Pain flickered across Zane’s face as stared at the tombstone. “I watched from the rise,” he pointed to a hill behind him. “I have to keep a low profile. The brothers knew I was there.”
Evie swallowed past the lump in her throat. It was all too much. T-Rex. The funeral. Zane’s sudden appearance, and now this. “But not me.”
“I can explain it all to you.” He took a step toward her. “You want to talk here or at your place?”
“I moved.” She lifted her chin, met his gaze. “And I’m not interested in anything you have to say. I knew you’d leave me again. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon.” Caught in a maelstrom of emotion, Evie turned and walked away.
“Evie.”
She heard his voice and kept walking, past small benches and tombstones, neatly clipped bushes and vases of flowers. Only when she reached her vehicle did she let go.
With a growl of frustration, she kicked the tire over and over until her foot went numb. When she raised her fist to pound on the hood, Zane grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms by her sides.
“Stop.”
“Let me go.” She twisted and struggled in his grasp as all her pain came out in a rush. “You left me again. No note. No call. Not even a goodbye. T-Rex is dead because of me. And Bill … I couldn’t save him either.”
Zane tightened his grip and pressed his mouth to her ear. “I’ve got you. Use me. Take it out on me.”
I’ve got you. Those three words tipped her over the edge. He’d had her since she was eight years old. He had her when no one else cared. He had her and he left her. Again and again.
She turned in his arms and pounded on his chest, huge guttural sobs ripping from her throat as she let out her sorrow for T-Rex, for Bill, for the past she and Zane had lost to fear, for the future they might never have. Zane didn’t move, didn’t blink; he simply absorbed her blows as if he wanted her pain.
When she was worn out, he held her in his arms and kissed her, a soft brush of his mouth over hers, lips drinking her tears. “I left for us,” he said. “I left so we could have the chance of a future together.”
“Where did you go?”
“Stanton. I turned myself in. I’m out on bail until the preliminary hearing.”
A groan ripped from her throat. “Oh, God, Zane. Why? Why would you do that?”
“I want to be free,” he said simply. “I’m not a good man, Evie. Not in civilian terms. I’ve broken laws, committed crimes. But I can sleep at night because I’ve never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. After I met you again, I realized I’ve been living my life under the shadow of a lie. I loved you, but I denied it. I pretended those false charges meant nothing to me, but they do because they mean I can’t give you and Ty what I want to give—a choice.”
She felt a prickle at the back of her neck. “What choice?”
“Whether we live or leave the life is up to you.”
Evie fisted his shirt, pulled him close. “And what if it all goes wrong? What if they put you in jail for the next twenty years? What then?”
“I’ve loved you for almost twenty years, Evie; I’ll love you for twenty more. And I would wait a lifetime to hold you again.”
His utter and absolute faith, his conviction, his heartfelt words turned the tide and washed away the last of her reservations. “I need you,” she whispered. “I want to feel. I want to live so T-Rex didn’t die for nothing.”
“Over there.” He pointed to the caretaker’s potting shed just over the rise. They made their way through the soft grass to the door and Zane used his knife to snap the lock.
Rich and fragrant, the mingled scents of flowers and potting soil surrounded them when they stepped inside. Rows of freshly potted flowers lined the wall, and the small table under the sole window in the shed heaved under an array of potting equipment, bags of soil, fertilizer, watering cans and gloves. A large wooden table took up the center space and worn shelves lined the dark, wood walls.
Frantic to touch him, she shoved up his shirt as soon as he turned from bolting the door. She ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest, then she trailed kisses over his newly grown beard. “I’m not sure if I like all these prickles.”
Zane grabbed her ass and ground his erection against her belly. “You’ll love it when I’m between your thighs, licking your sweet pussy.”
“Arrogant.”
“You love that, too.”
He took control, spinning her around and then pushing her over the workbench in the center of the shed. “It’s not the hood of a 300C, but since I haven’t been able to get that image out of my mind, this will have to do.”
The rich scent of earth rose up from the wooden surface, raw and primal. “It’s perfect. Don’t make me wait.”
Zane leaned over her, pressing her body against the table with his weight, then he clasped her neck and pushed her cheek against the rough, wood surface. “You want it dirty, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
“You want it rough?”
“Yes.”
“You want me to fuck you so damn hard you can’t think of anything but the orgasm I won’t give you till you beg?”
“God, yes. Make me pay for letting T-Rex give his life for me.”
“No.” He released her, backing away, leaving her bereft.
Evie cried out in frustration. “Please, Zane. Make it all go away.”
Zane grabbed her hair and yanked, forcing her back to arch, and her ass to ride high against him. “I’ll give you what you want, sweetheart, the way you want it, but you don’t pay for T-Rex’s sacrifice. He was a Sinner and the debt is a Sinner debt—my debt. The only thing you can do for T-Rex is live and enjoy your life so his sacrifice means something. I want you to feel—pleasure, pain, and desire. I want you to know the love I have for you. I want you to understand that I will always be there for you. You are my life, Evie. You have my heart.”
He tugged her up by the hair and unzipped the sleeveless black dress she had worn for the funeral, shoving it down over her hips until it pooled on the floor in a black puddle. Then he unclasped her black bra and tossed it on the tool shelf beneath a small window covered with torn plastic curtains. Although the day was gray and misty, a sliver of light speared the darkness, falling on the workbench on which she lay.
“Another time I might play with these.” He traced his finger along the inside edge of her matching black lace thong, then traced the string between her buttocks to her wet center. “But today…” He kicked her legs apart. “They need to come off.” With a vicious jerk, her tore her panties away and tossed them on the shelf.
“Boots?” She looked back over her shoulder, licked her lips. Her long black leather boots, sleek and supple and crisscrossed with laces, had been an extravagance at a two-for-one sale. She and Connie had split the cost when Connie found a pair of fringed suede boots she just had to have.
“I like this look.” Zane slicked his fingers along her wet pussy, holding her tight against his shoulder with his fist in her hair. “Naked in boots. Wet and wanting. Under my control and at my mercy.” He cupped her sex, then splayed his fingers, forcing her legs to part. “Open wider for me, sweetheart. Got a lot of playing to do down here and I don’t want to bruise those pretty thighs.”
Evie eased her legs further apart, leaving her totally open to him, vulnerable and exposed.
“Beautiful.” He stroked her ass gently even as he pressed her against the table. Her nipples brushed over the cold, damp, gritty surface. Sinfully erotic.
“Up on your elbows. Hands apart. Hold the corners of the table. If you let go, I’ll tie them in place.” His low, sensual command turned her blood to molten
lava and she spread her arms and gripped the rough, hewn wood. The edge of the table dug into her belly, just above her mound, the painful pressure only inflaming her need as her body stretched to accommodate his demands.
She heard the snap of his cut, the soft rustle of clothing, and the rattle of a chain. But when she tried to look over her shoulder, Zane pressed her head down, cheek to the table.
“This is my show.” He leaned over, his bare chest hot against her cool skin, his hard, cock wedged firmly between her open thighs. “And I want to spend some time playing dirty with you.”
Before Evie could ask how much dirtier he could get, he pulled her hips back from the table, then crouched in front of her and feathered kisses along the inside of her thigh, his beard an erotic prickle over her skin. “I wanna taste you, Evie. I spent a week in jail in Stanton imagining every sweet inch of your body, trying to remember your honey.”
“Yes.” Unable to see or touch him, she gripped the edges of the table and focused on the rasp of his breathing as he worked his way toward her center, and the brush of his lips over her heated skin. She wiggled, angled her hips to get him where she wanted him to go. She needed him, craved his touch and the release only he could give her.
“Stay still.” His finger slicked through her folds in a slow, gentle caress that made her jerk against him.
“More.”
Zane chuckled, a low deep rumble that vibrated in her core. “This?” He slicked his finger through her pussy, spreading her moisture up and around her clit. “Or this?” He flicked his tongue over the throbbing bundle of nerves, as his bristles scraped over her sensitive skin. Evie shuddered in response.
“Lick me again.”
He teased her clit with the tip of his hot, wet tongue, the touch so light she wanted to scream, and then he thrust a finger inside her. Evie groaned at the intimate intrusion. Zane added a second finger, thrusting with firm, relentless pressure as he teased her clit, licking up and around, but never where she wanted him to go. With his expert touch, he held her on the edge, letting her peak and bringing her down before she could sail into oblivion.
“Zane. I can’t take anymore. Please.”
He thrust again, curling his fingers against her sensitive inner walls, and then his mouth clamped over her clit. Her climax came in a rush of wet heat, flooding her pussy and sending her spiraling in a wave of sensation.
“I’m gonna fuck you, sweetheart. Dirty and rough like you want.” He pulled away as she heaved in her breaths, and then he was behind her, one hand in her hair forcing her to arch back against him, her ass in the air, the other hand on her hip, holding her steady as he thrust into her wetness.
“Keep those legs open for me.” He tightened his grip on her hair and then he drew out and thrust deep. “Fuck, Evie. I missed you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I want you so bad.”
He slapped her ass, sending heat racing over her skin and straight to her aching pussy. Her desire spiraled again and she tightened her inner muscles against the steel of his shaft as he pounded into her.
“Oh, sweet heart.” He groaned. “Just like that.”
Her body burned with sensation, from the rich scent of earth mixed with pine from the table, to the musky smell of sex, and the damp fragrant air brushing over her skin. Every nerve ending in her body flared as she jerked against the table, rough wood over tender nipples, sharp edges against her palms and stomach, her pussy wet and throbbing.
“Who can give you what you want?”
Zane grunted and changed his rhythm, his thrusts coming hard and fast, his fingers digging into her hip, holding her steady.
“You.”
“Only me.” He reached around to flick her oversensitive clit. “Come with me, Evie. Together.”
Her muscles tensed and her back arched as the climax ripped through her, her pussy clenching around his hardened length. With a deep, guttural growl, Zane joined her, his cock driving deep and hard, sending her over the edge again.
He collapsed on top of her and for a few moments there was nothing but the combined rasp of their breaths and the warmth of his chest on her sweat-slicked back.
“My Evie.” He brushed her hair over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her neck. “My dirty girl likes it rough.”
Finally he pulled away and she shivered as cool air rushed over her skin. When he helped her up, she looked down and grimaced at the sight of her soil-covered breasts.
“When I agreed to dirty sex, I didn’t mean it literally.”
Zane chuckled and gently brushed her clean with a damp cloth from the sink in the corner. “I like all ways of dirty if they involve you.”
“I have a feeling I’ve just seen the tip of the iceberg.” She fastened her bra and then her arms dropped as a wave of sadness crashed over her.
“I didn’t know T-Rex that well, but from what I saw, he was a special person.”
Zane pulled her into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her. “I’ll miss him,” he said softly. “But I’ll be grateful to him every day of my life for keeping you safe and giving me another chance. There hasn’t been a single day in the last nine years that I haven’t regretted leaving you the way I did. Every year, I spent the last week of summer riding in the mountains, thinking about you, and what I could have done differently. After I saw you and Mark together, I just imagined a different life where I made different choices.”
“Then you wouldn’t be you.” She reached up to stroke his bristly chin. You wouldn’t have found the Sinners. You wouldn’t be a biker. You wouldn’t be the man I love. And I have to admit, the whole badass biker thing is kinda hot. Every time I see you in that cut, or on your bike, I just want to jump your bones.”
“Anytime. Anywhere. Any way you want.”
“I’ll wait for you, Zane.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “As long as it takes. Five years. Ten. Twenty. I’ll be here for you. And when you’re free, I want to see you in that cut. I can make it work because I know in my heart you’re a good person, and I know I have the strength to survive in your world. Arianne showed me there is more than one way to live the life. I can still be me. I can run my shop, be a soccer mom, and give you heck when you put yourself in danger. It will be you and me and Ty and your MC. Together.” And then, because she could feel the tears welling in her eyes, she smiled. “Of course it won’t be that long. I believed you when you told me the truth about what happened that night. The judge will believe you, too.”
“Your faith means everything to me.” He rested his forehead against hers, closed his eyes. “Now that I’ve seen you and put T-Rex to rest, I’m gonna deal with Viper. Then I’m gonna take that faith back with me to Stanton, knowing that if it does go wrong, you’ll be safe until I see you again.”
Viper.
She had almost forgotten about him. But she was dead certain he hadn’t forgotten about her.
TWENTY-FOUR
Don’t get too cocky after your first successful repair. There are always hidden problems.
—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL
Evie awoke from a dream of being seduced by a man with dark hair and darker eyes, only to discover it was no dream at all; her seducer had one hand between her legs and the other on her breast.
“What the…”
“Shhhh,” Zane whispered. “You fell asleep at the party. Had to bring you home in a cage.”
Evie grimaced. Ah, yes. The party after the funeral. Part Irish, T-Rex had asked that his brothers throw an Irish wake if he died and the Sinners had gone all out to honor his wishes, renting out Banks Bar, where Arianne and Dawn worked part-time, and inviting as many Sinners as it could hold.
After standing outside for a full five minutes, Zane had decided there weren’t any felons in Banks Bar that he personally knew, and the Sinners weren’t really a criminal organization; they were just a bunch of guys who liked to ride bikes. Plus, he’d seen someone’s hand on Evie’s ass, and that was the end of his good behavior.
/> “Knees up, sweetheart. Curl up and bring them to your chest.” Zane’s deep voice slid over her like a warm blanket. The morning light was already streaming through the crack in the curtains, filling the master bedroom of her new rental with the soft rays of dawn.
Half asleep, her body languid and relaxed, she complied, curling up in front of him, half wondering what he was up to now.
His hand slid over her ass to cup her sex, now fully exposed to his questing fingers. “You’re so wet. That’s my fault. I couldn’t keep my hands off you all night.” He slicked a finger through her folds and brushed her wetness along her inner thigh. “I never saw you drunk before. You were very affectionate. Shooter should be out of the hospital this afternoon. I only hit him a coupla times. And Patches is … well, we can go visit him tomorrow.”
Evie groaned and turned her face into the pillow. “Don’t tell me anything else.”
“So you don’t want to hear the part where you tried to rip off my clothes?” His hand stroked down her body to caress her breast, then over her curves to touch her intimately once more. Evie gasped as pleasure surged through her. She released her knees, and Zane growled softly.
“Don’t move. Back in position.”
Evie bit back a smile. She liked this side of him, confident, dominant, unyielding. It was a side she hadn’t seen when they were young, but she had always suspected was there.
He kissed her neck, then bit her gently as his finger pressed against her wet entrance. “All ready for me. But then you were ready for me hours ago, weren’t you, sweetheart?” He licked the bite, wrapped one arm around her knees, and before she realized what he intended, he drove his cock into her hard and deep.
The Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club, Books 1-3 Page 94
