Bound by Their Kisses [Knights in Black Leather 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  Tessa was helpless against the blatant sexuality of the man. His kiss consumed her, leaving nothing behind for her to use to rebuild her defenses. She had no doubt he’d planned it that way, too. Tag was relentless if nothing else. He didn’t give up when he wanted something, and for some reason she couldn’t begin to understand, he wanted her.

  It was that intense obsession Tag seemed to have for her that had her falling a little more for him. He took what he wanted but never took more than she was willing to give. Maybe on the outside, she protested, but deep inside, Tessa knew she wanted him. It was the reason she hadn’t run before now. She wanted him, wanted them.

  Hands that had been holding her at her waist to keep her still now roved up the sides of her body to cup her face as he slowly released her lips, only to eat at her chin, cheeks, and ear. He trailed a line of hot, wet kisses down her neck to the edge of her shirt. The low growl he gave let her know he didn’t like that her shirt was in the way, but he didn’t attempt to move it. Instead, he worked his way around the neckline of the shirt then moved back up her neck to return to her lips. All the time, he held her immobile by pressing his pelvis against her lower belly. The thick ridge of his engorged cock left no doubt that he wanted her.

  “Son of a bitch, Tessa. You drive me crazy, and I don’t like it. Not one damn bit,” Tag heaved out against her lips.

  “Then why are you here?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

  “Because I can’t leave you alone. You’re in my blood, baby girl. All I have to do is think about you, and my dick turns into a damn hound dog after a bitch in heat.”

  She tried to turn her head away from the brush of his lips, but Tag wasn’t letting her escape. His nasty talk should have turned her off, pissed her off, but instead, her already wet panties soaked up another wave of arousal dripping from her pussy.

  “Stop thinking about me. Quit coming by the store just to harass me all the time, and you’ll be free of me,” she said. God knew she didn’t really mean the words, but she should.

  “Not happening, Tessa. I’m already addicted to the way you walk and, now, to the way you taste. I can’t get that hitch in your voice when you talk out of my head. Just hearing you talk could make me come in my jeans like a fucking teenager, baby girl,” Tag said, his husky voice sending chills down her spine.

  He must have felt her shiver. Tag wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his hot embrace. Her hands automatically went to his shoulders as he enfolded her in a blanket of warmth, and that scent that was all Tag. Where Zander smelled of cedar and something spicy and wild, Tag carried the scent of leather and loam, all earthy and natural.

  “No more running scared, Tessa. You’re ours. It’s time you accept it and stop making us crazy chasing you.” He looked down at her, his eyes searching her face.

  “No. I can’t be yours. I can’t be anybody’s. Don’t push me, Tag,” she all but begged.

  “What’s holding you back, baby? What are you hiding from? I know you’re hiding from something—or is it someone? Are you running from someone, Tessa? Tell me who, and I’ll deal with them.” The determined expression on his face told her he was more than serious. He was promising her that he would take care of any threat to her.

  “I’m not running from anyone, Tag. I’m just not going to be someone’s doormat.” She bit her tongue. She’d almost said “again,” and that would have created a snag in her armor that would give Tag something to worry at like a dog gnawing on a bone.

  He narrowed his eyes down at her. “No one wants you to be a doormat, Tessa. What gives you that impression?”

  “You and Zander are Doms. I’m not a submissive. I’m my own person, and no one is going to tell me what to do. You and your buddy need to back off and find someone else to hound,” she said.

  His slow, smug grin should have told her just how much trouble she was in, but Tessa was sure that she had made herself clear enough he would back off. She knew one thing about them for sure. They didn’t bully women, and they didn’t force them. None of the members of Golden Shackles were abusive to women. It was the one reason she hadn’t pulled up stakes and left town a long time ago.

  Steve Tyler, her boss at Heavy Trinkets, was a member along with his brother Ben. Their wife Stacey was a sweet woman who worked at Sassy Sophisticate. All it would take was one word that someone was bothering her, and Steve would put an end to it. He wouldn’t, however, get in between her and Tag and Zander as long as all they were doing was pursuing her. She knew their rules. But it looked like they’d raised the stakes on her. She needed to decide if she was going to be able to withstand their brand of courting, or if she would have to move on.

  “What are you thinking, Tessa? I can see your brain working overtime behind those pretty green eyes of yours. Don’t do something you’ll regret,” he said.

  “I already have. I gave in and let you bring me home,” she said in a near whisper. “Now leave before I scream.”

  Chapter Two

  Tag wasn’t surprised that she was fighting them so hard. The first time they’d seen her at the fire that had nearly taken Marx and Jackson’s then-girlfriend Kelly, they’d known she would be a handful, but that didn’t stop them from wanting her. Time had only made the need for her stronger, but with it had come respect and admiration for the pretty redhead. While she was alone and nearly destitute, Tessa had worked for everything she had. Instead of accepting handouts and poormouthing her situation, she’d negotiated to clean house or weed flowerbeds for what she was freely given.

  If she gave her word she’d be there, Tessa showed up, walking in the rain. If she promised to help with a project, she was the first one there and the last to leave. Tag wanted to give her the world even knowing she’d never accept it without earning it. Deep down he knew part of her drive to earn her way was so no one owned any part of her. But her core being was of someone good and kind, someone who believed in honor and hard work.

  He and Zander had fought hard to make their own way in the world, building businesses out of nothing. They had gained the respect of the people in town when they had kept their places clean and safe. He and Zander showed up to help when someone needed something and never asked for anything in return. They knew what it took to change what people thought about them. They understood what Tessa dealt with on a daily basis when she’d first arrived. The fact that she hadn’t given up or taken off again only proved that she was perfect for them in every way.

  Even now, with her staring up at him in defiance, he admired her. But he wanted her, too. Wanted her to the point of pain at the moment. It was time to leave before he did or said something that would set them back after all the time it had taken to get this far with the midget Amazon. She might only come up to his chin at around five feet four inches, but she packed a punch when she looked at him with those amazing green eyes.

  When she’d first shown up in Perkins City, their curvy spitfire was thin and quiet with a wild look about her. Now that she was eating regular meals, she’d filled out to be the enticing woman neither he nor Zander could ignore. The sprinkle of freckles across her nose and across her cheeks made him ache to find out where else she had them. That led to wanting to trace them with his tongue, which sent him down a dark road of need that ended with him rubbing one off in the shower every night. Hell, he’d even been known to jerk off in the bathroom at the shop after seeing her bending over to stock a shelf in Heavy Trinkets.

  Now, standing in front of her in her clean but rundown apartment, Tag realized he’d pushed too hard. Damn! He’d only planned to make sure the apartment was empty and safe and maybe kiss her. Claiming her as theirs hadn’t been smart, but after tasting her, feeling her against his body, Tag lost all control. He didn’t lose control, period.

  Hell, there was no changing what he’d done now. Forward was the only way to go.

  “I’m leaving, Tessa, but this isn’t over. You know we would never hurt you. Nor would we treat you less than the i
ntelligent, sexy woman you are. Women aren’t doormats in this town. You should know that by now,” he said, watching the myriad of emotions pass through her eyes.

  “I know that I’m not looking for a man, or two for that matter. I don’t need one to take care of me. I can do that myself,” she told him. Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

  “It’s not about having someone to take care of you, Tessa. It’s about having someone to care for you. It’s about having someone to share life’s pleasures and pains. Give it some thought, baby girl. Zander and I have waited for you to get on your feet again after whatever you’d been dealing with, but it’s been nearly a year. I think that’s enough time. Don’t you?”

  He took another step back as her mouth opened and closed without saying anything. His little Tessa was struggling to continue fighting, but he could see the exhaustion in her from trying to keep that wall up around her. The warmth and friendliness of the people in Perkins City was picking away at the mortar between her bricks faster than she could shore them up. He had no doubt that the walls would fall, but would she still be there when they did? The thought of her running scared him when nothing ever had before.

  He took another step back then turned and unlocked the door. When he turned around to close it behind him, he paused. She hadn’t moved an inch from where he’d left her. Her chest still heaved with her too-fast breaths.

  “Come lock the door behind me, Tessa. I’m not leaving until I hear the locks,” he said.

  She gave a jerky nod but still didn’t move. Tag sighed and closed the door, remaining right there until he heard her quick steps to the door and the grating of the deadbolt into place. The sound seemed to release him, and he was able to walk over to where he’d left his bike. Climbing on, Tag started the engine, backing up a few steps in order to turn around. He gave one last look at the shoddy apartments before riding out of the parking lot back toward the business section of town. He normally wore a helmet, but when Zander had called and told him Tessa was walking home, Tag hadn’t stopped to grab one, his only intent being to reach her before she’d gone too far on her own.

  Now he allowed himself to enjoy the feel of the wind in his hair. With it tied back, it didn’t get in his face quite as much. He needed to settle down some before he crashed in on Zander at the bike shop. His friend was going to meet him there after closing Naked Ink down. The other man wasn’t going to be happy with how Tag had pushed Tessa tonight.

  When he parked his bike outside the shop’s bay area in the back, Zander opened the door leading into the shop and waited on him to dismount and come inside.

  “Did she let you give her a ride home, or did you have to walk the bike all the way behind her?” Zander asked with a grin.

  “She rode,” he said, walking through the door into the break room behind the sales area. It closed behind him, automatically locking.

  “And?” Zander probed.

  “I probably pushed a little too hard,” he admitted. Tag walked over to the fridge and grabbed a couple of cold ones. He tossed one to Zander and popped the top on his.

  “What the hell did you do? We talked about needing to go easy with her. She’s liable to run, Tag.” Zander opened his own beer and took a drink.

  “I was just going to kiss her. Let her know we were interested in her, but fuck me, Zander. She tastes like pure sin. I lost it, man. I totally lost control. I never lose control.” He kicked the garbage can, knocking it against the wall.

  “What happened?” Zander asked in a quiet voice.

  Zander told him how she’d responded to him after the initial kiss, getting him so fucking turned on he thought he’d die if he didn’t get inside of her, but he’d backed away, knowing it was too soon. He told him how he’d as much as admitted that she was stealing his control.

  “When she told me to leave her alone, that she’d never belong to anyone but herself, I lost it. I told her she was already ours, that we were tired of waiting for her. She said she wasn’t going to be anyone’s doormat, that she knew we were Doms. Like we would treat her like that. It went all over me.” Tag sighed and ran a hand over his face before taking another healthy swallow of the ice cold brew.

  “What did you do, Tag?” Zander asked in a tired voice.

  “I told her not to do something stupid. I could tell she was thinking about leaving. She said she already had when she got on the bike with me.” He drained the beer and threw the empty can at the garbage can. “Fuck!”

  “Do you think she’s in the wind?” Zander asked.

  “She won’t leave without telling Steve. He’ll warn us if she says anything. I don’t think she’s going to run yet, but she’s going to do her damndest to avoid us now,” Tag said.

  “Maybe it’s for the best. We’ve let her get comfortable here and not really bothered her that much. It’s time we make our intentions known. You might have jumped the gun a bit, but not by much. We were going to approach her this weekend anyway, just maybe not as aggressively as you did,” Zander said.

  “She said she’s not running from anyone, and I believe her on that, but she’s running from something. Something upset her enough to make her take the risk of being on her own like that. She was all but starving when she showed up here,” Tag pointed out.

  “She’s awful worried about our being Doms and her getting treated poorly. I’d say someone’s done a number on her in the past, and that’s what this is all about.”

  Tag nodded. “I agree. Getting her to the point that she’ll submit to us is going to take time and a whole lot of patience. I’m not sure how I’m going to stand up to that.”

  “You don’t have a choice, Tag. Whatever she needs, we give her. If that means more time, then so be it. At least now we can openly approach her. The more time we spend around her, the more used to us she’ll become so that she doesn’t immediately bristle up.”

  “Talk about blue balls. Just looking at her is already torture. Spending time with her without getting too physical is going to be like walking on hot coals. All the burn while we’re walking across, but no relief when we step back on cool ground.”

  “Man, you come up with some of the weirdest fucking shit I’ve ever heard.” Zander finished his beer and tossed the empty into the can without the force behind it that Tag had.

  “That’s because I read something other than skin and biker mags in my spare time,” Tag joked. “You should try it sometime. Keep a couple of intelligent books in your bathroom for a change.”

  “Screw you, Tag. Reading Cosmopolitan didn’t do you much good with Tessa, now did it?”

  “Is the house ready?” Tag asked to change the subject. They’d gone in together and started building one when they’d agreed that Tessa was the one for them.

  Despite knowing they were in for a fight to convince her they loved and cared about her, they’d gone ahead and built the house that would be their home. They were confident that she would eventually give in and admit her attraction to them. It was easy to see how she felt when she first caught sight of them before she had time to mask her expressions. Even their friends commented on her obvious interest. She wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all them.

  Why she was so afraid to act on those feelings, he wasn’t sure, but they would find out and figure out how to work around the problem. If there was one thing he and Zander knew how to do, it was how to solve problems others couldn’t. Now they were so close to having what they wanted, a family with Tessa. The house had been the final step in the plan once she’d started relaxing some around them.

  Zander had moved into the place when it was nearly finished to do some of the detail work himself. Tag still lived in the tiny apartment above his garage. He didn’t want to move in until they had Tessa with them. A tiny part of him still didn’t believe she would go for being shared by the two of them. As much as he wanted to believe it could work, even with the other ménage families in town, Tag was still skeptical that he and Zander could manage it.

  It wasn
’t that he thought a triad relationship wasn’t really for him. He knew in his heart it was, but Tessa’s deep need for independence was going to put a strain on their closeness since he was by nature a controlling man. He knew it and could temper it to some extent, but deep down, Tag liked to be in control. Zander’s natural tendency for compromise when it came to women was Tag’s only chance at making it work with Tessa. He needed the other man’s flexible, laidback temperament to dampen his intenseness.

  “Pretty much. It needs more furniture and color, but Tessa will be the one to decide on those things,” Zander said. “I’ve finished all the detail work, and the basement is completely set up.”

  “I’m tired of waiting, Z.”

  “Yeah, me, too. We start wearing her down this weekend. Agreed?” Zander asked.

  “Agreed.”

  * * * *

  Tessa slowly backed away from the door once she heard the last rumble of Tag’s bike fade away. What was she going to do? They weren’t going to go away, and she didn’t have the willpower to stand up to them for much longer. She had to convince them to back off. If she couldn’t do that, she’d have to leave.

  She didn’t want to leave Perkins City. It was the perfect place for her. Even though she wasn’t into the whole BDSM way of life, it provided her with a sense of security since most of the men in town believed in treating women like prized possessions to be coddled and kept safe. If she so much as screamed, men from all over town would run to check on her.

  Well, maybe not on this side of town, but still. She didn’t want to leave. She could see herself spending the rest of her life in the tiny Texas town. She hoped that one day she would be able to afford a nicer place to live. Steve paid well, but it took time to save up enough money to move across town. She’d thought about getting a second job, but she had put it off since it would mean walking home after dark. The town was too small to have a taxi service, so walking was her only option.