Tank (Dixie Reapers MC 9)

by Harley Wylde

  “I know Tank doesn’t want you leaving the compound,” Ridley said, “but sometimes we hang out at the clubhouse during the day. The sluts aren’t around then.”

  Wait. What?

  “Sluts?” I asked.

  “Um.” Ridley looked at the other two before focusing on me again. “There are women who hang around the club, sleep with any of the guys who ask, in hopes of becoming an old lady. Or maybe some of them just like the thrill of being used by bikers. Whatever the case, at night, the clubhouse tends to have mostly if not fully naked women running around.”

  Well, that was news to me, and not the good kind. Tank had said he was with a lot of women before me, but I hadn’t realized they were still here. Did he still see them every day?

  “And Tank goes there at night?”

  “He used to,” Darian said. “I’m sure that he won’t now that he’s married. And even when the guys go who have wives or old ladies at home, they make sure the sluts leave them alone. Once a Reaper settles down, they never want another woman.”

  I hoped they were right. Tank might not have married me of his own free will, but the fact remained that according to the state records, we were in fact husband and wife. I just didn’t know if that meant anything to him. It seemed like he wanted me in his life, and wanted me as his wife, but what if someone better came along? I’d never been as secure as Lupita, and now it was going to bite me in the ass. I just knew if Tank went to the clubhouse at night, I’d worry myself to death that he was with another woman. I hated being that type of person, but I didn’t know how to shut it off. Maybe after we knew each other better, I’d feel more secure that he wouldn’t cheat on me.

  “You shouldn’t have said anything,” Darian muttered. “He obviously hasn’t told her much about this way of life.”

  “Better to know than find out the hard way, right?” I asked.

  “If Tank didn’t rip into Wire, then I’m sure everything is fine,” Isabella said. “He’s never been shy about expressing his opinions. The fact you don’t have a lawyer here writing up divorce papers tells me that he wants to be married to you, which means you’re the only woman he wants.”

  “What if I’m not enough?” I asked. “He wanted Lupita, and I’m nothing like her. She’s all strong and mouthy, and I’m just… not. What if he regrets being stuck with me?”

  “Ladies, out,” Tank said from the doorway, his voice deep and commanding.

  I hadn’t even noticed him standing there, and now I felt like an idiot. My cheeks burned with embarrassment as the women scurried out. After the front door shut, he moved closer, dragging a chair over, and took a seat across from me, close enough our knees were nearly touching. I couldn’t look at him, feeling completely humiliated. How much had he heard? Was he angry with me?

  He reached for my hand and slid something onto my finger. I blinked at the sapphire that sparkled in the light. It was plain white gold with a big stone in the center, and had a diamond encrusted band paired with it. I stared, not sure what to think, feel, or even say. I’d been thinking he didn’t really want me, and he’d been out buying me a ring? How had he even known what size to get? It was a perfect fit.

  He held another ring out to me, this one a man’s ring in white gold. I took it from him and lifted my gaze to meet his. He was watching me intently, but didn’t say anything. Tank held out his left hand and I slid the ring onto his finger. My heart was hammering in my chest and my fingers tightened on his.

  “Emmie, I think there are some things we need to discuss,” he said.

  Right. Like what I should and shouldn’t say around the other ladies. Or anyone for that matter. I felt like such an idiot. Even though I didn’t know Tank very well, it had been wrong of me to voice my concerns about his intentions in front of the women in his club. I should have gone to him if I was worried.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

  “Why are you having such a hard time believing that I want to be with you and only you?” he asked.

  “Have you seen you? You’re like every woman’s fantasy, and I’m… I’m like a female version of the Pillsbury Doughboy. My sister is graceful and strong, and very independent. She’s the kind of woman who can make a man beg.”

  “And you don’t think men would beg to be with you?” he asked.

  “Why would they?”

  He abruptly stood and tugged on my hand. Without a word, he led me back to the bedroom, then kicked the door shut. When he opened the closet, there was a full-length mirror hanging on the inside of the door. Slowly, he began to remove first my clothes and then his. I tried to look away, but he turned my chin until I was staring at our reflection.

  “What do you see?” he asked.

  “A woman who needs to lay off the cookies?”

  His gaze held mine in the mirror, and I could tell he wasn’t pleased with my answer. He slid his hands down my sides to my hips, then one palm gave my ass a squeeze.

  “I fantasized about this ass for weeks. It’s perfect, and it made me hard just thinking about you bent over and begging to be fucked.” He moved his hand back to my hip. “And these curves? They’re gorgeous. You’re gorgeous, Emmie. I could worship your breasts for hours, and I love the way your softer body presses against me when I’m inside you. I’m glad you’re not stick thin. There’s nothing wrong with those women, but I like a woman who gives me something to hold onto.”

  “Zach…” My heart gave a ping. No one had ever said something like that to me before. Even though I hadn’t dated, I’d heard enough comments about putting down the donut or getting a salad that it had made me doubt myself. Guys had hit on me and made lewd suggestions, but none had ever asked me out. I’d given those people power over me. “I never felt beautiful until last night. The way you looked at me was something I’d dreamed of often and thought I’d never have. Guys only ever wanted to get into my pants, and even those were few and far between. Especially if they met Lupita. I’ve never been on a date.”

  “If you had walked in with your sister the first time I met her, I never would have even glanced her way. You’ve held me captive since the first moment I saw you, Emmie. The guys teased me about the number of times I ate at the diner, just so I could be near you.” He shrugged. “And I may have followed you back to the motel after every shift to make sure you made it into your room safely.”

  Tears pricked my eyes. “You did that for me? Even before we’d spoken?”

  He nodded.

  I turned in his embrace and placed my hands on his broad chest. I could feel the thump of his heart against my palms. Slow and steady. The warmth in his eyes wasn’t lust, but something a little more. The hard cock trapped between us said enough about how much he desired me, but I was starting to think that maybe what we had went beyond that. It seemed unthinkable since we’d only met yesterday, but maybe Wire had been right. When you know, you just know. If the right person comes along, maybe it doesn’t take weeks, months, or years to be certain.

  “No one has ever made me feel as special, or as wanted as you do. I think part of my self-doubt is that I’m worried it’s all too good to be true. That I’ll wake up tomorrow and find out it was a dream. You seem too perfect, Zach, and it scares me. The only men I’ve known were people like my father, or the players at school who just wanted notches on their bedposts. You aren’t like them.”

  “Em, don’t make me out to be something I’m not. I’m no angel. I’ve killed people, and those I left alive wished they were dead. I’ve run guns and drugs, slept with more women than I care to admit.”

  “And maybe to some people that makes you a bad person. The way you look at me, the tender way you touch me, shows me that there’s more to you than all that other stuff. Maybe it’s a side that only I get to see, and I’m all right with that. I could easily fall for you, Zach.”

  “Good,” he said as his head lowered toward mine. He stopped when our noses touched. “Because I’m already falling for you,
Em.”

  When he kissed me, it felt like I was burning from the inside, and my toes curled as I melted against him. Zach was everything I’d ever wanted, and never dared to dream I’d have. To some, he might be dangerous and deadly, but the only danger I faced was having him break my heart.

  He lifted me and carried me over to the bed, then gently laid me down. His heated gaze caressed me from head to toe before he lowered his body over mine. I welcome his weight as he pressed me into the mattress, his cock already hard and leaking pre-cum. Zach kissed me until I was breathless. My heart felt like it was racing and I was already trembling. Just the power of his lips was enough to make me beg for more.

  “You deserve a man who will take all the time in the world to worship every inch of you,” he said, his voice deep and rumbling. “Someone who will leave no doubt that you’re the most desirable woman in the world.”

  “Zach, if you take all the time in the world, I might combust. I already want you.”

  “I don’t want you to ever doubt how beautiful you are, or how perfect. And just to make sure you learn that lesson, I’m going to make sure you take everything I have to give.”

  What did that mean? I blinked up at him and before I could process what was happening, he’d rearranged me on the bed and shackled my hands to the headboard. I stared at the cuffs before looking at Zach again.

  “Where did those come from? I don’t remember them being there before.”

  “They weren’t,” he said. “I hung them on the headboard before I left to see Torch. I know you didn’t think you’d be into this sort of thing, but I’d thought we could play with them. I’d have stopped the second you weren’t into it. Now they’ll serve another purpose.”

  “And that would be?”

  “To keep you from moving too much. Unless you want your legs tied, I’d suggest you hold still.”

  My heart skipped a beat. Tie my legs? I wasn’t sure if I was extremely turned on by the idea, or slightly disturbed. Since I hadn’t had sex before Zach, I didn’t really have any experience with bondage. Despite the fact I liked to read rather spicy books, finding myself in this position didn’t feel at all the way I’d thought it would. I trusted him, but the thought of being helpless made my twist my hands and squirm a little. If it were anyone else, I’d be really damn scared right now.

  His gaze softened a moment as he stared at me. “You okay, baby? I can unfasten them if you want. I would never ask you do something you don’t enjoy, not in the bedroom anyway.”

  “No, they’re fine. I’m just… not used to something like this.”

  “Then I guess I’d better take your mind off it.” Zach flashed me a grin, then lowered his head to my breasts, licking first one nipple, then the other. He grazed the second one with his teeth and a shiver raked my body. He took his time, lavishing attention on one breast, then the other, before moving back again. My nipples were throbbing, and so was my pussy. My hands clenched as I jerked at the handcuffs, wanting to hold him closer to me.

  “Patience, sweetheart,” he murmured as he kissed his way down my body.

  I felt like I was on fire, and as his shoulders spread my thighs wider, my breath froze in my lungs. The first swipe of his tongue against my wet folds had me keening and tightening my legs against him. He only chuckled when I squeezed him, then went back to teasing me without mercy.

  He flicked my clit, then traced around it. My legs trembled and I tugged on the cuffs again. Zach gripped my hips and speared me with his tongue, thrusting it in and out. I whimpered and begged, wanting to come. When he sucked my clit into his mouth, I screamed with the force of my release, stars bursting behind my closed eyelids. It felt like I’d left my body before I came crashing back down. My chest heaved with every breath as he rose above me, his hips pressing against mine.

  “Zach,” I said softly.

  His gaze held mine as he sank into me, stretching me slowly. When every inch of his cock filled me, I wrapped my legs around his waist. Zach pulled back, then drove into me with enough force the headboard smacked against the wall. Every thrust was harder and deeper than the last, until he was slamming into me. My body was tightening and I knew I would come even harder than before.

  “So close,” I said. “Don’t stop!”

  He growled and took me even faster. I cried out his name as I came again, squeezing his cock until I felt the warmth of his cum inside me. His strokes slowed, but he didn’t stop until my breathing turned ragged and I felt boneless. As he kissed me softly, I felt his hand at my wrists, and then the cuffs were unlocked.

  I glanced up and tried not to snicker as I saw the crack in the wall had gotten even bigger. If he was going to keep breaking the wall, we’d have to either pad the sheetrock or move the bed to the center of the room.

  “Any doubts that I think you’re the most desirable, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?” he asked.

  “No,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I doubted you before. It wasn’t you that I was doubting, not really. It was me. I’ve never had anyone notice me when my sister was around, and I guess I worried the same would happen with you.”

  “You’re mine, Emmie. My wife. Reapers don’t divorce, so you’re stuck with me forever. I gave you the option to have Wire make it all vanish, but I’m taking that off the table. If you wanted out of this marriage, you had your chance. I will always be faithful to you, and I expect the same in return. We may not have said vows, but it doesn’t make you any less mine.”

  “There’s no one I want but you, Zach.”

  He kissed me and cuddled me close. With his name on my lips, I fell asleep. There was nowhere safer than being in his embrace.

  Chapter Seven

  Tank

  Two Weeks Later

  I’d spent every waking moment waiting to hear from Emmie’s father and that Ernesto fuck, and planning how I would take them out. My nights were filled with making my sexy wife scream my name. I’d patched the bedroom wall and let Emmie pick out a paint color. Slowly, my house was becoming a home. At her suggestion, I’d placed the bed at an angle in the corner of the room, and I’d bought some of those foam noodles the kids played with in pools. I’d cut them down to size, then sliced them open and fit them around the posts of the bed where it might hit the wall. Since then, we hadn’t had an issue with cracked walls.

  The bedroom was now a slate blue, and she’d ordered matching bedding online. I hated that I couldn’t take her outside of the compound, but I wasn’t going to take a chance with her safety. Every Dixie Reaper -- patched members, officers, Prospects, and even the old ladies -- had been shown pictures of Luis Montoya and Ernesto Lopez. Not only were we keeping a sharp eye for them sneaking into the compound, but anytime someone left they watched their surroundings. The ladies were on lockdown, which had pissed off Ridley to no end, but she understood.

  Since none of the kids could leave the safety of our fenced compound, Torch and Venom had ordered playground equipment and set up a park area away from the clubhouse. They’d spared no expense and even added benches and a covered pavilion for future family gatherings. I couldn’t drive by the new spot without smiling. Over the last nine years, things had changed drastically for my brothers. There were still some wild parties at the clubhouse, but fewer and fewer members were partaking. Quite a few of us had settled down and had families. Even though Saint was still single, since he’d become a father, I’d noticed he didn’t go to the clubhouse as often. Isabella and Ridley had both offered to watch his daughter, but he always declined.

  At one point, I’d have laughed if someone said we’d all start settling down. No way the wild bunch of men I called brothers would ever give up all the free pussy they could have. I’d have been wrong. With the right woman, all that other pussy just didn’t mean a damn thing. Not once since I’d laid eyes on Emmie had I even entertained the thought of being with another woman. She was it for me.

  “I thought VanHorne was supposed to be here,” I said, as I looked around the table
at my brothers. Torch had called Church nearly a half hour ago, but so far no one had said a damn thing. “Wasn’t he arriving weeks ago, but we haven’t seen him?”

  “He’s here,” Torch said. “Just because you can’t see him, doesn’t mean the man isn’t around. He stopped in to visit Isabella and his grandkids, but he hasn’t really made his presence known. The last thing we want is for these fuckers to go to ground.”

  “So someone has seen Ernesto and Luis?” I asked.

  “Do you really think I’d let those sick bastards wander around our fucking town without knowing their every move? They’ve been watched. So far, they haven’t done much of anything, but I’m sure that won’t last. From what I hear, they’re getting tense and I have no doubt they’ll make a move soon,” Torch said.

  “You’re not using Emmie as bait,” I said.

  “We didn’t ask to,” Venom said. “Nothing changes where the ladies and kids are concerned. They’re all on lockdown until this is handled.”

  “But?” I asked. There was always a fucking “but” in there.

  “We’re going to set up a meeting with them. As far as they know, we’re willing to listen to what they have to say. They’ll be allowed into the compound, patted down, then escorted straight here. Guards will be stationed not only outside the door, but around the clubhouse as well. There’s no way those fuckers are going to get anywhere near Emmie,” Venom said. “And the dumb shits probably won’t realize they’re walking into a trap.”

  “You didn’t think as Sergeant at Arms I might have needed to be consulted on this? Making sure this type of thing runs smooth is kind of my job,” I pointed out.