Tanner's War

by Amber Morgan

  Beth's heart tripped. She didn't think she had words for what she was feeling, so she didn't try. She just kissed him. He responded hotly, crushing her to him, kissing her back as he couldn't—wouldn't stop.

  "I don't want to rush you into anything," he said, breaking away. "But you gotta know how badly I want you, Beth, and I'm not good at waiting."

  Feeling wildly daring, she reached down and placed her hand over his cock, found it hard and waiting. "I know," she said. He stiffed at her light touch, eyes fluttering closed. She felt powerful and vulnerable at the same time. He was such a big, strong man—if he wanted to, he could overpower her easily.

  But he wouldn't. She could dictate how he used his strength. She could choose what happened next. She'd never felt freer in her life.

  "I want everything from you," she said. "Everything."

  It was as if she'd let a wild animal out of its cage. Tanner grabbed her round the waist and swung her onto the bed, then straddled her, all before she could draw breath. He leaned down over her, pinning her wrists down on the soft bedding. He brought his face in close to hers, until she could feel his warm breath on her lips.

  "After this, Beth, you're mine. All mine. You got that? You can handle that?"

  "Try me," she said. "Find out."

  He kissed her, bruisingly, possessively, sending heat racing from her lips down to her core. She pushed her hips up, straining for contact. Tanner nipped her earlobe and released her hands, shifting down the bed to unzip her jeans.

  "I've been wanting to taste you from the second I saw you," he told her, pulling them off and leaving her in just her panties. "You okay with that?"

  She nodded frantically. Her clit throbbed so fast and hot, it felt like her entire body was pulsing with need. She could feel herself growing wetter as Tanner stared at her, his face hungry. "Yes," she said, realizing he was waiting for an answer. "Yes, please ..."

  He spread her legs, running his lips up the inside of her thighs, making her twist and gasp. When he reached her panties, he growled something unintelligible and pushed his face into the cotton. His teeth grazed her delicate sex through the material, a shockingly arousing sensation. She moaned, grabbing fistfuls of the bed sheets. He tugged her panties down and paused for a second.

  "I wanna make this good for you, but goddamn I wanna fuck you so badly."

  "You can't do both?" she asked breathlessly.

  He laughed and ducked his head, giving her clit one quick, teasing flick of his tongue. Beth bolted upright, a cry of surprise leaving her. Her heart raced and butterflies exploded in her belly. "Oh God."

  "Yeah," he answered her. "I can do both."

  Then he went to work with a passion, using tongue and teeth to torment her into a frenzy. He swept his tongue round her clit, sending almost unbearable waves of pleasure through her. Every now and then he punctuated his motions with a hard bite to her inner thigh, switching out the pleasure for a bracing flash of pain. Beth found herself in a state of almost panicked anticipation, never sure if he'd bite or caress her with his tongue. It was insane. It was heavenly.

  "Take your top off," he told her. "Let me see those tits."

  She was past blushing, way past self-consciousness. She sat up while he held her thighs and tugged her top off. Her borrowed bra was simple white cotton, like her panties, nothing alluring. But Tanner stared up at her like she was a prayer answered.

  "Off," he ordered.

  She pulled the bra off, watching the heat flare in his eyes.

  "Touch yourself," he said. "Touch them while I touch you, Beth."

  In her wildest fantasies, she'd never imagined a man talking to her like this. It was filthy—and oh, she liked it. She cupped her breasts, running her fingers over her aching nipples. Tanner wet his lips and got to his knees. He pulled his T-shirt off, revealing a hard-muscled chest decorated with tattoos. A wolf's head across his left pectoral, an antique-looking compass on the right. She reached out to touch them, but he caught her hand and pressed it back to her breast.

  He reached down between his legs and popped his jeans open to kick them off. His cock hung heavy and thick between his legs and she was seized with a desire to touch it, to make him as frantic and desperate as he'd made her.

  He reached across to the bedside table and grabbed something. She heard a rustle and realized he was putting a condom on.

  "Keep going," he said, his voice a guttural growl. He pushed two fingers into her, hard, and she squealed. "Keep going, Beth."

  She obeyed, rubbing and pinching her nipples. He gripped his cock in his free hand, pumping his fingers up and down his shaft. "I want you doing this," he told her, his fingers moving in and out of her. "I want to fuck your pussy and your mouth and your ass. You want that?"

  She couldn't speak. She could barely think, barely breath.

  "Answer me, Beth."

  "Yes," she said, closing her eyes as he pushed a third finger in her, stretching her beautifully. It hurt, but it hurt so good, she didn't want it to ever end.

  "Yes what? Look at me."

  She opened her eyes, tried to gather her wits, but he'd scattered them. "I want ..."

  "Tell me what you want." He pumped his cock harder, his breath growing ragged. His fingers inside her seemed to be going deeper and deeper, and she had no idea how he expected her to speak when he was making her feel so mindlessly good.

  "I want you," she managed. "I want you to ..." She bit her lip to smother a cry as he thrust his fingers inside her again. "Fuck me!" She could hardly believe she'd said it, but once she did, she couldn't stop. "Fuck me, Tanner, please, I want you to, I need you to, please, please ..."

  "Oh fuck, Beth." He pushed her down on the bed and fell on her, kissing her savagely, one hand palming her breast, the other fisting in her hair. She reached down and closed her hand round his cock, guiding it into her waiting channel. He thrust hard, once, and then stopped, waiting for her reaction.

  She'd thought it might hurt, but he'd made her so wet, so eager, she felt nothing but an overwhelming bliss. She cried his name and kissed him, silently begging now.

  Tanner held nothing back. He thrust hard and fast, slamming into her fiercely, robbing her of her breath. She could only gasp, grinding her hips to meet each thrust, squeezing to draw him deeper inside her with every stroke.

  "You ready to cum for me, honey?" he growled in her ear. "I wanna hear you scream, Beth."

  She closed her eyes, so close, lightheaded with ecstasy. Her whole body buzzed and she could feel her orgasm spiraling up inside her with every thrust, every bite, every kiss.

  "Now," he said, sounding as frenzied as she felt. "Now, Beth, now!"

  She came with a cry and he kissed her as if he'd swallow her sounds, his own wild cries spilling out between kisses. He pumped his hips one last time, and then threw his head back with an almost triumphant yell as he came. Then he slumped down on her, tangling his fingers in her hair, forcing her to look at him.

  "You okay? Was that okay?" he asked softly.

  Beth swallowed, unable to speak for a second. Her body ached deliciously, and she could still feel his cock inside her, a warm weight that made her flutter and tremble. "That was fine," she said finally, aware how stupid she sounded. She couldn't help laughing. "That was fine."

  Tanner kissed her one more time and rolled off her, then pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest, tracing the lines of his compass tattoo. "Fine," he grumbled. "Damn sure it was more than 'fine.'"

  "Well, I don't have much to compare it to," she teased. "You'll have to give me some more experience."

  He shifted position so he could look at her, and the intensity in his gaze stole her breath all over again. "I'm going to give you everything, Beth. Remember you asked for that. Everything."

  It was a promise she was looking forward to him keeping.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Six weeks later

  Beth sat on the garden swing, watching Tanner work on his Harley. He was nev
er happier than when covered in grease and messing around with that bike, she'd quickly learned. Well, maybe when they were in bed together. He was educating her very thoroughly there. She pressed her thighs together, feeling a now-familiar thread of arousal as she thought about last night ... and the night before that ...

  She was surprised sometimes at how quickly she'd adapted to life outside the Church. It was as if she was always supposed to be here, with him. Wild Blood MC had welcomed her as if she'd always been there, and Roxy and Tamsin were working to educate her on the things Tanner couldn't. A new wardrobe and self-defense classes had been top of the list. She didn't have a job yet, but the girls were helping her look.

  Everything she'd been taught, all her life, had been wrong. And she was so grateful for that.

  A familiar truck pulled up in the drive way—she recognized it now as the one the club members shared. Wolf jumped out, his usual feral grin firmly in place. "Brought you a visitor!"

  Tanner stood, swinging a wrench casually as he went to greet Wolf. Beth barely saw Wolf, however, not once she realized who was with him.

  "Hannah?"

  Her sister leapt out of the truck and raced to her. Beth stood, opening her arms, and they embraced hard. "Hannah?" Beth heard herself say again, hardly able to believe it. "What are you doing here?"

  "He's dead, Beth." Hannah pulled away, staring up at Beth with tear-filled eyes. Tears of joy, Beth quickly realized. "He died! One of his own snakes. And Peter ran off and Nathaniel—"

  "Stop," Beth said as the men joined them. "You mean Abram ... He's dead?" It was unreal. Her knees felt weak and she sat back down on the swing before she could fall. He was dead. She'd killed him.

  "I would have come sooner," Hannah said, "but Mother and Father ...Well, everything's been in chaos." She toyed with her hair, glancing from Wolf to Tanner. "Beth, it's over. We're free."

  "Are you leaving?" Beth asked. She couldn't think about Abram. She'd known she was risking his life. She'd made that choice to save her own, and Tanner's too.

  Hannah bit her lip and shrugged. "I haven't decided. I mean, there's still the girls to think about."

  Beth's younger sisters—Abigail, Charity, Joy, and Martha. Beth ached for them. They should all leave, she thought. They should know that Abram's words were lies, that the world was more than he'd preached. But she couldn't force them, or Hannah, to make that choice. "Who's in charge now?" she asked. "You said Peter ran away?" She thought of Nash. He'd never tell her if he'd killed Peter, but she'd assumed ...Well, she'd tried not to think about that day too much, really.

  Hannah nodded. "Nathaniel has taken charge for now, but he's very frail. I don't know if Abram's other sons will let him take over."

  "How's he treating everyone?" Tanner asked, moving to stand behind Beth. He rested his hands on her shoulders, offering silent support, and she leaned back against him gratefully.

  "Fine," Hannah said with a shrug. "He got rid of the snakes. It's ... it's weird, but in a good way, I suppose." She looked the three of them over once more. "I think it'll be different from now on, Beth. I think it might be better."

  Beth smiled weakly. "I hope so. But Hannah, if you—any of you—want to leave, you can. You can come to me."

  "Us," Tanner corrected, squeezing her shoulder.

  "Us," Beth agreed.

  Hannah smiled, full of hope. "I can come and visit any time now. Get this—we found a bunch of cell phones in Abram's house, and Wolf gave me his number." She pulled a cheap-looking phone from her pocket, displaying it with pride.

  Beth shot Wolf a warning look. Hannah was pretty and innocent, and as much as Beth liked Wolf, she had no illusions about him. He seemed to see every woman as a potential conquest. Hannah was too young, but Beth wasn't entirely sure Wolf knew that. But he pulled a face at her that made her think she'd misjudged him.

  "Any of us can give you a ride here, or anywhere else," Tanner said. "All you have to do is call."

  Beth stood to hug her sister again. "Will you stay and eat with us? Tanner's sister is an amazing cook—it's like nothing you'd get at the Church!"

  "I'd love to," Hannah said.

  "I promised Hannah I'd show her the town," Wolf said. "You okay with that, Beth? I'll bring her back safe and sound in time for dinner."

  Hannah looked at Beth hopefully, and Beth could only nod.

  "Look after her," Tanner warned him as they headed back to the truck. Wolf flipped him off with a wicked grin.

  Once they were gone, Beth slipped from the swing to sit in the grass, feeling dizzy. "Abram's dead. Oh my God, Tanner. He's dead." She couldn't tell if she felt guilt-stricken or ecstatic.

  "Good," Tanner said, full of vehemence. "Good fucking riddance." He knelt down in front of her, taking her hands. "Listen to me, Beth. You think he'd be feeling bad if you'd died? No fucking way. You didn't kill him. It was chance. Just random chance. You protected yourself and nature did the rest."

  Some of her anxiety leaked away and she found she didn't feel as awful as she probably should. He was right: if she'd died, Abram would have buried her in an unmarked grave and carried on, finding some other woman to abuse. Some people only made the world better when they left it, she decided. Abram was one of them.

  "Thank you," she said.

  He gathered her into his arms, kissing her hair. "You're free," he said. "And you and me, we're gonna keep it that way."

  She relaxed into his arms, not for the first time feeling the words I love you bubble to her lips. She hadn't said them yet, but she felt them so deeply and completely, she couldn't believe he didn't see it in her face. And he hadn't said them yet either, but she knew it. With every touch, every look, he told her. She'd felt like there would be some perfect moment to tell him and that she'd instinctively know when it came.

  Now, with the sun shining down on them and his strong arms holding her so tightly, seemed as perfect a moment as she could get. She tilted her head back to kiss him lightly. "Tanner?"

  "I love you, Beth," he said, catching her off-guard and sending her heart soaring. "I love you so fucking much, it's crazy. You know that, right?"

  She gaped, suddenly lost for words. "I love you too."

  He stood, pulling her up with him. "When I got out of jail, I thought nothing was more important to me than staying free. I never counted on almost running into you." He grinned at her, brushing his knuckles lightly down her cheek. "And I bet when you left the Church, you thought there was nothing more important than staying free either."

  She nodded. "I couldn't have asked for a better man to almost run me over."

  "Yeah, well. Now I know different. You're more important. I wasn't looking for it, I didn't want it, but I got it bad. And whatever happens now, with the Church or anything else, I will fight til the end for you. Just never, never fucking stick your hand in a basket of poisonous snakes again, okay?"

  She laughed. "I promise. Whatever you say."

  A dark gleam lit his eyes and he picked her up, swinging her into his arms. "Whatever I say?" he repeated, his soft, wicked tone sending shivers through her. "Promise?"

  She promised. And she would prove it.

  The End

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