Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Tucker accepted the ice pack Talia fashioned for him out of a sandwich bag full of ice and a hand towel with a light scowl.

“Why do you want to know about that?”

Her tone was light and playful. “I can’t ask the guy I’ve been having sex with about his past? I literally know nothing about you.”

Canting his head, Tucker cocked a brow and said, “I beg to differ.”

Talia pursed her lips, failing to hide her amusement. Whether she admitted it or not, he knew she liked him regardless of what she did or didn’t know about him. He was of the mind that the less she knew, the better.

“What I know about you could fill a thimble,” Talia returned. “And after two run-ins with your ex-girlfriend, I think you owe me that much.”

“Look, Talia,” Tucker said, his tone firm, “my life, past, present, or otherwise, isn’t on the table for discussion. I like what we have goin’ on here, so why don’t we just continue with that.”

He saw the answer in her eyes immediately. Pulling her shoulders back, Talia looked him straight in the eye, all business. “You see, I have a problem with that, and the problem is, while it’s cool to have fun and hang out and have sex—”

“Great sex.”

“—we’re past that stage,” she steamrolled over top of him. “I think you know that we’ve reached a point in our relationship that we either go for more depth, or we part ways. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Is that what this is?” Tucker asked, his mind stuck on one word in particular. “A relationship?” Everything Blake had ever said to him and his own mind had questioned came flooding back with startling clarity. Was that what he wanted?

One hand flattened on the counter, Talia’s bright expression slipped. “I mean, isn’t it? We hang out almost every day, we share meals together, we laugh over stupid shit, and we have great chemistry. I just assumed…”

Out of sheer habit, Tucker’s hackles rose. That was the problem. Everyone just assumed. When had he ever led her to believe that they were heading someplace more? “Right from the start, I made it clear that this was just for fun,” he reproached. “I’m sorry if I somehow made you think anything different.”

Talia didn’t say anything, and for some reason, the silence was deafening. Within it, Tucker watched her with an almost anxious feeling stirring in his gut while waiting for an answer that didn’t appear forthcoming.

After long moments, Talia sucked in a breath, held it, and blew it out slowly. “Wow, this is awkward, huh?”

Her voice was shaky, making Tucker feel like the biggest piece of shit. Which was puzzling, because he couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever really felt anything for the opposite sex aside from attraction, admiration, and respect. So why did he suddenly feel like taking back every single word he’d spoken? Why couldn’t this just be simple? And why the hell was he fighting this thing with her so hard?

She wiped a thumb surreptitiously under her eye. “You know, it’s getting late. We should probably call it a night and all that good stuff. I’ll walk you out.”

He’d never seen her cry before. “Talia.”

Instead of falling into his arms, she started for the door, ignoring him completely. For a single heartbeat, Tucker stared down at the countertop, catching his reflection in the glossy surface. Stern, fierce, unrelenting were all things he saw and prided himself on being. But tonight, he saw something else in there too: cowardice. Was he really going to let this woman walk away from him, allow himself to walk out that door and let this thing end without a fight? And for what? Because he’d spent so much time telling himself that he would never be in a committed relationship. That he wasn’t the kind of guy to settle. He wasn’t just blowing smoke all those times he’d said it. In fact, he had been adamant. But now…

“Hold up.” Reaching out, Tucker caught her by the arm and swung her back around. Her eyes, wide and glossy, made his stomach sink.

The words formed a ball in his throat, turning them into a tangled mess. Tucker chewed the inside of his cheek, searching for his voice. Christ, she was beautiful. A real knockout with all that long, copper hair and sun-kissed skin. She wore very little makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through, and he loved it. Everything about her was a breath of fresh air, from her caring nature, her adaptability, the fact that she liked and accepted his friends without judgment, and the way she handled him. She never asked anything of him, and she gave so much back. Sure, they spent the majority of their time naked together, but he was a firm believer that sex stripped a person down to their roots, baring their deepest secrets, fears, insecurities, leaving nothing but their very nature to shine through.

Talia was comfortable in her skin. She was confident and stalwart and most of all, trusting. With barely a thought, she handed over the reins to him from day one, and despite not knowing much about her, he knew she didn’t do it with any deception or ulterior motives. She wasn’t looking to trap him. She just genuinely enjoyed being with him.

When he thought about it like that, Tucker wondered whether he hadn’t just been a fool all along to discount their relationship. Maybe they did have something. Everyone else seemed to think so.

Bambi’s showing up there tonight was a dead giveaway that she thought so too. Clearly, she viewed Talia’s presence in his life as a threat—however wrong she might be. Bambi did not have a chance in hell of being his old lady. Although, he suspected, she wasn’t anywhere close to giving that notion up. She was a relentless one, he’d give her that.

So Talia. What was he going to do about her?

“How long do you want me to continue standing here?” Talia asked caustically. “My bedtime is rolling around, and I need to be up by O-eight hundred.”

Tucker’s brows pulled together. Talia’s mouth flapped open and closed before it snapped shut like a steel vault. “O-eight hundred,” he drawled. “Got some military in your background, sugar?” That might make some sense, considering he’d had a damn hard time digging up anything on her.

Her jaw clenched, and the way she squared her shoulders and held his stare only confirmed his suspicions. “What branch?”

“My life,” she bit out, slinging his words back at him venomously, “past, present, or otherwise, isn’t on the table for discussion. And I think you know where the door is, so you can see yourself out.” She tried to break free of him, but he held on tighter, refusing to let her go.

“No, sugar, I won’t be doing anything of the sort.” Against his better judgment and the little voice in his ear shouting that this wasn’t the plan, Tucker had made his decision. He was going to bite the bullet and let her in. It would likely come back to bite him in the ass, but what was life if you didn’t take risks.

“You were right. We are past the superficial stage. So what do you say we rewind a bit and tell each other something about ourselves. Let’s start with your military background.”

“I have a better idea,” she returned, “how about you let go of me and get out. Go back to your little ten by ten bedroom and play with your bunny rabbits and we’ll chalk this up to a good time shared between two people.”

“Nope, that’s not going to work for me. Come. Sit. Talk.” He fairly dragged her into the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed, she was digging her heels in so hard. The funny thing was, the more she resisted him, the harder he wanted to push. Stubborn little thing. He had to laugh, given the absurdity of the situation. He’d never in his life have guessed that he’d be the one demanding to talk, but here he was.

“Fine,” Talia huffed. If at all possible, her expression only hardened further, and Tucker knew it meant he was in for one hell of a night. “If we’re going to talk, it’s not me who’s going to start. So you’d better start singing like a damned canary, because until you do, you’re getting nothing from me.”

The corners of Tucker’s eyes wrinkled, and his lips twitched. She was such a sweet thing, sitting there all contrite like she was, trying to play hardball with someone who’d played it longer and harder than anyone. Hell, hardball was practically his middle name.

“Fine,” he said, his laughter coming through in his voice, “but if I go first, we’re doing it my way.”

“What way is that?” she asked nervously as he shrugged off his jacket and began removing his clothes.

With a crooked grin, Tucker said, “With us naked and me inside you.”

***

Trussed up to the bed posts, just the way he liked them. Well, her. Talia looked fucking amazing spread eagle for him with her tits pointing toward the ceiling and her pussy on full display. He especially enjoyed the apprehension in her eyes.

Yep, he was a twisted bastard, but hey, he liked his kink, and he wasn’t the least bit apologetic about it.

“So this is what it’s come to? You have to tie a woman to the bed in order to keep her from running away?” she remarked. “Your past must be a real doozy to have to go this far. What are you, an axe murderer?”

“Pussy slayer,” he amended as he rolled a condom on. “I hope you’re ready, sugar, because I’m going to destroy you so good tonight.”

She barked a laugh, and it did wondrous things for her tits. Tucker swiped his fingers across his lips, checking for drool. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. I must be one sick bitch.”

“I prefer to think of it as adventurous.” He tapped the inside of her thigh, telling her to spread out more. She did, and he climbed onto the bed and made his way up, filling the V between her open thighs with his mass.

“So where do you want to start?”

“With the club. When did you join and why?”

Her delivery was snappy, full of attitude. He liked it. A lot.

Tickling the inside of her thigh with light fingertips, he traced the curves of her body. “I found them years back when I was looking for a foothold, something to fill my time, and I liked what they stood for.”

“Why did you need a foothold? Were you one of those troubled souls?”

He traced the rise of her hip and her thigh flexed, her pelvis shifting away. Ticklish was she? “I was fresh out of the armed forces. It left a footprint that needed to be filled. The Spartans did that for me.”

“What branch?” Talia asked, throwing yet another of his questions back at him.

He studied her closely, weighing his answer. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to reveal about himself, but looking into her eyes, he felt the barrier slipping. “Spec Ops,” he found himself saying. “Ever heard of it?”

She nodded once but otherwise said nothing. Tucker continued. “They took me in, gave me a place to stay, friends, family. They understood me in a way no one else ever had. And they didn’t ask questions.” He gave her a pointed look, but she didn’t shy away in the least. She was completely unaffected by his attempt to cow her. Impressive. Just another reason he enjoyed his time with her so much. He liked a headstrong woman, someone who knew her own mind and didn’t bow down to anyone.

His cock swelled.

“Your turn.”

Her lips pursed while she thought over what she wanted to say, and Tucker used that time to dabble around. Running his fingers across her abdomen, he enjoyed the way her stomach pitted in response to the sensations, and he liked it even more when he reached her clit and heard her breath hitch.

Despite her complaint about being tied up and at his mercy, she was aroused. Intriguing.

He had just dipped his finger between her silky lips when she said, “I was married once.”

Tucker’s head shot up. “Married?” To another man? Instantly, red hot, inexplicable anger tore through him. He didn’t like the idea of another man seeing her like this, touching her like he was. It was unthinkable, and yet, logically, he knew she’d been with other men before. Of course she had. She was hardly a virgin, and she had picked him up in a bar, after all. Plus, there was that whole confession of having an ex-boyfriend that temporarily sent him on a tour of the crazy farm to consider. Far from innocent, indeed. But this was different. That guy had never had a face. With a little research, he could put a name and face to this guy, make him real. He didn’t like that at all. But his biggest concern: Why hadn’t this marriage come up when he’d looked into her?

“For a whole year,” she said, but her words lacked the usual pride someone might have when reflecting on what should have been the highlight of their life.

“What happened?” Tucker asked cautiously. He wanted to believe her, to link together the clues he’d somehow missed. “He die or somethin’?”

“No, he’s alive and well. Probably dating someone who followed his every edict to the letter,” she said with a bitter chuff. “That’s why we didn’t get along. He didn’t like my job, and I wasn’t willing to give it up.”

“Sounds like a real ass.”

Her smile was strained. “Thanks. So that’s what brought me out here. I wanted a fresh start, away from all the drama.”

“I’m afraid you didn’t run far enough then, sugar. Doesn’t matter where you go, as long as there are people around, you’re gonna find drama.”

She made a hum of agreement. “So what about you and Bambi. How did you get mixed up in that drama?”

Tucker eased down on top of her, propping himself on his forearms. “Well, she kind of just…showed up one day,” he recalled. He’d met her during some spring bash something or other the brothers held. They were always celebrating something. He just knew that there was booze and broads, and he was there. He’d been sitting down with some friends playing cards and slinging back shots when she came over and invited herself into his lap. Tight body, nice smile, and loose. He didn’t bother telling her to leave.

“So you hooked up and dated for a while? I thought you didn’t do the whole relationship thing.”

“I didn’t. She just stuck around longer than most, and I was too lazy to tell her to hit the road. She was easy, and she was there. Simple as that.”

“So you used her.”

Tucker didn’t like the accusation in her voice. “Sugar, everyone uses everyone for something. The bunnies are there for sex and the possibility of snagging a Brother’s patch. The Brothers use the women to pass the time. It’s a give and take, and everyone knows what’s up.”

Talia chewed her lip, mulling this over. “So I’ve basically just taken her spot,” she concluded.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean that Bambi moved out, and I moved in. I’m basically Bambi.”

Tucker’s lips parted, finding it difficult to follow her line of thinking. What did she mean she was Bambi? The two didn’t look or act anything alike. “You’re not makin’ any sense, sugar.”

“Bambi!” she insisted. “She stuck around too long, wore out her welcome, and now I’m doing it too.”

Tucker couldn’t suppress his laughter. This woman…He pecked her on the nose. “You’re crazy, sugar. It’s cute.”

She scowled. “I don’t find wearing out my welcome funny.”

“What makes you think you’ve worn out anything? I happen to think that you’re settlin’ in just fine.” To prove his point, he rocked his hips forward, the tip of his cock penetrating her opening.

Gasping, Talia’s back arched, pushing her breasts up against his chest. Tucker groaned, the feel of her body a delicious heat that tightened all his muscles and sent shockwaves down through his groin.

“But…you don’t like serious. Just fun, remember?”

“I’m not senile yet,” Tucker said, tilting his hips and giving her another inch. “I also remember you saying that ‘fun’ doesn’t work for you anymore.”

“So…if we’re not having fun anymore, then what are we doing?”

He watched her face, her perfect little teeth biting into her wet, plump bottom lip as he pushed in a little more. “Oh, sugar, we’re still having fun, but now? Now,” he said, his voice dropping to a low growl, “were going to try for something more.”