Chapter Nine

 

 

 

 

After stumbling into her house with her body still shaking from one of the hardest orgasms she’d ever had, Tessa had showered and gone to pass out on her bed. Her whole focus was on not thinking about the fact that she’d allowed the biggest asshole on the planet to dry-hump her in her front yard like a whore. Waking up this morning hadn’t been much better. Her cheeks were still burning and it was almost six in the evening. Why had she allowed him to touch her like that when she hated the man’s guts? And why had she enjoyed it so much? What the hell was wrong with her?

Tessa felt like she should just hide in her bedroom and never come out because admitting she was sexually attracted to that big son-of-a-bitch wasn’t something she wanted to do. Ever!  

Running a hand down over her face with a loud sigh as she pulled on jeans that she’d planned to wear to the bar that evening when her shift started, she cringed at her reflection. Maybe she should just call in and tell Patty she was too sick to come in tonight. Of course, that wouldn’t solve her largest issue. Her cheeks turned redder and she glanced at the clock on the wall in her room from where she stood at the bathroom sink in just a pair of jeans and a white bra. In thirty minutes that big bastard would be here to pick her up because last night he’d left before taking her to get her car.

She had hoped he would have someone drive it over to her because she knew he could do that very easily, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t happy about the gruff call she’d received on her voicemail telling her to—and this was a direct quote—“have her beautiful ass ready to leave wearing the shirt when he arrived or he’d beat her till she was bloody.” That’s why she was still standing at the bathroom sink debating which top to put on, the flirty white one with the little polka dots or the one that he had forced on her last night.

She wanted to test him but the thought of how he’d reacted last night when she had defied him made a shiver slip down her spine because she wasn’t sure that she could resist his touch, even if she did know that to him it meant nothing. He was a man whore. It was something she quickly figured out when he arrived with a new woman at least once a week. She didn’t really need a map and a lecture about his preferences because none of the women he’d been with had looked like they were dates. They’d sat in his lap fawning over him like he was the hottest man alive, likely making his already arrogant personality even more so, and her performance last night had likely stroked that ego.

Fuck, why had she turned into a mewling mass of desire the moment he kissed her? It must be because she hadn’t had sex in over a year and a half and the man was seriously hot. She likely would have reacted that way to any man touching her. She wasn’t a saint and by no means was she a virgin. Sure, she’d been cooped up in a compound, but that hadn’t stopped her or her sisters from online dating—much to the dismay of her father and uncles. Tessa had her share of relationships in the past seven years since she turned nineteen. Not that she was a ho-bag but she’d had two relationships—that hadn’t ended well when they found out about her family—and three heated encounters with men under her belt.

That’s why her reaction to Buck’s kisses shocked her so much. If she was a virgin starving for attention then she could understand, except she wasn’t. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and an arrogant sack of dicks who thought he was God’s gift to women wasn’t for her. So why had his touch nearly blown the top of her head off? With a sigh, she shook her head and brushed her hair up into a ponytail, poking at the bags under her eyes with a little grunt.

She stared again at the two shirts lying on the counter ready for her to wear. After another internal debate about how she wasn’t going to be anyone’s bitch, she grabbed the cute white shirt and pulled it on, ignoring the glaringly white-on-black shirt that seemed to be warning her not to push Buck’s buttons. Just for good measure, when she was done putting on the white one she scooped the black one up and tossed it into the empty trash in her bathroom before walking to her bedroom and grabbing her sandals. She entered the kitchen, grabbing the sandwich she’d made herself earlier off the counter and sitting down to eat it at the bar.

Just as she was tossing the paper plate away she heard a loud engine roar to a stop outside and realized Buck was here. Grabbing her purse and keys, she rushed to the door. She didn’t want him to come inside. Not after what had happened last night at least. Tessa felt a blush stain her cheeks as she exited the door, finding Buck already only a foot from the door. He took her in with a dark scowl and a little grunt.

“You should’ve just worn the shirt.” His eyes narrowed and he turned around, walking back to his bike. Tessa was a little shocked that he hadn’t put up more of a fight as she neared him warily, watching his back apprehensively. She wasn’t sure why but she had a feeling that his words didn’t bode well for her for some reason. Buck turned, a grim smile on his face as he walked towards her. Grabbing her arm, he jerked her closer, his hand ripping up the hem of her shirt before jerking it off her before she had even realized what was happening.

Tessa was so shocked to be standing in front of her house in broad daylight in only her bra that she didn’t react for a long moment as she stood glaring at him with her mouth hanging open at his highhanded behavior. Buck took advantage of her shock and threw another black shirt at her before tossing her white one down on the ground and unceremoniously stomping on it. Tessa pulled the shirt off her head where it had landed and glared at the man.

A car zoomed by, slowing when it got close and a male stuck his head out, “Yeah, baby, take it all off, I want to see your tits.”

“You might want to put that on, duchess, you’re giving the neighborhood a show,” Buck casually stated as if he wasn’t the one responsible for this whole fucking mess. Tessa jerked the shirt on, her cheeks bright red and her pride smarting because she really should have handed the man his ass instead of standing there like she had no idea what to do.

 

Buck was still seething with anger and desire by the time he pulled up in front of Hambone’s with Tessa clinging to him. After he’d ripped her shirt off in the yard they’d had a fifteen-minute argument that ended with him stealing her keys and her growling at him that he was an asshole before she’d agreed to leave. Buck admitted that most of his anger stemmed from the need to fuck her. What the fuck was wrong with him and his libido? It had never been an issue in the past. Avoiding good girls had always been an easy task but something about her made it hard. In more ways than one.

He climbed off his bike, allowing Tessa to stomp into the bar ahead of him after she cussed him some more. He was a little surprised at some of the words she’d flung at him. He’d heard those insults from his men but never from a woman. He walked into the bar behind her, taking a seat at his customary table and watching her. She grabbed a tray off the bar after clocking in for her shift, sending him a dark glower when two men at the bar read her shirt and laughed.

Buck didn’t like when those same men used catcalls and the words ‘hey bitch’ to call her over to their table. They weren’t part of the club and he knew he could smack their heads into their table if they kept it up but this had to seem like a punishment for her or the club would insist on him doing something much more drastic and that bothered him enough to keep him in his seat watching. He felt Dice’s gaze as he sat down across from him. Buck looked at him for a moment, raising a brow in question.

“Heard about that. Nice way around punishment.” Buck didn’t comment, he just shrugged and went back to watching her move around the bar with a watchful eye. He wouldn’t stop the hecklers but if someone tried anything else he’d fucking kill them.

“Thanks,” he grunted.

“Sure it’s enough?” Dice asked, sipping his beer.

Turning to look at the other man, he gestured to the men who were calling for more drinks with a smug expression and rude hand signals. “It’s enough.”

“Yeah, likely for a bit of fluff like her it is,” Dice said nodding. “I don’t think she will be here much longer. This is going to send her running from this place with her tail tucked between her legs.”

“Wouldn’t count on that. She’s damned stubborn,” Buck replied, holding his empty beer bottle up for her to bring him another. She glared at him but nodded curtly, moving off to the bar. When she plunked it down in front of him a few moments later she didn’t bother to hide her anger and glared at him before storming off. Buck couldn’t help the smile that curled his lips as he watched. 

 

Tessa watched Patty and Amber argue over the last of the donuts from Krispy Kreme with a little shake of her head. They were just as delicious as they’d said but each of the five women lounging around Margo’s living room had already had three of the sweet confections. When they were at the mall a few days ago talking about them as if they were food of the gods and Tessa had told them that she’d never even tried one, they’d all been shocked. Tonight they’d insisted on bringing them to the movie fest they’d planned a few days ago.

Patty had shut down the bar for some meeting the Grave Diggers were having. Tessa wasn’t sure why they had to close the bar for that because it seemed silly but apparently all their members had to attend, including the bouncers and the bartenders who were all part of the club.

She watched Amber try to twist Patty’s hand behind her back in a pathetic attempt to steal the donut from her. Patty just used the palm of her hand on Amber’s head to hold her back, laughing as she started to bring the donut to her mouth, only to have it snatched away by Margo who proceeded to take a huge bite.

“House rules. Hostess gets the last one,” Margo grunted before she devoured the last of the donut. Shaking her head, Tessa closed her eyes and leaned back grabbing another handful of popcorn. This week had been hell because of Buck’s stupid little ‘punishment.’ She’d been called ‘bitch’ at least ninety times and had to defend her ass from more than ten assholes who thought the shirt meant it was okay to fondle her.

If it had been up to her she wouldn’t have worn the damned shirt but Buck had shown up every night to make sure she was wearing it before she went to work. The one time she’d tried not to wear it he’d again pulled his little stunt of ruining the clothes she was wearing so she didn’t have a choice—forcing her hand. He’d told her last night as she was climbing into her car at the end of her shift that she was done and didn’t have to wear the shirt anymore. She’d felt like taking it off and wrapping the damned thing around his neck but she’d thought better of it since she’d only been wearing a lace bra underneath.

She took a little satisfaction in the fact that he’d released her from her second week of wearing the shirt because he couldn’t stand the men touching her ass anymore. She knew that was what it was because she’d seen him beat the fuck out of one of the men who’d ended up slammed into the wall after she’d told him repeatedly to stop touching her. He was a slow learner and even though she’d twisted his arm twice to make him stop, he’d thought she was fair game and continued until his hand had cupped her breast and she’d had enough. She’d tossed his ass into the wall knocking two of his teeth out. When he’d started screaming about lawyers Buck had taken over and pulled him into the back alley. She knew she should be upset about that but she thought the little shit deserved it. No meant no and he’d had every opportunity to stop but hadn’t .

“I don’t get it. Why is she running back into the house? That’s just stupid,” Nancy muttered, shaking her head at the woman trying to escape a man who was going to kill her.

“Yeah, it does seem kind of dumb,” Tessa agreed stuffing some more popcorn in her mouth, again thanking the gods that be that these women weren’t like her sisters. They didn’t like those Hallmark made for TV movies that made you want to stab your eyes out with a spoon. She liked a good romantic comedy but not a tear-jerker that left you depressed about your life. It just wasn’t her style. Give her gory horror scenes, aliens and exploding cars over that shit any day.

“I hate when they make women look stupid,” Jennifer complained from the other couch.

“Ha, there she goes again trying to lock the door to the attic. Why would she run there instead of to her car? Or hell, to get a damned gun? She can’t get out of the attic and she hasn’t even tried to find a weapon. What an idiot,” Amber muttered, shaking her head.

“Agreed,” Patty said in a disgusted tone.

“Aww man, look at that, she just got an ax to her skull. Fuck, what an idiot,” Jennifer groused, throwing popcorn at the TV.

“Bitch, you’re cleaning that shit up cause I’m not,” Margo growled from her armchair as she took another sip of her beer.

“Yeah, yeah.” Jennifer said rolling her eyes.

“I mean it, hooker.” Margo eyes had narrowed on her friend and Tessa felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips.

These women were a wild bunch but she loved them all. Having met nearly all the club’s ‘Old Ladies’ over the past two months, she’d discovered that most of them were a real hoot. She wasn’t sure what an old lady was because none of them were old except maybe Lettie—who was fifty if she was a day—but she knew it had something to do with dating one of the Grave Digger men and their vests. It was likely another club power dynamic like Buck’s lieutenant status was. Patty had explained some of the club’s power structure to her after her little display in the bar. She hadn’t agreed that she should take her punishment like a good girl because of it but she’d done it, mostly because she knew Buck would have ripped her shirt off right in the bar in front of God and everyone while forcing another of the shirts over her head if she hadn’t.

They finished watching the horror flick without much more bickering and were just lying on various pieces of furniture when Gunner walked in with three other large men. Margo was a little drunk and jumped up, stumbling over to Gunner with what she likely thought was a sultry walk—but was really just a drunken stagger—and wrapped her arms around him.

Gunner was six foot eight, with beefy arms and shoulders, a stocky build and a permanent scowl. Only when he looked at Margo standing in front of him with her arms around his neck did Tessa understand what the woman saw in him. His gaze softened and his arms wrapped around her pulling her closer. His eyes were lit with possessive desire that seemed to have jumped right off the pages of a romance novel. Tessa would swear that his eyes promised to protect this woman with his life and murder anyone who thought to make her sad, much less hurt her. A wistful ache arrowed though her as she watched Gunner lean down and kiss Margo with darkly possessive need.

“Need a ride, Tessa?” Patty asked as she stood up, using one of the men’s arms for help.

“Nah, I only drank five beers. I’m fine,” Tessa said, finally jerking her attention from the happy couple.

“You sure? Topper and Amber can drive us both on their way home.” Patty was helping Amber gather the beer bottles and clean up.

“Just leave that, Patty. I will get it later,” Gunner surprised her by saying, having finished kissing Margo.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go home, I got this,” he said, grinning as he scooped Margo off her feet and throwing her over his shoulder, earning a squeal from his victim.  “Lock up when you leave. Top, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He then took the stairs two at a time with a giggling Margo hanging from his shoulder. She used his ass to push up enough to wave goodbye to them before they disappeared. 

The other two men gathered their respective women as well and Tessa stood up. She moved over to her bag and started digging for her keys so she could drive herself home when a hard hand jerked them from her hand. Tessa glanced up, startled to find Buck standing there looking down at her. What the hell was he doing here, she wondered as anger took up residence in her stomach.  

“I’ll drive.” Buck seemed to think he could boss her around. He had another thing coming because no way in hell was she letting him dictate what she could and couldn’t do, damn it.

“No, you won’t,” Tessa growled.

“Don’t argue. Even if you didn’t drink much you shouldn’t be driving home from here alone with the Tricky Dicks stirred up. It’s not safe. Now shut up and get your tight ass in the car,” Buck growled back.

“Thanks for taking her home, Buck. I didn’t want to let her drive alone and was going to follow her,” Topper said, looking relieved.

That relief made Tessa pause in her argument with Buck’s high-handed behavior. Maybe he was just doing his job and protecting someone his club was involved with by driving her home—not being an asshole. She knew that the Tricky Dicks MC had murdered five people just a few weeks ago because it had been splashed all over the eleven o’clock news.

She decided to allow the big buffoon to take her home because she didn’t want to be another victim just because she was friends with the Grave Diggers. She understood the reality of what could happen to her if she ignored good sense when it was staring her in the face.

“Sure. Send a few prospects over to pick me up in about thirty. Going to hang around her place to be sure no one’s causing problems before I leave,” Buck muttered.

“Yeah. Will do,” Top said as he walked out with Amber and Patty.

“Let’s go, duchess,” Buck said, smacking her ass. She felt her teeth grit while lecturing herself not to slap the son-of-a-bitch when he was trying to be nice. Not that she thought he knew what being nice entailed but she refused to be viewed as a bitch when he was trying to keep her safe.