Out of Darkness (9 page)

A
n hour later, the two of them pulled up to an old farmhouse that she’d never seen before. It was charming, with a tin roof that looked like it’d been recently replaced, but the paint peeled off the sides of the weather beaten house. He turned the bike off and threw his long leg over the side.

“What’s this place?” she asked.

“It’s mine. It’s my refuge when I need time to myself.”

That was news to her. She’d never heard anyone talk about Tyler having a home of his own, and he’d sure never said anything about it. Her reporter’s mind had a ton of questions. Inquisitive for the first time since the attack.

“I can see the questions in your eyes, but can you respect that I really just don’t wanna talk about it right now.”

He’d respected everything about her situation, and she realized for the first time that she wasn’t the same person she’d been before. The types of questions that sprung to her mind now weren’t the ones she’d had before. These were much more humane, they were more about the person than the story. She didn’t feel that obsessive need to know the answers to the questions that sprung to mind. Instead she wanted to wait for him to tell her, not bully or trick him into an answer.

“Whenever you wanna talk about it, we can. I won’t pressure you. You have my promise on that.”

Taking her hand, he led her into the house and flipped on the living room light. It was surprisingly clean, very much a bachelor pad. A huge sectional couch was the only piece of furniture besides a large screen plasma TV. A gazillion video games systems were hooked up to it and a large wooden case held DVD’s.

“Not much, I know, but it’s mine.”

She glimpsed regret and possibly embarrassment in his eyes. “No, not at all, I’m just taking it all in. This is so much different than your dorm room.”

“Well c’mon, I’ll give you the tour.”

Comfortably, she put her hand in his again, and he led her through the house. He showed her the kitchen, the bathroom, a spare room that he obviously did a lot of painting in, and then his bedroom.

“This is the room I’ve done the most work to.”

She cocked her head to the side. “So you’re remodeling?”

“You could say that.”

He opened the door to his bedroom and she gasped. New carpet covered the floor, thick and plush. She immediately wanted to take off her shoes and sink into it. Three walls were painted a dark gray and one was covered in what looked like restored boards. His bed was larger than any she’d ever seen. It had to be custom made, given how tall he was. A chair sat in the corner with an ottoman along with a chest of drawers. She saw a picture on the chest of drawers and wondered immediately who it was. She’d never seen a picture at his dorm, and he’d never been one to pull one out of his wallet.

“This is gorgeous,” she breathed. “That wall is amazing, what kind of boards are those?”

“There was an old barn behind the house, over a hundred years old. When I decided to tear it down, I decided to re-purpose the boards. I refinished them and used them on the wall. Eventually, I want to add a bathroom in here, but that’s gonna take more money than I’ve got right now.”

It filled him with pride that she’d said the room was gorgeous. He was proud of the work he’d done, and it warmed his heart that she seemed to like it too. When he’d first started remodeling this house, it had been for himself only, but he could quickly see it being for her as well.

“I’m sure that no matter what you do, it’s going to be amazing.”

He turned to face her, bringing his hand up to her jaw. “Do you really have that much faith in me?” his voice was hoarse as he asked the question.

“I do, Tyler. You’ve had so much faith in me that I can’t help to return that to you. If we support each other, there’s nothing we can’t do.”

Bending down, he took the bag she’d held in her hand since they’d gotten off the bike and set it on the chair in the corner. “I have faith in you that you can do this,” he told her.

Her mind swam, was she supposed to do this on her own? Was he supposed to watch? Would he want to watch? Would she want him to watch?

“Hey, don’t freak out on me,” he calmly stroked her hair. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know,” she sniffed, tears coming to her eyes.

This was not what he’d wanted. He didn’t want her to tense up so much that she wouldn’t or couldn’t enjoy what she’d been so set on doing before. Decision made, he stood in front of her, spreading his legs so that he was almost eye level with her and cupped her face in his large hands. Forcing her to look into his eyes, he spoke slowly and concisely so that she would understand every word.

“If I do something you don’t want me to do, you tell me. No matter what. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, but we have to be honest with each other here. Why don’t you go take a hot shower and relax? I’ll be here waiting for you when you’re ready.”

She let the tears spill over her eyes and nodded slowly. He left her, going over to the chest of drawers and pulled out a shirt.

“You can wear this.”

Taking it, she left the bedroom and went to the bathroom, her smile tremulous. As she cranked the hot water, she took a deep breath. Without a doubt, this would make or break their relationship, and regardless of what the outcome was, she knew she had to at least attempt to get through it. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped inside the shower and willed herself to relax.

After Meredith left, Tyler let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He was scared to death that she’d run screaming. He felt things for this woman he’d never felt for another human being before – ever. It was damn scary, and he wasn’t sure he was even equipped to handle it, much less deal with it. Pulling out his cell phone, he texted Liam to let him know that he would be off the grid for a couple days at the most. The protection runs he’d been tapped to participate in would have to wait. He knew mentioning Meredith would get him an immediate out. In the time she’d been at the clubhouse, she’d gotten under everyone’s skin, regardless of how she’d started out.

When he got the affirming text that told him that everything was taken care of, he turned the phone off and set it on top of the dresser. Taking off his cut, he put it on the chair and went to work taking off his motorcycle boots. Quickly he disarmed himself, putting his gun within reach, but where Meredith wouldn’t be likely to spy it and stowing the knife he also carried in the drawer of the bedside table. Like most of his brothers, he wore a ring on his hand that read HH, and he took that off as well. When he’d disrobed himself as much as he dared, he had a seat on the bed and propped himself up against the pillows that lay there. Feigning an air of disinterest he didn’t really feel, he waited.

After an hour, he wondered if Meredith would really be able to go through with this and was getting up to tell her that she didn’t have to when he heard the door to the bathroom open. Putting his hands behind his head, he waited anxiously.

“You alright?” he yelled when she didn’t appear for a few moments.

“Close your eyes,” she instructed.

He couldn’t help but grin and close his eyes as she asked. “They’re closed.”

Meredith stepped into the doorway of the bedroom and bit her lip, she wondered if he thought her too forward. But she’d come to the conclusion in the shower if she was going to do this, she was going to have to do it right. “Okay, open ‘em!”

“Holy shit,” he whispered. She stood there, naked as the day she was born.

Chapter Twelve

S
he had to give it him, he lay on the bed with his arms behind his head, never once flinching as she walked towards him.

“Whatever you feel comfortable with,” he reminded her.

She’d taken the time in the shower to shave and do all the things she’d hadn’t felt the need to do in the past weeks since her attack. She’d found some girly shampoo and body wash and had treated herself like she’d been at a spa. It had been on the tip of her tongue to ask if the girly stuff had been for her or if he’d had another woman at this place before, but she didn’t want to ruin the mood.

Her hands shook as she made her way over to where he lay. Her brain screamed at her to run the other way and never look back, but she knew that she had to do this. She knew that she couldn’t let this defeat her anymore.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

The smile that came to her face was so genuine it made him want to cry. It seemed to give her the push she needed. Without hesitation that he had suspected, she lifted herself over his body and straddled him. It surprised her how much she wanted his hands on her, but she knew that unless she told him or showed him, he wouldn’t touch her. Placing her hands on his shoulders she situated herself on his lap to make sure she wouldn’t fall.

Once comfortable, she leaned forward and put her mouth on his, kissing him with everything she felt. Of its own violition, her tongue plundered his mouth, getting swept up in the feel of their bodies against each other. His taste was an aphrodisiac. He always tasted of coffee and tobacco, even though she’d never seen him smoke. With other men, it would have been a turn off, on him it was sweet and earthy. Reaching behind his head, she put her hands on his and directed them to her breasts, conforming them around the globes that dangled without the restraint of a bra.

“Please,” she whimpered.

His long fingers massaged the aching flesh as she put her arms around his neck and pressed their bodies closer together. The hardness of his manhood crushed against the wetness that was quickly building at her core. It felt good to her, better than it ever had before. She’d never had these kind of out of control feelings with any other man. It was quickly becoming out of hand, but she went with it. Maybe she wouldn’t have to use those toys just yet – that’s how wound up he made her.

“You feel so good,” she told him, grinding her body against his.

He leaned forward, letting his lips trail down the column of her neck, leaving a wet line before he pushed himself forward enough to take a nipple into his mouth. She moaned loudly as his tongue swept over the hard tip, a caress all its own.

Meredith opened her eyes, watching him. He was just as beautiful as he made her feel. His long dark lashes were stark against his skin and the stain of arousal rose on his strong cheeks. His expression was intense as he worked her nipple with his tongue, using his teeth to nip gently. She shivered, fisting her hands in his hair, holding him tighter against her. With a mind of its own, his other hand went to where her bottom rocked against his cock, showing her the rhythm that he knew instinctively would get her off. He knew that if she was in the moment, she might be completely free to let herself go.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, his voice rough.

The tone may have scared her if his touch wasn’t still so soft and smooth. No matter what he had to be feeling, he still kept himself in check. She had figured that when she got this far into it, the crazy feeling of her body releasing its tension in orgasm, she might panic. It surprised her how badly she wanted it, how badly she wanted to experience the
little death
with this man.