Page 34 of Tucker's Strike

Tucker’s probably still furious with me for taking us back in time.

A part of me is screaming that they’d all be better off without me. That I should go back to the Drakon King’s realm and surrender myself to him. Let the others be as they are. They don’t need me. I didn’t deserve to have any of them in my life. Not my dad. Not my uncles. Not even Tucker.

All I keep doing is screwing things up and letting those I love end up hurt or placed in danger. Even those I just met. I placed them in the face of danger just by being here at the clubhouse.

Swiping at the tears, I can’t keep up with the amount of them streaming down my cheeks. Why couldn’t I be a normal person? Then I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. I could be Tucker’s mate and not have to worry about anything else.

The other part of me shouts even louder that I need to snap out of it. That there had to be a reason for my dad to ignore me the way he did. That Tucker had every right to be pissed at me the way he’d been.

Even mad at me, Tucker pushed it to the side to protect me. He could’ve refused to go into danger, taking me with him while we’d been in the Drakon King’s realm. Instead of rescuing all of the shifters we did, he could’ve demanded I take us right back. He didn’t do this. He’d gone after them. Making sure I stuck to his side the entire time.

I wonder if any of them is even looking for me right now. I started to go to Tucker’s room but changed my mind. It would be the first place he looked for me. I found myself leaving the clubhouse altogether. I was pulled through by an invisible tether, drawing me out another door of the clubhouse and through the woods. I’d gone deeper into the woods before stopping. Only then had I sat down and allowed the tears tostream down my cheeks. I let the anguish rake through my body as it never has before.

The snapping of a stick has me jerking my head to the right, “Who’s there?” I call out. It’s stupid. I know.

“The hell you doing out here, little Fae?” Tucker demands, coming into view.

“Nothing,” I mutter, turning away from him. “Go away.”

“You know I’m not gonna do that, Lake,” he states, coming closer.

With each step he takes, I realize he’s doing them purposely for me to hear. He could’ve moved just as he had done to get to me. The man is a predator. He doesn’t do anything without purpose.

“You gonna tell me what you’re doing out here?” This time, he asks, his arms going around my waist, his body coming flush against my back.

I could feel his thickness pressing into my lower back. My body starts to come alive with need all over again. Just as it does anytime he touches me. I close my eyes and allow myself to soak in his heat, to feel the warmth of him surrounding me. Only when he’s holding me do I ever fully feel safe. For that matter, do I feel whole.

“You gonna answer me?”

Sighing, I lean my head back, pressing against his chest. “I couldn’t handle being in there. I needed to be alone.” I wasn’t going to tell him that I was drawn to this very spot.

“You could’ve gone to the room,” Tucker grunts and strokes his thumbs on either side of my waist. The very motion does a number on my libido. Even with him chastising me. “You’d have been safer in the clubhouse, but got no problem with you coming back to the very spot I took you the first time.”

“What?” I blurt, jerking from his grasp to face him. “How do you know this is where you and I . . .” I can’t finish my question.

Tucker smirks and prowls toward me, eyes shifting to that of gold. The animal inside him is so close to the surface that his stripes are visible. “You don’t think I can smell the pleasure still that lingers here? I marked this area as mine. It’s where I took you. Took your virginity. Claimed you as my mate. Now, you wanna explain what you mean by being drawn here?”

“How did you . . .” God, I’m stupid. Did he hear the rest of my thoughts before he announced himself?

“Yeah, little Fae, I heard quite a bit,” he answers, reaching for me once again, this time tugging me forward, his hand gripping either side of my shirt. “We’ll get into that shit later.” Tucker jerks my shirt up and over my head. “For now, answer me about what drew you here.”

“I don’t know.” I really didn’t know. “It was like a tether drawing me here. Once I stopped, I just knew I could allow myself to let go.”

Tucker’s eyes shift side to side, taking in my expression. Seeing the truth rather than listening.

A second ticks by then another. Finally, he does something I was really hoping he would.

Tucker kisses me. Deep and thoroughly. His tongue commanding my own. With only his kiss, he has my blood burning inside me hotter than it ever has. My heart pounds so hard in my chest I’m sure he could hear it. Between my legs, I ache for him to take me. To lay me on the grass and take me.

Yet another part of me wants more . . .

As the thought comes to my mind, I manage to rip my lips from his and press a kiss to his jaw. With trembling fingers, I grip the belt, unbuckle and unsnap the button on his jeans, then slide the zipper down.

“What are doing, little Fae?” he rasps gruffly.

“Doing something I want too,” I tell him as I lower myself to my knees and slide his jeans down enough for his cock to jut out.

The head of his cock was thick and bulbous, with a clear liquid already beading at the very tip. I lick my lips and look up to find Tucker staring at me with such intensity that I start to get nervous.

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