Thornhill Road (Love Me Tender)

Chapter Fifteen

One Week Later

In the span of a month, I had become a Saturday night Steel Mustang regular.

The week prior had gone down in the books as a win.

Andy had indulged me, and we went together. As I suspected, it didn’t take him long to admit the bar was awesome because the music was great. I convinced him to let me be his designated driver, and he cut loose enough to get a little drunk.

It was a blast.

When he left the next day, he and Mustang weren’t besties, but there was a new level of respect there. I hoped, given time, that respect would grow into friendship.

Now, as was my new weekly ritual, I was getting ready to go out.

If I wasn’t working, I could be found sitting at the bar in a pair of killer heels and kickass jeans.

Well—except for this Saturday.

This Saturday, I was going to the bar with my girl Jenna, which meant it was time to pull out my little black dress.

Emphasis on little —as in, I could wear very little underneath it.

It was a black, vegan leather, high neck, sleeveless dress with a double zipper down the front. It came just low enough over my thighs that I could sit in it—but barely. I wore a thong, but no bra—pulling the zipper halfway down my torso to show off a little cleavage.

It was easily the hottest item of clothing I had in my closet, which meant I had to wear it with my hottest shoes.

I finished my look with my black, four-inch stiletto, Louboutin leather sandals with the spike trim I’d purchased for my birthday.

Seriously badass .

I was in my bathroom, fussing with my hair, when my doorbell rang.

“Coming!” I yelled toward the stairs.

I had been looking forward to this Saturday since Jenna told me she had the night off. A biker bar wasn’t exactly her scene, but she’d wanted to meet Mustang in his element, and I wanted the same. We agreed to ride together so she didn’t have to show up alone.

When I was satisfied with my appearance, I hurried back to my room to grab my overnight bag and my clutch. I had no idea how I was going to climb on to the back of Mustang’s hog in my dress, but I decided I’d worry about that later.

I carefully made my way down the stairs and was grinning in excitement when I swung open my front door.

Jenna took one look at me before her jaw dropped.

“Holy shit, you look hot! Do I need to go home and change?”

She had on a scoop-neck white tank top and a pair of tight leather pants with high-heeled ankle booties. Like me, she hadn’t bothered with a ton of makeup, but wore just enough to enhance her best features, and she looked great.

“No way,” I assured her, setting my bags at my feet. I reached for her hair and tousled it a little as I said, “You, my dear, are unattached. If you look too sexy in a place like this, you will not be left alone.” I grinned mischievously as I pulled back and added, “Those pants on their own will buy you a drink or two.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“Trust me,” I said, carefully bending down for my bags. “It’s fun to walk on the wild side. You’ll see.”

As I locked up, she observed, “It’s actually kind of remarkable we’ve been friends for years and this is the first time you’re taking me to a place like this.”

“Yeah, well, you’re an overworked ER nurse.”

“Good point.”

“Plus, there was that one time we went to Montgomery’s after the rodeo with all those cowboys. Remember that?”

We were getting into her car when she admitted, “I may have blocked that from my memory. That guy you were dating? Awful .”

She wasn’t wrong.

“Tonight won’t be that. Promise.”

It was a few minutes after nine when we turned onto the compound. The parking lot in front of the bar was already three-quarters of the way full. I was sure the headliner that night would mean a packed house in another hour.

As soon as we stepped foot inside, I headed straight for the bar, like always. I spotted Mustang right away. He was sitting with Maverick, both of them facing the door, an empty stool between them.

When my man spotted me, I swear I felt the heat of his gaze as I watched his eyes trail me up and down, and I fought the urge to smile huge.

By the time I’d reached him, he was on his feet. I was pressed against his side a second later, his lips grazing my ear, and one of his hands resting suggestively on my butt.

“Prefer my Tess naked—but, baby, you better believe I’m fuckin’ you in this dress soon as we get home.”

A low, victorious giggle bubbled out of me as I pressed into him deeper, my free hand gripping hold of his kutte as I turned my head to kiss the underside of his bearded chin. As if he had no tolerance for soft caresses, he buried his hand in my hair, gripping a fistful before pulling my head back enough to deliver a searing hot kiss.

It wasn’t until he pulled away, leaving me breathless, that I understood that kiss wasn’t just for me. I knew he’d been branding me when he continued, “Don’t wear this dress again unless I’m takin’ you out. Can’t spare Buck tonight, need him behind the bar. Phoenix has the night off which means I gotta work, and I need Wrangler on the door. That leaves Mav. He’ll keep an eye out, but he sees a pussy he likes, he’ll leave you to chase that tail, which means I gotta have one eye on you all night. Not much of a hassle, aside from the fact that my dick is hard right now, and it’s bound to be all night if I keep one eye on you. So, do me that favor, and warn me the next time you get a hankerin’ to show off them legs.”

Then and there I decided I was going to need to invest in a larger collection of LBDs.

I nodded as much as his hold would allow, the zing in my belly bouncing around like I was a pinball machine. “I hear you, sweetheart,” I managed in reply.

“Good,” he said with a jerk of his chin. He kissed me one more time, short and hard, then released my hair and demanded, “Introduce me to your friend.”

I took me a second to compose myself. When I finally turned toward Jenna, I saw she was trying, and failing, to hide a grin.

This time, I couldn’t fight it. I smiled huge as I introduced my man to my best friend.

“It’s great to meet you. I’ve heard only good things,” said Jenna.

“Sorry I have to be behind the bar tonight. I’ll stop by as often as I can. You drinkin’?”

“Yeah. I can have a couple.”

“What’ll it be?”

“I’d love a ranch water.”

Mustang looked down at me. “Make that two?”

“Yeah, babe. Thanks.”

He winked at me then let me go, headed for the bar.

Jenna and I sat—me on the barstool Mustang had vacated, and Jenna on the empty one next to Maverick.

She leaned toward me, speaking only loud enough for me to hear her over the music as she said, “I don’t know what he said to you, but that whole exchange was seriously hot. I kinda liked him before I got here, seeing as I know he makes you happy; but after what I just witnessed, I’m officially a fan.”

“The night is still young. Maybe we’ll find you one,” I teased.

Right on cue, Maverick leaned against the bar, catching my attention before he asked, “Aren’t you gonna introduce me?”

He wasn’t wearing his trucker hat, his curly mane hanging loose down his chest and back.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he was eyeing Jenna with interest.

“Jenna, this is Maverick. Maverick, my best friend, Jenna.”

In spite of the fact that I’d just armed him with her name, he looked her in the eye and asked, “Hey, foxy. How ‘bout you put that ranch water on my tab?”

Jenna looked at me, and we had an entire conversation in one glance.

Her pants had gotten her that first drink.

And just like that, our night was underway.

An hour later, I sat my empty glass on the bar. Jenna had just received her second drink, courtesy of Maverick, who hadn’t found another tail to chase. I didn’t think he had much of a chance with Jenna, but I was going to let him figure that out on his own.

We sat facing the band on stage. They had a few more songs left before the headliner that night. While the bar hadn’t reached standing room only status, business had picked up, and the room was full. I was casually looking around when the door at the front entrance opened, and I jolted in surprise as he walked through it.

Lance Jones.

He was in a blue button-up and jeans, and I’d never seen someone look more out of place.

My thoughts were validated when Jenna leaned toward me and said, “What is this guy doing here? He looks more out of his element than I do.”

“I—I know him,” I stammered.

“What? You do?”

I knit my eyebrows together and sighed as I looked at Jenna and explained, “I had a patient. She died a couple weeks ago. That is her youngest son. I have no idea what he’s doing here, but something tells me I have to go talk to him.”

I watched as she peeked over at him before raising her eyebrows at me. “Um, something tells me you’re right, because he just clocked you and he’s headed this way.”

“Shit,” I whispered. I slid off my seat, leaving my clutch on the bar, and tugged my dress down as far as it would go—which wasn’t far.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to go with you?”

“No. No, I got it. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I made my way around a couple tables, my belly twisting uncomfortably as the distance between us shrank. Lance's gaze never strayed from mine as I approached, and he wore a small, satisfied smile.

I didn’t like that he knew where I was. I liked it even less that he’d come looking for me.

“Hi,” I said when he was close enough to hear me. “What are you—what are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you. Was hoping we could talk.”

I glanced back at the bar, searching for Mustang. He was busy with a customer, but both Jenna and Maverick were watching me. I reasoned that even if I stepped out for a minute, I had plenty of people at my back. Plus, the parking lot was well lit, and we wouldn’t go far.

“Do you want to talk outside?” I asked him, pointing toward the door.

“Sure. That’d be great.”

He turned, headed back that way, and I followed. Wrangler looked at Lance and then at me, a question in his eyes as we passed. I dipped my chin in a nod, signaling I was okay, and stepped out into the night.

As soon as the door shut, dampening the sound of the music and Steel Mustang’s patrons, Lance put a hand to the small of my back, guiding me to walk along the front of the building. I took two steps in the direction he insisted, relaxing a little only when he dropped his hand.

“How did you know I’d be here, Lance?”

“Honestly? I followed you,” he admitted, sounding embarrassed. “The night my mom passed we got in our cars at the same time. I didn’t know where to go, and I don’t even think I was fully conscious of it, but you came straight here. I watched you go inside. I didn’t want to go in, so I left.”

“Oh,” I murmured.

“I keep thinking about that night. About how I knew she was going to die, but it still took me by surprise, somehow.”

As we continued our slow walk, I peered up at him and said, “I understand what you mean. Really, I do. Maybe you should talk to someone about it.”

He looked down at me and frowned. “I’m talking to you.”

As gently as I could manage, I clarified, “I mean a professional. Someone who’s trained to help in situations like these.”

“You’re a hospice nurse. You deal with this all the time. Besides, you were with my mom until the end. Some therapist can’t compete with that.”

We’d reached the end of the building, and I stopped walking, already feeling too far away from the door.

“Listen, Lance, I understand how you could think that; but it might be helpful, speaking to someone who is more objective.”

“Well, the thing is—the kind of support I was hoping for? It’s not the objective kind.”

A tinge of fear began to course through my veins a second before he took a step toward me. But a second wasn’t enough time to react, so I took a step back and tried to use my words.

“Lance, we talked about this.”

He advanced another step, and I was startled to find myself backed against the wall.

“Yeah, we did. We did. But that was before. You were on the job. Now you’re not. There’s no need to be so professional, Tess,” he said, drawing closer still.

“Lance, I’m not—”

I inhaled the last of my sentence on a gasp when he gripped one of his hands between my neck and my shoulder, pressing me back hard against the wall. I tried to wiggle out from underneath his hold, but he pinned me in place, his other hand shoved against my hip.

“I was surprised you came straight here that night.”

He was so close, I could feel his breath on my face, and I cringed as I continued my attempt to shimmy free of his grasp, pushing my hands forcefully against his chest.

“Made me wonder,” he continued, his tone darker than I’d ever heard it. “Sweet Tess at a place like this? Maybe underneath those pastel scrubs is a body that craves it rough.”

I shook my head on a whimper, the facing of the building scraping abrasively at the skin of my bare shoulders as I continued to struggle. “No. Lance—let me go!”

He didn’t let me go. Instead, he leaned down to kiss me. I was quick to jerk my head to the side, but he bit my cheek in retaliation, pressing his body flush against mine.

A sob clogged my throat as I panicked, unable to get him off of me. I tried to beat him with my fists, but to no avail. I felt weak in comparison with his strength, and I had a hard time gaining the right leverage in my stilettos.

“Lance—I will scream if you don’t let me go right now.”

It felt like a decent threat. He was outside of a Wild Stallions biker bar, and I wasn’t alone.

It turned out, my threat fell on deaf ears. Rather than let me go, he slid the fingers at my shoulder around my throat and squeezed.

My hands immediately reached for his wrist, and I yanked as hard as I could. His grip only tightened, and then his other hand began to move. I felt his fingers graze the inside of my thigh, and I started to hyperventilate, momentarily frozen.

He pressed his forehead to mine as he muttered, “I see you in a whole new light now, Tess. You. Here. In this dress. You’re just begging for a fuck, aren’t you?”

When his fingers reached the zipper at the bottom of my dress, I abandoned my attempts to free my throat, and started to claw at his face. He jerked his head back, his fingers at my throat digging in deeper—then, all at once, he was gone.

I sucked down a hungry breath. As my lungs filled with air, my knees gave out, and I began to sink down to the ground. I was trembling as I tried to make sense of what was happening. I saw Wrangler dragging Lance toward the parking lot, but I couldn’t see what happened next, a row of motorcycles and a frenzy of shuffling feet in my way.

“Hey, hey—honey—are you okay?” Jenna cried, her voice shaking as she wrapped her thin arms around me.

I shook my head, feeling confused and disoriented, then tried to get to my feet. My knees, still a little useless, were no help.

I heard the first punch and tried again to stand.

Jenna, understanding what I wanted, helped me to my feet.

Then I saw him, lit by the streetlamp yards away, its halo stretching to meet him.

Mustang.

He landed a second punch. And a third. And a fourth.

Wrangler had Lance’s arms pulled back, so all he could do was take the beating.

The crowd around them grew, most of them men in their Wild Stallions kuttes, and I lost sight of what was happening—but I heard Lance grunt in pain after the fifth punch and the sixth.

Even though I couldn’t see, I knew when he hit the ground, and I flinched when I heard a boot make contact with his body. Once. Twice. Three times.

The beating stopped only when Maverick and Rodeo reached for Mustang and pulled him back. The men surrounding the scene parted as his brothers tried to drag him away, but Mustang resisted them as he yelled, “You sick motherfucker —you put those hands on any woman who doesn’t want your limp dick, I’ll find out, and I’ll cut your fuckin’ hands off. You put those fuckin’ hands on my woman again—I will saw your dick off and feed it to you.”

I looked from Mustang to Lance, and I knew Maverick and Rodeo were holding him back so he wouldn’t beat Lance to death. As it was, he wasn’t moving.

Then Mustang shrugged off his brothers and looked right at me.

I was still trying to gulp down air. Even without Lance’s fingers wrapped around my neck, I was having a hard time catching my breath. As I stared back at Mustang, my vision grew blurry with tears.

It was one thing to see his bruised knuckles after a fight he’d won on behalf of his daughter. It was another thing entirely to see him beat the shit out of someone defending me .

The man I was calling mine talked with his fists. He wasn’t passive or timid. He was a fighter—a violent one. And as scary as it was to see that part of him unleashed, I knew he would never hurt me. He was a Wild Stallion. They were in the business of protection—and I was his to protect.

In that moment, I knew I always would be.

When my first tear fell, he made his way toward me.

By the time my sob finally clawed its way out of my chest, I was burrowed in his, one of his arms around my waist, his other hand pressed gently against the back of my head. He held me for a couple minutes, until the initial shock of it all wore off and I was able to breathe deeply.

I tilted my chin up, and Mustang moved his hand around to my cheek before tracing his knuckles down my tear streaks.

“Tell me what you need, sugar,” he muttered as he painted my face with his eyes.

Before I could answer, my attention was drawn to the parking lot.

Lance was on the ground, still not moving. The crowd had dispersed, but Maverick was standing in front of him, arguing with Jenna.

“Leave him, babe. He ain’t dead.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, but I am a healthcare professional. I have an obligation—”

“He put his hands on your girl. Why the fuck do you even care what happens to him?”

She glanced my way, her fists clenched at her sides, and I could see the war in her eyes even through the darkness. With a huff, she craned her neck to meet Maverick’s unwavering stare.

“I don’t get a choice. I have to treat everyone—even sons-of-bitches like him. It doesn’t excuse what he’s done. Not even a little. But Tess is exactly where she needs to be right now, and if you would move , I could be where I need to be.”

He didn’t speak in reply, and Jenna took this to mean he’d conceded.

Jenna was wrong.

When she moved to step around him, Maverick bent down, hooked his arm around her thighs and hoisted her off her feet. She squealed, gravity pitching her forward until she was folded over his shoulder. I watched him carry her off, then frowned at Mustang’s chest.

Maverick’s chances with Jenna had already been low.

Now, they were non-existent.

“That’s not going to end well,” I muttered.

“She’ll be alright. He’s more of a gentle giant.”

I lifted my gaze to find his hazel-blue eyes and clarified, “I meant for him .”

A ghost of a smile played at his lips before he bent to touch his forehead to mine.

“Not worried about either of them, baby. You still haven’t told me what you need.”

There remained a slight tremble in my hands, and I’d barely begun to process everything that had just happened. I didn’t know what I needed—but I knew what I wanted.

“I could use a drink. A stiff one.”

“I can make that happen.”

'You. Here. In this dress. You’re just begging for a fuck, aren’t you?'

I heard Lance in my head, and I sealed my eyes closed tight, balling my fists around Mustang’s tee as I tried to shove him out of my thoughts.

He’d followed me.

That night two weeks ago, I hadn’t come straight for the bar. I came straight to Mustang. I came to the man who’d been taking my back and picking up my slack since the moment I met him. And me, at a biker bar, in a little black dress, that was for my man—not anyone else. I couldn’t let Lance take that from me.

I wouldn’t.

“Tess?”

“I want a drink, and then I want you to take me for a ride,” I said, peering up at him.

“I’ll call Phoenix. Soon as she’s here, we’re gone.”

On a deep exhale, I took a step back and asked, “How’s your hand?”

“It’ll heal.”

I nodded then added, “And I want you to ice your hand.”

This got me a half-smile before he threw his arm around my shoulders, and we started for the door.

“Okay, sugar. Whatever you need.”

Phoenix arrived fifteen minutes later. I knew she’d been read in when she walked right up to me and asked, “You okay?”

After I answered with a nod, she cut her eyes at Mustang and asked, “You make it hurt?”

Mustang, who sat beside me—his right hand on the bar, a bag of ice covering his knuckles—merely looked at her like she couldn’t have asked a dumber question.

I wondered how she’d missed the man lying in the middle of the parking lot unconscious.

She smirked, then made her way to the back.

After another ten minutes, Maverick stomped toward the bar with my overnight bag in his grip and a scowl on his face. He shoved the familiar duffle at my man.

Mustang took it just as Maverick looked at me and said, “She’s a pain in my ass.”

I shook my head in confusion. “Where’s Jenna?”

“On her way to the hospital, I suspect. She was fuckin’ bound and determined to get that punk-ass bitch some help. Like she could drag his dead weight into her car all on her own.”

He rolled his eyes, and I quirked an eyebrow at him. “You helped put Lance in her car?”

“Like I said—pain in my ass.”

He said nothing more before he stomped away.

I lifted what remained of the bourbon Buck had poured me to my lips, a strange sense of relief washing over me as the burn of the liquor raced down my throat.

Relief that Jenna had been there.

Relief that I had a friend who had relieved me of the burden of guilt I might have felt the next morning, picturing Lance abandoned, unconscious in the parking lot all night.

Given I could still feel the pressure of his fingers around my throat, I wasn’t sure if I was capable of feeling that guilt—but now I’d never have to worry about it.

I told myself I’d call Jenna in the morning, then I downed the rest of my drink.

It was time for me to figure out how to mount Mustang’s hog in my dress.

I only had to give him a look and we were out the door.

Fortunately, the parking lot was empty, so I didn’t accidentally flash anyone as I situated myself on the back of the Road King.

I pressed myself tight against Mustang, and we took off—speeding down the road, headed nowhere.

My favorite destination.

I wasn’t sure how long we rode before we slowed down along the familiar street to his house. Then he pulled into the garage, shut the door, and made good on his earlier promise.

With me propped on the seat of his Harley, he fucked me in my dress and heels.

Unbelievably turned on, we both came hard and fast.

It was out of this world .

Then he carried me inside and striped me naked.

After kissing every inch of me—branding me as his for the second time that night—we made love.

Like always, my man had seen to my needs.

So, when I finally closed my eyes to sleep, Lance was the furthest thing from my mind.