Chapter 10
LILLITH
Three days had passed of them being stuck in the cabin together.
It had been three days of tension so thick she could practically taste it.
And three days of Tank acting like he hadn’t kissed her, like the world was ending just over a month ago.
He was keeping his distance, and that drove her crazy.
Lillith was about two seconds away from losing her mind.
She stood at the small kitchen counter, staring down at the cup of coffee in her hands like it had personally offended her.
“You’re glaring at that like it did something to you,” Tank said from behind her.
She didn’t turn around. “It’s bad,” she muttered.
“It’s coffee,” he said.
“It’s terrible coffee,” she corrected.
“That’s all you’re getting out here,” he said. “It’s all I’ve got because we’re not running to the store for better coffee.”
She spun around, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you live like this on purpose?”
“I don’t live here,” he reminded her.
“Right,” she said dryly. “You just drag women into the woods and force them to drink bad coffee.” His mouth twitched—just barely, but she caught it. For some reason, it made something warm spark low in her stomach. God, she was in trouble.
“I’ll go into town in a day or two to grab some more food, and I’ll try to get you some better coffee.
I’ll get a burner phone too, so you can call Ember.
” She had been begging him to let her use his phone to call her sister since they got to the cabin, but he refused.
He had taken her phone and destroyed it on their way to the cabin.
She was sure that Ember must be out of her mind with worry by now, but Tank said that it wasn’t safe to talk to her yet.
“I appreciate that,” she breathed.
He nodded. “Eat,” he said, sliding a plate toward her. “Food will make the coffee taste better.” She glanced down at it as though she didn’t believe him. He had made scrambled eggs and toast. He kept it simple because simple was the only way he knew how to cook.
“Did you make this?” she asked.
“No, I had a chef come in to prepare your breakfast, princess.” She huffed out her breath and stared him down. “Don’t sound so surprised,” he said. “I can cook.”
“I am surprised,” she shot back. “You don’t exactly scream domesticated.”
He leaned against the counter, watching her. “You don’t exactly scream easy to please, yet here we are.’”
She smiled slowly. “Good thing I’m not trying to be easily pleased.” The look passed between them again—the one that had been there since the night they met at the diner. That was the moment everything shifted.
Tank looked away first. “Eat,” he repeated. Lillith rolled her eyes but grabbed the fork anyway. She wasn’t hungry—not really, and not for food. She wanted Tank, but she had a feeling that he wasn’t ready to hear that from her—not yet, at least.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” she teased.
The cabin didn’t have a television or internet, so there wasn’t really much to do except play cards and talk.
Unfortunately, Tank didn’t seem to have much to say to her.
She could think of other ways to pass the time, but he didn’t seem to want that from her either.
For now, she’d have to find ways to entertain herself, and solitaire wasn’t cutting it for her anymore.
“I’m going to chop some wood, and you’re going to stay inside,” he ordered. It’s what they had done for the past three days, but she wouldn’t point that out to him. Tank didn’t seem to be in the mood for an argument right now.
“Fine,” she said. She stood and scraped her food into the garbage, setting her plate and half-empty coffee mug into the sink. “I’m taking a nap.”
“You just woke up,” he called after her.
“Well, I’m suddenly tired again,” she spat, heading down the hallway. If she was going to sulk—and she was—she’d do it in private.
By the third night, the tension felt so thick, she couldn’t even cut it with a knife.
It had been building all day. After Tank chopped wood, he must have felt bad for ignoring her, and asked if she wanted to play cards.
They sat in front of the fire, laughing and playing hearts all afternoon.
Every small touch and lingering look had ramped up her senses, and the way his hand brushed hers when they reached for the same card had her blushing like a schoolgirl.
By bedtime, Lillith felt as though her body was on fire. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, fully aware of Tank sitting at the edge with his boots still on like he wasn’t planning on staying. But then, she worried that he never planned on staying.
“Are you gonna sit there all night?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he grumbled.
She turned her head, watching him. “You’ve been doing that a lot.”
“Doing what?” he asked.
“Acting like you don’t want to be here,” she said.
His jaw tightened. “That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Really?” she challenged, pushing up onto her elbows. “Because it kinda feels like it.”
“You should get some sleep,” he said. He was putting his wall back in place, and she couldn’t allow him to do that. Lillith sat up fully now.
“No,” she breathed.
His eyes flicked to hers. “No?”
“No,” she repeated, sliding off the bed and stepping toward him. “I’m done pretending this isn’t happening.”
“Lillith—”
“Don’t,” she cut him off. “Don’t say my name like that and then shut me out again.”
“You don’t understand what you’re asking for,” he said.
“Then explain it to me,” she shot back.
“I can’t,” he said.
“No, you won’t,” she corrected. “Why do you fight this so hard?” she asked.
His hand came up, dragging down his face. “Because I know how it ends.”
“And I don’t get a say in that?” she whispered. His eyes met hers—dark and conflicted.
“You deserve better than this,” he said.
“Better than what?” she asked. “Do you mean better than you?” He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. Lillith exhaled sharply. “God, you’re exhausting.” She turned away from him as she pulled her hair back for bed.
“Fine,” she muttered. “Forget it.” She heard him move behind her, and she didn’t have to turn around to know that he was there. She could feel him there, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of looking at him.
The sound of the bathroom door opening was nearly her undoing.
She couldn’t decide if she was hurt or pissed—probably a bit of both.
She heard the water starting in the shower, and Lillith stilled for a second, debating whether or not she should let it go.
Maybe it would be best if she walked away.
She could be the bigger person. She had almost made up her mind when she stood from the bed.
“Not happening,” she muttered, heading straight for the bathroom.
She didn’t knock, and she didn’t hesitate.
Instead, she just pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Steam was already filling the space, the sound of the water hitting the tile sounding loud in the small room.
Tank stood under the spray, his back to her, and his shoulders tense, but he didn’t turn around.
“Lillith,” he said, like he knew exactly what she was doing.
“Yeah,” she replied, stepping closer.
“You should go,” he breathed.
She laughed softly. “You keep saying that.”
“And you keep not listening to me,” he said.
“Maybe you should take the hint and quit asking me to go,” she said. That got him to turn around and face her. Water dripped down his face, his chest, his—Lillith swallowed.
“Don’t do this,” he said, his voice rough now.
“Too late,” she said quietly. She stepped into the shower fully clothed because she didn’t care. The water soaked through her shirt instantly, clinging to her skin, and Tank swore under his breath.
“You’re gonna regret this,” he muttered.
“Probably,” she admitted. Then she reached for him, and that was it.
That was all it took for his restraint to snap.
His hands came to her like he couldn’t stop them anymore, pulling her in, his mouth crashing down on hers with a force that stole her breath.
She felt everything she’d been holding back slamming into her all at once.
And this time, Tank didn’t stop. He didn’t pull away, and he wasn’t running.
Lillith melted into him, her hands gripping his shoulders as the water poured over them, washing away everything except this moment—except him, and the way he said her name against her mouth like it mattered.
She felt like she mattered, and the world outside the cabin was gone.
Along with the danger, and her past. None of those things existed anymore.
There was only this—only them. And when he finally lifted his head, breathing hard, his forehead resting against hers—neither of them said a word.
Because they both knew that there was no going back now.
“Be sure about this,” he breathed against her lips. She nodded, not sure that she could even make words come out of her mouth right now. It had been so long since she had been with anyone, and for the first time, in a long time, her body felt as though it had hummed to life.
“I’m sure,” she whispered. “I want you, Tank.” She had wanted him since she met him at the Royal Harlot’s clubhouse. Time and distance hadn’t changed any of that for her.
Tank quickly stripped her out of her wet clothes and pushed her up against the cold tiles in the shower, causing her to hiss out her breath.
He lifted her against his body, and she wrapped her legs around him as his cock slid through her wet folds.
He thrust into her, balls deep, and she moaned out his name as he stilled inside of her.
“You good?” he asked. She could tell that he was using all his restraint not to just take what he wanted from her. She nodded, and he groaned, pulling out of her body and slamming back in. He wasn’t gentle, and Lillith was good with that. She didn’t need Tank to be anything that he wasn’t with her.
“You feel so fucking good, baby,” he breathed against her lips. She wanted to tell him that he felt good, too, but she couldn’t seem to get the words out. All Lillith could do was feel everything that he was doing to her.
Tank pumped in and out of her body, setting a punishing pace.
When he dipped his head to suck her taut nipple into his warm mouth, she couldn’t help but cry out.
She was so close to finding her release.
He seemed to know what she needed, slipping his big hand down between where their bodies were joined and running the pad of his thumb over her clit.
She rode his hand and cock like a woman on a mission, and when she came, she called out his name again.
He wasn’t just claiming her body; he was claiming her heart, and that was dangerous.
Tank moved his hand, pressing her harder against the wall as he thrust into her body, finding his own release.
He breathed her name, over and over, like a prayer against her sensitive skin.
And when he finished, they stood there in the shower spray, him still filling her body, and her legs wrapped around his waist. She didn’t want to move for fear that, once she did, the moment would be over, and Tank would once again put his walls back up.
“Promise me that you’ll stop shutting me out,” she whispered, running her hands through his dark, wet hair.
“I’m afraid that if I let you in, you’ll get hurt—or worse,” he said.
“That won’t happen,” she insisted.
He shook his head. “It’s already happened,” he whispered. She stilled, and he pulled free from her, letting her slide down his body. He soaped up her body and then his own in silence, and she wondered what he meant by saying that it had already happened.
“Are you going to explain what you just said, or leave me guessing?” she asked.
“Let’s get dried off and I’ll tell you everything,” he promised.
She wasn’t sure that she was going to like what he was about to tell her, but she needed to know what she was up against—not only with the men chasing him, but also with Tank.
She wanted a relationship with him, and that meant that she was going to have to hear about his past—even the parts that she didn’t like.