Cursed (2 page)

Josslyn
frowned. “Eddy or Ryker?”

Tank ignored her. Matthias was hiding that piece of shit he called family. His proud little protégé. And when the Charming Bastards found out where he was, they’d end at least one beef they had with the Reaper Boys.

Matthias turned toward
Josslyn
. “I’ll be in touch. I strongly suggest you stay away from him.”

Tank smiled at him. “Or what?”

Matthias walked away, heading back to his bike. “You don’t want to find out.”

Once they’d left, Tank turned to her. “Tell me what you know.”

Instead,
Josslyn
reared back and punched him, her fist connecting with his jaw. Tank blinked a few times, catching her arms before she could do it again. Torque and Deuce stood to the side watching the two, laughing undoubtedly at him.
Josslyn
shook her head as he backed her against the house.

“Let me go.”

“You think you’re going to hit me and get away with it?”

She met his eyes. There was so much sadness there. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was responsible for some of it.

“You deserved it. Let me go.” Tank’s hold tightened the more she struggled. She finally gave up realizing he wasn’t doing anything. Her soft body stirred up all kinds of memories. He wanted to press his face against her neck and breathe in her sweet scent. He’d been damn near drunk on it when they’d been together.

“Tell me what you know.”

“I already did.”

“What did the police say?”

“They were contacting the daycare and would try to pull security footage to get an ID.” She chewed on her lower lip. “There’s some kind of law that states that if a man has paperwork for custody of the kid, the daycare cannot deny him the ability to take the kid, regardless of what the mother says. It’s a stupid law because nobody has paperwork for Jeremy. He’s mine and only mine.”

“They knew what they were doing.” It didn’t really narrow things down but it gave them a better sense of what they were working with. “What else?”

“That’s it.”

He let her go. “What about your former or current lovers?”

Josslyn
stared at him. “Why? Because I have so many?”

“You’re hardly innocent.” He leaned in propping his arm above her head.

“Yeah, well, things change when you become a parent. Life seems more important than sex, drugs, and partying all night.”

She pushed him out of the way and went back to her porch. He knew she was a good mother. God, even with the lifestyle she grew up in, she always had something about her that made her different. She didn’t let anyone push her around. Not even him. And she cared more than she wanted to.

Tank went over to Torque and Deuce. “I’m going to stay with her for a while. I want to hear what the cops say before I take matters into my own hands.”

“Do you think Eddy has something to do with this?” Deuce asked.

“I don’t know, but we need to find him.” Tank met Torque’s eyes. “And when you do, don’t take it easy on him.”

Chapter Two

“You’re not staying the night with me.” She couldn’t even believe that he was suggesting it.

“I’m staying until the police call you back.” Tank made himself comfortable on her sofa. “If that takes all night, then fuck it.”

She knew better than to let him get his way. If she didn’t fight him tooth and nail then his dominance would take over. But after all the events of the day, she didn’t have the strength.

“So you think I’ll just welcome you back into my bed too?”

“I doubt it’d be a welcomed event. You’ve still got hostility.”

“I wonder why, Tank.”

He met her eyes. “You said you were ending it. What did you want me to do?”

“I said that because I was alone.” She propped her hand on her hip as she stared at him. “You have the ability to make me feel like one of the shittiest skanks in the room. And you don’t give one fuck about it.”

“You were far from a skank. Don’t play the martyr.”

“Martyr? You barely had time to light a cigarette before you were balls deep inside someone else after our breakup. I went to the club that night. I was going to tell you like the stupid person I am that we could do this together. It didn’t matter what my father said and you’d moved on to someone else. Two
someones
if I remember correctly.”

Tank rubbed a hand over his face. “What do you want me to say?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. You’re going to do what you want to do whether anyone else likes it or not.”

“Damn right I am.” Tank stood from the sofa.

Josslyn
watched as he went to the kitchen and helped himself to her food. When he returned, he grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Tank had used his size to impose on others most of his life. It was even worse in the club.

He didn’t scare her. He was rough around the edges and gruff in his own way, but he didn’t scare her. He could threaten or impose, but he’d never do anything to hurt her. She did believe that much.

Instead of saying anything to him, she escaped to her bedroom. She changed from her suit to some loose pajamas and plopped down on her bed to watch TV. He didn’t knock, choosing instead to barge in. She didn’t even look up at him.

“You’re not going to disappear into your room to cry.”

“I’m not crying.” She pulled her pillow beneath her, hugging it tight in her arms.

He licked his swollen lips and came toward her. She watched as he moved in behind her, making himself comfortable on the bed. He hooked a hand around her waist and pulled her against him, tossing her pillow out of the way.

“We’re not doing this.”

“Yeah?” He held her tighter. “You going to stop me?”

“I could if I wanted to.” She pillowed her head on his large bicep and closed her eyes.

“You keep thinking that, princess.” He rested his face against her shoulder. “I have all kinds of ways to dismantle you. You only have one to dismantle me.”

Josslyn
stared at the TV screen. Tears. Not only tears, but
her
tears, killed him inside. She didn’t cry often, and when she did, something was really wrong. He knew that. It scared her a little to know how much he knew about her. How much he remembered.

They watched a few TV shows together before
Josslyn’s
stomach growled. She didn’t know what time it was or when she actually ate last. She glanced at her phone and groaned when she saw the clock.

“How long do you think it’ll take them to find anything?”

“Who? Your father? My club? The police?”

“Anyone.”

“We’re all working on it.”

“Why aren’t you out there?”

“Because I need to be here.”

She stared at him. “With me?”

“Yeah, with you.” He brushed his fingers along her arm. “I need to know what the police said. If they made a positive ID.”

And here she was thinking he cared about her.
Josslyn
moved away from him and stood. Her heart was broken and he didn’t even notice.

“I’ll call you when I hear from them. You can go.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Yeah? Why?” She stared at him. “You don’t care about me.”

He rolled his eyes only pissing her off more.

“Aren’t you missing out on numerous women willing to spread their legs for you at the
club.
What’s your record? Five at one time? Go be with them.”

“Seven.” He pushed up from the mattress. “And if I wanted to be with them, I would. Obviously since I’m here, I don’t.”

“Get out of my house.”

He held his arms out. “Make me.”

She had no control over the tears that filled her eyes. It’d been a really bad day and the more she thought about where Jeremy was and what they were doing to him, the more pissed off she became.

Tank sat up. “You don’t fight fair.”

“You think I’m doing this just to get you out of my house?” She screamed at him. “My son is missing!”

She swiped at the moisture on her cheeks. She didn’t want to think about all the bad, but it didn’t stop her from worrying. He could be hurting right now. He was probably scared. Crying. He probably wanted to come home. To hug her. Have her tell him everything would be okay.

“I need to hold my baby.” She stared at him. “That’s not something you can understand.”

He grabbed her, pulling her to him on the bed. She tried protesting but he was stronger. He pulled her onto his lap and held her there. “I’ve never met him. It’s something I completely understand.”

“Let me go.”

“Why?” He met her eyes. “Because you want to be alone? You don’t want to be alone.” He held onto her wrists. “You’ve thought about us all night. The reason I know, is because I thought about us too. You hate me but you want me. And that really doesn’t change things between us. I’ve never stopped wanting you.”

“I’m not having sex with you.” She wished she’d said it with a little more force and a little less breathless. The smug look on his face said he didn’t believe her.

“Is that why you’re rubbing against my cock?” He leaned in so that his hot breath whispered against her ear. “That hot pussy of yours doesn’t want to be fucked?”

“You’re delusional.”

He nipped at her earlobe. “So you’re saying you’re not wet? Sweetheart, I can smell you. I’ve had my face buried between those thighs too many times to not know what you smell like, taste like,
feel
like. I know what gets you off and what makes you scream.”

“You don’t know what makes me scream.”

“You want to test my knowledge?” He licked the side of her neck. “We used to play hardcore, sweetheart. I loved that about you.”

“I’m a different person now.”

“We’ll see about that.” He shifted so that she lay on her back with her legs spread. She watched as he took off his belt. He looped the thick leather around her wrists and secured it to her headboard.

Josslyn
stared at him while he took his time to shrug out of his cut. His lips were swollen from his earlier fight, but it didn’t seem to deter him. He leaned over her and looped his fingers into the waistband of her shorts. He tugged them down and over her hips until they were completely off her body. She pushed her legs together and he forced them apart.

She didn’t want to admit how wet she was for him, how needy he’d made her. This wasn’t her life anymore. He wasn’t her life anymore. She closed her eyes as he touched her. He had been so damn good at making her forget all the shit going on in her life. One swipe of his tongue and she was his.

“God, I’ve missed this pussy.” He rubbed her clit lightly. “I’ve missed the way you feel around me, Joss. The way you suck me in and how it’s damn torture to let you go.”

“You walked away.”

He didn’t seem to hear her. “I have an addiction to you. To this.” He slipped his finger inside her. “Hot, wet. Intoxicating. I’ll never be able to get enough.”

Josslyn
watched him as he continued to play her body. She didn’t want to need him. She didn’t want to fall for his seduction. He slipped another finger inside her and she whimpered. His thumb rubbed her clit in slow circles, stoking the fire deep inside her he’d started earlier. She wouldn’t beg him. He was good, but she’d never beg him to give her what she wanted.

He withdrew his fingers and brought them to his mouth. Meeting her eyes he licked the moisture from them. She watched as his tongue slid along the thick digits. His eyes never wavered from her.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked.

“Very much.” He dropped his hand. “You?”

She groaned. “Quit fucking around.”

Tank rarely smiled. He was a badass biker and played the part. His lips tilted upward revealing his white teeth. When he did allow some happiness to escape through his tough exterior,
Josslyn
couldn’t help but enjoy that he shared it with her.

He leaned down and lapped at her cunt, glancing up at her while he did. The soft strokes of his tongue along her slit had
Josslyn
arching toward him for more. It’d been three years since they’d been together. Three long years since she felt his touch. She closed her eyes and he cupped her ass and lifted her to him, burying his face in her pussy.

His rough cheeks scraped against her inner thighs, reminding her of all the things they used to do together. She liked a bite of pain while he pleasured her.
Josslyn
thought things had changed since she gave up that lifestyle so long ago, but they hadn’t. He licked her cunt like they spent no time apart.

She tightened her thighs around his head and groaned. “Stop it. Stop, Tank. Just stop it.”

He pushed her legs apart and lifted his head. “What?”

“Undo me.” She didn’t quite look at him. “This isn’t happening. I don’t want it. Just … undo me.”

She wasn’t sure he’d give in to her request. He stared at her for what felt like hours before he finally moved up to undo the belt. Her hands dropped and she sat up, rubbing her wrists.

She moved without another word to him to pull on her shorts again. She should be focused on finding Jeremy, not fucking Tank. She took in a shaky breath as her eyes filled with tears again.

His large hand gripped her arm as he gently turned her around. He wasn’t a cuddly guy. He didn’t hug her and she could count on one hand how many times he kissed her without intending to have sex. He wanted one thing from her and when he was through, she didn’t speak to him again.

Not until now.

“You can’t do anything, Joss.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “Not right now. The police will call. We’ll get an ID and we’ll get him. Stop thinking about all the bad. He’s probably being taken care of. If it’s retaliation, we’ll hear something soon.”

She gripped the sides of his shirt while she lay her cheek against his chest. “Probably being taken care of.”

“They won’t hurt him. Not if they expect you to cooperate. Not if they expect something from us.”