Tinker shook her head, raising her hands to push against my chest. Like she had a shot in hell of getting away. I caught her hands, pinning them over her head, because I was in charge here, not her. Then I leaned forward, our lips so close I felt the heat coming off her.

“I’ve been watching you twitch that ass of yours for too long,” I whispered. “You sit out on that pretty little porch of yours with your friend. You pretend you aren’t scoping me out, but you are. You’ve wanted it bad for a long time, and now you’re gonna get it.”

Covering her mouth, I thrust my tongue in deep, taking her as my hips attacked hers. She tasted better than I remembered, all hot and sweet and soft, and if I didn’t get inside in the next five seconds, it might kill me.

Making that happen would require pulling away long enough to shove that robe of hers out of the way. This sucked, because I wasn’t sure I could do it. The thought of pulling away for even an instant was almost more than I could handle. Then her tongue started tangling with mine as her leg tightened around me. Jesus. So hot. The kiss grew more frantic.

My hand caught her ass, pulling her into my body.

Tinker bit my tongue.

Hard.

I jerked back as we stared each other down, chests heaving. Then she spoke.

“Asshole. You lied to me.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TINKER

Cooper’s face—no Gage’s face—was flushed and his eyes were hard with need. My head was spinning and my body was screaming, because the lust I’d had for him before was nothing compared to this. When I felt his hard cock push between my legs, I wanted him inside me so bad that I could hardly think.

It’d be so easy.

Just let him do it, I whispered to myself. Let him take you and make you feel good. You’ve suffered so much, been alone for so long. You deserve this.

Maybe I did deserve it, but first I deserved some fucking answers.

“You lied to me,” I repeated, forcing myself to retake control, each breath a triumph of focus.

“Yeah, I lied to you,” he repeated, the words cold, almost indifferent. This wasn’t the man I’d laughed over dinner with. Not even close. He was harder, and there wasn’t a hint of any real emotion in his eyes. Lust? Definitely. He wanted me as bad as I wanted him, of that I had no doubt. But this wasn’t the Cooper I’d come to know over the past few weeks. This wasn’t the man who’d helped repair my building or who’d made me feel better about the fact that I’d been stupid enough to get caught on video screwing a stripper.

He definitely wasn’t the same man who’d followed Talia around like a puppy when she crooked her finger. He was right about one thing—he’d lied, and not just with his words. Every interaction we’d ever had was fake.

“Let my hands go,” I said, my voice cold.

“Or what?” he taunted softly.

I didn’t answer, just stared him down. He cocked his head, giving me a twisted smile that could’ve been a sneer, but he let them go. Slowly. As if making it clear that it was his choice, not mine. Reminding me that he still held me fully pinned and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do to stop him.

“Who are you?” I asked, the hard pressure between my legs sending waves of need and desire through me. But I wasn’t some little girl to be manipulated by lust.

“Told you—my name is Gage. I’m with the Reapers motorcycle club, and I’ll be the man fucking you from now on.”

Raising my hands, I pushed slowly and steadily against his chest, making it clear I wanted him to let me go. He didn’t. Instead I felt his fingers tighten possessively around my ass.

“We aren’t doing this,” I said, even though my body disagreed. Strongly. “I don’t know who the hell you are, and I don’t fuck strangers.”

“You fucked a strange stripper at a bachelorette party,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Remember?”

My breath caught, pain punching through me.

“Are you seriously slut-shaming me?” I whispered. Gage’s jaw tightened, and then he shook his head tightly, frowning.

“This isn’t going right,” he said, a flicker of frustration crossing his face.

“What gave it away?” I said, my voice low and smooth, with a hint of ice. “Here’s something you should know about me, Gage. Sometimes I get beat. Sometimes I lose and life doesn’t turn out the way I planned. Sometimes I even feel weak and collapse for a while, but here’s the reality . . . I will never, ever give up and I will never give in.”

My hands came up fast and I jabbed him in the throat with both thumbs, targeting the soft, central hollow right above the sternum. It caught him hard, and he reared back with a grunt. Taking advantage, I used his body as leverage, shoving to the side with so much force that I fell on the floor, then scuttled back across to the door. I shivered, both from adrenaline and sudden loss of his heat, wrapping my arms around my body. Despite everything, I was still turned on, which was seriously fucked up. It wasn’t right, feeling this much lust and anger at the same time.

“Did you really think you could lie to me about everything and expect me to just take it?” I asked, pushing to my feet. He frowned, taking a step back, eyes glittering with a mixture of lust and frustration.

“I wasn’t thinking at all,” he said, eyes darkening. “I spent the last twenty-four hours in a jail cell, fucking helpless while the whole town was calling you and telling you stories about me.”

A bitter smile twisted my lips.

“Half the town doesn’t even talk to me,” I pointed out. “Remember the whole slut-shaming thing?”

“Fuck them,” he said, the words surprisingly harsh. “Fuck all of them. You’re better than the rest put together, Tinker, and you’re sure as shit better than me. But remember how much they love to spew shit when you hear the rumors about this weekend. Rumors about me, and what’s going to happen next. There are big changes ahead for the Nighthawks.”

I swallowed, wanting him and hating him at the same time.

“You’re part of the Reapers MC,” I said slowly. Gage nodded.

“You’ve heard of them?”

“My husband was a prosecutor,” I reminded him gently. “I’ve heard plenty about your club and other clubs like it. And I know what kinds of things you’re responsible for.”