35. Eva

The back door from the laundry room swung open and Cole stormed in, green eyes flashing with fury. He was naked, his shoulders dusted with snow. I tried to look away, but of course my eyes caught on his muscular torso and thick cock. Dear God. Were all these guys fucking well-endowed?

"What the fuck have you done!" he roared when he saw me in Tanner's arms, half naked.

"What you should have done, brother."

I didn't miss the smugness in his voice. What did he mean? There was something going on here, something I wasn't privy to.

"You shouldn't have done it without talking to us all. Eva doesn't understand any of this, you fucking asshole. She can't consent to something she knows nothing about!" he yelled.

"Err…what's going on?" Silas appeared from the living room, rubbing his eyes distractedly. He took one look at my disheveled state and frowned. His eyes flicked between me, Tanner, and Cole, before a scowl appeared. "Please don't tell me you—"

"Yeah, he fucking did." Cole was incandescent with rage, and I flinched at the vitriol in his voice. Tanner tightened his grip on me, his large hand squeezing my hip possessively.

"Excuse me while I take my mate to my room." What did he mean by mate? Both he and Cole had used the word, which was odd, but until someone bothered to explain it, I was clueless.

Tanner stood, scooping me into his brawny arms. I didn't dare look at Silas or Cole; my embarrassment was too strong. God, what must they think of me? What a shameless slut I was. First Silas, then Cole, and now Tanner. What kind of woman behaved that way with men she'd only known for a couple of weeks?

Me, that's who.

The sound of pots clattering and plates smashing followed us as Tanner strode down the hallway to his bedroom and kicked the door shut. I'd not been in here before.

A large wooden bed frame filled the space, with a soft gray comforter and several plump pillows. He had matching dark wood furniture and various landscape paintings on the walls. The vibe was masculine, but not as utilitarian as I expected, given his aggressive and overbearing personality.

He took me through a door into an adjoining bathroom with a walk-in shower. Once the water was hot, he stripped off my clothes and shoved me in. I stood under the blistering spray while he removed his sweats and then he joined me.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, I was comfortable with him. It was as if we had a connection between us, one that wasn't there before. There was a new softness in his golden brown eyes, a glimpse of a gentler man.

All the aggression he normally displaced was absent. Instead, he made sure my hair was wet and then he gently massaged shampoo into my scalp. It was like he was taking care of me.

Once he'd rinsed away the shampoo, he squeezed some conditioner out and combed it through. While that was soaking in, he washed me with a deliciously spicy soap, paying extra attention to the sore area between my legs.

I felt cherished, something I'd not experienced before. The only person who'd ever taken care of me was my grandmother, and she'd died so long ago that my memories of her had faded.

This version of Tanner was unexpected, and I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for him to revert to his usual asshole persona. But to my surprise, he rinsed the last of the conditioner off, wrapped me in a large fluffy towel, and then towel dried my hair, carefully combing it to remove the tangles.

Once my hair was smooth and neatly braided, he tucked me into his bed. Instead of disappearing, like I expected, he quickly dried himself off and joined me.

The lights flicked off, plunging the room into darkness. I should have been afraid, trapped in bed with a perpetually angry, damaged man like Tanner. He was no good guy or guardian angel. But I felt safe. Safer than I'd ever felt in my entire life.

Whatever his faults, I instinctively understood that Tanner would protect me by any means necessary.

My eyes drifted closed, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep with his arms around me and the steady beat of his heart thumping in my ear.

Sunlight streamed in through the blinds, hitting me right in the face. For a moment, I was confused. This wasn't the bedroom I'd grown accustomed to in the last couple of weeks. The window was in the wrong place, and also, I wasn't alone.

A heavy arm rested over my hip, a hard male body wrapped around me. For one awful minute, I froze, as my beleaguered brain struggled to make sense of things. Then it all came flooding back: baking blueberry cookies, Tanner's arrival, and the way he'd…

"Morning, baby." His deep voice rumbled in my ear and something eased deep inside my chest. My whole body relaxed.

"Morning," I whispered. A warm hand slid up my ribcage until it reached my breast. I squeaked as he pinched my nipple. Between my legs, I was sore, but it didn't stop my pussy from welling up with arousal. It seemed my body wanted him, even if my mind was adamant this was a bad idea.

He squeezed my breast and chuckled when I groaned. His thick cock stabbed my backside, reminding me of what we'd done last night. Did I regret it? I thought about it for a moment and then realized that I didn't.

Our perfect little moment was rudely interrupted when Cole hammered on the door so loudly the frame shook. Tanner grumbled and kissed the back of my neck. I felt a sharp sting across my shoulder, causing a recollection of him biting me to resurface.

"Open the fucking door, Tanner, we need to talk."

"Looks like the honeymoon's over, baby. Time to face the music."