Slow Burns (Blacksteel Bandits Motorcycle Club Book 1) (5 page)

CHAPTER SIX

Fifteen minutes down the trail, they veered into the forest. It took them another twenty minutes of picking their way around fallen trees and rocks to get to their spot. Out of sight, the glade remained hidden by a thicket of trees on one side and a cliff face on the other. Sunlight filtered into the clearing, bright and cheerful. She wasn't even sure if anyone else visited the area. It always seemed peaceful and undisturbed. On the regular trails, plenty of trees bore the carvings of lovestruck teenagers.

Pleasant thoughts swirled around her head as she flapped her blanket out under the biggest tree in the glade. The shade felt cool and gentle on her flushed skin. As soon as Miranda smoothed the blanket down, Tyler flopped down. He groaned appreciatively as he stretched out on the ground. It had been a long time since he had to stumble through rough, wild terrain.

Miranda watched him as she lowered herself to the blanket. Then, her gaze surveyed their spot. The trees towered higher than she remembered and ivy climbed up the side of the cliff. Unfamiliar bushes flanked the trees. Her lips tilted into a smile as she brought her gaze back to Tyler, “I missed this spot.”

“Yeah?” Tyler's eyes flickered to Miranda. His eyebrows twitched upward in slight surprise, “You never came back here?”

“No,” Miranda murmured and averted her gaze from his prying stare. She turned her attention to the bag and rifled through it, withdrawing the sandwiches she prepared. As she held the food out to Tyler, she added, “It was too sad without you. I couldn't bear the thought.”

Tyler sat upright and accepted the bagged sandwich from Miranda. A shot of guilt stabbed into his heart. He fiddled with the plastic as he hung his head. “Sorry.”

Miranda grunted, flippantly. She couldn't tell him it wasn't his fault. It was. He was the one who broke up with her. He was the one who left. She unwrapped her sandwich, though, her thoughts plodding along dark veins. Their break-up hadn't been a happy affair, even as far as separations went. She pursed her lips while residual pain puckered at her heart. Tyler had been cold and severe. Miranda broke down in tears before he even finished. When he was done saying they had nothing in common, he walked off. The next day, he left town with a backpack in tow. It was another crack in her shattered heart. The whole thing had been out of the blue.

She waited for him months afterward. Her friends and family continuously introduced her to new people, new men, new prospects. None of them satisfied her. When she was certain he wasn't coming back, she attempted to move on. She mentally scoffed at herself. Look at how far that got her.

Even now, they seemed to get along. Miranda cast a curious look at Tyler as he took bites of his sandwich. He seemed to enjoy her presence. Hell, he even initiated an invitation at first! It didn't make sense to her. Before Miranda knew it, her words blurted from her lips, “Why did you break up with me?”

Tyler struggled for a breath. Ten years ago, he couldn't breach the subject with Miranda. They had just graduated from high school and toyed with the idea of living together. She relied on her family for tuition assistance, though. It seemed her family still had their fingers in Miranda's life, ten years later. She worked in their bank and lived close to her family's home. He couldn't shrug off the earnest glitter in her eye. He heaved a big sigh and, while picking at his sandwich, muttered, “Your family.”

“What?” Miranda's lungs tightened. A small, long-held suspicion at the back of her head fluttered. Muted anger coursed across her thoughts.

“Your family and friends. They didn't like me being around.” Tyler shrugged his shoulders, trying to ease the resentment from his voice. Even though it had been years, it hurt. “They said I affected you in bad ways and, well, at the time I thought I did.”

Miranda's annoyance relented, but there was still a blur of frustration in her thoughts. “Well, I did skip out on a lot of school.”

“And you acted 'out of line' and 'mouthy,' according to your mom.”

Miranda let out a derisive snort and took a bite of her sandwich. He was right. When she was with Tyler, she was high on her top-of-the-world confidence. She was openly argumentative with her family. Before and after him, Miranda was taught to bite her tongue or be gentle with her point-of-view. Dusty recollections shuddered through her mind – various fights with her mother, debates with her father, arguments with siblings and friends. The phrase 'that boy is trouble' came up a lot. Even years later, Miranda bristled at the memories.

“They were right,” muttered Tyler. His heart shivered sadly, but he had long ago accepted the fact.

Miranda turned her gaze to him, eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?”

“They were right. We had very different life paths.” Tyler forced a chuckle to his lips. Indeed, Miranda had done just what her family hoped for. Didn't that mean she wanted what her family wanted? On some level, she must’ve wanted the white-picket fence and an average, nuclear family.

Tyler, on the other hand, had lived a less-than-pristine life. He had broken a lot of laws, had bent a lot of rules, and – in some cases – even hurt people. Miranda wouldn't abide by any of it. He still wasn't sure what he ultimately wanted.

Indescribable pain echoed through her heart, though. Were they really so different? Or did Tyler have a life he wouldn't have exchanged for anything else in the world, even if it meant having a life with Miranda? The thought hurt. She tore her gaze away and busied herself by snapping another bite of her sandwich. She didn't taste the food on her tongue. Everything had suddenly gone tasteless.

“But, hey, that's all in the past,” Tyler forced another laugh from his throat. He waved away the suddenly heavy air. As he fell silent, he realized he wasn't sure what topic to discuss. Their jobs? Well, he couldn't talk about the Bandits or his job at the junkyard. Her lovers? No, that put a bad taste in his mouth and he was sure it'd be the same if he talked about his exes.

Miranda remained silent. Her thoughts lolled about her head, sluggish with anger. Those closest to her had gone behind her back and chased Tyler away. Then, while she was heartbroken and vulnerable, they had the audacity to pretend as if he was an abandoning prick. Her stomach curdled. How many more years would they stay together? What memories and life had been denied to her? Miranda couldn't finish her sandwich. She shoved the food back into the bag as red washed over her gaze.

Alongside her anger, sadness prickled along her thoughts. She cast a sidelong look at Tyler, curious how he felt. His pinched expression sent another vibration of sadness through her. The urge to touch him, to comfort him, rippled along her synapses. The need to distract herself from the heat of her anger also bubbled up in her thoughts.

The weight of Miranda's head on his shoulder jolted Tyler from his thoughts. He didn't have the chance to ask if she was all right before she spoke, “I'm glad you're back, Tyler. Let's enjoy our time together to the fullest.”

Heat tightened in his stomach. His heart stuttered in his chest, caught with excessive delight. His arm operated on automatic as it drifted up, along Miranda's back. His muscles ached suddenly, reminding him of the events of last night. All at once, dirty recollections collided in is head, exploding with the sight and sounds and sensations of Miranda.

“I'm glad, too.” He managed to string together the words while her hand stroke down his chest. Tyler suppressed a shudder as her hot, moist mouth kissed along his throat. He closed his eyes while he enjoyed Miranda's slow, gentle ministrations. Suddenly, she pulled away, leaving him cold and the heat in his lower belly aching for her.

He opened his eyes just as she planted herself in his lap, straddling him. The heat shot back to his groin, making his member strain against his pants. Even through jeans, Tyler could feel her excited throbbing and her warmth.

Miranda nipped and sucked along his neck. Her arms wrapped around him, fingers delving into his hair and against his scalp. Tingles flew over his skin and he groaned a she pulled his head back. Their eyes locked and he caught a glimpse of the dark fire of desire in her eyes. He swallowed as excitement pounded through his head. She swept down, catching him by the lips as his eyes closed. Her teeth worried along his lips, before she deepened the kiss.

She rolled her hips, grinding their bodies against one another. The friction taunted her dampening pussy and, if Tyler's groan was any indication, sent licks of delight through his dick. His hands rubbed along her sides, coaxing her hormones into a frenzy. Miranda guided him down to the blanket until she could feel the heat of the sun on her back. Yanking the hem of his shirt up, she broke from the kiss and descended southward.

Excited flames trailed along her lips and sunk into his skin. Tyler's breathing hitched as he cracked his eyes open. Shudders and prickles clawed down his body. His fingers crooked and tangled into the blanket as his muscles tensed along his body. Far off, animals – perhaps even people – shifted brush and snapped twigs. The thought of getting caught or spied on played about his mind. Still, his jeans felt smaller and smaller. He propped himself up on his elbows as Miranda drew farther down.

The groans and moans released from Tyler's lips sent heat pounding through her body. She could feel her pleased blush deepen and spread along her body. Her tits tingled as her nipples hardened, the fabric of her bra teasing her sensitive nubs. The way he tensed under her lips, the vibration of his moans through his chest, it all made Miranda feel hot and fuzzy. She slowly let go of their previous conversation.

Her nimble fingers undid the zipper and button of his pants, tugging the fabric down over his hips. His cock strained against his boxers, a small expanse of firm flesh peeked out from the waistband. She glanced up at Tyler and her thoughts shuddered. He hungrily watched her and bit his bottom lip. A flush raked across his cheeks and his chest shifted slightly with his excited breaths.

A surge of smug power rattled through Miranda's thoughts. His eyes burned as she threw him a coy smile. Her fingers hooked around the waistband. She lowered her lips, never taking her eyes away from Tyler's gaze. With a quick flick of her tongue, Miranda tasted the tip of his cock.

His erection throbbed and twitched against the hold of the elastic. The corners of Miranda's smile curled a little farther. Tyler clenched at the blanket beneath him, his thoughts heavy and heady with hormones.

Her fingers jerked the boxers down, a little lower. Tyler shuddered as his full erection became exposed to the sun and the open air. Miranda sat back a breath, admiring the hot, thick organ. Then she swept down, taking his dick into her mouth.

Tyler moaned and arched his back, his hands going to her hair. Miranda closed her eyes and enjoyed her bout of sexual power as her tongue swirled around the head of his dick. Tyler twitched and shuddered under her mouth, under her power. His fingers tightened in her hair as she bobbed up and down. Her pace was steady and quick, hitting a rhythm that would soon push him over the edge.

Then she moaned around his cock. The vibrations riveted along his sex, to his core and his bones. Pleasure blossomed along his nerves. He gasped and groaned, arching farther against the ground.

Churning heat and delight consumed Miranda's body. Her hormones were elated over his reactions, his groans, the way his body behaved in relation to her movements. Tyler's cock twitched in her mouth and, under her massaging palm, she felt his balls tighten. Excitement coursed through her body as his body tightened. He was on the razor's edge of pleasure.

She couldn't hold back any longer.

When Miranda pulled away, Tyler's eyes snapped open. The word 'tease' formed on his tongue. Instead of her smug grin, he was graced with Miranda's impromptu strip show. She made quick work of her jeans and her panties, kicking them off as she wiggled out of her boots. Even from the distance, he could tell her sex throbbed and dampened with desire. His heart twisted in ecstasy as Miranda, her bottom half now bare, crawled atop him. His hands immediately hovered over her hips.

She caught his lips in hers as her pussy slid along the length of his cock. Tyler moaned and bucked his hips, drunk and impatient on hormones. Against his lips, Miranda breathed a laugh. With experience and confidence, she rolled her hips and caught the head of his cock against her slit. Tyler's hands clamped to her hips. She slammed herself down. A satisfying slap filled their little glade, laced with the couple's moans of gratification.

Stars sparked at the corner of Tyler's sight as soon as Miranda worked her pussy up and down his cock. His fingers dug into her hips as he brought her down harder. At the same time, his hips came up, meeting her halfway. Miranda gasped, pleasure exploding inside of her with every deep thrust. Her toes curled against the blanket.