Stroke Of Fear

   My eyes focus, and I look up at Tanner. “Yes,” I whisper, my throat hoarse. Why hadn’t I seen it before? He was going crazy in front of me and I didn’t try and stop it. I let him go crazy.

   “Are you sure?” He touches my rib. “We can go slower if you’re not ready.”

   “I’m ready.” Taking another step, the water seeps higher, sloshing around my feet. My toes sink into the mud, but I keep going until the water is at my hips. Tanner’s grip on me tightens. I’m here. You’re safe. Always. His words rattle along in my head. We’re here for each other. To help one another.

   “Darlin’,” Tanner whispers behind me, his arms wrapping firmly around my waist. “You’re in the water.” He nips at my neck, and I feel his erection growing against me. I smile and let my fingers graze the water’s smooth surface.

   “You’re hard.”

   He chokes out a growl and pulls me toward him. “I’m extremely hard. You make me that way.”

   Christ. “Well, why don’t you show me how much you want me?”

   “Oh, I wish I could. But, you know we have that meeting in an hour. And baby girl, it’s gonna take way longer than that. I’ve got plans for you.”

   Goddamn. My swimsuit bottoms are soaking and not from the water.

“I’m so proud of you,” he says.

   “I’m just standing here.”

   “When is the last time you’ve done this?” he asks, pushing my hair away from my neck.

   “Years.”

   Sliding his lips against my skin, he whispers, “Progress.”

   Turning, I grab a handful of him and he lifts his brows in warning. “Progress,” I say.

   His eyes widen but a smile rides along his strong jaw. “You’re a really bad influence. Here I was trying to let you keep your virtue and be a true southern gentleman. Then you go and get me all wired up. Tsk. Tsk.”

   “Right, because we all believe you don’t want to do bad things to me.”

   Tanner grips the back of my neck and forces my face up to his. “You better stop talkin’ to me like that, or I’m going to forget my morals and do what I really what to do to you right here on the fuckin’ dock.”

   Fuck, any chance of me not melting into a puddle just blew out the window.

   “Now,” he whispers. “Let’s get your pretty ass in the truck before I slip my fingers under that swimsuit.”

   Smiling, I let him drag me back toward his truck.

* * *

“Just one more kiss,” he whispers. My back is against the outside door of my cabin. My legs are trembling. If he wasn’t pushing against me, I’d fall onto the ground and quiver like a child. He’s fucking my mouth with his. His tongue grazes mine, then my bottom lip and down my neck.

   “This is the fifth one more kiss. Not that I’m complaining,” I say through heavy breaths.

   My vision starts to darken on the sides from the pressure of his dick against my stomach. I wish it wasn’t so late, and I wish Cassie wasn’t listening on the other side of the door right now.

   His rough hands grab the bottom of my ass and he lifts me onto his waist. “Goddamn, baby…you’re so fuckin’ beautiful.” He’s whispering in my ear, trailing kisses down my neck.

   “Excuse me.”

   Startled, Tanner drops me to the ground and turns around quickly. Jake is standing on the bottom step, staring up at us. His cheeks are red and each fist is clenched at his sides.

   Oh fucking great. “Jake not now—”

   “I just need to talk to Tanner. Alone.”

   I cross my arms over my chest. “So you can try and fight him again? I think not.”

   Jake rolls his eyes but Tanner places a hand on my back. “Go inside, darlin’. Let us have a talk.”

   My mouth drops open, but Tanner gives me a pleading look. I mumble underneath my breath and open the door.

   “Fuck,” Cassie says, holding her head. “Warn a girl before you walk into a room.” She backs away and rubs her knuckles against the spot.

   “So you were spying on us?”

   “Do you see anything else to do around here?”

   I laugh and we both turn to press our ears against the door. “Can you hear anything?” she whispers.

   “Nada.”

   She growls and looks out the peep hole. “The bastards moved away from the door,” she grumbles.

   Running toward the window, I look out. “Shit. They’re over there by the boy’s cabin. Assholes.”

   Cassie walks to her bed and flops down. “So, how are the swimming lessons going?”

   I gawk at her. “How do you know about that?”

   She tosses her chestnut hair from her shoulder. “Come on. You have a bathing suit on, Aub. It’s pretty obvious. You don’t swim, so why would you have that on?”

   “To suntan.”

   “You’re already tan, and I know you. You’re trying to learn again. I’m glad. It’s time.”

   I nod and reach over to give her a hug. “Where’s Eric?”

   She shrugs. “Not my boyfriend, remember.”

   I lift an eyebrow at her.

   She groans. “Playing X-Box in the game room.”

   “That’s what I thought.”

Chapter Sixteen

Tanner

  “Kick it like this.”

    Kelley, the cutest ten-year-old in the world, furrows her brow and tries to mimic my kick. She nearly falls on her butt in the process, but gets the ball to me.

   I smile and give her a thumbs up. “Okay, now like this.”

   She pushes her small glasses up her nose, and bats her huge blue eyes. This kid is going to be a heartbreaker when she gets old enough. “Like this, Mr. Tanner?”

   “What did we talk about?”

   She smiles, but red rushes toward her cheeks. “Tanner, not Mr. Tanner.” I give her a wink and kick the ball back to her. She’s on my team for the soccer games. She’s terrible, but the cutest damn thing you’ll ever lay your eyes on.

   I’m waiting for her to kick it back to me when I see her gaze over my shoulder. Turning, I see a man standing at the edge of the woods away from the cabins.

   He’s not moving. Just staring. What. The. Fuck. “Hey, Kelley, we’ll practice some more tomorrow. You want to go ahead and go back to your cabin? It’s almost supper time.”

   She nods her head vigorously. “Bye, Mr. Tanner.” I scowl but watch as she skips away.

   The man is still standing there when I turn my head. A white hat covers his face, but I can tell his hair is darker. He’s in some kind of old clothes, ratty and dirty.

   Cupping my hand around my mouth, I call out, “You lost?”

   Nothing.

“You lost?” I repeat.

   Slowly, he moves his head back and forth. It’s Jason-ish. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought an axe out