Staking His Claim: Tattooed And Taken Book 5 Read online

  Staking His Claim

  Tattooed And Taken Book 5

  Reagan Phillips

  This book is for For Debra Shutters -A member of my Coffee, Chocolate, and Books Facebook group came up with the name Everly for this story. Thank you, Debra!

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  Her Brother’s Best Friend

  Also by Reagan Phillips

  1

  Everly

  For the third time tonight, I walk by a member and have to avert my gaze to save myself from his stare. Turning twenty-one for most girls is celebrated with a kegger and a trip to the beach with girlfriends. My father planned an open night in the Tempest Elite clubhouse with an announcement his girl was ready to be a bride.

  Hopper’s is the only face I can look in. On the run, he’s the group’s Road Captain but in the clubhouse he tends bar, and he’s been making me Shirley Temples since I was old enough to climb on a stool.

  “Not enjoying your party, Ever?” He slides a cherry red soda my way with a smile that makes his whole face wrinkle.

  I swear Hopper was old sixteen years ago when Gunner first brought me to the club after he adopted me from my mother. Hopper set me up on the counter and taught me how to pull the cherries from the jar and shake the tumbler of ginger ale and grenadine. He reminded me of Santa with his full white beard and belly spilling from his cuts, and he hasn’t aged a day since.

  “Gunner can pretend this party is for me all he wants, but you’ve never lied to me, Hopper. We both know this is nothing more than a meat market, and I’m the ribeye on display.”

  “Filet Mignon,” Hopper says before handing a prospect a beer. “My goddaughter could never be anything lower than grade A Filet.” He bops my nose with his finger and laughs.

  As usual, he makes me smile, and for a second, I forget the real reason Bear, the club president, is throwing this party in my honor. I’ve never been allowed to date yet I’m meant to marry one of these men.

  I take my drink and turn to the party. “I’m not ready to become an Ol’ Lady.”

  “You better not let your father hear you say that,” Hopper warns. “He’s had his heart set on you staying within the family since he took you in.”

  “And not following through would be a slap in the face after he saved me.” I swallow down the soda to keep from saying something I’ll regret.

  Gunner’s my only family. He only dated my mother a short time while she was a sweet butt at the club, but once her drug use got out of control, Bear had her removed from the club for life. That’s when Gunner dumped her and found out about me.

  I’m not even sure of all the strings he pulled and the money he paid for a single man to adopt a six-year-old girl, but after a month in foster care, I was his, and we’ve been together ever since.

  Until I was eighteen and on my own away at college, he always treated me as the son he never had. I played ball and soccer. I love a good wrestling match and can shoot a perfect score at the firing range with at least six different types of handguns. I even have my own cuts, though they lack the membership patch or the ol’ lady insignia half the clubhouse hopes to pin on me.

  I’m a prize for the most deserving. As much as I owe the older members in the room tonight, I can’t help feeling trapped here. My sense of loyalty is strong to the men who help raise me and taught me the meaning of brotherhood even though I was a girl. Men who rewrote the bylaws so I could have a family. I’d be ungrateful to not follow my father’s wishes and pick one of the younger members to settle down with and have babies.

  Across the room, two sweet butts are dancing on the laps of two members, and a third is staring at me. I roll my eyes and look away, taking another sip as I search the room for a safe place to land. The sad part is the guy’s cute. Built enough to fill out his leathers with a fit body and a strong face that’s as handsome as it is rugged. If it weren’t for the fact I feel on display, he might intrigue me.

  “Have you seen Gunner?” I toss over my shoulder to Hopper.

  “In the parking lot with some non-members the last I saw him.”

  Great. I’m unsupervised, even if I’m sure Hopper’s been put in charge of keeping an eye on me.

  “I’m going to call it a night.” I hop off the stool and pull my denim skirt down from where it’s ridden up my thighs. Gunner insisted I wear my cuts tonight, and a white tank top finishes off the outfit. “I’ll tell him on my way upstairs.”

  Hopper nods and returns to passing out beers from behind the bar. I can’t leave the building without passing Bull and Doc at the front doors or the prospects at the gate, so he knows I won’t go far.

  Gunner and I have rooms upstairs in the clubhouse, joined by a bathroom. Since I’ve been to college, I know any number of sweet butts have crashed in it, but Bear ordered the prospects to buy new bedding and towels when I returned a few weeks ago. Gunner’s also old school military and keeps our house immaculate as well as his room in the clubhouse.

  I’m ready to crash as soon as I step outside and say goodnight. Bull grunts at me when I step to the doors, but Doc pushes it open and directs me to where my father is talking with three people near the club’s bikes.

  I give Doc a smile and step out. Doc wouldn’t be a horrible choice if I had to pick a member to date. He’s around thirty, I’m guessing, and gentle. He’s even cute in a teddy bear kind of way, I think before stopping short at the sight of the man standing beside Gunner.

  My breath catches in my throat, and my whole body tingles with awareness. Gunner is discussing an issue with his Harley, but the words float over my head. I’m so struck by the stranger.

  Kyle, I hear Gunner say, and it fits the guy. He’s tall and broad, and his forearms are roped in muscle. His black tee shirt stretches over a well-defined chest, and his jeans hug huge thighs. I hadn’t even made it to his face before Gunner calls my name and pulls me in under his arm.

  “Kyle, this is Everly, my daughter. She’s home from college and starts her residency as a physical therapist at the medical center soon.”

  “Physical therapy,” Kyle says, and my gaze finally reaches his face.

  It’s hard to make out all of his features in the dark, but from what the shadows don’t cover, I can tell his face is strong and sharp, and his eyes are light in color and piercing.

  “The club seems to always need therapy for one member or another, so I decided to take on that role,” I answer, feeling Gunner smiling beside me.

  “That is dedication,” Kyle says. His tone is a matter of fact, and there is no interest in me in his eyes. He’s the only eligible man on the property who hasn’t tried to eye fuck me tonight. Maybe that’s why I’m so attracted.

  “It’s job security,” I add. “Kind of like a bike shop owner befriending a motorcycle club.”

  Kyle’s brows lift then fall again. He didn’t expect I’d know the deal Tempest Elite has with his shop, and that has him surprised. “I’ve heard my father speak of you before. He’s been trying to get you to join the club for a while now.”

  Kyle shifts his weight to one foot. I’ve made him uncomfortable.

  “I’m not much of a club guy,” he answers before Gunner squeezes me in his arms.

  “Tonight’s my baby girl’s birthday, and we’re throwing her a party. Non-
members welcome. No pressure,” Gunner says.

  I watch Kyle not realizing I’m holding my breath for his answer.

  He tips his head down and looks at the ground before he makes eye contact with Gunner again. “Thanks, but I’ve got to open the shop early. Some other time maybe.”

  “Alight, man. I’ve got to get back in there. Call me when the parts come in, and I’ll ride over and pick them up.”

  Kyle shakes Gunner’s hand and straddles a Harley. The prospects open the front gate, and Kyle looks back over his shoulder before he pulls away. “Oh, and happy birthday, Everly.” Then he’s gone.

  I smile to cover my disappointment. The one guy on the property I’ve even vaguely interested in talking to tonight, and he’s made it clear he’s not interested in me.

  Kyle

  I can’t get the image of Everly smiling at me out of my head the whole way back to my apartment above the shop. The second she walked out the front of the club, I noticed her. Any man with a pulse would have an uptake in heartbeats at the sight of her curves. Her short skirt showed off thick thighs that ran down into muscular calves I instantly pictured wrapped around my torso as I rammed into her.

  That’s not mentioning the cute way she smiles out the side of her mouth and how it pushes her one cheek up into a dimple that melted my heart. As soon as I saw her I knew she must be mine. But, as she settled into Gunner’s side, I realized her vest had patches from the club, and in my limited understanding of the rules of Tempest Elite, they meant she had an ol’ man and was off-limits.

  Belonging to another man didn’t stop me from rubbing one out last night to the memory of her, or keep me from taking myself in hand in the shower this morning. I can already picture my babies inside her, and she can never even be mine.

  Opening the shop should take my mind off her. It’s Saturday, and with Luke out of town, I’m on my own for the weekend. A shipment of parts is scheduled for delivery today, and I have three bikes in the back to work on, including the one Gunner is bringing this afternoon.

  Besides, self-control has made me the man I am today. Being able to block temptation in favor of forwarding growth of the shop is why Luke is out scouting locations for a second location and how I’ve managed to keep an account with TE without joining the club and alienating my other customers. I’m relying on that same self-control to knock Everly from my mind when the bell above the front door chimes and I hear it from the back.

  I blink twice from the sun pouring in over her as she steps through the door. Everly in a tight TE tee shirt ripped in a V at the collar and a pair of denim shorts that barely cover her rounded ass steps up to the counter. She gives me the same sideways smile that had my cock at full attention last night. It has the same effect on me now, and I widen my stance to keep my jeans from giving me away.

  Gunner should know better than to ever let her out of his sight. If she were mine, she’d never be alone. Never be unprotected. Any man seeing her would instantly be drawn to her, and I wouldn’t take that chance.

  “What are you doing here?” I say hoarsely.

  Everly slides her palm along the glass case of Harley merchandise I keep in the front before she looks back up to me and answers. “Gunner sent me to pick up the stuff he ordered. Is that okay with you?”

  I grunt. I’m not sure why Everly sounds annoyed with me. I’m the one who spent the last twelve hours getting her out of my head just to have her show up in my shop looking even hotter than she did last night.

  “It’s fine. I thought Gunner was bringing in the bike for repairs.”

  When I step out from behind the counter to grab the box, I set aside for Gunner, the scent of lemons and lavender hits my nose as soon as I turn my back. I spin to find Everly standing inches from me. She averts her gaze to a chrome muffler on a shelf, but I caught her looking at my ass.

  “Bear called an unexpected church meeting, and it doesn’t look like the guys will be free until after lunch.”

  “Church?” I study her. Fuck, she’s gorgeous this close up. Gunner really shouldn’t let her out of his sight. She doesn’t have a fucking clue what she does to men. Or, maybe that’s why Gunner sent her to me. He could be using Everly to make me join. Then I remember the patches on her vest and the man who probably put them there.

  “Church,” she laughs lightly, and it sounds like bells playing. She slides her hands into her back pockets and pushes her chest out. “Church is their word for an important club business meeting. When the prez calls one, all members are required to attend.”

  “Are you not a member then?” I’m not inept when it comes to the rules, but I am aware from my conversations with Gunner that Everly has a room in the clubhouse and more privileges than most of the prospects.

  “Associate is as far as a girl can go, and that’s only if she’s attached to a member. Otherwise, she’s a sweet butt and--”

  “I get it,” I stop her from finishing. Gunner’s invited me to the club on several occasions, and the few times I’ve gone, he’s introduced me to the girls they keep around for fun. My gut heats at the thought of Everly treated as one of them. Passed around from member to member and meaning nothing more than one night of pleasure.

  “Are you always this uptight?”

  I stop opening the box and stare at her. She’s smiling again, and her chest is inches from mine. “Uptight?” I ground out and drop the box. Half a step closer has me pressing her into the self behind us. “I’m not uptight, Everly. I’m trying not to cross the wrong line and kiss you.”

  Her mouth opens, and she gasps before trying to back up, but she can’t. Her hands land on the shelves, but her eyes never leave mine. I can’t tell if I scare or excite her until she reaches one hand up and cups my stubbled cheek. “If it’s what you want, then why are you fighting it so hard?”

  My gaze darts between her eyes as I take the possibility she wants this as much as I do. When I press into her harder, my cock pushes in between her tights, and her eyes widen before she takes a deep breath and relaxes against me. I brush a stray hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear. “Because you’re taken, Angel, and I don’t mess with other men’s women.”

  Everly drops her hand to my chest. “Is that what Gunner told you? I’m not taken, Kyle. He wants me with a club member, but since I saw you last night, I don’t think that’s possible.”

  It’s all I need to hear before I press her against the shelves and cover her mouth with mine. I’m not thinking of Gunner, or Tempest Elite, or the shop when I claim her mouth, and my hands roam her body. I’m only thinking of marking her as mine.

  2

  Everly

  Gunner is out of Church when I return to the club, but instead of stopping to talk, I go straight to my room and shut the door. I'm not a panicky person, but right now, my heart is beating fast, and my hands are cold. I'm sure this is an attack, and it's all from Kyle's kiss.

  I can't say that I didn't want it or even expect it. The way I was looking at him and standing so close, I could feel without a doubt his attraction for me matches mine for him. But, Kyle seems so self-controlled, and against anything to do with club life, I don't see him as the type to be persuaded.

  I raise my fingers to my lips and rub them over the warmth that lingers there. Kyle didn't even say he was sorry when he backed away. If anything, he reacted like he'd done nothing and the kiss had no effect on him. That thought is what made me step away from him with the excuse I needed to get back to the club before I was missed.

  There is a knock on my door, and I jump.

  "Ever? Everything okay?"

  It's Gunner. I knew he wouldn't let me just slip by him without an explanation. I should have just stayed down in the bar long enough for him to believe everything was fine. But as soon as I walked into the club and took a look at the members and prospects all spread out drinking, laughing, some with sweet butts grinding in their laps, I knew I couldn't stay.

  "I'm fine," I call to the door before pulling it open. "Just
needed to use the bathroom. I'd been holding it the whole way back from town."

  Gunner pushes the door open enough to allow his large frame to enter. "Good." He sounds relieved. "I was worried you'd have an issue while running errands. Are the parts still in my truck?"

  Parts? I completely forgot in my rush to leave Kyle's shop. We never even made it to the handoff. "They hadn't come in yet. If you let me borrow your truck again tomorrow, I'm sure Kyle will have them by then."

  "No. You've already wasted one morning on my errands. I'll send a prospect for them tomorrow."

  A weight drops in my stomach. I hadn't realized how badly I was hoping to see Kyle again until Gunner mentions me not returning.

  "It's really no trouble. I want to earn my keep while I'm here."

  Gunner smiles and runs his large hand over the top of my head. "This is your home, Ever. You never need to earn your keep here. Besides," he gets a faraway look in his eyes. "The more time you spend in the clubhouse, the closer we get to matching you up with one of the members."

  Gunner smiles, and I force one to mirror his, though the weight in my stomach has doubled, and my eyes burn. He isn't going to let the idea of me leaving the Tempest Elite drop. I'm afraid to break his heart after all he has done for me. I can't tell him this lifestyle isn't what I want if I can't share it with someone I genuinely love, and though I respect the hell out of these men for what they stand for, I don't feel about any of them the way I do about Kyle.

  "I'll try," I say when Gunner cups my cheek in his warm hand. I place my palm over his. "But I can't make any promises."