Tucker's Fall Part 1

Tucker's Fall.

Eliza Gayle.

Acknowledgements.

There are many people who go into making each book the best it can be. Editors, cover artists, beta readers, critique partners and very good friends. I owe them all so much.

2012 was a challenging period of adjustment for me and keeping up with the writing wasn't easy. Thanks to the patience and help of Selena Blake, Dahlia Rose, Margaret Yang, LeighAnna Thomas, Christie Von Ditter, Cat Johnson and my family, I finished the d.a.m.n book and they helped me make it even better. I feel blessed to have these people at my side.

Chapter One.

Tucker Lewis stared into the crowd and wondered when it would all end. He tightened his grip on the shot of Jameson and brought the gla.s.s to his lips. Across the bar and generous play s.p.a.ce, fake smoke, dancers in chains, and throngs of half-naked partiers filled the club. The intense edge of the Lords of Acid music and the occasional scream of a submissive from the far side of the room fit right in with his dark mood. For better or worse this was the place he'd needed to be tonight.

The Purgatory club had come to be in a different life for him and the longer he sat here watching the scene around him; the less he believed he belonged. Of course his self-imposed exile hadn't helped much. He'd been riding high on life on borrowed time and didn't even know it. All it took was a simple house fire to bring his world cras.h.i.+ng down.

"Wow, as I live and breath. Is that you, Tuck?"

Yanked from his mournful thoughts, Tucker focused on the man standing in front of him. Tall and imposing, he wore black leather that emphasized a gleaming baldhead that drew women of all ages. It didn't surprise him that his old friend from better days and one of the best d.a.m.n rope riggers on the planet stood there with a smug grin.

"f.u.c.k you, Leo."

"C'mon, Tucker. You know I'm not your type. But maybe this one is." Leo tugged on a leash he'd been holding and a very pretty redhead cautiously stepped out from behind him. Even with her eyes cast down, it didn't take much for Tucker to recognize her nervousness. Her hands intertwined with each other repeatedly as she s.h.i.+fted her weight from foot to foot.

Long, red hair brushed the tops of ample b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were barely hidden by a thin, black nightie that stopped before her thighs began. But it was the thick leather collar at her neck, branded with two names that stood out to him.

"I see things have changed for you since I last visited."

"Tends to happen when you disappear from the face of the Earth." Leo clapped his shoulder and took a seat on the bench next to him and his lovely submissive went to her knees on the floor at Leo's feet.

Tucker tried to ignore the slight pang inside him. It had been a long time since a submissive had caught his eye but that didn't mean the desire to have one of his own had completely disappeared.

"Will you introduce me to your lovely?"

Leo beamed. "Katie, say h.e.l.lo to Master Tucker. He's an old friend of mine."

With what looked like some reluctance, the little subbie lifted her head and met his gaze. "h.e.l.lo, Master Tucker. It is nice to meet you." Immediately her eyes lowered back to the floor.

"You'll have to excuse Katie this evening. She's had a tough time with her commitments lately so Quinn and I have decided to devote this entire week to her correction." Leo stroked his pet's hair and brushed her cheek when she turned toward him.

The pang inside him clamored louder. The affection between Master and submissive was so obvious it was difficult for Tucker not to experience some degree of jealousy, although settling down had never been in his previous plans. "No need to excuse her. I completely understand." Maybe it was time to get back into the scene. He could meet a willing submissive here at the club and work out some of the kinks that had plagued his art this week.

"You thinking about rejoining us? Maybe some play tonight?"

Tucker shrugged, amazed Leo had read his mind. Tucker's body warred with his mind for control. Part of him definitely needed to move on, but the other-well, he wasn't so sure.

"I'd be happy to offer Katie for service tonight. I think it would do her some good. She needs to get her head in the right place for everything she will be put through this week. What do you say?"

Tucker considered the offer while staring at the top of the pretty sub's head. She'd not uttered a word or made a move except for the tiny shudder he'd detected along her shoulder line when Leo offered her services. She impressed him and that wasn't an easy thing to do these days.

He stood from his seat and positioned himself legs apart in front of Katie. Leaning down he cupped her chin and t.i.tled her head back until her gaze met his. "I have a feeling I would enjoy your service very much."

She swallowed before a small smile tilted her lips. Whatever trouble she'd been having it was obvious how much she needed whatever Leo wanted to give her.

"It would be my pleasure, Sir."

A part of him really wanted to enjoy Katie. To take part in her discipline and let go of some of the stress he'd endured lately. His self-imposed exile needed to come to an end. He wasn't his father's son anymore. Unfortunately, his body had a mind of its own and wouldn't cooperate like he wanted it to. Flashes of another lovely lady filled his head. A woman he'd not actually laid eyes on in over fifteen years. Maggie Cisco. Professor. Newly single. Closeted submissive.

While he couldn't actually confirm the submissive part yet, his gut told him the truth. She'd been studying BDSM for so long there was no doubt in his mind there was a hidden ache behind her research. And he refused to entertain the alternative of her being a top. That didn't match the Maggie he knew from high school at all. Sure, people changed. He certainly had, but the fundamental core of who you are and what you need on a cellular level doesn't change in adulthood.

He'd bet every last dollar that Maggie possessed the heart of a true submissive, longing to take her place at her Master's side and he'd waited her out long enough. Her reappearance eight weeks ago had sparked more than gossip. Something inside him akin to hunger had unfurled and dug in with razor sharp claws and refused to let go. His recovery had taken a very long time. Too long. Now he needed to rejoin the world, engage in a healthy if somewhat temporary relations.h.i.+p and he'd chosen Maggie to do it with. She didn't know it yet, but he was coming for her.

Maggie tightened her hands on the steering wheel and held on for dear life. Flakes the size of dollar coins attacked her winds.h.i.+eld as she struggled to see the road. Why had she not listened to the news reports when they'd warned the coming storm would be serious? Instead she'd ignored everything around her and stayed at the coffee shop until the roads turned white and her latest chapter had been edited to perfection.

Another chapter in her first book wouldn't do her much good if she didn't survive the drive home. She narrowed her eyes. Her visibility was s.h.i.+t and she still had several miles to go. Not to mention the hill. A rough groan formed at the back of her throat. Her decision to come to the lake for the winter really had been a very bad idea. As far as she was concerned, Dorothy had it all wrong. No place like home was nothing but bulls.h.i.+t created by some Pollyanna who'd never made a mistake in her life. Small town America held a grudge when one of their own made a spectacle of themselves in the public eye.

Maggie turned the wheel to hold her course on the road and blew out a hard breath. Focus on the road and worry about your life later, dumba.s.s.

With her turn coming up, she slowly pressed the brake pedal and turned on her signal. This was it. The hill that stood between her and home. At about ten miles per hour she navigated her small sports car across the road and made her way to Miller road. So far so good.

Her car crested the hill and the long descent loomed below her. "Slow and steady," she chanted over and over again. Her teeth ached something fierce from clenching her jaw, but she couldn't stop if she wanted to. Driving in the snow terrified her. It had been years since she'd tried, but it took nothing to recall the tree that had mangled her parent's SUV the last time she'd attempted to drive in the white stuff.

After college she'd moved from North Carolina to Florida where her chance of snow turned to zero and the sun shone almost every day of the year. Not to mention the lack of hills.

Red lights flashed in Maggie's vision and her heart clenched. There were two cars nose to nose in the middle of the road. She slammed on the brake to stop her car and nothing happened. s.h.i.+t! In the back of her mind she vaguely remembered being told to never slam on the brakes in snow or ice because her car would lose traction. In a weird sort of slow motion her car continued to slide slowly down the hill toward the cars blocking her pa.s.sage.

Maggie's stomach trembled as she pulled the wheel in the opposite direction. Her car swerved to the left, but not enough. As the seconds ticked by and her winds.h.i.+eld wipers ushered the snow from her window as quickly as it fell the pit in her stomach grew.

At the first sound of metal sc.r.a.ping against metal, Maggie cried out. The momentum of the hill propelled her vehicle forward bouncing from one vehicle to the other before finally rolling to a stop. With her heart in her throat and her pulse beating wildly, Maggie tipped her head forward and leaned against the steering wheel. Grateful she'd kept her speed low, Maggie undid her seat belt and opened her door. To her surprise, both cars had begun to move and were making an attempt to get the rest of the way down the hill without a care in the world whether she was all right.

She stood in the glow of her headlights, her mouth agape and watched them slide. Slowly but surely, they traversed their path down the hill and eventually their rear red lights winked out of view. Alone in the dark, cold s.h.i.+vered through Maggie. She pulled her sweater tighter and cursed herself for not wearing a heavy jacket when she'd left the cabin. She didn't spend much time outdoors but any idiot knew to be prepared for inclement weather.

Now what?

She glanced back at her car and sighed. Her only option was to go down because on this slick road going back the way she came was out of the question. She hopped back into her car, buckled her seat belt and turned the heater on high. In her rearview mirror headlights approached, making it imperative she get her car out of the way.

Compressing the brake, she put the car in drive and pulled on the wheel. It didn't budge.

"Are you kidding me?" Maggie glanced in the rearview mirror and tried again. The lights were getting closer. When the wheel still wouldn't budge she searched the dashboard for the hazard light switch. She had no idea if the oncoming driver could make out her taillights in the heavy snowfall. Her stomach jumped when she discovered the b.u.t.ton with the familiar triangle and flipped it on.

A backwards glance revealed the vehicle closing in with no sign it would stop. Maybe the driver couldn't stop. She'd have to get out and flag them down. She sighed. The car was warm. Out there was not. With no time to figure out another option, she grabbed her backpack and jumped out. She'd barely cleared the car when the vehicle, which she could now identify as a truck, bore down in her direction.

Maggie jumped up and down and waved her hands trying to get the driver's attention. Nothing. He was seconds from slamming into her car. She scrambled across the snow-covered road and across the embankment on the other side. The least she could do was not get splattered.

She covered her eyes and waited for the crash. Unable to resist, she spread her fingers and peeked at the scene in front of her in time to see the truck swerve and miss her precious BMW by mere inches. The driver accelerated and snow flew from under its tires, hitting her in the chest and face like little pellets, as it continued down the hill. Too stunned to move, she watched the taillights move farther away until eventually they disappeared.

So caught up in the rude truck driver, she failed to hear the next vehicle crest the hill.

A horn blasted into the darkness and Maggie screamed before she whirled around to see a large SUV with an emergency light in its window making its way down the hill in her direction.

Oh thank G.o.d. Maybe this one would stop. She slumped against the tree and swore if she got home safely she'd never do anything this stupid again.

The vehicle slowed as it approached before coming to a stop at the rear of her car. Bright headlights illuminated the area.

"Anyone hurt?" a male voice boomed.

She shook her head and responded, "No, I don't think so." Her teeth chattered but that was hardly cause for alarm. After she picked up her stomach from the road she turned to the stranger.

"Thank you for stopping."

The man opened his door and unfolded from the interior of the large SUV. Maggie gasped as she craned her neck to take in the sheer size of her rescuer. Dear G.o.d, he had to be six and a half feet tall. Not just tall either. He was built like a freaking line backer. His shoulders alone blocked half the light from his headlights as he walked in her direction. She blinked against the glare and swallowed. Her rescuer was as big as a bear and they were alone, on a dark night, on an empty road.

She glanced side to side and confirmed they were indeed alone. An uneasiness she didn't like crawled along her spine. Hadn't she seen this very scene in a movie one time? The heroine had been too stupid to live.

"You're welcome." His voice carried the several feet between them and her heart beat rose. That voice sounded familiar. She twisted her head until the torches most called headlights not spotlights disappeared from her vision.

The imposing figure of her supposed rescuer morphed into a gorgeous man. Light brown hair neatly trimmed around his head, a strong jaw that lent the man more than a fair share of arrogance and the gorgeous ocean blue eyes she'd been captivated by in high school.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Tucker. Is that you? What are you doing here?" The fifteen years since she'd seen him last melted away. She pictured him as he'd been back then. The last time she'd seen him he'd been leaning against the bed of someone's truck with his hands shoved in his pockets and a smirk on his face. She'd been with Derek and far too preoccupied with the outcome of her date to talk to him.

A tight smile formed across his face, bringing her back to the present. "Such language from a lady. Since when can't a man come to the rescue of a damsel in distress?"

"You obviously don't know me very well," she muttered under her breath.

"Whose fault is that? It's been what, ten years or more?"

She shrugged. "Something like that."

"I didn't expect to find you on the side of the road. But I can't say I'm sorry for it."

Maggie's pulse jumped. Tucker looked d.a.m.ned fine and it would be so easy to fall down memory lane... She needed to diffuse this conversation fast. "I'm just glad you're not some crazed stranger looking to chloroform me and tie me up. Amazingly, I am not in the mood for a kidnapping."

Tucker stopped in front of her and locked his gaze with hers. "What makes you so sure I don't have nefarious intentions?"

The steely thread of his comment made Maggie's stomach tumble. Sudden images of Tucker looming over her with her arms bound to a chair filled her head. Her heart beat faster and she surprised them both with a sudden gasp.

"Easy Miss Maggie, I was only kidding. The last time I tied someone up I ended up with a knee to my b.a.l.l.s. I'm not looking to repeat that tonight."

The use of her silly high school nickname brought her back down from the clouds and her fantasy land. Although his odd comment threw her for a loop and she had to squelch the impulse to ask what he meant. Not the time. Not her business.

She took a deep breath and trudged over to her car. "You wouldn't happen to have any equipment in that monster vehicle of yours that would tow me home do you?"

She watched Tucker walk to her car, taking in everything she could despite the snow still pouring down on them. Unlike her, he wore a thick winter coat b.u.t.toned to his chin that made her curious to know how warm he'd be if she touched him. She shook her head at the ridiculous thought and focused on the situation at hand. Snow. Car. No way home. Focus. She needed to get her s.h.i.+t together before she froze to death.

"You staying at your parent's cabin on the lake?"

She nodded. The less she said the better.

"Unfortunately, this baby isn't set up for towing and last I heard on the scanner it could be hours before the tow truck can make it out here. Looks like you're stuck for the night."

She couldn't read his expression or decide if the innuendo she read in his statement was simply a figment of her imagination. "Figures."

"I can however, help you get her over to the side of the road so no one hits her again. Then you can hop in my vehicle and I can give you a ride home. Once the storm clears I'll make sure someone gets your car out to your place."

More crazy images... Her mind drifted the minute he'd said ride.

She wanted a ride. Oh yes she did.

Why did her mind insist on going there? She hadn't seen or heard from Tucker in ages and even back in high school it hadn't been like that between them. They were friends. Okay mostly acquaintances over the years but there had been moments of friends.h.i.+p. And that one night at the annual St. Mary's Carnival...

They'd been alone for five minutes and they'd shared a kiss. One stupid teenage moment had turned into a lifetime memory she still recalled as vividly as yesterday. His hands tight in her hair, his mouth sliding across hers, taking the kiss she ached to give...

It had only lasted a moment but when her friends had arrived, she'd stood there without saying a word, still stunned by the firm impression of his lips against hers. He'd attempted to see her the next night and she'd blown him off. Now she couldn't recall why. She stared at his a.s.s as he walked around her car. Brain fart maybe?

Running into Tucker like this made her want to flee in the opposite direction. If only to keep from making another mistake. She found him s.e.xy as h.e.l.l and very tempting. Maggie bit her lip and moved closer to her car. This is what she got for hiding away from people for so long. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Just hop in and put your ignition in drive. I'll take care of the rest." He moved to the back of her car and she did as he asked before waiting for further instructions. Moments later her car began to move as he pushed it from behind. With the steering wheel locked up there wasn't much she could do so she hopped out and added her efforts in keeping the car going in the right direction.

It didn't take long and they had the car well off the road and secured.

"Do you need anything from inside before we go?"

She pointed to the backpack already on her back. "Nope. Got everything I need right here."

He eyed her curiously but obviously decided not to say anything as he turned and headed towards his vehicle. Maggie followed as he led the way to the pa.s.senger side and opened the door for her. Kind of shocked that he'd bother, she hopped into the SUV and buckled in. She couldn't help watching him stalk toward the driver's door. His determined stride gave her the sense of a predator going after its prey.

She had hoped to avoid seeing anyone she knew for a while but now that she had there were a million questions running through her brain.

Like what had he been doing since high school? Had he never left home? What about college? What about marriage? Was there a significant other in his life? What if he was gay?

With that thought her own s.h.i.+tty past crashed in on her. If she started questioning Tucker he might do the same to her and she didn't need anyone digging through her closet. Those bodies were too fresh. The ink had barely dried on her divorce papers and the jail cell still gave her nightmares.

She settled into the seat on a sigh. Better to leave high school where it belonged, accept his generous offer to deliver her home safely and then forget all about Tucker Lewis. Yep, returning to her parent's lake home had definitely been a mistake.

Tucker climbed into his seat and started his SUV. Warm air blasted through the vents and Maggie moaned. She held up her frozen hands and ignored the pain of sudden heat across super cold flesh. She desperately needed to thaw out.

"I'm surprised you're out here like that." He turned the k.n.o.b and more warm air rushed out.