With a groan, I smack my palms against my comforter right as a loud bang has me jumping.

My eyes dart to the doorway.

Maddoc stands there glaring as he stumbles into my room, but I don’t move.

He loudly props his ass on the wall, using it as leverage to keep him standing as he yanks his shirt over his head, and I lay back, admiring the way his muscles tighten as he does. Next to go are his jeans.

He kicks them off and stands there frowning at me in nothing but boxers.

Then he shuts and locks my door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask.

His lips make a firm line.

“You think I’ll let you come in here and climb in bed when you only pulled your dick from some chick’s mouth a bit ago and only after I made it happen?”

“Yeah, I do.” His response is instant, and I almost want to laugh.

Always so sure. I kinda like that about him, the little prickhead.

He reaches for my lamp but then his glossy stare meets mine. Even in his drunken state, he remembers me and the dark don’t get along and he leaves the little light alone.

Even though I’m irritated with him for reasons I don’t care to play out, my damn body shakes anticipating his as he lowers himself onto the bed.

Maddoc slides under the covers until his skin is flush against mine.

His hand lands on my ass and he slowly slides it down until his fingers hit the apex of my thigh and he pulls, wrapping my leg around his hip, moving in until his dick is against me.

My muscles tighten against his hard-on, and a low, rumbly moan leaves him, but he makes no other move. He lays there, body pressed to mine, hands on my bare skin, and falls asleep.

And for some reason, with the sound of his steady breathing and warm skin heating mine, my body grows lax.

Sleep comes easier than it should.

Quick, heavy footsteps sound behind me and then the board on the back deck creaks with a single foot planted.

I don’t turn around but take another drink from my coffee cup. “Morning.”

When there’s no sound but retreating steps I grin and wait.

It only takes a few minutes before Royce meets me outside, instant hot chocolate I made with him in mind in hand.

He drops beside me with a grumbled, “Thanks.”

I nod, still not looking his way. “You thought I was running around somewhere, didn’t you?”

“Yup.” He shrugs, and I appreciate his honesty. “The fuck was that yesterday?”

This time, I shrug. “I went for a walk, got asked to play a quick game, so I did.”

“If you wanted to play a game, you should have come with us.”

“And creep on your basketball game? No.” I take another drink. “You guys needed a legit practice or workout or whatever Captain said. And I’m fine doing my own thing.”

“Well, your own thing was stupid.”

“Hey. They’re not my enemies, they’re yours.” I grow defensive and when his head snaps my way, mine follows.

“Our enemies are your enemies.”

“Says fucking who?”

Before he can answer, Maddoc steps out on the deck, his shirt still off despite the chill, and I lose my train of thought.

His torso, God ... so long and strong. Deep cut ridges meet at the center and spread out across his ribs, but those damn hip bones are what have me stuck. Every damn time.

“Says you.”

When he speaks my gaze flies to his, and a cocky gleam shines back.

I can’t say I hate this playful side he’s giving glimpses of.

“And us. You’re Brayshaw whether you want to be or not, because we said. Your actions only solidify it to outside eyes.”

There we go, that’s more like the big man.

I roll my eyes.

Captain joins us then, lifting his coffee cup in thanks. “It’s true, Raven. You publicly chose us on more than one occasion.”

“I only did what anybody would do.”

I look between the three and grow self-conscious as their facial expressions shift from angrily irritated to ... more. Frownless.

“What?” I snap, setting my mug down and jumping to my feet.

Captain, the nurturer, takes my vacated spot beside Royce and Maddoc steps forward. “That’s where you’re wrong. Nobody in our world helps because they want to. There’s always a reason. We talked about this already.”

“Well, I didn’t have a reason.”

This time when I look between the three, they’re grinning. I mean, Maddoc more drops his stare to the old wood beneath him, but the other two definitely grin and I shift on my feet.

Royce sets his cup down and then hauls himself at me. Laughing, he wraps himself around my back and lifts me off the floor with a tight squeeze. “That’s the point, RaeRae. You’ve got something we wanna figure out,” he teases in a purposely dirty voice.

Maddoc smacks the back of Royce’s head, and he releases me with a laugh.

I shove him farther away, but can’t completely keep the smile at bay so I quickly grab my cup and dip back inside.

I’m pouring a refill when Maddoc’s chest hits my back.

For a moment, he just stands there, his hot breath to my neck causing goose bumps on my skin and a heavy beating in my chest.

“What?” I ask, a little breathier than I wanted.

“You know what...” he whispers slowly. “You left me in bed today.”

“I woke up. You didn’t.”

And I needed some air because my lungs were full of citrus and pine, full of Maddoc.

“Right,” he murmurs. “And yesterday, you left my bed when I told you I’d be back. That meant stay put. You didn’t.”

I curl my toes to keep myself from fidgeting. “Maybe next time say what you mean instead?”

“I’m guessing it would have made no difference.” His hand comes up and my eyes follow as he grips my hair, pulling it behind me. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re right.” I clear my throat and reach for the creamer, but he snags it before I can, so I finally spin to face him.

He smirks and makes quick work of setting the creamer bottle beside us and lifts me onto the countertop.

My eyes widen.

Okay, we’re doing this whole flirty thing. Not good since I can’t quite think straight this early ... and having six-foot-something of solid man meat in front of me isn’t helping. Even sitting here like this, I still have to tip my head back to fully look at him.

Pouty lips, high cheek bones and wild ass green eyes, emerald in color at the moment. Thick, dark lashes and darker brows.

He’s a good-looking bastard.

There’s that smirk again...

He hands me my steaming cup of coffee and lifts the plastic Coffee-mate jug, pouring it in until I tell him to stop.

He frowns at it. “Can you even call that coffee?”

“It’s my version of half and half. Half coffee, half the goods. We can’t all shoot shit straight like you, big man.”

He stares at me, so I take a drink and look off before meeting his eyes again.

“What?”

“You slept.”

When my brows pull in, he shifts closer, tipping his head back a bit.

“Without your knife, Raven. You slept, sound a-fucking-sleep, without your security.”