“And when she can’t?”

“She’s a whore, Maddoc. She’s always up for a trade.”

He eyes me. “What’d she want, Raven?”

“Don’t. You want me to stay here? Fine, big man, I’ll stay, but only if you stop acting like you make the calls. We’re not on the court, I’m not your teammate and you’re not my captain. I’ll come and go as I please, do what I want and when, and if not, I leave. And if you’re thinking ‘bullshit’ remember ... you guys can’t be stuck to my hip at all times. You have practice, you have games, and you have your Brayshaw shit to handle, whatever that includes. If I decide to take off, it’ll be easy.” I shift to stand, but Maddoc does first.

He glares down at me. This guy has perfected the art of intimidation. Not unlike my mother, he uses his body to get what he wants – fear, fight ... frisky.

It’s all written in the way he moves, carved in those cavernous eyes of his.

He’s angry, but he doesn’t understand the source, so frustration is what lines his forehead in wrinkles, and irritation holds his lips firmly together.

Big man’s not used to whatever it is that’s going on inside him.

“You won’t fight. You won’t leave, and you won’t go near that woman again if one of us isn’t with you, mother or fucking not.” He snatches his keys off the side table and slams the front door on his exit.

“Well.” Royce smacks a hand down on the couch arm. “That went better than I expected.”

“Really?”

“Yeah ... see, he only tipped the iceberg ‘cause you got him all hot and heated – yes there’s a difference – but there are some more things you’ll need to agree to.”

“Like?” I snap.

“No drugs in the house – liquor is fine. No breaking shit if you get mad. You can’t be bringing people here, dude or chick. You need to fuck, do it at their place or somewhere not here, you could even get it in at the party pad – though, maybe talk to Maddoc on that one, he’s prolly got a different rule for yah.”

“Fuck off.”

He winks. “For real, though. We have another spot for all that, it’s our chill pad. We invite people there or to the places we book out for parties, you’ll have a room there like us. But we don’t like people in our house. This place is ours.” His eyes narrow, and just as I’m about to pop up and walk off, his chin lowers in respect, taking me by surprise. “And now yours. Outsiders don’t belong.”

“We also eat dinner together every night.” I look to Captain. “No exceptions.”

I force my face to stay blank. “Anything else?”

Neither say anything, both searching for my reaction based decision.

They don’t get one.

I stand, bow to be an asshole, and head up the stairs to what is now apparently my new room.

I lock the door and dig my MP3 player and knife from my bag. After kicking off my shoes, I toss my sweater to the floor and climb onto the bed. I put my earbuds in, turning up the volume as loud as it will go.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.

These boys, they think I’ll follow their rules.

They’re wrong.

I drop my fork and lean back in the chair. “I have a rule of my own.”

Royce’s drink stops halfway to his mouth, Captain stops chewing, and Maddoc slams his silverware down.

“Let’s hear it, RaeRae,” Royce carefully states.

“Nobody finds out I’m staying here. They can guess and assume all they want, can’t stop that, but no confirmations. They ask, you deny, I do the same.”

There’s a beat of silence to follow, but it’s quickly filled with the scrape of Maddoc’s chair and the shake of the table as he storms off like a child for the second time today. I glance back to his boys, finding both wearing the same goofy expression.

“What?” I snap.

“Should have expected that, but this is all still new for us too,” Royce says.

“I’m not following.”

“Can’t name a single person, who in your position, would ask for something like that. In fact, pretty sure everyone we know would have hit tonight’s party already just to spread the word.”

I don’t know what to say to that so I ask, “And what’s the big man’s problem?”

“Got an idea.” He grins and looks to Captain who chuckles. “But you gotta ask him to know for sure.”

With a frown, I spring from my seat and storm after the tantrum-throwing bastard.

Right as I round the corner at the top of the stairs, I’m pushed against the wall, caged in by a growly face Maddoc.

“You don’t get to make demands.”

“I am not your prisoner, a fact you need to remember.” I shove at him, but he doesn’t budge, and tension builds inside me under the intensity of his stare.

Mystery swims in his darkened eyes, not sure if it’s his collection of thoughts on me or mine on him that has his features tightening.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I tell him.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t figure it out,” he forces past clenched teeth.

“Figure out what?”

“If I hate your rule or not.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You want to hide that you’re here with us like you’re not proud to be Brayshaw. Like you wouldn’t ride with us if we needed you to when we both know you would and have, time and time again.”

“It’s not ... like that.”

“I know,” he whispers. “Your choice to hide this cements you here, it tells us you’re everything we hoped you’d be. You’re down for us, Raven, even when you try to pretend you’re not.”

“So why can’t you decide if you hate the rule or not?”

“Because, like I said...” His hands move to plant near my head and he lowers his face so it’s equal to mine. “Your choice cements you here, with us. With me. And now? I want every motherfucker to know where you are at the end of the night.”

Uh ... what?

I swallow, shaking my head lightly. “You’ve got the wrong idea what’s happening here.”

He dips his head, letting out a gravelly chuckle.

“Nah,” he whispers, his warm breath creating goose bumps across my neck. “You’re just slow catching on.”

His eyes flick between mine, hardening a little. But the longer he looks, the more they lose their edge.

“What is it about you that drives me insane?”

“My big mouth,” I tease, trying to downplay my reaction to him, but his words have my voice layered in a thick coat of desire.

“Haven’t even tested that out yet...” He trails off, his heat driven stare burning across my completely covered body. His frown settles back in place.

Right. He’s only gone down on me, no big deal.

When a slow smirk appears, it’s clear. My body is showing it remembers him.

“Safe to come upstairs now?” Royce shouts from the first floor and Maddoc steps away.

“Yeah!” Maddoc shouts when he reaches his room, closing himself inside.