Marcus’s gaze snapped to hers. “Marking me, sweetheart?”

Embarrassed by her lapse in control, she scowled. “Fuck you.”

He just smiled. “Then you won’t mind that I’m going to mark you.” When she shook her head in objection, he nodded. “Oh, yes, I am. See, sweetheart, I can bite you, I can spank you, and I can take you however I want you, because when I’m inside this pussy, it’s mine.”

“You bastard!” She punched his shoulders and beat at his back with her legs, but he just pinned her tighter against the tree as he continued ramming his cock in and out of her.

“I am going to mark you, Roni. Once with you isn’t going to be enough. I’m going to need this again and again.” When she shook her head once more, he growled. She snarled. He bit her lip. She nipped his chin. He squeezed her ass. She pressed her claws deep into his back. “You’re close, aren’t you, baby? I can feel your pussy getting tighter around me.” He shifted, adjusting his angle so that his cock brushed her G-spot with every harsh, merciless stroke.

Roni couldn’t take any more; an explosion of pure sensation shot through her, shattering her, tearing a scream from her throat. That was when he sank his teeth into the crook of her neck—the pleasure-pain drew out her orgasm, sending wave after wave of sheer bliss washing through her.

Marcus rammed into her one final time, and held still as he pulsed deep inside her, filling her with everything he had. “Fuck, Roni.” He rested his forehead against hers, breathing as hard as she was. Moments later, when he could finally move again, he slipped out of her and gently set her on her feet.

“You marked me,” she croaked.

“And you marked me.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Yes, you did.”

Yes, she had—and that scared the hell out of her.

Marcus watched her immediately begin rebuilding those walls around her. He gripped her chin. “Oh, no, you don’t. No clamming up, Roni. This will happen again; don’t deny it. You’re no coward.”

No, she wasn’t. There was no point in denying that it would happen again. What female in her right mind wouldn’t want it to happen again? “Okay. But we need the boundaries to be clear. As you may have noticed, despite being a dominant female, I’m not interested in being the dominant partner in bed. An active partner, yes, but not dominant. However, that doesn’t mean I’ll let you take the lead in any way, shape, or form outside of the bedroom.”

“Stop panicking, Roni,” he said gently. He picked up his ripped T-shirt and slid it on before fixing his fly. “I have no inclination to control you. You’re your own person, you have a mind—a mind I like—and you’re able to make your own decisions.” He watched in satisfaction as the tension left her shoulders. He knew his gaze was nothing short of territorial as it roamed over the delectable body she was quickly re-dressing. “You should probably know that I’m going to be pretty possessive with you.” It had been bad before, but it was going to be even worse now.

Roni was afraid that might work both ways. “Just remember that there’s a difference between being possessive and being controlling.” She expected him to bristle, like others had before him, but his expression actually softened as he came toward her.

“I don’t want to control you, Roni,” he assured her in a low, soothing voice, brushing his fingers through her hair. “But I’ll be damned if I’ll share you.”

“Fine. But the same goes for you.”

“I don’t want anyone else.”

She gave him a curt nod. “Okay.” Her voice had turned husky with arousal. Well, it was pretty hard to stay unruffled when she had a tower of raw masculinity looming over her, stealing her breath, and claiming to want no one but her.

A noise suddenly penetrated the silence. Someone was calling her name. Not just anyone: Nick. Each time he called out for her, his voice grew closer. “He’s going to shit a brick.”

A few moments later, Nick appeared out of the trees with Taryn and Trey. Abruptly her brother froze and his nostrils flared. Then he was charging at Marcus. “You son of a bitch!”

“Nick, no!” Roni and Trey both dove between them, bringing him to a halt mere feet away from the object of his anger. Marcus didn’t even flinch. He met Nick’s gaze head-on.

“I told you to keep your hands off my sister!”

“True,” allowed Marcus. “But I didn’t say that I would.”

“He’s not good for you, Roni,” insisted Nick. “You don’t want someone like him.”

“I don’t?”

Nick winced at that dangerously soft tone. Telling a dominant female what she wanted or what she thought was not good. Marcus almost felt bad for the guy. Actually, no, he didn’t.

“You might be my Alpha and my brother, but you’re not my damn keeper.”

Trey shoved Nick just hard enough to get his attention. “Walk away before you say something you can’t take back.”

Nick didn’t listen. “The guy’s a total slut!”

Roni’s wolf did not like anyone insulting Marcus. In fact, neither did Roni. “And you were a virgin when you met Shaya, were you?”

“No, he damn well wasn’t,” Taryn mumbled with a huff.

“He’s not what you need, Roni! For him, you’re just a little bit of fun until—”

“Enough,” snapped Marcus, stepping around Roni. “Say what you want about me, Axton, but don’t make out that I think that little of Roni.”

Nick dived at him. Once again, Roni and Trey stepped between them.

“I’m not the easy target you seem to think I am,” warned Marcus, his voice silky and menacing. “Push, and I’ll push back.” And his wolf would enjoy it. Maybe it wasn’t good to challenge Roni’s brother, but the guy would only respect strength.

“He marked her,” Trey pointed out. Nick stopped struggling, his eyes finding the mark at the crook of Roni’s neck. Marking was a sign of possessiveness, but it was also a sign that the male respected the female in question enough to leave that brand. “Marcus may have had a lot of sexual partners, but that doesn’t mean he’s an asshole. He’s never mistreated or deliberately hurt the females he’s been with; he just hasn’t shown them any commitment.”