“We need to wait,” Royce responds.

Footsteps have our heads jerking toward the stairs. Maddoc’s voice floats to our ears. “Hello.”

He’s answered his phone.

He’s visible now, still descending the steps and my ass cheeks clench in expectation when I meet his frenzied gaze.

My stomach turns, but I don’t dare look away – couldn’t if I wanted to.

“Yeah,” he rasps into his phone. “I will.”

He hangs up slowly, not stopping until he’s directly in front of me, glaring down the length of his nose.

Naked anger and unreserved foreboding has my throat growing tight.

“He wants Maybell here,” he speaks, looking at me but his words are for his brothers. “Can you guys go get her?”

“Yeah, man,” Captain mutters and he and Royce head for the door.

“Take your time,” he adds, and they hesitate a second before walking out, closing and locking the door behind them.

The second they do, he grips me under the armpit and tosses me in the air, catching my hips in his rough hands. He turns, taking the steps two at a time until we reach his room. He bumps into the dresser, shoves everything off with one full sweep of his elbow and drops me on top.

He pushes closer, pulling me flush against him and my body heats – a strange mix of fear and excitement flaring inside me. I’m not afraid of him, but I admit, I have no idea what he’s thinking, what he believes or what truths he knows.

His knuckle finds my jaw and he holds my head in place.

“What. Happened.”

“Nothing—”

“Try a-fucking-gain, Raven.” His chest rumbles with his growl. “And start with the part where you first left, the night you were jumped.”

I lick my lips. “Bass told me to meet him out at the warehouses, he was too cryptic for me to ignore him, so I went. He told me about a video of us breaking into the cabin, but he didn’t know that part of it, just thought it was of the four of us hooking up. I was jumped leaving.” I pause, not sure I want to tell him the next part considering I’m pretty sure Collins is in the hospital right now for the little he did know.

“Keep. Talking.”

“One of the guys whispered something before they ran off.”

“Which was?” he prompts, crossly.

“That I don’t belong, it was the same thing Collins said to me in the bathroom that day at the restaurant.”

“Wait.” Maddoc’s frown deepens, anger vibrating through his voice. “Are you saying ... Collins is the one who had you fucking jumped?”

“Yes.”

A deep growl leaves him, and his palms find my thighs, squeezing fiercely. “You hid this from us. You went there without us. Without me.”

“I had to,” I admit.

“Tell me why.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Say it,” he demands.

“To protect you.”

His chest rumbles and he starts shaking for real– a crack in his unbreakable armor.

A sudden and strong warmth spreads in my chest causing deep creases to form between my eyes.

His lip curls. “And what were you planning to do to protect us, to protect me?”

I tell him the honest truth. “Anything.”

A shuddered breath leaves him before he rips away from me.

He rubs his hands across his hair and down the back of his skull, gripping his own neck. “Did you fuck him?”

“No.”

“But you would have, if what, he took it?” His eyes bore into mine. “You’d have given him what I’d just fucking made clear belonged to me?”

I’m not proud of the decision, it should probably tell me to run and run fast knowing I’d give myself over for him – that can’t be a good thing – but ... “If I had to, yes.”

With a deep roar, he spins and punches the wall, planting his hands against it. He bends his body, his chin dropping to his chest.

I wait a minute, hop down and walk to him. Slipping under his arm, I slide down the wall, knees bent, until I’m low enough to look up and meet his stare without him having to lift his head.

“You’re angry.” My eyes shoot between his and his nostrils flare.

“I am beyond. Fucking. Furious,” he confirms slowly, and I nod.

I glide up and his head lifts to follow.

“Show me,” I whisper.

He tenses a moment, his features tightening as he quickly flicks his eyes between mine.

His head draws back slowly. “Raven—”

“I said,” I cut him off. “Show me. Now.”

His brows drop even lower, but with a deep rumbly roar, he lifts me, quickly tossing me on the bed in complete abandon.

He yanks his shirt over his head and my lips part.

He got ink.

Wrapping around his pec and left shoulder, the tribal-like design is thick and bold. Angry swirls and sharp edges with woven tethers of four ropes.

One for each of his brothers, one for him.

Who does the fourth embody?

My chest grows tight at the thought.

It’s so sexy.

So Maddoc.

His basketball shorts and boxers drop in the next second, so I start to lift my shirt, but he catches my wrist and tosses my hand aside roughly.

He makes quick work of stripping me bare. Before I can settle myself, he’s got my hips in his hands and I’m flipped over, landing on my stomach. His hand slips between my legs, cupping me and he pulls, lifting me by the pussy to my knees.

Two fingers slide down my center until their pushing into me and I clench around him.

He growls, pumps them twice, then removes his hand, his fingertips now biting into my ass.

He aligns himself with my entrance.

He growls, pushing inside me in one deep thrust, only to pull out completely, all so he can do it again and again.

Rougher, faster, and I clench around him, an airy moan slipping past my lips. My head drops back and he grips my hair.

He becomes frantic, deep growls leaving him, his breathing erratic and loud.

When my body starts to quake, he pulls out, smacking my ass cheek, then squeezing. “You don’t get to come yet.”

He slides his dick coated with my juices up and down my ass crack and I twitch. Maddoc slams back in and my knees try to close, but he nudges them apart more. Pushing my shoulders down until my chest hits the mattress, he scoots closer, drives deeper, my ass completely in the air for him to rub on.

“You denied me,” he rasps, flexing inside me.

“Yes,” I breathe.

“You kept things from me.”

“I did.” I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to let go but, fuck me, I’m so close.

He grinds his hips against me, my ass cheeks spread as wide as they can go so he can get in me as far as the position allows.

He places his wet thumb over my hole and pushes, making me whimper.

He feels it, me about to come, my pussy clinging to his dick, begging.

Maddoc pulls out and I’m on my back, him sliding inside me in the next second. He grips my right knee, pushing it up to my side, and hot breath hits my ear.

I shudder beneath him.

“You protected me,” he whispers, biting at the flesh there before kissing it gently.

I nod against the pillow, my back arching slightly, hips rolling to meet his.