My chest inflates and holds. I search her face. Is that really her name?

Because . . . Fuck. I love it.

A slow smile builds on my face. “Ember?”

“Yeah.”

“Ember. How did you get a name like that?”

She blows out a breath and it skates over my nipples making them stand at attention. She rolls her eyes. “Ugh, my mother was a hippy. But I consider myself lucky—my sister’s name is Sundown.”

“Well, I like it. Both of them. They’re original. And yours fits you.”

She shakes her head once. “Yeah the bullies in grade school liked it too. Along with my strange clothes, red hair, and freckles.”

“Strange clothes?”

“My mom had a quirky sense of fashion. Let’s just say I wore capris before they were a thing, and I could go a hundred years without seeing a tie-dyed T-shirt again, and it would be too soon.

“Your mom. You said she took off on you and your sister.”

Her eyes flicker up to me. “You remember me telling you about that?”

“I remember everythin’ you’ve ever said.”

Expelling a breath, she says, “I thought at first that she was just maybe staying over a few days with one of her boyfriends, but then she never came back. Nobody knew where she was or where she’d gone.”

“Do you get the feelin’ somethin’ bad happened to her?”

“I worried at first that something did, but then we got a few post cards from obscure places. No return address. They wouldn’t have come from anyone but her. The last one isn’t too far from where a nudist group lives. I knew then that she was fine and missed us, but not enough to come home. I think it was her way of letting us know she was alive.”

She shakes her head and lies back down on my chest. Her fingers run down over the ridge between my abs. “You know, it’s stupid and I’m trying to break myself out of the habit, but I still look for her. When I walk down the street, in the supermarket, and I used to go past the beach and check by our favorite spot. I can’t help but look at every redhead I see, in case it’s her. I guess so I can tell her off. Tell her we’re doing fine without her.” She laughs humorlessly. “But that would be a lie now, so maybe it’s good I haven’t found her after all.”

“Not havin’ you in her life is her loss, Doll.”

I want to hate her mother because of the pain I hear in Ember’s voice right now, but at the same time, her mother must have done something right because look at her daughter. She’s beautiful and kind. She’s a little broken, but she’s holding herself together without anyone’s help.

“Will you come with me somewhere tomorrow?” I ask her.

I have a lot of shit to make up for. I’m hoping she says yes, because I really need to show her who I really am and why I was such an asshole when she first came here.

“Where?”

“Somewhere special.”

“I can but only if it’s earlier. I have to watch the kids for Bethany at six.”

“You hit it off with her then?”

“Yeah. She’s great and the kids are great. I’m going to be watching them a few times a week. She also said, if I wanted to take a couple of shifts at the bar to make some extra money, she’d let me.”

I feel a spark of happiness zip through my chest at the excitement in her voice. But at the same time, I don’t want her working at the bar. And definitely not at the bar at night. I keep my discomfort to myself.

She lifts herself off me and this time I let her pull away. “Are we being rude? Should we get back to the party?” She wraps one of her arms around her chest, all of a sudden embarrassed that she’s naked in front of me.

Sitting up I cup her face and kiss her. “Don’t hide from me. I want to learn about and see every part of you.”

Tentatively, she lets her hand drop.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” I groan and adjust myself in my jeans as I rise out of the bed. “I guess we better go before the situation I’ve got goin’ on gets any worse.” I motion to the front of my jeans and I’ll be damned her mouth doesn’t twitch as she fights a smile.

After pulling her to her feet, I grab her shirt and bra, and standing behind her, I help her put them back on. “I have to stick around for a few hours. There’s something important I need to do. But then I’m takin’ you home with me,” I say with conviction as I kiss her shoulder.

She looks over her shoulder at me and I don’t miss the way her eyes grow heated.

Good. The idea of being in my bed turns her on. It turns me the fuck on too. So much so that I need to think about all the reasons why I can’t pin her to this bed right now and fuck her senseless.

One, she’s not ready. Two, my brothers will never let me hear the end of it. Three, I need to be patient and take this slow. I haven’t proven shit to her yet except that I can work her body over when she needs me to.

As I turn her, she asks, “What is it you have to do?”

“Two things.”

Pulling her flush to me, I brush her hair away from her eyes and kiss her once on the nose. “Give Edge his welcome home present.” Then I place another kiss on her forehead. “And make sure everyone knows who you belong to.”

Turning a friend into an enemy is never an easy thing to do, even when it’s for the right reasons.

MAVERICK

Hand in hand we walk out of the backdoor of the clubhouse. The music’s blaring and my stomach instantly growls as I pull in the scent of barbeque.

I expect a couple of surprised looks. But it’s almost as if the entire party stops to gape at us. Some stand with their mouths open and eyes popping out of their sockets, while others start quickly speaking to each other and throwing curious glances our way.

Under my breath, I mutter, “Well fuck. Guess it’s as good a time as any to get my point across.”

“What?” Ember asks as I tuck her in closer to my side. She looks good there. Fits there. But in order to do this properly, she’s going to have to be on display. So I turn toward her and keep her a foot in front of me. “I’m gonna kiss you.”

Her eyes widen and for a second she quickly scans the yard full of people. “Now?”

I nod. “Yep.

She shifts from one foot to the other, ducking her head a little, she whispers, “In front of everyone?”

God she’s cute. And I love that she doesn’t know how hot she is.

Smirking, I say, “Kinda the point.”

“What point is that?”

“That you’re mine.”

She flinches at my declaration and after learning what I have about her ex, I know controlling her is the last thing she wants me to do. So, I clarify, “It’ll warn every brother out here away from you. Otherwise, they’ll be comin’ on to you all night. Is that what you want? Do you want someone else, Doll?” I already know the answer, but I also know it needs to be her decision. Not me forcing it on her.

“No.”

“Then can I kiss you for everyone here and God to see?”

She bites her lip and mumbles, “I guess.”

“Nah, Doll. It’s your choice. There’s no middle ground though. Either you want me and you want these people to know it, or you don’t.” Maybe I need to push her a little. She’s too fucking timid sometimes and I need her to show me the harder side right now, especially here, in front of these people.

“Yes. I want you to kiss me.”

My cocky smile has her fighting a grin. I yank her to me and slide my hand behind her neck. I smash my lips down on hers and kiss like my life depends on it. Because fuck, maybe it does. I kiss her with all of the pent up lust I’ve had riding me since I left her on Bethany’s doorstep. My lips are insistent.

Wolf whistles, jeers, and taunts break out behind me, but they’re nothing but background noise.

Ember grabs my cut and I don’t know if she means to, but she clings to me and pulls me closer. The way she responds to my kiss and my touch, makes me feel like a fucking titan. Larger than life and more powerful than a mortal man.