I gasp, and jerk back as he hauls my ass out and presents it to himself. “Fuck. This ass. I can’t wait to see this ass bouncing on my cock. I’m in love with this.” He rubs his hands over my cheeks again. When they leave me, I hear the sound of his belt being unbuckled. He rips my panties away. Then his fingers stroke over my sex, feeling how wet I am for him.

“This right here is for me, no one else, Doll.”

I hear only sounds, his rapid breaths, a foil packet being opened, and Mav whisperings, “Damn, I’m gonna miss feelin’ you bare.”

His grip tightening on my hip is my only warning I get. I don’t even have time to take a steadying breath before his erection enters me. In one fierce thrust, he drives himself all the way inside me. Bottoms out. So hard and so deep, I have to push against the wall to not fall forward. I cry out and prepare for more of his assault.

“Jesus Christ,” he hisses and his lips travel up the back of my neck. “Too hard?”

“More . . . Mav . . . more.”

“Luce, baby. That’s who’s fuckin’ you right now.” Drawing slowly back, he pulls nearly out of me. Then though it’s expected, I scream his name as he slams back inside. It’s the last ounce of mercy he gives. From that moment on, he pounds into me ruthlessly, and without restraint.

And yes. I love it. Every. Single. Second. Of. It.

One of his hands fondles my breast and pinches with my nipple and his other pushes on my back to make me go lower. He finds a tight grip on my shoulder. It gives him the leverage he needs to fuck me into oblivion, and oh, my dear God in heaven, he does just that. He dominates me and I savor it.

He’s demolishing my fears of giving up control to another man. Breaking the rules, I thought I needed to be free and safe. There’s pain. But the pleasure is insurmountable and flows with the pain to give me only more pleasure. He’s holding me down. He’s owning my body in every sense of the word, but I’m not scared. This is my Luce. And he’s taking and receiving. He’s falling for me as much as I’m falling for him and I know if I asked him to stop, he would. But this is a part of him just as much as every other side I’ve seen and I can’t love him if I don’t love this part of him too.

This is what he needs. What he craves. And I want to give it to him.

His hand moves to my sex and he strums my clit. My release comes swiftly and steals my breath. A crescendo of tingling sensations that fire rapidly through my core and outwards, pulsing, sparking, setting off my orgasm to mountainous heights. I call out his name once, twice.

He growls and in the next heartbeat his grip tightens, becomes unyielding, and he drives so deep that he’s pierces the very heart of me in all the ways that matter.

“Ember . . . baby . . . fuck.”

I nearly confess right then that I want it all. Every single detail. Except I want it to be my home. My porch swing. My baby’s nursery. And above all, I want Mav to be my man. I want us to be more. I want us to live the dream he imagined.

Am I crazy? Can you really know that in only days? Would he think I was completely nuts if I admitted what I feel in my heart?

My knees wobble and when his weight falls on top of me, we drop to the ground. Mav to his knees. Me to mine. His hands snake under my shirt, crisscross over my chest, and he holds me to him, breathing harshly against my still wet hair.

“Nothin’,” he breathes out. “Nothin’ will be better than this.” He places three kisses on my shoulder, neck, and ear, and then his forehead lays down on top of my shoulder for a few moments while we both try to catch our breath.

I float back to reality and realize we’re on his dirty floor, and Mav’s still inside me. He’s still semi-hard. I tighten my inner muscles around him and I’m rewarded with a laugh as he hugs me close.

“If I didn’t have this meeting, I’d lay you down on this floor, and fuck you for three days straight.”

The thought brings a smile to my face.

He draws away and says, “Hold on a sec.” A moment later something lands in the garbage. The condom. I try to stand, but I have no strength to do so. When Mav comes back, he helps me to my feet, and then just like yesterday, he helps me put my clothes to rights.

His eyes draw up to mine. He stares for a long time studying me like he does. For the first time, I see him vulnerable, afraid, and I’m not sure why.

“Did I fuck up, Doll? Was I too rough with you?”

“No, not too rough. Why? Were you holding back?”

He wraps me up in his arms and brushes my hair out of my eyes. “Not even a little.”

He holds me for a few minutes, but then murmurs that he has to go. Slowly he draws back. “I can have Rigor follow you to Bethany’s if you’d rather shower and get ready there. I know I said I wanted to keep you close, but if you need a break and don’t want to be here while I’m at church—”

I touch his lips. “No, it’s fine. I’ll get ready in your room. Plus Lily already said she’d bring me something to wear.”

“You trust her to pick somethin’ decent out for you?”

“How bad can it be?”

He chuckles while nuzzling my neck. “We are talkin’ about Lil’ Bird, right? You know damn well it’s gonna be bad.”

Yeah, it is. But I’m kind of looking forward to driving Mav a little crazy tonight. I like that dark side of him. I can’t wait to see it again. Giving Lily free reign means I’ll be seeing it in spades tonight, which suits me just fine. I want more of what we just shared.

And yet it scares me how much.

Courage to confess what makes us weak is a strength not many possess.

MAVERICK

The awkward dance Edge, Dozer, and I play around the table upon first walking into church is almost comical. No one knows where the fuck to sit.

Finally, Septic who looks tired as hell after completing a twelve-hour shift watching Cap grumbles, “Just sit the fuck down. Nobody gives a damn where. That’s exactly the shit we’re here to sort out.”

The president chair remains open and everyone takes their normal seats around the table, except Edge. Dozer takes his VP chair, to Cap’s left. I take my usual seat to his right. It’s where I’ve sat since Griz was diagnosed, and became secretary. The brothers move in another chair beside Dozer for Edge.

Ordinarily sitting across the table from D wouldn’t be a problem, but it is today. He’s mad-doggin’ me. The veins on his arms pop with how he’s gripping his chair, as if he’d love nothing better than to duke it out right here and now.

“What?” I bite out and pop my chin at him. “I told you it was done . . . over. Leave her alone and we’re not gonna have a problem.”

“And if I don’t?”

Griz slaps the table. “We’re not here to deal with your bullshit. Both of ya are damn lucky Cap’s not around to see y’all brawlin’ in the yard over a woman. He would‘a kicked both your asses blue.” Griz shakes his head disapprovingly.

Edge turns to Dozer. “What’d I say? We got more important business to discuss than this petty shit goin’ on between you two.” Looking between us he orders, “There’s obviously still some bad blood, but it needs to get sorted. Take it to the ring and put an end to it. Tonight. Clear?”

“Let me just say somethin’.” Griz meets my eyes and then let’s his gaze travel over to D. “Somethin’ you young dumb fuckers need to get through your thick fuckin’ skulls once and for all. We don’t fight over a woman. When brothers do that kind of shit, you rip this club apart. We all agreed to live by a code. This club and everyone in it comes first. United, we live, ride, and fall. We do that, we survive together. We don’t, we fall together. You don’t believe in that no more . . . You don’t want to honor it . . . Then get the fuck out.”

His last words echo in the silence, or at least they do in my mind.