He gives a dismissive snort. “No, I won’t let these assholes do anything stupid to him.”

There’s silence for another few seconds and then, Mav lets out a laugh. A real laugh. It’s masculine and beautiful, and, God, I’d give anything to see his face right now. I bet it’s a sight to see. My stomach does a little flip, and I press my free hand there scolding it to settle down.

“You what?” he laughs again. “He okay? No, I’m not pullin’ them, Nick. At least not both of them. Pick one and keep him with you. And I mean like you’re fuckin’ connected at the hip. No bullshit. That’s the best I can do. No, not until we know who hit Cap and make sure they’re not comin’ back to finish the job.” He exhales. “And keep your piece with you at all times. Yeah, yeah. Call me when you get to Cali and check in every day. I gotta know you’re safe, even if it’s through Dozer.”

I hear him curse under his breath. “Yeah, there is. You heard about her, huh?” There’s a pause. “Lil’ Bird’s doin’. Surprise for Edge. She’s not stayin. It’s only a temporary deal.”

I hear the click of a lighter.

“Yeah, she definitely knows her way around a kitchen, so most of the guys have takin’ a likin’ to her.” Silence. He lets out a long breath. “Well, she’s not tough on the eyes if that’s what you askin’. Nope. Not goin’ there.”

Not tough on the eyes?

I bite my lip. I want to step closer. But I don’t want to give myself away. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping. I can’t help myself though. He sounds so at ease. Not angry, which he is every time he talks to me.

Another laugh, “Yeah, Bodie’s gonna be in the thick of it with Blaire if he doesn’t start showin’ up at home for meals and shit. She’ll come lookin’ for him, and we all know how that’s gonna end.”

“Fuck . . . don’t ask me. He’s pissin’ me off. I don’t know what’s goin’ on with him. Cap thought it was because of Bethany, but now he’s all over Do—Pumpkin. Maybe he’s just sick of waitin’ for her to come around.”

He’s silent for a long while and then says, “Hey, listen . . . I gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I jump into action and quietly back up so I can open and roughly slam the back door, acting as though I barely walked outside. I look up in time to see him coming around the corner cigarette dangling from his lips.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him. It’s always a shock to my system. A sucker punch of sorts. Almost as if I forget, during the times when he’s not around, how gorgeous he is.

I’m unexplainably drawn to him like two compatible sides of a magnet. My lips part as my eyes hungrily run over him.

His jeans are light today. He’s wearing a gray T-shirt that hugs his chest and biceps and no leather jacket. His facial hair is growing longer and longer each day and I keep expecting him to trim it, because it’s starting to look like a beard, but each day it’s still there.

His eyes draw up to my face when he sees me. His steps falter, leaving us facing each other with three feet of space between us. Too much space and yet too little.

Something fills the space quickly though. Chemistry? Sexual tension? Anger? I’m not certain, but it’s there, coiling in the air. His irises are lighter than usual as they roam over me. Although that could be from the way the sunlight’s hitting his face. The breeze causes the smoke from his cigarette to waft toward me and I wave it away. I’m not a fan of the smell. And definitely don’t want it on my clothes. Reminds me too much of my mother.

He pulls the cigarette from his mouth and holds it away from me.

I’m caught completely off guard by the gesture. Then shocked stupid when he reaches toward the bag I’m holding and says, “Want a hand with that?”

I blink. What? Is he messing with me? I raise an eyebrow and pull the bag closer to me. “Uh . . . is that a trick question?”

His eyebrows pull together and his mouth quirks. “No, why would it be?”

“Right. Mmmm. Maybe because you get off on making me do disgusting things.” Oh my God. Did that really just come out of my mouth? As the words roll through my mind a second time, humor lights up his eyes. A knowing and naughty smile appears, and I can tell he’s trying and failing to stifle his reaction to my words and what they insinuate.

I feel like I just got hit with a pillow. Because poof. Something just exploded in, over, and around my head. Feathers? Brain cells? I’m not sure.

Mav + sexy smile = my mind has officially been blown.

He leans toward me. And I realize three feet became two and then one. His gaze comes back to my face and his eyes center on my lips. As he grabs the top of the bag, our fingers brush. A zing shoots up my body and travels through my limbs.

His eyes flicker down at the contact. Um, yeah. He’s right there. The smell of him surrounds me. I cling to the smell of his soap and cologne and try to dismiss the smell of tobacco. I watch the muscles in his shoulder and neck work as he pulls the bag to him. He looks back up. His jaw . . . his mouth is . . . right . . . there. . . .

And I’m a statue. Except, I feel the need to lick my lips because they are so dry. Parched.

His nostrils flare and a second later, he backs up a bit and speaks. It’s a little fuzzy though. My eyes are watching his lips move, but I’ll be damned if my ears can make out the words.

“Huh?”

“I got it.”

His pulls the bag from my grip, still smirking.

“Oh, right. Um . . . thanks.”

He straightens, turns, and walks away. I watch him go, unable to pull my eyes away from the sight of him. The muscles of his back. His butt. Right before he turns the corner, he looks back at the last second. Our eyes meet as he disappears out of sight.

Holy hell . . . who in the hell was that?

Jeez, talk about a mercurial being. He keeps swinging like a pendulum back and forth, hot and cold, hateful and now . . . almost nice. From one to the other.

That was not Luce, the asshole who wakes me up each morning by kicking the bed and bouncing me on Dozer’s mattress.

I think this might have been a glimpse of the real Mav. The one he used to be. Is this the guy I saw in the photo in his office? And if so, where did he come from? More importantly, how do I get him to stick around full time?

“Hey, there you are,” Lily says from behind me. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Come on. Come in and see what I bought you today.” She has an ear-to-ear smile and she’s waving me into the house.

“Lily, you didn’t have to buy me anything. I’m only here for a few more days.”

Her smile slips a little. “Unless you decide to stay.”

I turn and look behind me one more time. Making sure Mav isn’t at my back. “That choice is not entirely in my hands. And even if it were, I’m not sure it’s what’s best for me.”

In the height of fear, our true emotions betray us.

EMBER

“Shit. She’s gone.” Taz storms into the main room. His hands threaded into his hair, making it stick out in wild, crazy spikes. He whirls around and his eyes scan the room. “Have any of you seen her?”

“Damn it! I thought you got that latch fixed, man.” Rigor’s eyes widen and he immediately starts to look down at the floor and around his feet. He pulls his feet up and places them on the stool rung.

“I did, but . . . shit . . . I don’t know how the fuck she’s gettin’ out.” Taz sounds pained. He strides across the room and grabs cushions off the couch. He hurls them to the floor. “She likes warm places. This is where she was last time.” After a second, he looks around at all of us. “Don’t just sit there. Get your asses up and help me! She’s got to be around here somewhere.”

“Count me out, man. There is no damn way I’m gettin’ near that thing.” This comes from Rigor who visibly shudders as he speaks to Taz.