My mouth drops, shocked by what I see on the bed. Or should I say who I see. Jade, one of the clubpieces, a too skinny brunette with tattoos all over her body, is lying face down on the bed. Her arms tied to the headboard. Mav closes the door, sealing us inside.

The second I hear the door seal closed, I panic. A tidal wave of fear rolls through me. When I spin and attempt to bolt, Mav’s arms come around me, preventing me from fleeing.

“No, Mav. Uh-huh, no way. Let me out.” I push and scramble to break free of him, but he has his arms around me.

“Doll. Fuck. Chill the fuck out. It’s not what you think. I just need your goddamn help for a minute. I’m not gonna have sex with you.”

“I’m not touching her either.”

He barks out a laugh.

“God. Woman. Quit. You don’t have to touch her. Just give me a sec. Let me explain.”

“Why the hell did you bring me in here? I don’t like to be tied down, Mav. And I won’t do it to anyone else. I’m telling you right now . . . I’ll freak the hell out. You can’t . . . you can’t use those ropes on me.”

“Shit.” He laughs, and I glare at him. But his laugh circles through me like a hot breeze. He holds one hand up as if he’s surrendering. “Look, that’s not it either. I really need your help.”

“No way.” I push at his arms.

“Shhh, c’mon. Settle down and look. Trust me.” He grabs my shoulders and spins me 180 degrees. I’m forced to look at Jade in all her glory withering on the bed.

“Mav, what in the hell are you doing? I don’t like this. Talk to me.”

“Jade.” His voice turns harsh. “Have I ever hurt you? Beyond . . . you . . . know . . . the normal.”

I try to jerk out of his grasp again and his hold tightens.

“No,” Jade answers him.

“Then shut up and don’t move,” he commands. Oddly, I find myself getting wet from the tone of his voice and the way his accent curls around his words. Which unnerves me, because at the same time, it also makes me beyond nauseous, the idea of Mav having sex with someone else, and the notion that he gets off on this kind of sex. Just like the night he was with Star, my dinner sits like acid in my stomach, bubbling, boiling, and threatening to come to the surface at any moment.

I want to close my eyes and forget I ever saw this. Scrape it from my mind.

Jade huffs, “Fine.”

Reaching around, Mav grips my face and shifts it so I’m looking at the end of the bed and Jade’s feet. “Look.”

With a frustrated whisper I say, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for.”

He points again to the bed. “There. Under the sheet, watch.”

My forehead crinkles with confusion as I watch. Nothing. Did he just bring me in here to test my reaction? See if this would make me jealous? Or is this a payback for last night when he looked pissed about me agreeing to ride with Dozer on his bike?

Then I see it.

My mouth gapes open as I observe the sheet still and then move again. And it’s not Jade moving because she’s as still as a statue on the bed.

The sheet is brown and in disarray so it’s hard to see, but every few seconds, the sheet shifts.

“Do you see it?” The words whispered directly into my ear send every hair across my body standing on end. A small noise escapes my lips. He steps closer and blankets his body with mine. His front is flush to my back. And I feel all of him. The heat of his skin. His hot breath tickling my sensitive neck. His erection nestled perfectly in the crease of my ass.

In mere seconds, he’s set me aflame.

My reply of “Yes” comes out as a barely audible rasp.

His hand moves from my chin and slides to my cheek and he turns my face so that I’m looking up at him. I can’t look in his eyes though. I’ll do something utterly stupid like kiss him if I look in his eyes. I study his jaw, his scar, and his lips. His thumb rubs over my cheek. Once. Twice. Then it moves down and skates across my bottom lip. Back and forth. That small movement causes an avalanche of lust to rush between my thighs. It’s the most erotic moment of my life. God, I want to kiss him. But he’s definitely not the right man for me, and this isn’t the right moment. His head dips. His breath fans across my mouth and I close my eyes. “This is so wrong,” I murmur as his breath caresses my lips.

He nods slightly, in total agreement. “But it feels right, doesn’t it?”

Before our kiss can connect, Jade screeches, “What the hell are you two doing? Fucking untie me!”

The spell’s broken and I pull away. Mav’s breathing heavy and he cuts a glance once to me before he moves toward Jade. I look to the end of the bed and see two hairy legs, and then a small body as the little creature crawls across her ankle.

Jade screams. “What the fuck is that?” She starts kicking her legs. “That better not be what I think it is!”

“Fuck! Hurry, grab it!” Mav shouts.

I don’t think. I just do. I scoop up a T-shirt from the floor and while trying to dodge white skinny legs, I grab for Taz’s tarantula. Because I’m pretty sure if Jade hurts Boop, Taz is going to bury her alive.

“Got her!” I say in an excited and relieved voice as I back away from the bed.

Mav goes for the ropes and starts untying Jade.

“Is that Taz’s fucking spider?”

Boop gets halfway out of the makeshift bag I’ve made of the shirt and Jade lets out a wail befitting an actress in a horror movie.

“Was that thing crawling on my leg? Oh my God, ew, ew, ew!” In frantic movements, she brushes at her legs, then her arms and chest, like she’s being attacked by a million ants.

“She’s not on you. I got her,” I say as I roll my eyes.

Jade throws me a glare as she flees the room.

The rumble of laughter has my eyes widening and my head whipping in Mav’s direction. His laugh is throaty and guttural. Sexy as hell.

“I’m glad you find this funny,” I say. “I nearly got concussed by her bony legs.” Though it comes out stern, I’m grinning. His laughter is contagious and I find myself laughing too though not as freely or as loudly.

Mav bends forward and his laugh gets deeper. Freer. He’s holding his sides. It’s enthralling to watch. When he stands, he laces his fingers and puts his hands behind his head. He looks up at the ceiling and yes, he’s still laughing. And it’s the most amazing thing I think I’ve ever seen.

It’s captivating, because not only are his gorgeous muscles on display but also it’s the first time I’ve ever seen the darkness fully leave him. Watching him like this leaves me breathless and sparks melancholy deep within my soul.

I’m sure of it now. This is the old Mav. This is what he was like before Dana came into his life.

His laughter softly dies.

“Christ, I haven’t fuckin’ laughed like that in ages,” he says. “I can’t believe it was on her leg.” When he looks over at me, he adds, “You did good. If she would’ve . . . Taz would’ve . . .” He shakes his head.

Yeah, I know exactly what Taz would’ve done.

“Thanks.”

Walking toward him, arm out, I say, “No problem. Here.”

Mav eyes bulge to the size of golf balls as he jumps back. “Fuck! Get that thing away from me.”

My jaw drops as I take in the panicked expression on his face. Then it dawns on me. “That’s why you needed me. You’re scared of spiders.”

He swallows thickly. Shakes his head. “No. I needed to untie her so she didn’t—” I shove the spider toward him again. He shouts and holds his hand out to ward me off.

I’m the one laughing hard now. “You are too!”

“Jesus. Okay, fine. I am. Just . . . get her away from me!” He rubs his hand over his head. “Go put her in her cage or somethin’.”

I’m very, very tempted to throw Boop at him, but I’m not into animal cruelty so I restrain myself.

Mav pulls a phone from his pocket. “Call Taz. Push number three.”

“Why can’t you call him?”

“‘Cause I need to get those sheets off my bed. I’m not fuckin’ sleepin’ in those after she’s been in there.”