Page 117 of Burning Ember

“Mav invited me back. Said you guys were runnin’ low on unclaimed and easy pussy.”

“So here you are . . .” the snarky words simply fall out of my mouth.

Tilting her head and arching a brow, Star replies in a sharp tone, “Yep. Here I am. Not my problem if you can’t keep the men around here satisfied.”

I hear the rustle of sheets or clothing behind her.Oh, no, he’s getting out of bed!I don’t want to see him. My heart’s pounding so loud, it sounds like a gong in my ears as I spin and head down the hallway. A huge part of me wants to stay and face him. Give him a piece of my mind, and maybe deliver another punch to his perfect jaw, but what’s the point. It won’t change a thing.

Dozer calls my name but my emotions are flying all over the place. Anger. Jealousy. Betrayal. I can’t focus on anything except getting as far away from him as I can.

But I stop short when I hit the stairs. My foot lands on the top rung and goes no further. My gaze is focused down and at first the black hair and wide shoulders look familiar but it doesn’t register to my subconscious who the man is coming up the stairs.

“Babe, wait it’s not . . .” I hear Dozer say somewhere behind me. But he must see what I see because his words trail off.

The man in front of me raises his head and his eyes sweep up my body. Irises the color of wheat center on my face.

Mav.

My next thought is . . .Am I dreaming?

The frown I’ve seen often on his face changes. The sides of his mouth turn up.

“Hi,” he says simply.

Hi.Just one word. A word I’ve used and heard a zillion times, yet it sounds like he’s saying so much more.I’m so happy to see you. I’ve missed you.But I know that’s merely my imagination.

His grin nearly becomes a panty-dropping smile before he catches on to my mood and the tension carried in every one of my limbs.

Dozer puts his hand on my back. Mav’s eyes travel to the man behind me, and then back to me. His brows knit together.

“Why the fuck are Edge and Star goin’ at it in your room?” Dozer asks.

I try and fail to wrap my head around what Dozer just said.Edge and Star.I repeat the names at least ten times before they finally sink in.

Confusion flickers over Mav’s face and then he scrutinizes mine. He takes in the emotions rioting through me. Surely, they’re written all over my expression for him to see.

“I gave it up to Edge,” he explains to me and not Dozer. “I bought a place nearby and didn’t want to hog up a big room that I wouldn’t need anymore.”

It wasn’t him. It wasn’t him. Oh, my God . . . it wasn’t him.

A balloon swells inside me and I let the pent up air in my lungs escape in a rush.

He’s standing there in a black T-shirt, dark jeans, his cut, and his necklace hanging over his shirt. He takes a step toward me and then another, and my hands start to shake.

“Can I talk to you?” he asks.

I nod numbly, still in a daze.

“Alone.” Not a question.

“Okay.”

“You sure?” This time the question comes from Dozer. I look back over my shoulder at him. He’s glaring at Mav, but his gaze swings to me for a second.

“Yes.” The word comes out whispery soft from between my lips.

Dozer lets out a disapproving grunt and trudges past me. He slams his shoulder into Mav and pushes him back. For a second, I think they’re going to throw down right here on the stairs, but they don’t. They only exchange deadly glares and Dozer moves closer. He whispers something to Mav too low for me to hear and then gives him one final push before he leaves.

“The fuck’s that about?” A gruff voice says behind me. Turning my head, I see Edge standing next to Star in the hallway. He’s shirtless and his jeans have been left unbuttoned. He’s thin, too thin, but every bit of him is also pure muscle.