Page 65 of Burning Ember

When I get close, he opens his door and pushes me inside his room.

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.