She smacked my chest. “New rule. We don’t talk about my brother when our clothes are off.”
An excited bark sounded from the bottom of the steps, and I swore. “We left the gremlin without supervision.”
“What kind of destruction do you think is waiting for us?”
I shook my head. “There’s only one way to find out.”
While we’d gotten lost in each other, Chaos had completely shredded the lamb toy. Stuffing covered the living room.
“Could have been a lot worse,” Merci suggested.
I nodded. “Next time we’ll put her in the crate.”
She grinned. “So you admit there’ll be a next time.”
I wrapped my arms around Merci and pulled her body against mine, cupping her ass with my hand. I’d white-knuckled my feelings for her since I helped her move, fooling myself into thinking I couldresist. And now, with Merci pressed against my chest, I was done pretending I had the willpower to walk away.
“Yeah, Hellcat. Even if this ends up putting me in my grave, it’ll be worth it. We have a week. And I plan to make the most of it.”
The guilt of my betrayal to my best friend wasn’t going anywhere. But neither was I.
Chapter Thirteen
Ipicked up the stuffing explosion while Hatchet ran back to the clubhouse to grab food for Chaos and a change of clothes—not that he’d need them, if I had anything to say about it.
I lost myself in thought as I scooped up the bits of cotton surrounding the lamb carcass. This fling with Hatchet was what I needed. A few days off from work with someone I trusted, away from the pitying looks and whispered platitudes about my failed engagement. Just heat, laughter, and, if the past hour was any indication, mind-blowing orgasms from a man who actually cared about my pleasure.
I wasn’t a fool, though. This situationship came with a clear expiration date. Once Merrick returned, Hatchet would choose loyalty to his brother and the club. I’d go back to being his friend and canine co-parent. We’d pretend we’d never crossed this line.
The screen door slammed. I turned to see Hatchet walk in, his shirt clinging to his chest from the humidity. He dumped a cup of dog food into the crate, not even bothering with a bowl.
Once our tiny terror was secured, Hatchet turned and dropped his duffel bag by the door. The air shifted from comfortable tocharged as he prowled across the room with a heated confidence that made my pulse stutter.
Most of the Mavericks were hardened men, serious and cold with an aura of lethality, although Hatchet always brightened the spaces he filled with sunshine and banter. But I knew a predator lurked beneath, and it was looking at me like I was its next meal.
“Ground rules,” I choked out.
He tilted his head, and my pulse quickened as I took in the dangerous man waiting before me.
“We need ground rules,” I repeated, forcing my tone steady.
“Sure, doll. Whatever you want.”
I ground my teeth at the pet name he knew I hated. I ran my hand through my hair and turned away. I couldn’t focus while he stared at me. “First, we both agree that this ends the minute Merrick gets back. Second, no one finds out. Absolutely no one. We act normally in public. Third, no jealousy when we both move on at the end of this. We stay friends.” I turned back to face him.
He raised a brow. “Any other demands?”
My stomach somersaulted as I took in his inked forearms folded across his chest and his amused smirk. His trademark cockiness should’ve annoyed me. Instead, heat pooled in my stomach as I stared at the biker that would be mine, if only for a couple of days.
“Fuck me like I’m the only woman you see.”
Hatchet didn’t hesitate. He crossed the room in two strides, grabbed me by the thighs, and lifted me off the ground.
“You are the only woman I see, and it drives me fucking crazy,” he murmured. “You’re mine.” It sounded like a promise, a threat, and a confession tangled in two words.
My back slammed into the wall the same moment his mouth found my neck, his stubble scraping my skin as he dragged his lips across my jaw and down to my collarbone. I rolled my hips into him.
“You have no idea how many times I thought about this since you moved back. How many nights I wondered what you’d feel like.”
