His glower got worse. "That brother of yours has a real knack for pissing me off."
"I don't mean to inconvenience you-"
Wrath rolled right over her words. "This was about Butch, wasn't it. V told me that you went to the cop and pulled him through. Let me guess-Havers didn't appreciate you getting too tight with our human, right?"
Marissa could only nod.
"Like I said, your brother really pisses me off. Butch is our boy even if he isn't in the Brotherhood and anyone who cares for him cares for us. So you take up residence here for the rest of your natural goddamned life as far as I'm concerned." Wrath headed around the base of the stairs. "Fucking Havers. Fucking idiot. I'll go find V
and let him know you're here. Butch isn't around, but V'll know where to find him."
"Oh-no, you don't have to-"
Wrath didn't stop, didn't even hesitate, reminding her that you didn't tell the king to do anything. Even if it was not to worry about something.
"Well," Beth murmured, "at least he's not armed right now."
"I'm surprised he cares this much."
"Are you kidding? It's appalling. To turn you out right before dawn? Anyway, let's get you settled."
Marissa resisted the female's gentle pull. "You welcome me so graciously. How can you be so-"
"Marissa." Beth's navy blue eyes were level. "You saved the man I love. When he was shot and my blood wasn't strong enough, you kept him alive by giving him your wrist. So let's be perfectly clear. There is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for you."
As dawn arrived and light poured into the penthouse, Butch woke up fully aroused and in the process of grinding his hips into a twist of satin sheets. He was covered with sweat, his skin hypersensitized, his erection pulsing.
Groggy, confused as to what was reality and what he just hoped was real, he reached downward. Undid his belt. Burrowed through his slacks and his boxers.
Images of Marissa swirled in his head, half the fantasy he'd been so gloriously lost in, half memories of the feel of her. He fell into a rhythm with his hand, unsure whether he was the one who was doing the stroking...
Maybe it was her... God, he wanted it to be her.
He closed his eyes and arched his back. Oh, yeah. So good.
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Except then he woke up.
As he realized what he was doing, he became vicious. Angry with himself and so much of what was going on, he handled his sex roughly until he barked a curse and ejaculated. He couldn't even call it an orgasm. More like his cock swore out loud.
With sickening dread, he braced himself and looked down at his hand.
Then just sagged from relief. At least something was back to normal.
After kicking out of his trousers and wiping up with the boxers, he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Under the spray, all he could think about was Marissa. He missed her with a stinging hunger, a kind of craving pain that reminded him of when he'd quit smoking the year before.
And shit, no Nicoderm for this.
When he came out of the bath with a towel around his hips, his new cell phone was ringing. He fumbled around the pillows and finally found the thing.
"Yeah, V?" he rasped. Man, his voice was always shot to shit in the morning and today was no different. He sounded like a car engine that wouldn't turn over.
Okay, so that was two normals in his favor.
"Marissa's moved in."
"What?" He sank down onto the mattress. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Havers kicked her out."
"Because of me?"
"Yup."
"That bastard-"
"She's here in the compound, so you don't worry about her safety. But she's rattled as hell." There was a long silence. "Cop? You there, my man?"
"Yeah." Butch fell back on the bed. Realized his thigh muscles were twitching with the need to get to her.
"So like I said, she's okay. You want me to bring her to you tonight?"
Butch put his hand up to his eyes. The idea that someone had hurt her in any way made him positively mental.
To the point of violence.
"Butch? Hello?"
As Marissa settled into a canopied bed, she pulled the covers up to her neck and wished she weren't naked.
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Trouble was, she had no clothes.
God, even though no one would bother her here, being bare just... felt wrong. Scandalous, though