Then he came up over me. I thought he’d enter me but he didn’t. His hand moved to cup me between my legs but that was it. No finger action, no movement, just holding me there. His mouth was at my throat.

“What do you want?” he asked there.

I didn’t hesitate, couldn’t, I was in a state.

“I want you to f**k me,” I breathed.

“Beg,” he ordered and my eyes, which had been closed, flew open.

“No.”

His head came up, his eyes captured mine and his fingers, final y, did a swirl.

Then one slid inside then out then back in.

While he was doing this, he repeated, “Beg me, Kitten.”

“No,” I repeated but it was stil breathy.

His hand kept moving.

His lips came to mine and he whispered, “Beg me, babe.”

I was no match for his hand which I was thinking was as talented as his mouth.

Therefore, I whispered back, “Please, Mace, f**k me.” His hand stil ed and my mind went blank.

“Say it again.”

I said it again.

I no sooner finished the words than his body disappeared.

Before I could figure out where he went, he whipped me to my bel y. I looked at him over my shoulder and he was on his knees between my legs. The minute his eyes caught mine, he lifted up my h*ps and slammed into me.

Effing hel .

It was heaven.

My head jerked back and I moaned, “Yes.”

His hands at my hips, he drove in again and again. Just as I was about to explode, he pul ed out and I groaned in protest.

He fel to his back and moved me over him.

“Mace…” I breathed against his mouth but he was jerking my legs at the knees so I was straddling him. He pushed me up, entering me at the same time.

I looked down at him.

Lordy, but he was beautiful.

“Now, Kitten, you f**k me,” he demanded, his voice thick.

Without hesitation, I did.

As hard as I could, as rough as I could and as fast as I could.

I threw my head back with my cl**ax and he whipped me on my back and finished by driving in deep, making my second orgasm ride the wave of the first.

When he was done, I took his weight and he kept moving inside me, gently pressing his h*ps between my legs while I purred.

Final y, he stopped and he did something with his body, his weight stil on me but I wasn’t taking al of it. One of his hands was stroking my side from hip nearly to armpit.

His face was in my neck.

“I like fightin’ with you, babe,” he told my neck.

Oh dear.

He was gonna piss me off.

“Don’t piss me off,” I told the ceiling.

His head came up, my eyes shifted to him and he was grinning at me. “We should have fought a lot more a year ago. Would’ve never left you.”

Now, I was getting pissed off so I decided to share.

“Erm… you’re pissing me off,” I warned him.

“Gonna pick a fight with you every day,” he informed me.

“Mace –”

His face came closer and my head pushed back into the bed but it didn’t get very far and his mouth touched mine.

“Forgot how much I like you on your knees,” he muttered against my mouth. “Your heart-shaped ass right there for me.”

“Mace –” I tried again.

“I’m beginning to change my mind,” he told me conversational y, his mouth moving from mine to my jaw.

“Pretty soon, you’l be famous. Everyone’l want what I got right here.” His h*ps moved again, as he was stil inside me and I was tender, I let out an involuntary short, rough purr.

His hand moved up my side from my hip and in, cupping my breast. “But it’s mine,” he whispered against my cheek and then his mouth moved to my ear. “Al , f**kin’, mine.” Even though I liked what he was saying, like, a lot, I stil felt it important to stay on target.

Therefore, I informed him, “I’m not done being mad at you.”

His head came up and he was stil grinning. “I’m al right with that.”

It was safe to say I wasn’t getting pissed anymore. I was there.

I gave him a hearty shove, we disengaged and he rol ed to his back but I got the distinct feeling (and that pissed me off too) that he let me get away with this. I was rol ing the other way when he caught me at the h*ps and whipped me around so I was on top of him.

I pushed up but he kept me pinned with both arms tight around my waist, his long legs tangling with mine.

“Talk to me,” he demanded but he said this with his face soft and his voice low and I’d never been a match for that combo so I did.

“The Rock Chicks intervened. That morning when Shirleen shot that guy. They were worried that we were over and they decided to tel me what happened to Caitlin. I tried to stop them but before I could do that, they told me about her hand.”

Mace’s arms got tighter but I kept talking.

“When I heard that, I got sick, as in, literal y. Straight to the toilet and then no more eggs benedict.” I watched him flinch and when he was done, I saw his eyes had grown warm.

“Kitten,” he mumbled but I shook my head to let him know I wasn’t done.

“I knew you’d tel me but I had to be strong for you. When you told me, I couldn’t lose it, make something that needed to be about you about me. So I talked Duke into tel ing me the whole story. He didn’t want to but he did. After he told me, they gave me the papers.”

He rol ed me to my back and was half on me, half off me, up on one elbow, his other arm across my midriff.

“Al you had to do was tel me this,” he said softly.

I shook my head. “I never wanted you to know. Not about me losing it. I just wanted to be there for you.” The tips of his fingers went to my temple and, whisper-soft, they sifted into the hair there.

“I appreciate that,” he muttered and his head bent to kiss me but I jerked my mine back and to the side. His brows drew together and he asked, “You stil pissed?”

“Um… yeah.” I answered in a tone that stated, isn’t it obvious?

“Why?” he asked.

“I don’t make you explain your every movement. I don’t boss you around. I trust you.”

His head jerked. “Didn’t I just spend a week workin’ at winnin’ you back because you didn’t trust me?” Effing hel .

I forgot about that.

Cover! My brain screamed.

“That was then, this is now,” I returned.

He stared at me then he sighed. “Al right Kitten, you wanna stay pissed, stay pissed. I’l be here when you’re over it.”