“You should have done what you were fucking told. I’m going to snap that little girl’s neck who should have been fucking watching you,” Bear seethed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m not a fucking lap dog,” I snapped. “And Rage is… sleeping.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Rage doesn’t sleep,” he argued.

I folded my hands behind my back and rocked on my feet. “She does after a cocktail of Dr. Pepper & Ambien.”

“You drugged her?” Bear asked with disbelief.

“A little?” I admitted, although it came out as a question. “Why the fuck do you care? You’ve been out of jail for two weeks while I’ve been sitting there waiting and worrying like some love-struck idiot. There are a lot of things you can do to me, Bear, but I won’t have you make a fucking idiot out of me. I won’t.” As strong as I was trying to be, my voice cracked.

“I’ll deal with you when we get back to the house,” Bear snapped, his words loaded with so many different meanings I trembled with both fear and anticipation.

“You’re going to deal with me?” I asked. “How are you going to deal with me?” My attitude and confidence faded with each word until the last was merely a whisper.

“Yes, DEAL with you,” Bear warned, suddenly pausing to take in my appearance. Slowly, from top to bottom, like he’d only just realized I was standing there. His eyelids hung heavy over his sapphire blues as they licked over my body, drinking me in like he was thirsty.

No, not thirsty.

Hungry.

When he licked his lips I could have sworn he was about to eat me alive. I tingled all over. The awareness of him in such close proximity after so long washed over me. Angry or not, my body didn’t care. I didn’t care. I wanted to reach out and touch his face, reassure him that he had no reason to be angry, but part of me liked that I could draw that kind of reaction from him. He came alive when he was pissed, and something inside me loved that he became this primal possessive beast out to remind me who it was I belonged to.

Bear clenched his jaw and the muscles in his neck tensed and strained. He looked as if he were ready to either kill or fuck. All I knew was that, one way or another, I was about to be devoured.

I pressed my thighs together, trying to manage the pulsing between my legs, but the contact only ignited it further. Bear chuckled and glanced down to where my ankles were crossed. He closed the gap between us in two short strides, taking me off guard. I stumbled backward, tripping over a lose rock in the road. He reached out and roughly grabbed my arm before I could fall, pulling me flush into his hard chest. His warm skin radiated through my thin dress. I bit my lip, suppressing a moan. My legs grew weaker and weaker as he lowered his head, inching closer and closer, until I was sure his lips were going to meet mine, when without warning he released my arm and spun away. “Get in the fucking truck, Ti,” he called back to me.

I stood there, unable to move, and trying to catch my breath while he headed over to King’s truck like that moment never passed between us. When he noticed I wasn’t behind him, he growled and stalked back over to me. He grabbed me by the waist, his fingers digging into my skin. He lifted me up, my short dress bunching up over my butt cheeks and slung me over his shoulder like I was a rolled up rug.

Wack.

He slapped my ass with his open palm. Hard. The bite of the smack stung where I was sure he’d left his mark. He tossed me into the truck with a caveman grunt and slammed the door behind me.

I was confused as all hell.

I was so angry.

I was also elated.

I was in lust so hard that I was in physical pain.

I was really fucking angry.

I was head over heels in love.

Motherfucker.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Bear

I KEPT MY mouth shut during the entire five-minute ride back to the grove. I was too fucking angry to talk. The overwhelming need to both fuck her and punish her occupied every inch of my being. I cracked the joints in my neck and shoulders, trying to find some sort of relief from the agony in both my mind and my aching cock before it was too late and I took it out on Ti… and her pussy.

When we got to the grove, I told Ti to wait in the truck while I went inside. Rage was rubbing her temples, I assume just waking up from the drug-induced sleep Ti had put her in. If I wasn’t so fucking pissed off that Ti defied me and sought help from that cock-suckin’ cop, I’d actually be kind of impressed.

“Bear, don’t you fucking start with me, this wasn’t my fault,” Rage said with a groan. “I didn’t know your fucking girlfriend was psycho enough to drug me.” She stood and shook her head from side to side like she was trying to clear the fog. “On a brighter note,”—she stretched her arms over her head—“so that’s what sleep feels like.”

“I need some time with Ti. Be back tomorrow morning,” I barked.

“Tomorrow?” Ti asked from the doorway, again not doing what she was told.

Bear, Yo bitch be feisty! Me likey. Ghost Preppy chimed in.

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yes, tomorrow. I have shit to do and I need you here for one more night. Do you think you can listen to me for once and do that one thing for me, Ti, and just stay fucking put?” I turned back around, but Rage was gone. The back door flapped against the frame.

I guess I didn’t need to tell her twice.

“Don’t bother, Bear,” Ti said, I turned around in time to see her lips form a straight line as she made her way back down the steps.

Fuck. My blood started to boil. This was not how I saw this going.

I caught up to Ti in a few strides, spinning her around and holding her by the elbows. “I’m on the fucking edge of my control right now. If you stop acting like a spoiled brat for two fucking seconds, I could explain to you why—”

“Why you’ve been out for two fucking weeks but haven’t bothered to contact me? To come for me?” Ti interrupted. Her brows narrowed, the lines of her forehead marring her perfect pale skin. I paused, not realizing she’d known about my release being secluded out in the sticks. “Deputy Douchebag tell you that?” I asked. It wasn’t as if I wasn’t going to tell her about it. I’d come to her as soon as I could.

And now that I was finally with her, I wanted to choke her.

While my cock was inside of her.

“It’s okay, Bear. You aren’t under any obligation to me. You don’t have to protect me anymore. I’m fine on my own. If you don’t want me then…” She struggled against me, but there was no fucking way I was letting her go as her anger turned to sadness. Her voice cracked. Tears sprang to her eyes.

“You think I don’t fucking want you?” I asked. For a smart chick, she could be dumb as shit.

She nodded. “Why else would you—” I cut her off and although I knew she was upset, for some reason that only enraged me more.

“I don’t know, Ti. Maybe because I’m about to go to war with my old man and I had to meet with some of my old brothers who want to fight on my fucking side. Maybe because I think the key to winning the war might be my dead fucking mother who by the way showed up to visit me in County. Maybe because it wouldn’t look good if the first thing I did when I got released was go and see my girl whose parents I confessed to murdering so I thought a week or two to let that shit blow over was the best course of action. Maybe I felt like keeping you out from behind bars and in my sight where I could protect you was a little more fucking important then my raging undying and motherfucking overwhelming need to be with you!” I yelled. I seriously considered shaking some sense into my girl. Ti bit the side of her thumb.