I leaned against the wall and blew out a sharp breath.

Was it the throb in my leg or my cock that was overloading my senses? It had only been a day since Sloane had driven into the garage and we’d been separated. A single day.

There wasn’t anyone around to watch me being a hero, so I popped another pill to dull the pain. I dry swallowed the little bastard and continued down the hall.

Sloane’s room was down here. The same room she had when she was a kid. The same room Marini told me he hadn’t touched since Sloane ran away all those years ago. Before I’d left, he told me all about her. The bits he’d wanted me to know, anyway. I’d learned the rest on the road when she’d forced it down my throat.

Leaning around the corner, I saw the hallway was empty. No one was watching, but I knew it was a test. Marini was waiting to see what she would do before deciding her fate. The Hollow Men had thrown a spanner into the works, but the only person he believed had the right to harm her was him.

The game would end before I allowed that to happen. If Sloane was going to lose, then I would be there to get her out. No hesitation.

Her door was locked. Taking out the key I’d lifted from Rick, I slipped it into the lock and turned. When the mechanism clicked, I twisted the knob and slipped into the room beyond.

The lamp beside the bed was on, casting a warm glow on the plain white walls, and I leaned back against the door as Sloane’s gaze met mine. My heart twisted, reminding me of the first time I’d seen Madison. I’d loved her then before I lost her, and now Sloane…

“What are you doing here?” Sloane asked, rising to her feet. “You can’t…”

“No one’s watching,” I replied, turning the lock on the door. “I wouldn’t be here if they were.”

“Chaser, there are security cameras in the hall.”

“There was.”

She bit her bottom lip, and my gaze dropped. I’d spent so much time fighting my attraction to her, and now that I’d admitted I gave a shit, I had to pretend I didn’t give a fuck. I’d never had a lot of patience, not where women were concerned, but this was a high-stakes game I did not want to be playing right now. Sloane’s pull was too strong, and all she was doing was standing there.

I closed my eyes, and the world went dark. Across the room, I heard her sharp exhale.

“There’s an endgame to all this,” she murmured.

“What were you doing today?” I asked, opening my eyes. The sight of her knocked me sideways for the second time.

“Making friends.”

“Making friends with the women won’t get you anywhere,” I said. “They can’t give you Fortitude.”

“Of course, they can’t,” she replied. “But women know things. Women talk. They gossip, and they brag about cock just as much as men brag about pussy. Women see and hear things men think they’re too stupid to understand.”

A slow smile spread across my lips.

“Little birds know when to stick together,” she murmured. “A flock of sparrows is more powerful than a single hawk.”

“Your father is watching,” I said. “We’re walking a fine line.”

“He gave you the attitude speech as well, huh?” She snorted and shook her head. “After all this time… Coming face to face with him…” She plucked at a strand of her long, chestnut hair and began to twirl it between her fingers.

I watched the movement, wanting nothing more than to touch her but knowing I wouldn’t be able to stop until I’d come inside her if I did. That was when I saw the mark on her thumb. The same mark that was on mine.

“What the fuck is this?” I hissed and grabbed her wrist. “You let them brand you?”

Sloane wrenched her arm away and glared at me. “I’m playing the game, Chaser. If I want them to accept me, if I want them to follow me, I have to be one of them. It’s just a tattoo.”

She was right, but I didn’t like it. Remembering what she’d said to me on our road trip, I scowled. It’s not just a tattoo. It’s a brand like you’re a piece of livestock.

“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” she asked.

I shook my head. Marini deserved everything coming for him. The soldiers who made up Fortitude’s ranks weren’t good men, not in the traditional sense of the word, but they all didn’t deserve to go down with him. Sloane was coming at this from the right angle. With the freedom he’d given her, she could put a bullet in him at any time, but then she would have Fortitude and the Hollow Men after her.

A woman would never lead the club, but a Marini could, no matter what was between her legs.

“I don’t like them hurting you,” I murmured.

“We’re not going to come out of this unscathed. You know that.”

I grimaced, shifting all my weight onto my right leg.

Her gaze lowered. “Is it going to heal?”

I nodded.

“Good.”

She stepped forward, closing the distance between us. If we were caught together, Marini would put a bullet in me on the spot.

“Sloane…”

She threw herself into my arms and caught my lips with hers. A rush of desperate need overcame me, and I kissed her, claiming her mouth and fisting my hands into her hair. Twisting my fingers, I tilted her head to the side and deepened my hold, plunging my tongue against hers. Fuck, she tasted so good. This was why I’d wanted to drop everything for her. She was addictive as hell…but it wasn’t just that. No, there was something else happening between us.

Something else…

She dragged her nails down the back of my neck, her lips curving against mine when I shivered.

“We can’t,” I said even though I wanted nothing more than to sink my cock into her soft pussy.

“Please,” she murmured. “I need something to get me through…”

“You have a vivid imagination. Use that…and your fingers.” It was the wrong thing to say because I immediately conjured up an image of her masturbating on her bed. Legs wide open, one hand on her tits, three fingers fucking her pussy, and her palm slapping against her clit. I felt my cock stiffen even more.

“There he is,” she purred, her grip tightening.

“Sloane, if someone walks in…”

“You locked the door,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And I’ll be quiet.”

I tensed, my cock pressing painfully against my jeans. The more she spoke about fucking, the harder I got. We’d done just about everything except anal, but this wasn’t the time or place.

She sat on the bed and undid the fly on her jean shorts. Pushing them off, her black lacy panties followed. Then…she spread her legs.

She was dripping. I could see it from here. My gaze raked over her clit, across her folds to her tight little ass, and my cock flared to the point I was about to cum in my own pants if I didn’t do something about it.

“It’s yours,” she murmured. “Take it.”

Goddammit. I undid the fly on my jeans and pushed them down, ignoring the sharp stab of pain in my thigh. Leaning over her, I pulled out my erection and settled between her legs, my feet still on the floor.

Her hands pushed my boxers out of the way before grabbing my ass. Her fingernails dug into my skin, the fake points causing the good kind of pain that traveled into my balls and forced another bead of pre-cum out of my cock.

I rubbed against her, gliding through the slickness of her pussy.

“I need you,” she whispered, her breathing speeding up to a pant.

She needed me? It was a rare thing for her to admit, much like it was for me. Had I told her that? Probably not. I told no one anything.

Sinking into her wetness, I gritted my teeth. Goddammit, she felt so fucking good. So tight and wet. She clenched around me, her lips forming an O as I buried in her balls deep.

I was so tightly strung it didn’t take long. As soon as she clenched and succumbed to her orgasm, I blew. Pulsing into her, I darted forward and caught her mouth with mine, swallowing her cries with a desperate kiss. Our tongues entwined as I thrust, spilling the last of my cum into her.

I pulled out slowly, shuddering as the head of my cock slipped free. Rubbing a finger through her folds, I spread myself around her clit, then dipped back inside her. Filthy… She was the only woman I’d ever fucked bare. The only one. Not even… I pushed her name out of my mind and focused on Sloane as her breath fluttered against my lips.

She writhed against my palm as I slid another finger into her opening. I stroked once before she came again, her body so sensitive the slightest touch had her reeling out of control.

I pulled my fingers out of her, and she grasped my wrist. Her eyes darkened as she dragged my fingers into her mouth and sucked, her tongue lapping around each digit in a slow, erotic dance.

Filthy…

When she was done, I collapsed beside her, the stab wound in my thigh throbbing. It was the first time we’d fucked since she found out about my past. Women usually didn’t lick cum off my fingers if they were mad at me. Usually.

Sloane’s breathing returned to normal as we lay there, listening to the sounds of the compound. It was well after midnight, and only a few men were still awake. Somewhere, a woman screamed in pleasure. Yeah, someone was still up.

“Dad didn’t tell you what he plans to do with me, did he?” Sloane asked.

“No.”

She sighed and lifted her hand, tilting her thumb back and forth.

“Does he know you got that?”

“Nope. He’s going to flip. I just forced my intentions on him. He has to accept me into Fortitude now or risk looking weak in front of his men. That, or chop off my thumb. I say that in a tongue-in-cheek way because I know he’d do it if it took his fancy.”

“Dangerous but smart,” I murmured.

“Finally.”

“Finally what?” I glanced at her.

“You admitted I’m doing something right. Out loud. To my face.”

“Don’t get too cocky, Sloane. It’s only day one.”

“If the window didn’t have bars on it, I’d make you climb out.”

Sliding off the bed, I pulled up my jeans and fastened the fly over my softening cock.

“I’ll be watching,” I said, reaching for the lock on the door.

“Chaser?”

I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder. She was still sitting on the bed, her hair all messed up, and her lips were swollen. I wished we were still on the road and this was another motel room. I wished I could turn around and fuck her again and again…

“Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

“No,” I whispered. “I won’t.”