“I’m relieved she’s doing okay. And I’m super glad she left here before Rory showed up. He might have seen and hurt her.”

Zander skimmed his hand up and down her leg. “Probably. He’s an asshole that way.”

She sifted her fingers through his hair. “He never did even one thing good for you in his life?” she asked, sad at the idea. Even Hanna, neglectful and selfish though she was, had done the occasional good thing for her.

“He gave me a kidney, but my parents had to bribe him to do it.”

“Bribe him?”

He nodded. “He also tried to make me feel bad about it afterward. He still says I stole his kidney. He even said it in the attorney’s office.” Zander almost smiled when she leaned farther into him, giving him comfort. “You know, when he told me he’d take from me what’s mine, I dismissed the threat. At the time, I had nothing for him to take.”

She frowned. “You have your pack and your home.”

“Yeah, but they’re not something that’s mine and only mine. You are. In a sense, he’ll see you as an impostor.”

“Impostor?”

“He’s the same way with Jesse and Bracken. See, in some fucked-up way, Rory sees me as belonging to him. He doesn’t care about me. Doesn’t want me in his life. But he doesn’t want others to care about me—not even our sister—and he really doesn’t want me caring about others. He was always jealous of my friendships with Jesse and Bracken, and he’ll be jealous of what I have with you.”

“Tough,” she snapped.

Zander smiled. “Yeah, tough.”

“Tell me more about your sister. You’ve never really talked about her much.”

“Remember I told you that I know someone who’d once needed someone to stand up for them the way you’re standing up for Andie? I was talking about Shelby.”

Gwen gaped in horror as he told her about the shootings and how the witnesses had been bullied into silence. “No wonder you and Bracken offered to help me. You’re doing it for Shelby.”

Zander skimmed his fingers down her face. “No. I’m doing it for you. I told myself it was for Shelby. But it wasn’t. Not then, not now.”

She swallowed. “Thank you.”

“No thanks needed.” Zander reached back and yanked the tie out of her hair. He gently unraveled the intricate braid, unsurprised by her exasperated sigh.

“You need to stop taking out my braid.”

“I love your hair. Playing with it relaxes me.” With a firm grip on her hair, he tugged her head back and kissed along her neck.

Gwen let her eyes drift closed as he used his lips, tongue, and teeth to devastate her neck. “This relaxes you too?” It fired up her libido big-time.

“This makes me hard as a rock.” He swiped his tongue over the mark on her throat. “It also makes you wet.” He could smell it.

Hearing a familiar chiming coming from inside Zander’s room, she rasped, “That’s my phone.” She’d left it inside.

“Ignore it.”

She did, but it just kept on ringing. “Let me answer it. It could be Andie or Julie.” He reluctantly let her go and gave her a firm spank on the ass as she passed. “Hey!” She fished out her phone, but didn’t recognize the number. A little cautiously, she answered, “Hello?”

“Miss Miller, it’s Ezra.”

Her grip tightened around the phone as irritation blasted through her. She was about to ask how the hell he’d gotten her number, but then she supposed it couldn’t have been too hard for him, given he had people who’d electronically messed with her life.

“Rowan told me what Brandt did today. I wanted to apologize—”

“Aren’t you tired of apologizing for him, Moore?”

He sighed, sounding . . . weary. “It won’t happen again.”

“It better not.” She paused as Zander strolled into the room. “Brandt almost let the cat out of the bag earlier right in front of the shifters.”

Ezra whispered a curse. “Like I said, it won’t happen again.”

“Glad to hear it.” She ended the call. “That was Ezra, apologizing for Brandt.”

“I suspected he might contact you.”

She placed her phone on the dresser. “I don’t like that he called my cell.”

Zander crossed to her. “I don’t like that he called you at all.”

“Hopefully he’ll find a way to keep Brandt on a leash. It’s a vain hope, though.”

Softly, Zander brushed his mouth over hers. “Don’t let them mess with your mood.”

“Hard not to.”

“Forget about them.” He grazed her lower lip with his teeth. “I don’t want to talk about them.”

“Really?”

He snaked his hand around her throat and gave it a gentle squeeze that made her pupils dilate. “Really. Know what I do want?” He kissed his way up her neck, along her jaw, and over to her ear. “I want to play with my baby.”

She shivered as he sucked on her earlobe. “Then play with me.” He kissed, no, he feasted on her mouth—barely even stopping as he stripped off her vest and bra. A big believer in fair play, Gwen gathered his T-shirt in her hands and slid it upward. He helped her whip it off, and then she smoothed her hands over his warm chest. Damn, he was amazing. Solid. Edible. Perfect.

Driven by an urge she was too turned on to overthink, she grazed his chest with her teeth. He growled and fisted her hair, pushing her head closer. She bit. Hard. Sucked to leave a mark.

Gripping her hair tighter, Zander snatched her head back and kissed her as he clutched and squeezed her breast. She was the softest, sweetest, most perfect fucking thing. And when her hand cupped his cock over the denim of his jeans, he groaned. She was looking down, watching as she rubbed the heel of her hand over his dick. “Something you want, Gwen?”

Well, now that he’d mentioned it . . . Gwen sat on the bed, putting her head level with the cock that was rock hard within the confines of his jeans. She deftly tackled his fly, and his cock sprang out—long, thick, and ready. Her pussy fluttered. Her hands tingled with the urge to fist him tight and pump hard. But she found herself simply staring at him.

“Well, go on, then.”

Gwen slithered her tongue up from base to tip, and then swept it over the head. There was no way she’d be able to take all of him in her mouth, but she was happy to try. Not yet, though. First, she wanted to tease him. Wanted to hear him groan as she pushed him to the edge. Zander was always so attentive, so damned determined to make sure she got off that Gwen wanted to return the favor. So, well, she went to work on his cock.

Zander watched in sheer fucking awe as his mate went down on him. She licked and stroked and played, like he was something to explore and savor. Every now and then, her eyes would flick to his—eyes glittering with need. He felt that look in his balls. Balls she cupped and rubbed and licked.

“Baby, take me in your mouth.” She didn’t. The little witch kept on playing and teasing and generally driving him out of his mind. “Gwen.” She blew a cool breath on the head of his cock while lightly grazing his thighs with her nails. He bit out a curse. “Gwen, if you don’t quit fucking around . . .” She fisted his cock and took him into her mouth. “That’s it. Good girl.”