“Dammit!” Gwen dropped into her chair. Now she had to go. Her mother at a party filled with predators and an open bar…Gwen couldn’t even stand to think about the damage the woman could do. And the damage would be around all of Lock’s friends.

“If you’re really not going to go, let me know now because I have to R.S.V.—”

“I’ll be there,” Gwen snarled, opening drawers as if she was looking for something, but really it was simply so she could slam them shut again.

“Okay.”

Blayne stepped into the hallway and walked around the big pillar that blocked the view of their office from people wandering through the lobby. Jess stood at the front desk with the receptionist, Mindy. When she saw Blayne, Jess faced her.

She gave Jess a thumbs-up, then raised her brows in silent question.

Jess lifted her hand, her thumb and forefinger in a circle, her three other fingers raised, letting her know that Lock was…well…a lock.

They grinned at each other like goofballs and then Blayne headed back to the office. She’d only opened the door when she heard Gwen roar, “Where the fuck are the receipts from the construction site?”

When it came to the task of babysitting her mother, Gwen would have only one volume level until it was all over. Thankfully, Blayne only had to put up with it until Saturday night.

Jay Ross reached into his girlfriend’s car and yanked the keys out of the ignition. He quickly stepped away as the car door flew open and Donna stumbled out. She might be drunk off her ass, but that didn’t make her any less strong.

“Give me my fuckin’ keys!” Normally he would, never in the mood to bother with her when she got like this, but he had something else in mind. The timing was perfect.

He held the keys over her head. “Okay, so your mother popped you in the face—” again “—but why go storming off when I got a better idea of how to get even with the one who is really to blame for this?”

Trying to reach her keys, “I ain’t goin’ into Philly to get into it with a whole Pride. I ain’t stupid.” He wasn’t so sure about that, but she gave a hell of a blow job, so he was willing to overlook her major flaws.

“You wanna hurt the mother…you hurt the kid.”

Donna slowly lowered her arms and stared at him through the eye that wasn’t swollen shut, although it was pretty glassy from all the Jack Daniel’s she’d guzzled. “What are you talking about? Beatin’ her up? We already did that.”

“Nah. I’m talking about something a little more…permanent.”

She turned away from him. Donna tried to pretend she didn’t know what he did for cash, but she knew.

They all knew, they just liked to pretend they didn’t.

“Both?” she finally asked, no longer sounding nearly as drunk.

“Yeah. Both.” He could practically feel the money in his hands. And Christ, it felt good.

Jay put his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled her ear. “Trust me, baby. They’ll both get what they got comin’.”

“How? The bitch isn’t stupid. It’s not like we can call her up and tell her to meet us somewhere.”

“Gotta start thinkin’ different, baby. Gotta start thinkin’ a little more human.”

Donna’s lip turned up a little at that, but then she asked, “When?”

He smiled, his mind already turning. “Soon. Real soon.”

She felt wonderful against him, all sweaty and soft, her exhausted body pressing down on his. He dragged his hand down her spine and across the curve of her ass.

“Use your claws,” she murmured, snuggling closer.

He did, carefully dragging them down her back and up again. He didn’t know if she realized she fell asleep like that, with his claws caressing her back while they lay on his kitchen floor.

They’d just arrived home after she’d met him at the training rink and he’d taken her to the diner down the block. They’d eaten dinner but decided to have dessert back at the apartment. He’d been heading for the ice cream in his freezer when she’d wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. She had his jeans unzipped and her hand inside his boxer briefs in less than five seconds. After that their clothes went flying and they ended up abusing his kitchen floor.

She only slept twenty minutes before she lifted her head from his chest, pretty eyes blinking as she looked around the room.

“Ice cream?” she asked.

“Freezer. I’ll get it.”

“No. I’ll get it.” Placing her palms flat on his chest, she levered herself up and scratched her head. Then she stretched, arms above her head, chest pushed out. Lock grew hard again and reached for her.

“Ice cream,” she insisted, pushing his grasping hands away. “And don’t pout,” she ordered before she got up and walked to his freezer.

Gwen stared into Lock’s freezer. How much ice cream did the man eat on a daily basis? The top three shelves were filled with pints of ice cream, from the expensive brand names to the cheap store-brand versions.

He had every flavor possible.

While holding the door open, Gwen turned to ask Lock what kind he wanted, but he had his legs up in the air, his hands gripping his toes.

“Enjoying yourself?”

He grinned, nodded.

Did he really have to be so cute? Was that really fair to her at all?

“Which ice cream do you want?”

“Rum raisin.”