That’s right. Busted. Now get that ass over here ...

She flips me off, and my muscles lock.

Just when I think she’s gonna slide into the seat and take the fuck off, she turns to face me.

Crossing her arms over the top of the door, she leans her chin against them, calling me over with a crook of the finger.

I was already headed for her and she damn well knows it.

Raven smirks when I plant my feet on one side of the door as she stays tucked away on the other.

“What do you say, big man, you want in?”

Now it’s me who smirks, and she rolls her eyes playfully.

I pull the door open and step against her.

Her smirk stays in place but the lungful of air she takes and holds onto, and the more her body pushes against mine gives her away.

She likes when I’m near.

“You were right. You were there to divert. You’ve been around specifically so we could climb in your head and see what your angle was, so we could use it against you first if needed. But you knew that already,” I whisper, and her eyes fly between mine. “Now ask me what’s changed since the beginning. Ask me ... what keeps me up at night, Raven.”

“I don’t wanna know.” She tries to hide her swallow.

“Yeah, you do.”

Her lips pull between her teeth as I step back.

Like Cap said, she’s not mad we used her, but she wishes she was.

She doesn’t have that tick inside her to care and she hates that about herself. She doesn’t give a damn, because she expects it. It’s fucked up, but it’s Raven.

She blinks away her thoughts and sassy Raven slides back in place.

“Not coming along, are we?” She jerks her head like she’s winning, but then the engine rumbles in the distance and she glances over my shoulder.

She rolls her eyes and steps out, so she can close the car door. She dips her head in the window. “We’ll follow.”

She bumps my shoulder as she passes.

“Not even gonna fight me on it, huh?” I tease, and she scoffs.

“Please.”

I catch her by the back belt loop, quickly spinning her around and she yelps, but her fucking smile ... fuck.

I step into her, fire burning in my groin. “You think you’ve got me all figured out?”

“I know you enough to know how that’d have ended.”

“How would it have ended,” I rasp, slowly moving to grip her hips.

Her eager eyes darken, and she sways on her feet a bit.

I lean in and her breath hitches.

The light squeal of brakes has her jerking back.

Bad fucking timing.

Captain rolls to a stop beside us and Royce hangs out the window with a grin. “RaeRae, sneaking off already, are we?” he tsks. “Not sure that’ll work for us.”

“I’m not sure I care,” she jibes back.

I pull open the door and she climbs in.

Royce shifts his smile from her to me then drops back in his seat.

I slide in and she raises a brow when I move to the middle seat.

When I don’t take my eyes off of her, she pushes through her edginess with a laugh, turning to look out her side window.

She’s got tension rolling off her and I don’t like it.

I like her in fuck it mode. That’s who she really is. Just ... wild.

I turn, whispering in her ear. “Royce’s right. Not sure this arrangement’ll work.”

“What arrangement is that?” She pulls the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands.

“The one where you’re in your bed and I’m in mine.”

She drops a grin to her chest before looking to me. “Well, you don’t have to worry about a thing like that, big man.”

“Yeah, why is that?”

We pull up and park along the long road of cars. She slides forward on the seat, ready to climb out the second the locks click open. She looks back to me. “’Cause I don’t have a bed. I’m only borrowing one.”

And then she hops out, heading right for Bass and his emo ass friend.

“Dude. Should we be here?” Royce looks from Captain to me. “Half these fools do work for us. We don’t hang with them for a reason. Business and pleasure, Madman. Not good.”

Cap surveys the scene. “If shit goes down here, cameras could roll.”

“They won’t. We feed these fuckers.”

“Yeah, but you know Graven’s been poking around a lot more than normal lately. Any of them could be waiting for a leg up.”

I look back to Raven who stands there, lighting a fucking joint.

“You’re right. But I’m not leaving her here.” I look to Cap. “Go home. I can’t have you getting fucked out here.”

He glares. “Fuck you, bro. Like I’d leave.”

“I can’t ask you to stay.”

“To watch Raven?” He unbuckles his seat belt. “Yeah, man. You can. Three for one, brother. That’s how it goes.”

My chest tightens and I look away.

My brothers, loyal no matter what.

We step out and follow along the orchard line.

Raven tips her head back, blowing smoke into the night, smiling as it disappears. She catches me watching and winks, but when her eyes slide to Royce and she lifts the joint, my head snaps his way.

He quickly glances off, scratching the side of his head.

He’s fucking smoking again?

“Hey, Bass, you got more of this?” she asks him and he looks from her to us.

“Right.” She laughs. “Conversation for later.”

I don’t fucking think so...

She passes what’s left to the emo guy and when she does, I swoop in, wrapping my arms around her middle.

She chuckles. “What do you think you’re doing, big man?”

“Showing these people what’s mine.”

“Hmm ...” She muses, spinning in my arms. She looks up, a frisky fire shining at me. She whispers, “Funny ... ’cause you haven’t even showed me yet.” She pulls away in good nature.

I let her. Any more of that whispered rasp and my dick would be hard.

She walks a few feet ahead, spins to face us, her hands rising above her head as she starts dancing to the music flowing through the trees. “You boys ready to see your first fake campfire?”

“Can we get a real repeat of—”

I shove his ass. “I’ll fuck you up you finish that sentence.”

Royce shoves me back with a grin and dances toward her. The two make their way to the middle of the crowd.

Me and Captain find a place to chill not far from view.

When Royce gets sidetracked and starts dancing with some random, I wait for Raven to pull back his attention, but she doesn’t.

In fact, she doesn’t even look his way.

Or ours.

She dances on her own with people surrounding her, hands in the air, hips swaying in perfect rhythm.

Her eyes are closed, her head moving with her body. Sheets of sleek, dark hair fall over her shoulders, the tips brushing the little bit of exposed skin of her stomach. Not a care who’s around or hoping anyone is watching. Just doing her because she wants to.

“She seems more relaxed here,” Cap voices my thought.

“She’s in her element.”

We turn to find a blank-faced Bishop behind us, holding up two cans of Keystone. I look from his hand to him. “I’ll only offer once. Take it if you want it. It’s cheap, but it works.”