by Shayla Black
one train wreck after another—none of them of his creation. Had either Hammer or Raine thought for a moment that he might need the opportunity to control something today?
“You look pissed off,” Seth observed. “But you’ve always agreed that Raine’s needs come first. I’m sure she can’t wait to be with you again. Don’t be jealous.”
That felt like telling him not to breathe, and he battled with himself. If Hammer had been gone and Raine had needed Liam’s support, Dominance, or affection, Hammer would absolutely have insisted Liam give her whatever she required—no questions asked.
Why, then, Liam wondered, was he feeling betrayed? He turned to his friend. “I didn’t ask your opinion about what I should think.”
Seth held up his hands to ward off any argument. “Just telling you how I see it.”
He didn’t care. Instead, he fought for calm. “When did Hammer and Raine finish?”
“A little over an hour ago, I think.”
So plenty of time for Hammer to have taken complete advantage of Raine. No, given her aftercare. She’d probably needed that, too. “Where did they go?”
“To his room.” Seth looked reluctant to make that admission. He scooted to the edge of the sofa and looked Liam in the face. “I know you didn’t ask me, but seriously, you’ve got to deal with this. You’re trying to play cool, but I can see it’s eating you up. You two share her. Equal time, equal surrender.”
True, and if Liam felt as if he’d received the same affection and devotion from Raine that Hammer did, maybe he’d be all right with the fact that his best mate had done god knew what to his girl when his back had been turned.
Liam nodded, not trusting himself to say much more. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Seth grabbed his arm. “Don’t go in there half-cocked. You’re exhausted, and you’ve had a lot on your mind. Take a drink. Unwind. Remember what’s important.”
The man wasn’t wrong about his exhaustion, Liam mused. Maybe he needed to take a step back and clear his head. The last thing he wanted now was another drama, especially one he created.
With a hesitant nod, Liam allowed Seth to nudge him toward the bar.
“What’ll it be, mate? Single malt, right?” Nick, the bartender, stood before him with a cheery fucking smile Liam just couldn’t bring himself to match.
“Aye, straight up.”
“I’ll take a water,” Seth added.
The minute Nick placed the tumbler in front of him, Liam lifted it. His hands shook as he tossed the liquor back. The burn seared its way down his throat yet did nothing to thaw the ice freezing his chest.
“Another?” the bartender asked.
“Nah.” The booze would only make him wearier, and he still had to find Hammer and Raine, explain his night at the hospital with Gwyneth. But he had to tuck away this irrational anger first, remember that Raine was not his exclusively.
“You missed Raine and Hammer center stage earlier,” Nick said. “They scened for a good, long while. One of the most amazing connections between a Dom and a sub I’ve ever seen.”
A shockwave of anger jolted Liam where he stood as he tried to process Nick’s words. Liam resisted the urge to smack his pretty-boy Australian teeth down his throat.
Instead, he tapped the counter. “I’ve changed my mind. Another.”
“Sure thing.” The bartender poured again and frowned. “Hey, are you okay?”
He ignored Nick and tossed back the drink, then turned away.
“Did you see Hammer take Raine in the middle of the dungeon earlier?” he overheard one Dom ask another.
“No, but I heard about it the second I walked in the door,” the other answered. “About fucking time, if you ask me. They’ve been hot for each other for years.”
“Yeah, and it showed. That scene was an act of pure Dominance. She subbed out for him just like that.” The stranger snapped. “Like she’d been falling over for him for years.”
“In a way, she has. I wonder where Hammer’s Irish friend fits into all this.”
No shit. Liam wondered that himself. Or if he even did.
“Hammer declared that he and Liam own her,” the first Dom said. “But who knows?”
Who indeed?
Liam slammed his empty glass on the bar with a scowl. One of the Doms looked up and noticed him, then elbowed his peer. Both men quickly melted into the crowd.
Heart thudding in his chest, Liam couldn’t breathe. His jealousy returned in spades to bury him where he stood, somehow stunned—though he probably shouldn’t be.
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Seth warned. “Those two are talking out of their asses.”
“Actually, I think they’re spot on, Seth. Now if you don’t mind, fuck off.” Liam pushed away from the bar and left the dungeon. It was high time he found the pair of them and confronted whatever was going on.
Chapter Fifteen
The little bit of Liam still capable of rational thought understood that he’d lost the plot. But Hammer sceneing with Raine—without him—felt like a boulder breaking his back. Suddenly, logic had left the building. And he didn’t give a shit.
Would their relationship always be like this, him feeling like a third wheel in their twosome? Yes, Raine claimed to love him, too. Why didn’t he quite believe it? Probably because he couldn’t figure out what the hell he gave Raine that Hammer didn’t. Liam couldn’t think of a single thing. Now it seemed as if they’d just been waiting for him to piss off somewhere so they could fuck without him.
They’d done more than fuck, though. Hammer had claimed her with the members of his club as witness, and Raine had probably been all too eager to kneel for Hammer in front of everyone they knew.
Liam cursed. He sounded like a maudlin pansy. Time to shove down his heartache and man up.
As he stomped down the hall, he tried to clear his head, but all he imagined were the sounds of Raine’s moans and pleas for Hammer to take her in every way. Jealousy flared hotter than a furnace. Were Hammer and Raine laughing at him? Rolling their eyes at how fucking predictable and gullible he was? He must be, after all. How else could Gwyneth have succeeded in duping him for nearly two years?
Raine didn’t need him. She had her house now—and the one man she’d always wanted.
But she needs you, too.
And his best fucking mate?
Hammer loves you. He’s still your friend.
Who happens to want your girl.
But all to himself? Hours ago, Hammer had insisted that Liam spend some much-needed time with Raine. Had Macen thrown a hissy when he’d realized that Liam had made love to her? Not at all.
Liam didn’t know what to think anymore as he made his way toward Hammer’s private rooms.
When he reached the door to the office, he opened it and crept inside. The soft glow of a muted desk lamp lit the place. He stood frozen as he strained to hear the sounds of sex from the adjoining bedroom. When only the tick of a clock intruded, he crossed the room and carefully opened the door to Hammer’s quarters.
The heavy aroma of sex filled his nostrils and slammed into his brain. When he’d last touched Raine, he’d found that scent erotic as hell. Now, it choked him, cloying and thick.
As he forced himself into the room, he saw that half of Hammer’s bed lay empty. Light seeped under the bathroom door as he stepped closer to where Raine sprawled out in sleep.
She’d kicked off the covers and lay naked on her stomach. The pale light of a bedside lamp illuminated her body. At first, Liam couldn’t wrap his mind around the numerous mottled bruises in the shape of fingertips and palms, the myriad bites impressed into her skin everywhere, and her bright red ass.
Raine looked a lot like she had the first time Hammer had taken her to bed and used her so brutally, just before Liam had swept her away from Shadows to protect her at the lodge. This time, Macen had welted and marked her even more.
Son of a bitch…
A red haze spilled through his head. His f
ists curled in rage, nails biting his palms. The bathroom door opened, and Hammer came toward him. Liam didn’t pay him any attention until the man stood almost in front of him and braced a hand on his shoulder.
Liam jerked away. “Don’t fucking touch me, you bastard.”
“I—” Hammer scowled and sighed. “Oh, hell. Not here. Let Raine sleep. Let’s—”
“I’m not ducking into the damn bathroom again,” he interrupted, struggling to keep his voice low. “I’ll need room to knock your fucking block off.”
“Fine. Let me get my pants. I’ll meet you in my office.”
Even now, Hammer thought to dictate to him. I don’t bloody think so.
Instead, Liam stared at Raine, completely covered in Hammer’s marks of possession—the impressions of his teeth, the imprint of his fingers, the welts from his flogger, the chafing at her wrists and ankles from his cuffs. She looked like she’d been mauled by a beast.
Liam shook his head. All those marks, and none of them his. Just like she would never be…
That reality smacked him in the face with the force of a two-by-four.
He staggered out of the bedroom, through Hammer’s office, and into the corridor outside. Liam slammed the door and braced himself against the wall, struggling against the urge to plow his fist through the drywall.
Hammer hadn’t been satisfied by merely claiming Raine in front of everyone when Liam hadn’t been around to show her—or anyone else—his Dominance, too. Of course not. The wanker had dragged her back to his room and fucked her like an animal, savagely marking her all over.
The door beside him opened, and Hammer stuck his head out.
“What are you doing out there? Come in here where we’ll have some privacy.”
“I’m done listening to you, you rotten bastard,” Liam cursed. “How could you?”
“Calm down,” Hammer urged. “We’ll talk about this.”
“Save your breath. I already know about your public claiming of Raine. The whole damn dungeon is talking about how incredible it was. You couldn’t fucking wait for me to leave, could you?”
Hammer snorted. “What? I started the scene in the dungeon because she needed it.”
“Raine did? Ha! More likely, you needed it. I know you, Macen. You couldn’t wait to unleash your inner beast on her.” He gave in and punched the wall in a satisfying crack. Agony exploded across his knuckles—and he didn’t care. “I’m thinking you didn’t quite finish, mate. You missed branding a few spots. Shall I leave you to it?”
A tic in Hammer’s jaw was Liam’s only indication that his mate felt anything. “Oh, goddamn it. You had your chance to mark her this morning, but you—”
“Didn’t attack her like a fucking animal.”
“What’s going on?” Raine poked her head out the door, belting a robe around her small waist. “Liam! Oh, thank god you’re back.” She sighed in relief and stepped toward him, arms outstretched.
Liam pinned her with an angry stare that warned her not to touch him.
She stopped in her tracks and glanced between him and Hammer. “What’s going on?”
“Why do you care? I can plainly see who you’d rather be with,” Liam accused. “Don’t mind me. I’ll go on being invisible.”
“Don’t you dare make her feel guilty because you can’t get over your shit,” Hammer roared.
Liam snapped his gaze back to Macen. “My shit? And have you gotten over yours? You’re pulling all the same tripe you did with Juliet, but now you’ve gone off the fucking deep end.” He grabbed Raine and ripped the robe open, flicking his gaze over her marked skin. The imprint of Hammer’s teeth on the soft pad of her pussy made him want to hit again—and not just the wall. “Look at her. Bloody hell…”
Raine grabbed the sides of the robe and belted it again, hiding herself from him. She looked chastened and guilty and furious all at once.
Fine time to care that you stabbed me in the heart.
Hammer stepped in front of her protectively. “You don’t get to make her feel small or regret what she needs.”
Gaping, Liam stared at the two, then stepped back. He’d been pointing out how wretchedly Hammer had treated Raine, yet the man acted as if she needed protecting from him. Liam would never raise a hand to her, never hurt her. But Macen already had.
Raine peeked around Hammer’s shoulder. The look in her eyes said he’d wounded her tender heart. How the hell had he become the bad guy?
“Liam,” she began. “We never intended to upset you.”
They hadn’t, he realized. He ducked his head and shook it as cold reality slipped over him. “Because you never thought of me at all. I’ve been a fool, actually believing I was an important part of our threesome. I see now that you’re a couple, and I’m just in your way.” He looked at his bleeding hand, a symbol of his bleeding heart. “I can’t be second choice for you, Raine. Or just your third, Hammer. You have what you both want: each other. I’m done.”
He turned his back on them and walked down the dark hall. He wanted nothing more than to shut out the rest of the world. If this wretched torment was love, they could have it.
“Liam, wait! Please listen…” Raine. He heard her footsteps scampering after him.
He just kept walking.
“For fuck’s sake,” Hammer bellowed. “Pull your head out of your ass. We need to talk this out.”
Liam didn’t answer, simply shut the door between them.
Once alone, he flipped the lock and sank onto the bed. He couldn’t breathe. He felt like he’d run into a solid wall of pain. His chest felt constricted. Panicked, Liam tore open his shirt, convinced he was having a heart attack.
Bracing his elbows on his knees, he bent his head and pulled in a rough breath. Maybe he was overreacting to Raine and Hammer. But no matter whose collar she’d worn or who had taken her to bed first, she would always be Macen’s girl. That knowledge imploded his chest. But hadn’t she told him that from the start?
He trembled. A sweat broke out across his brow. What the fuck would he do next?
Hammer began banging on the door. “Don’t pout like a bitch. Get out here and talk to our woman like a man.”
She’s your woman. “Go fuck yourself.”
“Jesus, you called me a fuckwit last week. If the shoe fits, buddy…”
So now Hammer wanted to insult him on top of it all? What a pal.
“You’re going to wake up tomorrow and feel like an asshole,” Macen continued into his silence.
You’d know all about that…
Hammer sighed impatiently. “You need time? Fine. You know where to find us. I’ll be taking care of Raine’s crushed heart, fucker. Thanks for that.”
Heavy footsteps receded down the hall. A door slammed. Of course his best mate was leaving him and taking the girl. He’d expected that all along.
Silence closed in on Liam. Now what the fuck did he do with himself? He supposed he could go take that shower he’d wanted on his drive home. Alone. He’d climb into bed alone, too. And wake up alone. Maybe it was better that way.
But it felt fucking terrible.
Liam stared at the blank wall in the dark room. Nothing here was his. The mattress and the bedding? Hammer’s. The furniture? Hammer’s, too. Even the four walls belonged to the man. Suddenly, Liam felt as if he didn’t belong here at all. He’d drive to the house he’d bought…but that wasn’t his, either. He’d given Raine
