Five
Lauren decided she really hated Brent. He was far worse than just a crude jerk. He’d committed serious and horrible crimes against New Species, but she was the one paying for them currently. She turned on her side on the mattress and used her arm to pillow her face.
She inhaled Wrath’s masculine scent, decided it was pleasant and allowed the sound of the shower to soothe her. A yawn broke. Wrath was being kind now but a few hours before had been a different story. She’d never been more afraid than when she’d been kidnapped and Vengeance had threatened to rape her.
She fought sleep and wondered if her captor had dozed off in the shower. He’d been in there for a long time. The water suddenly cut off as if he’d read her thoughts and she waited for him to come out. It would be rude to go to sleep without telling him good night.
The door opened within minutes and her sleepy mind jerked wide awake at the sight of him stepping into the room wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. His naked chest was all tan skin, muscles and pure perfection. His biceps were well defined, thick, and he had the broadest shoulders. Her mouth turned dry.
He paused to stare at her with a curious look and tilted his head as he faced her. “Are you well?”
Her gaze lowered down his body to the low-riding boxers and over them to his bulky thighs—more muscles. He was the epitome of masculinity and looked better than any of the models on her wall calendar at home.
“Lauren?” Wrath frowned. “You look paler.”
“Where are the rest of your clothes?”
“I usually sleep without any clothing but I am properly covered.” He glanced down before meeting her gaze again. “My dick is hidden.”
She had nothing to say to that. Her mind blanked for seconds as her gaze traveled over every inch of him.
“I wear clothing during work hours and enjoy relaxing when I sleep. It’s been a long day and we both need sleep. I will be right back. I forgot to grab spare bedding for the floor. They keep sleeping bags and extra pillows in a storage closet down the hall.” He paused. “Do you need a drink before bed? I could get you a glass for water or a soda.”
“I’m good.” She swallowed.
He turned around. The boxers outlined his beefy, perfect ass nicely and his back was broad. He opened the door to step into the hallway and turned left. Lauren rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling and suddenly laughed. It was a good thing she’d been the one kidnapped instead of Amanda. Her best friend would have seen Wrath’s body and attacked him. Wrath could tempt a saint to sin. He had a bod that didn’t quit that any woman would appreciate.
Movement drew her attention and she was glad he’d been quick about running his errand. It wasn’t Wrath who stepped into the room though. The door closed quietly while Vengeance glared at her. Terror made her jerk upright to gape at him.
“You have fooled Wrath with your pretty eyes and soft voice.” He growled a threatening sound. “But not me.” His hands fisted at his sides as he took a step closer. “I have scented you today and you stink of the enemy. You will be my mate and do as I ask by taking me to Bill. You no longer belong to him and will carry my scent.”
Lauren knew she was in danger as the bald man growled again while blocking the door he’d come through. Her gaze darted to the bathroom. It was only a few feet from the end of the bed but it didn’t have a lock on the inside. She lunged toward it anyway. It would at least put a door between them. She almost made it when hands suddenly grabbed her.
The scream she tried to get out was cut off when he spun her and her side slammed into the wall inches from her goal. The rough impact knocked the air from her lungs and a hand tangled in her hair at the base of her neck. She battled for breath as he shifted his hold to wrap his arm around her waist and yanked her off her feet to lift her against his body. He spun and stormed for the door.
She finally sucked in a lungful of air and screamed. She kicked frantically in an attempt to trip him but he succeeded in staying upright no matter how hard she nailed his lower legs. The hand let go of her hair when he yanked open the door and carried her into the hallway. Two doors down, he entered a room and slammed the door. She guessed they were now inside his room.
Another scream tore from her throat as he threw her on a firm mattress. She landed facedown on his bed and it took her stunned seconds to realize what had happened. She spit hair out of her still-open mouth as she lifted her head and stared at him in horror. He was mere inches away.
“I claim you,” he snarled. “You are my mate now.”
He reached for the front of his shorts and the reality of what he planned sank in. Lauren reacted. “Fuck you,” she yelled and rolled away.
His bed wasn’t against a wall, the way Wrath’s had been. It was in the center of the room and she hit the floor hard on her side. The mattress creaked as Vengeance stepped onto it. He glared down at her until she rolled under the bed, trying to get away. She had nowhere else to go as she frantically scanned the room, looking for an escape. The doors to the hallway and bathroom were too far away for her to make it.
Feet hit the floor less than a foot away from her face when he jumped off the mattress and she gasped when the bed was suddenly gone from above her. Vengeance had thrown it out of the way. The sound of the frame hitting the wall was loud and she stared up at him with dread.
“You want to be taken on the floor? Fine.” He lunged.
She wanted to roll away again but he moved too fast. He just dropped his big body down. The pain of being crushed never happened. Instead his arms caught most of his weight and he settled down over her slowly, pinned her to the concrete, and braced his weight on one arm. His free hand clutched at her sweatpants while he rolled enough to put space between their hips and yanked hard. Fabric ripped.
Lauren screamed again and tried to claw his face but he jerked away. She found his neck instead and dug her nails into the hot skin. He howled in pain. His hands became brutal. He rolled her onto her stomach, pinned her painfully against the floor and snarled.
“Don’t fight or I will hurt you.”
“Go to hell,” she cried out, struggling to knock him off her back. “Let me go!”
