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She brushed out her hair, pulled on Wrath’s robe, and headed for the stairs. When she got to the top, she wasn’t breathless at all.

And wasn’t this going to make her workouts a snap?

As she stepped out of the painting, she saw Butch sitting across the sofa from a stunning blonde. In the distance, she heard male voices and heavy music.

Butch looked up.

“Beth!” He rushed over, wrapping her in a bear hug. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Truly, I’m fine.” Which was amazing, considering what she’d felt like earlier.

Butch pulled back, taking her face in his hands. He stared at her eyes. Frowned. “You don’t look high.”

“Why would I be?”

He shook his head sadly. “Don’t hide it from me. I brought you here, remember?”

“I shall go,” the blonde said, getting up.

Butch immediately turned to her. “No. Don’t.”

He went back to the couch. As he looked down at the woman, his expression was unlike any Beth had ever seen on his face. He was clearly enthralled.

“Marissa, I want you to meet my friend”—he emphasized the word—“Beth Randall. Beth, this is Marissa.”

Beth lifted a hand. “Hello.”

The blonde stared across the room, scrutinizing Beth from head to foot.

“You are Wrath’s female,” Marissa said with a kind of awe. As if Beth had pulled off some great feat. “The one he wants.”

Beth felt her cheeks warm. “Ah, yeah. I guess I am.”

There was an awkward silence. Butch looked back and forth between the two of them, frowning like he wanted in on the secret.

Yeah, well, Beth wanted to know what it was, too.

“Do you know where Wrath is?” she asked.

Butch scowled, as if he didn’t want her near the man. “He’s in the dining room.”

“Thanks.”

“Listen, Beth. We need to—”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He took a deep breath, blowing it out in a slow hiss.

“Somehow, I thought that’s what you would say.” He looked at the blonde. “But if you need me, I, ah…I’ll be here.”

She smiled to herself as Butch sat back down with the woman.

As she went out to the hall, the sound of men talking and the deep rumble of rap music got louder.

“So what’d you do to the lesser?” a male voice said.

“I lit his cigarette with a sawed-off,” another one answered. “He didn’t come down for breakfast, you feel me?”

There was a loud chorus of laughter. A couple of bangs, like heavy fists hitting a table.

She pulled the lapels of the robe closer together. It probably would’ve been smart to get dressed first, but she hadn’t wanted to wait to see Wrath.

She rounded the corner.

The instant she appeared in the doorway, all talk ceased. Heads turned; eyes stared. Hard-core rap expanded to fill the silence, bass thumping, lyrics chanting.

My God. She’d never seen so many big men in leather before in her life.

She took a step backward just as Wrath shot to his feet from the head of the table. He came at her, looking intense. No doubt she’d interrupted some kind of sacred guy time.

She tried to think of something to say to him. He was probably going to want to play it cool in front of his brothers, do that whole I’m-a-tough-guy, this-broad-is-just-a—

Wrath wrapped his whole body around hers, putting his face in her hair.

“My leelan,” he whispered in her ear. He ran his hands up and down her back. “My beautiful leelan.”

He pulled away and kissed her on the lips. His smile was tender as he smoothed her hair.

Beth grinned. Evidently, her man didn’t have a problem with public displays of affection. Good to know.

She tilted her head, looking around his shoulder.

And they were definitely in public. The men were gaping. Positively gaping.

She nearly laughed. Seeing a bunch of guys who looked like violent offenders sitting around a table set with silver and china was incongruous enough. But having them be so totally flabbergasted seemed downright absurd.

“You want to introduce me?” she said, nodding at the group.

Wrath put his arm around her shoulders, tucking her against him.

“This is the Black Dagger Brotherhood. My fellow warriors. My brothers.” He nodded to the blindingly handsome one. “Rhage, you know. Tohr also. The one with the goatee and