The tops of her breasts were barely there, but they were there, the swell creamy and pale and just asking for a man to touch. His breath left his lungs in a rush. He could only guess at how long Malichai and the others had been ogling her and what state their bodies were in.

“Go change. Right now. Get the hell into the bedroom and change your clothes.” He bit out every word, enunciating each between his teeth.

She looked hurt. “Nonny went to town, Wyatt,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She picked up more clothing for us.” Her hand smoothed down the skirt, color creeping up her neck and into her face. She looked uncertain, her gaze shifting toward Ezekiel and Mordichai. “I thought…” she trailed off.

His gaze dropped to the boots. “Why the hell would you even think to wear them?”

“You said the girls shouldn’t go barefoot in the swamp and if I did, they would, so I’m trying to get used to something covering my feet.”

“That’s what you’re doin’, is it?” he sneered, wanting to slam his fist in Mordichai’s face because the man wouldn’t stop looking at her.

“There’s nothing wrong with the way you look, Pepper,” Ezekiel said. “Wyatt’s just being a pinhead. What’s wrong with the girls, Wyatt?”

The warning note in his voice triggered more aggression in Wyatt, but Thym’s little hand brushed his arm, bringing his attention back to his daughter. She signed.

Pepper gasped. “She’s says it stings and burns around her neck where it’s wet. All of them say that. I didn’t realize…”

“Because you were too busy havin’ fun bein’ the center of attention,” Wyatt snapped. “Zeke, they need those caps off now. Right now. That venom is lyin’ against their skin.” He turned Thym toward him. “Damn it. She’s gettin’ a rash. They all are.”

He raised his furious gaze to Pepper. She looked as if he’d slapped her.

“We’ll take care of it right now,” Ezekiel said. “Come on girls. Let’s get those caps off your teeth.”

“I’ll bathe them as soon as you do,” Pepper said.

“Nonny can help you,” Wyatt snapped before either man could volunteer.

Wyatt, Ezekiel said, choosing to only include him in their private communication. Just so you know, you’re being a bastard.

Ezekiel reached down and lifted Ginger and then Elle into his arms. “Pepper, you’ll have to bring Thym. She only goes to you, Nonny, or Wyatt.” He stalked out, followed by Mordichai.

Wyatt could hear the quiet censure in his friend’s voice, but it didn’t stop the monster in him. She was going with the two men. They were both affected by the biochemical spilling from her body, the enhancement that made a sensual, sexy woman all the more potent. Ezekiel tried hard to ignore it. He knew the cost on her, but Mordichai had only arrived the week before.

Swearing in his native language, Wyatt turned away from them, disgusted with himself and his lack of discipline, angry with Pepper because she couldn’t avoid the men, frustrated that she’d been avoiding him, sleeping in the nursery with the babies because of his injuries. He wanted to put his fist through the wall.

Pepper waited, her eyes on him, not moving to take Thym from him. He stayed where he was, afraid if he moved, important parts of his anatomy might shatter. He was being a bastard. Ezekiel knew it. Mordichai knew it. Hell. Even he knew it. The only person in the room who didn’t seem to know it was Pepper. She just stood there, entirely focused on him. Hurt and guilt in her eyes. She looked… shattered. More shattered than his damned cock would be if he moved. So he moved.

He stood up, the pain in his thigh helping to take some of the action out of his cock, and went straight to her. She didn’t move, holding herself still, her gaze clinging to his. He could almost see the thoughts running through her head. She wanted to run. Get away from him. Not because he was a fucking bastard, but because she thought she was too flawed to be around his family and friends.

“You’re not leavin’ me, Pepper. This isn’t about you. This is about me. There’s nothin’ wrong with the way you look. You’re beautiful and sexy and I love that. Don’ listen to me when I’m bein’ a bastard. Kick my shins or somethin’. You do when I’m bossy. Kick ’em when I’m not nice.”

She shook her head and looked down at her hands. “It’s happening again, Wyatt, and I can’t stop it,” she whispered, her voice low. “I told you it would happen. It’s always going to happen. It will never stop and eventually, you won’t be able to control whatever’s in you and you’ll hurt or kill one of your friends. You’d never be able to live with that, and neither would I.”

“I’ll learn.” He made it a promise. Not just to her. To himself.

She swallowed hard and reached down to pick up Thym. “You know you’d be better off with me gone. It’s going to be hard enough to raise the girls without that kind of threat hanging over their heads. Their father in jail or dead because of their mother.”

His heart seized and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. The fact that she even indicated he could raise the girls alone meant she had been thinking of leaving for a few days, had actually made up her mind to try to separate herself from the children. He knew how much she loved them, so he knew how serious she was.

“If you dared to leave me, Pepper, I’d find you. There’s no place on this earth that you could go that I wouldn’t track you down. We’ll work it out. That’s what couples do. They work shit out.”