That still left him between a fucking rock and a hard place, but now he could add a brick wall to that. Goddamnit, he hated not having palatable options. Bitterness iced his veins.
He turned and stalked back toward Liam. He should let it go. He should…but he couldn’t.
Hammer grabbed Liam’s arm, refusing to look down at Raine curled in his embrace. “You motherfucker. I hope you’re happy. You’ve been duped by a pair of big blue eyes and a great rack.” He shoved a superior smile on his face even when he didn’t feel it. “In about three days, you’ll realize that she played you to get back at me. She’ll have your balls tied up in knots. And when you go to ease them by shoving your cock into her sweet cunt, don’t fool yourself into believing that she’ll be thinking about anyone but me.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, Hammer pivoted away from the pair. He didn’t feel any better. In fact, he felt far fucking worse. What if Raine didn’t think of him at all? What if she didn’t love him as much as he adored her? God, then he’d be both pathetic and a fucking joke.
Then again…what if tonight had been a ploy? It wasn’t like Liam to latch onto a woman this quickly, but it was like him to concoct some little plot to make him let go of his hangups. What if Liam and Raine had schemed together to crack the hard shell around him? What if they were plotting even now their next step to make him fall?
He shot a glare toward all the club members with their curious, pitying glances, then stormed through the dungeon, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Seething, he made his way to the security room. Punching in the code, Hammer swung the door open so quickly, the employee manning the numerous rows of monitors jumped, then shot him a nervous stare.
“Out!” he ordered.
Without a word, the computer geek dashed out of the room. The door slammed behind him.
Hammer took a deep breath, then sat at the control desk. Adjusting the dials, he zoned in on Liam’s room. Enlarging the image from the security camera, as well as raising the volume of the audio, he could see and hear Liam and Raine’s conversation as if he were there.
Leaning forward in his chair, Hammer glued his eyes to the screen as Liam ministered to Raine tenderly in silence. As she lay across his bed, he soothed her well-used rosette with a cloth as he kissed her back and shoulders. Raine moaned a contented little sigh.
Hammer forced himself to watch, hope still flickering in his chest. It burned in painful contrast to his dread. The thoughts kept spinning in his head. What if…? What if…? What if…?
“You were beautiful, lass.” Liam showered her in praise. “The way you let go… I know that was difficult for you, and that giving yourself to pleasure after Beck’s pain can’t have been easy. But you trusted me, and I’m honored.”
“I did.” She rolled over and blinked up at Liam with those big eyes that always seemed to melt him, and Hammer’s gut clenched. “I do.”
“You’re mine now, and mine alone. Do you understand?” Liam gripped her chin gently.
Hammer held his breath.
“Yes.” She licked her lips. “Sir.”
Liam smiled down at her with tenderness. Hammer’s heart exploded. So much for the hope that they’d cooked up a ruse to reel him in. Right now, the way they were looking at one another, he might as well not even exist.
His old friend might be a motherfucking bastard, but Hammer knew himself to be a fool. He’d let Raine slip through his fingers. Seeing the seeds of worship in her eyes, hearing her address someone else as her Sir…it was too painful to watch.
Before he could turn off all the security equipment, Liam urged Raine flat on her back. She curled her arms around his neck, and that blasted Irishman put his hands on her. Raine peered up at Liam, so focused, looking at him almost as if he was a goddamn god.
Hammer’s stomach twisted. He should fucking leave now. Voluntarily watching his former best friend caress Raine’s soft skin made him masochistic. Hell, now Liam dropped a soft kiss on her pillowy lips and thumbed her nipple slowly through that sexy-as-fuck baby-doll nightie, back and forth.
Raine gave Liam a shy, almost secretive smile. “Thank you for making tonight incredible. I was afraid at first, then I realized you were there. I knew you wouldn’t let anything bad happen, so I did what you said. I relaxed and I let go.” She sighed. “And it was everything I could have wanted.”
Hammer gripped the counter tightly until his knuckles turned white, until his fingers went numb.