Maverick Read online

  Maverick doesn’t even look at him, just keeps his face forward. “What the fuck, man, just race me?” he yells louder and starts to open his door.

  I grip the back of Maverick’s cut, scared of what he is going to do.

  Maverick kicks his leg out, slamming the door shut with his foot. The door slams against the guy’s throat, choking him.

  “Get back in that fucking car and leave. Don’t make me get off of this bike. You’re scaring the lady.”

  Holy crap. Shivers run up my spine as the guy slowly gets in his car and drives away when the light turns green.

  That was way attractive.

  Maverick looks back at me. “You okay, darlin?” he asks.

  I smile. “Yeah, that was badass.” I rest my chin on his shoulder and we start moving again.

  You’re scaring the lady. Those words repeat over and over in my mind. His first thought was to make sure I was okay and safe.

  He runs his hand over mine the whole drive through the country. I am in complete and utter heaven.

  Twenty minutes later we enter a gated community of sorts, and he presses numbers on a keypad and drives inside. The houses are all huge.

  “My house is in the back of the property.” Little kids wave at Maverick as we drive past, all running house to house. Two little girls play softball in a small field.

  He pulls to a stop outside a beautiful cabin with a wraparound porch. “Your home is beautiful,” I say in wonder.

  “Thank you, darlin’.” He takes my helmet off for me, smoothing out my hair. My heart is so happy at his sweetness. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He strokes my cheek, staring into my eyes.

  He brings his hand around, cupping the back of my neck. My stomach is in knots; his hair is slightly ruffled from the wind.

  “Thank you, Maverick.” I sound a little breathless as I tell him this.

  I feel so much right now, I hurt inside, but it’s the best kind of pain. He pulls me forward gently and I close my eyes just as his lips touch my forehead.

  I sigh deeply, gripping his cut in my hands, face-planting into his chest. His lips move to the back of my head.

  No one has ever kissed me so gently before.

  He wraps his arms around me, holding me until I’m ready for him to let me go.

  I run my hands down his broad back, before I let my hands fall and take a step back. He doesn’t let me go far, taking my hand.

  “Let me lay out some steaks for dinner, then we can go riding.” He leads me inside of his beautiful house.

  The first thing I notice is the beautiful black fireplace with the gold gate in front of it.

  “I love your fireplace.”

  He leads me to the kitchen, where I immediately fall in love. “Your kitchen is my dream.” I let go of his hand and run my hands over the beautiful countertop. All of that space!

  One of my biggest escapes in my old life was cooking. It brought me such happiness, but it makes me even happier now because I can fully enjoy it without the fear that comes along with it.

  “You can cook here anytime you want.” He runs his hand down my back, before walking to the freezer, taking out a few steaks.

  Little things that are normal for most people are not normal for me. Someone laying out a steak for me is something I never experienced in my life until these last few months.

  I hadn’t had a steak ever until I moved in with Jessica.

  Maverick pulls out a cooler and fills it with drinks and snacks. “Do you need me to help you?” I walk over to help him.

  “I got it, darlin’, just relax.”

  My hands are itching from doing nothing. I stand back and let him do the work—another first for me.

  I have so many of them. I’m thirty-eight years old, but right now I feel like a newborn foal trying to walk for the first time.

  After he fills it with ice, he lifts the cooler like it’s nothing. His muscles flex under the strain. He walks past me and I tilt my head to the side, watching his back.

  He stops suddenly and looks back at me. “Like the view, darlin’?”

  I could die.

  My face is on fire. I turn away, dying because I can’t believe he caught me.

  I hear him set the cooler down onto the floor, and his feet come into view. “Darlin’, did I hurt your feelings by teasing you?” he asks, concerned.

  I just don’t know how to be normal.

  He cups my face, tilting it so I’m looking at him. “You didn’t hurt my feelings, Maverick. I just get embarrassed,” I answer honestly.

  He smiles slightly. “Well, I think it’s fucking beautiful. Don’t be embarrassed about that.” He winks and I duck my head at his praise, smiling.

  “You’re going to be the ruin of me,” he says unexpectedly. He seems to be as affected by me as I am him.

  “Ready to go?” I nod. I text Jessica that I’m at Maverick’s and leave my phone on the counter so I don’t lose it while riding.

  I follow Maverick out to the garage, where he sets the cooler in the back. He walks to the passenger side and opens the door, motioning for me to get in.

  I sit inside, and he reaches around and buckles me in. How he thinks of everything, I don’t know.

  He gets in, turns it on and looks at me. “I hope you like to go fast.”

  Then he takes off. I fall back into the seat, laughing. I hold onto the handle in front of me.

  He floors it as we go up a huge hill. I close my eyes and just feel, listening to everything around me.

  He slows down and I open my eyes. “That was fun,” I say, and he laughs.

  We do this for hours, driving on backroads. He shows me all of the stunning scenery and pulls to a stop in front of a beautiful waterfall.

  “Want to go swimming?” He gets a wicked grin on his face.

  “YES!” I open the door and jump out of the side by side, but then I stop dead in my tracks because I can’t go in my jeans.

  Mavericks strips off his shirt, throwing it on top of the side by side, and my mouth dries at the sight of his beautiful abs.

  Tattoos cover every square inch of his chest and belly, and his dark hair hangs around his face, slightly greying at the temples.

  I have quite a few scars on my body, on my inner thighs, legs and back. No one has seen them but me.

  I watch Maverick as he strips off to his black boxers; his thighs are thick and gorgeous.

  How can someone like him even think about dating me? I am so mild compared to him.

  I guess if I want this truly, then I just need to be completely honest. If I get serious with someone, they’re going to have to see me naked someday.

  I unbutton my pants, my hands shaking as I do so. I watch Maverick’s face for his reaction.

  Right now he has none. He’s just watching my movements.

  My nose burns as I try not to cry. This is such a big thing for me. I am beyond putting myself out there.

  I push down my pants, leaving me in my black underwear. I grip the bottom of my shirt and throw it onto the side by side.

  My back is to Maverick. I can’t look at him right now. I look out into the trees and spot a deer staring at us.

  Hands touch my forearms from behind. “Darlin’.” His voice is deeper than I have ever heard it.

  I gather every single nerve that I have, turning around to face him. His eyes are filled with anger but his face is soft, his hands tender on mine.

  “Darlin’, it’s killing me seeing that fear in your eyes.” He cups my face. “One thing you should never feel with me is fear. You are perfect, darlin’. Every piece of you.”

  I close my eyes, my eyes burning from holding back the tears. He pulls me to him, lifting me off the ground.

  He walks into the water with me in his arms. The water is so warm. I can feel a slight mist from the fall.

  I throw my head back, letting the water wet my hair. Maverick tightens his grip on me so I don't fall.

  “Darlin’, can you tell me who did this to
you?” he asks.

  I wipe the water off of my face before putting my hand back on his shoulder.

  Maverick

  She stares into space for a few seconds before she answers me.

  When she took off her clothes, I saw fucking burn marks…belt buckle marks, I can make out the imprint.

  Rage unlike anything I have ever felt before swept through me like a tornado, but I threw that shit to the side knowing she needed me.

  “I was forced to get married when I was fourteen years old. He was in his thirties,” she starts.

  I run my hand down her back, letting her know she has my full fucking attention.

  I’m going to store every single detail and I’m going to repay him by doing it all to him for hurting her.

  She pushes her hair behind her ear, “I thought life couldn’t be worse than my home life; we had it bad there. We were really poor, but my husband Michael was evil.” She shivers as she says it.

  I hold her a little tighter, our faces barely an inch apart. “I don’t want to go into details. I just can’t do that yet. But I have suffered a lot at the hands of people who were meant to take care of me.”

  I lean forward, pressing my forehead against hers. I want to fucking kiss her so fucking bad.

  “You don’t know how bad I want to make him pay for that, sweetheart,” I whisper to her.

  She cups my face, her eyes going to my lips. “Darlin’, I’m going to kiss you,” I tell her, waiting to see if she gives me the green light.

  Bell

  “Please.”

  He doesn’t hesitate. He kisses me so deeply. My toes curl and I press myself tighter against him, kissing him back.

  My hands are shaking, burying them in his hair. His hands run up my back, one cupping the back of my head and the other holding me out of the water.

  He breaks the kiss. I open my eyes and we stare deep into each other’s eyes. “Perfect.” His thumb runs across my bottom lip, swollen from his kisses.

  I smile, my face burning from his compliment and the way he’s looking at me.

  He walks us deeper into the water. I laugh and grip him tighter as the water reaches our chests.

  “Can you swim?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “No, this is the first time I’ve ever been in water like this,” I admit.

  His face shows his shock. “Well, I’m glad I get to experience this first time with you.” He kisses my temple and I smile, closing my eyes and enjoying the feel of his lips pressed against my face.

  I smirk as I put my hand into the water, splashing him in the face. He grins, eyes closed as the water trails down his face.

  I push away from him. He lets me go and I put distance between us, splashing him again.

  He laughs, his eyes opening and going directly to me. “Better run,” he says, and I don’t hesitate. I take off down the water, getting away from him. I hear splashing behind me as he tries to catch me.

  I’m laughing too hard to do much. I turn around, looking to see how close he is when the ground drops off.

  I fall underwater.

  I throw my hands around, trying to bring myself back up out of the water, and arms wrap around me, lifting me out in a second.

  Maverick sets me on the bank, his hands running all over my body, making sure I’m okay. “You okay? You didn’t breathe in any water?” he asks quickly. I can hear the panic in his voice.

  I catch his hands. “I’m fine. It just scared me a little, that’s all.”

  He sighs and pulls me into his lap, grabbing his shirt that fell off the side by side and covering me slightly with it.

  “Ready to head back and eat some dinner?”

  He pulls his shirt over my head. “I don't think you’ll be getting those jeans back on, darlin’. Plus I want to see you in my shirt.”

  I put my arms through the holes, loving the way his eyes darken as he looks me up and down from head to toe,

  I’m sure I look like a drowned rat right now; his shirt swallows me. He opens the small side door for me. I sit down and he pulls a blanket from behind my seat. “Just in case you get cold.”

  He gets in and starts the side by side. I pull the blanket up. It’s starting to get dark and the air is turning chilly.

  He pulls into the trees, and a limb smacks against the front of the windshield and slips inside the side by side.

  Maverick puts his hand in front of my face, blocking the limb from hitting me.

  He looks over and winks. “I got you, darlin’.”

  My stomach flips. I lean my head back on the seat and watch Maverick as he drives. The way he moves is intoxicating in itself.

  He has me.

  I think he honestly does. He saw my scars. He knows my life has not been the best and he’s still here.

  He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

  I just met him, but it’s like I’ve always known him. I don’t bother looking at the scenery, just Maverick.

  5

  Bell

  I’m shaking by the time we reach the house. The sun went down a while ago.

  “Come on, let’s get you warmed up.” He keeps the blanket around me, walking me inside his house.

  “Why don’t you hop in the shower and you can borrow some of my clothes?” he suggests.

  My teeth chattering, I nod. “That’s a good idea,” I manage to get out. He gives me a soft look and shows me his bathroom and goes to his chest, taking out a pair of sweats and a shirt.

  “Here, I’ll shower in the guest room.” He uses his thumb to point in the direction of the room next door.

  I walk into the bathroom. I start to lock the door but I close my fist, stopping myself.

  He hasn’t done one thing to betray my trust yet. I need to start trusting others more.

  He has proven to me that I can trust him, and I’m going to do just that. I turn on the water and let it heat up.

  Maverick

  I stand outside of the door, listening to her walking inside of the bathroom. I smile when she doesn’t lock the door.

  Baby steps.

  I practically fucking walk on air as I exit the bedroom. It fucking thrills me that she’s in my room. Hell, in my house.

  Bell

  I take too long in his shower. I sat with my eyes closed, letting the warm spray run down my face.

  I use his shampoo and body wash, the bathroom filling with his smell. I close my eyes, imagining he’s here with me.

  I get out of the shower and lift his shirt to my face, breathing deep. My bra is soaked, and I hesitate to put the shirt on without it.

  I hang my bra over the shower so it can dry. I pull up my sweatpants and open the bathroom door, my hair wetting the back of my shirt.

  There’s music playing downstairs. I walk downstairs and stop in my tracks when I see Maverick standing shirtless in the kitchen seasoning the steaks.

  He turns around to look at me, his eyes moving over me. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight than you in my clothes, darlin’.”

  My face burns at his compliment. I try to play it off like it doesn’t affect me. “Do you need any help?” I start to take the seasonings from him.

  He pulls them out of reach. “I got this, relax.”

  I pull away and take my phone off of the counter when I see a few texts from River and Jessica. I text them back to let them know I’m fine.

  “Want to grab us a few beers? I have some wine if you prefer that.” He nods towards the refrigerator.

  “Wine is good, thank you.” I grab him a beer, opening it for him and pouring myself a glass.

  I won’t drink more than one or two because I’m a lightweight since I didn’t drink at all until the last few months.

  I lean against the counter, sipping on my wine and enjoying the view. His back is covered in tattoos, just like the front of him.

  His back muscles flex with every movement. It should be a crime for someone to be this attractive.

  “Ready to go outside?”
He holds up the tray of food.

  I walk in front of him and hold open the door. He gives me a look as I do so, but I just smile.

  I’m coming to realize that Maverick doesn’t want me to move an inch if he can help it.

  His backyard is absolutely beautiful. I fall in love. He has a huge sectional couch with some soft blankets thrown over the back and a fireplace in front of it, with a massive TV on top of that.

  “Wow, this is beautiful, Maverick.” I run my hand across the back of the couch.

  A huge swimming pool is behind the large outside entertainment area.

  “Sit back and relax, honey.” He motions to the couch and I sit down, running my hands down the soft fabric.

  They live such different lives than I did. I lived in a one-bedroom house that was falling apart. I couldn’t walk through certain parts of the house or I would fall through.

  I think back to that part of my life and it seems like a dream. You never know how horrible life is until you have a good life, and I’m saddened. I was so brainwashed.

  Now, I’m sitting in the home of the kindest, most beautiful man as he cooks for me.

  I sip on my wine, tucking my legs under me. I’m so comfortable and I feel taken care of.

  “How do you like your steaks?” he asks, flipping them.

  “Medium. I can cook them if you want,” I tell him.

  He gives me a small smile, closing the lid. “Let me take care of you. I know that you’ve not had a lot of that. Let me spoil you.” He runs his finger along my jawline and I close my eyes, leaning my face into his hand.

  “You’re a fucking angel.” Lips touch my forehead. I press my lips together so I don’t cry with how sweet he is to me.

  I had fantasized about finding someone, someone who would treat me like an actual woman.

  But this is so much more than I ever expected.

  His hand cups my chin. “You are beautiful. I can’t wait for the day when you feel no fear. You are so brave. One day, baby.” He walks back to the steaks.