by Kay Maree
“You can and you will. I won’t take no for answer. I’ve added you two to my plan.”
Bridget sighs. I know there’s a fight brewing there, but she doesn’t say any more about it.
“Can we play?” Cam asks, motioning to her game. I nod as I help her put it together. It’s an old-school board game, and as I put it together, Bridget whips up some pancakes. Pretty soon, we are feasting on food and laughing as we try to best each other in the game.
“We should probably head over to Z’s soon,” I say after Cam wins for the second time.
“Oh, right,” Bridget says. I can’t tell if it’s fear or disappointment in her voice. We get ready and head over to their house.
They have extended family and their daughter and her family are over as well as some aunts, uncles, and cousins. Z’s granddaughter, Octavia, grabs Cam by the hand and hauls her into the living room to watch a holiday movie.
“Thanks for having us,” Bridget says shyly to Violet and Z.
Violet waves her off. “Don’t be silly, child. The more the merrier.”
“This is our daughter, Julie,” Z says. I lean down and give Jules a big hug. We go way back.
“Hey, Mav. How’s it going?” she asks, as she pulls back and looks curiously at Bridget.
“Good. This is…Bridget,” I say, stumbling over what to call her.
Bridget extends her hand to Jules. “Hi, nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. I see my daughter, Octavia, has already stolen…sorry, I didn’t catch her name.”
Bridget laughs. “That’s my little sister, Cam.”
“Dear, why don’t you come help me in the kitchen. I could use a young set of hands,” Violet says to Bridget, leaving me alone in the foyer with Z and Jules.
“Spill,” Jules hisses as Z gives me an apologetic look that says, “sorry about my daughter’s Spanish Inquisition.”
“Cam started coming to the gym. I found out they were living with a foster parent slash stepdad guy who was abusive. I offered them a place to stay until Bridget could get them an apartment. They move out tomorrow.”
Jules frowns. “So…you’re not…together?”
I roll my eyes. “No, Jules. We are not ‘together.’” I use air quotes, and she tries to contain her grin.
“OK,” is all she says as she heads toward the kitchen.
“Come on, son. Everyone else is in the back room,” Z says as he claps me on the back and leads me toward the center of the holiday festivities.
I keep my eye on Bridget throughout the afternoon. She seems to make herself at home and is laughing and teasing with everyone by the end of the day. Cam and Octavia and a few of the cousins are busy playing all the new video games Octavia got including one where they sing along to the music. I’ve never seen Cam look so carefree, like a normal kid, just…being normal. My heart clenches just thinking about how hard these two have had it so far. And as the hours tick by, I start to fixate on the fact that Bridget wants to move into her apartment tomorrow. I’m not ready for them to leave.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
BRIDGET
“That was so fun!” Cam declares as we head back to the apartment.
I nod. “Yep, it sure was. We’ll have to get our stuff packed up when we get back, Cam.”
“Ohhh, come on, Bridge. Can’t we just move in the day after tomorrow?”
“Cam, I just want to get settled in while I have a few days off, OK?” I sigh.
“Fine,” Cam pouts, pushing her bottom lip out and ignoring me for the rest of the ride home.
Maverick is eerily silent. Even when we get back, he doesn’t say much. He just starts cleaning up the wrapping paper from the morning.
Cam grabs her gifts and goes into our room to pack. I follow suit and pretty soon we are all ready to leave. I half think about just going there now.
Cam is getting ready for bed after I tell her to because tomorrow is going to be a long day.
“You’re such a drag, Bridge,” she grumbles as she crawls in bed with one of her new books.
I sit down on the edge of the bed. “Listen, I’m sorry, but at least we have a place now, our own place.”
“Whatever. I like it here.”
I pat Cam’s leg. “Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?”
Cam sets the book down and looks up at me. “Nearly everything. What about you?”
I grin. “Yes.” Although there’s one thing I’d like to get that I haven’t gotten yet. Maverick. “It was…a really good day.” And I mean that. I can’t remember a Christmas that was this nice, that was filled with this much…love. I swallow at that thought, love. I shake my head because I know I’m not in love with Maverick. I barely know him. I’m being ridiculous.
“Well, get some sleep,” I say to Cam.
“Does our new place have a gym near it?” Cam asks as she lies down.
I shake my head. “No, but it’s close enough to Maverick’s gym that you can still come here.”
“OK,” she says on a yawn. “Goodnight, Bridget. Merry Christmas.”
“Goodnight, Cammy bear. Merry Christmas,” I reply as I turn off the light and go back out to talk to Maverick.
MAVERICK
Bridget is ready for a fight. She walks into the kitchen with her hands on her hips.
“Why are you being so quiet?”
I want to kiss that angry look right off her face. She can’t be angry with me. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done to protect her and Cam.
“Why are you leaving the day after Christmas?” I retort, placing my hands on the counter as I lean over my island toward her.
She sighs. “I thought you’d be happy. We won’t be in your way anymore.”
That’s fucking it. I’m done playing games. She wants me and I want her and I’m going to fucking show her how much I want her right the fuck now. I come around the counter and grab her head in my hands. I don’t ask; I don’t hesitate; I take. My lips crash against hers. She opens her mouth in surprise, and I use it to my advantage as I slide my tongue inside the sweet heat of her mouth. She tastes like Christmas cookies and her own unique flavor and it has me wanting more. I gently cup her head and lean mine to give me more access to explore every crevice of her mouth. Her tongue tangles with mine as she lets a moan escape.
She pulls back a little. “We…shouldn’t do this, Mav.”
I look into her eyes. “Why the fuck not?”
When she doesn’t answer me, I pick her up and she wraps her legs around me. “That’s what I fucking thought, knockout. You’re mine, and I’m about to lay my claim to you, right the fuck now,” I growl as I carry her to my bedroom and kick the door closed.
I deposit her on my bed as I tear my shirt off and crawl up over her. I kiss her neck gently, aware that the bruises from the other day are still evident but fading into a yellowish color now. I nip at her jaw before I return to that sweet mouth of hers.
I grab the hem of her sweater and pull it up and over her head. Her hair spills over her shoulders, and it’s sexy as hell. I twirl a piece between my fingers as I bend down and kiss the top of her breast. She pushes against my mouth, seeking more. I love how greedy she is for my touch. I reach behind her to unhook her bra before pulling it off so that I can see her breasts.
“Fucking perfection,” I murmur as I take a nipple in my mouth and suck on it. She whimpers in response.
“Yes,” she whispers, pushing up so more of her breast goes into my mouth. I lick and suck at one and then lavish the same attention on the other. Her hands reach out and grip my head, holding me against her soft skin. I nuzzle it and I feel her tremble beneath my touch.
I pull back slightly, and she looks up at me with hooded eyes. “Don’t stop,” she murmurs.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m just getting started,” I reply as I slowly peel her leggings and panties down her legs, pulling them off with her socks, so that she is sprawled on my bed, completely nak
ed. It’s a sight to behold. I push my pants down my legs and kick them off, gripping my cock in my hand and stroking it as I stare down at her. I know the minute she sees my dick because her eyes widen slightly.
“Fuck,” she says slowly.
“Oh, we will, knockout, we will.”
She slowly spreads her legs open, and I have to squeeze my cock to keep from coming. Her wet, pink pussy peeks out between her legs. I’ve never wanted to taste a woman so badly before in my life. I know she’s teasing me, tempting me. She has no idea that she’s just released the beast.
I let go of my cock and crawl up the bed, grabbing her legs as I go. I brush a few chaste kisses along the insides of both legs as I pull them over my shoulders. I can see the goose bumps forming on her skin, as I slowly part her folds. I glance up at her. She’s blushing, but her eyes tell me she wants this.
“You’re perfect,” I say again as I slowly lick her, not taking my eyes off hers until she moans, and her head falls back on the pillow. I savor her, taking my time to find what gets her to the edge and then teasing her but keeping her from going over it.
“Maverick,” she cries out quietly into the room. I grin against her, lapping at her as I slowly push a single finger into her tight entrance.
“You’re so fucking tight, knockout,” I groan. She tightens around my finger. She’s so close. I can’t decide if I want to lap up her release now or feel her walls spasming around my dick in a moment. My cock throbs, giving me the answer.
I reach for my nightstand drawer and pull out a condom. I make quick work of it as she watches me. I hover over her, waiting. I want to hear the need in her voice. I fucking need to hear how badly she wants me. It’s stupid, juvenile even, but I need it.
“I need you now,” she breathes as she reaches between us, grasping my cock in her small hand. I let her guide me into her heat. She moans in pleasure as I tease her opening with the head of my cock. She pushes up against me, seeking more, and I’m only too happy to comply with her demands.
I slowly glide all the way inside her in a long thrust. I pause when I feel the head of my cock against her cervix. The walls of her entrance tighten around me, egging me on, forcing me to move or explode.
I begin thrusting inside her. Her nails rake down my back. That little hint of pain pushes me further to the edge. I reach under her, grabbing her ass and arching her hips so that my cock can drag along her clit as I fuck her.
“Yes!” she calls out as she grips my ass tightly, pushing me deeper. She spasms around my cock, and that’s all it takes to push me over the edge.
“Fuck!” I roar as I come inside her, wishing there was no barrier between us. Something primal inside of me wants to mark her as mine.
I roll us over so that I’m not crushing her, pulling her on top of me. We’re both breathing heavily as we gaze at each other.
I’m still pulsing inside her and her body still spasms around my dick.
“I’m not letting you go,” I state.
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Then why the fuck are you moving out tomorrow,” I ask, keeping her tucked against me with my dick still buried inside of her.
She sighs. “Mav, this is all backward. We should date and then move in together.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I didn’t know there was some sort of rule book.”
“Well, there is, OK?”
“Rules were made to be broken, knockout.” I take her head gently in my hands, forcing her not to look away from me. “You can move to the other side of the world, but you are still mine.”
She blinks. “Maybe I want to be.”
Finally, fucking progress. Making this woman admit her feelings is like pulling teeth.
“Good. Now, why you don’t you return that security deposit and you and Cam can stay here.”
Bridget rolls off of me and stares up at the ceiling. “I need to do this, OK? I need to prove that I can do this on my own.”
“Bridget, you don’t have to do this on your own. Don’t you hear me? I’m saying, I’m here for you. I will help you. I will take care of you. You. Are. Not. Alone.”
Tears fill her eyes. Fuck.
I sit up and pull her to me. “Don’t cry, please don’t cry.”
“I…no one’s e-ever c-cared,” she stammers between sobs. She grips my arms and I tighten my hold on her, gently rocking her back and forth.
“Please, just think about it,” I whisper as I lay a kiss on her hair.
“OK,” she says. I can tell she’s getting tired. It’s been a long day.
I lay her down and deal with the condom before pulling her back against me. She snuggles into my side and falls fast asleep like she was always meant to be there.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BRIDGET
It takes me a long moment to figure out where I am. Maverick’s bed. His giant body engulfs mine. I’m wedged against his chest. I’ve never been so hot or felt so safe in my life. I slowly untangle myself from him and throw on my clothes before heading out to wake up Cam.
I open her bedroom door. No Cam.
I walk out into the living area. No Cam.
I walk back into the bedroom, contemplating where she could have gone.
“Maverick,” I say. He sits up quickly rubbing his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cam’s not here.”
He gets up and throws on some sweatpants. “Did you check the gym?”
Shit. “No,” I admit, feeling silly for not having thought of that myself.
He throws on clothes as he speaks. “I’m sure that she just went down there to work out or read. I’ll go get her.” He takes my face in his hands and kisses me before heading out the door.
I decide to go down and greet them in the gym. I put on my shoes and am stepping out to the street when a thought hits me like a punch to my gut.
Mr. Bunny. Oh, Jesus. She wouldn’t. I can feel the blood drain from my face. I don’t think as I take off sprinting. I run down the road, and the next half mile through the side streets, until I reach Brad’s house. There’s a light on in the front room, but I don’t see him there. I run around back. The door is unlocked.
I open it slowly, listening, but I hear nothing at first. Then I hear it, a muffled cry. Cam! I charge into the house toward our old room.
“Shut the fuck up, you little bitch! You shouldn’t have left. I need that money!” Brad yells before slapping her.
I freeze at the entrance to the room. Brad has Cam pinned down on the bed. He’s in his boxers and wifebeater, and his cock is hard and poking out of his boxers. I want to vomit.
“Get off me, you asshole!” Cam yells. She knees him, and he sinks to the floor. Then she punches him in the face.
“You cunt!” he screams, grabbing her hand as she tries to get away. I remember seeing this move, Mark was teaching Cam. I run in and kick Brad in the face with all my might. His eyes roll back in his head, and he falls to the floor.
“Bridget!” Cam screams.
“Get out of here!” I yell at her. I can see Mr. Bunny lying on the ground. I close my eyes.
“I’m sorry!” she says, her voice trembling.
“Just take Mr. Bunny and go back to Maverick’s,” I say to her.
She picks up her stuffed animal, just as Maverick barrels into the room. He’s wild-eyed and looking around.
Cam leaps into his arms. “Are you OK, little fighter?” he says to her. She nods against his chest.
“Go out to the car,” he says, handing her his keys. “Wait inside, lock the doors.”
She nods, leaving us alone with Brad, who’s still unconscious on the floor.
“Did he…” Maverick asks.
I shake my head. “No, but he would have.”
“Christ.” Maverick pulls out his phone and places a call. “Yeah, can you meet us here. Good. Thanks.” He hangs up and looks at me.
“You, OK?” he asks.
I nod, afraid to speak, afraid that I’ll break down if I do.
“That was my friend. He’s a cop. He’ll be here in a few minutes. What the fuck were you thinking, coming here alone?”
“I…” I trail off because I wasn’t thinking. He glares at me as he takes my hand.
Maverick escorts me to the front room and a minute later there’s a knock at the door that’s only half functional since Maverick broke it a few days earlier. The next hour seems to go by in a flash as cops interview us and ask so many questions. They arrest Brad. Maverick asks me to search the house for any other belongings that might be ours. I find a single gold locket shoved in a drawer that was my grandmother’s. I take it.
“That’s it, there’s nothing else here for us,” I say to him. “I’m sorry, Mav. I am. I should have gotten you first. I…I didn’t think. I just reacted.”
Maverick holds out his hand to me. “Woman, you are going to be the death of me.” He shakes his head. “Let’s go home.”
I don’t hesitate in taking his hand. He pulls me against him and crushes his lips to mine. “Don’t ever fucking do that again,” he growls against my lips. I nod as he breaks the kiss and pulls back to give me a hard stare that would normally scare me, but I know Mav would never hurt me.
He leads me out to the car, where Cam is waiting once again. He doesn’t drive us to our apartment, but instead back to his.
“Sit,” he says when we walk inside.
We both sit at the table, and he sits down across from us.
“Bridget, I know you want to do things on your own. I can appreciate that. I can. But I have an idea, so just hear me out, OK?”
I don’t speak, letting him continue.
He takes a breath. “Your business plan talked about expanding the space. What if we converted this apartment into the offices, and used the offices downstairs as more rooms for personal training and classes? I had been thinking about that for a long time now. One of my clients has been trying to talk me into moving a few blocks away to a new development of townhomes they made out of an old mill. They have three bedrooms. So, if you guys wanted your own space, you could have it,” he says, looking at me. I blush, understanding what he means. “That little apartment is nice, but it’s small. This new place is districted to a better school. If we expand the gym, then I would need an employee to handle the business side of things for me. I’d love that person to be you, Bridget.”