by C. M. Allen
***
The whole day we spent together was as perfect as it could get. I took her to a few of the spots on the property that Butch and I used to hang out at when we came up here as kids, showing her our old hide out we’d built up in the big oak tree. Then we made some lunch, christened a few more rooms and made new memories. I could finally feel the old ghosts that had haunted this place for years slowly fading away. Sitting out on the back deck, in one of the large cushion loungers, I held her in my arms as we watched the sun set over the lake. “It’s so peaceful and beautiful up here.”
“Always loved coming up here as a kid.”
Sitting up, she turned to look at me. “Can I ask you something?”
Kissing her on the lips, I leaned back. “You can ask me anythin՛.”
“Why haven’t you been up here in so long? I mean you went through all the trouble to have this place made into a little slice of Heaven, but Vulture said you haven’t even stayed up here since it was done.”
Note to self: Kick the shit out of Vultch’s ass the next time I see him!
Taking a deep breath, I thought about how the hell to start this story off. “It’s hard for me to come here… because it reminds me of my parents and the great times we had here.”
“Where are they now? Vulture told me that they don’t live around here.”
“What else did Vulture tell you?” I asked, knowing I’m going to have to give the bastard a refresher course in not talking about each other’s shit!
“That was all. He said the rest of the story was yours to tell.”
At least the fucker didn’t tell her everything.
Staying silent for a moment, I turned her around and leaned her head back against my chest. “Both my parents are dead Sweetheart. My mom was shot and killed in the old clubhouse we used to have, and my dad killed himself that same day only moments later. He believed it was his fault she died because he didn’t protect her and keep her safe.”
Hearing her gasp, she pulled away to sit up and look at me again. “Oh my God Maverick, I’m so sorry,” she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tight.
“It’s ok. It was a long time ago.”
CHAPTER
27
Harper
When Maverick told me about his parents, my heart instantly broke for him, knowing firsthand myself how that kind of loss felt. Wanting to know more, but not sure he was willing to share; I just stayed quiet. Taking a deep breath, he continued to tell me how the Slayers came to the Deviants clubhouse and shot and killed as many people as they could, one of those people being his mother. And then he told me about seeing his father, a strong man, instantly dissolved into nothing at the sight of his brutally murdered wife in his arms. I listened to him tell me about seeing his dead mother and the amount of damage they did that made her almost unrecognizable. Then he told me about having to hear the gunshot that took his father’s life by his own gun. I kept my head on his chest, so he wouldn’t see the tears that were falling from my eyes for him as I listened to the last part of his heartbreaking story. When he talked about his girlfriend, Nicole, I could feel the love he had for her.
How could someone lose so much in one day and survive it?
Yes, I lost both of my parents in the same day as well, but if I had to add to that the love of my life, I don’t think I would have made it. “It was my sixteenth birthday.” Were the words he finished with, and all I could do was hug him tightly and cry for him.
“Don’t cry Sweetheart. It kills me to see you upset,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
Wiping the tears away, I looked up into his eyes. “You lost so much that day. I can’t even… imagine what it must have been like to lose your parents and Nicole. I… I… just.”
Looking back down to hide my tears, he pulled my chin back up. “It was a long time ago.”
“Doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking… or real.”
“No, you’re right, it doesn’t. But I only have you for two more days and I don’t want to waste it by thinkin՛ about the past. I want us to make new memories in this cabin together. Besides, I think we still have five more rooms to christen around here.”
Giggling at him, I wiped away my tears and leaned up to kiss his lips. “What do you say we make some dinner, so you can keep up your strength. You’re going to need it bad boy.” I winked at him as I moved off his lap, but I didn’t get far.
Dragging me back down, before I knew it, he had me flipped onto my back as he hovered over me. He slowly ran the tip of his nose up the side of my neck to my ear and then he inhaled my smell. “God, I love your smell.” Suddenly he covered my mouth with his, then deepened the kiss. “I want you right here, right now. Need to be inside you.”
“Then have me.” I barely got out before I found myself stripped bare and naked before him. When I felt his fingers slide though the wetness between my folds before he pushed them inside of me, it was as if Heaven itself had come down to grace me tonight. “Please.” I begged, needing him inside of me to make me feel whole again, the only way he could.
“I got you Sweetheart, and I’m gonna take real good care of you,” he assured me, licking and sucking each of my breasts as the head of his cock nudged at my opening. Slamming home inside of me, the feeling of fullness he always gave me had me gasping out for air. “Fuck! You always feel so God damn good. So warm. So wet. And all fuckin՛ mine”.
He began pounding into me like a sailor that just arrived home on leave and couldn’t get enough. Sliding his fingers between us, he pinched and rubbed my clit as he nibbled on my ear. “Come with me, I want to feel your pussy milk my cock Sweetheart.” When he whispered the dirty words in my ear, my body instantly shattered around him.
“Oh God, Maverick!” Were the only words I was able to get out before I fell over the edge from the intense pleasure.
He started to move inside of me faster, harder, and I could tell that he was closer to finding his own release. Reaching down between us, I cupped his balls and began to massage them in my hand. “Holy fuckin՛ shit woman!” he shouted out just as he fell apart on top of me. Both of us just lay there, still connected, trying to catch our breaths and just enjoying the feel of one another. But then just like that, the bubble popped when Maverick’s phone began to ring.
Pulling out of me, he reached out for his phone and looked down at the screen. “Fuck. I’m sorry Sweetheart, but I have to take this,” answering the phone with a very un-friendly what, he pulled his pants on and disappeared back into the cabin.
I instantly missed that feeling of fullness that I knew only he would ever be able to give me again.
It’s when that thought drifted through my mind that I realized just how hard I’d fallen for Maverick and what that meant. But what did I mean to him exactly? And most importantly, could our lives ever align with the vast differences there were between them?
Between us.
***
The next two days went by way too fast, and before we knew it or even wanted it, Tuesday morning was here. “Good mornin՛ Sweetheart.” Maverick brushed the hair out of my face before kissing me on my forehead.
Turning my face up towards him, I pecked him on the lips. He was going to have to wait until I brushed my teeth for anything more, even though I knew he could care less about morning breath. “How long do I have you today before you have to go back?”
Looking over at his phone on the nightstand, he turned back to face me with sad eyes. “We’ve got about three hours until Vulture is supposed to be up here, and I need to head back.”
“That’s not fair. It isn’t enough time.” I pouted.
“I know. Here, sit up. I want to talk to you about somethin՛, and I need to see your face when I do it.”
Wondering what he could possibly want to say to me, I quickly sat up and brushed the hair out of my face, pulling the duvet up to my chest. “Ok, what is it?”
Turning in towards me, he took my hand in his, making my heart stutt
er at the possibilities of what he’s going to say to me. Is he breaking up with me? The thought was so loud in my head that the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. “Are… are you breaking up with me?”
With a seriously confused look on his face, he asked. “Are we together?”
Taken aback by his question, I jerked my hand free. I didn’t know if I was more heartbroken by it or angry. “What is this then? Am I just some flavor of the week to you, Maverick?”
Chuckling, he shook his head, but his laughter at this situation still pissed me off. Was I that off in what I thought was happening between us? “I can see you gettin՛ all riled up over there, but I think if you listen to what I have to say first, you’ll see that it’s all for nothin՛.” Taking my hand again, he kissed the back of it before he tucked it between both of his. “What I was goin՛ to say is… before I met you… my life was just that… my life. I never really thought there would come a day again, ever, that it wouldn’t be anythin՛ else. After I lost Nicole, I never thought that I would meet someone I would want to share it with. That was until the day Butch decided he needed to take a piss and we had to stop at that gas station.” Unable to help the smile on my face for the reason they had stopped there in the first place, I stayed quiet and let him continue. “I could have never imagined my life would change so much from makin՛ a piss stop at a gas station. But it did, the second my eyes landed on you. I know my life is a violent and complicated one, and there will be times I’ll have to do things to protect my family that you won’t understand or agree with,” stopping for a moment, he glanced down at our joined hands. “You know, I swore to myself the day Nicole was killed that I would never allow another innocent back into my life again. That it just wasn’t worth the risk to their lives or the damage to my heart. And I’ve tried, really tried to do right by you so many times Harper. Not contactin՛ you after our initial interaction. Tryin՛ to keep you at arm’s length and not let you in. But every time I tried to stay away from you, I only wanted you more. And then, I finally had you, and even after that I still tried to spare you my complicated and dangerous world, but you just wouldn’t let me,” taking a deep breath, he looked into my eyes. “You’re the innocence I swore I would never touch again Harper, but I really don’t seem to have a say in the matter anymore, because you’ve wormed your way under my skin and into my heart.” Cupping my cheek, he moved his lips closer to mine. “I’m fallin՛ for you Sweetheart and I know it’s fast, but there’s nothin՛ I can do to stop it. You have come to mean so much to me. You’re smart, savvy, stubborn as hell, and the most naturally beautiful women I have ever seen. I have no idea how you’re feelin՛ about me and the risk it would be to be part of my world. But I promise if you just give me a chance that I will always protect and care for you.”
As I sat here listening to him bare his soul to me, it took everything inside of me to not pull him to me and kiss him, but to stay put and let him finish what he wanted to say. When he finished his beautiful speech, he looked at me expectantly, waiting for my response.
Bringing his hand to my lips, I kissed the back of it. “The day I first met you I was scared of the man I thought you were and what your lifestyle represented. I couldn’t have been more wrong about you. You’re so much more, and you proved it to me when you helped me with my car troubles that same day. Even after I was such a horrible assuming bitch to you. Actually, I believe I was still being a bitch to you while you were trying to help me because you couldn’t read minds and know that my parents had passed,” we both laugh at that. “My point is, yes, your world is full of dangers and complications, but I know you only do what you feel you have to do to protect your club, your family. You and your club are nothing like the Slayers, who terrorize and hurt people just because they know they can and get away with it,” running my hand down his cheek, I pulled his chin towards me and kissed him on the lips. “I have fallen for you Maverick. Be it fast or not, I can’t imagine going back to the lonely existence I had before you. You make me want to get better and be able to move on from the death of my parents, and finally heal. All I did before you was wallow in the pity of everything I had been through and lost since that day. I want you in my life, no matter what comes with you, because I know you will always be there to protect me. I trust you Maverick.”
Pushing me down onto the bed, he pulled the duvet away before settling himself between my legs, covering my body with his. “You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that you trust me Sweetheart. I take that shit seriously and I will never let you down. Now, what do you say we spend the remainin՛ time we have together right here where I can make sure you’re good and satisfied and feel nothin՛ but me between those legs of yours until I’m able to come back to you on Friday.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as we devoured each other.
And continued to do it over and over again for as long as we could.
When Vulture arrived at the cabin, he filled Maverick in on a few things but then went inside and gave Maverick and I time to say a proper, but reluctant goodbye. “I’m going to miss you so much,” I said, pulling him close, hugging him so tightly and not wanting to let him go. I couldn’t say why, but a feeling of fear had found its way into my heart. What if something happened to him while he was away? What if the Slayers attacked the clubhouse again like they did when Maverick’s parents were killed? Since we had told each other what we meant to one another, I was on cloud nine. But I also knew how much God seemed to get a rise out of taking love and happiness away from me the second it touched my life.
As if he could read my thoughts, he pulled away to look down at me. “Hey, I’ll be back. I promise. Try not to worry so much. I can feel how tense your body is.”
A tear escaped my eye at his words. “I’ll try. Can we at least talk every day, so I know you’re ok?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cell phone and handed it to me. “This is a burner phone; it can’t be traced. I’ve already programed my number and Vultures number in there for you and I have yours. I’ll call or text you in the mornin՛ and again to say goodnight, but please, try not to worry so much, ok?”
Nodding my head, I tried to keep the tears at bay. “Ok.”
After we kissed a little longer and held one another a few more moments, he pulled away. “All right, if I’m goin՛ to make it back on time I have to leave now.” When I nodded my response, unable to speak with my stomach in my throat, he turned to walk around to the driver's side.
“Text me when you get home?” I finally got out.
“I will. Promise.”
As he moved to get into the car an overwhelming need to tell him how much he meant to me before he left took over. “Maverick!” Standing back up, he watched me as I moved around the car to his side. Standing on my tiptoes, I grabbed his face and brought it closer to mine. “I love you.” I blurted out before our mouths collide once again.
Breaking the kiss, he held my face in his grip. “Fuck, I love you too Sweetheart.”
One last kiss to my forehead and he slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door to leave as I backed away and watched him go, still unable to rid myself of the uneasiness that had settled in my stomach.
God, please don’t take this one from me.
CHAPTER
28
Dekes
Once that club whore told me Maverick was with the girl, I had my tech guy summoned the next day, so when I called the stupid bastard, I would know right where to go. After the call ended between Maverick and I, I looked over to Samson. “You get his location?”
“Give me just one more second. Almost got it.”
As he continued to type away at a high rate of speed on his laptop, I leaned back in my chair to relish in this new unexpected twist with the girl. It’s going to make all my plans that much sweeter.
“Got it!”
“Excellent.” Looking at the address on
the paper he’d given me, I announced. “Well boys, it looks like we’re headed to the mountains.”
Devin, who just walked in, wore a smirk on his face. “How many men do you think we’ll need?”
Handing him the slip of paper with the address on it, I instructed him. “Tell Captain Ackerson that we’ll need his team ready to go and at this address on Tuesday at twenty-four hundred hours. And then call our friend Judge Kingsman and get us the search warrant we’ll need to give him, so he believes it’s all legal to go in. Oh, and do make sure you tell Ackerson that Vulture is to be considered armed and dangerous. His orders are shoot to kill.”
Chuckling, Devin answered. “Will do. Boy, you were right when you said being in the DEA would come in handy.”
“Yes, yes I was, wasn’t I?” And, it had. Without it, I could have never gotten that undercover agent into the clubhouse and had Maverick and the others arrested. Once they thought they were facing serious prison time, it had been easy to convince them that in exchange for no prison time that I would help them take down the Slayers, that was as long as they got the evidence I needed to do so. It had been the perfect set up from the very start, all my years of planning were starting to pay off. As soon as I had Maverick’s woman, all hell was going to start breaking loose. Plus, not wanting the Slayers to feel left out, I had my own little surprise being prepared for them as well.
Letting out a satisfied sigh, knowing all my planning was coming to fruition so nicely, I leaned back in my chair and sipped on the whiskey in my glass. “Let the games begin, gentlemen.”
CHAPTER
29
Harper
When Maverick got back to the clubhouse, he called me to tell me that he had made it back ok and was headed out to help Butch with something. He said that it had to do with the girl that Butch and Gunner had brought back. I told him to stay safe and that I loved him. When he told me he loved me back, I knew how hokey it probably sounded, but I swooned, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I don’t think I’d ever really known what it was to be in love with someone until him. God knows I never felt this way about Owen. The way Maverick treated me and loved me made me wonder what the hell was I even thinking being with a guy like Owen. Maverick was definitely all man, whereas Owen, well he was a little boy who didn’t have the first clue on how to treat a woman.