Maverick

by Irish Winters

  Her blood filled with fire. She gasped at the sparks blazing up her arms, but he mistook that for pain. He balanced his forearm on the ground as he leaned into her face. “Trust me. I won’t hurt you.”

  Fine. Whatever. Her hip hurt like heck, but her eyes felt damned good. So did her fingertips. Her palms. His lips were so close that hers lifted automatically. Hopefully.

  That small movement caught his attention. A smile tugged at the corner of his eye. He leaned in closer. His breath whispered over her cheek. “I promise. Once you’re home safe and sound, I’ll most definitely kiss you again, and more.”

  Kiss me? And more? Her foolish heart knocked off a set of flying cartwheels. Her fear fled. Of all the idiotic times to be thinking of sex. Embarrassment groaned out of her, but that incentive he had just offered went a long way toward easing the pain. Well, almost.

  “Are you ready?” He peered so tenderly into her soul.

  Oh, my hell. Is there anything this guy can’t do?

  She let go of any resistance she might have offered, any bull-headedness she might have used to pretend she was tougher than he was. A very submissive feeling entered her spirit for the first time in her life. She wanted his hands on her in every way possible. Protectively. Honorably. Savagely.

  China nodded because she couldn’t trust her tongue. This man was going to undress her. Okay, so it wasn’t the most romantic setting, but it had been a really long time since a man had uncovered any part of her. In fact, the last guy, Doc Wilson, didn’t really count. Besides, she had undressed herself that day. Closed her eyes and endured her yearly physical—but this?

  Maverick was going to do more than undress her now, and she very much wanted him to.

  “This is how it will work, ladies. Kyrie is going to hold my shirt up nice and high.” He raised the shirt in front of Kyrie’s face so she couldn’t see the unveiling. “And then she’s going to lower it like it’s her blankie and cover you when I tell her. Okay, Kyrie? Are you ready?”

  “Uh huh,” she answered quickly. “I is a good hewper, huh?”

  “Yes, you are, sweetheart.” Maverick winked at her. “You’re the best helper ever.”

  Kyrie beamed under his praise, and China relaxed. At least, her niece wouldn’t see more of her aunt than necessary.

  Maverick leaned into her face, his lips so close she could scarcely breathe. “Do you trust me, China Wolf?”

  Yes! Her foolish heart danced with delight. I trust you. I want you. Undress me. I’m yours and only yours. But she simply nodded again, her very savvy, practical side turned into a silly bobble-headed doll. The adrenaline made her loopy. That was all.

  Quicker than any guy before him, Maverick pulled her jeans down over her hips to her thighs. Her ass was nearly naked, and he could see everything. She caught the admiring look on his face when he glanced over her body, but ruined the moment when she wondered what underwear she had on. Please not the ones with little pink hearts.

  The fleeting look of reverence on his handsome face didn’t go unnoticed, neither did the heated glance of honest appraisal. He liked what he saw, and damned if that didn’t make her happy.

  He eased Kyrie’s hands down, the shirt along with it. China sighed in relief. The awkward moment was done. She was covered again and Kyrie wouldn’t grow up with deep emotional scars.

  “Can you sit here with Auntie China for a minute?” he asked the little girl.

  “Uh huh.” Kyrie immediately snuggled into China’s side again while Maverick retrieved his bag from Star’s saddle. China hadn’t even noticed he had removed the saddles until that moment. The man seemed to have everything under control. Even her.

  He pulled a small plastic case from his bag and turned to Kyrie. “Are you ready to be my helper again?”

  The little girl nodded quickly.

  “Great. Would you pick a big handful of flowers for her then? She’s got an ow-eee and she needs something to cheer her up. Can you do that?”

  Kyrie nodded with a big smile. “I yike fwowers, too.”

  “But you have to stay right between me and Star, okay? Don’t go any farther.”

  And off she went as happy as a lark in spring.

  Maverick turned his attention back to China. He knelt at her side and opened the plastic case full of medical supplies. “This is going to be quick.”

  China barely had time to respond when he lifted his shirt off of her. Another tender smirk lit his face. He glanced back to where Kyrie was crouched in the grass, before his eyes hit China’s and winked. “You look good in purple.”

  A heat wave flushed every last inch of her. Thank goodness. Not pink hearts. Now I remember.

  Without another word, he sliced through the side of her panties with a knife she didn’t know he had, either. His eyes darkened as he peeled the satin fabric away from her bloody hip.

  It stung. Hell, it hurt like a sonofabitch. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting tears, then opened them again, not wanting to miss anything he might say or do.

  His lips pursed as he zeroed in on the gunshot wound. Very gently, he dipped his head lower and probed the skin around it with his fingertips. Yeah, it hurt plenty, but his intense scrutiny only added to her confusion. How could her libido be doing handstands when she was in this much pain? How could he look so damned tender and angry at the same time? He pinched a little too hard. Pulled something out of the wound.

  “Ow.”

  “Sorry. Some denim threads were stuck. No bullet inside. The shot grazed you. Went right through your jeans. You’re lucky it didn’t hit your hipbone. Three inches to the left would’ve struck your femoral artery.” He leaned back and grabbed a small foil pouch from his bag. “This may hurt. Hang in there.”

  The words were no more than out of his mouth when he doused the hole in her hip with a powdery substance that hurt like—

  Arghhh! Hell. She gritted her teeth to keep from groaning or screaming. He made it worse when he opened another foil package and pressed a thick layer of medical gauze against her hip.

  She screwed her eyes tight. “You’re... hurting... me.” The words growled out of her instead of what she meant, which was more like ‘get the hell away from me.’

  “Hey.” He brushed a finger against her cheek. “I know this hurts, but I have to do it. It’s a combination antiseptic and clotting agent. It’s filled with anesthetic, too. It will sting for a couple minutes. Hang on.”

  Clenching her teeth didn’t help. Tears trickled down the sides of her face anyway. Anesthetic nothing. It hurt!

  “Almost done, baby. I’m only doing this to stop the bleeding. I’d never hurt you.”

  Baby? That sweet endearment surprised her. She certainly felt like a big baby, but no one—NO ONE—had ever called her that.

  He reached for her hand. “Hey, there. Take a big breath. I’m done. You did real good.”

  Done what good? Get shot? Cry? But the sensation of his lips, moist and tender on her hand, jolted another part of her body. She opened her eyes to him kissing her knuckles one by one while he kept the pressure on her hip with his other hand. She didn’t feel the pain so much anymore. Well, okay, maybe a little bit.

  A wave of relief ebbed out from the gentle pressure of his hand. “Are you... a doctor?”

  “No. Why would you think that?”

  “Are you sure? You’re not one of those doctors without borders or something like that?”

  “No.” He had a roll of tape in his hands now. “Here.” He positioned two of her fingers on the gauze over her wound. “Hold this in place while I tape it.”

  She did as he asked. “But, you’re so good at...” Everything.

  When he finished taping her wound with great care, he leaned back on his legs. “I already told you. I’m a Marine, China. I know a few things most folks don’t. I’ve been places. That’s all.”

  “But you knew exactly what to do.”

  “I’ve had practice.” A shadow extinguished the light in his eyes. He resituated
the makeshift covering of his shirt and pressed two fingers to her neck. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. Can, umm, you help me get my pants up?” She struggled to her elbows.

  “I doubt you’re feeling fine, and no, you stay put for now.” With a shake of his head, he stopped checking her pulse and pushed her gently back to the ground. “We’ll worry about your pants when it comes time to move.”

  “But I’m kind of naked under this shirt of yours.” And I sound like a damn fool telling you something you already know.

  “But you’re feeling better, aren’t you?”

  “Umm. Yeah. I guess. It doesn’t hurt like it did at first.”

  He sunk to her side, resting his head on the heel of his hand while he placed his other very warm and gentle hand right over her navel. The pain in her hip faded as the heat in her belly intensified.

  He glanced over to where Kyrie crouched picking flowers by Star before he leaned into China, his eyes soft and tender. He framed her face with one big, warm hand.

  Her lungs failed. Her eyes fluttered shut when he closed the distance and placed a warm, moist kiss on her lips. Her mouth remembered the taste of him. She brought her hand to the nape of his neck and pulled him close. More. More. More!

  A rumbling groan vibrated up from his chest, sparking every damned feminine nerve cell in her body. Her toes curled. She would’ve turned into him if his hand on her stomach hadn’t pressed her to the earth.

  He eased away from her mouth. “Are you all done?” he asked Kyrie nonchalantly.

  She traipsed into view with a smile and a big handful of bluebells mixed with wild phlox. “I is,” she announced proudly. “Here, Andy China. I picked fwowers jes’ for you.”

  China took the bouquet, trying to squelch the raging fire in her blood by pulling Kyrie into her side. She couldn’t focus. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and wake up in her own bed, especially if Maverick were in it with her. China stroked the baby’s tresses. “You picked beautiful flowers. You helped me a lot. You’re a very big girl.”

  Star enjoyed the rest so much he had rolled to his side while Ebony dozed on the hoof.

  China couldn’t take her eyes off Maverick. Lying with him had given her yet another perspective of this half-naked man, from his long legs all the way down to his worn out boots. He had cocked one knee, but kept that incredibly warm hand flat to her stomach.

  He might not know a lot about horses or Wyoming, but she had never felt safer—or more feminine. This unfortunate event made her wonder what this man had really seen in his life. She knew he was a Marine, but now she wanted to know more. What he looked like in the shower. Waking up first thing in the morning with sleep in his eyes. Everything. She wanted him to tell her his dreams, pains, joys, and sorrows. What made him laugh? What made him cry? His favorite color. His hometown. She wanted to know what food he liked besides grilled chicken and her homemade bread.

  “We’ll need help getting you out of here.”

  China shook her head. “No. Really. I’ll be okay. I can ride. Just give me a minute. Let me get dressed and catch my... breath.”

  “Is that all?” he asked with a twinge of sarcasm. He looked down the hill, and honestly, she could’ve watched him forever. Her fingers ached to trace the cord in his neck. To caress his Adam’s apple. To smooth her fingers over his chin. To pull him back to her mouth for another kiss.

  “You girls rest. I’m going to repair the fence while we wait, but first.” He reached behind him and pulled a cell phone from his bag.

  China watched his stomach muscles wrinkle and ripple at that simple movement, and she was a lost cause. It had to be the extreme circumstances, but all she wanted to do was lie with him here in the grass, feel his hands on her body, and let the rest of the world take care of itself for a change. Instead, she snuggled Kyrie while he rested on his elbow and checked his phone. He thumbed the keypad.

  He stilled as he listened. “Yes. It’s me. I know. It’s been a while. No, I’m fine, but a friend of mine needs help. Can you track my signal? Yes. I finally put the battery in my cell. Good. We need a sheriff and a medic. A helicopter would be nice, too. Can you contact them for me?” He quieted and listened. “Thanks, Mother.”

  China cocked her head. She couldn’t believe it. “You called your mom?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “You say there were three of them?”

  “Yes, sir.” Maverick stood patiently repeating everything he had already told Sheriff Hammer. “I saw three men on that rock ledge across the ravine. Pretty sure I hit one of them.”

  Hammer wasn’t happy he had driven up the hill to investigate a crime scene while the medic flew in by helicopter. By the time he arrived, the medics had China bundled onto a gurney. They’d already given her something for the pain, and the chopper rotors were spinning. The medics seated Kyrie on the front seat of the helicopter, letting her play a child’s video game on one of their Ipad. They hadn’t taken off yet because she insisted on speaking with the sheriff.

  Hammer peered at the ledge. “You mean that granite outcrop all the way over there?”

  “Yes, sir.” If he’d send someone to confirm his story, Maverick could signal the pilot to take off.

  Hammer eyed him with suspicion. “That’s quite a ways for an accurate shot. Don’t seem like most folks coulda hit Miss China from there even if they wanted to.”

  “They could if they used a high-powered scope and a tripod. Did you find any slugs yet?” Are you even looking for them?

  “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to look. Dusty, come on over here and see what you can find.”

  Deputy Clark sauntered over, holding out a single bullet. “Already did. Found this.”

  The sheriff scowled. “Thirty-thirty? That’s all? Nah. It could’ve come from any one of a hundred deer hunts around these parts. That what you think hit Miss China?”

  Maverick looked the man square in the eye. “You won’t know for sure until you locate the gun that fired it, will you? Whoever shot her fired three shots in quick succession. The first knocked her down. They weren’t just out hunting deer. Someone meant to kill her.”

  Maverick’s frustration level with the local law enforcement escalated. Deputy Clark seemed more concerned than his boss. “I think whoever cut her fence set her up. They knew she would be checking it again. All they had to do was wait for her to check it.”

  “Guess if you hit ’em like you think you did, they would’ve gone to the hospital.” The Sheriff put a hand to Maverick’s shoulder. “Hey. Aren’t you the kid who saved her horses from the fire last week?”

  Maverick nodded. That seemed to make the difference in Sheriff Hammer’s attitude. He turned back to his deputy. “I know it’s late, but you’re gonna have to go all the way over there and check that granite ledge. See if you can find blood or anything while you’re at it. Mr. Carson here says he shot one of ’em. Check for brass. They mighta left something behind once they got hit.”

  Finally!

  Deputy Clark nodded and stepped away.

  “Damn. This is the last thing I need,” Hammer muttered. “I got a guy in town who’s been cut up real bad and now this.”

  “Anyone I know?” Maverick asked, not exactly sure where Sheriff Hammer was going with this news, but trying to be neighborly.

  “Probably not. This guy hangs with the Kreepers. Least he used to. Doctors aren’t sure he’ll make it.”

  “Do you know who did it?”

  “Not yet. Had to be someone who’s just plain mean with a knife.” He raised a suspicious eyebrow at Maverick. “Bastards cut his privates off. Carved out his eyes. You don’t know anyone who would do a thing like that, do you?”

  “Only in Afghanistan,” Maverick muttered, not wanting to remember. The only other knife expert he knew lived in Virginia, but Taylor Armstrong didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Junior Agent Izza Maher might though. Connor’s feisty wife was a different case all together.

  Hammer stared
off into the distance. “Whoever did it stuck him more than eight times. Looked like torture. I’ve been on the phone with the folks in Cody all morning. Guess the same thing happened over there last week. Only telling you because of Miss China. Folks around here know you’re working for her. They like her.”

  Maverick got the message loud and clear. Folks liked China. Not him. He waited for the other shoe to drop. He had met most of the folks from town the day of the barn raising, but what was the sheriff getting at?

  “You take care of her, ya hear?” Sheriff Hammer finally got to the point.

  Maverick relaxed. “Yes, sir.” Don’t worry. She’s safe with me.

  Hammer walked over to her and peered into her drowsy face. “You okay, Miss China?”

  She blinked at him with a dazed expression. “Yes-s-s,” she hissed.

  Maverick smirked. Damn, but she was one stubborn woman. If he had his way, she would’ve been in the hospital hours ago.

  “I called your sister, Hammer said. “She’s waiting for you at the emergency room. She sounded real worried.” He turned back to Maverick. “You’ll see to it her horses get back home safe and sound?”

  “Yes, sir. I will.” Maverick glanced at Star and Ebony. They’d reacted well under gunfire. He was proud of them.

  “I’ll take the little girl with us. I imagine her mama will be glad to see her.”

  Maverick grimaced. Leezel could care less about Kyrie. He would rather have kept the little girl with him where she was safe.

  “Mav-er-rick.” China reached for his hand. She clutched the sleeve of his shirt, blinking up through heavily lidded eyes.

  “I’m right here.” He leaned in close to keep their conversation private.

  “I just want to... say...” She sighed heavily. “You got a ver-r-ry nice... bo-dy.”

  With that mission accomplished, she blew out a deep breath, closed her eyes, and relaxed back into the pillow. He placed a kiss on her forehead.

  One of the medics wheeled her into the helicopter and secured the gurney. The other closed the door. Within seconds, it lifted off with Kyrie waving at him through the bubble glass. The chopper hovered briefly before it disappeared down the hillside.