Maverick

by Irish Winters

  “How’s work?” Alex asked his agents.

  “Best job you ever gave me, Boss.” Gabe pulled up the nearby bench and made himself comfortable, his arm extended along the back of it. “You staying for dinner? Taylor made enchiladas.”

  “Chicken?” Alex asked with interest.

  “You bet. With sour cream and green chilies.”

  Alex’s blue eyes scrolled over China before he answered. “Not tonight. Thought I’d show Miss Wolf something besides the city, maybe take her out to the Shenandoah.”

  A look passed between the men. Taylor scratched his jaw. “Everything went as planned?”

  “Couldn’t be better. The deal is signed, sealed, and delivered.” Alex tapped Kyrie on her upturned nose with his index finger and she blushed.

  “That happened fast,” Gabe said.

  China didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. She enjoyed watching her niece. Kyrie positively glowed with all this male attention.

  Alex shrugged indifferently. “You guys are invited to join us if you’re not too busy.”

  Gabe and Taylor high-fived each other like a couple of teenage boys out of school for the summer. “Never too busy for you, Boss.”

  “Good. We’ll take the Escalade.”

  China watched the easy camaraderie of these ex-military men. They’d all been to war, they’d all seen too much, but right then they looked like three boys with a secret.

  Kelsey’s arm around her shoulder reminded China she was part of this happy family, too.

  “Do you get the feeling they’re not telling us everything?” China asked quietly.

  Kelsey beamed. “Welcome to my world.”

  The trip to the Shenandoah was filled with beautiful scenery and better conversation. Kelsey and Alex chatted in the front seat like the two old married folks they were. China sat between Gabe and Taylor in the middle seat while Kyrie’s booster seat and Lexie’s car seat had been placed in the rear. In no time at all, both little girls were sound asleep while the adults talked.

  Taylor and Gabe played off each other as tour guides, filling China in on the Civil War sites in the area. One minute she was listening to the heroic anecdotes of Gettysburg, and the next, the strategy behind Bull Run.

  At last Alex pulled off the freeway and proceeded along a frontage road bordered by a green pasture lined with a white post fence. They drove for a few miles before he turned onto a winding gravel driveway.

  China felt a prickle of anticipation when he parked the Escalade in front of a spacious colonial home, complete with four stately columns along the front of the house. Magnolia trees bordered the drive. Cherry trees and redbuds in blossom added all shades of pinks and reds to the landscape.

  An old-fashioned horse trough and hitch were stationed near the front door. No doubt about it. A horseman lived here. She liked the place.

  Gabe took her hand and helped her out of the vehicle. For a moment all she could do was stand and absorb the beauty. A red cardinal flitted by, another splash of color on an already resplendent canvas of vibrant spring hues. She turned in a full circle and breathed deeply. “This is almost as pretty as Wyoming.”

  Kelsey agreed. “It’s awesome, isn’t it?”

  “Well, don’t just stand there.” Alex had already unbuckled the little girls from their back seats. Kyrie ran to Taylor who immediately picked her up. “Let’s go see who’s home.”

  Alex and Kelsey led the way through a circular arbor to the east of the home that dropped them into a spacious backyard. A long whitewashed stable and fence ran the width of the yard to the east. What made it better was the quiet equine conversation beyond the whitewashed fence. Whoever lived her owned horses.

  The peaceful sound caught China short. Her heart ached for the four-legged friends she had lost to Leezel’s greed and the fire. A tear threatened her, but holy smokes. China chose to focus on rebuilding her life instead of crying for what was lost.

  Kyrie giggled in Taylor’s arms, and that was enough for China. Her niece was safe. That was all that really mattered. Jefferson Wolf would understand.

  Alex looked around in dismay. “I thought he said five o’clock.”

  China asked, “Who?”

  He pointed behind her with mischief in his blue eyes. “Him.”

  She turned. A tall handsome him walked toward her from the stable. Dark glasses in place. Ball cap, the brim pulled low. Scruffy cheeks and chin. No hint of a smile. A black button-up shirt set off smartly by a gray vest. Black jeans. Sexy damned swagger.

  Her heart jumped to her throat. Maverick?

  Kyrie scrambled out of Taylor’s arms and ran to him with a shriek. Maverick caught her mid-stride, his gaze still fixed on China while he returned Kyrie’s joyful hug and kisses.

  “You is here!” she squealed.

  Gabe placed a steadying hand to China’s waist. She couldn’t move she shook so hard. In a few long-legged strides, he was there. Gabe stepped aside with Kyrie. Maverick peeled his dark glasses off his nose and folded them into his pocket. Very gently, he cupped China’s face in his bandaged hands, his breathing heavy and her heart on fire. “Thank God, you’re alive,” he choked.

  She started to cry, her hands on his biceps. “You saved me and Kyrie and... and...”

  He wrapped her in his arms with a groan, his face buried in the crook of her neck and his palm between her shoulder blades, pulling her in tight.

  She anchored her fingertips to his shoulders and took a deep breath of wind and horses and—him. “I love you so much.” She let the words come. She had been thinking them for too long. They needed to be spoken. She tipped his cap off his head, needing to see his eyes.

  The angst was gone. Unshed tears glistened on his lashes. Forehead to forehead with her, he said what she needed to hear, his voice deep and low. “I love you, China Wolf. God, I love you so damned hard.”

  He couldn’t have reached into the core of her soul and offered anything better. The feelings she had suppressed for this quiet hero swarmed up from her toes like a hive of happy, buzzing honeybees. She melted into him, her lips pressed to his. They clung to each other.

  At last he released her, but kept her encircled in his arms. “The last time I saw you, I thought you were dead.” His voice cracked. “I was so afraid I’d lost you. That I’d messed up. That I’d never have the chance to tell you what you meant to me.”

  She peered up at him and saw the details she had missed. The bruises on his cheeks and stitches on his lower lip. Butterfly bandages curled over one brow. She cupped his cheek, filled with the need to keep her hands on him. “What happened?”

  “Reardon.” He smoothed a gentling hand through her hair, tangling his fingers in her tresses and tugging lightly. “I’m okay now, but I think I still owe you that—more.”

  She blushed. Every nerve ending fired recalling his promise on the hillside and her state of undress. That same steamy haze darkened his eyes now. His heavy breathing matched hers. She lifted to her toes and circled one hand to the back of his neck to kiss those sore-looking lips, but he pulled back just enough to bring her to her senses.

  “How about we save that real welcome home kiss for when we’re alone? I have plans for you.”

  China glanced around, embarrassed. Everyone stood waiting and watching. Kelsey’s eyes sparkled. His quick thinking kept his shirt buttoned and his pants zipped. For now.

  Little Kyrie grinned from ear to ear from Uncle Gabe’s arms. She clapped and pointed. “I gonna marry Unca Mavwick, too!”

  Everyone laughed, but China. She peered into Maverick’s dark, sexy eyes. “My sister?”

  He shook his head. “No one knows where she is right now.”

  “But Reardon is—”

  “In jail. Sheriff Hammer wanted to retire, but he’s real busy now. Every one of Reardon’s biker buddies has been charged with attempted murder, arson, and other crimes. This wasn’t their first crime. Reardon and your sister were behind those knifings in the area. I’ll have
to tell you all about it, maybe after we’re done getting reacquainted.” He smiled one of those rare Carson smiles, the kind that poured honey into her soul and heat between her legs. He never looked sexier.

  China touched the tip of her index finger to the ragged mark on his lower lip. “She bit you?”

  He shrugged it off. “Yeah, well, I am irresistible.”

  “But you’re mine,” she blurted. All mine and I’ll fight the world for you.

  A spark of sadness flashed deep in those wells of coffee brown. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words from the right woman?” His voice had tightened. So did his grip. He lifted the back of his hand to his brow, his eyes squeezed tight against his tears. He tugged his dark glasses over his eyes. “Shit. I hate this. You’re breaking my heart. I don’t deserve you. Your love. None of this.”

  She could have cried, he looked so genuinely tormented. She cupped his chin and turned his mouth to hers. “You’re all I need, Maverick. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Let me in. Stop walking. Stay. Please stay with me.”

  He nodded, the cords in his neck tight. “I will. I promise.” He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. The feel of those poor stitched lips on her mouth meant everything. She closed her eyes and breathed, “Amen.”

  “I didn’t drive all the way out here to watch you two mug each other.” Kelsey’s husband had a very bossy streak. “Are you two going to stand around all day?” He pointed behind her yet again. The sound of footfalls got her attention. Horse footfalls. A lot of them.

  She turned in Maverick’s arms. “My horses! How did you...? How could you...?”

  “I didn’t.” Maverick nodded to Alex. “He did.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’ve played a mean trick on you.” Alex walked into the crowd of gentle animals, patting a broad shoulder there and a friendly nose here. “I would’ve told you that I had your kids sooner, China, but I wasn’t sure the last four would make it in time. Josh Winters made it here this afternoon with Joker and his buddies. We’re still missing Star, but he’s in Wyoming with Eb. So’s your dog.”

  “You bought my horses? All this time, you’ve had them? You... saved them? You’ve got Puppy, too?” China’s voice caught. Her eyes filled again. There was no way to repay this amazing man for all he had done to help her. No way. Not if she lived to be one hundred. Her gratitude welled up and ran out of her eyes. “I don’t know what to say,” she squeaked. Yes, squeaked. Between the warmth of Maverick’s hard body at her side and the tender glow in Alex’s gaze, she was coming undone. She needed her own dark glasses, damn it.

  Too late. Her tears fell despite her best efforts. She buried her face in Maverick’s chest. He wasn’t the only one whose heart was breaking with joy and gratitude.

  Alex didn’t help. “This is what families do, China. We take care of each other. It’s as simple as that. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  She traded Maverick’s arms for Alex’s, her heart filled to overflowing. He wasn’t even related to her. They didn’t share a single bloodline, but he had rescued all that was dear to her, and he had done it before he’d even met her. Unbelievable.

  “Thank you, Mr. Stewart,” she said fervently. “I’m speechless. I’m…” Words failed. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “Alex,” he corrected, his voice a little on the gravelly side. “It was my pleasure, China.”

  Gabe coughed. Taylor already straddled Jinx. He looked like a natural, but Gabe? Earthbound and his brows furrowed. He called out to Maverick, “Hey, I’ve got a little problem with this horse.”

  “What’s that?” Maverick asked, his chin once again tucked into China’s neck, his arms around her and her back to his front.

  “He’s, umm, standing on my foot.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Kyrie had her first sleepover—ever.

  Thank God the Stewarts volunteered to take her for the night. As much as he loved Kyrie, Maverick couldn’t wait to be alone with China even though it meant a long drive back to the safe house. He cussed himself for not planning better.

  Gabe and Taylor didn’t hang around, either. Gabe said something about taking his wife, Shelby, out for a much-needed date night. Taylor just disappeared. Before he knew it, Maverick was alone with China with nothing to do. Yeah, right.

  The minute the front door closed behind Alex, Kelsey, and Kyrie, Maverick peeled the tape and gauze off his fingers, never breaking eye contact with China’s. “I’m ready now.”

  “For what?” she asked innocently, a definite catch in her throat.

  She knew damned well what. He raised her knuckles to his lips. “For more.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when he crashed into her and fastened her to the wall by the front door. His ribs were damned sore and his hands tender from the burns, but the fire in his heart needed quenching. Right damned now.

  He sliced one hand through the buttons on her shirt. It hit the floor while he covered her neck and shoulders with kisses. Goosebumps sprang to life on her skin. He nipped. He suckled. She shivered.

  The snaps on his western shirt popped as her hands smoothed over his chest and moved downward. His vest slipped off his shoulders. “I’ve wanted to do this since...”

  He finished her thought with a mouthful of China. “That day in the barn.”

  “Yes-s-s,” she hissed.

  The fire racing through her body jumped circuits, entering his at the same time. All of her little noises urged him on. He unsnapped and unzipped the rest of her clothes, right down to her underwear. “Glad you’re not wearing boots.” Although a naked woman in cowboy boots did have a certain erotic appeal. He hardened at the notion, crazy as it was.

  “Me, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Clutching the cheeks of her backside, he lifted her off her feet and angled their way down the hall to the first available bedroom. Dang. A twin bed and stuffed animals. Not quite what he had in mind. Impatience stoked his fire. “Help me out here. Where am I going?”

  She giggled deliciously in the crook of his neck, her fingers trailing sparks with every languid touch down his back and up his neck. “Last door at the end of the hall.”

  He strode to the darkened room and tossed her to the bed before he turned and locked the door. There would be no interruptions. Not tonight. It had been too long since he trusted a woman the way he trusted China. With his heart and soul. His life.

  God, she looked sexy sitting in the middle of the bed in nothing but a white lacy bra and boy shorts, her hands on her knees and her eyes aglow. Irresistible with desire. Black tangles cascaded over her arms.

  “You’re overdressed,” she murmured.

  “That’s your problem.”

  It took her two seconds to bounce off the bed. She made quick work of his boots and socks. His belt and jeans. His boxers. He couldn’t stop watching her at work. This woman was on a mission. She knew zippers and buckles, but the curve of her ass while she worked him over? Sweetest sight ever.

  His pulse throbbed. By the time she tossed his boxers over her shoulder and smiled up at him, he was down to his skin and breathing heavy. “Your lead,” he said, his voice hoarse with desire.

  She backed him to the mattress, pushed him flat to his back and climbed on top, and damn. No wonder Ebony danced with this delightful woman mounted on his back. The heat from her core commanded every male cell in Maverick’s body.

  Time to ride.

  The safe house fell away. There were no noisy robins chirping their evening song through the open window. No Northern Virginia sunset. The world could’ve come to a screeching stop for all he cared. Nothing and no one existed but this amazing woman peering down at him through a veil of silky black tendrils. She’d become his world. His everything.

  Her hands roamed his chest even though she wore nothing but her bra and panties. Her gaze swept over his chest and down his abdomen, then back again. She licked her lips, the s
ame appraising light in her eyes as when she had handled her stallions.

  The comparison added high-octane racing fuel to the already out-of-control twitch in his blood. Yeah. He was ready to be anything she wanted. Stallion. Tiger. Bunny rabbit. You name it.

  He took charge. The clasp to her bra offered no resistance. Soon his hands filled with the warm softness of her delightfully plump breasts, her girls, so much happier out of those pretty lace restraints. His thumbs had no problem pebbling her nipples. Maverick groaned, needing a mouthful of her creamy tasting skin. He had found heaven on earth with a spike of some serious lust.

  She shook her head, brushing his chest with that curtain of shimmering silk. Igniting nerve-endings. Stoking his need. God, he wanted to be wrapped up warm and wet inside of her. Her arms were still holding her over him, her elbows still cocked, but then. So was he. Cocked and ready to command or be commanded.

  C’mon. Let’s ride, damn it.

  He smoothed his hands down her arms to her ribcage and from there to her hips. He pulled her close, his chin lifted and his lips poised for action and—

  “Stop.”

  He groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Stop? Now?

  “I wasn’t sure.” The awe in her voice struck him as adorable. Kind of annoying given the fiery ache in his groin, but adorable. He played along.

  “Weren’t sure of what?” She had better get sure if she knew what was good for her. It had literally been too damned long since he had been with a woman. All this foreplay was killing him, because damn it, China Wolf was the right woman. The only woman. My woman!

  Her hands smoothed over his chest and downward. Her face lit with wonder. “I thought I dreamed this.”

  He groaned at the treasures in his hands and licked his lips, barely able to wait for the conversation to end so he could start tasting those perfect rosebuds under the pads of his thumbs. His burned fingers really ought to hurt more than they did, but nothing registered except the light in her eyes and his mission ahead: claiming every last part of China.

  “What? You’ve never seen a man undressed before?” he growled.