Maverick

by Irish Winters

  “They sell them here.”

  “You’ll have to help me pick one.”

  A salacious glimmer shifted over his handsome face. He lifted one eyebrow. “I’m thinking purple.”

  “Wh-e-e-e-e-e!”

  She heard Kyrie before she saw her. Coming down the children’s waterslide in yet another handsome man’s arms and with a big grin on her face, Kyrie had never looked happier.

  China scanned the crowded swimming area. Maverick had selected a one-piece swimsuit for her. Purple. What else? It not only fit perfectly, but he had added a fringed, open-weave cover-up to shield her from the sun, flip-flops and a trendy pair of sunglasses. Oakleys. Of course.

  One look in the full-length mirror, and China almost didn’t recognize the starlet staring back at her. She had actually primped and posed for a couple of minutes while Maverick watched. He grinned like a little boy. What woman wouldn’t pose with her sexy man drooling over her? He had even pushed his Oakleys to the top of his head and winked, the flirt.

  She selected his swim trunks, black with a purple lightning bolt on the cuff. Combined with his black TEAM polo, he cut a fine sight, too. But man, there were a lot of Chippendale-types standing and talking with Alex and Taylor, who were nothing to sneeze at themselves.

  Taylor waved Maverick and her over to their gazebo where a plethora of food covered the picnic table, but China was content to just stand and take in the pleasant male scenery for a long, make that extra-long, moment.

  What was it with the men Alex hired? Were they all bodybuilders and male models? Standing there with her hand as a visor over her eyes, she could make out two very handsome guys, one dark-haired and the other dark-skinned, both built like weightlifters. They weren’t the huge bruiser types on wrestling shows, but they were definitely broad-chested, thick-necked, narrow-hipped, and hot-damned good looking. Sexier than hell.

  All wore swimming trunks and open shirts—not like that concealed enough bare skin. Or muscled chests. Or tanned legs and rock-solid calves. Biceps. Six pack abs.

  She fanned herself with her new matching purple sunhat. Alex, Gabe, and Taylor were no slouches, either. Every last one of those half-dressed male bodies was worth taking a minute—or ten—to appreciate. She knew good bloodlines and these guys all had it.

  Kelsey waved Maverick and her over to where she sat with a group of pretty women. Kelsey introduced Libby, the blonde, Judy, the redhead, Mei and Gracie, both with long, straight black hair, and another blonde with a pixie cut, Shelby.

  “That’s Ember and Rory Dennison.” Kelsey pointed to a handsome couple sharing an over-sized chaise lounge. “Hey Ember! Hey Rory! Look who finally made it.”

  They waved back. Other agents and their wives tended to their children in the kiddie pool. All sported sunglasses and beach apparel. Some wore straw hats. With the fragrance of suntan lotion heavy in the air and the drift of chlorine from the pool, the day felt more like summer than spring.

  “Look. She’s over there.” Maverick pointed at Kyrie climbing onto a huge green dragon in the kiddie pool.

  “Who’s she with?”

  “That’s Harley. His wife is Judy, the redhead holding twin boys, the one sitting on the other side of Libby.”

  China’s head spun. She would never remember all of these names.

  “’Bout time. Everyone’s been waiting for you.” Gabe appeared behind them, a dark-haired, wiggling toddler under his arm. He grabbed Maverick in a solid handshake while he rolled the little boy onto his back for a horseback ride. For the first time, China noticed the prosthetic foot joined to the middle of Gabe’s left lower leg. She blinked. She would never have guessed he was handicapped.

  “High-dive competition in ten, bro.”

  Maverick waved him off. “Not going to happen. Not today.”

  “Oh, come on.” Gabe’s eyes lit up. “What’s the chance you’d lose your trunks again?”

  That caught China’s attention. “You did what?”

  “Yeah.” Maverick beamed down at her. “Lost ’em last year when I hit the water after a high dive.”

  “But...” Gabe jabbed Maverick’s shoulder and China knew there was more to the story.

  “Yeah, but then some smart ass took off with ’em.” For the first time since she had met him, Maverick sounded like one of the boys instead of a way-too-serious man carrying the weight of the world.

  Gabe poked him again. “Come on, old man. Suck it up and tie a knot in it. You’re going down. In nine. Bank on it.”

  Maverick pulled China into his side and waved him off again.

  “I’d a stole ’em too,” she whispered, her cheek to his chest.

  “And I wouldn’t have minded,” he whispered back. “Come on. Let’s go meet the rest of the guys.” He smacked Gabe’s shoulder. “Later, bro.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Gabe taunted, a big, shitty grin on his face and his index finger pointed at the high dive. “In T-minus eight and counting.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  In short order, China found herself introduced to more agents, their wives, and children. In the midst of the pleasant mayhem, she scanned the group for her niece. “Maverick. Do you see Kyrie?”

  “I’ve got her.” The tall, lanky guy that Maverick had introduced as Harley, joined the group with a smiling little girl sitting on his shoulders. “You’re raising a fish. Did you know that?”

  “I fwimmed! I fwimmed! I pinched my nose and I took a big breff and fwimmed!” Kyrie crowed with enthusiasm. She had probably added every single one of these handsome men to her list of potential marriage partners by then, too.

  “Good to see you again.” Alex extended his hand in welcome. His open beach shirt with black palms printed over an orange and yellow sunset drew China’s eyes to a firmly corded abdomen. Tanned. Tight. Just plain sexy. No wonder Kelsey smiled a lot. This guy was built.

  “It’s good to be seen instead of viewed,” China replied. “You put a nice picnic together.”

  “It’s not much.” Alex shrugged her compliment off. “Thought you might like to meet the gang. This seemed a good way to get you two out of the house.”

  “Don’t let him kid you.” Maverick nodded toward the picnic tables spread with rotisserie chicken, grilled steaks, corn-on-the-cob, baked-potatoes, watermelon, and you-name-it. “When the boss throws a party, we eat like kings.”

  Kyrie ran pell-mell into China so she scooped the wet little girl into her arms. “Are you done swimming?”

  “Uh huh. I been pwayin’ all day.” Kyrie leaned against China with a tired sigh. “I missed you, Andy China.”

  Alex huffed. “I don’t see how she had time to miss anyone. That’s the busiest little gal I’ve ever seen. She asked me bright and early this morning if she could be Lexie’s big sister.”

  “She loves children,” China explained. “How’d she sleep last night?”

  “Like a rock.” Kelsey joined the group with a tray of lemonade and beers all around. “She and Lexie were sound asleep by the time we got home. It was a very quiet slumber party.”

  “Until she woke up this morning,” Alex said as he snagged a long-necked bottle. “I hope you don’t mind, but I gave Kyrie one of Lexie’s blankets. I think she was missing you this morning.”

  China smoothed a hand over Kyrie’s cheek. “You’ve got a new blankie, huh?”

  Kyrie nodded matter-of-factly. “Lexie has yots of ’em, but I onwy got one.”

  China kissed her niece’s forehead. “You’re tired.”

  “Uh huh. I is.” Kyrie agreed quietly.

  “She’s a doll.” Kelsey stroked the little girl’s hair. “She looks so much like you, China.”

  “Good looks must run in your family the way they run in mine.” Harley had both of his boys in his arms, a big cheesy grin on his face. “What’s the word, Boss?”

  “The word is no sign yet.” Alex nodded at China and she knew he meant Leezel. “Mother is on it.”

  That reminded China. “Ok
ay. You guys have to tell me who this Mother person is. I thought Maverick was calling his mom when he called her the day I got shot.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “Oh, God no.”

  “She’s the computer genius who works for The TEAM,” Maverick explained. A grin tweaked the corners of his mouth. “You shoulda seen the look on your face that day.”

  “I’ll bet.” China chuckled. “Here I’m shot, and you pull a phone out of the air and all of a sudden you’re talking with your mother.”

  “She should be here pretty soon,” Kelsey offered.

  “In the meantime.” Maverick snagged Kyrie who by now was on her way to sleep. “Let’s get something to eat while the getting’s good.”

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Gabe was back. “The high tower competition. Now, bro.”

  Alex grunted. “Who took it last year?”

  Maverick smacked Gabe’s back. “Old Cartwright, of course.”

  That sparked China’s attention. Apparently an artificial foot didn’t slow this man down. She looked up at the tower. “How tall is that thing?”

  “Ten meters,” Harley responded with raised brows. “Kinda high if you ask me.”

  “Thirty-three feet,” Maverick translated. “It’s the same height they use for Olympic diving.”

  “That explains why no one’s up there right now, huh?” she asked. “Do you guys do this every year?”

  “I guess.” Maverick looked at China.

  “You shouldn’t,” China murmured. “You’re still hurt. And your hands are burned.”

  The corners of his mouth crinkled upward. He winked. “Are you telling me to stay here where it’s safe?”

  She ran a fingertip over his still healing lips. Somehow safe did not fit Maverick. “No. Do what you need to. I’m just telling you I’ll kick your ass if you hurt yourself.”

  A grin cracked his face. He ducked his face into her hair. “Will you doctor me?” he whispered salaciously.

  “Oh, hell, yeah,” she breathed. “With chocolate sauce. Whipped cream. And me.”

  The lust in his eyes swallowed the simmering color of brown coffee. His hand slid under the swim-cover to the small of her back. Two nosy fingers dipped inside her swimsuit.

  “People are watching,” she warned, her blood on fire for more than just those two fingers.

  Maverick removed his hand and dropped a quick peck to the tip of her nose. “One other thing. If I dive, you have to judge.”

  China would’ve said no, but Kelsey and the other wives had a row of chairs lined up facing the tower. Maverick waited until she sat down. He transferred a sleeping Kyrie and gave her a quick kiss before he took off with the guys. “I won’t be long,” he murmured. “Then we’ll play doctor.”

  “Okay, so how do we judge?” China looked at her new friends to get her mind off of that handsome, half-naked man strolling away from her and his latest sexy come-on.

  Kelsey shrugged. “We just pick the pluckiest and go from there.”

  Mei giggled. “It’s more a testosterone contest than anything else. The guys climb all the way up there, show off their physiques, and hopefully, no one chickens out.”

  “Look at how serious they are.” Libby pointed to the tower. Sure enough, every member of The TEAM looked pretty focused right now. The higher they went up the ladder, the more serious they became. “I’ve been on that platform. It’s one of the highest around.”

  “Libby used to swim competitively in high school,” Kelsey explained.

  “Oh, look.” Judy pointed. She tried to get her two little baby boys to look up at Harley at the edge of the diving board. “Look at Daddy. He’s going first.”

  Harley stood with his toes curled over the edge of the board, flexed his knees once as if he were ready to jump, and suddenly, he was falling. With just one foot planted, he waved his arms. The women gave one huge gasp. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted something to them, but his words went unheard. He jumped back a step and walked away from the edge.

  “Darn him.” Judy blew out a huge breath. “He does that to scare me. I could just smack him sometimes.”

  Libby’s dark-haired husband, Mark, stepped up next. He also flexed his knees, but he didn’t goof around like Harley. Instead, he followed through with a forward dive and a full somersault. China watched him surface in the pool and swim to the side. He lounged against the edge, wiping the water off his face, but he also shot a look to Libby and a big smile. She gave a big sigh of relief.

  Once again it was Harley’s turn. “I hope he’s careful, darn him,” Judy murmured.

  “He looks like a natural athlete,” China offered.

  “Oh, he is.” Judy’s eyes were fixed to the diving tower. “He’s a runner. He hits every marathon he can when he isn’t out of the country.”

  “Does he travel a lot?”

  Every wife’s head swiveled to face her. Their brows lifted as if she had sprouted three eyes.

  Kelsey rescued her. “Yes. All of these men travel internationally for their country. Sometimes the work they do can be dangerous.”

  “Oh?” China hadn’t thought of the danger. She knew Maverick was in excellent physical condition and that he was an expert with the pistol he carried, but she hadn’t connected all those dots, yet.

  “You don’t know what The TEAM does, do you?” Libby asked.

  “Umm, no.” China looked at the serious gazes focused on her. These wives weren’t just women at a picnic. She sensed something else, more of a feeling of solidarity, as if they were more than just girlfriends who liked to hang out together. “I thought they were like ambassadors or bodyguards. Stuff like that.”

  Libby’s serious blue eyes betrayed the seriousness of their husband’s jobs. “They run black ops, China. They might handle bodyguard duties once in a while, but most of the time, they’re involved in dangerous operations, and sometimes things go wrong. Mark still can’t use the pinkie finger on his right hand. He was on an op in Mexico. It’s a small thing considering how bad it could’ve been.”

  China stopped breathing. Considering how bad it could’ve been?

  “Sometimes they do get hurt,” Kelsey confirmed, “and things go wrong. Alex only hires the best and he pushes them too hard.”

  “And sometimes they take too many risks.” Libby’s cobalt blue eyes sparked with worry. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Don’t listen to me, China. I’m tired. That’s all. Mark just got home from Nepal. It’s been a long month.”

  Kelsey patted Libby’s arm. “No. You’re right. Mark’s been in the line of fire too many times.”

  “That’s the problem. That’s who these guys are. Even if Alex hadn’t hired Mark, he would still be doing something just as dangerous for someone else. At least Alex is good to him.”

  “Alex isn’t taking on as many dangerous contracts anymore.”

  “I know.” Libby sighed. “And I’m glad he promoted Mark to a senior position. That helps. At least he wasn’t in danger in Nepal.”

  “Oh, look. There he goes,” Mei interrupted.

  All eyes fixed on the tower. Harley put both arms forward and dived off the platform, arms and legs flailing. At the halfway point, he pitched downward and executed a perfect ninety-degree angle into the pool.

  Judy’s sigh of relief was hard to miss.

  Again all eyes looked upward. Alex stood at the edge. Now it was Kelsey’s turn to hold her breath. Without any hesitation, he executed a jackknife, and pierced the water at a precise angle.

  “See?” Libby said. “He’s safe and sound.”

  Kelsey visibly relaxed while Libby rubbed big circles over her back. She nodded, but her eyes betrayed her. By then, Harley joined the ladies. “Did you hear what I said up there?” he asked while he brushed the water out of his hair and all over Judy and his boys.

  She shook her head. “It’s too noisy down here. I couldn’t hear a word. Stop dripping on me. What did you say?”

  He clamped his wet arms around her neck, gave anot
her shake of his wet hair and leaned into her ear. “Just that I love you, woman. That perfect dive was all for you.”

  “Aw. Sit with me. These boys are heavy.”

  “You bet.” He slid into the lounge chair with one arm around her shoulders, the other around one of his sons. That simple act caught China’s attention. She saw the tender look on Judy’s face as her very wet husband planted another, slurpy kiss on her lips. Yeah, he might annoy her, but there was a lot of love in her eyes while she wiped the drips away.

  The women’s conversation changed with Harley’s arrival, and as more of the men joined their wives on the lawn chairs, but now China wondered. Maverick had never really explained what The TEAM did. She had assumed it was more or less a security business, what with the safe house and her two very military-like escorts, but now she needed to know the rest of the story.

  Everyone watched the remaining contestants. Rory, Connor, Zack, and David each executed dives with either a twist or a somersault. The audience clapped. China couldn’t help but notice the relief on each wife’s face when her man was finally safely in the pool.

  Her own anxiety ratcheted up. The worry over this friendly competition must be what these women lived with every day of their lives. While China felt as if she had been watching the best display of half-naked men she had ever witnessed, her half-naked man had yet to take the jump. After their late-night sexing, he had to be tired.

  Finally, only Maverick and Gabe remained. They walked to the edge of the platform, looked down and stepped back. An audience of interested onlookers gathered on the edge of the pool to watch. They chanted, “Jump. Jump. Jump.”

  Once again, Maverick and Gabe looked over the edge.

  Alex shielded his eyes with his hand and peered upward. “What are those two up to?”

  Shelby, Gabe’s wife, stood, her clenched fingers to her lips as she watched her husband. China knew how she felt. The suspense was getting to her, too. This competition seemed like no big deal until it was Maverick’s turn, but he had two good feet. What was Gabe thinking?

  “There they go.” Harley pointed upwards.

  Gabe and Maverick pressed into handstands at the lip of the platform. In doing so, they faced away from the water. Their bodies lean, taut, tan, and damn it. China couldn’t catch her breath.