She smiled at him sweetly, said “Puppy” and raised her hands, indicating that she wanted to be picked up. Maverik raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked to Riley, who just shrugged and smiled at him. “She is going to be your grand-daughter one day.”
Maverik looked back down at the child; he picked her up and placed her on his lap, handing her a piece of toast. “How about Poppy instead of Puppy. Can we agree on that?” He kissed the top of Cristie's head as she focused on his plate, reaching out for a sausage and munching on her toast. “Help Poppy eat his breakfast,” Maverik told her. She nodded, mumbling Poppy around her toast. Maverik, in the next breath without looking up, said to everybody, “I can still be sexy and be a Poppy.” Then he raised his eyes to the rest of the table, “Not one word, people! Not one word.”
Riley smiled at the sight of Cristie making herself at home on Maverik’s lap. Maverik was a big old softy when it came to little kids.
“Where is Maia?” Riley asked.
“She’s sleeping in. Girl’s not a morning person, might as well figure that out now,” Maverik told him. “Plus she’s stressed from all that crap with her ma last night. Trying not to let me see it, but she is; I can tell. She needs to sleep.”
Riley nodded his understanding.
“I’m gettin’ a room,” Remi told Riley.
Riley turned his attention to the little boy, “You are?”
“Yup. Uncle Bam is making me one, and it’s gonna have my name on the door. Cause it’s my house, too,” Remi declared.
“Indeed it is, little man. And it’s a good house,” he met Daniel’s eyes where he sat on the other side of Remi and Daniel mouthed, “Thank you.”
Riley beamed a smile back at him. It warmed his heart to have been able to save the boy and to make such a difference in the lives of these people that clearly loved the child more than life itself.
Maverik was lost in the little girl sitting on his lap. Eating the food from his plate. Damn, he wanted his own kids. More kids. He grinned to himself realizing that the kids that Malina had tried to steal from him had actually been his all along. His heart filled, almost. He looked around the table as his family gradually drifted in and took their places, sharing their morning meal. Talking about their plans for the day. Just enjoying being together. And it would have been perfect if his Valerie were here. And she probably would be, if he’d not been such a dick when they first found each other. So honestly he had no one else to blame for the loneliness that engulfed him in spite of being surrounded by people who loved him. He missed her. He’d never even gotten a chance to spend any real time with her, and still he missed her. He missed her scent, the feel of her in his arms. The fire in her eyes when she was pissed off. The sweet soothing tones of her voice. He missed her voice so much, he could have sworn he just heard it. Then he heard it again. He snapped out of his reverie to find Avaleigh grinning at him; in fact, everyone was grinning at him, and a spot right behind him. He turned and looked, and there standing in the entryway to the kitchen was Delilah, with his Valerie.
She smiled shyly at him, “Hi. I…” she paused, struggling for words. She shrugged, “I missed you. I didn’t want to wait for lunch time.” When he didn't reply, just continued to stare at her, she added, “Is that okay?””
His heart soared, “Hell yeah, that’s okay. That’s fu,” and then he realized that Cristie was still sitting in his lap and changed the f word that naturally almost flowed from his mouth, “Flipping awesome!” he finished. Kaid got up, chuckling, and moved a chair between himself and Maverik to make room for Valerie. She thanked him, and after Delilah took Valerie's purse and placed it on the counter by the key rack, she sat beside Maverik. Valerie smiled at the child in his lap, and Maverik introduced her, “This is Cristie, she’s my grand-daughter.”
Valerie addressed Cristie, “I know Cristie; we met last night, didn’t we?”
Cristie looked at her and nodded her head before pointing at Maverik and saying, “Poppy.”
Valerie smiled, “That’s sweet, you’re Poppy.”
Maverik agreed, “Yeah, either that or Puppy. We’re trying to get her to stick with Poppy.”
Then he looked at her, really looked at her, “I’m glad you're here. I was thinking about you.”
“You were certainly thinking of something, Maverik-Ass. You did not even hear your Mate knock on the door,” Delilah said.
“Lilah, you didn’t call me Ass at all yesterday. Why in front of Valerie are you going to start now?”
“Yesterday, there were those here that would have not known that it is affectionate; they would have thought it disrespectful and that you were not deserving of respect. So I did not say it. Today, there are only those that love you,” she pinned Valerie with a pointed look before continuing, “so today I say it.”
Maverik smiled at her, his heart warming even more when he realized that Delilah refused to even tease him in front of Malina, because it was important to her that Malina understand how much they respected and loved Maverik.
“Thank you, Delilah.”
“You are welcome Maverik-Ass; now feed that little one so that you and your Mate may visit.”
It took only a moment for Ms. Sadie to fill a plate and place it in front of Valerie. Valerie smiled her thanks and started eating. Maverik reached out and pulled her chair closer to his, then moved her plate closer to her chair, smiling at Bam as he nodded his approval.
“Me and Bam hooked up the water and the plumbing last night,” he told her.
“Really? Already?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. We can work fast. We been working together for so many years that it just flows once we start,” Maverik explained.
They immediately got lost in talking to one another, something they’d never done. They talked about everything. They talked about his work, her work, her brother, his son. She was sorry she’d missed Matty, but he assured her that he’d be back soon. When Cristie offered Valerie some of her bacon, it swayed the conversation to kids, and they ended up talking about kids and how painfully honest they were. How sweet and loving they could be and what little hellions they could be, too. Valerie told him that she’d always wanted kids and that she hoped to have several. Which thrilled him to no end, as he hurriedly told her that he wanted more kids, too.
After a while of visiting and talking, they gradually realized that only Avaleigh was left in the kitchen with them. She was washing dishes and cleaning.
“Where is ever’body,” Maverik asked, surprised as he looked around. He’d been so lost in conversation with Valerie that he hadn’t even noticed Cristie slide off his lap and leave with her doddy.
Avaleigh laughed, “Well, Goldy and Sadie went for their morning ride. Kaid and Delilah had an appointment in town for something they won’t talk about,” she scowled as she explained that part, “and the guys are out measuring and planning Remi’s room,” she looked sideways at him, “and Riley went to wake Maia.”
“He what? She’s in bed, alone!” Maverik jumped up.
Avaleigh dissolved into laughter, “Bane and Janie went with him, they’re home, and Cristie and Daisy are there, too. She’s perfectly safe.”
“Avaleigh, don’t do that to me. I’m new at this daddy thing, especially with a young woman. To me, she’s still six years old.”
Avaleigh did her best to stop laughing, “I’m sorry. It’s just so cute to see you go all daddy and shit.”
“Anyway, we’re still going into town even though ya’ll don’t really need a lunch date anymore. We’re going to the building supply, then over to Joanne’s to let Remi pick out a couple of books, then maybe the furniture store. I want to let him pick his own bed. He’s really excited,” Avaleigh finished.
Maverik had an idea then, “Valerie, darlin’, would you like to go to town with us and maybe we could go to the furniture store, too? You could help me pick out furniture for the house.”
Valerie sat there, thrilled but apprehensive. Her Lioness had pract
ically drug her there this morning, and she was very glad that she did, but she was still very anxious about how quickly things were moving. “Uh, yeah, we could do that, I mean, are you sure you want me to help pick out your furniture? Shouldn't Maia be picking out furniture; it is her house, too,” Valerie still struggled to feel like she fit into this picture. She had one foot in with Maverik, but the other was still firmly planted in the disbelief zone, waiting to see if he would suddenly shut her out again.
Maverik understood what her hesitance was; he reached over, cupping her face in both of his hands, “Valerie, I’m not going anywhere, darlin’. I know you asked for slow, and I’ll try. But I’m just so damn happy you’re here, and it’s hard to remember that you’re still needing some convincing. Just tell me when I move too fast; and I’ll try to slow a bit, okay? But there is something you need to understand; that house is yours. The furniture going in it is yours.” He patted his chest, “This male is yours,” he pointed in the direction of Bane and Janie’s house, “that teenager is your family, too. We love you, we are not going anywhere. Please stop saying it’s my house, Maia’s house, it’s our house, all of us. And I won’t be at peace until all of us are living in it. Surrounded by the things that each of us helped pick to make it a home. Okay?”
Valerie didn’t answer him at first. He still held her face in his hands, and there were tears shimmering in her eyes, “Okay,” she barely whispered. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, so, so softly, rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
Valerie’s heart pounded; her adrenalin was pulsing, along with other parts of her. If his simple, innocent kiss could make electricity ping through her body like it was doing now, what the hell was sex with him going to be like? Mate now, her Lioness urged and sent her images of herself kneeling in front of Maverik’s hard naked body as he taught her what he liked. Valerie’s whole body felt like it was on fire, and she moaned softly.
Maverik heard his Mate moan, then scented her arousal. His eyes popped open and he waited for a moment until she opened hers and looked right back at him. “Soon, darlin’, very soon.”
He stood, needing to take a step back and regroup before he lost control and bent her over the table they still sat at. When he stood, Valerie’s face was even with his hips and what lay between them. And fully aroused as he was, it was quite a package to see, even through his jeans. She was mesmerized as she whispered, “Oh. My. Dayum.”
She heard a rumble and managed to drag her eyes away from the bulge in his jeans to meet his eyes. “Darlin’, you need to stop, or I’m going to bend you over that table right now, give you every bit of what’s yours so hard and fast that you’ll never doubt who you belong to again.”
That was Avaleigh’s cue to leave, and the soft closing of the back door behind her was all they heard.
Only, Valerie couldn't stop panting, actually panting. Her eyes dropped back to Maverik’s crotch and she inhaled deeply, taking the aroused scent of her Mate into her lungs. Maverik leaned just a bit closer to her, and instead of pulling away, she raised a hand as though to touch him. She reached out slowly, intending to trace the outline of his cock through his jeans, but at the last moment decided to rest it on his hip instead, rubbing with her thumb just to the right of where it sat, encased painfully in tight denim.
He let out a low growl, “Valerie,” he said in warning.
She raised her eyes to his, still panting, and whispered one word, the most precious word he’d ever heard, “Mine.”
His restraint broke; he lunged for her, holding her face steady with both his hands as he crushed his lips down onto hers. He licked across her lips one time, asking entrance, and she immediately opened for him. His tongue swept inside her mouth, tasting, taking, claiming. She was the single sweetest female he’d ever tasted. The only one he ever wanted to taste again. He moved one hand to the back of her head at the base of her skull, wrapping his fist in her hair to move her head where he wanted her, tugging a little harder at her moan of appreciation. He nipped her lower lip, as he kissed his way down her chin to her throat, where he opened his mouth and placed his canines on either side of her neck, applying just enough pressure to make her tense. Then he slowly dragged his teeth across her sensitive neck, forcing another moan from her.
He pulled her up from the chair, placing her hands around his neck, but placing her a few inches from his body. He kissed her lips again and looking her in the eye whispered, “Don’t move.” Then he ran his fingertips from her hands down the soft undersides of her arms, then across the front of her shoulders and down her chest where he switched to a painstakingly slow pace, and increased the pressure of his fingertips as he approached her breasts. Then, while staring her in the eyes, he slowly but deliberately used his fingertips to circle all the way around her breasts, getting closer to her nipples with each circle as he repeated the move. When he finally got to her nipples, her lower lip was trembling, her entire body was on fire, and she was so wet he could smell her sweet heat threatening to send him over the edge into insanity. He used the nail of each thumb to scrape across her nipples, and he made sure she could feel it through her shirt, through her bra. She gasped, and her intake of breath was music to his ears. He pinched her nipples, and she shifted her hands from where they’d been clasped around his neck. He moved so fast he surprised her; one hand slapped her ass. One sharp slap. She startled and jerked her eyes to his. Maverik smiled wickedly at her, “I told you not to move, darlin’.” He angled his head and looked at her with his patented, adorable puppy-dog look, “Don’t. Move,” he whispered. Her body flooded itself with fresh arousal, and she nodded before realizing she was moving and snapped her head to a stand still. He smiled at her efforts to please him, “It’s okay, you’re learning. I’ll be patient.” Maverik reached out and wrapped a hand around her waist, pulling her up against his front, hard. Valerie moaned again, but did not move her hands. Maverik moved his hands to the backs of her legs as low as he could reach from their position, and slowly started dragging them up toward her ample ass. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “I’ve dreamed of these curves, darlin’. They’re mine. Each and every one of them.” She nodded, just enough to let him know she heard him.
“Say it, Valerie. They’re mine,” he ordered with a husky voice.
“They’re yours. All my curves are yours,” she replied in a shaky whisper.
His hands smoothed up and over her ass as he pulled her against him while rolling his hips against her front. She whimpered and rolled her own hips against his. She was panting uncontrollably now, choppy breaths, pressing her pussy against his cock, only their jeans keeping them from mating there in the kitchen. Maverik slipped his thigh between hers so that she could rub herself on him more effectively.
Valerie started to do just that and froze, realizing that she’d moved. Her eyes flew up to his, wide and thoroughly aroused. “It’s okay, Valerie. Go ahead, you can move. I’ll tell you when I want you to obey. It will only be in the bedroom, when we both feel like playing. If ever you don’t want to, just tell me. We’ll skip it that night. It’s about pleasure and trust, and giving yourself fully and without question to your Mate. If you don’t like it, we won’t do it. You understand?”
She nodded. She did understand. Her Mate liked to dominate in the bedroom. And that was just fine with her. It was new to her, but she’d heard of it, and Maverik had her so freaking hot that she could not even catch her breath. It was then that she knew; she trusted him. Ultimate trust, without question, without pause or hesitation. She trusted her Mate. She smiled sweetly at Maverik, stuck her lower lip out and pouted a bit, as she removed her arms from around his neck, “But I moved. Shouldn't I get a spanking? At least a little one?”
Maverik’s Wolf howled in his head, his cock throbbed. His Mate liked to play. He grabbed her at the same time he used his booted foot to shove chairs across the kitchen away from the table. He bent her over the table, taking care to lay her gently on the tabl
e at the same time he held her firmly against it. He leaned over her back, pressing himself against her, whispering in her ear, “Be careful what you wish for, darlin’. My Wolf is barely holding onto his control.”
And in response the little minx wiggled her ass against him. He growled low and deep and stood, while moving to the side, taking both of her wrists in his left hand, he asked her, “You ready?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
He brought his right hand down with a crack on her ass. She whimpered, arching her back and actually lifting her ass toward him.
He grinned. Oh, this was going to be fun. He lifted his hand and brought it down again with a sharp slap. Again she moaned, lifting her hips to meet his hand. He wasn't spanking her hard, just enough to be sure she could feel him through her jeans.
He lifted his hand again and said, “One more?”
She didn’t answer, just nodded her head, whimpering, rolling her hips. That was when he realized just how close to orgasm she actually was. He spanked her once more, immediately pulling her up from the table and into his arms, he unsnapped her jeans, shoving the zipper down, and slipping his hand inside, while keeping his other hand wrapped securely around her waist. “Put your hands around my neck, hold on to me.”
She immediately obeyed; he slipped his hand further down until he felt her. She was drenched, pulsing with her arousal. His middle finger found her swollen clit, and he rolled it expertly beneath his fingertip. Then he started making little circles around it, touching it at all times, but not directly on top of it. She was slippery wet, pushing her hips up toward him, dropping her head back on her shoulders, but her arms stayed locked around him. She started to rock her hips, and her breathing picked up. He couldn't resist; he wanted to know just how much control she had to give him, “Not yet, do not cum yet.”
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