by M. L. Briers
“Aren’t you the sore loser?” Maverick offered in the most ungentlemanly way possible- and yet, if she’d won the day; she was almost certain that she’d be crowing about it too. Only she wouldn’t have had anyone to crow too because she would have been off down the road, and more than free and clear of the mating pull.
“I haven’t lost anything yet,” her eyes fired with annoyance and her graceless defeat signalled an assurance in his mind that she wasn’t done with trying to be free of him.
Maverick leaned just one arm against the roof of the car and leaned in over her, he was remorseful that he’d pulled his lower body slightly away and couldn’t feel her soft curves against his length anymore, but the heat of her body still called to him as did her scent.
His black eyes held her prisoner as much as if he’d tied her up and shoved her in the boot of her car- that image appealed to him somehow- not that she had much of a car anymore, and that was his fault- him and his brothers in arms.
“That tells me that I’m going to have to stay very close to you,” he almost brushed his lips against hers and she pulled her head back as far away from him as she could get it while still keeping it on her damn neck, and she scowled as hard as was humanly possible. “Very, very close.”
Those words- his tone- even the hungry look in his eyes was more than enough for that heat to rush through once more. It sounded like a promise of delights that her body seemed primed to want, and yet her mind told her to behave herself.
It just seemed like the damn icing on the cake that his body was that close to hers- everything about him screamed out to her, body, mind, and even her soul, and the word that kept going inside of her was one that kept repeating, over and over- mate!
Defiance sparked inside of her like one of those gunpowder fuses of old- it caught alight and rushed to the very heart of her. Her top lip twitched with annoyance, and if she’d had the room to spare then she would have squared up to him, as it was- she had to allow that fire to blaze within her and hold her ground or risk pressing her body back against his, and that would only have clouded her thinking once more.
“Like- a- leech,” she delivered those words with a preciseness and acidity that made him twist his head on his neck and regard her with an intensity that she’d never quite been exposed to before- hell, she could have been naked under his gaze- might as well have been…
“That sounds like fun,” Maverick growled back, and she could only wonder at what had gone through his mind and prompted his reaction, but one thing was certain- her words had been misconstrued.
“I take it you’ve got this brother?” Justice’s deep tone startled them both into remembering that they weren’t alone as they faced off against each other. Maverick acknowledged his brother’s presence with just a flick of his eyes towards them.
“Oh, I got this,” Maverick assured his alpha as he brought his eyes back to lock with hers once more.
It wasn’t what he’d said, but the way that he’d said it that sparked a thunderbolt of something unrecognisable inside her.
The belief in his tone?
The way that his eyes spoke volumes without words?
The heady rush of assuredly that said he had his prey and he wasn’t about to let her get away again…
It made her certain of one thing and one thing only- she needed to find a way out before it was too late.
~
~
~
There had been a choice of sorts- not much of one, but a choice nevertheless- walk or be carried. She’d dug her heels in for all of ten seconds before he grunted and started to reach for her. Then she’d jumped backwards away from him and had given in. Choosing to walk to her doom rather than the indignity of being slung over his broad shoulder like a sack of spuds seemed like the right option.
Now she was rather reluctantly inside the walls of his cabin- nestled at the edge of the woods- and she wasn’t shy about making her feelings quite plain, either by the way she had crossed her arms over her chest and assumed the pout of a woman on the edge of reason- or by her constant snipping at him with her acidic tongue.
At least he’d had the decency to pull on a pair of loose faded jeans. It meant that she didn’t suffer the rather humiliating situation of being caught red handed staring at his hard length. Although he’d left the button at the waist still undone, and the worn material bent backwards was like an invitation to her eyes to behold, and feast on the line of black hair that disappeared down inside, pointing the way to his manhood that still bulged the material.
Sexy damn wolf man…
His upper torso was still naked, and even more of an invite for her eyes to explore, which they did, every single time that he wasn’t looking…
Those well define corded muscles moved beneath his tanned skin like a mesmerising, tantalising entity with a life of their own that made her fingers itch to reach out and trace them… Thankfully, she wasn’t close enough to him to do anything about it even if she’d wanted to, and… she kind of wanted to.
It’s the damn mating pull… She tried to tell herself over and over again. But it wasn’t just that- the man was sex on legs, long, muscular legs that she had an urge to climb up to wrap herself around his hips and hold on for the ride of her life, and it would be, of that she was certain.
Janette tried to make herself concentrate on anything but him. Eyeing the open plan cabin that was light and airy and a total contrast to how she would have expected this man to live. It was clean, tidy, and free of a multitude of sins that men got up to when they lived alone.
A large sitting room ran seamlessly into the kitchen diner, all the comforts of home with a large screen television nestled into one corner, and the sofa that she sat on was modern and comfortable. From where she sat the kitchen looked reasonably modern with a large counter that doubled as a breakfast bar with stools that he’d invited her to sit on when they’d first entered. She’d opted to be as far away from him as she could get.
There was only one door leading off to one side, which she assumed was the bedroom- unless he slept on the sofa or curled up in front of the open fire. She was hopeful that there was some kind of a bathroom, because when she felt the urge to pee, she wasn’t about to do it in a bucket in front of him or skulk off into the woods.
“You know?” He started; his deep tones startling her out of her reverie and snapping her attention to his face and off of his body- just in time as he brought his eyes towards hers. “You’re gonna have to tell me your name at some point.”
Maverick’s face was angled to one side as he worked on making her a cup of tea, and he looked from under those dark eyelashes and arched eyebrows that made him seem a little more sympathetic to her plight somehow- a little softer in his stance… and yet, she still felt the urge to zap him a good one.
“Says you,” she muttered back- forcing her eyes to look away from him and staring at the dead cavern of the open fireplace.
The moment that he moved she snapped her eyes back again, and as he took a slow walk towards her, cup in hand, her back straightened and her eyes narrowed on him as if she was expecting him to pounce.
“Says necessity,” he offered.
He had that lopsided grin on his face again and it annoyed her as much as it attracted her. Annoying because she liked it so damn much and it invited her mind to go to places that she didn’t want it to go- places that made her feel warm inside.
When he stopped a few feet away from the sofa that she’d managed to squish her body into one corner of, and slowly leaned down to place the cup on the low table- his eyes never left hers for a second. Although, her eyes flicked downwards to that band of dark hair that disappeared into the top of his jeans, it was like the Trojan horse of sex- he came bearing gifts, and just like those poor fools in the ancient days- she wanted to accept it for what it was, and yet was desperately trying to remember that those kinds of gifts came at a price.
When she wrenched her eyes back up to his neither one of them
said a word. Her heart hammered at her ribs as expectation sat heavy in her chest, and then; he slowly straightened up, and she had to resist the urge to allow her eyes to roam downwards once more.
Eye candy of the very best kind- trouble is this candy will do more damage than just losing a few teeth- and yet, it’s so damn inviting.
“Otherwise, what am I going to call you for the rest of our lives together?” he teased her now- but it felt more like a slap in the face, a wakeup call to her senses, and a warning to be careful with what she wished for or she would surely get it- in spades.
“It’s not going to be long enough for you to worry yourself about,” she shot back- fidgeting in place as she dragged her eyes from him once more and settled them back on the dead open fireplace- almost wishing that there were logs burning brightly in there to give her something to take her mind off of his presence.
Maverick wasn’t sure if that meant that she was planning to run again or if she planned to kill him, either way it didn’t exactly bring a cheer to his day. The woman was a witch and had already proved her powers- the last thing that he needed was another blast of them.
“I think it’s time that you stopped pouting and we got to know each other a little better,” Maverick saw the way her body almost snapped to attention against the soft cushions, and could have slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Maybe pouting was the wrong word?
“Don’t you even think about-”
The way that she nervously fidgeted in her seat- the scent of anxiety mixed with a little fear that came from her, told him that she’d taken that entirely the wrong way.
Idiot, he admonished himself.
“I wasn’t,” he rushed to correct his mistake. “You just have a dirty mind, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing- just a little misplaced right now.” He’d turned it back on her and watched as her cheeks coloured a nice bright shade of red.
He liked that colour on her.
“I do not have…” she bit the words off and took a breath, her eyes narrowed on him and he expected more from her, but instead she sat there and chewed on an imaginary wasp.
Maverick noted the way that she was quick to rise to the challenge, and equally as fast at soothing herself once more. He liked it- it would keep him on his toes around her, make life a little more interesting.
He tossed his body down onto the cushion at the other end of the sofa and noted the way that she bounced a little at the other end. He couldn’t keep the smile from touching his lips.
“So, you’re dirty mind aside,” he started and saw her scowl once more. “Tell me about you.”
Janette stayed silent. It might have felt a little childish, and yet she didn’t really care. It was a protest against his inability to act like a normal human being- even though he wasn’t one.
“Wow, that’s impressive,” he over exaggerated his enthusiasm and she shot him a look that was full of daggers. “Where are you from?”
Silence.
“Where were you going?”
Silence.
Maverick knew one more thing about her- she was stubborn.
“Maybe I should just bond with you and get this awkwardness over with,” he offered and saw the way that her body tensed and her eyes darted to his- watching nervously- waiting for him to move.
Silence.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he teased.
Her mouth opened and closed, but if she did mutter something- he couldn’t make out what it was and he had damn good hearing, but there was no whip of her magic against his body- so he considered it a good thing.
He placed a palm down into the middle cushion and lifted his backside with the general aim of turning his body more towards her. Wrong move, a moment later and she’d hit him with a powerful jolt of her magic that sent him backwards over the arm of the sofa and down to the floor with a heavy thud to his pride…
~
CHAPTER SEVEN
~
Maverick lay there in stunned silence as he tried to get his bearings. Looking up at the ceiling; he regretted the throbbing pain that travelled from his backside up through his back- but he guessed that he’d asked for that one too.
She was feisty- he’d give her that, but was she pack mate material? She could certainly hold her own, and her magic would be helpful if anyone tried to give her trouble…
Janette grimaced at the thought of what she’d done. She wasn’t entirely sure how many jolts of her magic it would take for him to learn his lesson, and yet, they had all been in the arena of self-preservation- well, mainly. But when he didn’t immediately move she’d had a rush of guilt go through her and wondered if she’d actually managed to damage him this time.
She forced her body to move upwards, and placed a hand in the centre cushion to peer over the arm and down at him where he was still laying. The rise and fall of his muscled chest told her that he certainly wasn’t dead, but still he lay motionless.
Then his head snapped up and his eyes locked with hers and she almost jumped backwards into her seat in fright. The man was a damn menace!
“I guess zapping me never gets old,” he growled. That beast of his was in his throat and close to the surface. Definitely protective when his human side got injured.
“You’ll heal,” she snapped back, dismissing any thoughts of lasting damage because there wouldn’t be any. His blood would take care of wounds just as well as it took care of bruises- although, it couldn’t do much to help his male ego.
She dropped her backside back down onto the cushion and allowed the soft cushions of the back to hug her body. The thought of his muscled arms wrapped around her had shot into her mind like a bullet, and she rushed to dismiss those thoughts before they even got started.
It’s the mating pull…
Maverick jerked his upper body to a sitting position and stared back at her over the arm. She sat there as if she didn’t give a damn, and yet, she’d looked. She’d looked to see if he had been injured- but he couldn’t be sure that her intention was to run or not if she’d found him unconscious…
Females were so damn tricky, human and shifter alike, and just when he thought that he had one pegged they did the entirely opposite of what he was expecting- always expect the unexpected- he’d told himself, and yet, it never really seemed to work- they still managed to blindside him or amaze the hell out him.
“I’m sensing a little hostility on your part,” Maverick shot back and she snorted her contempt.
“Do ya think?” She tossed him a death glare, but just the sight of her eyes being on him, however they were presented, just made him happy- not in a sing-song kind of way, but to know that he’d been blessed, or maybe cursed, with finding his mate- it was way too soon to tell.
If he was a betting man and given that fate held the odds- he’d probably go with blessed- maybe.
“I try not to think-”
“I guess you wouldn’t want to lose any more brain cells- there are so few left.” She had him there- a comeback that made him grin wide and chuckle.
The deep throbbing tone of his laughter rolled towards her like a soft caress of her body. It heightened her senses and made her concentrate on his presence.
It was… annoying to say the least that she could be so attracted to a man that she was so desperately trying to ignore.
“Touché.”
Maverick rolled his body around on the floor until he up was on his knees. He crawled the distance between where she’d tossed him to the arm of the sofa and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the arm and taking her in as she sat there trying not to fidget and not to look at him. He could tell that every inch of her was more than aware of his presence even before she admonished him.
“Stop staring,” she hissed out, keeping her eyes front and centre.
“I can’t help it,” Maverick spoke the truth- he couldn’t. He wanted to drink her in.
“Learn-” she scowled.
“Every inch of your body,” he teased and her
eyes snapped back towards him once more. He felt that death glare as sure as he would have if it was her hands on his body, encouraging him to get ready for the main event…
“Is that all you think about?”
“Right now? Sure,” he tossed up a shoulder and gave her another one of those lopsided grins that brought heat to the place between her legs. He liked to tell the truth, and the truth of it was- he couldn’t get the thought of having her soft body beneath his out of his mind.
Did that make him a monster? No, just damn horny.
“I’m not a plaything. If your wolf wants to chase something go get a ball and I’ll throw it for you,” she hissed back, unnerved by the way that his proximity made her feel.
“You’d do that for me?” He teased, even as his beast growled within him at the jibe.
“Sure,” she tossed up a shoulder of her own. “Just find me that cliff and we’ll play.”
Maverick tossed his head back on his neck and roared with laughter. The unexpectedness of the booming sound made her flinch just as much as it made her heart race.
“I think I’m going to like having you around,” he chuckled.
“Don’t get comfortable with it,” she muttered- dragging her gaze away from him once more.
Then he was back up on his feet and jumping down onto the cushion once more. She bounced and seethed, rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed- loudly.
“I know you have a sense of humour, little witch.” He leant in somewhat and half whispered, and she shot him a guarded look. “Can’t you look on the bright side?”
“Of this?”
“Sure.”
“N-o-o-o-o,” she shook her head slowly and regarded him as if he was mad.
Maverick gave a slow shrug off of those broad shoulders of his and her mind was otherwise occupied for a moment with how his muscles bunched and moved under his skin, but a low, deep growl rumbled through his chest and made her snap to attention again- realising that she’d been caught staring once more.