by Moxie North
“You think?” she challenged. “Will you get over me?”
“Never,” he growled.
That growl did all sorts of amazing things for her libido. It made her nipples pucker under her shirt and this time she couldn’t resist shifting in her chair to ease the ache between her legs. She could feel how damp her panties were and really didn’t want to ride home like that.
Maverick sniffed the air and those blue eyes flashed. “Pru, you really need to leave.”
“Why? I thought we were talking.”
“Because I can smell how wet your pussy is and it’s driving me crazy. You need to get up, walk out, and don’t look back.”
“If I stay?”
“You really don’t want to do that. Go home. In a few days, you’ll see I was right, that being apart is better. I’ll keep busy, maybe get out of town.”
“Running away again?” Prudence threw that out as a dig that was not nice and she knew it. The distraction of her unfulfilled sexual needs was making her cranky.
Maverick didn’t answer. He just growled. The sound was so very not human that it did trigger Pru’s instincts. She wanted to push back and not give in to the flight response. She wasn’t sure if she wanted everything he said, especially if he was going to resent her for it.
She pushed back from the table and stood. After stepping away she pushed the chair back in. As she walked towards the door she waited to hear if he would follow her. There was no noise as she put her hand on the doorknob.
Looking back over her shoulder, she couldn’t help but test if what she saw and heard was all real. “Just so you know, I’m going to be pulling over outside of the campground and making myself come. My pussy is wet and achy again because it wants you. If it can’t have your cock, then I’ll take care of myself. That’s on you that I’m doing it alone.”
Before she turned back, she saw his nostrils flare and his eyes grow big and electric blue. His nails were digging into the surface of the table when she walked out, and she shut the door behind her.
As she strode away, she heard a crash that sounded like breaking wood. She really hoped whoever lived in that cabin didn’t mind Maverick’s temper tantrum.
Chapter 18
It had been two days. Prudence waited to see if Mav would show up at the rehab. She really didn’t even have a good reason to be there, and told Mr. Gill she was trying to find some more patients to help. She was hoping to see him in a what a coincidence we are both are here at the same time scenario.
The sisters tried convincing her to go back to the camp, but she didn’t want to show up and cause another fight between club members. They even tried to fire her three or four times. That didn’t work. She really believed that he would come and find her. The way he looked at her in the cabin was like all the romantic comedies she’d ever seen with a few pornos thrown in.
She knew how much he wanted her. The physical attraction was obviously there—she never saw his cock go down while they were together. And if he was to be believed, he had feelings for her that he wasn’t totally in control of. He wanted her physically and emotionally, but was still pushing her away.
Prudence wasn’t sure if that was something she should be okay with. Choice was very important to her, consent was also very important. Sure, Maverick said this was the way it was supposed to be. He seemed fine with the idea that he was destined to be with her. No matter what guy Pru had dated in high school or college, not one of them would have been so accepting of being told they didn’t get a chance to pick their partner. That was because it would never happen that way in real life. Everyone got to choose, except shifters apparently.
After Prudence had left the camp, she did take the time to stop and take care of business on the side of the road. It had her panting Maverick’s name as she came, damn him. She was feeling bad for him. All of his choices were taken from him and he didn’t seem to care. Her pity for him turned to anger, or at least frustration.
The freaking universe was telling him that she was the perfect person for him and he sent her away! She tried to think about him being part wolf and how weird that was, but it really wasn’t. Pru saw so many things when she traveled: witchdoctors and tribal healers that could do things others couldn’t. Why couldn’t it be something other than the ordinary, normal, mundane, human life?
There must be something to it. Prudence didn’t even want to tell the sisters when she got to work the next day. She was sure it was going to be torture keeping it from them. Instead, she told them everything that happened, easily leaving out the parts that couldn’t or shouldn’t be shared.
The sisters thought that him punching out another man must be true love. They didn’t know how right they were. It wasn’t love, but it certainly was a crazy amount of lust. Mav never mentioned love, not once, so she had to assume he was talking about the sexual drive to be together. She certainly felt that, and she knew she was all human. So for the last two days while she was sleeping, she was dreaming about him. It might have had to do with the fact that she had to replace the batteries in her favorite vibrator since she left it on so long as she fantasized about him. During the day that obsession turned to classic over-analyzing of all things Maverick.
If he needed her so badly, why wasn’t he chasing after her? Either that need wasn’t as true as he said, or he is even stronger than he appeared.
Prudence was sitting on a high stool behind the counter at Two Knotty Ladies, leaning over looking at receipts. She was moving them around without really looking at them.
“You should go over to that camp and make that man talk to you.”
Ethel and Claire had been giving her unsolicited advice since she’d shown up.
“And do what? Demand he date me?”
“No, just show him a little cleavage. Nature will take over from there.”
Prudence didn’t even look at them to see who was talking. The sisters sounded so alike, it really didn’t matter. They were both in agreement on what she should be doing.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to show up there. It’s not like there is a welcome sign, you know.”
“That boy will welcome you with open arms, you’ll see.”
Prudence wasn’t one to sit back and not take action. Her hesitation was getting on her own nerves now.
“I’m leaving early,” Pru announced, hopping off her stool. She’d Googled Maverick’s address. Going to his house was a bold move, but Pru was ready to be bold.
“I’m borrowing your car,” she called out, and pulled the drawer open that held the spare set of keys. After collecting her purse, she jogged out the back door to the alley where she’d left the car the other day. She got in, started it, and put it into gear before she could change her mind.
It would be something if she had to look up his address and put it in her GPS to find his house, but she had committed it to memory when she saw it. Like a homing pigeon, she drove on autopilot to the house outside of town. It was set back from the road, a Victorian-style house that didn’t look like what you would expect a biker to live in.
That was totally a stereotype, but it was what it was. Then again, his club lived at an old summer camp. She was sure that wasn’t normal either. The house was beautiful, a classic. Exactly like something she would want to live in. She could see herself building a chicken coop in the back under the shady trees she pulled up next to. There were raised flower beds that were empty, but Pru could imagine one bursting with dahlias and another full of vegetables. The outside of the house was plain, but still full of charm.
She didn’t see any cars nor Maverick’s motorcycle outside. So she took a chance and climbed the steps to the front porch. She knocked and waited. The front door had three panes of glass that were patterned so you couldn’t see through. There was a faint light in the distance, but no movement. She tried again, knocking a little harder this time.
Still nothing. Moving off the porch, she turned to see if Mav would be coming to rip the door open when he sa
w her car, or just knew it was her. No one came.
She should have taken it as a sign, with the universe saying if he wasn’t there, it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, she got back in the car and backed out of the driveway. The car turned itself toward the camp, Prudence was sure of it.
The drive was a blur as she sped toward the camp. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she got there. She was pretty much winging it.
This time she didn’t slow down when she hit the Redemption sign. In fact, she didn’t slow down until the car skidded to a stop next to the long cabin. She got out, slamming the door and marching towards the cabin near the lake. She was so focused that her Birkenstocks picked up every spare rock she came across on the dirt path.
The two men standing in the doorway of the mess hall watched the car speed past them down the path that wasn’t really meant for cars.
“She ss-seems in a hurry,” Latch said.
“Well, if she’s looking for dick, she isn’t going to find it out there. I’m not sure our Alpha has one.”
There was a short weak growl from Latch. “Y-you shouldn’t say tt-things like that.”
“Why not? He’s not mated, and by the looks of it never will be. Besides, what kind of Alpha puts a human before his own pack?”
“S-She’s Maverick’s mate.”
“So what? Just because he says so? This whole mate thing could just be a big lie our elders thought up to keep us from breeding little baby wolves. Maverick’s an asshole, thinking he’s so tough. He’s just a gimp that shouldn’t be Deacon’s second.”
“Oh and y-you should be?”
Stitch turned and flashed his eyes and teeth at Latch. He liked watching the young man flinch. “I’m tougher than him. I let him hit me to show everyone how unstable he is. Something more than his leg got broken in the war. We need a Sergeant at Arms that can handle the job.”
“He’s always taken care of stuff. He beat the shit out of those meth dealers. I heard he took out a group of pimps that were beating up their girls.”
“You think he did that all on his own? That’s he’s fucking Superman? Don’t be stupid. That was the club, not the almighty Maverick.”
“What d-do you care if he has a mate? She seems nice.”
Stitch snorted. “Nice until she tells people about us. Nice until some assholes think we aren’t natural and need to be hunted down. Then what? We have to run and hide because Maverick wants to get his dick wet?”
“I don’t think t-that’s how it is. He loves her.”
“Shit, wolves don’t love. We fight, we hunt, and we fuck. We’re animals and I’m sick of the show we have to constantly put on for the humans. We’re stronger and better than they are. Our pack would be better off if they understood that.”
“Oh and y-you’re gonna be the one to show them?”
Stitch threw a glance back at Latch. “Maybe.” Stitch knew what was right for their pack and their club. Maverick needed to be taken down a notch or two. That woman was nothing but a liability. Sometimes a wolf needed to draw a little blood for the betterment of the pack.
Maverick always had Deacon’s ear. Hell, he had the whole pack’s. He wasn’t VP, but he still ranked higher than everyone else. Stitch knew Mav didn’t like him. His unwillingness to accept him made the rest of the pack suspicious of him. When he’d met Deacon, he saw an opportunity to join a pack, make some money, fuck some pussy, and find his place. He was meant for more. He should be Sergeant, or VP. At the very least he would be a better Beta than Maverick. Instead, he was stuck doing shit runs, babysitting probies, and picking up after that fucking dog. It wasn’t his job, but Maverick liked making him do it. Like he was less than that Chihuahua. He was sick of it and knew he could bring Maverick to heel.
Chapter 19
Pru marched up to the cabin’s door and banged on it hard.
“You need something darlin’?”
Those words made Pru jump. She turned and saw the big man from the other day, the man that Mav had called their President, sitting in a chair on the front porch. He was dressed in all black, his hair shaved on the sides. There was a blondish lock sweeping over his forehead as the man looked at his phone. He was huge; the chair he was in looked tiny in comparison. He was handsome in a rugged way. All male, all biker, and apparently, all wolf.
“Oh, sorry. I was looking for Maverick. I know this isn’t his place. I just needed to talk to him.”
“He’s in California. Won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“California? For work?”
“You could say he’s working. It’s part of his job anyway.”
“Does he go to California often?”
The man raised his eyebrow at her.
“I’m sorry we didn’t meet formally the other day,” she tried.
“Deacon.”
“I’m Prudence.”
Deacon snorted. “Leave it to Mav to find a girl named Prudence.”
Pru wasn’t sure how she was supposed to play it with this man, knowing who he was. She didn’t know if there were any rules or procedures she was supposed to follow.
“So, he’ll be back tomorrow?”
“Yeah, he’ll be back. You two work anything out the other day?”
“He didn’t talk to you? I thought you were his—uh—President?”
“I’m more than that, but I’m guessing you know that already.”
“He explained a few things to me.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to hedge around me. Why don’t you just cut to the chase and tell me what he told you? This pissing around is annoying.”
Prudence took the seat next to the big man and leaned back against the wood. “Maybe you can help me.”
“I’m not sure that it’s my place,” Deacon said, looking off to the lake.
“You’re his Alpha. Aren’t you supposed to care about him?”
There was a moment of silence before he said, “Well, I see you two did have a long talk. You also fucked in my house. If it had been anyone else but Mav, I would have his balls for ornaments on my mantel. You’re just lucky you stayed the hell away from my bedroom.”
“I, we didn’t…”
“I know. I could smell it.”
Prudence didn’t like that answer at all. The whole idea of someone smelling her creeped her out.
“I don’t understand him, Deacon. He tells me all about how much he needs me. That he’s drawn to me and that we are meant to be together. The perfect match. Then he tells me why it won’t work, some shit about him not being whole, and how I deserve more. Which is a punk move if you ask me. That usually just means a guy isn’t willing to put the effort into making something work. I’m not getting that from him. It’s something else. He thinks I care about his leg. I really don’t, although he was upset when I saw it the first time. I admit it took me a moment to get over the shock. Not that he doesn’t have a leg, but just how bad it must have been for him for a while.”
“Shit, he really fucked this up good. I haven’t even seen his leg. He’s a complicated man, Prudence. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he has all of his priorities messed up. He’s a smart man that is acting really stupid right now. I can remember when he was worse, but no offense, finding you he’s back to being a jackass.”
“That’s nice. I didn’t ask for this, you know. I don’t like dreaming about a guy that I just met. I don’t like him filling my days with thoughts about things I don’t have and can’t have according to him. It’s not fair.”
“The universe never promised fair, just what is meant to be. So you believe everything he told you?”
“About his wolf? I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, to be honest. But he gave me enough proof that I can’t deny it. What he said he feels about me? That I’m less sure of. If he really felt all of that why would he be fighting it so hard?”
“Because outside of everything else, he’s a man. We’re either thinking with our dicks, or not at all. Mav is currently doing both. I�
��ve been trying to get him to do the right thing since I met him. He left more than his foot in Afghanistan. I’ve been trying to get through to him for the last three years. I can’t get him to reconnect with his family. I never thought he’d push away a mate.”
“Is it that big of a deal? No disrespect, but it can’t be all that important if he’s been ignoring me for the last two days.”
“To humans, it’s an idea, a fairytale. To us, from the moment we hit puberty, we know that something is missing. You’d think with two souls inside us that there wouldn’t be anymore room for someone else. But imagine wanting that connection with someone, and then double it. We see mated couples growing up and know that it’s everything that it’s supposed to be. Families and packs are built on mated pairs. I’ve seen men that I thought would never settle down, those who would fuck their way through their packs and towns, do a 180 in a moment. They go from bragging on their last pussy conquest to planning babies. It’s freaky to see, but it doesn’t change that it’s so profound that we all want the same thing.”
“Babies, geez.” Pru couldn’t imagine big tough Maverick wanting a baby. Let alone the image of him holding a baby. She couldn’t lie to herself; the image she worked up in her mind of that man holding a small child made her ovaries start to party.
“When a shifter finds a mate, they have a very clear plan in mind. Fuck her, bond with her, breed her. That might sound crass, but it’s animal instinct. Get your dick in her, get your bite on her, and get her pregnant. It’s the best feeling in the world that your mate is locked to you forever.”
“Excuse me? Bite me?”
Deacon’s gaze turned toward to her. Prudence hadn’t noticed before how handsome the man was. His features were all masculine. He had a beard shorter than Mav’s, but not hiding a strong jaw that would make normal women swoon. Pru could honestly say she only had eyes for Mav.
“He didn’t share that part? Fucker. Shifter mates bite each other. It’s a mark that doesn’t fade and links them together. It’s different for every pair. Sharing in each other’s blood makes it so they always can sense their partner. Some people swear they can tell what their mate is feeling or even thinking. I don’t know about that, but I don’t have a mate so can’t say for sure.”