Maverick (Carter Brothers Book 5)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  “Maverick is going to let me meet his niece, Hope, one day soon,” she tells me, smiling wide.

  “Faith and Hope, huh? What are the odds?” Maverick muses, winking at me, and I blush. It’s still bizarre seeing him look so carefree. He usually has worry lines around his eyes and a stony expression, making him unapproachable, but it’s like I’m seeing a new him.

  Either that or he’s just really a morning person. Which is the worst kind of person. Nobody should be that cheerful in the morning.

  I gave Faith her name because it’s all I had when I was alone, scared, and worried for my youth. I hate thinking of where my life would be right now had I not had faith, or if I hadn’t moved in with my nan when I did. It’s something I don’t like to think about.

  I chuckle, moving to help Maverick with the food. “How old is your niece?”

  “Sit down. I’ll cook.” He gently moves me out of the way. My mouth drops open and my skin burns from the small contact. “And she turned one last year.’’

  “It’s fine. I can help,” I tell him, waving him off.

  “Oh no, you don’t.” He grins and before I know what’s happening, I’m up in the air, squealing when he effortlessly lifts me. Carrying me over to Faith, he plops me down on the stool next her. “Stay put. Let me cook.” He winks, and I stop breathing altogether.

  I’m too stunned to speak, so instead I sit staring at him in bewilderment as he moves through the kitchen, putting together our breakfasts with ease and grace.

  By the time he’s setting the plates down in front of us and taking his own seat opposite me, I’m a blathering mess. My heart is going crazy, and I’m pretty sure I’m turned on just from watching him cook. Him being domestic in my space stirs something deep inside me, something I’ve never felt before, and it scares me a little. I feel the beginning of an obsession coming on; it won’t be long until he becomes someone I crave, something I need to breathe. He’s already consuming my every waking thought and I’ve barely known him five minutes.

  “So, there are three of you?” I ask, finally finding my voice and bringing up a safe topic for conversation.

  He finishes chewing his food before answering. “No, there are five of us. I’m the eldest. Mason, the one who’s getting married, is two years younger than me. Then there’s Malik and the twins.”

  “Twins?” I ask, wondering where Max fits in. I’m sure he said they were brothers. Maybe they’re step-brothers. There is no way on this earth that someone could survive if there were two of Max, surely.

  I look at Maverick, noticing he doesn’t have any grey hair, so there has to be an easier explanation. Maybe they gag Max and lock him in the basement when they’re home, or maybe they let him out in public to get his weird behaviour off his chest before he goes home.

  “Oh, Max and Myles. They’re the youngest of us all,” he explains.

  “Twins?” I ask again, my eyes widening in horror.

  “Yeah,” he says, slower this time. He raises his eyebrows as if begging me to ask him again.

  “There’re two of Max?” How the hell has he survived this long? The man deserves a medal.

  I’d normally at this time ask about his parents at this point, but I already know from when I asked Lake about something Max said in the interview to me that their parents weren’t good people, and that they were raised by their granddad in the end.

  “Yeah.” He nods, a slow grin forming on his handsome face.

  “How the hell did you survive this long?” I ask in all seriousness, beginning to wonder if he’s actually a god and not someone who just looks like one.

  He laughs, throwing his head back. I watch fascinated by the way his throat bobs up and down and the way his eyes crinkle at the corners; it’s downright sexy.

  “Myles is nothing like Max. Yeah, they look alike, but they’re nothing alike.”

  “Maxy? I love Maxy. More bacon, please?” Faith mumbles around her food, tomato sauce all over her mouth.

  I giggle and grab a towel to wipe it off, laughing when she tries to slap my hands away to stop me.

  “Here, have mine.” Maverick chuckles, transferring some of his bacon onto her plate.

  There’s a knock at the door and my eyes widen a little when I see what the time is.

  Oh no! Please no!

  Shit!

  How the hell could I forget what day it is? Oh yeah, I know. It’s because Tall, Dark and Dangerous has been playing house, filling my head with so many wild fantasies that I managed to forget my own name.

  Damn Maverick!

  “I’m really sorry for everything that’s about to happen. I promise, she’s okay―normally,” I warn Maverick briefly, leaving him looking confused. “I’m sorry.”

  With that, I jump off the stool and run to the front door. If I leave it unanswered I wouldn’t put it past Tish to break the door down. She’s always loved making an entrance, but she hates being ignored.

  Opening the door, Tish barges her way in without looking up. Before I can warn her that we have company, she’s opening her big mouth. I cringe, knowing what’s coming; she’s asked every time she’s seen or spoken to me.

  “You fucked that delicious landlord of yours yet?” She grins as she walks past me, towards the kitchen.

  Someone shoot me, please.

  Tish stops suddenly when she hears a strangled cough. I stumble into her back, groaning loudly when I realise Maverick just heard her.

  “Tish,” I warn, but there’s no stopping her.

  “Holy fucking crap! You move on quickly, my girl,” she booms, waggling her eyebrows over her shoulder at me and grinning. “And who are you, hot stuff?” she flirts as she walks over to the breakfast bar. I stomp my foot, wishing the earth would swallow me whole, already wanting this day to be over.

  “The delicious landlord?” He grins, looking at me and not Tish. His eyes are twinkling, a smouldering look aimed my way. For some reason, the fact that he’s looking at me at all comforts me, boosting my confidence. Usually when people meet Tish, they never glance my way. I’m the one they normally ignore, the duff of the group. Normally I’m happy with that, but if Maverick had begun flirting back with her, it would’ve hurt, more than I care to admit.

  “Oh God,” I moan out loud, my face heating with embarrassment.

  Tish turns around again, giving me a wink and mouthing “So hot” before turning back to the table and eyeing Maverick once again. “Hey little human,” she greets, kissing my daughter’s cheek.

  “Hey, Aunt Tish,” Faith returns, chewing her food.

  “So, didn’t take long.” Tish grins, eyeing me and Maverick once I take my seat. I cringe when she sits next to him, taking his cup of coffee like they’re old friends. Tish has no filter. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, and she has the confidence of twenty people, I swear. She’s harmless though.

  “Tish, please shut up,” I beg, but it falls on death ears.

  “So, how she do? Any cobwebs?” she asks Maverick.

  “Tish!” I shout, covering my daughter’s ears whilst contemplating the best way to kill my best friend.

  Maverick chokes on his food, eyeing Tish like she’s crazy before glancing at me, raising his eyebrows in a way that makes me melt. Why does he have to look so sexy all the time? Can’t he have a mole on his face or a spot or two so I can at least point something out? I can’t even pretend he has a small penis because I’ve seen the bulge he’s packing and there’s nothing small about it.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell him again, wincing when Tish begins to laugh. I give her a warning look but she ignores me, turning to Maverick with a wide smile.

  “So… you gonna speak or keep ignoring me?” she asks, grabbing a slice of bacon off Faith’s plate.

  “Stop it! Maverick made this for me,” Faith yells, slapping Tish’s hand away, and I giggle. I love the way she says “Maverick”; it comes out “Mav-rick.” It’s adorable, and by the way his eyes soften when he looks down at my daughter, I believe
he thinks so too.

  “I’ve got to get going. It was… interesting meeting you,” he says, giving Tish a wary look.

  “I’m not nice,” she scoffs, pulling his plate in front of her before digging in.

  He looks at her with wide eyes, making me and Faith giggle openly. He looks so carefree in that moment; it makes my heart melt more towards him.

  “It’s okay, Maverick. Aunt Tish is cuckoo crazy.” Faith giggles again, wiggling in her seat.

  “I’ll take your word for it.” He chuckles, kissing the top of her head. I’m caught off guard by the open show of affection, and if Maverick’s expression has anything to go by, he’s just as surprised by his actions. “See you later, squirt.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” I tell him warily, feeling like we’re actually doing the walk of shame.

  “See you later.” Tish winks suggestively and Maverick just shakes his head at her. When he reaches me, he takes my hand, startling me.

  I jump when I feel his breath on my neck. “Don’t let her and Max in the same room together. I predict trouble,” he whispers, making me laugh. I never thought of Tish being anything like Max, but now he’s said that, I can’t help but compare the two.

  She’s always been Tish to me, my best friend. Her attitude, her reactions to certain situations and her personality are what makes her so amazing. And I love her for it. A lot of people judge her, thinking she’s rude and stuck-up, but she’s far from it. She’s the most caring person I know; you just have to be on her good side to see it.

  Now I can understand why no one batted an eye when Max asked me all of those ridiculous questions in the interview. Max wouldn’t be Max if he didn’t do the things he did. It actually makes me feel guilty for judging him.

  “I won’t,” I promise, grinning.

  “Good.” He smiles. “Oh, here, I didn’t get a chance to give it to you.” He hands me a grey and silver invitation and I stare, stunned.

  He’s really taking me to the wedding. Us to the wedding, I should say.

  My cheeks heat as I take the invitation, our fingers brushing together. My belly flutters at the contact. Something tells me that my body will always react this way when it comes to him. I haven’t decided whether that’s a good or bad thing yet.

  “You really don’t need to take us if you don’t want to,” I murmur, secretly hoping he still wants to.

  He looks at me for a second, seeming hesitant about something. “No. I want to.” He smiles, looking away. “More now than ever,” he mumbles before turning back to me. The intense look we share causes my breath to hitch, and I wonder if he meant for me to hear that last part or not. It’s hard to get a read on him.

  “Okay.” I nod, my hands shaking slightly.

  “I’ll see you later.” He grins, leaning forward and kissing my forehead. Pulling away, he frowns a little before shaking his head, clearing the frown lines away.

  “Bye,” I tell him quietly, still stunned. I keep watching long after he leaves. It isn’t until Tish walks up, slamming the door shut in front of me, that I come back to the present, struggling to catch my breath and get my fluttering stomach under control.

  One look at Tish and I know I’m in for it. “Don’t,” I warn her. Before she can lecture me, I rush up to my room to get dressed, ignoring her peals of laughter behind me whilst I curse her under my breath the whole way.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MAVERICK

  “Stop!” Mason booms, startling me. Turning around in a daze, I pin him with a murderous glare.

  “What?” I growl, looking around the bathroom, trying to figure out what’s got him so worked up.

  “You just nearly hammered into a fucking water pipe, you dickhead. What the hell has gotten into you? I told you that wall had water pipes inside it and you completely ignored me,” he scolds, looking pissed.

  Glancing back to the wall in question, I sigh. I drew up the plans, so I knew where the plumbing was located. I mentally scold myself, feeling even more agitated than I did before I started. I’ve just been lost in my own head, a tornado of thoughts swirling around.

  Mostly of Teagan.

  “Sorry, everything with the club is just getting to me,” I grouch, sitting down on the toilet seat. I’m only half lying, but I don’t want to tell him that my new tenant is driving me crazy.

  I’ve not been able to get her out my head and I’ve been messing everything up because of it, from drink orders to remembering my own name. I have to talk myself out of finding more excuses to go round and see her. I’ve already fitted the new locks and made sure the windows all have child safety latches on them. I went a little overboard and even bought plug covers, plus fridge, cupboard, drawers and door locks, making sure I covered everything. The only thing I didn’t get was a stair gate. I wasn’t sure what they achieved, and when I asked Denny if Teagan would need one for Faith, she said she was old enough to climb over them or open it herself.

  Telling my brothers about her will just make things worse; they’ll tease me relentlessly until I ask her out for real. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, but I just don’t know what I could possibly offer her. She has a daughter, and if Teagan and I were to date, then Faith will be involved. I can’t do that to her, because when I fuck up―which I will, I guarantee it―it means Faith getting hurt in the process. And the thought of Faith hurting because of me is indescribable. The squirt has already found a way under my skin, much like her drop-dead-gorgeous mother.

  “I know you’re lying. Whatever it is, you need to work it out and soon. I get married in a week and we’ve got loads to fucking do until then. Between Harlow and Denny, I’m about to lose my shit, so I’m counting on you to keep it together.”

  I chuckle and get up to finish screwing the blind in, this time in the right place. “What have they done now?”

  “What haven’t they done, you mean? We need to get these houses sorted already. Harlow wants to revamp the old house too so that it feels like it’s theirs and not all of ours still.”

  “You decorated yours and Denny’s to suit her so she would feel at home. That’s all Harlow wants. You can’t blame her for that,” I tell him. “What has Denny done?”

  “Moaning at me to get the houses done because she can’t listen to Harlow bitch much longer.” He chuckles.

  “Food has arrived,” Max shouts from the next floor down before we hear him stomp his way down the stairs.

  “Thank the gods,” Mason mutters cryptically, following Max downstairs. I quickly finish the blind before going after them.

  The house is a decent size. Downstairs you have the front room, dining room and kitchen, set up pretty much like Joan’s house, only here we have a downstairs toilet under the stairs instead of a storage room.

  On the first floor there are two rooms and a bathroom, and on the third floor are two other rooms, one with an en suite, which is the room I’ll be in. I’ll have the whole top floor to myself. Max and Myles each wanted the rooms on the first floor, nearer the kitchen―Max’s words.

  Kayla meets me on the first floor, walking out of hers and Myles’s room. I’m thrilled to bits that she’ll be moving in with us. When they broke the news to me and Max, I could have done a happy dance. One thing I’ve learnt about my brothers since they’ve been in relationships is that they keep their shit clean when the girls stay over. Now that she’ll be living with us, I’m hoping I won’t have to live in a pigsty anymore. Hopefully it’ll also force the twins to start acting like the mature adults I raised them to be.

  The other reason I’m grateful she’ll be here is because of her dad. As much as the fucker has tried to make amends with her after her mother tried to kill her and he was blind to the abuse, he still neglects her, both as a person and as a daughter. Kayla needs people around her who will support and love her no matter how alone she likes to be at times. I’ve picked up on it a lot since she started staying over more. She’s more relaxed with us than she is at the mention of going home to her dad’s place, where
he’s moved his new girlfriend in.

  “Hey.” She grins, waving at me.

  “You still painting?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. I thought they’d finished decorating yesterday and that the kitchen was the only room left to paint. It’s the room that needed the most work. The dirty scumbags who lived here before us made sure to leave as much damage as possible. Luckily for us, the previous owner knocked the price down, covering the cost of the work that needed to be done.

  “Yeah.” She sighs. “We decided to put up wallpaper instead and it went wrong.”

  “What am I missing?” I glance over grinning as we make our way downstairs.

  “We couldn’t line the wallpaper up. The flowers ended up looking deformed, so now we’re painting again.” She giggles, shaking her head. “Myles kept losing his temper with it and ended up just shredding all the paper.”

  Laughing at the image of Myles losing his temper, we head into the front room. The laughter dies in my throat as I walk into in to World War Three.

  “But I ordered the bucket for myself,” Max growls, looking down at Harlow, who’s sitting on our new sofa, her rounded stomach sticking out like a sore thumb. It looks like a football has been shoved under her top. If the poor girl gets any bigger I’m worried she won’t be able to stand without tipping forward.

  “So? I’m hungry, and I want chicken,” Harlow snaps, pulling the KFC bucket box towards her.

  “It’s mine.” Max growls, pulling it back. “You have two meals, extra popcorn chicken and corn on the cob. And you ate not even an hour ago.”

  “I want some chicken,” she repeats angrily.

  “Lake, tell her,” Max whines, looking at his girlfriend with puppy dog eyes.

  “Let her have the chicken,” Malik seethes, trying to step between them.

  “No. I’m hungry.”

  “It’s an eight-piece chicken bucket, Max,” Denny tells him. She looks frustrated―at who, I’m not entirely sure.

  “I’m hungry,” Max growls again, pulling the bucket harder so it falls out of Harlow’s grip.

  Oh shit!

  Tears fill Harlow’s eyes and Malik shoves Max out the way, giving him a murderous look.