by Aliyah Burke
over her body, they were like the darkest of dark nights and
softer than the most expensive velvets. They caressed her as if
she and Maverick were alone in a room and he could touch her
anyway he wished.
“Good afternoon. Hello, Dak,” she mumbled and went
to the fridge for a drink of lemonade.
“Hey, Mom,” he said in a voice that sounded
remarkably close to the man that had sired him. “Did we wake
you? If so, sorry, we were going to let you sleep until Shelia
arrived.”
Holding the pitcher of lemonade, Tempest bit her lower
lip as a bronzed hand held out a glass full of ice for her. Taking
it from him, she risked a glance to his eyes and shuddered at
the look he had. It was a mix of possession and a feeling she
didn’t want to see. Filling the glass, she turned away from him.
“You didn’t wake me, Dak. It was past time for me to get
up, anyway.” Tempest took a small sip and couldn’t contain
the shiver that invaded her body as Maverick brushed against
her with his hard physique.
Maverick couldn’t help allowing their bodies to touch.
Tempest looked like a stunning vision. The way her sarong fit
over her made him long to peel it away and enjoy what lay
beneath it. He could see her breathing was affected by him
being there, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into
his arms and kiss her senseless.
The doorbell rang and Tempest walked away from the
overwhelming amount of testosterone in her kitchen. Pulling
open the door a genuine smile crossed her face as she looked
upon Shelia.
“Good morning, Ms. Burnell,” Shelia greeted her. In her
hands she held a cake box.
“Good morning, Shelia. Please call me Tempest.” She
winked and added, “Or Mom.”
Shelia leaned in and kissed her cheek before walking
into the kitchen, opting not to answer that comment. Tempest
shut the door on the scorching afternoon and breathed a sigh of
relief that her house stayed cool. She heard the swamp cooler
kick in and send more cool air through the home.
“You have to watch how you stare at me, baby, or I’m
going to go all ‘caveman’ on you and carry you off over my
shoulder and ravish you.” Those words were spoken directly
into her ear.
Tempest jumped as Maverick settled his hands on the
sides of her waist. “What are you doing here?” she hissed,
hating that her body still desired his.
Stepping away, he allowed her the much needed
distance between them. His eyes were serious as he met her
gaze. “I came by to see how you were doing after reading that
letter. Dakota asked if I wanted to stay for lunch.” He grinned,
seeming suddenly boyish. “He is a great kid.”
One you were nowhere around during the hard years. You
show up after he is grown. Forcing a smile, she nodded. “He is.”
As if he could read her mind, he shook his head. “I’m
sorry I wasn’t around. If I could go back in time I would. But I
can’t.”
Biting back her spiteful remarks, Tempest took a deep
breath. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Thank you for
last night.” Her eyes raked over his black-clad body one last
time before she left him standing there as she moved into the
kitchen.
“You’re welcome, mitawin.” For a moment, Maverick
remained in the living room and watched Tempest, Dakota,
and Shelia interacting in the kitchen. His gut clenched as he
witnessed the true joy on Tempest’s face as she laughed and
joked with her son and his girlfriend.
In that moment, Maverick knew he’d found his family.
His grandfather was right; he and Tempest were destined to be
together. Although he hadn’t been there for her in the past, all
that was going to change. His eyes turned possessive as he
looked over his family. Yes, his family. There was no other way
to think of them. As he walked to the kitchen to join them, he
could feel his grandfather’s approval wash over him.
Lunch was a lighthearted affair. Afterward, Shelia and
Tempest cleaned up since the men had made the meal. Dakota
took Maverick out into the living room.
“What do you do?” Dakota asked as his mom and Shelia
entered the room. His arm settled around his girlfriend as his
mother took a solo seat across from Maverick.
Maverick met his gaze before glancing at Tempest
quickly. “I’m in the Navy.”
“Really?” Dakota clearly fought back the grin that
tempted to fly across his face. “Mom dates a guy in the Air
Force. He claims to be some secret operative or something like
that.” He grunted from the elbow Shelia delivered into his side.
Years of hiding emotion came in handy again as
Maverick turned his gaze from Dakota to Tempest. “You’re
dating a Fl…Airman?”
She shrugged. “We’ve been out a few times. But it’s
nothing serious.”
“Not for his lack of trying,” Dakota added.
“And that means what, exactly?” Maverick asked his
child.
“Just that he wants to be a permanent fixture in this
household.” Tempest glared across the room at her soon-to-be
deceased son, who ignored her evil look.
When hell freezes over. Maverick nodded slowly, not
letting his true feelings on the matter out. “And what do you
think of him?”
“He’s not bad. He’s nice enough to me and Shelia. Treats
mom like a queen.” This time there was a silent challenge in
Dakota’s eyes.
“Good for him,” Maverick managed to force out. No
man needed to be treating his woman like anything.
Dakota got in one last dig. “I think once he gets back
from his latest mission, he is going to ask mom to marry him.”
That almost broke the control Maverick had on his
temper. His eyes snapped over to land on Tempest, who
suddenly found the fabric of her chair extremely interesting.
“And if he does? What will you say, Tempest?”
She lifted on shoulder slightly. “I don’t know. He’s a
wonderful man.” Tempest wouldn’t meet his gaze.
Heedless of the other two people in the room, Maverick
stood up and stopped in front of her chair. “Look at me,” he
commanded.
Her head came up slowly. “What?”
“You won’t marry him.”
Dark-brown eyes narrowed as the stared at the imposing
man before them. “And why not, James? You have no say over
what I do and whom I do it with.”
Maverick filled her vision as he leaned down and placed
his hands on the arms of her chair, blocking out everything but
him. “I said you aren’t going to marry him,” he ground out. His
chiseled face directly in hers made his furious gaze
unavoidable.
“You know what?” Tempest leaned forward and put her
face nose to nose with his. At his answering raise of an
eyebrow she continued, “I’m long past the age of needing a
keeper. If I were needing one, I wouldn’t take you.” Her eyes
raked up and down his close physique. “I needed you then, not
now,” she spat at him.
The tension in the room grew to gigantic proportions in
seconds. Maverick’s eyes flashed dangerously before he
reached out with one strong hand and gripped her chin. “You
know what? I’m getting tired of you throwing that in my face. I
can’t keep apologizing for it. I have owned up to my mistake of
ignoring you in town after that blundering time I took your
virginity. But damn it, I wasn’t the one who kept your
pregnancy from me; that was our parents. Mine and yours.”
His fingers tightened as she tried to pull her chin free.
“No, you listen to me now. I’m trying to make up for this. I
want to be a part of Dakota’s life; he is not just your son but my
son as well. He is ours.” Maverick lowered his face even more,
putting their lips millimeters from each other.
“Oh, yeah. One other thing. You remember my
grandfather?” He waited to get her acknowledging nod. “He
seems to think that our lives are intertwined. According to him,
you’re my mitawin.”
“What the hell does that mean? And let go of me!” She
smacked at his hand and received a narrow glare before he let
go that said if he didn’t want to let her go, she wouldn’t be able
to make him.
“I’ll tell you when you are ready. Until then, just know
you can’t marry him.” Maverick’s voice dropped to a low tone,
but it still echoed through her soul. “Don’t try to fight with me
on this. Accept your destiny, for it is intertwined with mine.”
Not wanting to hear anything similar to that, she shoved
him away. “Nothing of me is intertwined with you.”
“Not yet,” he vowed. Maverick looked from her eyes
down to her plump lips and back up again. He opened his
mouth to say something else when his beeper went off.
Standing upright, he jerked it off his belt and glanced at the
number.
Solemnity settled across his features as he pulled off his
cell and dialed a number. “Maverick,” he snapped off when he
got someone. “Arrange a transport for me out of Kirkland and
I’ll meet everyone in San Diego. See you there.” He closed the
phone with a snap.
Looming over the woman in the chair, Maverick stared
down at her. “Stand up,” he commanded.
Stunned by the emotion in his voice, Tempest couldn’t
ignore him. She stood and looked up at his face. “What?”
“Don’t forget what I said. I’ll be back.” Large hands
settled on her shoulders as he pulled her in closer to him.
“Toksha ake wacinyuanktin ktelo.” Still unmindful of the other
two people in the room, Maverick pressed his mouth to hers.
In a second, Tempest had melded her body into his
strong, hard one. A purr of contentment erupted from her
throat as her fingers scrunched up the sides of his shirt. Despite
her harsh words, it was obvious she was into the kiss as much
as he was.
Maverick let his hands move down her back and settle
on her firm butt. Bringing her in even further, Maverick
increased the passion of the kiss. His tongue swept through her
mouth as he relearned her taste and taught her his.
As his cock throbbed in his jeans, he knew he had to
stop. Reluctantly releasing her mouth, he pulled back so he
could stare into her hooded eyes that were darker than normal
with passion. “Toksha ake wacinyuanktin ktelo.” He leaned in for
one more kiss and then he turned around and walked out the
door with a wave to his son and his girlfriend who’d been
watching what they’d done with shocked expressions on their
faces.
Moments after the door shut behind him, they heard the
rumble of his motorcycle. Then there was the relative silence of
the normal neighborhood sounds. Dakota stared at her like
she’d grown another head.
“Don’t start with me, Dak,” she warned, trying to ignore
the blush that was running up the sides of her face like a horse
coming down the homestretch.
Dakota opened his mouth only to shut it when Shelia
elbowed him in the side and shook her head at him. Then he
held up his hands in silent surrender.
Tempest walked back to her bedroom and sequestered
herself away. Then she settled upon the bed and tried to sort
out what the feelings were that still coursed through her body.
“What the hell did you call me, James?” She frowned as
she tried to recall the word, not that it would help her in the
least, for she didn’t speak Lakota. Lying back on her bed, she
smiled to herself. I only call him James when I’m not sure what he’s
up to.
Closing her eyes, she let her mind go back to the kiss
he’d given her before he left. How thorough he’d explored the
recess of her mouth. How he’d tasted, better than she’d
believed he would.
Flinging her arms out, she moaned to her empty room,
“Oh get a grip, Tempest. It was just a freaking kiss!” Turning
her head to the side, she added, “But it was one hell of a kiss.”
Her body still throbbed from his touch. Groaning in
agony, she rolled over and tried to control the moisture that
seemed to pool between her legs. Her reaction to Maverick got
more and more intense each time their paths crossed.
“God, I’m like a horny teenager,” she mumbled.
“Good,” a masculine voice whispered by her ear.
Jumping in fright, Tempest found herself being rolled
over and the large body of Maverick covered her, pressing her
deeper into the thick mattress. His lips brushed over hers,
lightly. Teasingly.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded as her eyes
cut over to her bedroom door, which was still closed.
“I needed another kiss from you before I left.” His stiff
erection dug into her belly as one thick leg wedged itself
between hers, inching her sarong up higher. “And then I saw
you here, moaning to yourself about me.” His lips moved over
hers again.
“I thought you had to leave for…San Diego was it?”
“I do have to go. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t
going to be marrying anyone while I’m gone.”
She put her eyes on him. The look he had in his was
nothing short of tender. “I won’t.” Where the words came
from, she had no idea; but there they were and she knew he
wouldn’t let her take them back.
“I’m going to hold you to that. Now, give me a kiss. I
have to go to work, sweetheart.” Craving his mouth on hers
like a damn hussy, Tempest didn’t even fight him on it. Her
hands slid up across the muscled expanse of his back as their
lips met in a fiery explosion. Hands clawed at his skin through
his shirt as they ground together.
Maverick bucked his hips, showing her just how much
he wanted her. Dragging his teeth across her lower lip, he
to you, how I should have years ago. But I have to go or I’m
going to miss my plane. This will be finished when I get back.”
When she opened her eyes, it was if it had been a dream. He
was gone.
Thirteen
Maverick groaned in pain as the doctor probed his
wound. “Damn it! That hurts!”
His black eyes moved across the room. “Is he going to be
okay?” The leader of the Megalodon Team lay unconscious on
the table as a group of doctors worked frantically over his
body.
“You need to sit still, sir. You did what you could for
him, now let me get you stitched up!” the young doctor
commanded the irate SEAL.
“I need to know how he’s doing! Now!” Maverick
thundered.
The fact he had a six-inch laceration across his ribcage
didn’t deter him from lunging off his exam table the second the
words, “He’s crashing!” reverberated across the room.
Normally unflappable, Maverick was beside himself as
he witnessed his good friend and teammate begin to fade.
“Harrier!” he shouted as another doctor shoved him out of the
way. “You can’t give up! Lex needs you! We need you!
Goddamn it! Fight!”
It took four corpsmans to get Maverick restrained as
medics rushed the still man out the door and down the hall.
“Sir, sir! You need to remain here and out of the way.”
Once he was stitched up, Maverick went into the
hospital’s waiting room with the rest of his teammates. The
entire group was somber as they waited for news.
“Fuck!” Maverick snapped, causing everyone else to
glance over at him with a question in his gaze. “This is my
fault! It’s my fault he’s lying there. I should’ve taken out both
those guys. Some sniper I am!” He pounded his fist against the
hospital’s cool wall.
Tyson Kincade walked over to him and placed a hand
on his arm. “Don’t blame yourself, Mav. That second wave
took us all by surprise. You were the one who ran in there and
got him out.”
“If I hadn’t fucked up, I wouldn’t have had to get him
out of that mess.” Disgust filled Maverick’s tone. “What am I
going to tell Lex?” He sank to the cold metal chair along the
wall. “What am I going to tell their kids?”
“Tell her he’s going to be okay,” a soft feminine voice
entered the conversation. Maverick looked up to see a