by Aliyah Burke
yet. He didn’t know it would be okay, but he was going to do
his best to make it so.
“Where’s Mili?” Maverick asked.
“Paperwork.”
“I’ll be in there talking to her.” Maverick headed for the
office door and entered after a sharp knock. “Where is she,
Mili?” he demanded by way of a greeting.
“I’m busy here, Mr. Lonetree.” She never looked up.
Instead of leaving, Maverick sat down. He rested his
forearms on his quads and stared at the Latina working behind
the desk. “I need to speak with her, Mili, please.”
Her dark head snapped up and their gazes locked.
“Please? I didn’t peg you as a ‘please’ kind of man.” Mili’s eyes
were still suspicious.
“I need her in my life, Mili. I love her. Please, I know you
know where she is.”
Maverick waited on pins and needles as she sat back in
the black leather chair and stared at him. Her long fingers
fiddled with the pen. He could see her weighing his request.
Mili released a long sigh. She sat forward and grabbed a
sticky note. As she wrote on it, she said, “I’m sorry, I can’t tell
you. I promised her I wouldn’t unless it was an emergency.”
Reaching across the desk, she handed him the paper. “I wish I
could help, sorry.”
He stood as his eyes traveled over the words on the
small pink square. “I understand. Thank you for your time. If
there is anything I can do, let me know.” Maverick headed for
the door.
“Any of those hot-ass men who were here with you
before single now?”
He stared back at her and shook his head. “Sorry, no, all
happily married.”
“Any of them with brothers? You?”
He chuckled. “I’ll let you know. Goodbye, Mili.”
Maverick waved as he left the office.
Twenty-One
Tempest stood on the outcrop and looked down the
steep ravine. The wind whipped around her. She’d been holed
up here in Mili’s family cabin ever since she’d returned from
South Dakota.
Mili had been the one to suggest she get away. Tempest
had been ready to shove her personal grief and feelings deep
within her soul and carry on. Mili had been adamant she go
someplace and work them out.
So she had. A note was all she’d left her son but he was
the one who’d claimed to be grown up, so he should be just
fine.
The first week she’d spent screaming and crying, railing
against how things had played out for her in her life. All the
pain, anger and betrayals, were allowed to escape. Or so she
thought.
She’d chopped and stacked wood, done yoga, and
finally found a place in her heart where she could forgive
everyone but herself. Tempest had put all the blame on to her
own shoulders now.
Inadequacy swamped her; she hadn’t been as good a
mother as she could’ve been. Maybe if she’d been a better child,
her parents would’ve wanted to keep her.
Tears streaked down her face as she dropped to her
knees and a keening cry escaped from her throat, as her hands
held her ears. “I’m sooorrrryyy!” she wailed over and over as
her body rocked back and forth.
Maybe I should just step off over the edge.
No! a powerful voice erupted through her head.
She glanced around and saw no one. Wiping the back of
her hand over her nose, she sniffed again. I’m not needed. Even
my own son doesn’t need me.
You are needed. You are loved and wanted by many.
“Just leave me alone!” she screeched. “Let me be!”
Tempest lurched closer to the edge of the rock she was on.
Blurry eyes looked down. All that air below seemed to beckon
to her.
Useless!
Slut!
Whore!
Ingrate!
Worthless child!
Horrible mother!
The screams of her birthmother filled her head. Sitting
back on her haunches, Tempest tilted her head up to the sky.
Fresh tears heedlessly streaked down her face.
Peace. Her soul cried out for it. Desperate to find relief
from the pain she felt, Tempest continued to wail as her body
curled into the fetal position on the edge of the rock.
All the anguish she’d encountered in her life seemed to
explode exponentially within her. Chills racked her body and
she sensed the darkness swooping in to engulf her.
Hang on, little one. This is not your time.
Tempest recalled hearing a deep voice like that in her
head when she’d given birth to Dakota. It had helped her find
the strength to hold on and fight. Then, Bertha had shown up.
Now, there wasn’t even Bertha left.
Don’t give in to the darkness.
“Leave me alone!” her voice cracked as she hollered. Her
hands gripped her head, trying to find a way to stop the voice,
the memories, and the pain. She couldn’t. “Why won’t you
leave me alone?”
She was going crazy. All the years of nightmares, the
hidden shame of being tossed away, had come to this moment.
She might be thirty-five, but she felt like a child. One faced
with an impossible task.
Don’t give in. There are things worth fighting for. You are one
of them.
Her hands clutched tighter, pulling hard on her hair. She
didn’t care. “Just leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that. I love you.”
Tempest turned her head, opened her tired eyes, and
watched James Chayton Lonetree walk across the large rock
toward her.
Maverick had tracked Tempest from the cabin up
towards an outcropping. He’d gone through the cabin and
made sure she wasn’t hiding from him before he began
following her trail.
The painful laments had reached him long before she’d
come into sight. Immediately, he’d begun running toward the
sound, desperate to reach her and save her from danger. Then,
he’d slowed.
It sounds as if someone is tearing out her heart, he’d thought
to himself. “Sweet Jesus, what have I done?” The unending
soul-wrenching cries had spurred him on faster.
His steps had halted as he’d entered the area where
Tempest was. She’d been lying on the rock near the edge of a
cliff. Her shaking body had been curled into the fetal position,
and her hands had been dug into her hair.
His heart had ripped apart at all the pain and suffering
she was going through. As he’d heard her whimper for
solitude, Maverick to answer her.
Her bloodshot eyes seemed to stare through him before
they focused and recognized him. Maverick froze as she
scrambled backwards. “Tempest, don’t move. Please.”
“What are you doing here?” Her voice was hoarse from
her screams.
“I came to talk to you,” Maverick said. He slid another
inch closer.
“About what?” She wiped a hand across her nose. “I’m
busy.”
“Can you move away from
the edge, Tempest? I don’t
like how close you are.”
“I’m not going to jump, James,” she slurred. “I’m neither
stupid nor suicidal.”
He held up his hands. “Okay, but I would just feel better
if you were further away from the edge.” His heart beat a little
easier as she scooted nearer to him. It frustrated the hell out of
him that she didn’t come running to him. In fact, she seemed
happier farther from him.
She sat up, wiped her eyes and stared at him. “What?
You think I’m going to jump? I wanted to; but no matter what,
I have responsibilities. So you don’t have to pretend concern,
just leave me alone.”
So many things flew through his mind. How could he
make her understand? He took another step closer to her, doing
his damnedest to appear unthreatening. “I’m not pretending
concern, Tempest. And I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Maverick easily read disbelief in her eyes. She didn’t
trust him. Hands at his side, he continued to diminish the
distance between them. Her gaze turned wary but she
remained still, for which he was eternally grateful.
The moment he was within grabbing distance of her, he
crouched down so he didn’t tower over her, confident at last he
could grab her just in case. The wind blew over them and
Maverick watched how it moved through her hair, like his
fingers had done on occasion, gently and lovingly.
“Tempest,” he began. “I am so sorry. I never meant to
hurt you. Ever!” Maverick fell silent as her body shuddered.
“What is it, baby?”
She didn’t respond, instead her body curled up tighter
and she hid her face from his view.
Maverick shook his head. Enough was enough. He
pushed up from his hunkered down position and maneuvered
himself beside her. A glance over the edge of the rock told him
just how far up they truly were.
Silent, Maverick gathered her into his arms and stood up
again. Adjusting her weight, he began the walk back to the
cabin.
Tempest was almost comatose in his embrace. Every
now and then, a small sob escaped from her; but otherwise, she
was mute. He held her tightly to his chest, determined now,
more than ever, to keep her safe and with him forever.
He adjusted his stance at the front door of the cabin and
opened it. After passing through, he closed it behind him and
walked to the room he’d identified earlier as the one she was
using.
He gently laid her out on the patchwork quilt. Her eyes
stared blankly at something only she could see. He brushed her
hair away from her face. His fingers trailed lovingly over her
normally dark skin, which now seemed paler than usual.
Her body seemed to relax under his touch, so he
remained silent and just allowed his fingers to express his
sentiment for her. He never took his eyes off her face; and
when her thick lashes began to drift down, Maverick knew she
would be asleep before long.
He was right. Soon, she emitted soft snores as she
slumbered. Maverick covered her with a blanket from the foot
of the bed, kissed her forehead, and left her alone while he
grabbed his bag from his car.
Tempest waded in the river. She’d awoken on her bed
and alone. She would have sworn that Maverick had been there
but she couldn’t find him anywhere. So, she went for a walk.
The cold mountain stream ran over her bare feet. Despite the
heat of the summer afternoon, the water sent goosebumps all
over her skin.
Mindless steps took her back toward the cabin, her
stomach telling her she needed to feed it. Her head was full of
conflicting emotions but the sounds of nature comforted her. A
smile flitted across her face as she imagined curling up on the
large chair on the porch with a book and some tea.
A rich silvery tone skated across her skin. “Nature is
good for you. You look absolutely beautiful.”
Eyes that had been almost closed flew open. Tempest
whimpered as her body responded to the bronze-skinned man
striding toward her.
Maverick.
He hadn’t been a dream after all.
She drank in the sight of him as if she were suddenly
parched. He moved with such fluid grace and yet there was a
wildness about him that only increased her desire.
The hardened man before her took her breath away. His
wardrobe of all black only added to the “untamed” look he
bore. Black eyes shone like the smoothest obsidian in the sun.
Blue highlights gleamed at her from his hair.
He approached with slow, deliberate steps.
Raw power.
Raw, panty-soaking, masculine power.
And she wanted him.
Tempest stayed still. Her belly clenched with
anticipation as he never even hesitated at the water’s edge, just
kept coming. For her.
Maverick stopped before her. His eyes glittered with
passion as he stared down at her. The mix of sage, redwood,
and amber encompassed her.
She lunged at him and placed her arms around his neck.
Her mouth desperately sought his.
She felt him stumble back from the force of her jump.
Then, he righted himself and wrapped iron-infused arms
tightly around her.
The kiss was explosive. Tempest felt her skin come alive
with sensations. She mewled in the back of her throat as his
hands slid under her ass and anchored her against him.
She wrapped her fingers in his luxurious hair, keeping
their lips together. Her pussy flooded with wetness as he
dominated the kiss, his thick tongue thrusting deep into her
mouth.
One of his hands delved into her hair, tugging her head
back. His teeth dragged along her lower lip, sending a mix of
pain and pleasure through her.
Her eyes met his. “I need you,” she stated bluntly as she
reconnected their mouths.
Anticipation rose in her when Maverick turned and
headed back through the water. Releasing his mouth, Tempest
burrowed her face into his neck.
All synapses were firing with her craving for him. She
shifted against him as he stepped up the lone step into the
cabin. His groan made her smile.
How effortlessly he carried her. The immense strength
in his body amazed her.
Powerful and yet gentle.
Fierce and tender.
He was what she needed; and as he lowered her slowly
down his muscular frame, she knew he was her saving grace.
His onyx gaze landed on her face. “Tempest?”
“Shut up, Maverick. If you’re here to yell at me for
leaving, march your ass out that door. If you want to fuck, you
can stay.”
She raised an eyebrow, hands resting on the hem of her
shirt.
If you want to fuck, you can stay.
Maverick’s cock jumped in his pants. No surprise what
its decision was. And he had to agree. It made him ecstatic she
wanted him.
&nbs
p; The words she uttered took the innocent aura
surrounding her since seeing her loveliness in the woods and
replaced it with a sensual being who knew exactly what she
craved. A white, ripped, sleeveless tee and a pair of low-slung,
high-cut shorts were all she wore. The filtered sun through the
trees had added a glow to her dark walnut-colored skin.
He whipped his shirt off and dropped it on the floor. He
crouched down and made short work of unlacing and
removing his heavy boots and socks. Maverick looked up
across the distance separating him from the woman he loved
and growled low in his throat.
She’d removed her shirt, so she stood there in a plain,
unadorned white bra and the loose-fitting, low-riding scrap she
called shorts. Smooth, brown skin tempted him as he hungrily
drank in her long, toned legs and hot body.
He stood tall and prowled toward her. He captured his
bottom lip in his teeth as he vanquished the space between
them. He never slowed his approach, just hauled her into his
embrace. His arms held her there.
Maverick loved how she fit against him. He loved
holding her. The erotic touch of her silken skin on his. The
smell that defined her, a gentle exotic scent that wasn’t
overwhelmingly feminine. It was slightly woodsy and had a
warm subtlety to it. It was perfect on her.
Maverick placed her down on the couch and knelt
before her. He remained silent as he reached for the brass
button holding up her enticing shorts.
Down her body he pulled them until they were piled
beside him on the floor. His nose flared as the spicy scent of
her. Possessiveness rose in him while he stared at Tempest.
Her chestnut eyes smoldered with passion, her full lips
slightly parted, her skin flushed and heated.
His woman.
He blinked and stood. With one hand he pulled a
scantily clad Tempest up beside him.
“What?” she asked.
“A bed, Tempest. By God, I’ll love you in a bed.”
She sighed as he scooped her up in his arms. Sure strides
took him back to the bed he’d placed her on earlier that day.
With the utmost care, Maverick lowered her to the quilt. His
body partially covered hers as he rejoined their mouths.
He could sense her need in her kiss. It was as obvious to
him as his own heartbeat. Maverick reached behind her and
unhooked her bra with one hand, removing it. A groan of
pleasure left him as her full breasts were exposed to his heady
gaze.