by L. Wilder
“He’s going to be a lady killer, that’s for sure,” Courtney chimed in.
When I looked over to Henley, she caught my eye for just a moment, then looked away. She twirled a loose strand of her hair around her finger as she listened to the conversation floating around the room. This wasn’t the Henley I knew. She wasn’t her normal confident self. The doubts of last night were rolling around in her head. I knew I should go over to her, try to ease the awkwardness that was building between us, but I couldn’t make myself take that first step. She was right to have her doubts. She should fucking regret it. She was innocent and pure, and the last thing she needed was to get involved with a man like me—a man tarnished by his past.
Chapter 16
Henley
What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t even look at him. It’s stupid. I know I have no reason to feel like this. I know last night didn’t mean anything, or did it? He’s not acting all weird. At least, I don’t think he is. So why I am feeling so off center?
“I was going to take Henley into town and show her the shops around the square. Do you want to go with us?” Courtney asked Lily.
Lily looked over to Goliath and asked, “Can you keep an eye on JW for me? I don’t think it’s a good idea to take him with us. You know how he likes to get his hands into stuff.”
“No problem. I’ll take him over to the clubhouse with us. You can just meet us over there when you’re done,” he answered, looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. This huge brute of a man was wrapped tight around her little finger, and he didn’t seem to mind that everyone knew it. I liked that about him.
“Cool beans. Let’s roll, chickadees,” Courtney said as she motioned for us to follow her out the door.
I looked over to Maverick once more, hoping he might do or say something to settle my nerves, but he was still busy talking to Bobby. He didn’t even seem to notice when I walked past him, heading out the door. Damn.
The minute we got in the car, Courtney started her inquisition. “Sooo… what’s the deal with you and Maverick?”
“Courtney,” Lily scolded. “At least give us time to get a cup of coffee before you start laying into her.” They both laughed, but I didn’t miss that sparkle in Courtney’s eyes. There was no way she was going to leave it alone.
“Oh, come on, Lily. You know you’re just as curious as I am about what’s going on with the two of them,” Courtney laughed.
“I’d tell you if I knew, but to be honest… I don’t know what the hell is going on,” I confessed as I dropped my head into my hands.
“I don’t imagine Maverick would make it easy. Why don’t you just start from the beginning, and we’ll help you sort it all out,” Courtney offered.
“That’s just it. I don’t know where to start. I never intended to fall for him, and …” I started, but stopped myself when I realized what I was saying.
“You know, no one would blame you for falling in love with Maverick, Henley,” Lily assured me. “He’s a really good guy. He’s been through a lot, and it would be good to see him with someone who can make him happy.”
“And he’s easy on the eyes,” Courtney chimed in, and we all laughed.
“He’s just so…”
“Frustrating?” Courtney asked. “Hard headed? A pain in the ass?”
“Yep! All of the above.”
“All men are, but when you get past that… past all the stuff that doesn’t really matter, then you’ll find the real man hidden inside. That will be the man you will come to love, and the other stuff doesn’t really matter anymore,” Lily explained.
“In other words, you have to get past all the bullshit to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Courtney snickered.
They continued their line of questioning all the way downtown. Paris was a small town, but it had a lot of personality. The town square had several specialty shops and boutiques, and I was looking forward to going into all of them. When we stopped at the first store, Maverick’s car pulled in right next to us. Without giving his presence a second thought, the girls got out of the car and headed inside. I, on the other hand, was shocked to see him here. I sat in the car, staring at him like he had lost his mind. When I didn’t move, Maverick gave me a sexy smirk and motioned with his hand for me to follow the girls inside the store. I don’t know why I was so surprised he was here. Since the day I walked into the club, he always made sure I was safe. I quickly realized that Courtney was right… I just had to get past all the bullshit.
Courtney never stopped talking while we walked around all the quaint little shops, telling me every story that popped into her head. I’ve never laughed so much in my entire life. I loved getting to know them both, and I could have spent the entire day looking around at all the different stores. Unfortunately, Lily was getting tired. Although she never complained, her face was growing pale, and I could tell that she was wearing down.
“You ready to head back?” I asked.
“Do you mind? I really need to get back and feed John Warren,” she explained.
“Sure… ready whenever you are,” I told her.
After Courtney finished checking out, she grabbed her bags, and we headed back to the car. With Maverick following close behind, we drove back to the clubhouse. When we got there, the guys were gathered in the kitchen, talking about what they were going to fix for dinner. Without saying a word, Maverick sat down at the table beside John Warren and began feeding him a handful of Cheerios. Goliath and one of his brothers pulled out several steaks from the refrigerator and started getting them ready for the grill.
“You got one of those for me, Shep?” Courtney asked as she peered over his shoulder and watched him sprinkle the seasoning on the steaks.
“You know it. We’ve got plenty. Hope y’all are hungry,” Sheppard told her. With his blond hair and blue eyes, I thought he looked more like a model than a biker. There was a warmth to his smile that gave him a wholesomeness I wouldn’t have expected from one of the Devil Chasers.
“Yes, we’re starving… well, I am, but I’m always hungry these days,” Lily told him as she patted her round stomach. “Have you heard anything from Ana?”
“Nothing yet. She checked the lab before she left, and they weren’t ready yet,” Sheppard told her.
Goliath walked over to her with his eyebrows furrowed with concern and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. “She’ll have them in the morning. Now, why don’t you go rest for a bit while we get dinner ready? You look exhausted.”
“Okay. I could use a little break. Just call me when it’s ready,” she told him. Before she turned to leave, she reached up and kissed him on the lips.
I felt a twinge of jealousy as I watched them together. They had it all… they were a family and John Warren was the one who brought them together. I wondered if Maverick felt the same way. Did it hurt him to see them together, to see the family he didn’t have?
I leaned over to him and said, “Hey.”
“Hey. How did things go today?” he asked.
“I had a great time, but I’m sure you already knew that, since you were there the whole time,” I answered.
“Just keeping an eye on things,” he said, sounding almost defensive.
“You should’ve spent some time with John Warren or Gavin. You didn’t have to spend the day watching over me. It’s not like anyone would follow us all the way to Tennessee.”
“Not taking any chances,” he said as he handed John Warren his sippy cup. I’ll admit it. I liked that, even with everything that was going on in his life, he was still there, looking out for me.
“So… did everything go okay this morning?” I was almost afraid to ask. Lily told me about the DNA test, and I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about me knowing.
“Not much to it,” he mumbled. His shoulders grew tense, obviously not wanting to talk about it.
“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go call Cassidy and check in. I know she’ll be worried. I’ll be
back in time for dinner.”
“Take your time. It’s going to take them a while to get dinner ready,” he explained.
When I got up from the table, a part of me wished he had asked me to stay. I wanted him to talk to me about what was going on in his head, but he still wasn’t ready to let me in. I wondered if I would ever be able to get through that wall he’d put up. It scared me to think that I might never get past it.
On the way to get my phone, I heard a huge ruckus coming from one of the bedrooms. I couldn’t really tell what was going on, but someone was obviously upset. Curiosity got the best of me, so I peeked my head inside the doorway and found three men sitting on a sofa, shouting curses at the television screen. They each had a video game controller in their hand, and the sounds of gunfire exploded around the room.
One of them jumped up and shouted, “Come on, Levi! Don’t go out in the open like that. That’s a dumbass move!”
“Shut the fuck up, man. I got this,” he said, defending himself. None of them seemed to notice when I stepped into the room.
They continued to shout back and forth while each of them tried to defeat their opponent. The game was really heating up when one of their phones chimed with a text message. The man looked down at his phone and said, “I gotta run.”
“What the hell, Conner? We’re in the middle of a death match.”
“Duty calls. We’ll get ’em next time,” he told him as he tossed his controller down on the sofa and headed for the door. When he finally noticed me standing there, his eyes roamed up and down my body. With his eyebrow arched high, he gave me a mischievous grin. I rolled my eyes and walked past him, heading for the sofa.
“Mind if I play?” I asked them, walking over and picking up the controller.
Without even asking who I was or what I was doing there, one of them asked, “You know how to play?” The minute he looked at me, I knew he was Gavin. I’d know those eyes anywhere. His hair was lighter and he wasn’t as filled out as Maverick, but there was no doubt he was Maverick’s brother.
“Yeah… I’ve played a time or two,” I said confidently, sitting down beside him.
“Well, let’s see what you’ve got, sweet thang,” Gavin smirked as his focus returned to the game.
It had been awhile since I had played, but I managed to hold my own. Before long, we were all shouting and screaming at each other like we’d been playing together for years. We tried our best to take down the enemy, and I was doing really well. Every time I got a good shot, Gavin and Levi would both cheer me on. I was having a blast. My kills were really adding up, and I’d only died twice, when I felt Maverick’s presence enter the room.
None of us even acknowledged that he had walked up; there was no time. We were all too engrossed in the game to even speak to him. After a few minutes, with his eyes still trained on the TV, Gavin said, “Good to see you, man. Your friend here is an amazing shot.”
“Is that right?” Maverick asked, looking over at me, smiling.
“Yep,” Gavin said. He nudged me with his elbow and continued, “I might have just found the perfect woman. She’s beautiful and knows how to quick scope a sniper rifle.”
The second the words left Gavin’s mouth, Maverick’s smile vanished. “Dinner’s ready,” he snapped, sounding almost pissed.
“Just a second… I’ve almost got him,” I shouted with my eyes still glued to the screen. When the last guy dropped to the ground, Gavin and Levi reached out and gave me a high five.
“Did you see that? We just beat our high score,” Gavin said proudly.
“Conner is going to be pissed he missed that!” Levi said, laughing.
As soon as my feet hit the floor, Maverick took hold of my hand and led me out into the hall, closing the door behind us. Before I had a chance to ask him if something was wrong, my back was against the wall and he was kissing me. It was no gentle kiss. There was nothing soft or sweet about it. It was demanding and intense, and I loved every minute of it. His body ground against mine, and we were both lost in the heat of the moment when Gavin stepped out into the hall. Maverick pulled back, releasing me from our embrace and growled. Yes… growled—like a mad dog hovering over his precious bone.
Gavin sighed and said, “Well, damn. I thought I’d found the one.” He winked at me as he patted Maverick on the shoulder. “Let’s go, big brother. Dinner is getting cold.”
Chapter 17
Maverick
When I saw Gavin looking at Henley like she was the star on top of the fucking Christmas tree, I lost it. Enough said.
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Henley whispered as we walked down the hall toward the kitchen.
“No.”
“Really? You’re not going to say …” she started.
“No,” I told her firmly.
“Alrighty then,” she said sarcastically. “Just so you know, I think Gavin is really nice, and it was fun hanging out with him.”
“Good to know.”
“I’m sure you’ve missed him. I mean… it has to be hard being so far away from him, but I can tell he’s happy here. The guys seem to like him.”
I didn’t respond. There was nothing to say. Yes, I missed my brother, and yes, he seemed to be doing great. It was a good move for him to prospect here, but I had no intention of talking about it. I had other things on my mind.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Henley helped the girls finish cleaning up the kitchen and then headed back to the room. I hadn’t had much time to talk to Gavin alone, so I went to the bar to have a few beers with him.
“Things seem to be going pretty well for you,” I told him.
“Yeah, it’s been good, really good. The guys are great, and I love working in the garage. You should see some of the bikes and cars they pull through here. They’ve really made a name for themselves,” he explained. His eyes gleamed with pride while he talked about his work at the garage, and it meant a lot to me. When mom died, we both took it hard, but it was different for Gavin. He was just a kid and still needed his mother’s guidance. I tried to be there for him, but he was just too young and naïve. He had to figure things out for himself. I always thought he’d just follow in my footsteps and join Satan’s Fury, but seeing him now… I knew he’d made the right decision. He’d found his way, and he’d done it on his own.
“I’m glad you’re a part of it. It’s good to see you happy.”
“What about you?” he asked hesitantly. “Are you sure about signing off on the adoption tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
“You know, I’d understand if you were having second thoughts or something, but John Warren…”
“I’m not having any doubts, Gavin. I know he’s where he needs to be,” I clipped.
“You’re right. I know that now. I’ve never told you this, but back then, I thought you were wrong. I thought it was a shitty thing for you to give him up. I really did, but when I saw him here with them, I understood. I understood why you did it. You did the right thing.”
As soon as those words came out of his mouth, something shifted inside of me. Just knowing he actually got why I did it, made the weight I had been carrying around seem lighter.
“Thanks for telling me that, Gavin. It means a lot.”
“So what’s the story with the girl?” he prodded.
“Nothing to tell. I’m keeping an eye on her until we find the guys who killed Skidrow. End of story.”
“Nah. There’s more to it than that, and you know it. I saw the way you were looking at her, and the way you had her pinned against the wall. She means something to you.”
“Maybe so, but it doesn’t matter.”
“It matters. Everybody needs someone they can care about, Maverick, even you,” he told me as he took a drink of his beer.
It was after three in the morning by the time Gavin and I left the bar. I figured Henley would be pissed I was coming in so late, but when I crawled into bed, she didn’t hesitat
e curling up next to me. With her head resting on my shoulder and her arm draped across my chest, she whispered, “Everything okay?”
“It is now,” I told her as I kissed her on top of her head. “It’s late, go back to sleep.”
The alcohol was clouding my thoughts, making it difficult to think straight, but I was almost certain that she said, “In case you were wondering… I wasn’t interested in Gavin or anyone else, for that matter. I only want you… just you.”
The room was silent. I could feel the rise and fall of her chest as her breathing became slow and deep. Even though she was sleeping soundly, her words continued to echo through my mind, and I wondered if I had imagined her saying those words to me.
“Henley?” I whispered, but she didn’t answer. The room was spinning, so I finally gave in to my intoxicated state and fell asleep. I couldn’t have been out for more than a few hours when I heard someone pounding on the door.
“Maverick!” Goliath shouted as he continued to slam his fist into the door. It felt like I had barely closed my eyes when he said, “It’s time to roll, man. Ana just called and the test is back.”
Why the fuck did I drink so much? My head was throbbing, and the light creeping in through the window was only making it worse. “Just a minute!” I shouted back. Henley was nowhere in sight when I pulled myself out of bed.
Wearing only a pair of boxers, I opened the door and asked, “Have you seen Henley?”
“She’s out front with Lily. She can hang out here with Bobby or…”
“No, she’s going with us,” I told him. “Just give me five minutes.” I still reeked of alcohol, and I needed a hot shower to clear my head. Goliath nodded as I closed the door behind him.
I turned the hot water on high and stepped into the shower, trying to wash away the fog of my hangover. It didn’t help. My head was still pounding while I got dressed and headed down the hallway. When I opened the back door, the heat of the early morning sun hit me like a brick wall. I still hadn’t gotten used to the Tennessee humidity, and I could already feel the sweat begin to trickle down my back. Henley walked over to me with a bottle of cold water and a couple of aspirin in her hand. “I thought you could use this.”