“Good,” he said. Then she couldn’t leave. He wanted her to feel an ache inside her every time she thought of him if she dared entertain the thought of leaving.
He was watching her always. Even during the days when they weren’t together, his eyes followed her any chance he got. Especially if she didn’t know he was around.
She was his female, and he didn’t see how this couldn’t be enough for her. Soon, they would have a house built however she wanted it. He wouldn’t let any other males near her. She’d be safe. And happy. And he could even help her find a way to record an album or something. He had money that his dad had left him, plus years of savings from working the ranch.
But somehow, he knew even if he offered all of that, it wouldn’t be enough for her.
She wanted more. Things he couldn’t give her. And the thought drove him crazy, made him frown as he went deep inside her and she came around him, gripping him hard and finally drawing his release out of him.
When they were both gasping, finished and replete, he gathered her against him. He could almost feel the bear in him purring, if that were possible.
“Dammit,” she said, still breathless. He could feel her heart hammering behind her ribs. Would it hammer like that for anyone else? He didn’t think so. “You really are a wild animal.”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“How many times is that now?” she asked, turning toward him and laying her head on his sticky chest.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Every day. Twice yesterday.”
She sighed in contentment. “This is just what I need. Mountain air. Hot man. Amazing sex.”
He restrained himself from saying anything. He’d agreed to this. Now he needed to stick to it.
But with things so good between them, he had to think that maybe they had a shot at something lasting. After all, how could she leave when this felt so good?
“Mav,” she said, running a hand over his chest. “Do you want to do something tomorrow?”
He nodded.
“No, I mean do you want to go talk or something? Go on a picnic?”
His eyes went wide. That was outside their agreement. He wasn’t sure if he should agree. But the prospect of spending a little more time with her was irresistible. It meant more time trying to win her over. Trying to come up with the perfect plan.
Because for some reason, with Harmony, none of his plans ever worked out like he thought.
“This is a date, Mav, okay?” she asked, talking to him like she would a child.
He perked up. “Date?”
“Yes, so plan something nice. Some food. Someplace we can talk. Get to know each other more.”
He rather thought they were doing a pretty good job of getting to know each other, but he had a feeling that what Harmony was offering was meaningful, so he meant to try and make the most of it.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll make a plan.”
“Good,” she said, kissing him on the nose and standing to get dressed.
He wished just once she would spend the night, though. Time was going too fast, and he hated the moment when she got up and left.
“Stay,” he said.
She paused midway through putting on her clothes and gave him a warm look, her dark eyes glowing. “Not tonight. But I’ll see you tomorrow, Maverick.”
He sat back in the bed as she finished changing. When she was done, he put on a robe and walked her to the door. Then he watched her all the way back to the lodge.
The city boys had been sent over to Wyatt’s ranch, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering his mate.
He saw her turn back and blow a kiss to him just before going in the front door. He caught it absentmindedly and looked down at his empty hand.
Then he walked back into his room, turned off the light, shed his robe, and got into bed.
He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. Already, he couldn’t imagine a life without her.
So he’d just have to figure out a way to get her to stay.
* * *
Harmony was nervous as she waited for Maverick to come pick her up for the picnic they’d scheduled.
It’d been a risk, asking him to hang out during the day, wanting to get to know him better. It violated the careful lines they’d set out for themselves a couple days ago when they’d made their agreement.
But they’d both been angry then, and ever since, every time she and Maverick made love, the lines had been blurred.
Each time, he loved her with a fierce, caring intensity. Only focusing on her pleasure, as if his were an afterthought. He let her see the full animal inside him, and he was beautiful. The image of his sweaty body writhing over her, tensed in pleasure, intently staring down at her, was something she’d carry for the rest of her life.
She sang to herself as she finished getting ready. It was a way to calm her nerves as much as a way to distract herself from the feelings that she knew were beginning to blossom.
That night when Maverick had burst in on the strip poker game and she’d been able to verbalize her exact fears in regard to him, he had at least been honest about not feeling love was something he could offer.
Was that what she wanted? For him to take it back, say he could give her everything?
He wasn’t the type you had the picture perfect fairy tale with. He was as likely to irritate her as he was to impress her.
She wasn’t at all surprised to see him showing up with two horses, leading them by the reins with one hand and holding a basket in the other.
He looked gorgeous as usual, in a well-fitted country-style button-up, and jeans that were stonewashed to be soft but fitted. His tall, buff body looked like perfection to her. His handsome, chiseled face was outwardly calm but held a hint of excitement in the eyes.
Excitement she shared.
If she were honest, she was probably falling in love with him. She’d tried to stay distant while making love, tried to keep it about the physical heat, but it was hard when looking up into those dark, soulful eyes, so intensely focused on her pleasure.
She flushed as she walked forward. She eyed the white horse he’d brought her, the same one she’d ridden the other day.
“Marshmallow,” he said, helping her up into the saddle before mounting his black horse. It had a white stripe down the middle of its forehead and seemed high-spirited, much like Maverick himself. “And this is Cornflake.”
“Why Cornflake?” she asked, biting back a laugh.
Mav laughed himself as he moved the reins and started forward, Marshmallow obediently following close. Close enough they could actually talk this time.
He looked at her over his shoulder.
“I wanted to go on a ride alone with you,” he said. “Be able to see you. Talk to you.”
She bristled slightly. Why would he care if it was just about sex for him, not love?
But she forced herself to relax. The situation between her and Maverick was a complicated one, and she had the feeling she shouldn’t rush him.
“So Cornflake?” she asked as he led them into the shade of the trees, the opposite direction of the trail they’d gone on the other day with the men from New York.
She’d heard Maverick insisted they be transferred to another ranch first thing in the morning, and that seemed to have happened, because she hadn’t seen them around.
Good riddance.
“Cornflake,” Maverick said, a wistful look on his handsome face. “Well, when they first found me and brought me back to the ranch, my favorite food was cornflakes.”
A twinge of pain touched her heart. Did she know so little about this man? “What do you mean found you?”
“Well, my mother had left me in the woods.”
Harmony raised an eyebrow, and Maverick bit his lip like he’d decided they shouldn’t be talking about it.
“I mean, well, it’s hard to explain. She brought me to my dad, just not quite
all the way.”
“That sounds traumatic.” Harmony gasped, looking around her at the twinkling shadows of aspen leaves all around them as they walked, thinking of both their beauty and the danger that could be hidden there.
He shrugged. “I was fine.” He let out a long breath, enjoying the nature views around them as much as she did. Maybe more. “Anyway, I was really difficult for my brothers and my dad, but they gave me cornflakes and I calmed right down.”
She laughed. “That’s kind of cute.”
He shrugged. “And then, as I got older, I was still having trouble, and some therapist doctor said I should try working with horses.”
“Ah,” she said. “I heard that works.”
“I don’t know if it worked like they thought. Anyway, my dad had just bought a new colt, this guy.” Maverick patted his horse’s flank. “And they thought he was too wild. But I felt he was just like me. When I was around him, I was calm. When he was around me, he was calm. Because I liked him so much, I called him Cornflake.”
Harmony put up a hand to her chest, as if she could use it to rub away the ache everything he was telling her had put there.
She’d only seen the tough, tall man who didn’t know how to follow rules. She’d never thought about what kind of childhood would make a man like this. A man who liked to get into trouble, liked to do things his own way.
And didn’t really understand things most people did.
Her heart ached inside her, and she knew for sure. She was falling in love with Maverick McAllister.
“Why are you being so quiet?” he asked, looking over at her, dark eyes flickering in the shade. “You aren’t pitying me, are you?”
“No.” She lied. “I just… didn’t know.”
He shook it off. “It’s fine. I’m not…I’m not affected by things like that. I can’t really explain it now. But yeah, I’m not like most people. Like most humans would react to it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Why is it sometimes it feels like you don’t even seem to count yourself among humans?”
That made him pull the horse to a halt. He was sitting too straight in the saddle. Almost nervous. “I don’t know,” he said warily, his voice deep. “I just don’t.”
“Maybe because you grew up too wild?” she asked. “Where did you live before your mom dropped you off? How long were you in the woods?” It was hard to even imagine. Had the mom been brought up on child endangerment charges? Maybe he was exaggerating and just meant he’d been dropped off at the edge of the woods.
Still, being abandoned by a parent was no laughing matter. It left deep wounds. Harmony knew that. Her dad had walked out when she was little and never come back. Her mom had never been the same. She’d been feisty. Strong. Independent. But Harmony had seen her looking at the door sometimes with a sadness that seemed bone deep.
Being left by anyone you cared about was no laughing matter.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” she said.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He shrugged. “It’s more normal than you’d think for people like me.”
She had no idea what he meant. Was he bred by hill people or something? The mystery was bothering her, but he urged his horse forward again, a little more eagerly now, as if he could leave his past behind in the dust if he just kept him and Harmony moving.
“You know, my dad left me,” she said. “I was too little to remember.”
“As a human, that must have hurt,” he said, studying her with those dark, piercing eyes.
Was him not calling himself human just a coping mechanism for dealing with his hurt? She decided not to poke at it. Maverick was astonishingly normal compared to how his childhood had apparently gone, so she was even more willing to put up with his idiosyncrasies.
“It did hurt,” she said. “But I didn’t know him that well.”
“It still hurts, right?” he asked. His face was impassive, as if he were talking only about her situation.
“Yeah, it does. It did. I’m mostly fine now,” she said. “I’ve had a good life with my mom.”
“I wish I’d had more years with my dad,” Mav said. “But he gave me everything. This life with the horses. The ranch. My brothers. I’m grateful.”
He did seem incredibly peaceful, especially out here in nature.
“It is beautiful out here,” she said. “I can see why growing up here would be amazing. I think I could even live in the woods alone.”
He stopped at that, looking disturbed once again. Then he turned to look at her, a curious expression on his face. “Can you sing again?”
“What?” she asked.
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard in the world,” he said. “It soothes me.”
Her heart thumped and she felt warm down to her toes. She’d never heard something so nice about her voice in her life. Who would have thought she and Maverick could talk so easily like this? Who would have known quiet time alone with the big man would prove to be so bonding?
So she did as he asked. She sang a song her mom had sung for her. “You are My Sunshine.” A simple song, a light one, but appropriate as they were riding though a beautiful, shady trail.
She was barely through the first verse when they came out of the shade and onto a plateau overlooking a beautiful vista in front of them. Rolling plains, long trails, gorgeous bushes and trees, and huge mountains rising in the distance.
10
“This is my secret place,” Maverick said. “Too good for the New York guys. Not too good for my mate.” He jumped off his horse and held out a hand for her. She took it, and he helped her off the saddle, putting a hand at her waist.
When he settled her in front of him, she looked up into his eyes, feeling more bonded than ever before. Already, those dark eyes were starting to feel like home.
It was crazy. Was this what her friends had been feeling when they’d decided so quickly to settle down with the McAllister brothers?
He looked away from her and went to tie the horses to a nearby fence where they could graze on some soft, green grass. Then he took her hand and the picnic basket and led her to the edge of the overlook.
He let go of her to open the basket and take out a wide, woolen blanket, and she missed the feel of his warm, calloused palm.
She felt she could spend her whole life trying to figure out the mysteries behind this odd man and never quite do it. But maybe it would be worth a try.
Still, a part of her couldn’t ignore it wasn’t really a good match. Not logically.
He helped her down onto the blanket and opened the basket to start pulling out lunch.
She grinned. It was all clearly made by Fanny and was fairly simple. Sandwiches. Bottles of milk. Chips. But then he pulled out a lumpy, misshapen chocolate cake, and Harmony grinned.
That part had to be all him. The slanting, off-kilter shape was kind of romantic.
“What?” he asked gruffly, noting the direction of her gaze. “Looks good, right?” He handed her a sandwich. “But you have to eat the healthy stuff first.”
She scowled. “Why? Afraid I’ll get fat?”
He gave her a long, slow look. “Hell no.” He grinned and took a bite of his own sandwich. “But I’m told it’s best to eat the healthy shit first so by the time you get to the dessert, it’s even tastier.” His brow crinkled. “Plus, I’m a little nervous I messed it up. I’d rather you ate other stuff first, just in case.”
She laughed. She didn’t want to mention to him that anything Fanny made, healthy or not, was going to taste amazing and probably wouldn’t help him by comparison when they got to his dessert.
But she was so touched that he’d made it that she decided it was going to be delicious no matter what. She’d plow it down even if it tasted like sawdust.
Or worse.
When he’d finished his sandwich and was nibbling his chips, she noticed he was staring at her again. She couldn’t help but burn with a sizzling heat whenever he did that. Her whole
body seemed to buzz with awareness.
“What?” she asked self-consciously.
“Why wouldn’t I want you to get fat?” he asked, raising one dark brow as a muscle ticked in his jaw. “You made it sound like a bad thing.”
“Um, it is,” she said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like me the way I am, but I don’t want to be unhealthy.”
“Naw,” he said. “Fat is healthy. It helps keep you safe through the winter.” He winked at her rakishly. “Plus, it’s sexy as hell.”
“Yeah, the ass and boobs,” she muttered. “Obviously.”
“No,” he said, slowly running a hand over her stomach, her hips, her thighs. “It’s all sexy.”
“Thanks,” she said, leaning back and giving him a look until he took his hands back to himself. After all, how was she supposed to eat with him doing that?
Instead, he began unwrapping the cake. He cut a large piece, and she gulped, hoping it was edible.
“Fanny taught me this,” he said. “But it was a long time ago. I hope I still know how to do it right. Fanny said it looked like a pile of crap, but it should taste all right.” He handed her the plate and watched her with expectant eyes.
She was already a little full, and the food had been rich and delicious. But Maverick looked so intent on her trying it that she decided she should just indulge.
And it was nice—no, beyond nice—that he seemed to think curves were ideal. She could definitely get used to that. Not that she would stop being active and eating good food, but it’d be nice to only think about how she was feeling rather than the size of her jeans.
She forked a bite of the cake and popped it in her mouth… and groaned in astonishment. It was amazing. Fudgy, melty, thick, and rich.
Sinful.
Maverick’s eyes darkened as he watched her eat, and then he moved forward, taking the plate and fork from her.
“Hey—” she said but was cut off when he shoved another piece into her mouth. She grinned around the huge bite because it was amazing.
And because Maverick seemed just as intense about giving her pleasure with food as he was with sex.
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