by Darby Briar
“Oh, God. What did you do?”
His laugh is deep and rich as he pushes away from the counter and comes toward me. He cups my elbows. “Tried to kiss you awake.” By the way he’s looking at me, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t mean he was kissing my lips.
“So that dream I had this morning where you were . . . uh-mmm . . . down there.” I look away as fire crawls up my neck and heat rushes between my legs.
Mav pinches my chin and lifts it. “We can pretend it was a dream if you want.”
My nipples harden and start to ache.
If I don’t sidetrack us soon, he’ll have me bent over this counter in a matter of seconds. Totally dismissing the kindling of lust bouncing between us, I say, “Well, if we’re going to do this, I’m going to need to throw this stuff out and scrub the pans.”
He chuckles as I turn the water on to fill up the sink and add some dish soap.
“You wash and I’ll dry,” Mav says as he grabs the kitchen towel off the floor that he dropped earlier.
“You do know how to dry, right?”
He smiles and narrows his eyes on me. Then winds the towel up and whips me in the butt with it. “Such a smart ass little mouth, Doll.” As I glare at him, I rub my backside.
Mav dumps the burned food. I watch and can’t help but think what a waste it is. There was a time not too long ago when I would have been thankful for every morsel of that burnt food. I think of the shelter and all the people in it. I think of Ivy and wonder where she is right now.
I get lost in thought as I load the pans into the sink. But after a few minutes, I force myself to think of something less depressing. Like the things about Mav I’ve been dying to know.
“Griz said you went to college . . .”
Mav peaks over at me. “Yeah. They like to rub that in like it’s a rap on my record or somethin’.”
“It could be because they’re jealous . . . or maybe they’re just proud of you.”
He gives me an odd look that turns thoughtful. “Hmmm. If they are, they’d never let me think that.”
“What college did you go?”
“Cornell.”
As I scrub the pan in the sink I ask, “I’ve heard of it, but I have no idea where it is.”
“It’s in New York. At first, I wanted to get farther from home, but then I got a partial scholarship there. I couldn’t really pass it up since it was also one of the best schools for studying architecture.”
“So you’re from New York?” I murmur under my breath, “Well, that explains it.”
He nudges my hip and takes the pans from my hands. His accent gets heavier as his eyes scan down my body as he says, “How you doin’?”
Chills rush over my arms. Laughing, I say, “Oh, my God, you sound just like him.” He even gives me the same lustful look Joey gives.
He says something else. But honestly, I can’t make out the words. It sounds like forgettaboutit.
The smile he’s wearing hits me all the way to my bones. My stomach quivers, and I’m suddenly all hot and bothered.
Trying to recover somewhat, I say, “Have you always been good at art?”
“I don’t know if I was always good at it, but I was pretty good in junior high and high school. Good enough to get a lot of extra attention from my teachers. I won a couple of contests. And one day, one of my teachers sat me down and talked to me about what I could do with it career wise. I love drawing, so it made sense to me to pick a career where I could continue to do that and make money. With designing homes and buildings, I get to see my ideas come to life.”
“It must be nice knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life.” I lean down to use a little muscle on a particular spot. “I’ve never had a job I felt that way about, and I’ve had many.”
“How many?”
“Hmmm . . .” I count in my head. “Somewhere around fourteen.”
“Fourteen?”
I nod. “Yeah. I was a waitress, maid, babysitter. I babysat for a couple of different families on and off. I worked as a hostess at two different restaurants. And I’ve also worked at a pet store.” I grin. “So Boop wasn’t the first spider I’ve had to handle.”
Mav visibly shudders and I laugh.
“What else?”
“Mmmm . . . retail at the mall, which I sucked at, and last summer I lifeguarded on the beach.”
The pan slips from his hands and clatters into the sink. He curses and fumbles as he grabs it. His eyes flicker over to me. “Are we talkin’ red bathing suit, runnin’ in the sand, and savin’ people?”
I pause and turn a little. “Well, technically, I only had to run to try to save someone once. The rest of the summer, I just sat or stood on the platform, watched the beach goers, and the water for sharks. But I liked it the best because I could bring Will with me and let her play in the sand.”
“Do you still have the swim suit?
I laugh. “It’s really not as sexy as people think.”
“Makes me hard just thinkin’ about it.” He smirks over at me. “Next time Nick has a pool party, remind me to pretend to drown so you’ll come save me.”
I shake my head. Through a laugh, I say, “Maybe I’ll let you drown.”
“Nah, you’d save me.”
My insides dance in agreement, but the grin he’s giving me is too knowing for my taste, so I shove the wet pan at him and he jerks back as I get him all wet.
He dries the last pan and asks, “What kind of job would you want if you could have your pick?”
The plans I used to have when I was younger come back to me. I had it all laid out. My grades were phenomenal. I had joined the math club and the swim team knowing I would have a better chance at a scholarship if I did. And a scholarship meant I could get myself out of the cruddy apartment and the life I was stuck in.
Shrugging, I reply, “I used to want to be a teacher. Elementary or junior high. I didn’t care. But to do that now, I need to get my GED and save money for college. So I don’t know. I guess I’d be happy with something that lets me work with kids.”
He considers me for a moment while he dries and then puts a pan down on the counter. “You sound like you’re already giving up. If you want to be a teacher then—”
“I’m not.”
“You can still do it. If that’s what you want to do.”
I nod and begin cleaning again. “I know. But it’s a ways off is all.”
Mav walks out of the kitchen as if we weren’t right in the middle of a conversation. To be honest I’m kind of offended. I know he thinks I should fight harder for what I want.
He comes back in carrying a manila folder on top of a pile of books.
Caught off guard and surprised I whisper, “Where did you get those?”
“I have a friend that teaches at the local high school. When you told me how you had to drop out, I called him this morning and asked what you’d need to study to take your GED.”
“Mav . . .”
“I told you I was gonna make up for some of the terrible shit I did to you, Doll. This is only the start of it.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” He taps the folder. “The papers in here will tell you what you need to know to be ready for the test. There’s some quizzes and pretests you can take too. I’ll get internet set up so you can study here if you want, or at Bethany’s, whatever you need.”
He’s pushing me. And although it’s a little alarming, I can’t deny I need it. I’ve always been awful about taking care of my own needs. Usually everyone else’s come first.
“That was really nice of you.” He comes to me. I slide my arms up his chest and then around his neck. “Thank you.”
His hands land on my hips and his head dips down as I tilt mine up. “I told you I could be a better guy.”
“I’m seeing that.”
He brushes his lips over mine. “Good. Because I like you right here. And I’m gonna do what I can to keep you.”
I
push up on my toes and kiss him. Slowly and sweetly on the lips with a hint of tongue. I want nothing more than to get lost in him and his kiss all day. But a small little voice in my head keeps telling me not to hand over my heart to him just yet.
As I pull back, I ask, “Are you ready to learn how to cook?”
His hands haven’t left my hips. He places a peck on my nose and then turns me around to face the stove. “Are you ready to teach me?”
“Depends.” I push back into him.
He groans. “On what?”
“On whether or not you’re going to pay attention, or just stand here and distract me.”
He laughs and moves my hair over my other shoulder. He kisses the curve of my neck. “Can’t I do both?”
“Hmmm. I don’t know. The way this feels we might end up with another fire.”
He steps to my side, rubs his hands together, and looks down at me. “Okay, let’s do this before I haul you over my shoulder and carry you upstairs. Show me what I need to know.”
We get the hash browns on first and once they’re set, I have him start the eggs, with low heat this time, and lots of butter, while I put the bacon into another pan. But a moment later, I notice he’s torturing the eggs and mixing them too rapidly. I reach forward and slow down his movements with my hand over his. Instead of mimicking my movements, he lets go of the spatula and lets me take over. At first, I don’t know why, but then he whispers, “Keep cookin’,” as he stands behind me.
“You’re not a very good student.”
He laughs darkly under his breath as he lips come to my ear. “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He sucks my lobe into his mouth. When he lets go, he says, “I never was.”
He slides his hand around and palms my stomach. He forces my body against his. Then his fingers trail down and sink into my underwear. I’m already wet.
“Fuck. I’ll never get used to how heavenly you feel on my hands. I want to own this. Make it mine. Make you mine.”
I tense under those words.
“It doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Doll. It means I want to love this part of you so good and so deeply that you’ll never want to share it with anyone else.”
I don’t censor my thoughts. They just spill from my lips. “If that’s the case . . . then I’m already yours.”
“You’re damn right you are.” He spins me and before I can get my bearings, he grabs both sides of my face and smashes his mouth on top of mine brutally, except it feels so good. I drop the spatula and wind my arms around his neck.
Mav grunts and his hands sweep down to my ass. He picks me up and starts stepping back all the while his tongue is stroking my tongue. Sweeping his arm over the island, he sends everything on it crashing to the ground. After sitting me on top of it, he grinds himself into me. I grab his shirt and pull it over his head. He rips mine as he tugs it off me. Then he’s kissing me fiercely again. At the same time, his fingers fumble with the button on my shorts. He impatiently yanks them off, taking my panties with them. I reach for his belt and push his jeans down past his hips. The second his cock springs free, Mav circles his hand around it and guides himself up and down my slit. He pulls my leg over his hip, and then in one savage thrust, he buries himself inside me.
I gasp and cling to his neck.
“You have no fucking idea. Jesus . . . Nothin’ fuckin’ comes close to this. It’s like heaven and hell wrapped into one. Somethin’ I’d fuckin’ sell my soul for. Die to keep.”
He threads his hands into my hair and seals his mouth over mine. Half the time he kisses me like I’m his air and the rest of the time he kisses down my neck and sucks on my skin until that small pain I crave barrels through me and sends sparks of desire south.
He hammers into me, and hits that spot that sends me reeling. When I whimper, he smiles against my skin and slows. He stops and almost pulls out of me.
“Luce, don’t you dare.” I glare up at him.
He laughs and slides into me fast and deep. “Don’t what, Doll?”
“You’re evil.”
He chuckles and drives into me again. “Yeah, I can be when I need to be.” He withdraws and thrusts again. “But you like that, don’t you? You want a nice guy by your side and a devil in the bedroom.”
I want to deny it, but I can’t.
To prove his point, Mav pushes on my chest and lays me back. He bites my nipple while at the same time slides the kitchen towel under my head so my skull doesn’t crack on the granite countertop. A dominant male and a gentleman wrapped up in one man. He grabs my hands and moves them up over my head. He pins them there with one of his. All the while watching my face and judging my reaction.
I wait for the panic to come, but it doesn’t. I brace for fear to hit, but only trust and longing flow through me. He brushes his lips over mine and whispers, “Let go, Doll. Just feel me and enjoy how I make you feel.”
His tongue enters my mouth and I moan as it tangles with mine. My eyes close and I give into him. He pulls my legs around his hips, and I lock them behind him as pounds into me.
His mouth moves down my neck to my shoulder. His teeth sink into my skin. An electric-like shock jolts through every nerve ending, and moves through my body. My inner muscles start to contract around him. Mav grunts and curses all the way through my orgasm as if he’s fighting to hold on to his control.
I peer up at him through my lashes. His dark features are riddled with lust and his jaw muscle pops.
“One more time, Doll.”
His hand drops to my sex and his thumb strokes my clit. I shy away at first because I’m sensitive but he won’t stop. He just keeps rubbing then pinching.
I see the smoke billowing up behind him. Enough to set off the fire alarms if they weren’t already dismantled. But I couldn’t care less. The only fire I’m paying attention to is the one we’re making together. And there is no stopping it now.
At the thought, my orgasm takes hold and my back bows off the counter. Every muscle in my body strings tight and then convulses.
We don’t always need an alarm going off to let us know we’re in danger.
MAVERICK
The moment her pussy starts gripping my cock for the second time, the tornado of pleasure I’ve kept at bay slams into me. Heat rushes down my spine and my orgasm hits like a wrecking ball. The growl barreling though my chest vibrates through my entire body, and I plunge deep inside her.
“Fuuuck.”
For the third time, I fill her. And for the first time, I’m completely aware that I’ve taken her bare, not only to feel her without anything between us, but for other reasons that plague me with guilt.
I know what we have is new and breakable. I feel the fragility of it every time we kiss, every time I touch her, and every time I take her to make her mine. So then why the fuck am I sabotaging this, instead of letting it happen naturally, as it needs to?
I know why though.
I crave what she can give me, a future and a family. And the idea that she could disappear haunts me. Getting her pregnant ties her to me, and I can’t envision a tomorrow without her in it. I don’t want to.
I’ve failed at fighting off my survival instinct that tells me to keep her close. To keep her here. I’ve given in to the temptation to find a way to cage this beautiful creature so I can keep her for my own. And in doing so, I’ve become no better than the monster she ran from.
I feel evil as fuck for sinking so low. But my craving for her is a thousand times worse than my addiction to cigarettes. It’s all-consuming and makes me feel like a drug addict. A sick, obsessed, would-cheat-and-steal-to-get-another-hit junky.
Something I fucking hate.
Pulling her up to me, I take her mouth. I push away my sixth sense that tells me I’m in danger. I don’t need the warning. I already know all she has to do is walk away, and without ever striking a match, she’ll burn my world down around me.
What you discover at the end of an unpaved road may surprise you.
MA
VERICK
A downpour seems imminent as the blackening storm clouds overhead rumble with thunder. I pray the storm holds long enough to allow me to do what I need to do.
The turbulent weather is a reflection of my mood, which has darkened since this morning. I mistakenly thought the burn that used to torment my chest was a thing of the past, but the nearer we get to our destination the more it intensifies. At every exit, I battle with the urge to turn off and drive in the opposite direction.
But I know I can’t.
Ember needs to see this.
And somehow, I need to find the strength to show it to her.
Sitting beside me in the cab of my truck, she stares out the window. Every so often, she shoots me a wary glance, one that accompanies a feeble smile with tight lines around her mouth, as if she can sense what’s coming.
Fuck. Maybe I should wait and do this another day, after we’ve shared more good times than bad.
I expel a long breath and rub my hand vigorously over my head. Doubts circle, and for the millionth time, I nearly pull over and turn around.
“Mav, what’s going on? I can feel your tension from here.”
I grab her hand and force a smile. After lacing our fingers together, I kiss her knuckles. “I have to show you somethin’. It’s just . . . not gonna be easy.”
Her gaze runs over my face. “Okay.”
I fight the feeling of a heavy rock in my stomach as I turn onto the dirt road. Ember’s fingers tighten over mine.
“It’s up this road a bit.”
A few minutes later, I catch a glimpse of the top of it. She must see it too because she shifts in her seat and leans forward.
The cab is dead silent as we get closer and pull in front of it and to the side of the road. I’m sure her mind is swirling with questions. Instead of answering them, I fist the steering wheel and use the moment of silence to try to push down the dread circling in the pit of my stomach.
I stare forward and purposely avoid the wreckage that sits forty yards from the road.