Page 19

Lexi

My entire body trembled with shock as I watched the bathroom door slam shut behind Maverick. I stood under the stream of hot water, mind spinning like a rollercoaster stuck on fast-forward. Had he really just marched in and yanked the shower curtain back?

For a brief moment, I’d been convinced we were under some new attack. The adrenaline spike made me drop the bar of soap and shriek. Then my brain registered that the intruder was none other than Maverick. I’d caught the outline of his broad shoulders through the curtain. My heart practically burst through my chest.

Why did he do that? A dozen irrational reasons leapt to mind. He may have thought I was in danger. Possibly he desired to see me. All of me. It's likely he was powerless. Unable to control himself.

The water pounded against my skin, but I couldn’t feel it. All my senses hummed with the aftershock of Maverick’s sudden intrusion. I squeezed my eyes shut, remembering the urgent way he’d called my name, and the raw expression on his face. A tiny part of me had wanted to fling open that curtain, let him really see me, let him crash into me. But there was a stronger voice in my head screaming, No, your mother just died, and you barely know this man. This biker.

But it did no good. My hand trailed down my body until my fingers found my sensitive nub. I rubbed her until she was satisfied, all the while imagining what the biker could do to me. Then I swallowed hard, trying to ground myself. I was calming down, but I couldn't stop picturing Maverick, his scruffy face, his tattoos covering hard muscles, and that deep voice of his.

Besides, it was the worst possible time to be fantasizing. My friend Nova and her new biker beau were missing in action for all I knew. People wanted me dead. My mom was gone, murdered, leaving behind a swirl of secrets and chaos. And yet… here I was, masturbating to the outlaw who just almost saw me naked. My face burned.

I forced myself to rinse off and twist the shower knob off. Steam billowed around me. I reached for a towel, mind spinning.

What the hell is wrong with me?

He barged in for a reason. The cynical side of me insisted it was just leftover excitement from earlier. The romantic side fed by too many MC romance novels whispered that he wanted me more than he could stand. That side also whispered, He’s your knight in battered leather armor, princess.

But that was nonsense, right?

I dried off and wrapped a second towel around me, padding out to the sink. The mirror was fogged up, so I wiped it clean to find my reflection, wide green eyes, damp hair plastered to my cheeks, mouth drawn in a tense line.

What does he even see in me?

I wasn’t some sexy bombshell with perfect curves. Though I had enough hips to fill out my jeans and then some, they weren’t perfect by any means. They were lumpy and dimpled. I wasn’t a patched-in biker babe with tattoos or killer confidence. I was just… Lexi . The nerdy, grieving lawyer whose mother had just died.

And yet, he was helping me. He’d stuck around even after the bullets, the drama, the tears.

My phone, which I’d left on the edge of the counter, gave a faint ding. I snatched it up, heart lurching. A text from Nova:

Nova: We’re okay, at a hotel a bit farther into Texas. Phones died, just charged up. Sorry for the scare. We’ll meet in the morning. I’m so sorry, Lex. Stay safe.

A rush of relief flooded my chest. Thank God. She was safe. They were safe. No more anxious thoughts about her lying in a ditch somewhere.

I quickly typed back:

Me: It’s okay, just glad you’re safe. See you tomorrow.

Setting the phone down, I stared at my reflection again. “Okay, Lexi. You’re all alone with a biker who apparently can’t keep his eyes to himself.” I tried to sound stern, but my voice shook. “He’s trouble. Focus on staying alive, not hooking up.”

But that little voice that read romance novels day and night whispered, You like trouble. If this were a book, you’d have jumped him by now.

I growled at my own reflection. This was insanity. My mother had just been murdered. My best friend was missing until five seconds ago. Why the hell was I even entertaining thoughts of jumping Maverick’s bones?

Steeling myself, I dressed in an old T-shirt and shorts, the only clean clothes I had left. My shirt read, “Morally Gray Men Give Me All the Feels” and my shorts might as well have been underwear, tight and thin. Taking a breath, I squared my shoulders and opened the bathroom door.

Only a weak lamp lit the dark motel room. Maverick stood near the window, shirtless, rummaging through a saddlebag on the small table. My gaze roamed over the large tattoo on his back, a biker patch, not the Road Monsters MC but possibly from the club he was in before. I couldn’t make out the words, so I focused on the muscles underneath his inked skin. I was swooning.

He turned at the sound of the door, catching me staring. A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “Sorry about earlier. I, uh, guess I panicked.”

I swallowed hard, trying not to eye his bare chest again. “No worries,” I mumbled, noticing my cheeks grow warm. “It’s your turn now, if you want to shower.”

He scratched the back of his head, looking oddly nervous. “Yeah. Definitely. I should probably… y’know, rinse off too.”

I stepped aside, giving him room to pass. As he brushed by, a wave of heat rolled off his skin. Suddenly, my throat was parched. He slipped into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. For a few seconds, I just stood there frozen by lust.

When I finally remembered how to move, I took stock of the room. One queen-sized bed. The corners were suspiciously saggy, but at least the sheets looked clean-ish. The same old romance-novel trope popped into my head. O nly one bed. Oh no, how ever will we manage?

I almost laughed at how ridiculous it was. “Come on, Lexi, you’ve been studying this trope for years,” I muttered under my breath.

I thought, He’ll offer to sleep on the floor, you’ll protest, but he will anyway. In the middle of the night, something will happen, maybe danger, and you’ll both end up tangled in the sheets . I frowned at my own reflection in the dark TV screen. Well, not likely. Dead mother. Potential assassins. Real life is not a romance novel .

Still, a flutter stirred in my stomach. Would we share the bed tonight? Did I want to? A big part of me was absolutely terrified, physically and emotionally. I was a virgin, for one. And I was still reeling from losing Mom. But the memory of him barging into my shower made something ache low in my belly. I couldn’t deny it. I was fucking moist. I made a face at the word in my mind. No, I was dripping wet and not just from the shower.

Suddenly, Maverick’s muffled voice came from the bathroom. “Hey, Lexi?”

I jumped, crossing to the door. “Yeah?”

“I need some clean clothes,” he said. “Could you grab something from my bag?”

I froze, eyeing the saddlebag he’d been rummaging through. That was his bag. I’d stuffed it with my clothes in a hurry. Our packing situation was a disaster. “Uh, are you sure you have any in there? I think that’s all my stuff.”

“Just look, princess,” he called, voice echoing slightly in the tiled space.

I couldn’t stop a little flutter at the nickname. Biting my lip, I dug through the saddlebag. Sure enough, I only found my clothes, plus a random spare bullet or two, a first-aid kit, and some bandanas. And the kicker, a condom… Nothing that resembled boxers or jeans.

“Um… Maverick?” I pressed a hand to the bathroom door. “There’s, uh, nothing in here for you.”

“What?” His voice was muffled, but I heard frustration. “Shit. Maybe I left it all in your trunk before we hopped on the bikes.”

I winced. “Which we left in California.”

“Fantastic,” he grumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm. A moment later, the door opened a crack. He stuck his head out, dark hair damp. “So, I guess I have to wear the same clothes tomorrow?”

“Looks that way,” I said.

He sighed, pulling the door wider. For a second, my eyes went straight to his muscled chest. He clutched a small towel at his waist, but it wasn’t quite long enough. I kept my eyes on his tanned abs. My face flamed.

“Well, that’s just perfect,” he muttered. Then he looked at the single bed, brow creasing. “I’ll take the floor. Least I can do.”

“In just a towel?” I blurted, my mouth running ahead of my brain.

He arched an eyebrow. “I can’t exactly sleep in my wet jeans,” he pointed out where he haphazardly left them in the floor as he was stepping out of the shower. “They’re all I’ve got.”

I wanted to shrivel up. “Oh. Right.”

He grabbed his old clothes, giving them a sniff. Apparently not satisfied, he tossed them aside. Then, without warning, he let the towel drop.

“ Oh my God, ” I squeaked, instinctively covering my eyes with my forearm. I thought I’d pass out. “Warn a girl, would you?”

There was a quiet chuckle. “Look at me, princess,” he said, voice low and serious.

“I can’t,” I whispered, mortified. But a dangerous curiosity simmered in my veins.

“I want you,” he said in a husky tone that made my stomach flip. “I’m not gonna pretend I don’t. Hell, seeing you under that water earlier… it messed me up.”

I swallowed, eyes still squeezed shut. “I’ve never done anything like this before.” The words spilled out in a panicked rush. “I’m not that kind of girl. And my mom just died, and…”

I heard him exhale sharply. Then some rustling, and the soft whisper of cloth. A moment later, he murmured, “Shit, Lex, I’m sorry.”

I lowered my arm a fraction, peeking. He’d grabbed the towel from the floor and was covering himself again. His gaze held genuine remorse.

“This is too much,” I managed. “I can’t. My brain can’t process it. My mother’s death, the threats, you… I just can’t.”

He bowed his head, stepping back. “I get it.” He turned and strode back into the bathroom, rummaging. After a minute, he pulled on his damp jeans, wincing as he buttoned them. Then he came out, toweling off his hair. “Lexi, I’m sorry. Sometimes I don’t think, especially when I’m… worked up.”

I stood there, arms wrapped around my torso, trying to stop the shakes. “It’s fine,” I croaked. “This is all just. Yeah, it’s a lot.”

He set the towel aside and looked at me with an intensity that made my breath catch. “I know we barely know each other. But I can’t ignore this pull I feel. It could be the rush, the danger, it could be something different. But I want you to know, you aren’t alone. You hear me?”

A tremor coursed through me. “Why?” I whispered. “Why do you want to help me, or be with me, or anything? All we have in common is a bunch of bullets whizzing by.”

His eyes flickered. “Because you fill a hole in me, I didn’t know was still raw. I’ve lost people, too, Lexi. People I cared about. And you… you make me want to do better. Don’t ask me to explain it, I can’t. Attraction, chemistry, destiny, whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “So, it’s just lust, basically?”

A half-grin pulled at his lips. “Not just lust. But damn, you are fine, princess. You got these curves, that mouth, those eyes… I’ve been trying not to stare at your ass since day one.”

My jaw dropped. “That’s… crude.”

He shrugged. “I’m a crude guy. But it’s the truth.”

A strange flutter warmed my chest. Despite everything, I felt a surge of gratitude that he found me attractive. But the grief and confusion overshadowed it. “I’m sorry,” I said, my voice giving away my inner turmoil. “I just can’t jump into bed with you right now. It’s all too fresh, my mom…”

He stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I know,” he said softly. “I’m sorry about the timing. I’m just being honest about what I feel. We don’t have to act on it.”

I nodded, tears prickling my eyes. “Thank you.”

He exhaled, a long sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world. “I’ll sleep on the floor, all right? No arguments. You need space.”

I wiped at my eyes. “I appreciate that.”

With that, he grabbed a thin blanket from the closet, tossed a pillow onto the carpet, and made himself a makeshift bed. He stripped off his jeans again, this time more discreetly, leaving on a pair of boxer briefs that clung to his hips. He avoided my gaze, clearly trying not to stir up more tension.

I climbed into the queen-sized bed, heart aching and mind exhausted. The sheets felt scratchy, and I could hear Maverick shifting on the floor, trying to get comfortable. Trying to rest I was haunted by Maverick’s words, saying I filled some hole in him. Little did he know, I longed for him to fill a hole in me. I was just too chicken.