Page 32

Maverick

I lay on my side, staring at Lexi’s sleeping form in the soft glow of the hotel lamp. The night felt still around us, the hush of the upscale room almost unreal compared to the rough roads and clubhouse bunks I was used to. My heart still thundered from what we had done only moments earlier. Every breath she took reminded me that this wasn’t a dream. Or if it was, I never wanted to wake up.

I had taken her as gently as I knew how, but with a hunger I couldn’t leash. It had started right after we checked into the resort, a place far more polished than any outlaw biker like me should have deserved. I scattered those rose petals, popping cheap champagne, determined to give her something sweet, something special, because she was worth more than the dingy clubhouse mattress or the back of my Harley. She needed softness and a hint of romance, even if I had to fake being that guy.

Perhaps I was that guy for her.

When she stepped out of the bathroom in that plush white robe, hair damp and curling around her shoulders, I almost forgot how to breathe. Fuck, I had thought, she’s so beautiful. My entire chest ached. I never felt that way before… not with Sky, not with anyone. Lexi was different. She looked at me like she trusted me, like the rest of the world’s danger didn’t exist for one fleeting night.

And she trusted me with her virginity, something I won’t lie and say it didn’t turn me on one hundred times more. My princess would be all mine, only mine. My dick throbbed as I saw every new inch of her skin. She trembled, but the desire in her eyes was stronger than her fear. God, I wanted to devour her, but I forced myself to take it slow.

I had guided her to the bed. I reached for the small bottle of massage oil I’d found in the courtesy basket, warmed it in my hands, and coaxed her onto her stomach. It took everything in me not to go for her plump ass first.

My palms skimmed across her back, pressing out knots I hadn’t realized she carried. She moaned, the sound muffled by a pillow. My pulse was deafening, but I kept focusing on her comfort as I explored her soft curves. If this was her first time, I refused to let anything overshadow it.

Eventually, I helped her turn over, marveling at how she looked. A work of art, like one of those Greco-Roman paintings, a goddess splayed against the rose petals, hair fanned around her. Her large natural breasts gave way to a soft feminine belly showing my property patch. Between her thick thighs, her snatch was void of any hair. And I knew it had been untouched. Her skin was as breathtaking as marble. I slid my hands down her waist, careful to avoid pressing too hard near the fresh tattoo as I gave the front of her body as much attention as I’d given the back.

My cock throbbed in my jeans, almost painful.

Keeping them on, I took my time and kissed every inch of her tender skin. My head bent to her thighs and my tongue swept her wet folds, lapping up her honied desire. She moaned my name, and I rushed up to kiss her, making her own sweet wetness mix with the champagne dryness. That was when I felt her melt under me, her arms wrapping around my neck.

Straining back, I lost my pants, watching her eyes capture the moment. Her sly grin, her eyes twinkling with want as she took in my enormous cock, was fuel for my fire.

She looked strained for a moment, but I murmured, “I’ve got you, princess,” and she relaxed. We kissed, things heated up fast, and my brain kinda short-circuited. I could only think with my dick. My cock ached for her, and I pressed it against her clit. She whimpered, half with anticipation, half with nerves, I could tell.

Hell, yeah, I was going to fuck her raw. She was mine, and I planned to enjoy her untouched pussy to the fullest extent. I tried to be gentle at first, guiding myself slowly. Goddamn, I was about to explode already when I charged into her hot vice. She gasped, tears gathering in her eyes. Though busting her cherry was my cock’s singular mission, the thought of hurting her made me uneasy.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered hoarsely, ready to withdraw. But she insisted she wanted this. Her voice trembled yet was resolute. She’d read enough biker romances to guess how it sometimes went, fast and rough. I asked if she truly wanted me to do it that way, and she gave me a panicky nod.

I was one lucky son of a bitch. So, I did, in one sharp motion, crushed my rigid dick into her soft tight cunt. She cried out, and the sound shredded me. I clutched her hands over her head, covering her face with kisses, trying to absorb her pain. For a moment, I felt her quivering as she caught her breath as she squeezed my hands almost as hard as her snatch was squeezing my cock. Then her grip on my hands eased. The pain was receding, giving me permission to move, and the moment I sensed her wetness softening around me, I lost all control. The outlaw in me took over, and I laid claim to her pussy as though she were the last tether to my humanity.

Perhaps she was.

Our bodies found a fierce rhythm, the bed creaking under us, petals scattering to the floor. Her eyes shimmered with tears and something else. Trust. Maybe love. I rasped her name, cursing as pleasure knifed through me. She was mine. Sure, it was etched on her body, but I was etching it into her mind and soul. When we finally exploded together, it left us panting in each other’s arms.

I couldn’t help but whisper the words I felt so deeply. “I love you.”

Afterward, she curled against me, her body spent and shuddering. I had half a mind to go again, to sink into her pussy for the rest of the night. Hell, the rest of my life. But I made myself let her rest.

You’ve got all the time in the world, I told myself as I imagined tying her small wrists together. Would that scare her? I watched her drift off, face pressed to my chest, and wondered how someone so good could ever want me. Yet there my princess was, breathing softly, trusting me.

I recalled every detail of that night as I lay there. And as soon as I woke, the night replayed again. Normally, I would have loved to wake her with slow, lazy kisses, see if she’d let me slip inside her again. But the world had other plans.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I eased out from under the sheets, careful not to jostle Lexi. I snagged my phone and saw the number, Eve. My heart sank. There was only one reason she would contact me, something to do with Kingpin, or possibly the twisted threads that connected me to my ex, Sky.

I opened the message.

Eve: You need to come to Nashville now. Meet me at Bootsie’s.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, typing a quick response:

Me: Okay, I’ll come as soon as I can get away.

My mind spun. So much for a slow morning .

Me: Does Kingpin know anything?

Eve: I haven’t told him a thing.

Damn, Eve was dense sometimes. I typed back, clarifying:

Me: I’m asking about Getty and Sky? What did you find out?

Staring at the three dots for too long, I set the phone aside to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I told myself I’d figure out how to break the news to Lexi gently.

She was not gonna like that I’d to leave her again so soon, but this was how it went in my world.

When I stepped back into the room, Lexi stirred, sitting up in the sheets. Her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders, and a flush crept into her cheeks as she realized we were still both naked from the night before. My dick instantly hardened thinking about the second time, I wouldn’t have to be so gentle. Biting my lips, I looked to the tie on her robe, knowing I could secure her with it.

Lexi’s gaze flicked from my cock to my phone, which I’d dropped on the little table beside her.

She reached for it, then froze, meeting my eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It lit up with a text, and I already glanced at it.”

Fuck, the burner phone wouldn’t lock like my smartphone. My dick going limp, I felt a pulse of dread. “No, it’s fine,” I assured her, stepping closer. “Just… let me see.”

She held it out to me, a frown on her face. “Eve texted again,” she said softly. “Says something about your ex not leaving you by choice, that she was blackmailed.”

My chest twisted as her words hit me. I read the screen, scanning Eve’s message:

Eve: I don’t think your wife ever wanted to go with Ralph willingly. Kingpin got a weird text and the girl’s mother confirms it. Ralph blackmailed Sky to tell everyone she was leaving you for him. She’s in danger.

Sky didn’t leave me on purpose? She always gave me a load of excuses, that we’d grown apart after losing our baby, that she wanted a man with power, that she couldn’t stand my drinking, my anger. But if Eve’s intel was true, maybe Sky had lied to protect me or her child. A mess of old wounds instantly reopened, and I struggled to keep my expression neutral.

I typed back:

Me: Are you sure?

Eve replied:

Eve: Kingpin seems to believe it. Her mom is beside herself.

I cursed under my breath. I’d spent so long hating Sky for betraying me.

Me: You’re telling me she was forced?

Eve: Get here as fast as you can.

Me: I’m coming.

I wanted to throw my phone across the goddamn room.

While I was reeling, Lexi asked quietly, “So, your ex is in danger? She didn’t leave on purpose? What does that mean?”

I wobbled my head, numb. “That’s… what it sounds like. If the mob blackmailed her, she might’ve had no choice.” My voice sounded as hollow as a felt.

Lexi’s eyes flickered with hurt. “Isn’t Eve also your ex?” She emphasized the name.

“Yeah, I told her to let me know what she found out.”

Lexi blinked like she couldn’t believe I had any contact with my ex. Until the other day, I hadn’t. “Eve said, your wife . Are you still married?” she asked, her voice rising.

I hesitated, forcing myself to meet her gaze. “Legally, under our old fake IDs from Alaska, yeah. Savannah Black and Owen Black are still married. But we aren’t those people anymore.”

She chewed on her lip. Then she rose from the bed, gathering her clothes. She didn’t say a word, just disappeared into the bathroom. The door shut, and I heard the lock click, a quiet finality in the sound.

Fuck. I wanted to chase after Lexi, explain, but I couldn’t. What the hell would I even say?

I yanked on my jeans, my mind churning with guilt and confusion. I still cared about Sky, even if I tried to bury it. But Lexi… Lexi was the one I wanted, the one I loved, or damn close to it. After everything I’d been through, she was the fresh start I never believed I’d get.

Lexi exited the bathroom fully dressed, with her bag slung over her shoulder. She avoided looking at me, but I caught the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. I wanted to hold her, to promise this wouldn’t ruin us, but I sensed she wasn’t ready to hear it. Instead, I jammed my shit into my saddlebag, muttering curses under my breath.

“I’m taking you back to the clubhouse,” I finally said. “You’ll be safe there. I have to go to Nashville.”

She gave a stiff nod. “Okay.”

“It doesn’t change anything between us,” I tried, hating the desperation in my tone. “You’re mine, Lexi. And I’m getting to the bottom of who put a target on you.”

She dropped her eyes. “What about your wife?” she whispered.

I had no answer for that. Instead, I tightened my jaw and led the way out, checking out of the lodge in stony silence. We rode back to the Road Monsters MC compound, under storm clouds. I could feel her clinging to me, but not with the same warmth as before. It was a duty now, not an embrace of trust.

At the clubhouse, I helped her off my Harley. She kept her helmet pressed to her chest, her gaze distant. Neither of us were speaking after the long ride.

“I’ll call you,” I mumbled.

She just nodded, blinking fast. My gut twisted as I turned and revved the engine, tearing out of there before I changed my mind.

Fuck. I was messing everything up. But I had to see what the hell was going on with Sky, especially if she was behind the threat to Lexi.

The highway to Nashville blurred under my wheels, my thoughts cycling through old memories of Sky’s laughter, the miscarriage we endured, the day she vanished. And now Lexi, the woman who let me into her life, and her body, despite all the danger.

How the fuck do I fix this?