I chew on my lip as I consider his words. Maybe I really should go to the police? Or speak to Smithy. He has friends in all sorts of weird and wonderful places.
But what if that makes him a target too?
Lincoln turns and motions to Finley, who picks up the box and heads over to the brothers.
“Come on, let’s get you inside. These guys will deal with it. I’ll stay with you for a bit.”
This might be the softest side to Mav I’ve seen since I got back, but there’s still a hardness behind it, like he’s just trying to protect me, and that sets me off balance all on its own.
“We’ll be in touch soon,” Lincoln says as Mav starts to usher me inside, and I nod, feeling more than a little numb.
Maybe one day my life will be normal, but at this point, I think that’s nothing but a dream.
* * *
After Smithy’s delight at having Maverick around for the evening, we ate, and the two of them chatted up a storm like two friends who had been separated for years. I left them to it and grabbed a shower, throwing on a pair of cutoffs and a hoodie, because comfort is key right now.
I make my way back to my room and find Maverick sprawled out on my bed, grinning wickedly at me.
I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about how good he looks, but right now he looks like the perfect kind of escape. He’s taken so much from me at this point that I don’t even feel bad about taking something for myself.
Especially when I want to feel something other than fear.
I know I shouldn’t want him, and I know I definitely shouldn’t forgive him, but there is something about Maverick Riley that makes me weak. He makes me feel brazen, like I can take on the world and come out swinging on the other side.
Having him lie there, on my bed, in my space, makes me bold.
I might not have completely forgiven him yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. I only just lost my virginity, and while I put absolutely zero stock in the whole virgin thing, maybe I shouldn’t be messing around with three different guys? I’ve never had any issues with women owning their sexuality, but I can’t help but second guess myself. Especially when it’s these guys I’m messing around with. Pretty sure I should be avoiding them at all costs. Or at least put up more of a fight. Retaliate against everything they’ve done… make them work a little harder, or at least give me some of what I want.
“Get out of your head, princess. I know what you’re thinking, and trust me everyone is okay with sharing as long as we get to have you. Now, crawl up on this bed with me.” The devilish smirk on his face promises even more than the fantasies his words trigger in my mind, and it sparks a fire in me. The challenge in his eyes emboldens me.
Fuck overthinking it.
I sashay across the room, compartmentalizing the events of the evening as I go, and crawl up the bed like he instructed until he’s caged in beneath me. Not that I’m taking that for granted. Caging Maverick Riley is like caging a tiger—dangerous as fuck.
He captures my lips with his, pulling me down on top of him until our bodies are flush. “Tell me what you want, princess.”
I bite the inside of my lip, considering his words.
“I want to suck your dick.”
His eyes go wide at my words, and then he grins that signature smirk of his. “If you think I’m going to turn that down, you are out of your damn mind.”
The next thing I know, Mav has deftly swapped our positions and I’m now caged beneath him, his eyes burning with what I can only describe as dangerous lust. Unhinged desire. A beast cornering his prey, playing with them, before going in for the kill.
It’s exhilarating.
Maybe something is wrong with me. Maybe my fight or flight instinct really is broken. But that look in his eye has me so fucking excited that butterflies take flight in my stomach.
“Just remember, princess, you asked for it.”
It’s my turn to grin up at him, because fuck it. “Bring it on.”
There’s a moment, no more than a heartbeat, where I’m almost afraid I’ve gotten myself into a heap of trouble. Then he leans in and captures my mouth like I’m the last piece of his complicated puzzle. Our tongues battle, each of us fighting for dominance, but it takes less than a second for me to know it’s a fight I’m not going to win. He’s leading the charge. He’s got a plan and it’s all I can do to stay caught up. My hands fly up to his black t-shirt and fist the fabric like it’ll be able to keep me on solid ground as Mav kisses the breath out of me. His hands hold me so tightly I know he’ll leave behind the imprint of his fingers before long. While I know I shouldn’t like it, a sharp thrill runs through me at the thought.
When he’s done kissing me to the brink of unconsciousness, he doesn’t just stop. No, that would be too normal. Instead, he traps my bottom lip between his teeth and slowly, like time is on his clock, sinks his teeth deep into my flesh until I can taste the iron of my own blood.
It’s when he sucks and licks my blood that I admit to myself that Maverick Riley is a man apart from all others.