Page 5 of Maverick
I trudged deeper, careful to avoid the mud. Red pine straw from seasons past covered the ground, making for a pleasant walk. It had been years since I’d run outside of a gym. I usually ran a couple miles a day, and more on weekends. Since Dad didn’t own a treadmill, these paths would work well enough.
“Noodle! Come on, girl! Quit hanging with those wild dogs and get your butt home!” I refused to consider any other explanation for her disappearance. Dad had been through enough. She was out there somewhere, enjoying her freedom.
As if conjured by my positive thoughts, I heard barking ahead. The smell of mud and shit was stronger, letting me know the pigs were on the other side of the bend. She might have been hanging out with them if she was lonely. Hopefully, from outside the fence. I was not dressed for a dog bath.
Her barking increased as I got closer. As I turned the corner, relief flooded me as I saw her safe and healthy, bouncing around like her usual self. But it wasn’t just the pigs keeping her company. Someone in a black leather vest and an exceptionally well-worn pair of jeans was tossing scraps into the pen. I squinted my eyes and read the patch on the back of his vest:Exiled Reapers Motorcycle Club.
Dad had mentioned there was an MC next door to his property, but I never paid it much attention as it didn’t affect me. It was affecting me now, though. I squeezed my thighs. When was the last time I’d gotten laid? Clearly too long. And now I had at least another six weeks of dry spell to look forward to until I could get back and make a call to my roster.
The man emptied out the rest of his bucket and turned around. He pulled off a pair of latex gloves and dropped them into the bucket, then placed a lid over the top.
“You just gonna stand there checking out my ass, or are you planning to introduce yourself?”
My eyes widened. I was at least thirty feet away. He must have crazy spatial awareness.Impressive.But so was I.
I rolled my shoulders back and walked forward with my best boss bitch energy. Dad couldn’t defend himself right now, so it was up to me to handle whatever this was. “Considering you’re on my land, with my dog, I think you’re the one that owes me an introduction.”
His eyes roamed my body, head to toe and back up again. His eyes lingered on my breasts, but I wasn’t offended. It was only fair after I’d checked out his ass first.
“I heard Ol’ Larry went missing for a few days. I was worried he might have hurt himself so I came to check on him. And to bring this girl home.” His head tilted. “Are you Larry’s new—” he waggled his eyebrows “—lady friend?”
“Eww! Gross. Larry’s my father.” I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. “And I’m not anybody’s lady friend.” Not sure why I felt the need to tack on that last part.
His grin turned cocky. “Oh really?”
Moving on.“He had a health scare, so I came down to help out for a bit.”
“You’re the daughter from DC.” He ran a hand through his dark faux hawk. I’d never been a fan of that hairstyle, but on this guy, it worked.Although, with those muscles and tattoos and chiseled jaw, I had a feeling he could wear a rainbow clown wig and still be hotter than hell. “You work in accounting, right? Or some kind of numbers shit?”
My eyes widened. “That’s pretty close, actually. I live in Maryland and I’m a CFO. How do you know all that?”
He leaned his hip against the wooden post of the pig pen. Which should not have been sexy, but I was tired and overwhelmed. So yeah, the biker slash pig farmer vibe was hitting me pretty hard.
“Larry and I are neighbors. Might not mean much in the big city where you come from, but down here, it means we look after each other, hang out, talk… One of your dad’s favorite topics is bragging on his daughter.”
My hand moved to my heart. Dad bragged about me? To other people?
He snapped his finger. “Kelly.”
“Kelly?” My head jerked back. Who the fuck was Kelly?
His cocky smile floundered. “Kandy?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head.
He tapped his fingers along the bucket. “Oh, I remember!” He licked his lips and his eyes drifted toward my waist. “Kitty!”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the twitch in my lips. The sexy biker was trying. “It’s Katherine, but everyone calls me Kat.”
His gaze lifted. “Well, Kitty Kat, I’m Maverick. I live at the other end of this path in the Exiled Reapers’ clubhouse.”
“Maverick? Did your mother name you that?”
He lifted a brow. “My dad, actually.”
Not everyone could have pulled that name off, but it worked for this guy. His energy was playful but with a hard edge of masculinity that warned he wasn’t someone to fuck around with.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” he said. “Don’t be alarmed if you see other guys walking around with this cut.” He motioned toward his leather vest. “Larry lets us come over to hunt and fish in exchange for helping him keep an eye on things. I’ll make sure the brothers know you’re staying here and to introduce themselves if they come over.”
