Page 55 of Maverick
“Not here,” he said, taking my hand, and pulling me behind him through the clubhouse. I loved the feeling of his rough hand in mine, as he led me through the place. Eyes were on us, women who sat in the corner of the clubhouse, shooting daggers at me.
I wondered if any of them knew Maverick the way I did. Jealousy suddenly started to bloom in my chest, before I felt the cool air outside hit my face. Maverick led me down the stairs and around the side of the clubhouse.
It was just me and him.
He closed the distance between us, his hands cupping my face, before he kissed me softly. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, even though I was very much not okay. Somehow, in his grasp, I felt…calm.
“Tell me what happened, Dane.”
He sighed, placing his lips on mine in a soft, tender kiss, before he pulled me into his arms. I melted into his hug, loving how he felt as he squeezed me against me.
“I was wrong about Mari’s husband. Parker is Ironborne.”
“What?”
“He’s buddies with Hardy.”
“Oh god.”
“I don’t know how long he’s been feeding back information about my family, but I told Mari to bring Bane here.”
“She’s here?”
“Yeah, Animal has them out the back in one of the cabins, it’s safer than in here for now. I’ll have Lani join them later.”
I nodded, but everything in my head was fuzzy. The information was flowing through my brain at an alarming rate.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Maverick sighed, and leaned his forehead against mine. “Sometimes, I hate that you can read me so well.”
“Dane…”
“I left them in the hands of someone who was watching them for the Ironborne. I fucked up because I was too scared to fuck up in person.”
“Dane, jesus, you could never have known that,” I told him. “You did what you thought was best. You got them out when you realised. You did that. Now, just focus on what you need to, to protect them.”
“And you, and Van.”
I loved that he included me and Van. Like we were his already. I so wish we were, but the second something seemed normal, and we were getting into a good vibe, something brought it all tumbling down again.
Maybe we were cursed.
Maybe…we weren’t meant to be together.
Maverick groaned, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Church is in session. I gotta go, baby.”
He kissed me long and slow against the wall of the clubhouse, his arm over the top of my head, keeping me close.
“I’ll come find you after.”
I nodded, feeling my lips tingle from where he had laid claim to my lips like they were for him only.
Watching him walk away had been the hardest, especially when I didn’t feel like I was supposed to be here. Pulling myselftogether, I started back toward the doors, noticing how quiet it was in the clubhouse now that the church was in session.
Maverick
