Maverick, page 5
I frowned at my brother, my eyes arrowed in warning. “No.”
Molly whirled around and glared at me. “What do you mean, no? We agreed—”
“I agreed to let you work here,” I stated firmly.
Whiskey grunted. “Relax, Mav. The tat is on his fucking shoulder.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to argue, but Molly’s stance deflated a little, and I knew I’d have to give in. As much as I hated her being so close to other men—especially when they weren’t someone I knew I could trust—I wanted her to be happy. “Fine,” I gritted through clenched teeth. Her beaming smile made it worth it, but I still had conditions. “I’m not going to pretend the thought of you being so close to other men doesn’t make me want to fucking kill someone, but as long as no clothes need to be removed, I’ll keep my finger off my trigger.”
Molly cocked her head to the side and studied me for a moment, and then she sighed. “Deal.”
I reached out and captured her wrist, tugging her into my body, then put one hand on her hip and the other cradling the back of her head. “If I see one asshole trying to touch what’s mine…” I growled.
“I’ll break their wrist,” she informed me haughtily.
Laughter burst from my chest before I sealed my mouth over hers. Fuck, I loved this woman. Feisty and sweet all rolled into one.
My tongue slipped into her mouth, and the hand on her hip slid down to her ass. Molly moaned and melted into my arms, giving as good as she got. I deepened the kiss, determined to make sure she wouldn’t forget who the fuck she belonged to while I was out doing shit.
I was seconds away from dragging her to the nearest room with a door when the clearing of a throat broke through our passionate haze.
“Take it back to your room, Mav,” Whiskey grunted. “Actually, let her breathe and move your ass because her client will be here any minute.”
Reluctantly, I eased off the kiss, giving Molly a cocky smile when she clung to me as if she needed help staying upright. I fucking loved that she was so responsive and as affected by me as I was by her.
After a minute, she inhaled deeply and took a step back. Looking up at me, she shook her head. “Stop looking so smug.”
Before I could reply, the door opened, and Fox stomped in, calling my name. He jerked his head toward the office, and I nodded. “Hold tight, princess,” I told Molly with a quick, hard kiss to her lips. Then I followed Fox into the other room, shutting the door behind me.
“Shit went sideways at the port,” Fox muttered without any preamble. “The shipping containers were mislabeled, and it's gonna take a day for our contacts to sort it. Since he’s not on this run, I sent Storm to handle shit there.”
Storm was our road captain and coordinated all of our runs, but he also led most of them because it satisfied his wanderlust. He was also an expert negotiator.
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the wall. “He’ll get it done. I’ll get on the phone with Cordell and let him know that it will be a partial delivery. Stone can take the rest up when—”
Fox held up his hand, cutting me off. “Cordell already called me, pissed as fuck. He’s paranoid and demanded I be the one to escort the final shipment.”
“Then I can go to the port, and Storm can go on this run.”
Prez shook his head and sighed, sitting on the desk behind him. “You know what I’m going to say, Mav.”
“No.” I wasn’t going to let that bastard drag me away from my woman the day after I brought her home. While shit was still unsettled with Mac.
“You know we’ll protect her.”
I trusted my brothers with my life, but things with Molly weren’t that simple. I’d never be able to be truly secure in her safety unless I was the one there to watch over her. “And if her dad figures out what happened and loses his shit?”
He ran his hands through his short hair and exhaled harshly. “I’ll deal with Mac. Just get on the road and get back fast.”
“Cordell and I are gonna have words about this bullshit, Fox. I’m tired of his bullshit. You know he only demands to work with you or me because it makes him look as though he’s in control of the situation?”
“Showing off for the rest of the family by only dealing with the top of the food chain. I’m aware,” Fox said dryly. He sat for a few beats, clearly thinking through something, then he stood and nodded. “Fine. Try not to lose him as a client but make it clear that he doesn’t call the shots anymore. He doesn’t agree, we’ll cut him loose.”
“Done.” I pushed away from the wall and yanked open the door. Once I stepped over the threshold, my eyes immediately sought out my gorgeous redhead. A man around my age was sitting in her chair, and they were talking quietly. He was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, a leather vest, and leather cuffs on both wrists.
I rolled my eyes because there wasn’t a wrinkle, stain, or any sign of wear on anything. The poser was trying to look badass since he was in a shop run by an MC. But his three-hundred-dollar haircut and manicured hands more than gave him away.
Molly was sketching and hadn’t looked up at him once, which made me feel a little less homicidal when I noticed him checking her out. I stalked over and pulled her to her feet, then grasped her ass and hoisted her up so she had no choice but to circle my hips with her legs.
“What…?” she asked…clearly confused at what was happening.
“Kiss me,” I demanded in a low growl.
“Maverick, I have a client,” she hissed. “I’m working.”
“Kiss. Me.” My tone brooked no argument, and having grown up in my world, she knew that if she didn’t do as she’d been told, I’d lose credibility.
She glared at me for half a second, then wound her arms around my neck and brushed her mouth lightly over mine.
“That is not how you kiss your man, baby.” I didn’t just kiss her, I possessed her mouth, claimed it, forced her to submit, acknowledging that she was mine. My cock was rock hard, and I couldn’t help rubbing her against it as I devoured her. She moaned and tightened her arms around me.
Being with Molly was intoxicating, and I almost forgot where the fuck we were, and that we weren’t alone. But as much as I’d needed this to tide me over while I was gone, I’d also needed to stake my claim.
“What was that about?” she asked breathlessly when I finally let her up for air.
“Who do you belong to, Molly?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she pressed her lips together, clearly irritated as she realized what I’d been doing.
“Molly,” I snarled. “Who do you belong to?”
After a few breaths, she huffed and admitted, “You.”
“Damn fucking right. I gotta go on a run, baby. Should be back in a few days,” I told her. The spark of disappointment in her green pools soothed some of my raging possessiveness. “Fox was supposed to be the one going, but something came up that takes priority. The people involved will only deal with him or me, so I can’t send anyone else instead. Fucking hate leaving you.”
Molly sighed. “I know. I’ll just keep myself busy until you get back.”
I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Wear my cut anytime you aren’t in our room, do you understand?”
“Okay,” she agreed. I slowly exhaled in relief that she didn’t put up an argument.
“Be good.” I kissed her again before setting her on her feet, then turned to go find Whiskey.
He was in the office Fox and I had just vacated, so I stepped inside and rapped my knuckles on the desk, drawing his attention from his computer.
“Shit with Cordell. Fox needs me to take over this run.”
Whiskey’s eyes darted behind me before meeting mine again, then he gave me a chin lift. It was his way of telling me he’d watch out for my girl, keep her safe.
Grunting my thanks, I stalked out of the office, snatched one more kiss from my woman, then left to get this shit over with.
8
MOLLY
As much as I’d enjoyed slinging ink over the past week, I was beyond desperate for Maverick to get back. For a few different reasons.
Although we had only spent one day together, I missed him. Plus, my mom and Dahlia had both warned me just this morning that my time was running out with my dad. They could only hold him off for so long, and my call to him a couple of days ago had apparently left him suspicious instead of mollifying him. He’d said some crap about how my voice had sounded off.
Growing up with a father who didn’t miss a thing was a pain in the butt, especially for my sisters and me since he was way overprotective when it came to us. He cut Dane a lot more slack, which was totally unfair. And probably a big part of why I didn’t feel guilty about disappearing with Maverick. I should have at least the same freedom as my twenty-one-year-old brother. He was barely old enough to drink, but he was a fully patched in Silver Saint. If he took off with a woman, my dad would probably barely blink.
All thoughts of the double standard fled from my head when Whiskey tapped me on the shoulder and jerked his chin toward the door. “Let’s go.”
The Iron Rogue who ran their tattoo parlor was a man of few words, so I wasn’t surprised by his abruptness. But I had no idea what he was talking about since I had a customer due soon. “Where?”
“Your man is a few minutes out.” He flashed me a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Figured you’d want to see him right away.”
I’d been sketching in a notebook that I tossed onto my station. “Hell yes, let’s go.”
“Scratcher will cover your appointment.”
I had a ton of doubt about the club brother’s skills when I first heard his road name, but it turned out to be ironic as hell. Scratcher had one of the steadiest hands I’d ever seen and a light touch with the ink. His art was impressive, too. “Cool, thanks.”
He gestured toward the door again. “One of the prospects is on his way over to escort you.”
I rolled my eyes with a huff. “It’s two blocks in all Iron Rogue territory. I would’ve been fine on my own.”
Whiskey crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a brow. “You know better than that. Your man would have my ass under normal circumstances, let alone with the shit that’s been going on.”
Ducking my head, I pressed my lips together as I thought about the third reason I’d been anxious for Maverick’s return. “But—”
“Don’t give me shit, Molly,” he growled. “Not when you already owe me fucking huge for keeping my mouth shut.”
It was hard to argue with logic like that. “You’re right. Sorry.”
Luckily, the prospect yanked the door open, ending our conversation before Whiskey could make me feel guilty over the fact that I had somehow managed to convince him to keep Maverick in the dark until he got back. I wasn’t sure how dangerous the club business was, and I hadn’t wanted to distract him. The fact that Whiskey agreed both relieved and worried me since it was a fairly safe bet that he wouldn’t have if there hadn’t been much risk on Maverick’s run.
“Don’t get so caught up in welcoming him back that you forget to loop him in. ASAP. I’m not gonna be too far behind you, and you don’t want me to be the one to tell him.”
“It’ll be the first thing I do after giving him a big, wet kiss,” I promised, heading for the door.
Whiskey shook his head with a groan, making the prospect chuckle. I giggled as I walked past Jake, then hurried down the sidewalk toward the clubhouse with him right next to me. I made the two-block walk in only a few minutes and arrived just as Maverick’s bike turned through the gates. I raced after him and threw myself into his arms as soon as he climbed off his motorcycle.
“You’re back,” I cried.
“Fucking finally.” He cupped my butt cheeks to lift me off the ground, so I wrapped my legs around his waist and twined my arms around his neck. “Missed you like hell, princess. Sorry I was gone so long.”
“Missed you too,” I whispered against his lips.
He gave me the kiss I’d been waiting for, his tongue sliding inside my mouth to tangle with mine until I was breathless with need. When he lifted his head, I let out a whimper of protest.
“Don’t worry.” He squeezed my butt. “I’m not going anywhere for a good long while. After the shit I just handled, Fox is gonna have to deal with the next fire that needs to be put out without my help. I plan on being buried deep in your pussy for the foreseeable future.”
I beamed a smile up at him. “That plan sounds awesome to me, but we’re going to need to come up for air sooner rather than later. Keeping my dad in the dark about where I am hasn’t been easy. It’s a good thing you came back today because I think our time has just about run out.”
“We’ll figure out the shit with your dad together, princess.” He gave me another quick kiss. “I’m so fucking lucky you grew up in the life and aren’t pissed I was gone longer than planned. I hate that you had to deal with putting your dad off while I wasn’t here to help.”
“It’s okay,” I reassured him. “My mom and sister pitched in to keep him distracted.”
“It’s a good thing your man is back,” Jake called as he strode toward us with something clutched in his fist.
As he neared, I realized they were flowers. And that I had run out of time to tell Maverick what had gone down while he was gone.
Maverick set me on my feet as he turned toward Jake. His eyes narrowed and a muscle jumped in his jaw as his gaze dropped to the flowers. “You bringing those to my woman, prospect?”
“Yeah, but it’s not what you think.” Jake tossed the flowers on the ground and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “They’re not from me.”
“Who the fuck are they from then?” Maverick growled as he leaned down to grab the bouquet off the ground.
“I wish I knew,” Jake muttered. “If I figured that shit out, I’d get patched in for sure.”
“You’re a long way from being voted on.” Maverick yanked the small white envelope out of the flowers, his brows drawing together as he read the note. “What the fuck?”
“If you’re going to be angry with anyone, it should be me.” I gripped his biceps to stop him from doing something he would regret—like throw a punch at the poor prospect who was in striking distance. Or go hunt down one of his club brothers for keeping this from him while he was gone. “I begged Whiskey to let you focus on club business while you were gone because I was scared you’d get hurt if you were distracted by this whole mess. And it’s not like it’s a huge deal or anything. Just some flowers and gifts from a random secret admirer.”
“How many gifts, and when the fuck did this start?” Maverick snarled.
“Two bouquets of flowers, a box of chocolates, and a card,” I rattled off with a sigh. “The roses were first and came to the tattoo shop the day after you left. The chocolates were a couple of days later. Then the card came to the clubhouse yesterday. Now these flowers.”
“The guy switched from leaving you shit at Iron Inkworks to here, and my club still doesn’t know who the fuck he is this many fucking days later?” Maverick growled.
I was worried for Whiskey’s safety since he chose that moment to walk through the gates. But he didn’t make it to us before he looked over his shoulder. My gaze followed…and I realized a bad situation had just gotten a hell of a lot worse.
9
MAVERICK
The roar of a motorcycle interrupted me before I could decide whether to put a bullet in Whiskey’s or Jake’s skull or just cut off their balls for not telling me about the “gifts” Molly had been receiving.
“What the fuck?”
Whiskey’s exclamation drew my attention as he stalked toward the newcomer. I glanced over and cursed when I saw Cash Gannon—a fucking Silver Saint—climbing off his bike. He was holding an arm across his middle, and I could see blood darkening his gray T-shirt beneath his hand.
“Blade around?” he asked as if he just wanted to visit.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered. As if shit wasn’t complicated enough finding out there was a motherfucker stalking my woman, now I had to deal with this. I’d been banking on being able to handle the “admirer” before shit went down with Mac and his club. I pointed at one of the prospects hovering near the entrance to the garage, smoking a cigarette. “Find Blade. Tell him to bring his medical shit.”
A female gasp made me grimace as I watched Cash’s gaze swing in Molly’s direction.
“Are you okay?” she asked, rushing toward him. I grabbed the belt loop of her jeans and hauled her back against me. I could feel her glaring up at me, but I didn’t take my eyes off Cash.
“Molly?” Cash gaped. “What the fuck are you…?” He trailed off when he spotted my arm curling around her, keeping her in place. Then his expression darkened and fury burned in his eyes. “You’re a fucking dead man, Maverick.”
Molly startled at Cash’s statement, and I knew she was going to speak up, but that wasn’t how this world worked. Apparently, she needed a reminder that her man would fight for her. I gave her a gentle squeeze, and she huffed but stayed silent.
“You think I didn’t know exactly what I was risking when I brought Molly here?”
“You want a war?” Cash grunted, trying to contain his shock.
“I want Molly.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “Not a fucking chance in hell. And if you want a prayer of keeping a bullet out of your skull, she’ll be leaving with me. Forget Blade,” he ground out, clearly in pain but willing to leave anyway. “Molly, get on my bike.”
I quickly maneuvered Molly behind me and took a threatening step forward. “She doesn’t ride on anyone’s bike but mine,” I growled.
Cash scowled and snarled, “She’s a Silver Saint princess, asshole. Molly, get on my fucking bike.”
In a flash, I was in front of Cash with my hand around his throat. Normally, we would be pretty evenly matched, but not only was he injured, fury at the threat to my woman pumped heavy and hot through my veins. “She’s an Iron Rogue old lady, motherfucker. She’s mine.”
