Maverik's Ashes

by Sandra R Neeley

  When she finally made it to Maverik, he was crying silent tears. She was crying. Everyone was crying. They spoke their vows, they promised their lives to one another, and they celebrated their love surrounded by all those that loved them. It could not have been more perfect.

  Then the juke box started, the drinks began to flow, and the party kicked into full swing.

  At one point during the night, Bam came over and hugged them them both tight, up until then he’d been keeping a low profile. Maverik immediately confronted him, “You can sing! I mean really sing! What the hell? What else are you keeping secret?”

  Bam just smiled shyly, “Oh, it’s not that great. I manage,” he said.

  “You manage? Manage? Are you kidding me?” Maverik exclaimed.

  Bam just shuffled his feet and smiled at the floor, “I’m glad you liked it. I wouldn't have done it, but I couldn't let her walk with no music. I had to do something, and Matty was on my phone, so I couldn't find any songs right then, so I just started singing the first one that came to me.”

  Maverik embraced him, hugging him tight, “It was perfect, Bam. She did save me,” he whispered before stepping back and taking Valerie’s hand again.

  It did not escape Valerie’s notice that Bam waited until Everly went to the bathroom to come over and congratulate them. “Bam, is it okay that Everly is my maid of honor? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by her being here.”

  “Aw, no, no, she belongs here, too. I’m just enjoying watching everybody having a good time. I’m glad she’s here, glad she’s got you as a best friend.” But then he disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared when he saw her coming back from the bathroom. “Ya’ll have a good night, I’m just gonna go over here,” he mumbled as he hightailed it back to the bar.

  Everly walked up to Valerie, smiling hugely, “I’m so happy for you, Valerie. You’re just glowing you’re so happy.”

  “Thank you, Everly,” Valerie said, letting go of Maverik’s hand to hug her.

  “Darlin’ I’m gonna go over and talk to Kaid for a minute, okay?” Maverik asked.

  “Of course, go ahead.”

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Valerie turned serious with Everly, “What the heck is happening with you and Bam? Why is he avoiding you?”

  Everly shrugged, “I’m not sure.” She turned, looking at him longingly where he stood with Daniel and Avaleigh across the room. “I think he’s my Mate. But he can’t stand me. I’m not sure what to do about it.”

  Valerie hugged her, “It’ll work out if it’s meant to be. Look at me and Mav. I thought at one point that I’d kill him. But then he did whatever he had to, and voila, turns out he needed me just as badly and was just afraid.”

  Everly hugged her back, “I hope so. Because I can’t think of anyone other than him. All the time. Every day. Bramley.”

  Then all of a sudden there was hollering and laugher. They’d broken out the karaoke machine. They got Avaleigh up, and once she made sure that Remi was asleep in their booth with Cristie, she did her rendition of “Somewhere On A Beach”, Kaid sang “Wild Thang” to Delilah; then, they tried to get Bam to sing again, but he was too shy. By that time, Maverik had had a few drinks and decided that he was going to sing a love song to his wife. So they put on his choice of song, and when he started to sing, gyrating around the little stage, Valerie laughed so hard she cried. It was the funniest thing she’d ever heard; all the women were laughing, the men were hooting. It was so Maverik. He sang at the top of his lungs, “Body Like A Backroad,” by Sam Hunt. And when he sang, “Got hips like hunaay, so thick and sweet,” and hollered “I love ya, darlin’” over the music while rolling his hips, nobody laughed harder than Valerie. He was so unconventional, he actually considered this a love song; but he was hers, and she’d never been happier in her entire life.

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  Valerie closed her eyes and took small hesitant steps as Maverik led her up the front stairs of what he said was their front porch. She waited, still with her eyes closed while he unlocked the door, then gasped as he swept her up into his arms to carry her over the threshold. Her eyes were still closed when he placed her on her feet. “Okay, you can look now, Darlin’,” he told her.

  She looked around the house, “It’s perfect, Mav. I love it.”

  He smiled at her and took her hand, “Come look, darlin’. We put everything in its place. Anything you don’t like, you change, okay?”

  She nodded and followed him as he showed her the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and each bedroom. “The only thing I didn’t get was the drapes. I wasn’t sure what you might like, but they'll work for now.”

  “It’s fine, Maverik. We’ll pick something else for the windows soon.”

  He relaxed, nodding, realizing that it was okay with her, she liked it.

  Then when he got to the bedroom, he paused, letting her go ahead of him. She looked at him questioningly for a moment, but when he gestured to the door, she figured he wanted her to go first.

  He did want her to go first, he wanted her to get the full effect of their new bed, all set up and made with the sheets and comforters, and to see the rings he’d attached to the head and foot boards of the massive sleigh bed to use to restrain her with when she so desired.

  She opened the door and stepped through. Her mouth dropped open in surprise; when she turned to look at him, it was apparent that he was surprised, too. There in their bedroom was a romantic picnic. It was spread on a blanket on the floor at the foot of their bed. It had servings of all the food that was served at their wedding and double helpings of their wedding pastry tower. There was a chilled bottle of champagne, two crystal champagne glasses, and strawberries, and sugar for dipping them in before dropping them into the champagne.

  On the bed was a gorgeous champagne colored lace and satin negligee. And next to that were four champagne colored silk ropes. He immediately went to them and picked them up, placing them in the drawer of the bedside table, “Not yet, darlin’. Tonight is the first night of the rest of our lives. First, I only want to taste you, love you…”

  He looked to her for agreement, and she nodded, tears in her eyes, “Okay.”

  “Did you do this?” she gestured around the room, the food, the negligee.

  “No, I wish I’d thought of it, but I’m guessing it was Avaleigh. She’s always thinking of special little things like this. She always knows exactly what to do for each of us to make us know how much we mean to her.”

  Valerie smiled, “She’s amazing.”

  He smiled thinking of Avaleigh and how much better each of them were since she came into their lives, “Yes, she is. We haven't been the same since Kaid found her.”

  He reached out and pulled Valerie to him for a sweet, sensual kiss. She kissed him back passionately, then pulled away to reach behind herself to try to unzip her dress.

  “No darlin’, let me,” He walked behind her, ran his fingertips up her arms and down her back to her zipper. He grasped it and pulled it down slowly, allowing gravity to do its job and the dress to fall to the ground; he took her hand, and she stepped out of it. He led her to the side of the bed, laid her back on the comforter, then stood to allow her to watch him as he undressed. She’d never seen him totally naked and watching him now had her trembling with need. He was so fucking beautiful. His body was a mosaic of muscles and scars and tattoos. And his cock standing out proudly from his pelvis, throbbing in time with his heartbeat, had her licking her lips and sitting up to reach for him. But he shook his head, “Not this time, Valerie. I’ve waited so long, too fucking long. It’s my turn; I want to taste you, I want to be buried balls deep inside you. I want to hear you screaming my name. Only then will I be sated enough to even consider anything else. Let me love you, Valerie.”

  She was speechless; all she could do was nod.

  He knelt on the floor beside the bed, gently pushing her legs back and up so that she was fully opened to him. He leaned forward; taking the scent
of his aroused Mate into his body. He leaned forward; one slow lick from bottom to top had her gasping. He looked up to lock eyes with her, “Mine.”

  She couldn't speak, so again she nodded, licking her lips and panting.

  He lowered his head for another lick, but then quickly switched to gentle nipping, then sucking her, all of her into his mouth and laving her with his tongue. She snarled, her Lioness coming to the forefront, and threw her head back, screaming her pleasure as her orgasm overtook her. He gave her no quarter, continuing to lick, suck and nibble her into another right after the first.

  When he had her trembling and gasping for breath, he finally stopped, turning his head into her thigh to kiss and nibble that luscious thigh for a bit before moving up her body, kissing her beautifully rounded hips, then her soft beloved belly, then each of her ribs and both her nipples as he moved even higher.

  When he reached her lips, he paused, “You. Are. Mine. Every inch, every thought, every heartbeat. All of you is mine. Just as I’m yours. I belong to you, my Valerie. Body, Mind, Heart and Soul. I’m yours.” Then he kissed her softly and pressed his hips forward, sliding into her to finally claim her and make her not only his wife, but his Mate. She kissed him back, but he was moving much too slowly for her Lioness. Again she surged forward, wrapped Valerie’s hands around his ass, and pulled him to her at the same time she slammed her hips upward toward him, and at that very moment, she sank her fangs into his shoulder.

  Maverik howled, snarled, wrapped a hand around the back of her head to keep her pressed to his shoulder, and pulled back his hips, only to slam them home with all the force of his Wolf. Then he released her head and reached for her hands, pulling them free from his ass and placing them above her head. She pulled her fangs free and lapped his claiming mark, once, then twice, grinning smugly at him, her Lioness satisfied that he was now theirs. He grinned back at her, whispered, “Don’t move your hands, my Mate,” then moved fast; he got to his knees, pushing her legs back and pressing her knees to the bed beside her shoulders, and in a rush he slammed home again. The deep satisfied moan that she gave him told him she liked having him hard and deep, so he set up a rhythm, pounding into her so hard and fast that all she could do was lay there and take every single moment of the most soul encompassing pleasure she’d ever experienced. Her Mate was an amazing lover and she came screaming his name, but he didn't stop, didn’t even pause. He merely pulled out, flipped her over on her hands and knees, and mounted her again. Pounding against her, so deep inside her, and so hard, that their skin stung where they slapped together each time he sank deep. Her pants were getting more rapid, her whines more constant, he knew she was almost there, and this time when she came, he leaned over her and sank his canines into her shoulder, right where her neck connected. She screamed his name, and he snarled and growled as he emptied himself inside her. They collapsed in a heap of sweaty, happy, satisfied flesh. About ten minutes later, he kissed her shoulder, gently soothing the wound of his mating mark when he asked, “Valerie, are you on birth control?”

  She froze under him; she hadn’t even thought about it. She swallowed her nervousness away, “No,” she whispered.

  “Thank fuck!” he said, as he raised himself up off her, reaching for the drawer that held the silk ropes that Avaleigh had left for them. “Want to play?” he asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

  “Oh, yes!” she answered, her eyes gone heavy and glazed with another sudden onset of arousal.

  He smiled sensually at her, “Why don’t you slip on that negligee and lay at the head of the bed with your arms stretched out above you?”

  He pulled the silken ropes from the drawer as he watched his Mate don the negligee. His cock was so hard watching her that he wasn't sure he’d be able to muster the control that he needed to follow through with their little game.

  When she was finished putting it on, she smiled at him shyly from under her lashes, clasped her hands behind her back and whispered, “Is this okay, sir?”

  A low, deep snarl was the only response she got. He couldn’t even speak, so he just gestured toward their headboard. She immediately complied, propping herself just a bit on pillows and reaching a hand toward each corner of the headboard.

  He leaned over her as he attached the ropes to her wrists.

  Having regained a little control, he said, “You are so fucking beautiful, Valerie. I’ll never, never stopped being amazed that you love me. That you chose me. I love you more with every moment that passes,” he smiled lovingly at her.

  “You are my life,” she whispered to him.

  “And you’re mine,” he answered.

  Chapter 24

  Valerie scooted her ass backwards, expecting to feel Maverik behind her. Nothing. She rolled over and stretched her arms out, feeling for him. Still nothing. She cracked one eye open, surveying the spot that should have been filled by her Mate. She sat up, he wasn't there. Slowly she became aware of delicious scents wafting to her from the kitchen. She got out of bed, pulling the negligee back on, intending to go to the kitchen. When she pulled open the bedroom door, she heard a female voice in the kitchen, so she went back for the matching silk robe that came with the negligee. As she made her way down the hall, she heard Maverik say, “Thank you, Avaleigh. I wanted to make her mornin’ special and figured burnt pancakes wouldn't do it. I tried, but after having to throw away two batches, I just quit and called you.”

  Valerie smiled to herself at the thoughtfulness of her husband, her Mate. As she padded into the kitchen, she burst into laughter. Maverik was standing beside Avaleigh, covered in flour, wearing his boxers and his fluffy pink bunny slippers. The flour was everywhere, in his hair, on his face, smudged on his chest, on the floor, on the counter tops, everywhere, even on the ears of one of his pink bunny slippers. They both looked up at her laughter, and Maverik broke into a gorgeous smile, Avaleigh chuckling at his side. “Good morning, my love,” he cooed to her as he went directly to her to kiss her lips and wish her a good morning.

  “Morning, Mate,” she answered after his kiss.

  “Good Morning, Avaleigh,” she said.

  “Hey, Valerie. You look beautiful! I just knew that nightie was perfect for you,” she told Valerie.

  Valerie walked over to Avaleigh, hugging her from behind as she continued to make pancakes filled with peaches and nectarine slices,and topped with fresh whipped cream. There was already a platter of crispy fried bacon, and Maverik continued to place more strips into the skillet and remove the ones that he deemed crispy enough, all the while cussing under his breath at the “fuckers” that dared to splatter on him. He would look up and smile at her after each cuss to let her know he was enjoying making her breakfast in spite of the “fuckers” trying to get him.

  “I love it, Avaleigh. It’s the most beautiful one I own. Hell, it’s the only one I own!” she said.

  “Aw no, that ain’t the way it’s gonna be. We are getting you more. We going nightie shopping,” Maverik told her. “Lots of pretty little things, more than you really need,” he told her. He didn’t ask, he just stated it. So she decided to let him have his way. “Okay,” she smiled at him shyly.

  “And thank you for the picnic last night and the champagne. It was so thoughtful and so romantic,” Valerie told Avaleigh.

  “You’re more than welcome, Valerie. I wanted your night to be wonderful and special,” Avaleigh said, turning to hug her with one arm.

  “And the ropes!” Maverik chimed in from his place at the skillet, “Thank you for the ropes, too!” he snickered as both women rolled their eyes at him, and Valerie blushed at his teasing.

  “So what are your plans today? Ya’ll just gonna hang out and be newlyweds, or do you have something else in mind?” Avaleigh asked.

  “Well, after we eat breakfast, which, from the amount of pancakes you’re making and the platter of bacon you’re making me fry, may take us three days to finish, I plan to make love to my Mate again, then put her fine ass on the back of my bike and
go into town to order some plants and flowers and stuff for outside, cause I know my woman likes flowers and girly shit like that,” he paused to smile at Valerie. “Thought I didn’t know that, didn’t ya? I pay attention!” He grinned at her. “We gonna spend a little time losing ourselves in each other, just pulling our place together and just being together. Enjoying being where we belong, no pressures, nothing. Just us.”

  Valerie went to him, burying her face in his chest, hugging him tightly to her in spite of the flour he had from head to toe. He instinctively pulled her to him with his free arm, but turned his body so that the bacon splatter wouldn't burn his Mate.

  As he kissed the top of her head, Avaleigh smiled as she watched Maverik, the real Maverik, finally emerging in the morning light. She’d only seen glimpses of the amazing male that was truly him before today. Before she had a chance to say anything about it, there was a knock at the door, a soft knock, but still a knock. Avaleigh smiled, indicated the door with her spatula, “And that is why I made so many pancakes and so much bacon.”

  Valerie went to open the door, and Maverik smiled as he heard a voice say, “Can I come in and have breakfast, too?”

  “Of course, you can. I told you, you are always welcome here,” Valerie answered. She stepped back to allow Bam to enter.

  “But you are leaving right after, so I can remind my Mate of why she married me!” Maverik called to Bam from the kitchen.

  Valerie entered the kitchen with Bam right behind her, both smiling. “You do look really pretty, Valerie.” Bam looked Valerie up and down, “Really pretty,” he said, nodding his head as though he’d made a very important decision.