by Moxie North
There was still a chance she would change her mind and decide that living with someone that had to use crutches, or that had to have doctor visits more often than the average person was not something she wanted. He didn’t ever want to see pity from her. His wolf told him that she would never look at them that way. That she wasn’t concerned about a missing limb. His wolf seemed more mentally stable than he was. It really didn’t surprise him. Humans always complicated things, and he was at least part human.
Glancing over his shoulder, he decided he didn’t trust himself to lie next to her and not touch her. He made his way into the spare room where he kept his weights. He had a camp chair in there he used to take breaks. He collapsed it and brought it back into the bedroom. Popping it open, he made sure Pru was covered and took a second to push a stray hair out of her eyes. Turning off the lamp, he grabbed the new blanket on the end of the bed and wrapped himself in it before sitting down in the camp chair. If he couldn’t sleep with her, he could at least appease his wolf by keeping watch over her.
Maverick let out a sigh. He was covered in Prudence’s scent and his mate was in his house. “Fucking feels like home,” he whispered to no one in particular.
If he slept he would be lucky. He wanted to stay awake and watch her, but he was so relaxed, his head hit his chest and he fell fast asleep.
Chapter 21
Prudence woke slowly, stretching and yawning. She had slept so amazingly well, she felt like she never wanted to leave Maverick’s big comfy bed. She’d slept dreaming of Maverick and a future that she could never daydream about while she was awake. It was family and children, Christmas and birthdays. An entire lifetime of memories wrapped up in a short dream.
She could have sworn she heard the deep sound of a man snoring in the middle of the night, but it wasn’t terrible. It was like a low rumble that made her smile even in her sleep.
It was a nice dream, hopefully one that would carry her through the rest of the day until Maverick came home. She had to think positively, to keep hope alive that he wouldn’t be angry and throw her out of his house.
She didn’t know him that well even though she felt like she’d always known him. He could lose his shit if he decided he didn’t want her there. There was the very slim chance of him not freaking out that she was there. She’d have to run with that if that unlikely event occurred.
Pru gave another stretch and pushed herself to a sitting position. She rubbed some of the blurry sleep out of her eyes and looked at the light shining through the curtainless windows. Her gaze cleared up and moved through the room. They stopped on the man wrapped in her afghan sitting in a folding chair near the end of the bed.
Maverick was home.
He was asleep, slumped down in the chair. There was no way he was comfortable, curled over like that. He must have come home in the middle of the night. Why didn’t he wake her? Better yet, why didn’t he crawl into bed with her?
He could be uncomfortable sleeping with other people. Maybe he didn’t want to disturb her, or she was hogging the bed. Or the most likely cause—he was still pushing her away and that’s why she woke up alone.
Grabbing a pillow, she chucked it at the sleeping man and said, “Maverick Hale, wake up!”
The pillow glanced off his shoulder, but his head came up with a growl. His eyes were bright, his wolf shocked awake too.
“What the hell?”
“Why are you in that chair? Is there not enough space in this bed for two people?”
“You really want to interrogate me five seconds after I wake up?”
Prude paused to contemplate that. “Yes, I do!”
“Woman, you are nuts. I didn’t crawl into bed with you because you weren’t supposed to be here. How did you get in anyway? You a burglar on the side when you aren’t knitting tea cozies?”
“No, for your information not everyone is opposed to our relationship.”
“We have a relationship?”
“Maverick, you better stop saying everything as a question or I’ll throw another pillow at you. You might be strong enough to push me away, but I am not strong enough to do the same to you. I’m not a shifter, Mav. I’m human. A fragile emotional human that really dislikes it when someone doesn’t like me.”
Prudence wasn’t going to cry, she really wasn’t. But her anger was giving her that emotional upheaval that often ended with her crying her eyes out.
“You’re not going to cry again, are you?”
That pissed her off. She chucked another pillow at him. “I told you to stop asking questions, and no, I’m not going to cry. You’ve got me too pissed off to cry. What is it going to take to make you understand that this is something that is going to happen? Don’t give me that half a man crap either. It’s irrelevant to our situation.”
“Irrelevant, huh?” Maverick stood up and let the blanket fall to his feet. He was balancing on his one leg, his crutch still on the floor beside him.
Prudence looked him up and down. He was fit, really fit. Long strong arms that had bulges of muscles even when his biceps were relaxed. She could see ink peeking around his shoulders, but couldn’t tell what the design was. His chest had the lightest coating of hair, just enough that she could tangle her fingers in it if she ever got close enough. His one leg was long and strong holding him up. His other leg had a matching thigh muscle to his other leg. It wasn’t until you got right below his knee did his leg narrow down to his stump.
It still made her sad that he had gone through the pain of the injury. But the big, strong, capable man in front of her was not half of anything.
“And?” she finally said.
“Seriously?”
“Fine, you want to play this? You are not half a man. I’m saying, what, ninety-seven, ninety-six percent of a man? I’m not very good at percentages. I see a strong sexy man that is denying me all that he has to offer. That kinda pisses me off, you thinking that I don’t deserve you. Ever think about how that makes me feel?”
She could see him struggling with what she was saying. He didn’t want to believe her, didn’t think that she was telling the truth. All those years spent convincing himself otherwise and she refused to go along with it.
“Maverick,” she said softly. “Does it look like I’m settling? Because I feel like if you would just give us a chance, I could have everything.”
She saw his jaw flex and then he used the edge of the bed to climb up and toward her.
“There won’t be any turning back. Remember what I said? This is me. I’m my club and my pack. I don’t know if I can be that man that gives you the quiet stable life.” Maverick crawled up to her and put both of his hands on either side of her hips. “What if I’m not enough?”
“What if you’re too much? That’s more of what I’m worried about. I don’t know if I’m the type of woman you need. I don’t know if I can fit in your world. I’m willing to try, Maverick. I want to see what we have. Give our destiny a chance to prove it knows who we need to be with.”
“And here I thought I was the rebel. My leg really doesn’t bother you?”
“I’m more worried about whether you leave the toilet seat up, to tell you the truth.”
“Well, I don’t. So problem solved.”
“Now what?”
“I’m still thinking I should go downstairs and make you breakfast. Leave you to get ready, and myself to get a grip on my animal.”
“That’s an option, or you can kiss me and tell me that you aren’t mad I’m here,” she suggested.
“Fuck, Pru. I’m not mad. I want you here. I like you in this space. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be here or that I can’t take care of myself.”
“Besides your shocking lack of anything personal in your house, I don’t think you need anyone to take care of you. But I’d really like to try and make your world a little brighter.”
“Like flowers?”
She realized he saw the kitchen and her additions. “Like flowers.”
> “I should say no, but I’m not going to.”
“Are you going to bite me?”
Maverick pulled back at those words. “Bite you? Who told you about that?”
“Not you, that’s for sure. Deacon told me, so skip the spiel because I’ve already thought about it and will make my own choice about it.”
“Do I get a say?”
“Do you really need one?”
“That depends on how much time we are going to be spending together. It’s going to be hard for me to resist it after a while. Think of it like blue balls.”
Pru rolled her eyes. “Why do men always have to be so dramatic?”
“We’re emotional creatures. We can’t help ourselves. So are we going to lie here staring at each other or do I get to kiss you?”
Prudence took a moment to pretend to think about it. She heard a growl that made her grin. “Fine, kiss me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Prudence knew what was coming and opened to him the second their lips touched. Maverick kissed hard and fast, taking what he wanted. It was a good thing it wasn’t anything she wasn’t willing to give. Prudence kissed him back, running her hands over his hard muscles that stretched taut over his body. Prudence breathed him in, his scent making her head spin. She knew he was doing the same when he paused his kiss to run his nose along her neck, his tongue copying the path.
“So good,” he said, before kissing down her neck to her collarbone.
Pru couldn’t help but arch her back, trying to get her breasts closer to that mouth. She hadn’t had enough last time. She was determined to get more this go around.
“You need something, darlin’?”
“Only everything,” she breathed.
“I’ll give you all I have, but I get to decide where I’m starting. I’m thinking tits, a little tummy, maybe some ass, then I’m going to eat your pussy until you come screaming my name. Then I’m going to fuck you and make you come again, screaming my name. After that I might make you breakfast, then fuck you on my kitchen table. You game with that?”
“That’s a lot of fucking. What if I get tired?”
“I’ll do all the work,” he promised.
Prudence wasn’t about to tell him she wasn’t a passive lover. He’d find that out on his own.
“Cool,” she said instead. Real mature, but whatever.
He gave a short laugh. “Cool? Damn, you’re dorky but adorable.”
“Uh, pretty sure tough biker dudes shouldn’t say ‘adorable’ anyway, so there.”
“True, I’ll work on my rough guy demeanor.”
“You do that. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m with a fake biker.”
“Not sure what that is, but I’m pretty sure I’m not.”
Prudence gave him a shrug and he smiled in return. Then he went back to kissing her. Pru was actually grateful for the time out. Him kissing her neck already had her cami shorts drenched and she wanted this time to last longer.
“Arms up,” he ordered. It shot Pru out of her head and back to the matters at hand. She lifted her arms and her cami top was pulled off and flung away. Maverick was looking down at her breasts and his eyes had that wide, bright look again.
She wasn’t sure if she should say something or just let him have his moment alone with her boobs.
“These are the most perfect tits I’ve ever seen.”
Prudence gave him that because he seemed to be in awe. She still had to ask. “Are you always going to call them tits?”
“Yup, sounds hot, and since these are my tits, I’m going to call them what I want.”
“Do I get to name parts of you?”
His eyes flashed to hers. “I think the usual names will suffice.”
Prudence gave him another shrug. Maverick shook his head at her and slid his eyes back to her chest. Pru decided her comments were keeping her from getting what she really needed. It was probably a bit of nervousness that was causing her chatter. The last time was a frantic grappling to get to each other. This time is going to be much slower, much more intimate. It was a big freaking deal.
Maverick brought his hands up and cupped her breasts. “Perfect.”
That totally made her feel awesome. More than his words, his big warm hands had her toes curling. When his thumbs brushed her taut nipples, she gasped, arching into his grasp. “Yes.”
“Tell me now. You like it when I play with your tits.”
“It’s my favorite.”
“Well then, we are going to work out great. Because I could suck on these beauties all day.”
“That would be totally awesome.”
Maverick didn’t say anything after that. His mouth was full.
“Mav!” Prudence brought her hands up to his head as his mouth sealed over her nipple.
His mouth was wet and his tongue was rough. He kept his hands wrapped around her flesh as he kneaded and guided her into him.
Prudence felt her clit swell and the ache start to build as he continued to torment her so fantastically. She had a split second when he would switch sides to catch her breath before he was back on, suckling hard enough she knew there would be hickeys on her flesh. She was okay with the idea of wearing his mark. Maybe it was a step toward something more permanent.
There were a few times that Pru thought she might come just from him sucking on her. Her breasts were hot and heavy, feeling swollen from his hands massaging them. Each time he would back off and make an annoying tsking sound. She knew what kind of game he was playing and didn’t care. She wanted to experience it all. Last time was too fast and she knew there was more to Maverick Hale then exceptional quickies.
Maverick did eventually leave her swollen breasts to kiss and lick his way down her body. He spent a while nipping at her stomach, which she was totally unaware was also attached to her nether regions. Maybe it was the proximity or just that it was skin that normally didn’t get any attention, but it felt amazing. Prudence kept her hands moving on him, touching whatever she could reach. She got that skin-on-skin contact she had craved. His hard chest against her body, his arms skimming against her. The chemical reaction when their skin met was atomic. His skin made her feel dizzy, the flesh under her fingertips was comforting and she felt like she was actually getting high from his skin.
Mav kissed his way down one thigh until he reached her foot. He placed a soft bite on the arch, and then lifted her other foot and did the same. He worked his way back up until he got to the waistband of her shorts. He gripped them in his teeth and started dragging them down her legs.
Pru could only see his bright blue eyes shining. They were hot and aggressive, so much so it made her breath catch. She gave a wiggle when her shorts were at her ankles. Maverick was sitting back on his knees staring down at her.
He ran his hands back up both of her legs, then pushed her knees wide.
Again with the staring, she thought. Normally this was not something she would have considered sexy. But she was pretty sure that Mav was looking at her pussy like she looked at chocolate cake. Hungry and a little panicky.
Mav had that look like he was purposefully denying himself a much longed for treat. She caught his eyes right before he gave her what she could only describe as a feral smile, and he was between her legs. Her knees were thrown over his shoulders and he was eating her out not at a slow enjoyable pace, but a frenzied drive her mad pace.
“Mav, holy shit,” she exclaimed. She got a growling response to that. His tongue was everywhere. It was rough and felt like he could manipulate it any way he wanted. Her brain realized that was exactly what he could do. Each noise he made that wasn’t quite human reminded her she was getting something else. His growls vibrated through her, adding to her pleasure. Her hands were alternating between pulling him closer and pushing him away from her sensitive bud. It was too much and still not enough.
It didn’t slow him down, though. It was like he was running a race and was determined to see her finish first. He tasted every part of her
, delving into her honey, swallowing down her essence.
“I’m gonna come if you don’t slow down,” she warned him. Prudence was a big fan of the impending orgasm warning. Nobody liked an early finisher that wanted to roll over and fall asleep before the other party finished.
“Then come. Let me taste you again.”
Prudence didn’t think she could hold off even if she tried. The man’s tongue was reaching parts of her that were all new. She was even more shocked when his tongue would dip lower between her cheeks before returning to her honey pot. That was new and definitely not a bad thing.
Mav brought his mouth up to her clit and pressed his tongue against it, then gave a growl that acted like a vibrator.
“Oh God!” Prudence didn’t think she’d last another second if he did that again. It was better than her vibrator because it was warm and wet, and it was Maverick.
Prudence’s pussy clenched and the first crashing spiral of pleasure felt like it came from her core and reached every nerve in her body. It was a rainbow of colors and bright flashes behind her eyes. She felt Maverick pick up his pace just enough to make her orgasm drag on and on. She knew she called out his name, she knew she dug her nails into his scalp. She also knew that if he hadn’t been keeping her legs open she would have boxed his ears in with her thighs. Her heels probably left bruises on his back at the very least.
Panting, and with her eyes closed, Prudence managed to mutter, “Well then.” Not the most romantic thing to say, but she was just proud she could form words.
Chapter 22
Maverick literally was the happiest he had ever been. He was between the legs of his mate. She just came all over his tongue and his wolf was howling in his head.
If he could kick his own ass, he would. He was pushing this away, her away. Keeping what he needed most from him and his wolf. The fates gave him a woman that tasted like ambrosia, and although he wasn’t even sure what that was, he knew it would taste like his Prudence. All sweet and spicy, she could even scream out his name and it didn’t hurt his ears. She was surprising him at every turn.
