What the…?
“You have boo-boos.”
Fuck!
“I fell down the stairs at work. I’m okay,” I tell her, thinking quickly, hating the quiver in her voice.
“You’ve been gone a really long time.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I tell her, kissing the tip of her nose.
“I didn’t like you gone.” She runs her finger along the length of my nose, tapping the tip.
Needing to cheer her up, I playfully nip her finger, causing her to giggle. “I didn’t like being gone either.”
“Then don’t do it again.” She shakes her head, looking serious.
“I won’t.” I chuckle.
“Hey, baby, who are you talking to?” Teagan asks, her voice filled with sleep as she rolls over. Her eyes find mine over the top of her daughter’s head and she gasps, searching the injuries across my face no less. “Maverick?” she breathes, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Mummy, I’m hungry,” Faith says, bouncing on the bed until she’s facing her mum.
“You…. You’re face,” she whispers, not hearing Faith or even looking in her direction.
“He fell down the stairs.”
“I’m fine. I’ll explain later,” I tell her, cutting my eyes to Faith who is looking between us curiously.
She nods, seeming to understand before she looks down at Faith, kissing her face all over. “Morning, bug.”
Faith bats away her mum, moving back. She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest in a strop. I watch on in amusement, entertained by the little woman. “I’m going to wake Max up for breakfast. He feeds me bacon all the time.”
“Faith, hun, Max doesn’t like it when he’s woken up, remember?”
“Yes he does,” Faith argues, scowling. “Lake told me I’m his favourite part of the day. He likes waking up to my pretty face.”
Teagan sighs whilst I chuckle, knowing what Lake was playing at. Only she could use a five-year-old to annoy my brother. It’s one of the many reasons why she’s perfect for him.
“She’s right, squirt. So why don’t you go down and wake up Uncle Max with a cheerful song and really make his morning.”
“Yes!” She grins, pumping her fist in the air. Jumping from the bed, her tiny feet pad across the carpet as she runs from the room and down the stairs.
“You’re evil,” Teagan muses.
“He’ll live.” I grin, eyes still on the stairs, making sure Faith is out of earshot. Once I hear Max’s door open, I face Teagan, wincing. “I’m so sorry for not being here for you. I should’ve been, but I couldn’t, not until I found him.”
“You found him?” she gasps, her eyes bugging out. Her body starts to shake so I pull her against me, rubbing my hand up and down her arm.
“Yeah,” I answer, pointing to my face.
“Oh my God. He hurt you? Are you okay? What happened?” she rushes out, not taking a breath. She cups my jaw, sadness filling her eyes.
“I’m fine. You should be more worried about him.”
“What did you do?”
“Gave him a taste of his own medicine before the cops showed up and arrested him.”
“So they’ve got him, the man who hurt me?”
The relief on her face is evident, but I can also hear it in her voice. My eyes soften and, leaning forward, I take her mouth with mine in a soft, sensual kiss.
Fuck, I’ve missed her.
My whole body relaxes at the feel of her against me. All that built-up tension over the last few days starts to melt away from just a kiss and her presence.
This is where I belong.
Pulling away, our eyes connect and I get lost in them, my heart pounding.
“I’ve missed you,” I admit unintentionally. I begin to shift, feeling uncomfortable, but then her eyes soften, shining brightly like I just handed her the moon, making the humiliation of blurting out my feelings worthwhile.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” she whispers.
“How are you feeling?” I ask. Seeing the bruising on her face in the fresh light of day makes me angry all over again. If only they’d lock me in a room with him for five minutes; I’d teach him some fucking manners.
“Better now that you’re home.” She gives me a shy smile, ducking her head. My chest swells with pride, but there’s no denying the guilt I bear for leaving her for so long.
Grabbing her chin gently, I tilt her head until her eyes connect with mine. “I won’t leave again, I promise. I should have called. I just…. Fuck! I wasn’t in the right headspace.”
“As much as I’ve missed you and wished you were here, I’m really glad he’s been arrested. It’s been hard to cope with thinking he was out there somewhere, so thank you for finding him. Did you find Lynn too?”
Wincing, I shake my head. “She wasn’t there. I didn’t see anyone her age or matching her description.”
Fear flashes across her features as she bites her bottom lip worriedly.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Faith. We’ll find out who she is and stop this.”
“You can’t say that. We have to go back home at some point, and they know where we live. We could go back to my nan’s, but then it’s bringing trouble to her doorstep. Not that I’m okay with bringing it to yours,” she says, her eyes frantic.
My forehead scrunches together as I tilt my head back, checking to make sure she’s serious.
Fuck me! She is!
“Teagan, you aren’t going back there. You and Faith are gonna live here.”
“What?”
“Forever. I’m never letting either of you out of my sight.”
“What?”
“I’ll get Mase and Max to help me pack up your stuff,” I carry on, rambling.
“Wow! Hold your horses, big guy. We are not living with you,” she declares, her face stern yet stunned.
“Um, yes you are,” I tell her, dumbfounded. I don’t get it. She’s saying no when it’s the perfect arrangement. We’ll get to see each other every day. I’ll be able to wake up to her every morning, go to sleep with her every night and not have to worry, wondering what she’s doing or if she’s okay.
“You can’t just move us in,” she scoffs, trying to roll away, but I pull her back, pinning her in place.
“Give me one good reason why not.”
“One,” she says, holding her index finger up at me, “we haven’t been dating very long. Two, you aren’t the only person who lives here. Don’t you think they should have some sort of say whether or not a five-year-old and your girlfriend move in? Three, you didn’t even ask me―you told me. And four, it’s too soon.”
I roll my eyes at her reasoning and give her a quick kiss to shut her up before she comes up with more lame-ass excuses. “They won’t mind. And no, it’s not too soon. Maybe for other people it is, but not for me―for us. I’ve spent my whole life never believing in what we have, but then I met you and everything changed. I changed. Do you really think with the amount of women I’ve had that I wouldn’t know when I had something special in front of me and not keep her?” I ask, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Her narrowed gaze burns into me, her eyes glistening with tears. “That was really sweet… until you mentioned how many women you’ve slept with.”
I laugh, pulling her closer. “Teagan, I meant I’ve had choices and that this isn’t something I’ve taken lightly. You’re not a shiny new toy. You’re mine. Faith’s mine. Get used to it.”
Her lips part, her eyes widening in shock. I smile, liking the fact that I’ve rendered her speechless.
Now this I can work with.
Tightening my arms around her, I press my hardness against her lower stomach. It’s time to show her just how much I’ve missed her.
A throat clearing in the doorway makes me jump. My head snaps around, finding Max and Lake standing there.
Flopping back down on the bed,
I stare up at the ceiling, wondering what I did so wrong in my past life to deserve this.
“Me, Tarzan. You, Jane,” Max says, his voice deep and mocking.
“Max,” Lake hisses, glaring at her boyfriend.
“What the fuck?” I growl, glaring at my brother.
He ignores me, addressing Lake with a smirk. “What? You have to admit it was funny. He went all caveman on her.”
“Just shut up,” she tells him, rolling her eyes.
“Yo! Is there a reason you’re in my room?” I snap, still glaring at him.
“Um, yeah,” Lake says, shifting on the balls of her feet before turning to Max, urging him with her eyes to say something. When he doesn’t, she backhands his chest.
“Oh shit, yeah. Sorry, I was trying to come up with some caveman jokes, but I’ve got nothing.” He laughs.
“Max,” I warn, and Teagan giggles. I turn, finding her covered to her chin with the blanket. At least that’s something. She’s only wearing one of my T-shirts, and that’s for my eyes only.
“Yeah, um, the police are downstairs waiting to speak to the both of you. I’d ask about the face, but Faith already told us you ‘fell down the stairs’,” he says. “Looks like you don’t need me, so I guess I’ll just go downstairs.” He grabs Lake’s hand, leaving abruptly before I have a chance to ask what all the hostility is about.
“Your brother can be so weird.”
“He’s pissed off with me,” I tell her, getting out of bed to throw on some clothes. That’s when I notice the place is clean. Like really clean. There’re knick-knacks and framed pictures of me and my brothers on the windowsill that weren’t there before. There’s also one of me and Teagan from Denny and Mason’s wedding.
Looking around, I notice more stuff. Her clothes are put away, no longer in the suitcase they came in, and she has her makeup on my desk in a black, gemmed box. Everything in here screams Teagan, and I like it―even the extra girly pillows I threw off the bed last night. And more to the point, I don’t want to drink myself into oblivion, which has been done. A girl left her underwear once and I swear I had an aneurysm.
“How can you tell? He seemed happy to me, just a little weirder than usual,” she says, snapping me out of it. When she climbs out of bed to get dressed, I want to tell her to get back in, to rest, but I know the police will want to talk to her. I’d rather just get this over and done with so we can finally be alone.
“He was being sarcastic at the end, which is why he left so suddenly. He only ever acts like that when he’s pissed off and knows if he gets into it with me, he’ll end up saying something he can’t take back. He may seem easy-going, but he can also be hot-headed when he wants to be. What I can’t tell you is why he’s pissed. It could be anything with Max, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was either because I left for two days or because I beat the shit into the bloke who hit you without him.”
“I’ll never understand him,” she says, bewildered.
“No one ever does.” I laugh.
We get dressed, moving around each other like we’ve been doing this for years. It feels right, just like everything does with Teagan. It still astonishes me that we’ve only being seeing each other for a few months.
Sometimes, I wonder if my commitment issues really had anything to do with my past. As cliché and corny as it sounds, I really do believe I never connected with anyone, because I was waiting for her.
She’s the one.
The only one.
My one.
“Let’s get this over with,” I say once we’re dressed and standing by the bedroom door.
Teagan nods, looking scared and vulnerable. Taking her hand, I give her a reassuring squeeze, showing her I’m with her and not leaving.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
TEAGAN
Two uniformed officers, plus Detective Barrett and Evan, are waiting for us in the living room when we get downstairs. Myles, Kayla, Lake, Faith, and Max are also there, Max glaring at the officers with a stubborn pout on his face.
What is that about?
I shake the thought away, knowing I can’t deal with the inner workings of Max right now, and face the girls, who have kindly watched over Faith.
“We’ll take Faith into the kitchen so you guys can talk,” Kayla offers, taking her hand.
“Thank you,” I whisper, unsure on what to do. I’m nervous, worried and, if I’m honest, I’m scared.
“I want bacon,” I hear Faith tell Kayla, who giggles at my daughter and her love for bacon. I swear, she’d live off it if she could.
“We’ll go with them,” Lake says, having to drag a reluctant Max along with her.
Once they’re out of the room, Maverick and I face the officers. I’m still unsure which direction this morning is going to go. Their expressions are unreadable, giving no indication on whether this is going to be good or bad news.
“Mr Carter, Miss Williams, this is PC Hart and PC Barnes. They’re here to take a statement from you about last night, but first, I’d like to see if this is indeed the man who attacked Miss Williams at her home,” Barrett says, addressing Maverick.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask, taking a seat on the sofa.
“We need you to pick out your attacker from a group of photos,” he answers, all formal, which does nothing to calm my nerves.
“Why don’t you all take a seat? I need to grab a coffee before we get into this. Would anyone else like one?” Maverick asks. They all shake their heads except Evan, who gives Mav a look I can’t decipher.
“I’d love one. I’ll even help, say hi to Denny,” Evan tells him. Detective Barrett doesn’t look happy about Evan following, and I feel like I’m missing something, especially when Maverick gives Evan a silent nod.
Whatever! I can’t deal with that either. I’m giving myself a headache.
“I’ll be back in a minute, babe,” he tells me before addressing the officers. “Don’t show her anything until I’m back. I don’t want her to be alone when she sees them.”
They nod, and my heart melts at how considerate he’s been. He’s always finding some way to look out for me. He must see the gratefulness in my expression because his face softens with a small smile as he runs a finger across my good cheek before he turns to leave the room.
“How are you?” Barrett asks once we’re alone.
“I’m getting there. I’m just glad he’s locked up. I’ve been living in constant fear the past two days knowing he’s out there. I’ve not been able to sleep or eat.”
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Teagan.”
“What will happen to him now?”
“If you identify the suspect, then we’ll be adding charges against him. He already had warrants out for his arrest, so he’ll be going away for a very long time. You’re safe now.”
“I hope so.”
An uncomfortable silence fills the room as I watch the two male officers sit on the sofa. They look tense in their bulky uniforms and I want to comment on how they should really lighten their load if they’re going to be chasing bad guys. Their radios are the only sound you can hear, codes being called constantly, intriguing me. I’m so lost in trying to understand what’s being said so I don’t have to think about what’s to come that I don’t know Maverick and Evan have walked back into the room until a hand lands on my shoulder, causing me to jump.
“Holy crap, you scared me,” I gasp, holding my hand to my chest.
“Shit, sorry,” Maverick says softly, sitting down next to me. He puts his arm around me, handing me a cup of coffee with the other.
Lifting the cup, I breathe in the sweet aroma, sighing with contentment. “It’s okay. And thank you.”
“Shall we get started?” Barrett asks, stepping forward.
I gulp, my hands shaking around the cup, the heat doing nothing to warm my cold hands. “I’m ready.”
He hands me a tablet, a picture of a man similar to the one who attacked me popping up on the screen.
�
�Flick through them and let me know if you see the man who attacked you.”
I nod, sliding my finger across the screen. Picture after picture passes, all similar size and shape to the man who attacked me but none of them him.
Fidgeting, I start to become frustrated, unease settling in over the thought that they might not have him. But then I slide the screen again and my heart starts thumping in my chest.
Closing my eyes, I try to force the images from that night away, but all I can see are his eyes as he attacked me. They were so cold, so full of hatred and rage that I’ll never forget them. Tears slip free and I wipe them away with a shaky hand.
“Take a deep breath. You can do this,” Maverick says encouragingly, rubbing a hand up and down my back.
I do as he instructs, taking a deep breath before opening my eyes, holding out the tablet to Barrett. I can’t bear to look at it a second longer; he’s already haunting me enough.
“That’s him. That’s the man who attacked me.”
“Are you sure?” Barrett asks, taking the tablet and looking down at the mugshot.
“I’ll never be able to forget his face, or his eyes,” I whisper, my voice raw with pain. Maverick pulls me closer and I soak in his warmth, needing him more than ever. He’s the only person who has ever made me feel safe, and I don’t want to lose that, or him.
“Thank you, Teagan,” Barrett says, but I tune him and everyone else out as I stare into my coffee cup, wishing I could erase the whole ordeal.
I’m not sure I can describe what I’m feeling right now, knowing it’s really him they’ve arrested. For a second there I believed they had the wrong man and that he was still out there, lurking, waiting to strike.
I’ve been so worked up and distracted over Faith and how much it’s affected her that I never really gave myself time to process what it would actually mean if they caught him.
Does it mean it’s over? That Maverick’s club is safe? That Faith and I are safe?
Everything is swirling around inside my mind and I feel like I’m going to explode from the overcharge. I’d been so scared that night and every night since, but now I feel too much. I’m relieved, pleased, but the same dread and panic is there just as much as it was before, and I have no idea what to do about that. It’s burning inside me, working its way through my system and suffocating me.
Maverick (Carter Brothers Book 5) Page 22
