by Bijou Hunter
“Where?”
“I’ll let you know once Violet gives the okay. The location is downtown.”
Colton frowns at both living in the center of Pema and that I’ve planned out so much. My guess is he jumped into his spot as president without much preparation. In contrast, I’ve been plotting my move since I realized I loved Violet, and she couldn’t stay in Shasta. That’s why he and I could either drive each other crazy or make a good team. Only time will tell.
Next to us, Violet and Stella keep their conversation focused on topics like movies and music. Despite their ease with each other, I sense they need an alpha chick around to keep them stable. That’s how it works in Shasta. River’s and Shane’s women are betas like Violet. Shelby and Taylor are alphas who know how to organize the women when indecisiveness might slow them down.
Heidi O’Keefe is full alpha. Her sister-in-law, Vidalia, is apparently a beta. That’s a lot of weaker women for Heidi to organize. Especially since I’ve always sensed she isn’t someone who enjoys hanging out around women.
Of course, if Avery does move to Pema—and Savannah follows as per their twin contract—the town might have more alpha chicks than it can bear. Of course, that would also mean more people to help Violet.
After we finish eating, a suddenly frowning Colton fiddles with his fork. “There are issues in Pema that I didn’t know about before moving here. Problems Heidi hadn’t spotted. Not really her fault, and I obviously can’t get into the specifics right now. Still, there might be resistance to our club soon. Having more Reapers around to push back would be helpful.”
Leaning forward, I lower my voice and hold Colton’s gaze. “If I come here and help take charge, I can’t half-ass anything. Pema is a weak chapter, making less money than it should. People back home believe Heidi can’t wield power like a man. Or there are obstacles here that don’t exist in Ellsberg.”
Colton’s expression freezes into his Johansson scowl. People might fear that face, but I only see extended family. Colton was my annoyingly loud cousin obsessed with his own farts. Growing up as the only son of a powerful man made him insufferable at times.
But maybe he isn’t that guy anymore. Colton has a woman he clearly cares about, and he was willing to give up his dream of running Ellsberg. Moving to Pema likely wasn’t easy since he’s a mama’s boy. Colton might be ready to step out of his father’s shadow and be the man in charge.
“The reason Ellsberg doesn’t have those problems,” I continue after a minute of Colton and I eyeballing each other, “is that your grandfather and men like my father got rid of them. Those issues didn’t go away on their own for Kirk Johansson, and they won’t go away easily for you.”
“I get that.”
“Or maybe you’re too accustomed to being a third-generation badass in a town where your family holds weight. Because people here don’t care about our last names. We’ll have to make them fear us. I’m willing to do that, and you know how my family fixes problems. If you’re unwilling to take the same route, we should end this now. There’ll be no hard feelings. Otherwise, I’ll be back in a week to start finalizing living arrangements. I can let you sleep on your decision if need be.”
Colton feels the silence at the table. Violet and Stella pretend to be busy on their phones, but they heard every word. Neither woman has the luxury of living in the dark. Pema isn’t a tamed town. Blood will need to flow for the Reapers to take complete control. I don’t care if the problems are a rival club or infighting or a do-gooder taking a stand against our loud motorcycles. To make Pema kneel, we’ll have to fuck up some people.
“No need to sleep on it,” Colton says and waves over the waitress. “Heidi is tough, but she’s a businesswoman. Gunnar and Jox are loyal-as-fuck, but they’re blunt objects. To solve these problems, this chapter needs someone with more tactical knowledge and skill. I’ll probably annoy you, but that can’t be helped. Your family and mine kicked plenty of ass together in Ellsberg. We ought to continue that tradition in Pema.”
His words hit me harder than I expect. I’ve known for a year that I would move from Shasta when Violet was ready, and I’m not a particularly sentimental man. Leaving the town I helped my brother claim for the Reapers won’t make me shed a tear. Yet, I still feel the gravity of Colton’s words.
Pema is my future, and the time has come to tell Shasta goodbye.
THE GHOST
Maverick gloriously handles Colton. He never threatens or begs. No one would know how much is riding on Colton and him making this situation work. Maverick remains as cool as usual during dinner. By the end, Colton must wonder how much the enforcer really wants the job. Maverick gives nothing away for free.
I’m so proud of him. Not that I’d say anything so pedantic out loud. He’s a grown man and a stone-cold killer. Maverick doesn’t need my praise, but I hope he sees how much I approve of his smooth moves tonight.
Walking hand in hand, we return to the hotel, where we retrieve our bags from the truck. Inside, I spot an older couple canoodling on a velvet couch in the lounge area. I’m just about to feel happy for them when they shoot dark frowns in my direction. Outsiders aren’t welcome in Pema, apparently.
Maverick pretends to be oblivious to the couple. He rarely acknowledges people. When he does focus on someone, they usually regret that fact.
Tonight, his mind is on me rather than the club or the move to Pema. Every step we take closer to the room creates pressure. What if we can’t get close? Are we over?
Once inside, I stand at the door and watch Maverick set the suitcases near the window. He turns to me, emotionless, unreadable, sexy as hell.
“When you look at me, do you see O’Meara?” I ask.
“No. Why would I?”
“Because that’s the first time you saw me.”
“Before then, I saw your pictures on Shelby’s whiteboard. I knew your face long before I got a glimpse of you during the raid. And that’s all it was, a glimpse. I wish I could say the moment I saw you that my heart knew you were mine. In reality, I was only focused on the mission. Afterward, I viewed you as an outsider. Again, I wish I could say I fell for you instantly. That’s not how my brain works. I grew up wary of outsiders, and I don’t trust easily. I’m still edgy around Goliath.”
“When did you know?”
“That you were beautiful?” he says, crossing his long, muscled arms. “A week or two after you came to live at the Victorian. Shelby was dancing around to music despite her big belly. I’d seen her act silly a million times. But you got the giggles and couldn’t stop. When I saw your cheeks so pink and your eyes so bright, the image stayed imprinted on my thoughts for days. I started seeking you out after that.”
Maverick’s answer isn’t particularly romantic, which relaxes me more than if he claimed I was in his thoughts immediately. I didn’t want him getting horny after seeing me in the glam 1950s housewife outfit Husband made me wear. I’m glad Maverick fell for the real me.
“I’m going to take off my clothes now,” I explain, fighting the urge to run. “Well, not all of them. I’ll get down to my bra and panties and take a CBD gummy. Next, I plan to put on music and wait to relax enough to get into the jacuzzi tub with you.”
His green eyes reveal nothing when he says, “We don’t have to do anything tonight.”
“I know I can say no. But I feel dead inside sometimes. Being close to people helps me feel alive. If we could be sexual without all my hang-ups, I’d have an anchor to the real world.”
“True, but if you put too much pressure on tonight, you’ll likely get too stressed to have fun.”
Shrugging, I kick off my shoes and go to my suitcase where the gummies are bundled. Maverick doesn’t move an inch through my stroll across the room. He’s waiting for me to respond to his very reasonable concern.
“I can’t promise I won’t go bananas when you fuck me or tomorrow or the next day. I don’t have enough control over my moods. However, I can promise I want you tonight. I don’
t know if I’ll want you as much in Shasta. That town feels like a grave I’m trying to escape. But here, tonight, I want to push myself, so I can be closer to you.”
Maverick’s fingers graze the top of my head while I find the gummy and pop it into my mouth. He remains difficult to read when I stand up and study him.
“Do you see O’Meara when you look at me?” he asks, though I don’t think that’s the real question in his head.
“No. He was a gross man. You, Maverick Majors, are gorgeous. He was dumb. While he got away with killing for a long time, that was more about other people being dumber. While you, Maverick Majors, are wise. If I could design a man completely different than Barry O’Meara, I would have created you.”
Allowing a little smile, Maverick looks ready to touch me. Instead, he hesitates, and I walk away. On my phone near the door, I find a playlist to put me in a light mood.
As Tracy Chapman sings “Give Me One Reason,” I slide my black T-shirt over my head and toss it at a stony Maverick. He barely reacts. Though I catch his eyebrow lift at the sight of my black jeans hitting the plush red carpet. Is he checking out my ass or worrying my clothes will get skanked up?
Dancing around the room, I try to get a reaction out of Maverick. He just watches me as if sizing up his opponent. Right then, I realize how I’m the one in control. Full of fear, Maverick is talking himself out of having fun. For once, he’s the indecisive one!
Confidence flowing through my veins, I wiggle my ass as I head for the gaudy jacuzzi tub. Maverick might not be ready to take what he wants, but he isn’t a machine. If I get naked and beckon to him, he won’t say no. His body wants mine. His heart beats faster for me.
Unlike with Husband, I have power with Maverick. I plan to use it to make my love and me feel incredible.
THE SENTINEL
I’m usually good in stressful situations. I know how to read the room and adjust my behavior accordingly. Yet, Violet’s signals are throwing me off.
Her words sound confident. Dancing half-naked around the room, she pretends to be a woman without a care in the world. Except her eyes are frozen in fear. They beg me to protect her from herself. She’s terrified of me, her, everything.
Glancing to my left, I find her strutting bare-assed to the jacuzzi tub. I’ve never seen her stripped down this way before. Her milky white skin calls out to me. Yet, despite my erection, I don’t immediately follow her into the bathroom.
Violet hungers for things she isn’t equipped to handle. I’m the sane one. The luxury of my clear brain means I need to be sensible when emotions rule her.
And right this moment, I’m very worried Violet is forcing intimacy she is far from ready to deal with. We only kissed for the third fucking time a few hours ago.
Even so, she dances naked around the bathroom, waiting for me to make her feel good. No one ever has before. She was a virgin before Barry O’Meara stole her away. In reality, she remains as inexperienced with true intimacy as when he entered her life.
Violet doesn’t know how to make herself feel good. She recently admitted she can’t orgasm when she masturbates. I think she told me this information to freak me out or prove she’s fucked up. Her tone indicated she expected me to mock her. Violet often forgets people should care about each other and reverts to her parents’ transactional kind of love. If she can’t give me something, she isn’t worth anything.
To teach her differently, I need to do the right thing.
But as I enter the bathroom where Violet sits on the edge of the jacuzzi tub, I honestly have no fucking idea how to respond to her finger waving for me to join her.
“I’m ready,” she says as the water bubbles inside the tub. “Let’s finally pop that figurative cherry, Maverick Majors.”
Despite my concerns, I smile at her wicked expression. I’m also unable to hide my gaze locked on her perky tits with their pale pink nipples. They bounce when she tries to slide into the water before deciding it’s too hot. When her ass returns to the edge, I get a delicious flash of her blonde curls and pink pussy. I’m not made out of fucking steel here. If she keeps teasing me, I doubt I’ll be able to say no.
As the pot loosens her up, Violet’s eyes lose their earlier fear. She isn’t stoned, though. There’s a wariness to her gaze that I don’t think she realizes.
Once she gets the temperature right, Violet sinks into the water. Leaning forward, she reaches for me.
“I want our first time to be at The Love Cave. Strip down and do me right.”
“I feel the pot saying those words rather than you.”
Violet cocks an eyebrow and asks, “Will you make me come, or will you act like a punk-ass little bitch and keep your dick holstered?”
Grinning at her wording, I shrug and tug off my shirt. “Well, when you put it that way, I don’t really have much of choice.”
Violet actually claps when I strip down. I’m startled when she licks her lips at the sight of my cock. If she turns off her arousal and only wants to cuddle tonight, I swear I’ll fucking cry.
Rather than switch gears, she immediately glues her wet body to me once I sink into the hot water. Violet straddles my hips, eagerly kissing me as her hands slide through my hair.
“I love you,” she gasps when her lips leave mine.
There’s no chance to respond before she kisses me again. Her tongue slides against mine as she moans louder. I don’t know how long I can hold out if she keeps rubbing her wet body against mine.
Over the last year, I’ve imagined our first time occurring in many different ways. I had planned promises at the ready. I wanted to make everything special.
But my mind goes blank as her hand wraps around my cock and lines it up with her pussy. I can’t think of anything beautiful to say before the head of my erection disappears inside her body. Then she presses down hard, taking as much as she can before my cock bottoms out.
Violet’s far more aroused than I expect. I should really stop guessing how she’ll behave in any situation. If she doesn’t know, how can I?
Rolling her hips in a frenzy, Violet is already close to coming. She was probably halfway to an orgasm before I ever touched her. Now, her hot pussy clenches at my engorged dick, keeping a tight grip as she moves faster.
I think I say her name in between kisses. She might say mine. Violet lets out a pleasured moan and tilts her head back. I immediately lick her throat. Even though I want another taste, she presses my head back and sucks at my pulse. We can’t find a rhythm.
Our fucking is wild, desperate, and better than I could have dreamed.
THE GHOST
My greatest worry about sex with Maverick has been that something will trigger a memory of my time with Husband. I fear returning to that place and those feelings.
That’s why I decided our first time should be in a jacuzzi tub in a tacky Valentine’s Day-themed room in a goofy hotel in a town I don’t know. Nothing about this place reminds me of Husband’s ranch home/prison. O’Meara wanted everything to smell of bleach. This place has a sickly-sweet floral scent. My prison was quiet, off the road, away from the neighbors. At the hotel, I hear the light traffic outside through the single-pane windows. Everything is different enough for me to focus only on Maverick.
“I love you,” Maverick says, watching me after I orgasm and my hips continue to roll against his.
Wrapping my arms tighter around his neck, I press our bodies together, never wanting this to end. I’m part of someone unbearably strong. Maverick is a predator in a world full of sheep.
I’ve never been more in love with being Violet Navarro. She might go bananas, and I don’t know what the fuck she’ll do next. Yet, she won the heart of the most amazing man.
“Did I do good?” I ask after he comes and seems stunned.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, sounding fragile in a way I don’t expect. “I will never hurt you.”
“It’s okay if you do. I know it would never be on purpose. You’re surprisingly tenderhear
ted for a stone-cold killer.”
Maverick has to pull back into himself a little. I don’t think he’s comfortable feeling so exposed. His heart is something he rarely reveals to anyone. Even when he shows it to me, I sense him holding back. Maverick can’t help himself. Whether from his training or a natural born instinct, he’s a man entrenched in a protective bubble.
His arms keep me tucked against him. Around us, the hot water bubbles. Between my legs, I squeeze his impressively large cock as he softens inside me. Every time I clench my pussy, his breath catches. Maverick is afraid to let loose. He might think he went wild during our fuck. No way did he truly let go, though. He remained on edge about what’ll happen next. Did his lust push me too far? Will I fall apart now?
“I want more,” I whisper against his ear. “How do I make that happen?”
A frowning Maverick studies my face, still searching for a reason to stop. He’s been waiting for so long that he doesn’t seem to realize we’ve finally taken the last big step.
“Just stay right in this position and give me a second,” he says, cocking an eyebrow. “No, wait, I know what might speed this up.”
Maverick leans me back until my hair floats in the bubbling water. He licks my right nipple while holding my gaze. He’s back in control and in his hyper-alert mode. That’s how Maverick functions. He was given the club name “Sentinel” long before I entered his life. Maverick Majors is always on guard. Only for a few minutes when he lost himself to passion did his icy exterior break. Now, he’s back to watching, testing, worrying.
“More,” I whisper when he hesitates.
His lips suck at my nipple with more intensity. One of his arms wraps around the back of me, keeping my body above water. His free hand teases my other nipple. Our bodies remain linked. No longer satisfied, his cock grows thick inside me. Craving more, I tighten my pussy around the hard flesh.
Maverick wants the real me—flaws and all. That’s why I don’t care if I moan correctly or seem sexy as I catch my breath after another orgasm. My appearance never registers. I just want to feel. The only thing in the world I see is this one man. When Maverick’s cool slips, allowing a view of the passionate man hiding behind his armor, I hold him tighter in my arms.
