by Aliyah Burke
along the seam of her mouth, seeking entrance. As Tempest
opened her mouth under his probe, he entered slowly.
His tongue made leisurely and unhurried delves into
her hot mouth. He swept through every part of her that he
could reach, teaching himself just what taste made up the
woman named Tempest.
Settling his legs so her body could fit between them,
Maverick pulled her in close. His body was on fire for her. The
hand at her back moved her pelvis closer to his and he knew
she could feel the rock-hard erection that was pushing against
his jeans, trying to get closer to her.
Tempest whimpered as his tongue made love to her
mouth. Her hands reached out and grabbed at his waist,
desperately needing to hang onto something.
“That’s right, baby; open for me,” he coaxed as he
continued his tender assault.
The hand at the back of her neck was sending more
impulses through her body as the fingers teased her skin and
rubbed her hair. The feel of his rigid penis pressing into her
didn’t help to control her lust.
Her mouth opened further to allow him more access.
Her own tongue began to dance with his. It was like being hit
by a two-by-four of yearning. Both of them groaned and hips
flexed simultaneously.
Maverick drew back and looked at the woman who
trembled in his embrace. Her lips were swollen from the kiss;
her eyes were sultry with desire. He could see the points of her
nipples poking through her shirt, inviting him to draw them
into his mouth.
Everything about her called to him. For the life of him,
he couldn’t remember any of his past women. And he also
couldn’t recall ever feeling like this with them. There was
something so right, so perfect about holding Tempest in his
arms. What was going on?
Maverick blinked and blinked again. He was no longer with
Tempest at her house; instead, he was standing in a valley of lush
grasses beside a crystal blue lake, totally surrounded by snowcapped
mountains. A figure walked towards him. It was his tunkašila, his
grandfather. The man stood there tall and proud, how Maverick
remembered him.
His words were soft like on a breeze as they reached his ears.
“It is good to see you, Maverick.”
“Tunkašila, it is so good to see you.” His grandfather had
given him the nickname Maverick. It happened right before he’d been
brutally murdered, so out of respect for him, Maverick had kept it.
“And you.” The man moved closer, and stared directly into
identical eyes of his grandson. “Why have you called me?”
“I don’t understand what is going on with me. I don’t know
how to handle this woman or make amends for my mistakes.”
Maverick reached down and picked some grass allowing it to fall and
be taken away in the breeze.
The old weathered man laughed. When a confused Maverick
looked to him he responded, “That’s because, takoja, my grandchild,
you have found what you have been searching for. The wiyan,
woman in your arms, is destined to be your mitawin.”
Maverick was shocked, yet, at the same time, filled with a
peace he’d long since believed he wouldn’t ever be allowed to find.
“Are you sure, Tunkašila? My mitawin? My wife?”
An amused grin crossed his grandfather’s face. “Why are you
surprised?”
“I never thought I would be married. I mean, with what I do
and what I’ve seen…” he trailed off as the black eyes of his elder began
to sparkle with humor.
“You never wanted to have someone to share your life with? I
know you didn’t want to continue on how you were. All those
different women.” Censure crossed his face. “You deserve so much
more than that.”
Maverick chuckled. “This is not going to be easy.” He sat
down on the soft ground and picked some more grass.
The leather-clad figure sank down beside him. For a moment,
they sat in silence before Maverick’s grandfather spoke. “No woman
worth anything is going to be easy. You have much to atone for, with
her and my great-grandchild. And this one, your woman, took on the
name Tempest Independence!” He began to laugh a full belly laugh.
“What a fight you have!”
Tempest Independence? Crap. “I don’t know what to do. I
don’t know how to make amends.” Maverick didn’t entirely see the
situation being that funny.
Gentle eyes watched him, but the man remained silent.
“Tunkašila, please. Tell me what I can do to make it better? How do I
make up for not being there?”
“I don’t know if there is a way you can make up for it,
James.” Tempest said in a low voice and moved out of his
arms.
Blinking a few times as reality sank in around him,
Maverick looked down at the woman who was backing away.
“Tempest, wait.”
“That can’t happen again,” she demanded. “I have to get
to bed, so you need to tell me your side and then we can be
done with this.”
He felt her absence immediately and hated the feeling. It
hit him like a ton of bricks what his teammates had said about
their wives. He’d laughed at them then; and now, he realized
just how lucky he was they hadn’t kicked his ass for teasing
them.
Then her words sank in and they got an entirely
different reaction from him. Rage filled him at the thought of
losing her. “What do you mean this can’t happen again?” His
fist clenched as he fought the urge to grab her.
“It is a very self-explanatory sentence, James. You know
what I mean.”
“We aren’t ignoring what’s between us,” he vowed as he
forced his body to assume a more relaxed position.
“There isn’t anything between us to acknowledge or
ignore. Now, it is almost four in the morning; so if you are
going to tell me what happened on your end, do so. If not,
leave so I can get some sleep.”
Her voice was devoid of emotion and it was like nails on
a chalkboard to Maverick. He hated how she did that, act as if
going down a checklist of unimportant items.
Here was his chance to tell her his side and he couldn’t
think of a single thing to say. What was there to say other than,
I didn’t know. She wasn’t going to want to hear about how
many women he’d slept with, how much traveling he’d done
or anything like that. Nothing in his life was overly difficult
and that wouldn’t win him points with her either.
The light laughter of his grandfather echoed in his head.
What do I say? All he got in response was more laughter.
“Okay,” Tempest’s husky voice broke into his jumbled
thoughts. “So you have nothing to tell me; doesn’t really
surprise me.” She walked to the door and opened it.
“Goodnight, James.” There was such finality in her tone.
Gritting his teeth, he moved toward both her and the
door. Grabbing his helmet off the seat by the entrance,
his
fathomless eyes bore into hers. “I don’t know what I have to do
to show you how sorry I am that my youthful idiocy and my
parents’ spitefulness put you through what it did, Tempest. I
may never find a way, but I will do my damnedest.”
Just prior to being totally out the door, Maverick turned
back and grasped her chin, holding her immobile. “And there
is no way in hell I’m giving up on what’s between us.” His lips
were on and off hers before she could protest. He used his
thumb to caress her lower lip as he whispered, “Goodnight,
mitawin. Sleep well and dream of me. Toksha ake wacinyuanktin
ktelo, I shall see you again.” Then he was gone.
Tempest slumped against the door as she closed it
behind the man who took too much of her air supply. Her lips
still tingled and there was a pool of moisture between her legs
from just being in his presence.
Damn him!
And then to top it off, he went and spoke Lakota again.
It had been so hard not to jump on him and beg him to stay.
Although from the ridge she’d felt in his pants, she didn’t think
it would’ve been too much of a struggle to get him to accept.
Straightening up, Tempest went to go to bed when a
flash of white caught her eye. On the chair that had held his
helmet sat an envelope. It was face down and she groaned,
“This plan of coming back to get this envelope isn’t going to
work, James. I’ll give it to you at the bar.”
She picked it up to put with her keys, so she wouldn’t
forget it, but dropped it. It flipped over and she saw TO MY
DAUGHTER, SARAH written on the other side.
Bile rushed up and she began to shake. What kind of
trick was this? Why would he be so mean to her?
Carrying the envelope as if it were a sidewinder about to
strike, she walked cautiously to the couch where she curled up
in the seat her guest had just vacated. Swallowing, Tempest
finished the rest of the drink she’d given to Maverick as she
continued to stare at the object in her lap.
Sucking her bottom lip in her mouth, she made a
decision. Flipping it over, Tempest slid her finger under the
seal, ripping it open. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the
folded pages and began to read.
Sarah,
I don’t really know how to say what I long to
tell you. I don’t know how much time I have. So
I’ll start at the beginning and hope to finish in
time.
First and foremost, I love you. I know you
don’t believe that and you have every right not
to, but it’s true. Not a day has gone by that I
haven’t wondered how you were doing and
what you looked like now.
I imagine you are just as gorgeous as the sun
upon a field of flowers. I wish I could go back in
time and change the stupid way I acted. I never
should have let you go.
Now before you think I’m doing this because
I want something, let me tell you, you are
absolutely right. I know I have no right to ask
anything of you but I am.
I long to see you, hold you in my arms and
kiss your cheeks. I also want to meet my
grandson. Yes, I know about him, James
Lonetree came to the door and when Carol said
she didn’t have time for him, he asked her.
Asked her in front of me and the guests, why we
never told him you were pregnant and why we
abandoned you. How we could have kept him
from his son for twenty-one years. I have never
been so proud of a man before. He was almost
desperate to find out the truth of what
happened.
After he left the house, I left and parked
outside of town and here I’m now writing this
letter in hopes that I will see him leaving. I feel it
in my bones that he is coming back to find you.
I was a dumb idiot for letting Carol talk me
into sending you away. Even more stupid for
going along with it all these years. Bertha was
my sister and I still never tried to get in contact
with you. Can you ever forgive an old fool?
Like I stated earlier, I wouldn’t be surprised if
you didn’t even get this far in the letter. I
deserve all your scorn and then some. I was your
father, I should have protected you. A failure
which has haunted me for the over 7,000 days I
haven’t seen you, heard your voice or held you
in my arms.
I don’t know how you did in school, what you
enjoy doing for fun. Your favorite foods.
Anything about you, and I can’t blame anyone
but myself.
My wish before I die is to see you and meet
your child, whom I would love to call my
grandson. If you can find it in your heart to
agree to this, please send a letter to the address
below and I will find a way to come to you.
I love you and no matter what the court
papers say, I have never not thought of you as
my child. I have to go, I have so much I long to
tell you, but I want to be looking in your
beautiful eyes when I do so.
I can’t tell you how much I hope to hear
from you.
Love you,
Mitchell Whitehall
Tempest read the letter again and was more than
shocked when the splash of a tear landed on the back of her
hand. The handwriting in front of her was shaky and not the
easiest to read, but she definitely recognized it as her father’s.
Reaching for a tissue, she allowed her eyes to pour over
the simple yet touching words on the paper. “What am I going
to do now?” she sniffed. A quiet knock on her door didn’t
surprise her in the slightest. As she rose and walked to the
door, Tempest was positive she knew who was waiting on the
other side.
There was no hesitation as she swung it open. She
needed comfort and the tall man standing there was just who
she wished to get it from. Tempest didn’t ask what he was
doing there or how he knew she needed him to come back.
She looked up at him and the tears began to flow even
more. In a second, she was lifted off the ground and cradled
against Maverick’s solid chest as he closed the door behind
him. Maverick carried her to the couch where he sat down and
gathered her closer yet.
Her dark face buried into his neck and she cried herself
out. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ear, “It’ll be
okay, Tempest. Chéye shni yo, don’t cry. Please.” He held her
tighter. “I wish I could take the pain away. Chéye shni yo, chéye
shni yo.”
His lips teased her ear and as the comforting scent of
James Chayton Lonetree surrounded her, Tempest gave into
the emotional exhaustion this evening had piled upon her and
fell asleep in his embrace, feeling safe and protected for once.
Maverick knew the second she was asleep. It had torn
his insides out to hear her gut-wrenching sobs He sat there
holding her until
her clock chimed six. Then, he stood and
carried her to her bedroom. His dark eyes took in the simplicity
of her things and again, shame swept through him.
Placing her gently on her bed, he placed a kiss on her
lips. “I won’t let you go. You, Tempest Independence, are mine.
Ohinyan mita. Mine forever.” He left her there.
Twelve
Tempest rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. Her
throat hurt, her eyes were puffy, and she was wearing her
clothes from the previous day.
Sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of her
bed, she glanced at the clock. It was after noon. Standing with a
decided lurch, she went into the bathroom.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she shook her
head. She looked terrible. Flashes of the letter and Maverick
holding her made her almost head to the living room, instead
she climbed into her shower and let the water pour over her.
It was a quick shower and afterward, Tempest put on
her lotion and dressed in a white tank top and a blue sarong.
Pulling her hair back into a knot so it was off her neck, she
stepped out of her bedroom.
Her ears and nose were assaulted at the same time with
the smell of beef and cheese and semi-hushed masculine
conversation. Padding up through her house barefoot, Tempest
stopped at the entrance to her kitchen.
Maverick and Dakota were in there making tacos at her
kitchen counter. They had their backs to her and were talking
amongst themselves. For a brief moment, Tempest felt a flash
of betrayal at her son’s actions. Tamping it down, she forced a
smile on her face and opened her mouth to speak.
“Good morning, Tempest,” Maverick said in a loud and
damnably sexy voice before she could say a word. “Or rather,
good afternoon.” His dark head turned and he met her gaze
directly.
In that moment, Tempest forgot about feeling left out.
Maverick was dressed in solid black once more; it was like the
man didn’t understand he was in the middle of the damn
desert during summertime. Whatever his reason for wearing
what he did, she couldn’t argue with him. He wore it so well.
His shirt was sculpted to his body; and his thighs, firm
ass, and calves were shrink-wrapped in the denim material. His
broad shoulders rolled with effortless motion as he moved. She
got a mouth full of cotton just looking at him, he was so
handsome.
It was his eyes that froze her, though. As they roamed
