Ride Rough

  “Maverick.”

  Her moan twisted up the tension gathering low in his gut. “That’s it. Take all of me.” He bottomed out inside her, then ground himself even deeper.

  “God!” She reached a hand between her legs, and watching her work her own pussy while he fucked her on his bike was the single hottest thing he’d ever seen in his life. She screamed her orgasm, her whole body bowing over the gas tank, her thighs bucking over his. He planted his hand on the flat plane of her belly just below her breasts, steadying her and pinning her in place.

  And then he shifted his stance so that he was hammering down into her, his pelvis crashing into hers on every thrust. Sensation was barreling down his spine and stealing his breath. “Christ, you’re gonna take me, Alexa. You’re gonna take everything I’ve got to give.”

  She grabbed his wrists. “Everything,” she rasped.

  The word tripped his orgasm, just ripped it right out of him until he felt turned inside out, raw and exposed, on top of the world. His shout echoed over the bike’s low rumble against the garage’s concrete, his cock kicking inside her again and again and again. It went on until Maverick saw spots around the edge of his vision, like he’d taken a drug that had sent him on the best, purest high.

  When his body finally calmed, he lifted her against him until he was cradling her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his hips, their fronts pressed together, his cock still buried to the hilt. When he finally killed the engine, her arms wrapped around him on a sigh so contented he could’ve dedicated his life to making her sound that way over and over. She stroked at his hair as her whole body went lax against him. The silence was loud all around them.

  “So good with you,” she whispered.

  “Always,” he said, not sure if she meant the sex or how she felt or, just, all of it—the sex and the closeness and the fun times and the hard times and the boring minutiae of daily life. Which was how he meant it.

  “I can’t even be mad that you ruined my clothes,” she said with a little satisfied hum. “Because it was too damn hot.”

  He chuckled and nodded. Someday he’d be eighty and too arthritic to ride and too senile to remember what he was arguing about with Dare, but he’d sure as shit recall every detail of what’d just happened with her. It was seared into his very DNA. “I’ll replace them.”

  She pulled back from the hug just enough to look him in the eye. “I don’t care about the clothes, Maverick. I don’t care about anything that’s replaceable. Not anymore.”

  At just that moment, he realized that he’d made love to her without kissing her even once. His gaze dropped to her lips, and suddenly he was ravenous for a taste. He devoured her with a deep, slow, lingering kiss, full of tangling tongues and tugging lips. His senses were full of her, but not as full as his heart. So he kept right on kissing, because it ensured none of the words pinballing around in his head got voiced. Not yet.

  Alexa shifted in his lap, emphasizing that his cock was hardening again inside of her. He gripped her hips and thrust himself as deep as he could go. Held himself there. His libido started making plans he wasn’t sure either of their bodies was actually up to carrying out.

  Just then, wind gusted a warm, humid breeze through the garage, and a thin spray of water blew over them.

  Al squeaked and laughed. “When did it start raining?”

  Maverick peered over his shoulder. “Hell if I know.” A nuclear bomb could’ve exploded out there ten minutes before, and he wouldn’t have realized it. She shivered, goose bumps rising up on her skin. “Let’s get you inside.” When she nodded, he eased out of her, helped her off the bike, and did up his jeans when he got off.

  She tried to hold the pieces of her clothes together, but he’d literally ripped her to shreds. And he couldn’t stop staring. “You are a wet fucking dream right now, Alexa. I’m not gonna lie.”

  “I am? I’m a disaster.” Looking down at herself, she gave a little chuckle.

  He shook his head. “A beautiful disaster, maybe. But all of us are sitting on some kind of disaster, Al. Some are just better at hiding it than others.” He sure as hell was. The guilt over not protecting his mother all those years before still had the ability to steal his breath and trash his self-worth. He should’ve seen it. He should’ve acted sooner. He shouldn’t have let it get so out of control. He shook away the thoughts and slipped out of his Ravens cut. “Here.” He held it out for her to put on.

  She put her arms through the holes and wrapped it around herself, and the denim and leather was so big on her that it hung to the tops of her thighs. And fuck if seeing her wear his colors didn’t threaten to rev him up all over again.

  An image flashed before his mind’s eye—a black-and-purple tribal raven with a red heart tattooed on Alexa’s fair skin. Marking her as one of them, as claimed, as his. The imagining made him think of his conversation with Dare, and that his cousin might actually get the pleasure of seeing such a thing on Haven’s skin in the not-too-distant future. And Maverick had maybe never been more jealous of another human being in his life until that very moment.

  Not that his cousin didn’t deserve every bit of happiness he found with Haven. Because he did. They both did. But that didn’t keep Maverick from wanting a little slice of that for himself. Wanting it bad.

  “Maverick? Are you sure it’s okay for me to wear this?” Alexa asked, her fingers stroking over his name patch and impacting him like it was his cock instead.

  “It’ll be fine,” he said in a gruff voice. “Just ’til we get you inside. Come here.” He bent and scooped her into his arms.

  “You don’t have to carry me.” She grinned and wound her arms around his neck.

  “Yes, I do. Because then I get to touch you.” With that, he walked out into the gentle summer rain.

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, okay. Touching is good.”

  Hell, after years of thinking it would never happen again, touching her was everything.

  And he didn’t want to stop.

  Inside, he carried her to her bed and stripped them both down. “I want you in my arms tonight. You good with that?”

  “Yeah, Mav.” She fit herself into the nook along the side of his body until there wasn’t a breath of space between them. Her hand settled on his chest, and he folded his around it. “I’m great with that.”

  And even though they lay there perfectly still, perfectly peaceful—at least for that one moment—Maverick realized that Alexa Harmon was the best fucking ride of his life. And he never wanted it to end.

  CHAPTER 21

  Alexa first became aware of the delicious achiness of her body, an achiness that spoke of sex so hot just thinking about it made her sweat. Smiling, she kicked off the covers, her mind playing the highlights reel. The electrifying shock of Maverick cutting open her clothes. The deep satisfaction of him taking her in such a primal way. The rough need in his voice. But as raw as the sex had been, there’d been tenderness, too. The way he’d held her after, cradling her against him. How he’d covered her with his cut and carried her inside, his face nuzzling her hair. His tight hold all night long, his body molded to hers, his hand cupping her breast.

  Except . . . her hands stretched out and found only emptiness.

  Her eyes opened, confirming that she was alone. “Maverick? Hey, Maverick?” Pushing onto an elbow, a sheet of paper on his pillow caught her eye.

  Hey Al—

  The club got an emergency call at 5:30 A.M. so I had to ride. Hated to leave your bed without saying good-bye. Come to the clubhouse when you get up?

  —Mav

  Alexa pressed the paper to her chest as she fell back against her pillow. The man had spent last night protecting and helping her, and then he’d gotten up in the middle of the night to help a stranger. A warm pressure filled her chest, getting bigger and bigger until she knew.

  She knew.

  She still had feelings for Maverick—and maybe had never stopped having them in the first place. She
still wanted Maverick. The clarity and growing certainty of her emotions was stunning and a little jarring after months of building questions and doubts.

  Part of her worried that this was all happening too fast. Only days had passed since Grant had thrown her out. It was fast.

  But everything that had happened between her and her ex these past weeks had snapped Alexa into a level of awareness she hadn’t had in such a long time, like she’d suddenly awakened from a drug-induced sleep. Now it was like Grant had simply been an interruption to something that’d existed since she first became aware of the opposite sex—her attraction to Maverick Rylan. Her longing for him. Her need for him in her life. Either way, she felt miles away from the woman who’d stared in that bathroom mirror last weekend and tried to convince herself that there was nothing wrong with the way Grant had taken her.

  She wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t flawless, and she was far from being as strong as she wanted to be, but she wasn’t that Alexa anymore, either.

  And now that she had that clarity, she wasn’t wasting it. So once she’d dealt with the chaos of her life and finished fighting Grant, she was going to lay all her feelings and flaws out on the line and fight for Maverick. Because she wasn’t making the same mistake twice in letting him get away, not if he was willing to give her a second chance.

  Lucy leapt onto the foot of the bed, meowing as she walked up Alexa’s body until she was demanding attention by lying on Mav’s note and pushing her head into Alexa’s hand. “Well, there’s my baby. How are you today?” Purring was her only answer, and it was a good one, full of contentment and lazy satisfaction. Lucy liked it here. “I do, too,” Alexa whispered, her mind wandering, building hopes and dreams she didn’t know whether she had any business wishing for. For long minutes, she stroked her fingers over the softness of Lucy’s head and big ears. “You need a bath, little one. We’ll do it tomorrow. Okay?” That wasn’t the only thing she needed to do. Her final project was due on Tuesday, and Alexa hadn’t done five minutes of work on it all week. But even that wasn’t the most important thing she had to do. “I need to take care of my mama today.”

  The words chased away some of the happiness Alexa had felt upon awakening. Telling her mother about the move was going to be hard. So hard that Alexa realized she’d need help to do it. She had to get her mom’s case worker out to keep her calm and offer some support. Which meant Alexa had things to do.

  “Okay, little friend, I have to get up and start my day.” She slid Lucy off of her and pushed out of bed. The screen on her phone said it was nearly seven-thirty.

  She typed out a quick text to Maverick. Hope everything’s okay. Be to the clubhouse in 30.

  Be better when you get here, was the quick reply. Well, now she wanted to hurry.

  So she did. She rushed through showering, dressing, and running some Google searches to make arrangements for moving her mom. She left a message with the case worker, hoping the lady could come out today. And then Alexa was heading out the door, eager to try Haven’s mean cinnamon buns and see Maverick to make sure everything was okay.

  When she arrived at the clubhouse, voices rang out from the big mess hall, indicating breakfast was in full swing. Alexa felt a little shy about walking in to a roomful of Ravens already sitting and eating, but she also wanted to be a part of it, too. A part of them. So she pushed through her anxiety and walked through the door.

  She shouldn’t have worried.

  From among the dozen or so gathered Ravens, Phoenix and Jagger called out immediate hellos, and Bunny gave her a big smile and a wave. Haven rose from her seat next to Dare to give her a hug. “I’m so glad you came,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Alexa said, feeling more comfortable by the second.

  And Maverick . . . he came to her wearing a tired smile and eyes full of satisfaction. “I’m glad you came, too. Come, sit.” He took her hand and guided her to the open seat next to him. A cinnamon bun already filled a big part of the plate. “I grabbed one for you because they never last long.”

  Aw, that was kind of crazy sweet. And thoughtful. And proof that he’d been thinking about her. All of which stirred up more of that warm pressure growing in her chest. For him.

  “That’s so sweet, Mav. Thank you,” she said.

  “Yeah, Maverick, that’s soooo sweet. You’re just the sweetest motherfucker I ever knew,” Phoenix said in a singsong voice. He glared at Mav and eyeballed her cinnamon bun. Laughter rumbled around the table.

  Maverick flipped his middle finger and gave Phoenix a big shit-eating grin, then he winked at her.

  Smiling, she leaned a little closer to Mav. “Sorry,” she said.

  His hand fell on her bare thigh under the table. “Don’t you worry about it,” he said in a low voice full of humor.

  Heat shot from his palm to her clit so forcefully her breath caught. And then that heat got amped up even further when Mav’s gaze cut to her, his eyes full of blue fire, his expression smug and knowing. His fingers squeezed, his little finger slipping under the hem of her shorts.

  “Yo, pass everything down for Alexa,” he called out.

  Warmth spilled into her cheeks as she accepted a platter of sausage and bacon from a younger guy with brown hair whom she didn’t know. The patches on his cut indicated he was a prospective member. Like Tyler had been.

  Thinking of Ty while sitting in the Ravens’ clubhouse set off a small pang of longing in Alexa’s heart, but it also did something she didn’t expect—it made her feel a little closer to him. For the first time in a long time. Why hadn’t she ever thought that could be the case? That being around the guys he’d so badly wanted to be a part of would allow her to be around a part of him, too? She was seeing all kinds of things in a new light lately, wasn’t she?

  “Thanks,” she said to the prospect, taking a few slices of bacon. “I’m Alexa.”

  “I remember,” he said, passing her a bowl. “Blake. Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh, have we met already? I’m sorry.” She scooped scrambled eggs on to her plate next.

  He shook his head. “Not officially. I was here when you—” He cut himself off and gave an awkward shrug. “A few weeks ago.”

  “Oh.” So he’d been here when she’d shown up with the bloodied face. Awesome. “Right.”

  Maverick’s hand squeezed again, softer this time, like he meant to reassure her.

  Alexa dug into her food and listened to the banter that ran around the table. She remembered this, the rowdiness and camaraderie of meals at the Ravens’ clubhouse. Her eyes scanned the room. It hadn’t changed a bit. Two big long tables, one currently empty, filled the space in front of a large stone fireplace that harkened back to the building’s past as an inn. A carving of the Ravens’ raven/dagger/skull logo was mounted over the mantel, and POW/MIA flags hung from the rough-hewn exposed beams overhead.

  She saved Haven’s bun for last—a dessert for her breakfast. With as much icing as it had, it totally fit. “Oh, my God,” she said around her first bite. Rich and creamy and sweet. She took another bite and moaned. She couldn’t help it.

  “Right?” Mav grinned at her, his gaze tracking her tongue as it swiped icing off her lip.

  “This is amazing,” Alexa said, leaning forward to see Haven at the far end of the table. She called the other woman’s name. “Your cinnamon rolls are crazy. They’re, like, happiness in food form.”

  Haven beamed as the men all joined in offering praise. “Why, thank you.”

  “You could totally sell these,” Alexa said. “And those cookies you made the other day, too.”

  Sitting at the head of the table, Dare gave Haven a look, one eyebrow arched. “I agree,” he said, his tone like they’d had this conversation before.

  Just then, Alexa’s cell buzzed in the back pocket of her shorts. She grabbed it. “It’s my mom’s case worker,” she said, already rising. “Be right back.” Putting the phone to her ear, she moved into the big, empty lounge so she could hear better. She explaine
d the situation to the case worker, an older woman named Lillian Hite who Alexa hadn’t had cause to call on in a while.

  “I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday,” Alexa said.

  “No, you were right to call me, dear. Cynthia’s going to need some help adjusting to this news,” Lillian said. “I could come around three, unless that’s too late? Otherwise, I could be there Monday morning.”

  Relief flooded through Alexa. “Three today would be great. Thank you.” The sooner she got things moving on that front, the better. She only had a week, so she couldn’t afford to waste even one day.

  Just as she hung up, the mess hall door swung open behind her. “Everything okay?” Maverick. Sweet, sexy Maverick.

  “Yeah. I was able to get my mom’s case worker to agree to come out this afternoon. So I guess I’m breaking the news about the move today.”

  Maverick rubbed her arms. “I know it sucks, Al. I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

  “In the end, it’ll be better to be completely free of Grant. It’s just that Mom doesn’t handle change well.” The degree to which that was an understatement unleashed butterflies through her belly. This was not going to be an easy conversation.

  “Can I come? Maybe another friendly face will help. Unless you think it would stress her out more for me to be there,” he said, dropping his hands.

  The offer reached into her chest and squeezed. “You’re too good to me. I’d love to have you there.”

  Maverick’s whole expression went stern as his hand cupped her face. “There’s no such thing as too good for you, Alexa. When are you going to get that?”

  She grasped his wrist like he was her anchor in the storm that was her life right now. And he was. “I . . . I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want you to apologize,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “I just want you to believe I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”

  “God, Maverick. How could I not believe that? There’s not even a question in my mind,” she said, knowing the truth of his words to the bottom of her soul, and needing him to believe she knew it, too.