Page 110 of Mine to Take

“You were amazing,” he says, smacking a kiss against my lips.

I pull back just enough to meet his gaze. “So were you! You’re a man of many talents, Maverick McKinnon.”

He smirks. “You haven’t seen anything yet, sunshine. Trust me, there’s more where that came from.”

My body slides down his harder one before my toes touch the stage. That’s exactly the way it feels when we’re together.

Like my feet don’t quite touch the ground.

Being with him is like living in a technicolor dream. One I don’t ever want to wake from. I’m so afraid that once I reveal the truth, everything will change, and I’ll end up losing what I’ve only just found.

“You ready to get out of here?”

I jerk my head in a nod, knowing exactly what I need to do.

32

Maverick

I slip my arm around Willow as we exit the stage.

Without a doubt, this girl has become my sunshine. The more time we spend together, the more she eclipses everything else in my life.

It’s why the song fit so perfectly.

I want her to understand that I’m serious about this relationship.

I’m serious about her.

And I hope like hell that she feels the same, because I’m all in.

As we’re heading out the back door, the last person I expect to see tonight bursts through it.

River fucking Thompson.

Fury vibrates off him in heavy, suffocating waves as his narrowed gaze combs over the crowd before settling on Willow.

His eyes widen before slicing to me. “You motherfucker!”

A growl escapes from him right before he launches himself in my direction. Willow gasps as I shove her from the fray. If he touches one damn hair on her head, I’ll bury the guy alive.

Before I can get into position, he lands a punch to my cheek with enough force to snap my head to the side. Stars burst behind my eyes.

Chaos breaks out as people yell, clearing the area and forming a semi-circle around the two of us. From my periphery, I catch sight of Ryder, Hayes, Bridger, and Madden. Ryder steps forward, attempting to break up the fight as I land a quick jab to River’s nose. He swears a blue streak under his breath as blood seeps from one nostril.

“River, stop!” Willow yells.

The sound of her voice is just enough to distract me, and the asshole lands a solid hit to the side of my head.

Fuck!

Muted sound rings in my ears as my vision goes blurry. I give my head a little shake to help clear it. I’ve been in plenty of fights on the ice. Once Ryder and I were in high school, my father signed us up for boxing lessons so we’d know how to take a hit and return them. The training has been invaluable.

It doesn’t take long for me to regroup and land a couple more punches before Gerry, one of the bouncers, steps in to break up the brawl. Ryder and Hayes drag me away as Gerry does the same with River.

We’re both breathing hard.

It’s only now that we’ve been torn apart and adrenaline isn’t pumping through my bloodstream that I realize how much my face hurts.

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