Page 85 of Talk About… Rivalry

I gasped and clutched the dashboard as Maverick swiftly pulled over to the side of the road. He threw it into park before turning his full body to face me.

“Youare my future,” he said, his voice more of a growl than anything. He unbuckled and moved towards me. It wasn’t easy, Maverick was a big alpha and his truck was also huge, but not enough to accommodate his broad frame.

He unbuckled me first before pulling me closer, his mouth pressing against mine.

It was more of a question than a kiss and I couldn’t help but melt into him. This was the alpha I’d pined over for years.

My fingers gripped at his hair, pulling it from the bun so I could wind my fingers in his dark locks like I’d always dreamt of.

“Fuck,” was all he said before deepening the kiss. The moment I parted my lips he was there, sweeping his tongue inside and tasting every inch of me, demanding more.

Maverick was never gentle and I shouldn’t have expected anything less. My body responded to him, slick pooling between my thighs. Fuck, I’d never wanted to scent anyone so bad in my life.

I just knew his scent was strong and masculine. Maybe holding a hint of spice and that alpha musk that everyone described.

Even without a scent he was overtaking all of my senses. His calloused hands were rough as they danced over my exposed skin. His mouth was demanding, but his lips were soft.

He let out a groan that sounded pained. The gravel in his voice sent another shock of pleasure through me.

“I can’t claim you right here on the side of the road, but I would if I could, Sidney. Whatever doubts you have about me, forget them. You are mine.”

“Yours,” I relented, finally believing it for the first time. He leaned back, carefully buckling me back in before doing the same to himself.

We were on the road again and he sat, hand back on my thigh and a grin on his face. My fingers pressed lightly against my tingling lips that were swollen from his demanding kisses.

My heart was racing for a different reason this time, heat coursing through me more intensely than I’d ever experienced. The ache between my legs was so prominent I wanted to scream.

Fuck, this heat was going to be brutal if it was affecting me already.

Or maybe that was all Maverick.

I only had a few minutes to get myself together. Maverick stayed quiet, giving me that space so I could remember how to breathe again.

By the time he pulled onto the familiar gravel road, the wooden sign hanging over the entrance announcing our arrival at Vance Stables, I was finally put together.

Then the nerves hit again. I think the worst part of this was knowing that my dad likely wasn’t going to react. He wasn’t going to care that I was leaving. Normally a dad would warn the alphas of his daughter’s pack to keep his daughter safe, give them some sort of wisdom or a speech.

I doubted my dad had even noticed my absence.

A heaviness settled into my chest as I climbed out of the car. Mav had parked right in front, the closest spot to my cottage.

We got a few stares, new faces I didn’t recognize watching us as we headed over.

It had barely been a week or two of me being absent and I was already replaced. Tears burned behind my eyes but I didn’t let them fall.

As we neared the training yard, I veered us that way to check on my girl.

“Is this the latest horse?” Maverick questioned.

“Yeah. She’s a sweet girl, just traumatized,” I admitted. Her usual bag of treats was right there by the gate and I held out an apple. She wouldn’t even bother to come close to me now that Maverick was with me so I tossed it in, watching as it rolled to her feet. She let out a huff and dipped down to bite it, crunching it as she stared at me.

“She’ll be okay without you,” he promised. “It’ll just take more work on their part but you were never meant to be here forever, Sidney.”

“I don’t even know what I’m going to do when I leave here, Maverick,” I admitted. “What happens when these two weeks are up, or however long it takes my heat to kick in?”

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

“I don’t have skills or another job lined up. There’s nothing for me to do right now and Rockwood Valley isn’t brimming with work,” I explained.

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