Page 18 of Maverick

We said our goodbyes. I continued onward, eventually spotting Diana near a mud-wrestling pit, spectating with a giggly group of women. She seemed in high spirits, her paranoia from last night either faded or drowned in liquor. I cursed under my breath. Babysitting a half-sober old woman was one thing. Babysitting a wasted liability was another.

Chapter 11

It was hotter than the devil’s asshole out there, so I ducked into the shade of a makeshift bar area, just some big tent with crates of beer. That’s when I heard a commotion. I was half listening, as a man with a scraggly mustache accosted some girls.

I spit out my beer. Did she just say she had a full bush?What the hell?That had my attention. The biker suddenly had a grip on some girl’s vest, yanking it down. I heard her startled yelp over the noise.

I stepped forward instinctively, eyes zeroing in on the woman. She was tall, with dark, wavy hair, green eyes wide in shock. She had glasses perched on her nose, fogged slightly with the heat. Her body was insane. Curvy in all the right places, hips that filled her tight black skirt, and to top it off, a perfectly plump and perky breast that had just spilled out of the half-torn vest. The combo of that sexy body and the nerdy glasses made my brain short-circuit for a hot second.

When I saw the asshole pull her top so low that a succulent breast popped free, before I even thought it through, I was shoving him back, my fist connecting with his jaw. He staggered, cursing. The girl scrambled to cover herself, cheeks flaming.

“Back the fuck off,” I snarled, grabbing him by the collar. “You don’t put your hands on a woman who doesn’t want it.”

He spat blood. “Mind your own business, Road Monster.”

I tightened my grip. “Take your shit elsewhere or I’ll break your goddamn jaw.”

He blanched, dropping his gaze. “Fuck you,” he mumbled, but he stumbled away, nursing his busted lip.

I turned to the girl, her chest still heaving with anger. She was adjusting her clothes, face flushed. A blonde friend stood beside her, looking ready to throw punches herself.

“You all right?” I asked gruffly, forcing myself not to stare at the generous cleavage she was covering, but my eyes went elsewhere to her exposed belly. Damn, her flawless skin. She was downright gorgeous.

She nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. Thanks. I was handling it.” Her voice trembled a bit, but her eyes were fierce, even behind those foggy lenses.

“Sure you were, princess,” I jibed.

Goddamn, she was pretty. Like real pretty, akin to a pinup girl of days gone by. That dark hair fell around her face in intoxicating curls. When she looked up at me with larger-than-life green eyes, I felt a jolt, like she was electrocuting me.

No. She was a fucking defibrillator, bringing my dead heart back to fucking life.

Her hand was in her vest, adjusting the breast I just saw. My dick noticed, instantly becoming an unmovable rock. How I wished her hand was mine. I reached out. “Name’s Maverick.”

Her tiny hand slipped into mine, warm and soft, and I imagined it was that titty. Her pretty lips parted, but her friend spoke. “She’s Smutty, and I’m Slutty.”

This princess’s face scrunched up as she glared at her friend. Damn, she was adorable when she was angry.

“What? Maverick’s not his real name,” her friend said, and I couldn’t argue with that.

“Smutty?” I asked, thinking my dream had come true. My tent plans for the evening just changed. “With a full bush?” On her, it didn’t matter. I’d bring my machete to get inside her.

Her cheeks turned bright red. “Lexi,” she breathed, pushing her fogged glasses up.

Fuck, I wanted to rip them off her face and kiss her.

“This is my friend, Nova. Or at least she was.”

I acknowledged her friend, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off her as she bit her bottom lip nervously. “What’re you doing here? You’re obviously not from this crowd.”

Before I could say more, a familiar, boozy voice chimed in from behind me, “There you are, big boy!”

I turned to see Diana stumbling over, arms outstretched like she wanted to hug me. I stepped aside to avoid her wet-lipped kiss. She pouted, then noticed the dark-haired girl. A flicker of recognition passed over her drunken features as she caught herself on my arm.

“Hey, baby.” Was she talking to Lexi? “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

My gut tightened as I saw the likeness, but Lexi was so beautiful. Diana was probably beautiful too before life chewed her up and spit her out.

So that’s Diana’s daughter.

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