Page 43 of Maverick

I crossed the distance in two strides and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. My voice dropped low. “It’s killing me, you know. Being near you, wanting to hold you, comfort you. But I’m trying to be respectful, when all I really want to do is throw you on that bed and see your titties again.”

Her breath caught. “I… I don’t know how,” she admitted, voice trembling with vulnerability as she pushed up her glasses.

Don’t know how? I leaned in, eyes flicking to her mouth. “You read all those romances, right? Smut?”

“The men just… take charge.”

“They do?”

A faint blush tinged her cheeks. “Yes, that’s generally how it goes. They just do it.”

I exhaled, my hands sliding to her waist. I tugged her body against my erection. “If that’s all you need, me to just do it, all you gotta do is say the word.”

She gazed at me for a heartbeat, then parted her lips. My chest tightened. Unable to resist, I lowered my head, capturing her mouth in a deep kiss. She gasped against my lips, her fingers clutching my shoulders. Heat surged through my veins, a hunger I’d been tamping down for days.

She melted into me, her soft curves pressing against my bare torso. My heart thundered like I was fighting for my life. Hell, maybe I was, fighting for a new life. Our tongues brushed, tasting one another. That soft moan of hers really got to me.

I wanted to scoop her up, throw her onto the bed, devour every inch of her. But she was still so new to this, and we had a mission. With a low growl, I pulled away, resting my forehead against hers.

She breathed heavily, eyes dazed. “That was…”

“Yeah,” I agreed, chest heaving. “And it’s just a preview, princess. If we had more time…” My gaze drifted to the rumpled bed.

Her face lit with a shy smile. “Then you’d throw me down and have your way with me?”

I chuckled, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “I have half a mind to do it now, but I don’t want to scare you. Especially after what you told me.”

She leaned up, pressing a feather-light kiss to my jaw. “I might need some scaring, if that’s the only way it’ll happen,” she teased, though her voice was tentative.

Heat flared. “Fuck, you’re killing me.” I kissed her again, briefly, savoring the softness of her lips. Then I forced myself to step back. “We gotta hit the road. If we keep this up, we won’t leave until lunchtime.”

She laughed nervously, her cheeks flaming. “Right. Reality.”

“Yeah. Reality sucks.” I winked and headed to the bathroom, glancing back once to see her touching her lips, as if marveling at what had just happened.

Part of me hated leaving her there. Another part was grateful for the break, so I could get my raging libido under control. Since she was a virgin, I needed to be sure her first time wasn’t overshadowed by fear or regret. The last thing I wanted was to traumatize her while bullets whizzed past our heads.

In the shower, the water pounded my sore shoulders, and I let out a low groan. My thoughts kept drifting to her, how she felt in my arms, how her lips tasted. How her tongue felt, and how it would feel on my dick. Pulling on my cock, I imagined popping her sweet cherry in one hard go. I pictured her breasts in my mind, her wet skin from the other night. Her nervous stammer. Her innocence. She doesn’t know what to do. I longed to teach her. Damn, sliding into her was going to feel so damn good. She was all mine. My fist pumped as a red-hot release spurted over my hand.

After that, I forced myself to focus on the day’s plan instead of my raging hormones. We’d head north, keep to back roads, and eventually reach the Road Monsters MC inKansas by nightfall or tomorrow morning. Once there, I’d have reinforcements, access to intel, and a safe place for Lexi to hide.

When I emerged, towel slung around my waist, she was folding up the blankets on her bed, phone in hand. She gave me a once-over that made my blood stir again, but I quickly changed into my clothes. Couldn’t risk another meltdown of self-control.

We checked out, hopped on the Harley, and roared onto the highway. The sky spread vast and blue above us. I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of a tail, but the roads were relatively calm. Lexi clung to me, arms around my waist.

Halfway through the trip, we stopped for gas at a dusty station in Oklahoma. She stretched her legs, yawning, while I filled up. The attendant eyed us warily but said nothing. We grabbed a few snacks, protein bars, bottled water. No time for a leisurely lunch. We had them there. The sooner we got to the clubhouse, the better. Capturing her lips, I didn’t want her to forget about what was in store for her. In Kansas, I’d find some peace, find time to treat her right and take what’s mine. Her virginity. After I ended our kiss, we hopped back on the bike.

As miles bled into more miles, Lexi shifted behind me whenever we idled, occasionally pointing out random sights. A dilapidated barn, a roadside antique shop. I found myself smiling at her attempts to lighten the mood. Even in the midst of chaos, she had a spark of curiosity, a desire to see something good in the world.

We spoke little, thanks to the wind whipping past us. But the silences felt comfortable, at least in my mind. She seemed at ease too, or as much as one could be while fleeing gunmen. By late afternoon, we crossed into Kansas, fields stretching on either side of the road. The horizon felt infinite.

“I guess I never pictured you as a farm kinda guy,” Lexi joked at one point, bending closer to speak over the wind.

Laughter escaped my lips. “I’m not. But trust me, the Road Monsters' clubhouse is nowhere near an actual farm. They just picked a remote location, so no one bothers them.”

Sure enough, by dusk, we turned down a gravel road lined with trees. My stomach tightened with anticipation. Would they welcome me with a stranger in tow? It’d been a while since I’d shown my face. But we had no other choice. Lexi’s life was on the line, and I couldn’t handle it alone.

As the clubhouse came into view, a sprawling low building with a fenced perimeter, I felt Lexi’s grip tighten. I reached down to pat her hand, a silent reassurance. Anything necessary, I would do. I’d keep her safe.

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