Page 7 of Maverick

“I’m joking.”

As I tried to figure out what he was joking about, believing I had a full bush or wanting to see it, my eyes wanderedto the tattoos on his forearms. I noticed a stylized letter “E” near the black wings, partially obscured by new ink. He purposely shifted, and I quickly looked away, not wanting to stare or to pry.

“You’re new here,” he said. “Never seen you around.”

I let out a short laugh. “I’m not a biker groupie, if that’s what you’re asking.”

He gave a faint, almost amused snort. “Figured that much. Since your mom said you’re a lawyer. You carry yourself like it. This isn’t your scene.”

I raised a brow at his perceptiveness. “I am a lawyer,” I answered, ignoring the impulse to brag about recently passing the bar and landing my dream job. Something told me that in this crowd, brand-new or not, it wouldn’t make much difference. “Mom called me for help, or I would never be here. What about you? You didn’t get that black eye from rescuing me, earlier.”

“I’m a fighter, in the ring and out.” He gingerly touched his scarred lip. “Recently went a couple rounds with a grizzly.”

“A bear?” I asked.

“No. An asshole.” He leaned closer, a scent of leather, sweat, and something musky tickling my nose. “Your mom’s a handful,” he murmured, voice low enough to be drowned out by the nearby chatter. “She’s been stirring up a hornet’s nest for a while.”

“Why are you with her, then?” I asked, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. “She’s… She’s quite a bit older than you.”

A flicker of something passed through his eyes, but he simply gave a careless nod. “She’s a grown woman. We have…business.”

Heat rose to my cheeks again. Some jealousy, which made no sense, and protective anger for my mom. “Right. Well, do me a favor and don’t hurt her. She’s all I’ve got.”

He inclined his head, his expression unreadable. “I won’t.”

Mom called to us, and soon, the group of us swayed in the crowd near a small makeshift stage, the music throbbing. My mother was drunkenly dancing, her arms around Maverick’s neck, pressing her body to his. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight. Jealousy and revulsion warred in my stomach. He was far too young for her, and from the quick, dismissive glances he kept sending me, I wondered if he was just humoring her.

Nova and Chigger were laughing in a corner, leaning in close. I felt like the odd one out, clutching my empty shot glass, watching my mother flirt outrageously with a man who, less than an hour ago, knocked out someone for pulling down my top. It was all too bizarre. But maybe he would’ve done that for anyone. I wasn’t special.

After a while, my mother staggered, nearly falling, and I rushed to catch her. “Mom, you need to slow down,” I scolded, though I couldn’t hide the worry in my tone. “You’ve had too many shots.”

She just giggled, an obnoxious, drunken sound. “You’re such a good girl, Lexi. Too good for this world.” She patted my cheek.

Nova stumbled over, hooking a finger at me. “We should probably get your mom to her tent, yeah?” She looked tipsy too, her lipstick slightly smeared from sucking face with Chigger.

Maverick agreed, sliding an arm under mom’s shoulders. “Come on, Dirty D. Let’s get you lying down.”

We half-carried, half-dragged my mother through the crowd toward the labyrinth of tents pitched in the far corner of the rally grounds. It was a messy sprawl, some tents were big and fancy, others were battered and old. Then there were the RVs and campers farther out. The smell of weed thickened as we passed groups of partiers around fire pits. And I was getting a contact buzz.

We finally found my mom’s tent, which was a small, battered thing with pink ribbons on the entrance flap. She stumbled inside, nearly face-planting on the sleeping bag. She was out cold within seconds, barely responding when I tried to ask if she’d be okay.

“Are you staying with her?” I asked Maverick, noticing that he was lingering by the tent flap.

He raked a hand through his dark hair. “She’s hammered. But I got somewhere to be, so I can’t babysit right now. You two should stay with her.”

I scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re with her, right? Or…something?”

His eyebrows rose. “Diana does her own thing. Don’t worry about it.”

That stung a little, though I wasn’t sure why. Part of me wished for his denial of a romantic relationship with my mother. I hoped he wasn’t that sort of man. The sort of man to use her. But he didn’t say otherwise, and I didn’t want to pry any more.

“So, you’re just gonna leave her here?” I demanded.

He stared at me, unflinching. “She’s got you, doesn’t she? And your friend?” He jerked his chin toward Nova, who was leaning against Chigger, completely distracted.

I crossed my arms, torn between relief and annoyance. If he had crawled into the tent with her, I would’ve lost it. “Fine,” I said. But I wasn’t staying here all night. I had a room in town. “But I prefer an actual bed.”

Maverick’s lips twitched in a ghost of a smile. “You might find out you like it out here, princess. A real bed can get overrated.”

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