Page 63 of Rogue Royal
“Hmm, I’ll believe it when I see it.” Mav winked.
“Don’t take his shit, Mav. Send him to us if he steps out of line.” Tex’s voice preceded her face, and her appearance surprised Douglas. He didn’t think she was going to come on camera. “Nice to meet you, Douglas.”
“Same to you, Tex.”
They spoke for a while longer before Mav interrupted, “Anyway, girls, dinner is ready, so we’re going to let you go. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“You’re not giving us much of a choice, Mav.”
Mav moved his hand in front of the phone and flipped her off. “I’ll have you know, my life has expanded beyond my wildest dreams recently.” Mav stared at Douglas as he said the words, and Douglas grinned.
“Yeah! Go, Mav!”
Mav’s face coloured, but the man ignored it and continued dishing up the pasta.
“All right. Have a good evening, both of you. Douglas, don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. We’ll come and visit soon. I promise.”
Zara’s eyes lit up. “That would be great.”
They bid goodbye. Zara was awesome, and her partner was nice, too. He’d been a little unsure when he’d first realised Zara was still on the phone, despite what he’d said to Mav earlier, but it had been eye-opening to get to know Mav through her. To find out some of the university stories she had about him. To listen to their banter. To find out he played the guitar.
Once they’d devoured their pasta with chicken and a cheesy sauce, Douglas helped Mav clean up, then dragged him to the sofa. “Play for me.”
Mav rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m not that good.”
“Doesn’t matter. Play for me.”
Mav sniffed but reached for his guitar. He fidgeted for a minute and rested the guitar on his lap, his fingers on the strings. Closing his eyes, he breathed, and Douglas took a minute to stare at him unabashedly. There was something about the man that called out to Douglas. When Mav had first started working with him, other than a minor attraction, he had expected nothing like this to happen. Everything about Douglas’s life seemed brighter when Mav was around.
Mav opened his eyes, staring at Douglas, and started playing and singing. To begin with, he didn’t recognise the song until the chorus came on, and Mav dropped his gaze. It was Mav’s version ofIn Case You Didn’t Knowby Brett Young.
The lyrics slid into him, telling the secrets of the heart, and Douglas restrained himself until the last note flowed through the air. When it had, he leaned forward and kissed Mav softly. Resting their foreheads together, he whispered, “I’m hoping that was an intentional song because I’m crazy about you, too.”
Mav moved the guitar to the floor and resumed kissing Douglas, straddling him and holding his head as they sipped and nipped at each other’s lips. Douglas held Mav’s ass with one hand and slid the other between his shoulder blades, not wanting him to go anywhere. Mav pulled away with a gasping breath.
“Wow.”
Douglas laughed. “There’s more where that came from.”
“Is there?” Mav chuckled but pulled back and reclaimed his seat, snuggling into Douglas’s side. “What’s happening with Talon?”
The name of the asshole made Douglas’s blood boil. Whoever believed they had the right to hurt someone like he had not once, but twice, and potentially more times they were not aware of, was something Douglas could never understand.
“His lawyer is trying to bring things that happen within the club into the conversation, but with the NDAs being signed, they can’t say anything about it. Father won’t allow it to happen, even if it would strengthen the case against Talon. I can understand why, but it’s awful that we can’t give the police any more evidence when we know for a fact it has happened before.”
Mav rubbed a hand over Douglas’s thigh in a soothing gesture and settled closer. “It is a shame, but you need to think about the repercussions on yourself and your family as well. It’s not a little thing to brush under the carpet. It’s a decades-long business and lifestyle the public wouldn’t understand or condone.” When Douglas went to protest, Mav squeezed his thigh and continued, “I know it’s not fair, but the public has not changed their views enough yet to make this a regular or normal occurrence.”
Douglas sighed. “I know. It’s so unfair on Kendal. I think it helps that Father was there afterwards. They were able to get a lot of evidence, and with Quinn’s statement as well, it will help.”
“Will you have to give a statement?”
“I already have. I think they have collected most of the statements already. It’s a waiting game now to see what happens to the investigation.”
They were silent for a few minutes, then Douglas remembered something he meant to ask. “How is your dad? Still climbing ladders?”
Mav snorted. “Probably. I spoke to him earlier, and he was fine. I’m hoping he will refrain from more home improvements without letting me help him.”
