It’s my way of thanking Mili’s family for the use of their cabin.”
Maverick whipped off his shirt and her breath hitched in
her throat. The morning sun caressed each of his rippling
muscles with love. She shifted her body weight and licked her
lips. The desire to tackle him to the ground rushed over her like
a freight train.
“I guess I’ll do some work on it, then. Wanna stack?” he
asked, lifting the axe over one shoulder.
Stack our bodies on top of one another? Hell, yeah! She
swallowed and shoved that erotic image to the back of her
mind. “Sure.”
Tempest took a fortifying breath and got to work. As she
stacked the wood, her eyes kept drifting over to the rise and fall
of his seamless muscles. His body was covered with a fine
sheen of sweat, but his motion was unending.
Who knew chopping wood was such a sexual turn-on?
Damn him! Tempest dropped the log in her hand as a wave of
lust flew over her. She stared at the ground when his head
jerked toward her soft curse.
“You okay?” he asked, adjusting the piece of wood on
the stump before him.
“Fine. Just dropped one.” She glanced briefly at him and
smiled before turning back to the task at hand.
A groan slipped past her lips as he raked a hand
through his thick, black hair, wiped the sweat off his brow, and
got back to making her horny as shit. Just from something as
simple as cutting wood.
She took a break to grab a tray of lemonade and two
glasses from the cabin. She went back out and gave a sharp
whistle. When he looked at her, she tilted her head to the
objects in her hand.
“Take a break,” she ordered, setting the tray on the
porch rail.
Flipping the axe in his hand, he winked and set it on the
ground. “Yes, ma’am.”
She chuckled. Something about being with him felt so
right to her. She’d experienced the same feeling when he’d
been with her at her house.
“‘Yes, ma’am’, huh?” Tempest handed him a full glass of
lemonade. “Bet you say that to all the women who offer you a
cold drink.”
A handsome grin filled his face. “Nope. Only the ones I
like.”
She leaned against the rail and enjoyed the sun on her
skin. “Is that so?”
“That’s so,” he whispered in her ear before his lips
teased her skin.
Instead of responding, Tempest took a long, cool drink.
The man was danger personified. The wet liquid did nothing to
quench the fire grown from being in his presence.
Of course, neither did the fact he continued to nibble
along her exposed collarbone. His touch drove her wild; each
bite, lick, and suckle only heightened her awareness.
“James,” she moaned.
“Yes?” He never relented in his assault.
Tilting her head to the side, she shivered as goosebumps
popped up all over her. “Please.”
His hand reached around her and removed the glass she
held, setting it somewhere. She wasn’t sure; her eyes were
closed.
He maneuvered her around so her belly pressed into the
rail, and his deft fingers undid her shorts and lowered them.
Tempest shook with need as she stepped out of them.
Maverick bit her shoulder lightly as he ripped her
panties off and drove two fingers home deep inside her wet
pussy in a single thrust. “So wet and so fucking tight,” he
whispered in a low timbre.
Tempest clenched around him, determined to keep him
inside of her. She arched against him and rode his fingers as his
thumb began teasing her clit. A whimper escaped and she felt
his heated skin press against the bared skin on her back.
“Please,” she begged, her body so tight and craving
release.
“You feel so damn good around me. But I want more.”
Pressing her ass into him further, she moaned in
agreement. “Yes.”
“Grab the rail, baby,” he crooned, nudging her legs
further apart.
Her fingers dug into the weather-worn wood and she
forward and bit her lower lip as his fingers withdrew from her
body. “James,” she cried, needing him back inside her.
“Your taste is intoxicating,” he purred before kissing her
neck.
She ground back against him, desperate for the fullness
only he could provide. He understood and she groaned in
pleasure when his thick erection entered her.
“Is that what you wanted, Tempest? Me deep inside
you?”
“Yes!” she wailed. Tempest brought her head back up
and stared out at something only she could see as he thrust.
“This is my pussy,” he growled in her ear.
She wanted to argue. She longed to verbally defy him,
but she couldn’t, not this second. If she opened her mouth, an
agreement would sail out, so she kept her mouth clamped shut.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
She shook her head in a violent refusal. He stopped
moving with only the head of his cock inside her.
“Tell me and I’ll fuck you like you want me to. Hard.
Fast. Deep.”
She whimpered as his words sent a pulse through her.
Her nipples tightened at the image they created. That was what
she craved.
“Fuck me,” she begged.
“Tell me what I want to hear,” he countered. “Whose
pussy is this?”
“Mine!” she spat defiantly. “It’s mine!”
He slammed into her, hard. “Wrong answer.” His voice
was deep and dangerous.
Her eyes fluttered. Her skin prickled. This was what she
wished for. “Yes,” she sighed.
“No.” His hands gripped her waist. “Tell me, Tempest.”
“I did,” she retorted, trying to wriggle her hips against
him. His hands prevented any movement on her part.
His hot breath fanned her face. “That wasn’t the right
answer.”
She dropped her head again, desperate to find the
euphoria she knew dangled just out of her reach. She released a
frustrated growl. “Maverick,” she warned.
“All it takes is one single word,” he tempted. “One word
and I’ll give you what you want. I know you’re so close. I feel
you tight around me, holding me in, clinging to my cock. Tell
me, and I’ll let you find it. I can get you there.”
Tempest swore. Damn him for having so much power over
me. Why can’t I just tell him to leave me alone?
He pressed her harder against the rail and used one
hand to tweak a pebbled nipple. She gasped as more wetness
flooded her.
“Yours,” she whispered. “It’s yours.”
He tugged on her nipple and began moving slowly
within her. “I can’t hear you.”
“Yours,” she said on a pant.
Faster he moved. “Louder.”
“Yours! Damn you, James, this is your pussy!” she
hollered to the mountains.
; “And don’t you ever forget it.” He released her breast
and pounded into her. “You are mine, Tempest. All of you.”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. His deep strokes took
her to the plane she longed for. With another scream, she came
with an intense rush. Her limbs shook as she felt him unload
deep within her body on a loud roar.
Tempest sagged against the rail and his body covered
hers. She could feel the tattoo of his heartbeat on her back.
“We need to get back to work,” she mumbled, still
struggling for breath.
“No. I think we need to continue this.” He pulled out of
her and turned her before removing her crop top and bra. Then
he shucked out of his pants and boxers. Lifting her, he walked
them over to the swing and sat down on the cushion. “Ride
me.”
It was late afternoon before they got back to working on
the woodpile. Maverick enjoyed the satisfied grin that seemed
to hover around Tempest’s mouth. He knew his was identical
to hers.
He’d convinced her to forgo the bra and panties, telling
her they just got in the way. So she just put on her top and
shorts so she could continue working. He still wore pants and
he’d put his boots back on.
Her full lips were pursed with concentration as she
diligently stacked the wood, making sure it would not topple
over. He shivered as he remembered those very lips bringing
him to an explosive orgasm not to long ago.
Like she could read his thoughts, she glanced up at him
with her stunning eyes and winked. “What are you staring at?”
she hollered over to him.
“The beautiful mother of my child.” He kicked the log
he prepared to cut over and slammed the axe home into the
wood; then, he strode over to her.
“Shouldn’t you be working over there?” she asked.
“Figured I’d come help you over here. We can get this
done and covered with a tarp before nightfall.”
She smiled at him and all the blood rushed from his
head down to his cock. “Okay. I’ll go grab the tarps and rope to
secure it.” She left for the cabin before he could say a word.
With a low groan, Maverick adjusted himself and
quickly placed his attention back on the stacks before him. It
wasn’t as if he hadn’t just had Tempest over and over for a few
hours. But his body acted as if he’d been away from her for
months.
He watched her step back out onto the porch and stop as
the afternoon sun hit her. Her hair moved gently in the wind
while she stood there. In one hand she had tarps and a bunch
of twine in the other.
As soon as his eyes finished traveling over her stunning
body, she moved again. It was almost as if she’d stopped just
for him. He grinned, knowing she wasn’t like that. Willing his
increasingly hard erection to calm down, he smiled at her as
she approached. His gaze honed in on the pointed tips of her
nipples that the yellow of her crop-top couldn’t hide. The shirt
shouldn’t be allowed in public with her wearing it. Then again,
everything she wore affected him.
“Here we go,” she said in an easy voice. “This should
take care of it.”
Maverick nodded. “Let’s just add another row and then
we can cover this one. The rest of the wood will fit on the other
stack over there.”
“Good.” She dropped the items and bent down to pick
up an armful of pieces. In doing so, she granted him an
unobstructed view of her breasts as they hung there.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
“You say something?” she asked, standing and moving
to the stack.
“No,” he said. Maverick turned and grabbed an armload
himself, needing to do something or he’d have her bent over
again and do her. Not that it would be a bad thing, but…he was
trying to not act like a randy teen.
“Okay.”
They worked in companionable silence for a while until
the final row had been placed up. Maverick walked around to
the end of the pile and shook open a tarp.
“Ready, Tempest?”
“Yep.”
She wiped her hands off on her shorts and grabbed the
end he offered. They walked from one side to the other until
the tarp was ready to be secured. Maverick made short work of
tying down the corners; and just as quickly, they had the
second tarp up and secured as well.
He grabbed her around the waist when she walked by
him, smiling at her squeal of joy. “Care for a swim, lovely
lady?”
She shuddered as he nuzzled her neck. “Sure. I stink of
sex and sweat.”
“I, for one, happen to like those scents on you,” he
mumbled, tickling her until she fell into a fit of giggles.
“Stop, James!” she exclaimed, shoving her elbow into
him. “Be serious.”
“I am serious.” His hands unfastened the button that
held up her shorts. With a small push, his hand delved inside
and his fingers teased her wet slit.
“What about the swim?” she panted, spreading her legs
further apart.
“We’ll start here and work our way toward the water.
How’s that?”
She reached behind her and placed a hand over his rigid
erection. “Sounds like a solid plan.”
He dipped three fingers into her, loving how she
tightened around him and moaned in contentment. “I think so
too.”
Twenty-Three
Tempest drove slowly. Fear filled her at the thought of
facing her son and his reaction to her disappearing act. For the
umpteenth time, she glanced in the rearview mirror.
He was still there.
Maverick had been behind her the whole trip back. His
rental car dogged her and she knew he was going home with
her. And she didn’t mind. In fact, the prospect pleased her. His
presence was comforting.
Tempest got off I-25 and merged onto I-40. It wouldn’t
be long now before she was home. Her moves were almost
automatic as she drove. The stretch of road was extremely
familiar to her and calming in a sense.
Even still, her heart skipped when her gaze fell upon the
vehicle behind her. Deep down in her soul knew she loved
Maverick. She always had and always would. The big question
was what to do about it now?
Turning up her music, she took a deep breath and hoped
her reunion with Dakota would be okay. Her nerves began to
tighten again. She pulled into a Circle K to fill up her gas tank
give herself a tiny bit more time.
“You okay?” Maverick’s voice came up from behind her.
“Yes,” she muttered, keeping an eye on the pump.
“Look at me,” he commanded in a deep timbre.
She did. His eyes were full of emotion. “I’ll be right by
your side, Tempest. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Tempest believed him. “Thank you.” She put the pump
back, replaced the gas cap, and took her receipt.
“R
eady, mitawin?”
Looking over her shoulder, she questioned, “Are you
ever going to tell me what that means?”
“One day. I promise.” He brushed a quick kiss over her
mouth and smacked her on the ass.
Tempest climbed in her vehicle, a smile sprinkled on her
face. He knew just how to distract her. Man, did he ever. Her
lower body convulsed at the thought.
Pulling onto the street, she tried to concentrate on the
road. Soon, she turned into her own driveway. Dakota was out
the front door even before she had a chance to turn off her
engine. Maverick must have called him.
“Mom!” he hollered, hurdling the cactus in his way.
His arms circled her the second she was out the car.
Tempest felt the sting of tears prick her eyes as he held her.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt
you. I was just being stupid and callous. I swear, I never meant
to hurt you. I was so worried.”
Tempest hugged him back. This was her reason for
living. This young man. Her son.
“It’s okay, Dakota,” she said rubbing his back. “I
overreacted. I’m sorry for disappearing.”
“No,” he insisted.
Dakota drew back and looked down at her with a
seriousness so like his father’s it stopped her heart briefly. So
like his father.
“No, what?” she asked.
“You didn’t overreact. You’d come all that way because
of me. You faced your demons because of me. And when it
came down to it, I didn’t want to see it. I’m sorry.” He kissed
the top of her head. “I understand now.”
Tempest’s heart swelled with love for her son. “You
understand now?” She touched his cheek gently. “I just did
what I thought was best for you. I know you’re twenty-one and
a man, but you will always be my little boy, my baby, and I will
never stop protecting you.”
“I know, Mama. I know. And trust me, I’ve already been
read the riot act about my heartless words.”
Surprised, Tempest glanced up at him. “By whom?” She
knew Mili had a fiery temper, but didn’t know if her friend
would do that.
Dakota smiled and nodded to the left and behind her.
“Dad.”
Dad. He’d called Maverick Dad. She didn’t know what
to say, so she turned and looked at the man who’d fathered her
only child. Maverick had both his and her bags in one hand.
His eyes moved over both her and her son before they rested