CHAPTER SEVEN
“Uh, there wasn’t a hair dryer. I mean, I know I look like a little kid. I can’t help it. That’s what happens when I can’t dry my hair or put on makeup.” They all just stared at her. “Will someone say something? Did I miss some dirt on my face?”
Chipper laughed, shaking his head.
“No, honey. You showed them what you really are. Gorgeous. Naturally, unblemished, pure and simple. Gorgeous. That makes the young fellas all choked up and unable to speak. They’ll catch their breath in a minute.”
“Oh. Oh, well. I mean, thank you, Chipper.” Mav stood and walked toward her, taking her hand and pulling her toward the galley.
“Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, looking at him. She looked back at the rest of the men, who had strange looks on their faces.
“Not a fucking thing. You’re perfect. Perfection. You are so damn beautiful. Chipper was right. You just took my breath away when you walked out of the shower,” he said, stumbling over his words like a lost child.
“Thank you,” she smiled. “I thought I’d done something wrong.”
“I knew you were beautiful. I could see you, how gorgeous you are, smart, funny. I don’t know, maybe the hot water, the flush of your skin. I-I’m struggling for the right words. I meant what I said, Katelyn. I want to take you on a date when we get to Belle Fleur.”
“I thought I had to stay hidden.”
“You do,” he said, stroking her cheek. “We do. We’ll be together.”
“Together. Like, together, together?”
Mav laughed, shaking his head. He lifted her onto the counter in the galley, leaning toward her, his big hands on either side of her. At least this put her closer to eye level with him.
“I’m not doing this very well,” he said, shaking his head. “When I was a little boy, someone told me I would meet the woman meant for me, and she would have red hair and green eyes.”
“Maverick,” she said, shaking her head.
“Hear me out. I didn’t believe it either. Up until twenty-four hours ago, I never believed a word of it. Belle Fleur is an unusual place, Katelyn. Ivan Pechkin, Pax and Brax’s grandfather, he met their grandmother after he’d been shot, left in the woods to die. She was running from a cult, hidden away, trying not to be seen. Something about him made her take the risk, and she saved him, got him healthy, then called his team to come and get him, and then she was taken hostage. Long, horrible story.”
She frowned at him, wondering where this story was going.
“They didn’t know one another a week before he told her he loved her. Their father, Benji, he fell in love with their mother in probably the most insane circumstances ever. I’ll let them tell you that story.”
“And your parents?” she asked, staring up at him.
“My parents fell in love the night my father was waited on in a bar by my mom, who was struggling to make ends meet and go to medical school. She was walking more than two miles to work every day and walking home in the dark at night. Working two or three jobs, she was working herself to death. He could see that and immediately admired her spirit. He insisted on giving her a ride home and didn’t leave her side after that, even when only a few weeks into the relationship she was diagnosed with cancer.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she whispered.
“Because I knew that you were the woman for me the minute I heard your scream. I could feel it in my bones. When I saw all that hair swinging down that asshole’s back, my gut kept screaming, ‘take her.’” Katelyn’s eyebrows went up, and she scooted back. Mav laughed at her. “Not like that. I mean, eventually like that. Jesus, I’m really having trouble here.”
“Maybe this will help,” she said, staring at him.
Leaning forward she wrapped her arms around his neck and touched her lips to his. She waited to see how he would react, if he would force her for more. But he didn’t. He gripped the counter, tilting his head sideways as she started to nibble, exploring his mouth. Slowly, Mav brought his hands to encircle her waist, his big body forcing her knees to part while pulling her closer to his groin.
Katelyn felt the intense heat he was putting off, and her whole body felt as though it were on fire. She’d never felt such a flood of emotions just from a man kissing her, touching her. As if on cue to call a time-out, her stomach growled, and he leaned back, smiling at her.
“I think we need to get you fed,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
She nodded, watching as he started to put together a plate of sandwiches for them. He grabbed a few other things and walked back to their seats, smiling at the guys as he walked by them.
“You two good?” asked Pax.
“We’re good,” said Katelyn. “So, are you guys dating anyone? Do you have wives? Girlfriends?”
“Bite your tongue, woman,” said Pax. She laughed, shaking her head.
“I didn’t have a lot of exposure to men in my life. The school was an all-girls school and orphanage. They didn’t call it an orphanage, but that’s what it was. They gave it a fancy boarding school name, I suppose to make us all feel better about our circumstances. No one was ever placed in an adoption circle, which was also strange.”
“So, none of the girls were ever adopted?” asked Brax.
“No. None of us. We were treated well, given opportunities to go to college or vocational schools, that kind of thing. But once you turned eighteen, you had to leave. I mean, they usually came and drove you to wherever you wanted to go. College or whatever, I guess. I left earlier just because I started college earlier. A lot of the girls did.”
“What do you attribute that to?” asked Saint.
“The curriculum was pretty intense. Most of us were taking advanced math and science by seventh grade. I guess there were a lot of advantages to being in an all-girls school. No distractions.”
“We all attended school together,” said Saint. “Our parents and grandparents, all of them, they built a school years ago specifically for children they rescued during missions. It transformed and was added to include a school for the deaf and, eventually, a full kindergarten to high school private academy for us and other kids in the area. No charge.”
“That’s amazing,” she smiled. “Why a school for the deaf?”
“Oh, well, we all know ASL from our military training, but Keith Robicheaux, the son of Alec and Lissa, is deaf. He’s actually one of the best operatives we have but, obviously, couldn’t enter the military because of his hearing loss. Trust us, it was their loss, not his. He’s better than just about anyone here.”
“That’s so wonderful,” smiled Katelyn. She yawned, pushing the empty plate from in front of her. “I think I’ll lay back and take a nap. It’s been a long night.”
Mav took the empty plate to the galley, and by the time he returned, she was already sleeping. The others just grinned at her, looking up at their friend.
“So,” grinned Brax. “She’s it?”
“Fucking right, she is.”