2. Maverick
Chapter two
Maverick
Trouble comes in many forms, and Katie was downright dangerous. She had no idea what kind of power she wielded with that sweet disposition and those big blue eyes.
When she practically begged me to act like her boyfriend, of course I folded in a heartbeat. She looked so rattled by that creep who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
At forty-five years old, I’d been around the block a few times. I was no stranger to the games people played when it came to sex. Especially if they believed a quick fuck with no strings attached was on the table. Pretending to be naive and helpless was the oldest trick in the book, and I’d fallen for it myself on more than one occasion.
I didn’t sense any of that pretense with Katie though. In my experience, most people were working an angle, but she seemed genuine, wearing her heart on her sleeve. She’d walked into this bar like a lamb into the lion’s den, a plump little morsel that any red-blooded man would eagerly sink his teeth into. And she appeared to be completely oblivious to that fact.
Wearing a petal pink blouse with bell-shaped sleeves, jeans, and soft pink wedge heels, she looked like she was dressed up for some fancy event.
“So, what brought you to Misty Mountain?” I prompted. “I pass through town on a regular basis and I’ve never seen you around before.”
She shrugged.
“I’ve always lived here. Except for college. I went to Pleasant View University a few towns over, but I moved back after I graduated. It’s cozy in a small town, like one big family.”
A college-educated angel with a heart of gold. This woman was too pure to be around me—a high school dropout who barely scraped together a GED, with a rap sheet half a mile long. I could taint her by association.
My tongue flicked out, wetting my lower lip at that thought. There was something wickedly tempting about getting my hands on this curvy little creature and ruining her for every other man that looked her way.
“What about you?” Katie asked. “Where are you from?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, debating how much I should tell her and how much I should skip over.
Running away from home as a teenager.
Stealing to make ends meet.
Trying and failing repeatedly to join one motorcycle club after another, until I finally decided to become a nomad, belonging nowhere. Katie couldn’t understand that lifestyle though, not when her whole world was this storybook small town.
“Drifter,” I simply said. “I’ve never been the type to settle down and stay in one place for too long. I’m happy to make friends along the way though.
I jerked my chin in Hank’s direction. He lifted his hand in a wave and went back to wiping down glasses. On quiet nights at the bar, Hank and I would chat to kill time. As an ex-Marine, he had a tough exterior, but his loyalty ran bone-deep.
Even though I would never survive in the military—I’d rather walk through hellfire than take orders from someone else—I recognized the value of a man who was willing to lay down his life to protect others, to watch your back if you asked him to. Hank Montgomery was one of those men.
Katie’s eyes softened as she regarded me for a moment.
“That sounds lonely.”
I shrugged. Just because I didn’t put down roots didn’t mean I lacked company. Since I didn’t belong to a club, I managed to dodge a lot of feuds and turf wars. Unless I chose to take up arms, which was rare.
As a free agent, I could come and go as I pleased, and I was welcomed in damned near any club without question for a meal of greasy food, good conversation, and a drink.
“I’m never lonely as long as I have my bike and the open road,” I countered. “Besides, I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?”
“You didn’t exactly have much choice in the matter,” Katie pointed out.
I huffed a laugh of disbelief and shook my head, scrubbing a hand over my mouth. I was doing everything in my power to be on my best behavior with a dozen filthy fantasies running through my head about her—those thick thighs, gorgeous heavy tits, and creamy skin.
Meanwhile, Katie fully believed she was inconveniencing me.
I rose from my chair and pushed it aside, sliding into the booth next to her. She blinked at me, wide-eyed, as I took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles. Fuck, her skin was just as silky smooth as it looked.
“What—what are you doing?” she squeaked.
“Well, you didn’t sound convinced that I came over here of my own free will. I had to do something to get rid of those pesky doubts. Is it working?”
Katie opened her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a breathless puff of air.
Someone coughed. My gaze flicked up to see the creep two tables over, arms crossed, with a scowl etched into his face.
Katie was blushing scarlet to the roots of her hair, and that asshole who’d been leering at her was jealous. A win-win situation.
I dipped my head, bringing my mouth close to Katie’s ear.
“As your fake boyfriend, it’s my job to make sure no man comes sniffing around you. I prefer to mark my territory in a more possessive and obvious way than what you’re probably used to though. And I have a feeling if I did anything more than this, you’re so sweet that you’d dissolve like cotton candy in the rain.”
She sputtered and shot me an exasperated look.
“Now you’re just teasing me.”
I smirked.
“A little.”
Curiosity sparked in Katie’s gaze. She chewed the inside of her cheek, practically pleading with me to continue.
I could tell her what she craved to hear in such vivid detail that she’d be red-faced for a week. The thought of just how warm and soft she would be under my hands, my tongue, made my cock throb, straining against my fly. I’d gladly sell my soul to the devil for a chance to discover if that blush covered every inch of her.
“Come on,” I coaxed. “Admit it. You like making that fucker over there green with envy just as much as I do.”
Katie stole a quick glance at the creep still staring in our direction. Then she haltingly curled her hand around my bicep.
Something about seeing her rosy nail polish against the dark, tattooed ink of my arm made pride swell in my chest.
Atta girl, I thought.
She still had virgin written all over her face, but it was a start.
Katie was the type of woman to settle down one day as a housewife, tending a herd of kids, making a warm home brimming with love for her family. She needed a man who could be a husband and provider, someone she could rely on.
I wasn’t that man for her. But I could offer a taste of the forbidden that she desperately craved.
Brushing a lock of Katie’s hair aside, I trailed my lips along the curve of her neck. She let out a strangled little noise and covered her mouth with one hand.
I smiled to myself. It was so fun and so easy to fluster her.
“You don’t…have to be that convincing,” she rasped.
I huffed a laugh against her shoulder. She had no idea how much I had to rein myself in around her. This was tame, compared to what I would have been doing if she was really mine.
I shifted closer, pinning her between my body and the wall. From hip to thigh, she was pressed against me. The scent of her filled my lungs—sugar cookies and something lightly floral I couldn’t put my finger on.Lavender? Roses? No…chamomile, maybe.
“Would you like a demonstration? I could be more hands on—”
She swatted my chest lightly. I chuckled and caught her wrist, tracing circles in her palm with my thumb.
“I’m not that kind of girl,” Katie replied.
I arched an eyebrow.
“And what kind of girl would that be?”
Her cheeks warmed all over again.
“I—I’ve never really—um—”
She broke off, chewing her lower lip, but she didn’t need to continue. I’d already figured out this was uncharted territory for her since she blushed at everything I said and did. And it was a damn shame that a woman like her was untouched.
“I could help you,” I offered.
Katie snorted.
“I’m sure you could. Right into your bed.”
“Not what I had in mind, but it’s nice to know you’re capable of hiding some dirty thoughts in that pretty head of yours. I was thinking you’re clearly not used to this boyfriend thing.”
She dropped her gaze, twisting her fingers in her lap.
“It just…hasn’t happened. That’s all.”
Well, there was obviously more she wasn’t telling me, but it wasn’t my place to pry. I cupped Katie’s chin and tilted her head up to look at me.
“I won’t be in town long. Use me as your practice run. So when the right guy comes along, you’ll know what to do.”
A beat of silence fell between us. Katie traced a circular water stain on the table with one fingertip as she considered my proposal.
“What’s the catch? What’s in it for you?”
I shrugged. Because I wanted an excuse to see Katie again, to be the man who ruined her for other men. I wanted to be seared into her memory for eternity, long after my tail lights had disappeared on the open road.
When she was married to some run-of-the-mill, suburban dad with two kids and a dog, I wanted Katie to remember the tattooed biker twice her age who taught her the freedom of releasing her inhibitions and indulging every carnal desire she’d ever dreamed of.
“I get to flirt with a cute girl,” I replied instead.
The corner of her mouth twitched with the smallest smile before she ducked her head.
“I bet you do that everywhere you go,” she countered.
“So, I consider myself a pretty lucky bastard that you were the one who caught my eye tonight.”
Katie blew out a breath of disbelief and shook her head.
“Does that silver tongue ever get you into trouble?”
“More times than my pride is willing to admit.” I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and placed it on the table, sliding it over to Katie. “Put your number in my phone. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She hesitated at first, then started typing.
I couldn’t wait to unlock that ravenous appetite this sweet little creature was hiding.