10. Maverick
Chapter ten
Maverick
The glare of golden sunlight woke me up, spilling across my eyes. I grumbled and turned my head, but a warm weight prevented me from moving.
Prying my eyes open, I found Katie nestled into the crook of my arm, her head resting on my chest. The sheets were bunched around her waist, exposing her bare thighs and shoulders. I brushed a lock of hair away from the corner of her mouth.
Glancing around the room, I took in my surroundings. Petal pink curtains with strawberries and daisies. A bell-shaped flower for a bedside lamp. A closet overflowing with frills and pastel colors.
This was the part where I usually made my getaway. Slipping out of bed, grabbing my clothes, and hitting the road.
Instead, my body felt heavy, glued in place. I trailed my fingers along Katie’s arm, over her shoulder, and down the slope of her spine. She struggled to accept her body, but I loved every curve. Everything about her was the essence of home and comfort.
She didn’t have to scrounge for meals. She didn’t have to wonder where she would spend the night.
I thought my life on the road was easier, remaining unattached. But when I looked at Katie, when I held her like this, ample tits pressed against me, her thick thigh draped over my hips, she made me realize that I’d been running and fighting for my life.
And I didn’t want to do that anymore.
Reluctantly sliding out of bed, I pulled on my clothes as quickly as possible, so I didn’t wake her. Kissing Katie’s forehead, I grabbed my boots and tiptoed from the room.
“Are you leaving?”
I froze at the sound of her quiet voice, scratchy with sleep. Katie lifted her rumpled head with a bleary squint, clutching the sheets to her chest with one arm.
Fuck, she looked absolutely delectable—breasts barely covered, the sheets exposing her naked hip. I nearly dropped my boots and raced back to bed.
“Thought you’d be hungry,” I replied. “So I thought I'd surprise you with coffee and a cinnamon roll.”
Katie frowned, raking a hand through her hair.
“I know you’re not staying. You don’t have to soften the blow.”
Last night, hadn’t I been clear enough that I wanted to be here with her? Did she still need convincing?
Granted, I had a life-long reputation that shaped me as a person. Everyone knew I was a drifter. And now, if I really, truly wanted to stay with Katie, I needed to redefine myself. Instead of Maverick, the nomad, I wanted to be Maverick, Katie’s husband.
“I’m getting my girl breakfast in bed, which is what she deserves,” I replied.
She sighed and adjusted the sheets tighter around her.
“You’re looking for an excuse to skip town. Like I said, you don’t have to beat around the bush.”
I growled with frustration as Katie disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, locking the door behind her. She should know how ineffective locks were by now where I was concerned.
But if she needed proof that I wasn’t going anywhere, I would give it to her.
When I emerged from the Pine & Petal Café with a takeout bag full of delicious-smelling breakfast, I spotted Katie’s car in the distance, turning the corner. Where was she off to?
Stuffing the bag of food into my panniers, I started my bike and followed her. Katie stopped at the post office to drop off a mountain of boxes. Then she continued on her way and parked at the Hollow Tree Inn. She ducked inside with a chunky binder tucked under her arm.
I waited at the corner, expecting her to emerge after a minute or two. When an hour dragged by, I began to wonder. What if Katie was meeting someone in the hopes to get her mind off me? Or what if she’d discovered a raging sexual appetite that couldn’t be satisfied with just one man?
“Fuck this,” I muttered.
I pushed into the Hollow Tree Inn, scanning the lobby.
Seated at a table by the window was Katie, with a slender, mature woman, heads bent close together, giggling about something. I blew out a breath of relief, seeing that my fears were unfounded. She wasn’t jumping into bed with another man to forget me.
At least not yet.
Katie glanced up and spotted me. Her smile faded. She closed the binder on the table in front of her and placed a hand over the cover, protectively.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I brought breakfast,” I said, gesturing behind me. “It’s still with my bike actually…”
“Oh, please come in.” The other woman pulled up an extra chair and waved me closer. She reminded me of my mother—soft-spoken with a tired smile in her kind eyes. “I’m Ella Franklin, owner of the inn. Are you Katie’s…?”
She faltered, hoping I would fill in for her.
“Boyfriend,” I said, settling into the seat. “I’m Maverick.”
Katie’s grip on that binder was growing tighter by the second. She pressed her lips together with a disapproving look. Because I still needed to convince her that we were together. That our temporary arrangement was now permanent.
“I heard rumors floating around town,” Ella replied. “But you can never tell what’s fabricated gossip and what’s true sometimes. I’m hosting a tea party for the Christmas season here at the inn. Katie has been helping me plan every detail. It’s only June, I know, but there’s so much to do. She’s an angel. I couldn’t do it without her.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
“Yes, she is. I couldn’t agree more.”
Katie’s cheeks turned a faint pink. After everything we’ve done together, somehow she still managed to blush.
“So, tell me about this tea party,” I said.
“No,” Katie protested, with an edge of sharpness to her tone.
Ella raised her eyebrows.
“I mean, it wouldn’t interest you,” Katie amended. “We’re going over the boring things now—items for the menu, decorations, color palettes, selecting a theme.”
I held Katie’s gaze as I reached across the table and pried the binder away from her.
“Give me a chance. I might surprise you.”
She shifted in her seat, biting the inside of her cheek with uncertainty as she watched me flick open the binder. A riot of color greeted me—pearly whites and baby pinks and cornflower blues. Pictures of flower bouquets, platters of fluffy little cakes, and entire rooms bedecked in ribbons, lights, and frothy lace.
“I’ve wanted one of Katie’s famous tea parties for so long,” Ella said. “She really transports you to another world.”
I flicked a glance at Katie. She regarded me quietly, scrubbing at her palm with her thumb. Ella’s phone rang and she murmured her apology as she rose from the table to answer it.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I asked when Ella was out of hearing range.
Katie shrugged.
“I didn’t want you to think it was silly.”
“No one else seems to think that,” I countered. “And this binder clearly shows you know what you’re doing. I take it you’ve done this a few times before.”
“I started an online shop when I was a teenager,” she admitted. “It took off, and I’ve been running with the momentum ever since. I’d love to have a real, physical shop one day.”
“So, you aren’t a cam girl after all,” I said.
Katie rolled her eyes and breathed a laugh. My heart squeezed. Fuck, I loved that sound. I wanted to make her laugh every day for the rest of our lives.
“You’re a biker,” she said. “And you’ve traveled so much, experienced so many things. Especially when we were visiting the Reckless Order, I felt out of place. I realized that I didn’t fit into your world and this…” She gestured to the binder. “This made it even more obvious.”
“But your eyes light up when you talk about it,” I said. “This is something you care about. Don’t hide that from me, dove.”
Katie’s breath hitched and she looked away.
“Maverick, we should really talk about this…thing between us—”
“You’re right,” I cut in, removing my phone from the pocket of my cut. I tapped the screen and placed it on the table in front of her. “Tell me what you think about those.”
She glanced at the screen, swiping through the pictures.
“Why am I looking at houses?”
“I’m going to buy one. For us.”
Katie’s gaze snapped up to my face, bewildered.
“What?”
“I’ll admit, I don’t know what I’m doing. And I only started researching the housing market while I was in line at the café. So, the options probably aren’t that great. But I figured it’s a start.”
“But Maverick, you're a nomad."
“It’s about time I parked my bike somewhere long-term,” I replied. “So, I’m staying.”
Katie’s eyes turned misty. She swallowed hard.
“If you're lying…"
“I’m dead serious, sweetheart,” I said.
She rubbed her forehead, blowing out a shaky breath.
“Now I’m just confused,” she whispered. “Why would you do that?”
I reached over and grabbed the leg of her chair, sliding her closer.
“Because I didn’t know what home felt like until I met you. I told myself I was fine on my own. I didn’t need anyone. I was always thinking about the next road, the next town. But with you, my mind was quiet. And it made me realize that I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Katie searched my face, gauging whether she believed me or not. I turned my hand palm up. She interlaced our fingers together—her pink nail polish against my tattooed knuckles.
“Does this mean you’re going to join the Reckless Order?”
I scrubbed the back of my neck with a vague gesture.
“I’d rather not, to be honest. As much as I like hanging out with the boys, I can’t stand the thought of earning my patch as a Prospect and working my way up the ranks.
So, I was thinking about starting my own club here, for hobby riders. I’ve met a few ex-military men who would probably like to join. But ultimately, I figured that decision would be in your hands.”
“Mine?” Katie repeated, surprised. “Why do you say that?”
I lifted one shoulder in a half shrug.
“I’d be your boyfriend—husband, eventually. Maybe. Hopefully. You might not want me to ride anymore, for safety reasons.”
“Felix Maverick Hurst,” Katie said with a mock stern look. “If you get rid of that bike, I’m never speaking to you again. In fact, I might even sleep with Pretty Boy for revenge.”
I threw my head back and laughed. Then I hauled Katie into my lap, kissing her. She lowered her lashes with a bashful, pleased smile, sliding her arms around my neck. Gliding my hands down her back, I cupped her ass with a squeeze.
“You wouldn’t dare,” I said. “That cocky little shit better not even look at you sideways, let alone lay a finger on you.”
Katie’s eyes gleamed as she squirmed in my lap on purpose.
“What are you going to do about it?”
Fuck, the minx was toying with me. Egging me on.
“You used to be shy,” I said.
She grinned.
“Not anymore.”