10. Mila
10
MILA
My fist gripped the edge of the car seat as I writhed around.
I didn’t know how many times I had come already, and right now, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I lost track after the fifth orgasm. I honestly didn’t think I could handle any more.
Tears stung my eyes as a thin layer of sweat coated my skin.
“Please,” I begged. I wanted to come again, but?—
I shouldn’t.
My legs trembled as my muscles tightened at the feeling of his beard-covered lips moving across my sex.
I felt him smile against me.
“What is it you want?” he asked me sweetly. I wasn’t fooled.
He suckled on the outer lips of my sex, and a sharp sting of arousal moved swiftly up and down my body.
He spread my legs wider and speared me with his tongue.
My back arched as I grabbed onto his hair without thinking, tugging it sharply and trying so hard—and failing miserably—to hold on to my control.
He let go of me and nipped gently on the outer skin before turning his face to the side and nipping on my inner thigh as well.
I placed my palm flat on his forehead and tried to push him away after the sting, but he held on and licked away the pain.
“Maverick,” I said, frustration tingeing my voice.
“I got you,” he said, moving back to my pussy. He flicked my clit gently with his tongue a few times, driving me crazy, then went down and dipped his tongue inside me.
His mouth covered me, and his eyes shot up and met mine directly. His blue eyes darkened, and God, how badly I wanted to know what he was thinking.
He sucked more of me in, humming, and I lost it.
I closed my eyes, seeing stars behind my eyelids as I felt the orgasm happening.
I blindly reached for his hair once more, pulling on it roughly. The pain only seemed to spur him on, and he doubled down on his efforts.
I couldn’t tell whether I was wet from his saliva or my own arousal.
He drove two thick fingers inside me. I squirmed on the seat when he started to fuck me with them in quick, brutal thrusts.
“Oh… Oh… Oh !” I screamed as I hit my peak.
Maverick sat up on the seat, still trapped between my legs.
He slapped my pussy several times. Not hard enough to hurt, but not gentle, either.
“Fuck! Stop ,” I screamed brokenly when I felt the tap over my sensitive clit.
He smiled viciously, and slapped my pussy three more times, as if to prove that he could.
All that did was make me come harder.
My legs quivered, and my orgasm seemed to go on forever.
He rubbed his fingers over his lips, baring his teeth.
“Such a pretty little cunt,” he muttered. “My little cunt.”
I gasped when he pushed one thick finger inside me again and kept it there.
His smile widened, making him look even more vicious… savage .
I couldn’t even remember where I was or why I was there.
It was only me and him in this small, enclosed space, filled with nothing but our heavy breathing and the afternoon sun hitting the windows.
For a moment, I forgot that he was a man I was supposed to hate.
Supposed to fear.
I wanted to stay in the small space with him and?—
Awareness seeped into my mind.
I realized we had stopped.
Wherever it was we were supposed to go, it seemed we had arrived.
I wasn’t ready to face the world.
Not just because I was in too-short of a dress, but I didn’t have any panties and my pussy was wet.
He pumped his finger lazily inside me, and my face contorted, unsure if I wanted him to pull out completely, or fuck me harder.
He made the choice for me and withdrew. The squelching noise my pussy made when he did it, as well as our erratic breathing, were the only sounds in the car.
Maverick watched me.
He seemed fascinated with my expression, and I quickly took in his black suit.
I’d messed up his hair, but it wasn’t a bad look on him. It looked like he had done it on purpose.
Besides the shininess on his lips—from me —he looked like a formidable crime boss of Chicago.
And I was naked in his car, my legs too weak to even hold me up.
Slowly, I reached over for the handkerchief peeking out from his breast pocket—who even wore suits with a handkerchief anymore?—and sat up.
His gaze was still focused on me, but he didn’t stop me.
I turned my back on him and used the handkerchief to clean myself up.
Fortunately, Maverick left me alone for this small moment of privacy. Once I was done, I glanced around for some place I could discard it.
He took it out of my hand and, without missing a beat, shoved it in his pants pockets.
The corners of his lips lifted. I blushed and turned back away from him, then fixed my dress.
Maverick shifted closer to me, helping me pull the straps back up to where they belonged and placing a sweet kiss on my shoulder.
I shivered.
Then he got out of the car and reached in for me.
I hesitated for a moment before placing my hand in his and letting him help me out of the car.
I clung to him not because I wanted to, but because I was right.
My legs could barely hold me up.
He smirked as he watched me, and how badly I wanted to slap the arrogance from his face.
I turned my face away, ignored the bit of arousal that was still smeared along his lips, and walked into the impressive, enormous building.
People greeted us—him—as we walked inside the modern, sleek building. As we did, I realized there was much more to the Tiernan brothers than I had thought.
I’d known they had money.
Had to, considering all the terrible and illegal things they got up to. But this company building was just so… in your face.
It didn’t ask for attention but demanded it, and the Tiernan name was proudly hung in front for anyone to see.
They didn’t live in the shadows.
They thrived in the spotlight.
Perhaps there was something admirable about that. Well, there would have been if I wasn’t being held against my will.
Are you, though? an insidious voice asked in my mind.
I shook it away.
They said they were going to use me, but so far, Killian had avoided me like I carried some sort of disease he didn’t want to catch, and Maverick and Silas… all they did was make me come.
Silas joked the night before, asking me if I wanted to play with his dick, but he hadn’t made me do anything.
Neither had Maverick.
And I was so fucking confused.
It almost made me wish they would be straightforward in their cruelty.
I moved a little closer to Maverick when a crowd of people suddenly came near us, feeling skittish. It wasn’t like me, but, like everything that had happened since the night the club was attacked, I found myself thrust into a new environment, and I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Maverick wrapped an arm protectively around me, bringing me close to his side. I glanced up in time to catch the dark cloud crossing his expression as he directed his gaze at the group of men who seemed to be the worst offenders.
They noticeably paled and smartly moved at least a foot away from us while we waited for the elevator to descend.
My heart was racing.
How ironic was it that I was being protected by one of the worst men on this planet?
A villain playing the hero.
When he felt my eyes on him, he peered down at me. Gone was the dark look, and what was left was an expression I didn’t want to read too much into.
I turned away, bringing my eyes down to our shoes.
I didn’t have any shoes that would have paired well with this dress, and what was more, I don’t think I could have walked had I been in the kinds of shoes I saw most of the women here wearing.
I was in my own pair of black-and-white Converse.
They were a little worse for wear, and they looked completely out of place compared to the expensive Italian black oxfords Maverick had paired with his black suit.
He was always impeccably dressed.
Better dressed than his brothers, since Killian seemed too wild, even when he wore a suit similar to Maverick’s, and Silas was too laid back.
All three were powerful in their own right, but it was Maverick at the head of the Tiernan crime family.
The elevator dinging brought me out of my reverie and I startled in his arms as the doors opened.
Maverick led me inside.
No one else dared to follow.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from calling for anyone to join us so I didn’t have to be trapped in the elevator with him.
But it was too late.
The doors quickly closed, and our reflection in the doors looked back at us.
I quickly averted my eyes.
I didn’t want to see the girl I had become since they’d taken me.
I could feel his stare on the side of my face, and I tried to ignore it as best I could.
I didn’t know why he brought me here in the first place, but I hoped it couldn’t be that bad if we were at his more legitimate business… right?
The ride up was quick.
We emerged on the top floor, and the first thing I saw was a black marble receptionist desk with three women.
They all glanced up when they heard us, their smiles wide and their eyes flirtatious.
I might not have had a lot of experience, but even I could tell when a woman wanted a man.
I had seen it countless times with the club hang-arounds who’d tried to get close to Dad. They all craved the excitement and power of being the one fucking the president of the Heartless Saints.
They all wanted to be the one to change Dad, but Daniel Hayes wasn’t the kind of man to change, not for anyone. Not even his daughter.
It was stupid on their part for even allowing themselves that fantasy.
Maverick mostly ignored the receptionists.
They might as well have had the same importance as the bonsai tree artfully placed in the corner.
I wondered if each of these ladies hoped to be the one to change him.
That was laughable.
Still, they were all beautiful and sophisticated.
They were better matches for all the brothers, so why the hell were they so intent on keeping me?
And why did the thought that they might like to entertain one of these women, or some other women someday, bother me so much?
I met the eyes of one of the receptionists as I passed, and she didn’t bother to hide her surprise.
Maverick and I took a corner once the receptionist area was no longer in view we walked to the door of a large meeting room.
I realized there were men in there already, and Maverick wanted me to go in with him. A rectangular window took up the top half of the wall that separated the meeting room from the hallway, and the men turned their attention our way.
A huge square table took up most of the room, and almost every chair was filled, except for the one at the head of the table.
These weren’t respectable businessmen. I knew that from the first glance.
They didn’t belong in this supposed legitimate side of Maverick’s business, but they were here, and he wanted to take me in there with him.
For what?
I was afraid to find out.
I spotted three menacing men standing guard out in the hallway. They mostly ignored us, but their presence wasn’t something that could easily be missed.
Maverick turned to me when I dug my heels into the carpet, his dark eyes assessing.
“What, little monster?”
“Why do I have to go in there?” I asked. “Can’t I just wait for you in your office?”
One corner of his lips pulled up in a smirk. My fists clenched by my side as I resisted the urge to punch it off him.
I wasn’t a violent person.
Or, at least, I hadn’t been before I met the Tiernan brothers. They just had that effect on me.
My jaw clenched when his smirk widened.
“Don’t tell me my little badass is scared of a whole bunch of men.”
“Absolutely,” I answered. There was no reason for me to act tough. I was scared. I didn’t want to be. I was so fucking sick of being scared all the time, but that didn’t change the fact that I was.
He didn’t say anything for a moment. I tried not to squirm beneath his heavy stare.
Then he said, “Do you really think I would ever let any of those fuckers touch what’s mine?”
His words shouldn’t make me feel better, but they did.
I took a huge gulp of air. “Then what am I doing here? I’m sure you don’t want me to hear whatever it is you’re about to discuss with those men.”
He leaned down to me and I fought the need to step away from him.
His lips moved over my temple and down my cheek, and no matter how hard I tried to resist, I couldn’t help it when my eyes stuttered shut.
“Good girl,” he whispered against my skin. “You’re here because I know you won’t say anything. You’re here because I am confident in my power to control you.”
My eyes sprang open from his words, and I glared at him.
He smiled wickedly at me. “I own you. I own every single part of you, including that beautiful submission of yours. You might think you still have some power against me, but get that thought out of your head. You don’t. You’re mine. And I want you to see the kind of man I am. The kind that will have you, heart, mind, and”—his voice lowered, and my heart thudded heavily against my chest—“ soul .”
He stepped back from me, and I almost fell flat on my face.
Maverick steadied me in front of him and pushed me through the doors.
All eyes turned on us, and I hated the look of the men’s eyes as they took me in from head to toe.
The only thing keeping me from passing out was Maverick’s words.
I had to believe he wouldn’t let anyone touch me.
Had to believe he had become so possessive of me that I was safe in this room filled with monsters.
“I wouldn’t look at her unless you want your eyeballs removed from your heads,” Maverick said calmly. There was no mistaking the dark promise in his voice.
All the men averted their gazes from me at once.
I sighed with relief, which was short-lived as Maverick took a seat at the head of the table and sat me on his lap.
I stiffened and tried to put as much space between our bodies as possible, but he just wrapped his arms around my middle.
“Start talking,” Maverick said.
No one turned our way.
Everyone looked down at the dark cherrywood table in front.
“Boss, the girl?—”
“Don’t worry about the girl,” Maverick said, cutting off the man to the right of us. “Feel free to speak. She’s my good little lapdog and won’t say anything.”
Did he just?—
He just called me his fucking lapdog .
He cupped my chin and turned my head slightly to look at him.
I knew he could see the anger burning in my eyes.
He smiled at me.
Maverick seemed to get some sort of sick enjoyment out of pissing me off.
I tore away from his grasp and looked out the window that showcased the city.
I was going to fucking ignore him and this fucking meeting and those terrible men who obviously worked with him.
“We received communications from New York. It seems the Romano family is interested in working out a deal with us,” one of the men said.
I didn’t look to see who was talking.
I was still pissed.
If I could, I would?—
I stiffened when I felt his hand move in circles around my stomach.
His thumb found my navel, and he played with it, dipping inside.
I turned back to him, but Maverick wasn’t paying me any attention.
I swallowed and looked away when he spoke, though I didn’t hear what he said exactly, considering all the blood had rushed to my ears.
He wouldn’t.
Not when there were so many people around, would he?
His hand moved lower.
I clenched my legs together, aware of the too-short dress that had ridden up to my upper thighs, aware of my bare pussy pressed directly on his fancy dress pants.
My breathing grew labored, and I shook my head when his hand came down to the hem of my dress. He left his hand on my thigh, his chest vibrating against my back whenever he spoke.
I tried to focus on his words.
Rings… the Cadorna family… power… money…
His hand moved under my dress.
I tried to stop his movement when he started to slide it back up my leg, but he simply pushed my hands away.
I kept my legs closed, denying him access.
There were so many people here.
They couldn’t see us, considering the huge table was blocking their view and none of the men had dared to look at me after Maverick’s promise, but—but?—
What if I couldn’t control the noises that came out of my mouth?
He pinched the outside of my thigh roughly, and I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying out in pain.
My legs gave way without a thought, and he cupped me fully in his warm hand. Skin to skin, made even more noticeable by the fact that he’d had me waxed not too long ago.
My heart dropped to my stomach when he used that hand to slide me back until I could feel his erection against my ass.
That shouldn’t turn me on, but it did. Fuck, it did.
And I knew he could feel it. Fuck, how could he not feel it when I was dripping over his hand?
Shame and lust warred inside me, and I didn’t know which to let win.
I trembled against him, closing my legs once more, but all that did was trap his hand there, and I didn’t?—
My head fell back against his chest when he moved his fingers across my clit.
Like this, only the lower half of his face was visible to me, and I could see a small smile playing around his lips.
Bastard.
He continued to play with me while he talked.
How could he possibly concentrate on business while doing this to me?
A flush took over my cheeks, and I found myself grateful that at least no one was looking at me.
If I could keep from making any noise, no one would know, but it was the thought that we could be discovered at any moment?—
I grabbed his thigh when he flicked my clit, just before he inserted a single finger inside me.
Oh, God.
I clenched around him and his dick twitched behind me.
Fuck.
I didn’t know how much more of this I could take.
Wetness seeped out, and I knew I was drenching the fabric of his pants. What if I stained them?
How could we possibly walk out of this building after?
He lazily pumped his finger in and out of me.
My fists tightened around his thighs as my hips started to move a little against him, trying to get to that delicious friction.
He added another finger, spreading me, and pumped them harder and faster.
I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling so close to exploding and knowing I couldn’t. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I leaned closer to Maverick, hoping that would lessen the pleasure in some way. Trying to find a degree of balance, but it was no use.
His thumb found my clit and swirled around it. I arched my back slightly and bit down on the inside of my cheek a little harder.
I turned back, and my eyes met his.
I shook my head, begging him not to let me lose control in a room full of men. I couldn’t.
His cruel, amused eyes stared back at me, and for a moment, I thought he would do it. He was going to wring an orgasm out of me with all these people present.
But then he said, “Good. Now leave and get to work.”
I could have wept with joy.
Everyone stood up as one and moved out the doors as if the devil was chasing them out.
I didn’t look.
I couldn’t focus on anything but his fingers. When the door finally slammed shut behind the last man, Maverick increased his tempo.
I buried my face in his chest as the orgasm hit, biting on his tie to keep from making any noise.
“That’s it,” he praised. “Such a good girl for me.”
I shouldn’t be affected by his words, but I wondered if he knew they only worked to prolong the peak.
His fingers kept working me over, and spasms rocked my body as I rode out the last of it.
I shook against him and watched as he pulled out of me and sucked on his fingers as if it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.
I blushed, and he winked at me, ever the charmer.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I said when I found my voice.
“Can’t you? Didn’t I tell you that you’re mine? I can do whatever the fuck I want with you.”
I shot him a disgusted look and climbed off his lap. His hands steadied me when it felt like my legs were about to give out, and I let him hold on to me for a beat before stepping back.
“Your good little lapdog, right?” I asked bitterly. Those words shouldn’t sting. I knew the kind of man Maverick was, what a fucking monster he was, and I shouldn’t expect any different. I shouldn’t have painted this monster with something more human, but I did, and fuck me if I felt stupid about it now.
His eyes roamed my face. “Are you really angry about that?”
He seemed surprised.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, aren’t you a genius?”
His thumb pressed across his bottom lip as he took me in with contemplation. “Hmm,” was all I got in response.
I rolled my eyes at him and pivoted toward the door.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
I turned around and looked at him. “Bathroom. Or would you like me to just pee in the corner?”
His lips twitched, but thankfully, he didn’t smile. “That’s not necessary.”
“How generous of you,” I replied drily.
“Last door to your left,” he instructed. “And you will come back to me after.”
There was no missing the command in his voice.
I didn’t bother with a response.
I moved out the office door and into an empty hallway.
I didn’t know where the guards or the men went, and I didn’t care. I found the bathroom easily enough and quickly took care of business.
Afterward, I took in my reflection as I washed my hands, wondering how long it would be before I no longer recognized myself in a mirror.
It seemed the Tiernan brothers were too good at consuming— destroying —every part of the girl I had once been before them.
And I didn’t know if this was a good thing or not, considering how much I’d disliked that girl before.
Life was hard, and I had been the girl her parents never wanted.
It seemed like my entire life’s purpose was to survive, and I was already doing such a poor job of it.
I turned off the water before quickly drying my hands and walking out the door.
Everything was quiet as I walked toward the office. I was still reeling over everything that had happened to me so far, so I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.
That was my mistake.
Something gray flashed at the corner of my eye. By the time I looked up to see what it was, I was smashed up against the door, and a strange, large male body was pressed against me.
I turned away from the man when he leaned down and sniffed my hair.
“I was wondering where he kept his whore. Did you know there is a price on your head?”
His question surprised me out of my stupor.
Did he say there was a price on my head? That couldn’t be right. I was a nobody. Who would want to put a hit on me?
The remaining members of the MC? I suspected as much when I ran into Lenny in New Orleans, but after a while, when I didn’t see anyone else from the club, I began to think I was safe. Or perhaps I was safe from those men because I had been in the Tiernan brothers’ grasp. But for there to be a price on my head? The statement was ridiculous.
I opened my eyes and studied the man for the first time. He was in custodian garb, his skin pale and sweaty, and what little hair he had behind his receding hairline was unkempt with a very distinctive odor.
I wrinkled my nose. “Let go of me. You know who I am, and you know how possessive a man like Maverick can be.”
He laughed, the sound bitter and angry. “Don’t flatter yourself, girl. The man is as possessive of you as he is with his car. He can always replace you with another pussy.” His eyes moved down my body. “One who’s not so skinny.”
My upper lip curled in disgust and I tried to twist away.
He tightened his grip, and I stilled instantly. Fuck, he was going to bruise my wrists, no doubt about it.
“But there is a price on the head of Daniel Hayes’s child. Apparently, your old man left this world with a lot of debt and a lot of angry people. How would it look if they didn’t take it out on his kid? And you must know where he kept his money, no?”
“Let go of me. I don’t know anything, you sick son of a bitch!”
I screamed, but the man covered my mouth with one meaty hand.
Something salty hit my tongue.
How gross.
I opened my mouth and bit down.
He yanked his hand away, cursing at me.
“You stupid bitch. You bit me! You’re going to pay for that.”
He raised his hand, and I closed my eyes, preparing for the slap.
It never came.
A grunt, and the man was off me.
I opened my eyes to find Maverick’s wide back in front of me.
He was breathing hard, and I didn’t have to see his face to know he was angry.
He turned back, his eyes assessing me. They hardened on my wrists where the man had grabbed me, then moved to my face.
His expression turned almost deadly.
I was suddenly glad to have never been on the receiving end of that look.
As much as the brothers had said they wanted to hurt me or scare me, I knew now they’d been holding back.
He turned back to the man. “Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing on my property?”
The man scrambled back across the floor, his legs pushed out in front of him.
Maverick moved forward and stepped on the man’s ankle. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, which drew the attention of the guards who had been patrolling the hallways.
They ran in and came to a stop, their eyes wide in surprise when they noticed Maverick standing there, an avenging angel.
“How the fuck did this piece of shit get in?” he asked one of the guards.
The man in the middle knelt. “I’m sorry, boss. That was our mistake.”
“Yes, it most certainly is,” Maverick agreed with a sort of calm entering his voice.
This calm scared me more than it would have, had he been yelling. I edged back, stopping when my body hit the wall with a thud.
Maverick briefly turned toward me, a small frown marring his face, before he went back to the man. He grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar.
“Do you know who I am?”
The man trembled, and I wrinkled my nose a bit in disgust when I realized he had wet himself.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Surely you thought this through before you decided to come here and attack what’s mine. Who do you work for?”
The man shook his head.
Maverick smiled.
I took a deep breath and tried to keep the nausea at bay.
This smile was nothing like any of the ones he shot me before.
This smile was different. So different.
“No? I’m sure I can find other creative ways to get you talking.”
I whimpered, drawing the attention of the men.
That seemed to get Maverick out of whatever dark thoughts he was thinking, because he pushed the man in front of me.
“I believe you need to apologize.” Maverick grabbed the man’s hair and pulled back, hard, until he looked up and met his dark eyes. Any harder and he might just rip away all the man’s hair. “And make sure you’re sincere. Why don’t you kiss the top of her shoes to show it?”
I shook my head.
Maverick cocked his head at me.
I licked my dry lips. “I don’t… I don’t want him to touch me.”
“I don’t blame you,” he said quietly. “And how am I supposed to ever deny you anything?”
I let out the small breath of air I was holding. He said it like it was true.
He said it like I was someone to be cherished.
I looked away.
I could hear Maverick kick the man.
“S-sorry,” the man muttered as the guard pulled him away.
I closed my eyes when I heard his screams, begging for mercy.
Large, warm hands cupped my cheeks.
I jumped.
“Shh, you’re safe,” Maverick said.
I opened my eyes.
He still looked angry, but his touch was so gentle when he used his thumb to swipe away a fallen tear.
I didn’t even realize I was crying.
I shook my head, but I didn’t know what I was saying no to.
He guided me back against the wall, and though his touches were firm and strong, they were worlds away from how the other man had done it.
Instead of feeling trapped and crowded and scared, I felt, oddly enough…
Safe.
Like there were all these bad things in this world.
And then there was his body in front of me, blocking it all out.
No one had ever stuck up for me like that. No one had ever gotten murderously mad on my behalf.
It shouldn’t make me feel warm inside, but it did.
More tears came down my cheek, soaking his hands, and he made a rough noise in the back of his throat.
“Don’t cry, little monster. My control is holding on by a tenuous thread. I want to go back there and beat the man to a bloody pulp.”
I grabbed his forearm when it felt like he was going to move away from me.
I shook my head, but I was out of words.
I didn’t want to leave the safe cocoon he created with his big body. I didn’t want him to leave me.
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe. I promise.”
No, I wasn’t.
I wasn’t safe. Not from him or his brothers, but I was in this moment.
What a beautiful lie.
And how badly I wanted to believe it.
I stood on my tiptoes and clung to his neck. He was so much taller than me. So much taller than any other man I had ever met. I wanted to climb him. I wanted to be closer to him.
I didn’t want to let myself go.
He leaned down to make it easier on me, and paused when he realized that brought his lips mere inches away from mine.
My breath caught.
I wanted to feel safe.
Just let me be safe.
Please.
I closed my eyes and ate away the gap between us.
The first touch of my lips against his was everything . I’d tasted him before, but this was different. Our first kiss had been a lie. A sweet, beautiful lie, but a lie, nonetheless. This kiss tasted like the truth. It tasted like surrender.
And I wanted more. I deepened the kiss.
There was so much going on and I didn’t want to miss out on any of it, from his taste, to his scent, and even to the solid feel of him.
I kissed him harder, greedy for the very essence of the man. Then he groaned and I was…
Fuck, I was lost.
The vibration of the kiss went all the way down to my stomach. I moved my lips over his, wanting this kiss more than I wanted my next breath.
It took Maverick two, three long seconds, but then he was kissing me back.
His hands moved away from the wall by my head, and he wrapped them tightly around my waist, hauling me up his body so he wouldn’t have to bend down so far, then he kissed me back.
Fiercely, passionately, frantically .
Oh, God.
My feet left the ground, all I could do was hang onto him and hope he wouldn’t let me fall.
But Maverick was a strong man and I didn’t?—
I didn’t fear falling while I was in his arms.
He held me up against the wall and kissed his way down my jawline.
He nipped on the sensitive skin of my neck, and I tilted my head back to give him better access.
I moaned his name. “Maverick.”
“Fuck, baby,” he whispered against me. “Fuck.”
He moved up toward my lips again, pressing his roughly against mine.
“Open for me,” he said, sounding as desperate as I felt.
I closed my eyes. I didn’t open for him.
I didn’t?—
I didn’t know how to kiss.
Not the way he wanted, and I was afraid he might find me lacking in some way.
He bit my bottom lip, not giving me a choice.
I opened, and Maverick wasted no time moving his tongue inside, gliding it against my own.
I tried to turn my head to the side, unsure of what I was supposed to do, but he forcefully kept me still, and he kissed me, and kissed me, and kissed me.
Fuck.
I whimpered as his slick tongue skimmed against mine in ways I never even imagined.
“Kiss me back,” he demanded harshly.
Hesitantly, I did as he asked. I mimicked his movements, kissing him back.
Taking from him as much as he was taking from me, both of us in a hazy red blaze of lust.
There was no room for rational thought.
Only the fact that I was willingly kissing Maverick Tiernan and I didn’t want to stop.
My hands found the lapels of his jacket and I clutched them tightly.
I bit his lip when he started to pull away, and he chuckled slightly against me. His chest vibrated against my own as he came back and kissed me once more.
I shook my head when he tried to pull away a second time.
He pressed a brutal kiss against my lips that I was sure I would bruise from, but I didn’t care.
I wanted to keep kissing him.
It was the first time I had ever admitted to myself that I wanted any of them since my captivity. That I was insanely attracted to them. I would have to face the reality of this admission once the kiss was over and I was no longer under his influence.
“Mila,” he chided softly.
I shook my head and deepened the kiss a bit.
I didn’t want to go back to reality.
He grabbed my breast with one hand and squeezed it roughly.
I gasped from the pain and leaned back, shooting him a scorching glare.
That was one way to drag me out of the mood.
He smirked, his lips swollen and wet.
I licked my lips as I directed my gaze there.
With another groan, he pressed a short, quick kiss against my lips.
We didn’t say anything for a moment. I kept my eyes closed, afraid to look at him.
“Mila,” he began.
I shook my head. “Please don’t.” I wiggled a bit against him when I realized he was still holding me up. “Let me down.”
“Not until you look at me.”
“Why?”
“Mila,” he said again.
If he ever had kids in the future, he probably wouldn’t have to worry about them disobeying. He had that firm dad voice down perfectly.
His dark blue eyes were alight with satisfaction.
“You enjoyed the kiss. Don’t even try to deny it.”
I sucked my lower lip into my mouth before letting it go and responding, “I did.”
There was no use in denying it. He knew.
“Now, let me down,” I demanded.
Gently, he let me down on the ground, keeping his hands on me.
I was grateful for that—not that I would ever tell him. I would have surely fallen straight to the ground had he not held me up.
How could he still stay standing when my legs had turned into goo?
It wasn’t fair.
I wished he was as affected by my kiss as I was obviously with his.
After a moment, when I thought I could walk on my own again, I started to walk toward the elevator.
His long legs quickly caught up to me, and he wrapped a strong arm around my body.
I didn’t fight him.
I didn’t want to.
I craved him.
I craved my prison warden.
How very…
Stupid.