Road to Forever Read online

  Dad gave a chin lift, and we headed out.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Club business,” Ace clipped.

  “That bled over onto us,” Maverick pointed out.

  “Wrong place, wrong time.”

  “Dad, they broke into Lily’s house. What if she’d been alone?” Maverick snapped.

  “Your choice not to be part of the club, bud. I respect that choice,” Ace said, “But it also means you have to respect that you don’t get information.”

  “Bullshit when it touches my woman,” Maverick snapped.

  I took Maverick’s hand and squeezed. I always marveled (and sometimes hated) how our dads could switch personalities from loving parents to hard-ass bikers in zero-point-two, but Ace was right. Maverick didn’t want to be a recruit for the Club, and there was no grief for that decision, but our dads had made it clear that Club business stayed inside the Club.

  “Get outta town and put this outta your mind,” Ace directed. “We’ll handle it.”

  Ace pushed open Hatch’s front door and let out a whistle. A different whistle response came back (probably Knight), and he let Maverick and me inside. “Don’t go anywhere until I give you the all-clear.”

  Maverick nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about sitting by and doing nothing.

  Mom rushed into the foyer, her gun in her holster on her hip, and pulled me in for a hug then grabbed Maverick. “Are you two okay?”

  I nodded, although now that the adrenaline had left my body, I suddenly felt a little shaky. Mav wrapped an arm around my waist, and I leaned heavily against him.

  “Who’s watchin’ everyone?” Maverick asked.

  “Knight, Flea, Buzz, and Train are here,” Mom said. “Devon and a couple of the others are out searching for anyone else. Grizz grabbed his gun and ran off toward the green space.”

  The land behind our house (actually, all the houses on our street) was protected green space, and it was about twenty-five acres of trees... a person could hide in there for a while if they wanted to.

  “What about Donnie and Steve?”

  “They left right after you,” she said. “I thought you saw them.”

  At least, they were missing all the drama.

  “It was the Spiders, Mom,” I said.

  “Well, shit!” she hissed.

  “Do you think Jenny...?”

  “Don’t go there, honey. Dad’ll deal with it.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, but I still worried. Jenny was my bio mom, a club whore, and a vicious piece of work. She’d had it out for my dad ever since he’d dumped her when I was a baby, and she’d been passing herself around to different Clubs, finally landing a top “Old Lady” position with the Gresham Spiders. She was the proud property of one of their nastiest soldiers, Brick, and the only reason I knew that was because I’d overheard my parents talking about it a while ago.

  Mom headed back toward the kitchen, and Maverick kissed my temple. “Stop.”

  I relaxed into him.

  “As soon as they give us the all-clear, we’re out of here. But for the moment, stop obsessing about your egg donor,” he said. “She’s not worth it.”

  I turned to face him. “It’s like you know me or something.”

  He dropped my bag on the floor and kissed me gently. “Come on. Since I didn’t get to feast on your pussy, I need sustenance.”

  I glanced around, my face heating. “Why do you say things like that when people might be able to hear?”

  “Because it makes you squirm.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re evil underneath that sweet exterior.”

  Maverick kissed me again. “Evil, horny, and totally in love with my girl.”

  “Okay, maybe slightly less evil.”

  I followed him through the house and into the kitchen where Buzz, Flea, and Knight stood guard. Maisie and Mom were in the kitchen looking busy but not really doing anything.

  “Where’s Train?” I asked.

  “Downstairs,” Mom answered.

  After downing a soda and two bottled waters, I needed some relief, so I headed to the bathroom, and just as I washed my hands, the not-so-distant sound of gunshots echoed. All I could think was to get down, but Maverick appeared in the doorway and crouched low with me.

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked.

  “Shit’s going down,” Maverick said.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I retorted.

  Maverick ignored me. “Hatch wants us all downstairs.”

  I took his hand, and we headed down to the basement.

  Because Hatch is a badass, and because he’s seen the worst of the worst, he modified his lower floor to be a glorified safe room. There was over twelve-hundred square feet of impenetrable living space—bulletproof glass, doors, and windows. The whole deal.

  I flopped onto one of the sofas in the movie room while Maverick spoke with Train for a few minutes, but when Maverick looked like he was heading out, I followed. “Where are you going?”

  “Gonna go help, Lil.”

  “I think you should stay.”

  He slid his hand to my neck. “I won’t be long.”

  Kissing me gently, he walked up the stairs and through the door, locking it behind him.

  I headed into the home theater and sat next to Mom. Hunter and Case were playing video games on the big screen along with Tillie and Liam.

  I couldn’t really sit still, so I walked back out to the kitchenette and tried to find something to do, but all I could really focus on were the hands on the clock above the sink.

  I had been pacing the basement for about thirty minutes when Maverick came jogging down the stairs.

  I rushed to hug him. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good, baby,” Maverick said. “Hatch and the guys are heading over to Blush with the Spiders. We’re free to go now.”

  “Are you sure everything’s okay?” I asked.

  “Yep, but if we’re going to go, we need to go now.”

  I followed him up the stairs, and after he had grabbed my bag, we climbed into his truck. “What’s going on?”

  “Let’s get on the road, Lil.”

  I fastened my seatbelt and waited until we hit the freeway entrance before I started in again. “It’s Jenny, isn’t it?”

  Maverick took my hand. “Kind of.”

  “Damn, damn, damn,” I breathed out.

  “Ace said—”

  “Oh, it’s ‘Ace’ now? Not ‘Dad’?” I bit my lip. “This must be serious.”

  “Dad said,” Maverick corrected and squeezed my hand, “the Spiders have been leaning on Prez to let them sell guns through the Club.”

  “And Crow said no, right?”

  “Right. But Brick’s not letting up. And Jenny thinks she has leverage.”

  “Me,” I deduced.

  “Yeah.”

  “I should call my dad.”

  “No,” Maverick countered. “We’re going to enjoy the weekend, and you’re going to let the Dogs deal with this shit. This doesn’t touch you, Lil.”

  I rolled my head to smile at him. “I will enjoy this weekend because I can’t wait to get you into bed and fuck you uninterrupted for three days, but if you think for a second this doesn’t touch me, you’re high.”

  Maverick laughed. “Sometimes, your biker chick mouth makes me hard.”

  “Sometimes?” I challenged.

  He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “One hour, baby doll.”

  I squeezed my legs together. “Can’t wait, Möosh.”

  Lily

  WE CAUGHT TRAFFIC into Portland, so it ended up taking us close to two hours to get to Maverick’s family beach house, but I didn’t care. Three days alone with my man was worth the wait. He hit the garage door opener, and we drove into the garage and then headed into the house.

  The recently renovated beach home rivaled pictures in a design magazine. Light blue walls, shells, and beachy accessories everywhere; brand-new so
fas covered in white canvas faced a wood-burning fireplace in the center of the room. Hardwood floors throughout, except the kitchen, bathrooms, and mudroom, which all had tile.

  I followed Maverick through the living room and pushed open the French doors that led to the back deck. I breathed in deep and smiled. There was nothing quite like the smell of ocean air.

  Maverick wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed the back of my neck. “Hungry?”

  “Not for food.”

  He turned me to face him and covered my mouth with his, lifting me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Our kiss was a desperate connecting of tongues and hands and lips as he carried me back into the house. I wove my hands into his hair and tugged gently as he settled me on the bed in the master bedroom and slid my shirt up.

  Popping the front hook on my bra, he cupped my breasts, running my nipples between his fingertips as he gently sucked each one into his mouth. Before I could fully get into it, however, he slid off the bed. “Hold that thought. I’m gonna lock up. I want you naked when I get back.”

  I grinned. “I love it when you’re bossy.”

  He grinned and jogged out of the room. I undressed quickly and pulled the covers back, sliding into the warmth of the flannel sheets. Maverick returned in record time, pulling his shirt over his head as he walked into the room.

  I sighed. I didn’t think I’d ever get sick of seeing him without a shirt. God, he was gorgeous. Bare chest, eight-pack abs, muscles on muscles—I couldn’t help but lick my lips as he removed the rest of his clothes and crawled into the bed beside me. He had a tattoo of lilies over his heart with my name written next to them, and I ran my finger over the design.

  He grinned, leaning down to kiss me, and then moving his way down my body, his face disappearing between my legs. I whimpered when his mouth connected with my clit, sucking it gently. I fisted my hands in the sheets and arched against him.

  “Möosh, I’m... I can’t wait.”

  He didn’t respond verbally... just put more pressure on my clit with his tongue. I anchored my heels to his shoulders and bit my lip, trying to keep my climax at bay. I couldn’t. I cried out, my body shaking as I came. Maverick kissed the inside of my thighs then hovered over me and slid inside. I moaned with want, the feel of him almost too much. Linking his fingers with mine, he dragged them over my head and buried himself deeper in my body as he licked my bottom lip and then kissed me deeply. I slid a leg over his hip and arched into him.

  “You have the greediest pussy,” he breathed out, thrusting in slowly.

  “Only because you make me that way.”

  He grinned, kissing me again. “How hard, Lil?”

  “Hard, Möosh.”

  Maverick released my hands and slid out of me. “On your knees, baby.”

  I didn’t hesitate to roll over and push up on all fours. Maverick squeezed my bottom as he slid back inside me, reaching one hand to a breast and the other to my clit. He worked my body again until I could barely breathe, and then he grabbed my hips and slammed into me over and over again until I cried out and collapsed onto the mattress. Luckily, Maverick knew enough to fall with me, and he pushed up above me and continued to slam into me.

  “Möosh, I’m going to come again.”

  “Wait.”

  I whimpered, unsure I’d be able to do what he demanded.

  “Now, baby,” he rasped, and his body locked.

  I let myself go and contracted around him as he rolled us to our sides and kissed my shoulder. I dropped my head back so I could kiss his chin and then slid my hands over his arms firmly around my waist.

  “I love you, Lily.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Remember my promise?” he asked.

  I nodded. “You promised you’d love me forever, protect me with your life, and always keep the fridge full of cheese.”

  “Exactly, and a—”

  “Promise is a promise is a promise,” I finished.

  He chuckled. “Will you marry me, Lil?”

  “Yep.”

  He kissed me. “Got the ring, baby doll. Asked your dad. This is the real proposal.”

  I gasped, shifting away from him so I could roll over to face him. “Seriously?”

  He nodded, running his knuckles gently down my face. “I know how you feel about public attention, so this was the plan.”

  I laid my hand over his tattoo. “I want to see this ring.”

  With a grin, he rolled and reached over the side of the mattress for his jeans. Digging in the pocket, he pulled out a beautiful, antique engagement ring with what looked like a one-carat diamond.

  “This was Grandma Wendy’s,” he said. “Her mom gave it to her when she got married, so she wanted you to have it.”

  “Really?”

  Maverick nodded. “You know how much she loves you.”

  I did know that. Wendy was Cassidy’s mom and I adored her. She was the best, and I’d always had a bond with her, but for her to give me her mother’s ring was unbelievable to me.

  I blinked back tears as he slid it onto my finger. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “Is that still a yes?”

  I giggled. “Duh.”

  He cupped my face. “Still not hearing a yes, Lil.”

  “Yes. Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” I kissed him quickly, rolling him onto his back so I could straddle him. “I can’t wait to be Lily Quinn, and I can’t wait to have your babies.”

  “Three.”

  “Two.”

  “Four.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Two.”

  “Six.”

  “You can’t just keep raising the number, Möosh. I’m the one who has to carry them.”

  He grinned. “A man can hope.”

  “Let’s have one and go from there.”

  Maverick pushed my hips down and slid into me again. “Deal.”

  “Honeymoon in Charleston?” I asked.

  “We probably won’t have the funds for London or Paris, but Charleston’s doable.”

  I dropped my head back, raising up slightly so I could lower myself onto him again. Maverick flipped me onto my back and thrust into me faster and faster—no words, just our bodies connecting—until I couldn’t wait.

  Maverick tensed, and then we both let go. As much as I loved the multiple orgasms Maverick gave me, I loved when we came together. He kissed me gently, then my jaw, then my neck before sliding out of me and pulling me close. “I love you, fiancée.”

  I giggled. “I love you more, fiancé.”

  “Are you hungry now?”

  I smiled. “Starving.”

  “Come shower with me then we’ll eat.” He climbed off the bed and headed into the bathroom.

  I took a few minutes to stretch and then joined him in the shower. I was given one more orgasm, and then it was pizza and movie time. Of course, I spent half of the movie staring at my ring.

  Most perfect proposal ever.

  * * *

  Maverick’s low and quiet voice drilled its way into my dream, and I realized he was talking to someone on the phone. I threw my arm back and connected with an empty mattress, so I forced my eyes open and sighed. I didn’t like to wake up without him wrapped around me.

  Not bothering to put any clothes on, I headed out of the bedroom and down the hall, following the sound of his voice.

  He paced the living room, one hand running over his chin and the other holding his cell. “Yeah. I get it. Yeah, I’m sure.” He sighed and then caught my eye. “Dad, gotta call you back. Okay. Bye.” He hung up and smiled, closing the distance between us and kissing me deeply. “Morning.”

  “Hi. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around him. “Let’s go back to bed.”

  “Möosh, something’s up,” I pressed as he carried me down the hall.

  “I’m patching in.”

  I gasped. “What?”

  Maverick lowered me to the bed and kissed me
again, dragging off his shorts and climbing in beside me. I placed my hand over his mouth before he could distract me further. “Nope.”

  He chuckled, pulling me against him. “It’s time I patch in, Lil. Dad’s right. If I want to protect you fully, I need information, and I don’t get information unless I’m a member. I’ll have to pay my dues like any other recruit, but I told him that as long as it didn’t mess with my residency schedule, I was willing to do that.”

  Maverick was in vet school and didn’t have much time left, so it was a rush to the finish.

  “But you’re too pretty to be a biker,” I said. “Not to mention, leather and denim aren’t really your go-to.”

  Maverick had always been a clothes horse. He loved nice things and owned more shoes than I did. He rode, but he didn’t own his own Harley. Instead, he’d use his dad’s if we wanted to enjoy a clear day.

  “I can pull off denim and leather, baby doll.”

  “This is very true.” I shivered. “But you don’t own a bike.”

  “Hatch’s got that covered. He bought an old Harley a year ago or so. He was going to sell it for a mint, but he’s going to give me a deal.”

  “This must be bad if your dad thinks you need to patch in.”

  He gave me a squeeze, pulling the covers up around us. “I’ve been talking to him for six months about this, babe. It’s not a new development, so I don’t want you worrying for no reason.”

  I frowned. “I’m not worrying for ‘no reason.’”

  He sighed. “Fair enough, but for the moment, will you let your man figure it out? If you need to know something, you will.”

  “I won’t bug you until Tuesday morning, but only because I’m not ready to burst our love bubble yet.” I stroked his cheek. “But after that, all bets are off.”

  Maverick pushed me onto my back and slid his hand between my legs. “I can live with that.”

  I arched into his hand as he kissed me, whimpering when his thumb connected with my clit. “Mav,” I rasped.

  “What do you want, baby?”

  I pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips. “Control.”

  He grinned, squeezing my bottom and lifting me so he could slide inside me. I dropped my head back and relished the feeling of him filling me. He lifted me again, bringing me back to the present, and I met his eyes and smiled. “Control, Möosh.” I removed his hands from my hips and pushed them above his head. “Which means you don’t get to touch.”