Maverick and Mistletoe (Hell's Handlers MC 10.50)

It might be over, but the aftermath loomed.

Would she crack?

What would retaliation look like?

Would Maverick want to stay in Florida and seek vengeance? Of course, he would. And Steph would never ask him to walk away from that desire because the club was a vital part of who he was.

Hurt the MC, and you hurt Maverick.

And he would never let that slide.

Despite the comfort of his arms around her, a fresh shiver of dread slid down her spine.

This was supposed to be a relaxing, intimate, memory-making vacation.

It ended up being memorable, all right. A horrendous nightmare only partially resolved.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“SHH, SHH, SHH. Baby, I’m here.” Maverick rolled to his side and spooned himself to Stephanie’s back, pressing a light kiss to her neck.

With a distressed whimper, she jerked as though trying to escape his embrace.

Christ, this shit broke his blackened heart. It nearly killed him to tell Curly he wasn’t going to stick around and join the search for Lobo, who’d somehow slipped free in the fucking chaos. But Stephanie needed him, and they both needed these few days to lock themselves in the gorgeous beach house and focus on nothing but each other. He’d stay in close contact with Curly, of course, but he had to trust his new club brother and his promises to find Lobo and make the fucker pay.

“Baby, I’m here,” he whispered to his wife. “Shh, just relax.” This time when his lips met her neck, she sighed softly and melted against him. “Good girl.”

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“Fuck that. You tell me your sorry again, and I’ll refuse to give you Christmas cock.”

Her soft chuckle had him smiling.

“Pretty sure that’s an empty threat.”

Well, she had him there.

But he didn’t want to push anything on her after that psycho had violated her.

“Mav? Are you okay? You got all tense.”

Shit.

“Yeah, I’m great.”

“Merry Christmas.”

He smiled into her neck as he breathed in her vanilla scent. Like a Christmas cookie. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

“Look how beautiful it is.”

The master bedroom faced the east and the ocean. Waves crashed over the beach in a hypnotic dance. The sun had only just begun to peek over the horizon. It cast an orange-pink glow over the entire sky. Yes, it made for a magnificent view, but not nearly as stunning as the one he woke to every morning.

Mav propped himself up on his elbow and stared down at his wife. Her make-up-free face and mussed hair gave her a sleepy, cuddly look. The tiny shorts and tank set she wore to bed had his morning erection flaring to a full-fledged hard-on. “You’re right. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Stephanie looked up at him. Her blue eyes made the ocean seem like a mud puddle in comparison. “You aren’t even looking.”

He stroked a hand up her bare thigh because he couldn’t resist touching her but kept the caress light and innocent. “I’m always looking, Stephanie.”

“What happens next?” she whispered as she shifted to her back.

Mav stayed looking down at her with his arm draped across her waist. He played with the soft patch of skin over her hip bone. Fuck, he loved the way she felt against his fingertips, all silky and smooth.

“Now, we stay right here in this house for the next three days. We eat whatever we want, lounge in bed, watch movies, stare at the ocean and do whatever we need to so we can process what happened.”

Yesterday they’d spent the majority of the day at the HHCM clubhouse. A friend of the club who happened to be a nurse came by. She cleaned, treated, and bandaged their hands and feet. She’d also begged them to go to the hospital, but they both refused. Aside from deep gouges on their wrists and ankles, injuries consisted of bruises, abrasions, and sore muscles. Nothing concerning, though plenty uncomfortable.

Mav spent hours planning with Curly and the other club members while Brooke hung out with Stephanie. Having all the dogs around Brooke’s house worked wonders at keeping Stephanie’s mind occupied. Maybe they should consider getting one when they returned to Tennessee.

Once he’d gone through every detail of what happened no less than a hundred times, he and Stephanie made the trip to the beach house. She’d clung to him tighter than ever before as she rode behind him on the motorcycle. Both sore and exhausted beyond reason, they’d crashed without so much as a snack. Nightmares woke Stephanie a few times, but they’d both managed a solid night’s sleep.

“Mav, you must want to get back to Lithia and help Curly look for Lobo and deal with the other guys. I’m totally fine if you want to head back there tomorrow.”

Yes, part of him longed to deliver the Lobo’s punishment himself, but he’d learned over the last few years that he could lean on people. His club had his back and would make sure what happened to him and Steph didn’t go unpunished. He could walk away perfectly satisfied with the outcome, even if he wasn’t the one to throw the punches or pull a trigger.