“River!” Dad bellowed behind me, and I tightened my arms around Mav.
Before Dad could reach us, the growl of the engine vibrated between my thighs and we were moving.
As we rode to Maverick’s apartment, I kept replaying everything from the moment he’d walked into the bar. My heart was still pounding from the fear of what could have happened. Uncle Spider’s reaction had been so surprising that I wanted to hug him. But while my dad’s reaction wasn’t exactly as I’d expected since he hadn’t started throwing punches, I had no doubt that if Mom hadn’t gotten between him and Mav, he would have.
My wish hadn’t come true. Dad might not have physically hurt Maverick, but he’d broken my heart, nonetheless. No one would ever be good enough for me in his eyes. Part of me understood that on some level. A father’s daughter was the light of his life.
But if I was so special to him, why hadn’t he ever taken the time to get to know me?
Maybe I was being overly sensitive from all the pregnancy hormones, but I was beginning to realize there was a difference in his physically being there for all the special events in my life growing up and his being present. He might have been there, but it didn’t seem like he’d actually learned anything about who I was as a person.
Within ten minutes, we were pulling into the parking lot of Maverick’s apartment building. After he turned off the bike, he reached back and helped me off. Slowly, I got to my feet, not wanting to scare him if I moved too quickly and had another dizzy spell. As soon as his legs swung off the powerful motorcycle, he scooped me up into his arms.
“Happy birthday,” he murmured, pressing his lips to my temple as he carried me up the steps to the second floor where his apartment was. “Sorry I was late. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
I laid my head on his shoulder. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
Reaching his door, he shifted me in his arms long enough to hand me his keys. After handing them over to me, he bent his knees so I could unlock the door and then open it for us. Once we were inside, he kicked the door closed and flipped the lock before carrying me through the apartment and straight to his bedroom.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been to his place, but my visits had been few and far between because there was rarely time for us to enjoy the comforts of an actual bed. Other than the necessary furniture, the place had always felt empty to me. He’d said it was because it was missing the most important feature—me.
Carefully, as if I were made of delicate glass, he placed me in the center of his bed and then stepped back. Pulling off his cut, he hung it off the closet door before kicking off his boots. While I watched him, enjoying the show of him stripping in front of me, I strained my ears, listening for signs of a motorcycle or anything else that would alert us to my dad having followed us.
Just because we’d made it to Maverick’s apartment didn’t mean we were in the clear.
When he was down to just his boxers, Mav walked back to the bed. His gray eyes skimmed over me hungrily, making the ache between my thighs intensify. “It’s taking everything in me not to devour your right now.” He grabbed my ankle and pulled me to the edge of the bed. Dropping to his knees, he started working on getting my jeans off, and I lifted my hips to help him.
The sound of my clothes hitting the floor hadn’t even reached me before his mouth was on my pussy. My fingers stabbed through his hair, holding him in place while his tongue spread my lips and then flicked teasingly over my clit. I arched my back off the bed as my body gave in to the pleasure it knew only Maverick could deliver to me.
“So fucking sweet,” he growled, making wet, slopping noises against my core. “I’ve missed this pussy almost as much as I’ve missed you.”
“Maverick, I’m close,” I whined. “Please.”
“Shh, I got you, baby.” Squeezing my ass in his hands, he lifted me closer, but he continued to tease me. With only the very tip of his tongue, he licked from my clit down to my entrance, where he circled and then traveled back to my pulsing clit once more. I felt my arousal dripping down my ass, his torture only turning me on more.
He licked and sucked and teased me until I was begging him to finish me off. Maverick knew all my triggers, and when his thumb circled my rear entrance just as his tongue thrust deep into my center, I screamed his name as my release sent me flying.
I was still struggling to catch my breath when he lifted me to the center of the bed again. Pushing his boxers down, he thrust deep inside my still convulsing pussy.
“Motherfuck,” he groaned. “You feel so damn good, baby.”
“You…too,” I panted, wrapping my legs around his hips. “I missed you so much.”
“Ah, babe. I missed you more. Hate being so far away from you, River. Can’t breathe when you’re not close.” He licked up my neck, the edge of his teeth grazing my skin and making my inner walls clench around his thick shaft. “You keep that up, and I’m going to blow before either of us is ready.”
“Who said I’m not ready?” I turned my head and caught his mouth. I thrust my tongue into his mouth hard, urging him to pump his hips into me with the same intensity. I was already close again.
And like Mav knew all of my triggers, I knew all of his. We were each other’s firsts, and we knew each other’s bodies as well—if not better—than we knew our own. While I sucked on his tongue, my nails sliced down his back, giving him that little taste of pain I knew always sent him over the edge.
His cock stretched me even farther as the first shot of his come spilled deep inside me. The feel of his hot release triggered my own, making my walls contract around his hard girth as I milked him of every last drop.
Maverick collapsed on top of me, and I savored the feel of his weight pressing me into the bed. But it only lasted a few seconds before he cursed and rolled onto his side. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to squish you and our munchkin.”
“You didn’t,” I tried to assure him, but he only wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me on top of him as he rolled onto his back.
“I’ll be more careful.”
My eyes were already closing. I’d barely slept the night before, worrying over what might happen at my par