Maverick by Ashers, LeAnn (read dune TXT) 📕

My back is to Maverick. I can’t look at him right now. I look out into the trees and spot a deer staring at us.

Hands touch my forearms from behind. “Darlin’.” His voice is deeper than I have ever heard it.

I gather every single nerve that I have, turning around to face him. His eyes are filled with anger but his face is soft, his hands tender on mine.

“Darlin’, it’s killing me seeing that fear in your eyes.” He cups my face. “One thing you should never feel with me is fear. You are perfect, darlin’. Every piece of you.”

I close my eyes, my eyes burning from holding back the tears. He pulls me to him, lifting me off the ground.

He walks into the water with me in his arms. The water is so warm. I can feel a slight mist from the fall.

I throw my head back, letting the water wet my hair. Maverick tightens his grip on me so I don't fall.

“Darlin’, can you tell me who did this to you?” he asks.

I wipe the water off of my face before putting my hand back on his shoulder.

Maverick

She stares into space for a few seconds before she answers me.

When she took off her clothes, I saw fucking burn marks…belt buckle marks, I can make out the imprint.

Rage unlike anything I have ever felt before swept through me like a tornado, but I threw that shit to the side knowing she needed me.

“I was forced to get married when I was fourteen years old. He was in his thirties,” she starts.

I run my hand down her back, letting her know she has my full fucking attention.

I’m going to store every single detail and I’m going to repay him by doing it all to him for hurting her.

She pushes her hair behind her ear, “I thought life couldn’t be worse than my home life; we had it bad there. We were really poor, but my husband Michael was evil.” She shivers as she says it.

I hold her a little tighter, our faces barely an inch apart. “I don’t want to go into details. I just can’t do that yet. But I have suffered a lot at the hands of people who were meant to take care of me.”

I lean forward, pressing my forehead against hers. I want to fucking kiss her so fucking bad.

“You don’t know how bad I want to make him pay for that, sweetheart,” I whisper to her.

She cups my face, her eyes going to my lips. “Darlin’, I’m going to kiss you,” I tell her, waiting to see if she gives me the green light.

Bell

“Please.”

He doesn’t hesitate. He kisses me so deeply. My toes curl and I press myself tighter against him, kissing him back.

My hands are shaking, burying them in his hair. His hands run up my back, one cupping the back of my head and the other holding me out of the water.

He breaks the kiss. I open my eyes and we stare deep into each other’s eyes. “Perfect.” His thumb runs across my bottom lip, swollen from his kisses.

I smile, my face burning from his compliment and the way he’s looking at me.

He walks us deeper into the water. I laugh and grip him tighter as the water reaches our chests.

“Can you swim?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, this is the first time I’ve ever been in water like this,” I admit.

His face shows his shock. “Well, I’m glad I get to experience this first time with you.” He kisses my temple and I smile, closing my eyes and enjoying the feel of his lips pressed against my face.

I smirk as I put my hand into the water, splashing him in the face. He grins, eyes closed as the water trails down his face.

I push away from him. He lets me go and I put distance between us, splashing him again.

He laughs, his eyes opening and going directly to me. “Better run,” he says, and I don’t hesitate. I take off down the water, getting away from him. I hear splashing behind me as he tries to catch me.

I’m laughing too hard to do much. I turn around, looking to see how close he is when the ground drops off.

I fall underwater.

I throw my hands around, trying to bring myself back up out of the water, and arms wrap around me, lifting me out in a second.

Maverick sets me on the bank, his hands running all over my body, making sure I’m okay. “You okay? You didn’t breathe in any water?” he asks quickly. I can hear the panic in his voice.

I catch his hands. “I’m fine. It just scared me a little, that’s all.”

He sighs and pulls me into his lap, grabbing his shirt that fell off the side by side and covering me slightly with it.

“Ready to head back and eat some dinner?”

He pulls his shirt over my head. “I don't think you’ll be getting those jeans back on, darlin’. Plus I want to see you in my shirt.”

I put my arms through the holes, loving the way his eyes darken as he looks me up and down from head to toe,

I’m sure I look like a drowned rat right now; his shirt swallows me. He opens the small side door for me. I sit down and he pulls a blanket from behind my seat. “Just in case you get cold.”

He gets in and starts the side by side. I pull the blanket up. It’s starting to get dark and the air is turning chilly.

He pulls into the trees, and a limb smacks against the front of the windshield and slips inside the side by side.

Maverick puts his hand in front of my face, blocking the limb from hitting me.

He looks over and winks. “I got you, darlin’.”

My stomach flips. I lean my head back on the seat and watch Maverick as he drives. The way he moves is intoxicating in itself.

He has me.

I think he honestly