I know something fucking bad is going down.
Bell
"I came here to try to get to know you on a deep level, but I regret that I did. I had hope for you, I had hope that you would be a good mother and that you were just having a hard time right now.” I stop and look over at Maverick, who is staring at me with an amused look on his face.
“Bitch, you’re just trying to act all high and mighty. You’re not shit, you’re trying to buy my boy and I won’t tolerate that shit.” She gets in my face, pointing her finger.
I bite my tongue, wanting to tell her to exactly where to stick it. Maverick sits down right between us, practically in my lap, putting himself as a buffer.
“Now are you going to fucking tell me where the fuck you get off speaking to her like that?” Maverick eyes her, his face completely serious, but his eyes are the scary part.
I gulp as her expression changes. She turns away from him and looks at me. “Watch yourself, cunt.”
I flinch at the derogatory name she calls me, but I look at Ronny who is now standing behind his mother. He heard her call me that.
I smile at him softly. “Honey, want to come with me? I have something for you.” I stand up, taking his hand and leading him to the front of the center, away from his mother.
“Stay right here.” I walk outside to Maverick’s bike and fetch the book.
I can see Ronny’s little face watching me as I walk back inside. “I got you the next book.”
His little eyes fill with tears, “I don’t deserve it. She got rid of the others.” He takes the book and clutches it to his chest.
I put my finger under his chin, tilting his face up. “You deserve the world. No one ever is allowed to put you down. No one. No one is to make you doubt yourself. They are not worth that.”
He throws his arms around me, holding me tightly. I close my eyes and try not to cry because I can feel the sadness coming off of him.
Maverick
The second Bell walks out of earshot with Ronny, I descend on the bitch. I am respectful to all fucking females, but right now, the way she treated her fucking kid and Bell? That shit pissed me the fuck off.
“If you fucking dare to speak about your son in such a way ever again, you are out of here. The owners are my friends.”
Her eyes widen at the realization that her actions have consequences. “You are to fucking tell me what you did with those books of his. How the fuck can you take something away from him that he loved so much?” I look at her in disgust.
She glares at me. “I didn’t sell them. No one would fucking buy them. They’re in the closet over there.” She throws me a nasty look, gets up and walks toward the hallway.
I walk over to the closet door and look down to see the books sitting on the floor in a heap.
I shake my head, anger surfacing again. I pick them up and dust them off. I put them on the table where we all sat at when we arrived.
The door opens and Bell walks in with a smiling Ronny. “Look what I have, Maverick!” he yells excitedly, running over.
My fucking heart is not safe around this kid, nor Bell. She has so much class. She stood there and fucking didn’t make a peep as that bitch talked down to her. Pure fucking class.
“Look what I found, Ronny.” I scoot the books closer to him and he looks shocked.
He points at them, shocked. “How did you get them back?” He opens one of them up like he’s making sure it’s real.
“I asked nicely.” I smile and Bell smiles at me, knowing the truth.
“Thank you, Maverick.” He walks over and hugs me.
Fuck.
I run my hand over the back of his head. “You’re welcome, buddy.” Bell sits down next to us, and we eat lunch together and watch Ronny play
Bell
The hours pass by too quickly. We tell Ronny goodbye and I leave a piece of my heart there with him. I pray that his mother has seen the light and is better to him.
Maverick holds my hand as we walk out to his bike. “Do you want to come to my house, darlin’? We can ride the side by side, build us a fire and hang out?” he asks.
At first I want to say no, my instinct, but then I think about how he has done nothing but make me feel safe and secure.
I nod, smiling. “I’d like that.”
He smiles back at me, so happy, making me so glad to say yes. I climb onto the back of bike. We pull into traffic and a guy in a Mustang pulls up next to us.
He rolls down his window. Maverick reaches behind him, putting his arm around me, pressing me to his bike.
I notice Maverick puts his other hand on his gun. Oh shit, is this bad?
A young guy in a polo shirt sticks his head out of the window. “Yo, bro, do you want to race me?” he asks.
Maverick doesn’t even look at him, just keeps his face forward. “What the fuck, man, just race me?” he yells louder and starts to open his door.
I grip the back of Maverick’s cut, scared of what he is going to do.
Maverick kicks his leg out, slamming the door shut with his foot. The door slams against the guy’s throat, choking him.
“Get back in that fucking car and leave. Don’t make me get off of this bike. You’re scaring the lady.”
Holy crap. Shivers run up my spine as the guy slowly gets in his car and drives away when the light turns green.
That was way attractive.
Maverick looks back at me. “You okay, darlin?” he asks.
I smile. “Yeah, that was badass.” I rest my chin on his shoulder and we start moving again.
You’re scaring the lady. Those words repeat over and over in my mind. His first thought was to make sure I was okay and safe.
He runs his hand over mine the whole drive through the country. I am in complete and utter heaven.
Twenty minutes later we enter a gated community of sorts, and he presses numbers on a keypad and drives inside. The houses are all huge.
“My house is in the back of the property.” Little kids wave at Maverick as we drive past, all running house to house. Two little girls play softball in a small field.
He pulls to a stop outside a beautiful cabin with a wraparound porch. “Your home is beautiful,” I say in wonder.
“Thank you, darlin’.” He takes my helmet off for me, smoothing out my hair. My heart is so happy at his sweetness. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He strokes my cheek, staring into my eyes.
He brings his hand around, cupping the back of my neck. My stomach is in knots; his hair is slightly ruffled from the wind.
“Thank you, Maverick.” I sound a little breathless as I tell him this.
I feel so much right now, I hurt inside, but it’s the best kind of pain. He pulls me forward gently and I close my eyes just as his lips touch my forehead.
I sigh deeply, gripping his cut in my hands, face-planting into his chest. His lips move to the back of my head.
No one has ever kissed me so gently before.
He wraps his arms around me, holding me until I’m ready for him to let me go.
I run my hands down his broad back, before I let my hands fall and take a step back. He doesn’t let me go far, taking my hand.
“Let me lay out some steaks for dinner, then we can go riding.” He leads me inside of his beautiful house.