Chayton's Tempest (34 page)

needed.

Maverick’s hand stroked the back of her head as their

pulses slowed. Tempest could hear nature outside the window

and it lulled her into another restful slumber.

Twenty-Two

Tempest opened her eyes slowly. The sun was going

down. She sat up slowly and met Maverick’s. He sat in a chair

watching her.

“Hi,” she whispered shyly as she drew the blanket up

over her naked body. Would he want to take back those three

words he’d told her earlier?

“Hey, beautiful,” he answered in the same low tone.

Scooting back till she hit the headboard, she asked,

“What are you doing?”

“Watching you sleep.”

“From across the room?”

“I wanted to make sure you got all the sleep you needed.

Touching you was driving me crazy and I didn’t want to wake

you. But I didn’t want to be away from you, either, so I opted

for this.”

His words warmed her. She looked over the side of the

bed and didn’t see her clothes. When she glanced back to

Maverick, an arrogant smirk had filled his face.

“Are you looking for something?”

“My clothes.”

“I have them here.”

Tempest blinked and saw her folded clothing resting on

his lap. “Can I have them?”

“He smiled wolfishly. Come get ’
em
.”

Tempest didn’t understand why she felt shy, but she

did. Wrapping the blanket around her, she climbed off the bed

and shuffled her way toward him. One hand snuck out of the

blanket and she wriggled her fingers.

Maverick opened his thighs and pulled her closer to

him. He kept his fingers on the wrap around her. “Tempest,”

he murmured.

 
“Maverick,” she whispered. “Can I have my clothes,

please?”

He pressed them into her hand as he used his other one

to caress her cheek. “I’ll get dinner started.”

She turned and headed away; but at the last minute, she

looked over her shoulder at him. He stood by the door, arms

crossed over his chest, and he looked so predatory it made her

shiver despite the heat and the blanket around her.

His eyes took one more journey of her body and then he

left without a sound.

Heart beating all fast and out of control, Tempest

dressed quickly and went to the bathroom to try and contain

the mess of her hair. She brushed it a few times and left it loose

around her shoulders, not wanting to put it up.

She headed out to the main part of the cabin and found

Maverick in the kitchen heating up a griddle with two steaks

beside him. Tempest stopped before actually going over to him

and slipping her arms around him.

As if he heard her thoughts, he turned and pinned her

with his pitch-black eyes. “Why are you standing there looking

so unsure?”

“Why are you here, James?”

She heard his sigh from where she stood. He placed the

steaks on the heat before washing his hands and approaching

her. His strong hands settled on her shoulders and pulled her

into him. Her head was tucked under his chin and the soft

material of his shirt rubbed against her cheek.

“Answer me, James,” she muttered, determined not to

let his comforting distract her.

“Where else would I be,
chante
,
when you are hurting,

but by your side?”

“Did Dakota send you up here to find me?”

“No, he doesn’t know where you are.”

“I know. Only
Mili
did. How’d you get her to tell you?”

 
“I can be very persuasive when need be.” He brushed

his lips over her temple. “Listen to me, Tempest. I’m here

because you are in pain and I want to help you through it.”

Shoving back from him, she glared up at him. “I’m in

pain because of you!”

A solemn look filled his handsome features. “I know

that and I swear to you if I could take it all away from you, I

would do so in a heartbeat. The last thing I want to do is hurt

you more than I’ve already done so.”

Unsure, Tempest ran a hand down her face. “I thought

this was about getting to know your son.”

“Not all of it.”

“I don’t want to play a part in this.”

“Tempest, what do you want me to say?”

The sound of frying meat filled the silence but they

continued to stare unerringly at one another.

“I want you to be honest with me.”

“I am!”

“Why are you here?” she hollered. “Surely you could’ve

found a fuck in Albuquerque without disturbing me.”

“I did
not
come here for a fuck!” he bit off.

“Why should I believe that? I said if you wanted to fuck

you could stay. You did.” Whirling around, Tempest bolted out

of the room and out the front door. Sobbing, she sank down on

the swing.

Maverick turned the heat down on the steaks so they

wouldn’t burn. Then he went out the door. He found her sitting

on the porch swing and crying. Her legs were pulled up and

her chin rested on her knees.

Lowering himself to the wood beside her, Maverick

stretched his legs out in front of him and remained silent for a

moment as he mulled over the right words to say. The woman

next to him looked devastated and it broke his heart.

“Tempest, I need you to hear me out.”

She didn’t say anything, but he took the fact she didn’t

bolt and run again as a good sign.

“I came up here to be with you, to help you through this

rough patch. I want you to use me. Hit me, scream at me,

whatever. I just want you to know I’m here.” He turned toward

her and took her chin in his hand. “And I’m not leaving.”

“What if I want you for sex?”

“Sex? No. We can make love all you want. But I’m not

going to fuck you for the sake of fucking.”

“I thought you said I could use you,” she countered.

“You can. I want you to find happiness,
mitawin
.” He

placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ll call you when dinner’s

ready. Let me know if you need anything.”

Just as he was about to walk in the door, she stopped

him with a question. “James?”

“Yes?” He looked over his shoulder at her. The setting

sun gave her skin a beautiful glow. She was so gorgeous, it

hurt, and her eyes were dappled full of mischief.

“So it’s just mindless fucking that’s out? Anything else

goes?”

He trailed his gaze over her body and licked his lips,

delighted to see her pulse increase. “Anything else goes.”

She smiled wickedly. “Just checking.”

Shaking his head, Maverick walked inside and finished

making dinner. He wasn’t entirely sure what the reason for her

one-eighty, but he figured there might be a lot of that until

whatever demons she fought were defeated.

He watched her over their quiet dinner. They were

sitting across from one another, with two candles burning

between them. His gaze was glued to the way her eyes

sparkled in the light, the way her mouth pursed when she

pulled food off her fork, the way her tongue peeked out and

drew in every last bit of flavor possible from her lips.

After dinner, they cleaned the plates and returned to the

table with a piece of cake in front of them and a cup of coffee.

“Thank you,” she said.

Maverick drank some coffee. “For?”

“Being here with me.”

“Baby, I don’t want to leave you, ever.”

She chuckled but he could still see the pain in her eyes.

“Sure.”

Tempest took a bite of her cake and moaned in apparent

pleasure as she swallowed it. His cock jumped in the confines

of his jeans.
Down, damn it. This isn’t about sex!
His cock

throbbed again to remind him what it thought about that. But

Maverick was determined to show Tempest he didn’t just want

the amazing pleasure of her body. He wanted everything she

was. All of it.

Maverick wouldn’t push her, though. He had his plan in

mind; and she could protest all she wanted, but he needed her

in his life. They were intertwined and she needed to realize

that.

They spent a quiet evening on the porch swing.

Maverick kept her anchored against his side. No words were

spoken. The night sounds of nature provided them with a

beautiful symphony.

Maverick couldn’t recall a time he’d ever experienced

such contentment. The image of enjoying nights like this with

Tempest and a little baby flashed before him. His grandfather’s

warm approval flowed over him.
Finally, you understand,

grandson. Finally!

Closing his eyes, he nodded before turning his attention

to the woman at his side. Tempest was sound asleep against

him. Her head rested on his shoulder with feet curled beneath

her.

He brushed a hand over her hair and pressed a kiss to

the top of her head. For a few moments, he allowed his lids to

droop. When he felt himself beginning to doze, he stood,

scooped her sleeping body into his arms, and carried her back

inside the cabin.

Her thick lashes rose as he entered the bedroom.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

 
“You’re exhausted, Tempest. If your body says you need

to sleep, you sleep.” He laid her gently on the bed.

As he began to straighten, she grabbed the material of

his shirt. “Stay with me,” she whispered, her eyes fixed to his.

“I plan on it,” he returned as he shut of the lone light

and headed for the bed, dropping his clothes along the way.

_

Tempest stood beside Maverick as he surveyed the

wood she’d chopped. She cast a sidelong glance at him when

he shook his head.

“All of this, Tempest? You chopped all of this?”

She heard the astonishment in his voice. “Yes. Amazing

how chopping wood gets out frustrations.” Tempest shrugged.

“I just have to stack the rest of this. There is a bit more to chop.

It’s my way of thanking
Mili’s
family for the use of their cabin.”

Maverick whipped off his shirt and her breath hitched in

her throat. The morning sun caressed each of his rippling

muscles with love. She shifted her body weight and licked her

lips. The desire to tackle him to the ground rushed over her like

a freight train.

“I guess I’ll do some work on it, then.
Wanna
stack?” he

asked, lifting the axe over one shoulder.

Stack our bodies on top of one another? Hell, yeah!
She

swallowed and shoved that erotic image to the back of her

mind. “Sure.”

Tempest took a fortifying breath and got to work. As she

stacked the wood, her eyes kept drifting over to the rise and fall

of his seamless muscles. His body was covered with a fine