Chayton's Tempest (16 page)

honest right through to her soul, but she continued with the

recitation. “Money was tight, but we managed. The bar is very

profitable and Dakota got a scholarship for college. He is

extremely smart.” Tempest opened her eyes and waved a hand

toward the bookcase. “I have a few albums there that are filled

with awards and accommodations he’d gotten in school and in

college.”

Abruptly, she stood and left, desperately needing to be

away from the feeling she got from being that close to

Maverick. It was like what she’d always wished for as a child,

him and her in a house together waiting for their son to get

home. But they weren’t a couple, Dakota wasn’t coming home

tonight, and James wasn’t hers.

Eleven

Maverick didn’t stop Tempest from walking away. He

knew she needed some time and space. The version she gave

him was definitely the shortened one, but at least it was a start.

He remained silent as she pulled more photo albums off the

shelf and dropped them beside him on the couch.

She sat back in the lone chair when she was done.

Suddenly, Maverick was at a severe loss of what to do next. His

instincts clamored for revenge on her behalf, but he knew that

wouldn’t get it done.

How the hell do I make something like this up to someone?
To

give his hands something to do, he began flipping through the

albums. Soon he was totally engrossed in the pictures that

depicted the young life of his son.

Tempest got up again, unable to sit still. Leaning against

the doorjamb that separated the kitchen from the living room,

Tempest watched James peruse the albums. His hair shone in

the gentle light of the lamp beside him that also cast a glow on

his coppered skin.

Biting her lower lip, she continued to stare at him. The

years had been wonderful to him. Damn, when she’d known

him in South Dakota, she’d had no idea he would turn out like

this.

He was lean and coiled like a snake waiting to strike.

His eyes pierced right through the soul, like he could see way

more than one wished.

As if he sensed her gaze upon him, he met her eyes.

Tempest tried to look away from his intense stare, but he

wouldn’t let her. A single fluid motion had the photo album

beside him on the couch and him up and coming toward her.

Maverick had tried to ignore the feel of her eyes on his

body; but when he finally looked up and saw the desire she

couldn’t hide from him, he reacted. At that second, there was

nothing but the deep need to feel her form pressed up against

his.

Moving across the room, he watched her eyes grow

wide, but she didn’t back away. Stopping before her lush

physique, Maverick reached out with one hand placed it on the

back of her neck.

His fingers sought out the thick, satiny hair and wound

into it. With a little pressure, he brought her closer. Maverick

settled his left hand at the small of her back, allowing those

fingers to graze the top of her bubble butt.

“I’m going to kiss you, Tempest,” he told her a mere

second before his lips covered her mouth.

It was gentle. It was tender. It was explosive as all hell.

He nibbled on her lower lip before his tongue swept

along the seam of her mouth, seeking entrance. As Tempest

opened her mouth under his probe, he entered slowly.

His tongue made leisurely and unhurried delves into

her hot mouth. He swept through every part of her that he

could reach, teaching himself just what taste made up the

woman named Tempest.

Settling his legs so her body could fit between them,

Maverick pulled her in close. His body was on fire for her. The

hand at her back moved her pelvis closer to his and he knew

she could feel the rock-hard erection that was pushing against

his jeans, trying to get closer to her.

Tempest whimpered as his tongue made love to her

mouth. Her hands reached out and grabbed at his waist,

desperately needing to hang onto something.

“That’s right, baby; open for me,” he coaxed as he

continued his tender assault.

The hand at the back of her neck was sending more

impulses through her body as the fingers teased her skin and

rubbed her hair. The feel of his rigid penis pressing into her

didn’t help to control her lust.

Her mouth opened further to allow him more access.

Her own tongue began to dance with his. It was like being hit

by a two-by-four of yearning. Both of them groaned and hips

flexed simultaneously.

Maverick drew back and looked at the woman who

trembled in his embrace. Her lips were swollen from the kiss;

her eyes were sultry with desire. He could see the points of her

nipples poking through her shirt, inviting him to draw them

into his mouth.

Everything about her called to him. For the life of him,

he couldn’t remember any of his past women. And he also

couldn’t recall ever feeling like this with them. There was

something so right, so perfect about holding Tempest in his

arms. What was going on?

Maverick blinked and blinked again. He was no longer with

Tempest at her house; instead, he was standing in a valley of lush

grasses beside a crystal blue lake, totally surrounded by snowcapped

mountains. A figure walked towards him. It was his
tunkašila
, his

grandfather. The man stood there tall and proud, how Maverick

remembered him.

His words were soft like on a breeze as they reached his ears.

“It is good to see you, Maverick.”

“
Tunkašila
, it is so good to see you.” His grandfather had

given him the nickname Maverick. It happened right before he’d been

brutally murdered, so out of respect for him, Maverick had kept it.

“And you.” The man moved closer, and stared directly into

identical eyes of his grandson. “Why have you called me?”

“I don’t understand what is going on with me. I don’t know

how to handle this woman or make amends for my mistakes.”

Maverick reached down and picked some grass allowing it to fall and

be taken away in the breeze.

The old weathered man laughed. When a confused Maverick

looked to him he responded, “That’s because,
takoja
, my grandchild,

you have found what you have been searching for. The
wiyan
,

woman in your arms, is destined to be your
mitawin
.”

Maverick was shocked, yet, at the same time, filled with a

peace he’d long since believed he wouldn’t ever be allowed to find.

“Are you sure,
Tunkašila
? My
mitawin
? My wife?”

An amused grin crossed his grandfather’s face. “Why are you

surprised?”

“I never thought I would be married. I mean, with what I do

and what I’ve seen…” he trailed off as the black eyes of his elder began

to sparkle with humor.

“You never wanted to have someone to share your life with? I

know you didn’t want to continue on how you were. All those

different women.” Censure crossed his face. “You deserve so much

more than that.”

Maverick chuckled. “This is not going to be easy.” He sat

down on the soft ground and picked some more grass.

The leather-clad figure sank down beside him. For a moment,

they sat in silence before Maverick’s grandfather spoke. “No woman

worth anything is going to be easy. You have much to atone for, with

her and my great-grandchild. And this one, your woman, took on the

name Tempest Independence!” He began to laugh a full belly laugh.

“What a fight you have!”

Tempest Independence? Crap.
“I don’t know what to do. I

don’t know how to make amends.” Maverick didn’t entirely see the

situation being that funny.

Gentle eyes watched him, but the man remained silent.

“
Tunkašila
, please. Tell me what I can do to make it better? How do I

make up for not being there?”

“I don’t know if there is a way you can make up for it,

James.” Tempest said in a low voice and moved out of his

arms.

Blinking a few times as reality sank in around him,

Maverick looked down at the woman who was backing away.

“Tempest, wait.”

 
“That can’t happen again,” she demanded. “I have to get

to bed, so you need to tell me your side and then we can be

done with this.”

He felt her absence immediately and hated the feeling. It

hit him like a ton of bricks what his teammates had said about

their wives. He’d laughed at them then; and now, he realized

just how lucky he was they hadn’t kicked his ass for teasing

them.

Then her words sank in and they got an entirely

different reaction from him. Rage filled him at the thought of

losing her. “What do you mean this can’t happen again?” His

fist clenched as he fought the urge to grab her.

“It is a very self-explanatory sentence, James. You know

what I mean.”

“We aren’t ignoring what’s between us,” he vowed as he

forced his body to assume a more relaxed position.

“There isn’t anything between us to acknowledge or

ignore. Now, it is almost four in the morning; so if you are

going to tell me what happened on your end, do so. If not,

leave so I can get some sleep.”

Her voice was devoid of emotion and it was like nails on

a chalkboard to Maverick. He hated how she did that, act as if

going down a checklist of unimportant items.

Here was his chance to tell her his side and he couldn’t

think of a single thing to say. What was there to say other than,

I didn’t know.
She wasn’t going to want to hear about how

many women he’d slept with, how much traveling he’d done

or anything like that. Nothing in his life was overly difficult

and that wouldn’t win him points with her either.

The light laughter of his grandfather echoed in his head.

What do I say?
All he got in response was more laughter.

“Okay,” Tempest’s husky voice broke into his jumbled

thoughts. “So you have nothing to tell me; doesn’t really

surprise me.” She walked to the door and opened it.

“Goodnight, James.” There was such finality in her tone.

Gritting his teeth, he moved toward both her and the

door. Grabbing his helmet off the seat by the entrance, his

fathomless eyes bore into hers. “I don’t know what I have to do

to show you how sorry I am that my youthful idiocy and my