Turbulent Desires(24)

"I don't know a whole lot about Ace, just the few things Stormy has told me."

"Yeah, I've been trying to talk to him for a while now. He's not even in  the country at the moment. I know if he would just sit down with all of  us, he would see that things aren't as bad as he's made them out to  be," Mav said with a deep sigh.

"Aren't you some fancy military guy? Can't you hunt him down?"

He laughed that beautiful sound she enjoyed so much. "The government  tends to frown upon its soldiers using special ops equipment for  personal business."         

     



 

"Oh, I didn't think of that," she said, a bit embarrassed.

"It's okay, I have done that actually, and my guys have helped me from time to time," he admitted.

"Will you get into trouble?" She leaned back, her legs curled beneath  her as she enjoyed the sound of his voice while she sipped coffee on the  front porch.

"Family is worth getting into trouble over. I'd do anything if it meant bringing Ace home," he said.

"Now I have to call my mom. Here I have all this family wanting nothing  more than to spend a few hours with me and I've been avoiding them, and  you are out doing all you can to find a lost brother."

"I think spending the day with your family sounds like an excellent  idea. But make sure you think of me no matter what you do. I'll miss you  today."

Oh, the sound of him saying that sent shivers down her spine.

"It's going to hurt your reputation of being a maverick if you're too sweet," she said with a laugh.

He was quiet for a moment. Only the sound of his breathing could be  heard through the phone line. She wondered if she'd offended him with  her little joke.

"We all have to grow up some time," he told her. She couldn't tell from his voice what he was thinking or feeling.

"I used to always want to grow up, and then I hit twenty-one and I was  afraid of getting too old. Now, I would do anything just to feel, I  don't know, normal," she told him.

"I don't think it's a matter of feeling good or bad, happy or sad, young  or old. I think it's about living in the moment. It's too  incomprehensible for any of us to think what might be ten years down the  road. Time is fleeting. If we live in fear or always do what the world  expects of us instead of what we expect of ourselves, then one day we  will wake up completely unhappy and alone, no matter how many people are  around us."

His words struck something deep within her that she didn't want to focus  on too much. He was right, though. If she even attempted to look too  long into the future, her head would spin, and thinking about the past  was unacceptable right now. She was far happier living in the  moment-especially when Maverick lived with her in the now.

"Thanks for calling me, Mav," she said, feeling a little mushy.

"Always a pleasure, sug," he sighed, making her belly quiver.

As she hung up the phone she knew she was in pretty dang deep. But she'd  been living in fear for a while now, and she refused to continue to do  so. For now, at least, she felt happier being with Maverick.

If it all ended up crashing around her, then she would deal with that  later. For now, she had something to do that was far scarier than  unpredictable men-she had to call her mother.

Deciding she needed another cup of coffee first, she got nice and  comfortable before dialing her up. This was going to be a long  conversation.





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Fund-raising events weren't easy. Not easy at all. It really didn't help  trying to organize something when Lindsey was doing it with a man she  couldn't stop thinking about in all the wrong ways.

Well, she wouldn't necessarily say the wrong ways, but in inappropriate  ways when they were trying to put on an event to help people. How could  she go from being afraid of people touching her to not wanting to keep  her hands off one certain man?

Confusion. She was filled with utter confusion.

And now she was with Maverick-finally alone again and she couldn't get  her mind out of the gutter. She wanted more of what they'd done a few  nights ago. It had been only three days since he'd made her come undone.

And now, being in his truck with him was absolute torture. Lindsey had  always noticed his scent before. It was musky and raw and all man. It  made her stomach do strange little flips. But after their night  together, all her senses seemed to be heightened. She wanted him  morning, noon, and night, and the feeling wasn't going away any time  soon.

She hadn't been feeling sorry for herself the last few days. Yes, she  was still sleeping with a light on, and yes, she was still making sure  her door and windows were locked before going to sleep. But she wasn't  afraid all the time. She'd even gone to lunch with Stormy the day  before. And she wasn't flinching when she needed to shake someone's  hand. She was realizing that she was in control of her emotions. She was  realizing that what had happened to her was a freak thing. The world  wasn't out to get her.

Maybe it truly was just being with Maverick that made her feel safer. If  that was the case, she was going to be in for a world of trouble when  he was no longer around. That was something she couldn't think about  right now.         

     



 

"We're here."

She looked through the window at the crowded parking lot. She'd been so  lost in thought, she hadn't even realized the truck had stopped.

"Where's here?" she asked.

"Evergreen Speedway."

"I haven't been here before."

"Then this will truly be a pleasure. We're going to watch a race.  Nothing will get your heart pounding like a good car race," he assured  her.

"Sounds interesting."

She waited for him to come and open her door, and then they walked into  the stands. "That's why we met with your friend Bob today?" she  questioned.

"Yes, he's a big sponsor. Several of the racers do a lot for the organization."

"I can see why you like fund-raising. There are a lot of perks," she told him.

"I don't do it for the perks," he said, his face serious. "But I do love  to enjoy life. I don't see a reason not to. I make sure I live each day  to the fullest. I try to show that to the people the organization  helps, no matter what events I attend. I bring a lot of returning  soldiers to these events too."

"You are just a sucker for us broken people, aren't you?" she said, trying to make a joke, but it fell flat.

"You're anything but broken, sug. I'm bringing you out to places I love because I want to spend time with you," he emphasized.

"I want to spend time with you too." It was the first time she'd admitted it. His eyes lit up, and she was glad she'd told him.

"You know, you could get just about anything you wanted out of me," he  told her. He was smiling, but the serious light she saw in his eyes  scared her a little. She wanted to feel empowered again, but not at his  expense.

"How about we don't try to take anything from the other?" she said with a  laugh she hoped eased the more serious tone of their conversation.

He was quiet for a minute and then the sparkle returned to his eyes.

"Deal," he said before they started walking again. She was grateful when  he began speaking on lighter topics. "I like to watch the races on the  big screen, but really there's nothing more exciting than sitting in the  grandstand and getting a taste of all the excitement."

They got inside and took their seats, and Maverick quickly flagged down the vendor for hot dogs and beer.

"I have to admit, I've never watched a single race," she told him.

"You've missed out then. I love being the one to pop . . ." He stopped  and gave her a wolfish grin. "I mean, I'm glad you're here for the first  time with me. You might just become an addict after this."

Though she didn't even know why, her cheeks flushed as she looked at  him. Finally, she focused instead on the track, where last-minute  preparations were being taken care of before the race started.

"Who are we rooting for?" she asked, wondering how it would be possible to pick out certain cars in the huge lineup.

"Well, there are some great drivers out there for sure. I'm a fan of the  Rodney Childers team, and they've been doing great, finishing first and  second in the last several races. But I do sponsor a car. I'm not going  to tell you which one yet, just to see if you become a fan anyway," he  said with a laugh.

"That's not fair. What if I hate your car and boo it?" she said as she took a bite of her juicy hot dog.

"Then I will have to find a suitable punishment for you," he told her with a gleam in his eyes.

The hot dog was forgotten when he captured her in his gaze. He might  have been talking about punishment, but his expression promised  satisfaction. She might just have to boo for every single car out there  on the track.

When the race started, though, it was difficult to talk. Restarts  happened, and Maverick tried explaining to her about repositioning and  how the game could change easily since there were so many laps taken.