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PROLOGUE
MOLLY
Growing up in the Silver Saints MC was way different from what outsiders assumed. When my dad fell for my mom, the club became all about family, one that continued to grow over the years. To the point where there were so many kids that it made sense to do a combined birthday for a bunch of them at the clubhouse today.
I had three siblings of my own, but I loved having a ton of bonus cousins who were related to me by choice instead of blood. Although I was more of an aunt to this crew since I was sixteen years older than them. Not that our age difference held me back from playing with them when I got the chance. Which was why I had volunteered to organize the games for all of them today.
“Okay, guys! Who wants to play tag?” I called, grabbing everyone’s attention except for Britta.
Lee and Kansas’s daughter had recently turned nine and was one of the guests of honor for the birthday party. Instead of running toward me with almost everyone else, she raced toward the back door of the clubhouse and threw herself at the guy who’d just walked outside.
I thought I knew everyone connected to the club enough to be invited to family events, but I didn’t recognize him. And if we’d met before, I definitely would’ve met him since he was pretty damn unforgettable. He was tall and muscular with dark auburn hair that my fingers itched to comb through, and piercing blue eyes that crinkled at the corners as he crouched down to greet Britta.
I was too far away to read what was written on the cut he was wearing, but Britta had solved the mystery of who he was when she had cried, “Uncle Mav!”
Maverick Crawford was the VP of the Iron Rogues and Kansas’s older brother. His club was back in the town where she grew up, and his introduction to the Silver Saints had been a rough one since he kidnapped Lorelei, Grey’s old lady. From the gossip I’d heard back then, he hadn’t been happy with Kansas’s relationship with Lee and wanted to make a statement by taking his sister. Only he hadn’t known that a Silver Saint had claimed Lorelei.
Luckily, no harm had come to Lorelei, and Maverick had come to terms with his sister being with Lee. Although it had all worked out in the end, I was pretty sure this was the first time he’d ever visited the Silver Saints compound. With how my body reacted to him from afar, my dad would probably regret extending the invitation.
Even surrounded by a bunch of kids who were excited to play tag, my gaze kept straying toward Maverick. Britta had dragged him over to Kansas and Lorelei before tugging on his hand and begging, “Come play tag, Uncle Mav! Pleeeeeease!”
Callum, Cash and Karina’s oldest, ran up and grabbed his other hand. “Yeah, play with us, Uncle Mav!!”
Maverick’s deep laughter drifted toward me as he shot his sister an amused smile and shrugged. “Lead the way. But don’t come crying to your mommas when I kick your butts.”
The kids giggled and took off. Maverick waited half a minute to give them a good head start, then chased them.
I’d been so focused on him that I missed Grayson, Lorelei and Grey’s son, coming at me. I fell to the ground as he tackled me and yelled, “Tag! You’re it!”
I hadn’t gone down too hard, but it took me a moment to stop laughing. When I looked up, Maverick stood over me with his hand stretched out. I slid my palm against his, and it felt as though I was touching a live wire with how all of my nerve endings came to life.
After he helped me up, I just gawked up at him, trying to catch my breath. Acutely aware of the fact that we were surrounded by men who still saw me as a little girl even though I was twenty-five years old, I knew that I needed to do something to break the sensual spell between us before one of them noticed my reaction to him. So I poked him in the chest and yelled, “Tag! You’re it!”
Then I sprinted toward a copse of trees where many of the kids had already found hiding spots. I had barely made it to my hiding spot before he gave chase. When he got close, I bit my lip to hold back my soft laughter but not before a giggle trickled out.
“Fair warning, baby,” he growled as he prowled closer. “When I catch you, I’m not going to let you go.”
My lips curved into a grin. “What makes you think you’ll be able to catch me?”
Silence was my only answer, which only made me more confident that he wouldn’t be able to find me.
Staring down at the ground beneath the tree branch I was perched on, I was disappointed not to see a sign of him. “Giving up already?”
Before I knew what was happening, the branch gave out beneath me, and I tumbled straight into Maverick’s arms. Stunned that he’d been able to creep up behind me, I blinked up at him in shock. Then he winked, and my cheeks filled with heat.
“I win,” he growled, his lips curving into a smile that had butterflies swarming in my belly.
I smirked back at him. “So it seems, Maverick.”
He quirked a brow. “You know my name, so it’s only fair that you tell me yours.”
“Molly MacKenzie,” I murmured, hoping that the knowledge of who my father was wouldn’t scare him off like it did with most men.
The heat in his intense blue eyes didn’t dim, but he did set me on my feet, which turned out to be a good thing. My dad’s daughter radar must’ve gone off because he marched through the trees toward us before anything else could be said. His gaze darted between us, and a muscle jumped in his jaw when he saw how close we were standing.
Pointing at the branch on the ground right next to us, I muttered, “You should be thanking Maverick for catching me instead of glaring at him.”
“And he should be hunting down the hiding spots of one of the kids so they don’t get bored with the game instead of looking for you,” my dad retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
