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“Maybe you shouldn’t have kidnapped me if you’re so worried about it,” I quipped, arching my brow as he stepped closer.
Wrapping his large hand around my arm, he smirked at me. “Didn’t say I was worried about the price I’m gonna have to pay for taking you.”
His confidence only made him sexier, but his reply left me confused. As he tugged me toward the clubhouse, I asked, “Then why was it so important to have your club brothers at your back?”
“Because you’re with me.” He paused at the door and lifted his other hand to swipe his thumb down my cheek. “And I’m not going to take any risks when it comes to your safety.”
I’d always pictured myself with a guy who was fearless and protective, and each minute I spent with Maverick made me wonder if he was the one I’d been waiting for. Not only was I wildly attracted to him, but he also kept doing stuff that reminded me of how the men I’d grown up with treated their wives. Something he reinforced only minutes after he led me inside the Iron Rogues clubhouse.
One of his club brothers glanced over his shoulder at us, then swiveled on his barstool and stuck two fingers in his mouth to let out a loud whistle. “Damn, Mav. You been waiting for the hottest chick you could find to finally bring one around to the clubhouse?”
Maverick’s body went solid before he shrugged off his cut and shoved my arms in the holes. Well aware of the meaning behind that move—and loving that he’d never brought another woman to the compound—a delicious shiver raced up my spine. But if I was going to wear Maverick’s name on my back, I didn’t want it to be because of a knee-jerk reflex. Since I only planned on giving myself to one man, he needed to put more thought into the action.
Especially when I wasn’t completely sure what his motive was for taking me from Silver Ink. There was no mistaking the desire in his blue orbs when he looked at me, so I knew he wanted me. But there was a huge jump between temporary lust and forever—and I hadn’t waited this long just for a quick roll between the sheets.
I slipped the leather vest off my shoulders and handed it back to him. “If you’re giving this to me for protection, I don’t need it. My dad made sure that I know how to take care of myself. And I shouldn’t need to worry about my safety while I’m here, right? That was the whole point of you bringing me to your compound?”
His knuckles went white as he clenched his cut. “What if I have a different reason for wanting you to have my name on you?”
Considering the roadblocks my dad would put in our way if we decided to be together, “if” wasn’t good enough. He needed to be ready for the fight he would have on his hands. “If you’re gonna claim me, it will be the right way. Not a spur-of-the-moment decision made out of jealousy.”
“Shit, she’s sassy too?” The other guy beamed a flirtatious smile at me. “You’re fiery like your red hair, huh? Just my kind of woman.”
Maverick stepped in front of me, blocking my view of his club brother. “Keep your eyes off her and your mouth shut, Pike.”
“C’mon, man. I didn’t mean any harm,” Pike mumbled. “But you gotta admit the girl is even hotter when she’s being feisty.”
I bit my lip to hold back a giggle, wondering if this guy was being serious or if he was just having fun pushing Maverick’s buttons. I’d been old enough when several of the Silver Saints had found their old ladies to see how much fun the other guys had giving them a hard time. And Maverick was reacting pretty much the same way…which gave me hope that he’d taken me for the same reason Dax had taken Arya when I was eight. Kidnapping your future old lady was a long-standing tradition in the Silver Saints, but I liked his motive for it the most—he hadn’t wanted to wait another minute to claim his woman.
“I know you heard me tell you to keep your mouth shut about her.” Maverick shoved his cut back onto his shoulders and strode toward the bar.
Heaving a deep sigh, I glanced around the Iron Rogues clubhouse and compared it to the one I’d grown up in. Both had a large space where all of the guys could hang out, but there was none of the homey vibe that ours had, and I wondered if that was because none of their leadership had old ladies. I’d heard enough stories growing up to know that the vibe of the Silver Saints had changed when my dad fell for my mom, and that the club turned into more of a family as each member fell in love and had children.
The Iron Rogues clubhouse was utterly masculine without any hint of a feminine touch. Kind of like a big bachelor pad with black leather couches, a pool table, a poker table, and several big-screen televisions. The red leather stools lining the bar were the only pop of color in the dark room.
Pike slid off the one he’d been sitting on, his hands held palms up in a gesture of surrender. “I hear you, man. I’ll keep my eyes off your girl and my mouth shut about her from now on.”
“You can do one better for me.” Maverick returned to my side. “Spread the word with our brothers and any hangers-on that they need to watch themselves because Molly Mackenzie is here, and she’s off-limits.”
I snickered and blinked up at him as innocently as I could manage. “I thought you wanted your guys to help keep an eye on me while I was here?”
The growl that rumbled up his wide chest made my panties damp. Judging by the knowing look in his eyes as he nudged me toward a set of stairs at the other side of the room, I hadn’t been able to hide my reaction to him.
“Good luck with her,” Pike muttered. “I have a feeling you’re gonna need it.”
Maverick just sighed as he led me up to what I assumed was his room. When we got to his door, I leaned against the wall as he opened it. “I know I didn’t put up much of a fight when you kidnapped me from Silver Ink, but heading straight for your room as soon as you bring me here is way out of character for me.”
He mirrored my position on the other side of the door, grinning at me. “Is it really kidnapping if you were willing to let me take you?”
“Probably not.” I shook my head with a soft laugh. “My personality is a lot more like my dad’s, but I must get that part from my mom.”
He cocked his head to the side, his brows drawing together. “What do you mean?”
“There was stuff going down between the Silver Saints and my grandfather’s club, the Hounds of Hellfire, back when my parents got together,” I explained, my lips curving into a smile as I recalled all the times I’d been told about their meet cute. “My dad needed my grandpa to do something, so he decided to take my mom. Only when he showed up at their clubhouse to kidnap her, she literally provided the ladder they used to climb out her window.”
Maverick’s eyes widened. “Damn, that was ballsy as fuck, on both their parts.”
“Luckily, they managed to work everything out, even though my dad and grandpa are both stubborn as all get-out. Especially when it comes to protecting the people they love.” Tapping my foot on the floor, I quirked a brow. “Which doesn’t bode well for you, but at least the Iron Rogues aren’t my father’s rival MC.”
