Rook & Rebel (The Mavericks, #1)

by Kate Crew

To the book girls—may your hot, tattooed man on a motorcycle show up at your doorstep with cookies, so you don't have to leave your house or your book.

weight of his gaze on me. His head tilted slightly, scrutinizing me with an almost predatory curiosity. Slowly, the gun lowered, as he lifted his shirt, revealing the edge of a dark tattoo snaking across his skin. The gun disappeared into his waistband, and when he reached up, I instinctively flinched, expecting the worst. Instead, he only pulled off his helmet. “Okay, what the fuck?” he asked. “Weren’t you two on a date?”

“Well, you managed to scare him, so you accomplished half.” “Yeah, but he doesn’t know who I am, so it failed a little. I honestly wasn’t expecting him to run away that fast. I didn’t even get to do my speech. I couldn’t even compare him to running away like a girl. I think one of them would have even stayed longer. Shit, one of them did stay longer.”

“I don’t really get into cars with strangers, or get on the back of motorcycles…well, ever.” “Then congratulations, you’re about to be a rebel for what I can only imagine is the first time in your life.”

I planted my hands on his shoulders, lifting myself up onto the peg and swinging my leg over. “Oh. It’s like getting on a horse,” I said, trying to sit back on the small seat. His head dropped forward, and I could feel him shaking now. “Are you laughing at me?” I asked. “I’ve just never had a girl say that as she got on top of me before.”

freaking gold right here

“Yes,” he said over the bike. “You are on top of me. An arm around my waist or on the tank. You can hold on to me unless we stop or shift, then use the tank to hold yourself up. Don’t squeeze the fucking life out of me or I might leave you to walk. If you have a problem, tap me and I’ll stop. Don’t make me stop because you’re scared. Keep it to yourself. If you grab anything lower than my belt, that’s your own damn problem because I haven’t had a girl on the back of my bike in months and I guarantee you will be feeling something.” “Wow, there are a lot of rules, and I was kind of right about the being an asshole thing.” He turned to look at me. “You absolutely were. Safety first, Rebel,” he said, slamming my visor down. “Now hold on.”

“Is this where you want to be dropped off?”

“No, but I figured since we were already passing it, you wouldn’t mind if we stopped off at this small bakery right around the corner. They are open late and I want cookies.” “You told me to…stop and get you a cookie?” “No, I want you to stop so I can get myself a cookie.” “Do you think I’m a chauffeur for you? An errand boy? Do you always ask the guys who hold a gun at you to take you out for a snack?”

“The guys I usually ask to take me out for snacks are happy to take me without question.” “I’m sure the guys you ask are willing to do a lot of things to you without question. There’s a long list of things I would do to you without question, but stopping for a fucking cookie isn’t one of them.”

“Well, guess what, Rook? We are already here, so I’m going to walk around the corner, and get a cookie. You can either sit there and wait like a good little mugger, leave me here, or come with me, but I’ve had a really shitty n...

Rook pulled up to a warehouse. He swung off his bike and glanced back at me. The small cutesy wave was a harsh contrast to the gun in the other hand.

“Mess? That’s a goddamn work of art. My bike won’t be cleaned ever again.”

She was mine, and there was no chance I wouldn’t catch her. I would always catch her.

“If we ever, and I mean ever, have to pick someone up who is actively rubbing his fucking dick again, I will riot,” Aiden said, getting out of the car. “I fucking mean it, Rook. I would rather take my own eyes out than watch an old, nasty man flailing around to pull up his pants, screaming, with a boner. That image will forever be burned in my brain. I would rather the eye gouging.”

Hero reached next to the couch, pulling out a bat and holding it out for her. She grabbed it, pulling a little too hard. When Hero let go, the bat did, too, smacking him in the face. “Oh my god,” Harper said. “I’m sorry!” Hero groaned, grabbing his chin as Aiden and I laughed. “Him!” Hero yelled. “You hit him. I’m not the fucking pervert.”

“You’re going to give up the control, just like that?” “To you? Yes. Only you. I would bow at your fucking feet, Regan. You always have the control.”

“You are a fucking queen. And just like a queen, you don’t have to fight battles on your own. You have a damn army behind you. Maybe not a big one, but I promise, we are enough to fix any issues you have with anyone.”

“No one will ever hurt you if I am with you.” He bit at my ear before kissing down my neck. “I will kill them. It doesn’t even take a second to think it over. That’s why people die when you’re with me,” he said with a grin, “because I won’t be giving them any chance to hurt you.” “Why?” “Because you are mine, and I will protect what is mine until I die.” “That’s gross and almost sweet.” “I’m a monster, Regan, but I can be your monster. And in these four walls, with you, I only want to be sweet. I only want you to feel safe because I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

was already falling in love with Regan Fletcher, and true to the Fletcher name, she was bound to ruin my life.

“If looking at this art makes you feel an ounce of what I feel when I look at you, then we can both understand why I wouldn’t be bored. I could never be bored with you, Regan. I don’t have to like anything else in the room. If you are there, I have my own personal form of art to look at.”

“I’m addicted to every part of you, Rebel. You are mine, and I will be spending every day reminding you of that.”

“Welcome to forever, then, Rebel, because I don’t think there is anything I wouldn’t do to keep you as mine.”