Page 37 of The Maverick

“Roger that.”

He ended the call, encrypted the logs, and shut the laptop. Every second he wasn’t watching Vanessa felt like an eternity. His gut said tonight had moved things forward. That scene at the club had provoked something. And if the bastard stalking her had any delusions of ownership left, Hawke had just burned them to the ground.

He moved upstairs like a shadow, barely making a sound. But the moment he opened the bedroom door, all thoughts of surveillance and strategy evaporated.

She was there—naked and waiting.

Her body stretched across his bed like a dare. Pale skin against dark sheets. Her hair spilled over the pillow like fire. She didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just looked at him with eyes that were equal parts challenge and invitation.

His body went hard in an instant.

She’d submitted to him at the club. Now she was offering something different.

He walked to the bed slowly, eyes never leaving hers. “You think I will not punish you for this?”

She raised one brow. “You going to tie me up and make me scream again?”

“I’m going to remind you who you belong to.”

He didn’t ask. He didn’t need to. Her body answered for her, back arching slightly, thighs shifting apart.

He stripped with deliberate ease—belt, shirt, jeans. No rush. No hesitation. His cock was already full and hard, standing thick against his abs.

She moaned softly, eyes locking on the proof of just how badly he wanted her.

He climbed onto the bed and moved over her, pinning her wrists gently to the mattress, his body caging hers.

“You think you’re in charge because you waited for me naked?” he murmured against her ear.

“No,” she whispered. “I just thought you’d want dessert.”

He growled, catching her bottom lip between his teeth and tugging until she gasped. “You’ll speak when I tell you.”

She trembled.

He lowered himself and sank into her without preamble, a single, powerful thrust that buried him to the hilt. She cried out, back arching as he filled her. He didn’t move. Just held her pinned and stretched beneath him, his cock twitching inside her.

“You’re mine, Vanessa.”

“Yes, Master” she whispered, already breaking apart beneath him.

He rocked into her hard. Deep. Slow and punishing. Every thrust sent a jolt through her, and she took all of it—fingers digging into the sheets, breath ragged, eyes glazed. She clung to him, to the sound of his voice, to the feel of his body driving her toward the edge.

She came with a strangled moan, her body pulsing around him, clenching tight.

Only then did he let go. He spilled inside her with a low curse, face buried in her neck, one hand tangled in her hair, the other splayed possessively over her hip.

They stayed that way until their breathing slowed… until the world crept back in… until her phone buzzed on the nightstand the following morning.

VANESSA

Vanessa sat up slowly, pushing hair out of her face as she reached for the device. The screen flashed with her publisher’s name.

Hawke rolled onto his side, eyes already narrowing. “That important?”

She answered on speaker. “Hey, Trina, what’s up?”

Her editor’s voice crackled through. “Vanessa—sorry to call so early—but I need to ask… did you authorize a preview release ofSins of the Flame?”

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