The Honourable Maverick / The Unsung Hero Read Free

received now was intense enough to send a prickle down Max’s spine. This man was dangerous. He tightened his hold on Ellie. ‘Good God…I don’t believe it. You’re that upstart neurology registrar who thought he knew more than I did.’
    ‘It was a few years ago,’ Rick reminded him. ‘I’m actually a neurosurgical consultant these days.’
    ‘And I’m an emergency medicine consultant,’ Max informed him. ‘Your status isn’t helping you much here, mate.’
    ‘I’m on an ED locum run while I’m in town,’ Jet murmured. ‘But I’m usually a medic with the SAS. Your threats don’t hold much water, either.’
    Max heard Ellie’s sharp intake of breath. Had she really thought they were gang members, too? She’d still trusted him, though, hadn’t she?
    He liked that.
    Whatever was going through her head, she seemed to be feeling braver.
    ‘Go away, Marcus,’ she said. ‘I told you a very long time ago that I never wanted to see you again.’
    Marcus Jones was looking less and less sure of himself. He shifted his feet and glanced over his shoulder at the open door behind him.
    ‘She’s with me now,’ Max added for good measure.‘My woman. My baby.’ He smiled grimly. ‘Now get the hell out of here and don’t come back.
Ever.’
    They all watched from the window as Marcus Jones scrambled into the waiting taxi and left.
    Rick chuckled. ‘Nice one, Max.’
    Jet shook his head yet again. ‘Yeah…you certainly pulled a good rabbit out of the hat. Gotta love you and leave you, though, man. It’s getting late.’
    ‘Sure is.’ Rick was reaching for his helmet. ‘Gotta go, too, mate. We’ll catch up soon.’
    ‘But…’ The ground was shifting under Max’s feet. His mates were about to desert him and Ellie was still here. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
    His friends knew perfectly well they were dropping him in it. They were enjoying it, for God’s sake. Grinning broadly, even.
    Max walked to the door with them, doing his best to think of some way he could beg them to stay without becoming the brunt of their mirth for years to come. They were having none of it. Rick thumped him on the arm.
    ‘You’ll think of something,’ he said. ‘Hey…your woman, remember?
Your
baby.’
    He could hear the echo of their laughter even well after the door closed behind them.

CHAPTER TWO
    T HE throaty roar of powerful bikes faded but Ellie could still feel the reverberations.
    Or was she still shaking from the face-to-face encounter with Marcus Jones?
    Unbidden, her legs took her to one of the chairs around a table and she sank down onto it. Her worst fear had been realised. Marcus had found her. He knew she was pregnant and sounded absolutely confident that the baby was his.
    But she had won. Not completely, of course. Her legs were probably still shaky because she knew he wouldn’t give up this easily but she had won this round thanks to a most unlikely team of dark, leather-clad angels. They were, without doubt, the most impressive array of masculinity she’d ever been this close to and they had stood up for her.
    Protected her.
    Sent Marcus Jones scurrying away with his tail between his legs.
    He wouldn’t like that.
    The tiny smile Ellie had been quite unaware of, as she had thought of her guardian angels in action, faded abruptly.
    ‘You OK?’ A chair scraped on the tiled area of the floor as Max took a seat at the other end of the table. He pushed a black, full-faced helmet to one side, where it clunked against the trio of beer bottles.
    ‘I’m fine.’ The sound had caught Ellie’s attention. ‘I’m sorry I interrupted your party.’
    The corner of Max’s mouth lifted. ‘Hey, if it had been a party there’d be a damn sight more than three lager bottles left over and they’d be empty, what’s more.’ He rubbed at his face. ‘No…this was…a toast, that’s all. A token one at that thanks to the guys having to work tonight. It’s a bit of an annual ritual, I guess.’