Chapter 32 Maverick
CHAPTER 32
MAVERICK
T hat was delicious,” Hendrix says, eating her last forkful of omelet. “Thank you.”
“Sure.” I grab her plate and mine to place them in the dishwasher. I force myself to focus on the conversation instead of the question boiling in my brain, which is WILL YOU SPEND THE WEEK WITH ME?
“It was nice meeting your friends,” I say instead. “At least on-screen.”
“They’re the best.” She sends me a wry, amused glance. “Let’s just say they’re impressed with you.”
“Oh, word?” I ask, allowing a one-sided tilt of a grin.
“Yeah. Black surfer boy may be our new kink.”
“What are your old ones?”
She leans forward to suck my earlobe into her mouth, wet and hot. Her hand wanders between us to clasp my dick in a just-right grip. My knees actually go a little weak.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she chuckles huskily into my ear.
I gulp and breathe out, “I want to know everything about you, Hendrix.”
The words ring with such truth and carry such weight that she must hear, must feel it, too. She pulls away, the laughter dying in her eyes and stares at me like I’ve startled her. Hell, I startled myself. I don’t know how Hendrix Barry has come to feel this vital to me, but I want her in my life. There is so much we still have to learn about each other, but deep down, past my intellect, past my gut instincts, to where knowledge is primordial, that’s where I know Hendrix is supposed to be in my life. That level of recognition isn’t about how long you’ve known a person. It doesn’t matter that it’s complicated or fast. That place that is buried deep below what is civilized or rational calls out for her ; demands that I do whatever it takes to keep her.
She clears her throat and tightens the belt of the robe around her waist.
“I should probably get dressed,” she says, walking to the other end of the counter. Does she think putting physical distance between us will lessen the strength of desire, the need that throbs in the air when we’re together?
“Have you thought any more about my invitation?” I pose the question I’ve wanted to ask since she sat down to eat. I made it through breakfast without asking, for which I should be awarded a medal. I want us to have time together. Last night felt tectonic. Like the earth shifted beneath our feet. I want to give it time to settle, time for us to settle into being an us.
“I have thought about it.” Hendrix leans forward to rest her elbows on the kitchen counter. “And I think I can make it work, but there are some conditions.”
“Such as?”
“I need to get my hair braided. I already had an appointment scheduled for tomorrow. Can we leave Atlanta tomorrow?”
I don’t point out that I’ll be chartering a plane, so yes, we can leave whenever we want to. I nod.
“And I want to keep a low profile. I just don’t want any media speculation, especially since we don’t know how Zere will react to all of this.”
“We won’t be bothered at my place. I have a chef who can prepare all our meals. There’s almost no one on my stretch of beach. We could practically walk around naked and be fine,” I say, up-and-downing my brows suggestively.
“Oh, that’s my other condition.” She glances down at her hands resting on the counter, her expression going grave. “Maybe we jumped the gun last night. I want to get this right. We need to clear our minds and make sure it’s not just physical attraction driving this. I think we should abstain this week.”
My heart sinks… to my dick, but I keep my face impassive and nod. If that’s what she needs, I can do that, but it will hurt.
“Psych!” Hendrix yells, and points at me. “We gon’ be fucking! Second time today I got you. To be Mr. Vegas, you have no poker face.”
It takes a moment to sink in, but as soon as I grasp how she played me… again… I stride down the counter to grab her and give her a playful shake. She loops her arms around my neck and I laugh, leaning into the scented curve of her neck.
“You know I’d be fine if you didn’t want to,” I tell her, pulling back to search her face. “Like if this is going too fast at any point, or if you don’t like anything that’s happening, tell me.”
“I will.” She brushes her thumb over my eyebrow and her bold features soften. “But right now, we’re doing okay.”