Chapter Eleven Decker
Chapter Eleven
Decker
Maia was nervous, and I didn’t know how to make it better. I’d woken wrapped around her, my face in the crook of her neck, and her nail marks on my shoulders. But from the moment we’d risen from that bed, she’d mumbled and fumbled, not meeting my eyes for more than a moment or two.
As we made our way downstairs to where breakfast stations had been set up now that the power was thankfully back on, I wanted to take her hand. I wanted to weave my fingers through hers the way I’d always imagined. But I wasn’t sure she wanted the same.
People wearing sweatsuits from what I assumed was Frederick’s company packed the living area where the party had been. It looked like a corporate retreat, not the morning after being snowed in post-murder.
“You okay?” I finally asked Maia.
Her gaze jumped to mine. “What? Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
I frowned down at her. “I didn’t . . . was I too rough?” What if I’d hurt her? What if she regretted everything that’d happened?
Maia stilled on the steps, her hand coming to mine. “No. It was . . . everything. I’m just not sure where that leaves us.”
I opened my mouth to tell her it left us at the beginning of something amazing but was interrupted.
“Mai!” Erik called over the voices of the crowd as he made his way toward us in a purple tracksuit, Violet trailing behind him in her blue one. “Were you able to sleep at all? How are you feeling?”
Maia flushed. “I slept good. You guys?”
Violet’s gaze moved back and forth between the two of us as she arched a brow. “Not as good as you.”
Erik smacked her arm lightly. “Come on. Let’s get some grub. Apparently the road isn’t open yet. So still no cops.”
It was a harsh reminder. The police needed to get through because of the woman who had been killed and they wanted to question Maia. Not to mention the fact that we were all still trapped here, likely with the person who’d killed her.
As Erik hooked arms with Maia to lead her toward the food, Booker made his way through the crowd. “Hey, man. You hangin’ in there?”
I let out a frustrated breath. “Yeah. I just . . .” My words trailed off as I tugged a hand through my hair in a jerky move.
Booker’s eyes narrowed on me. “Something happen?”
“You mean other than an avalanche and a dead body?”
“I can see the king of cheer is back.”
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I just need to talk to Maia, and I think that’s going to be tough for the next bit.”
Booker followed my line of sight to Maia, who was surrounded by Erik, Violet, and a man I didn’t recognize but she seemed familiar with. “That’s the problem with having good taste. She’s got a lot of people who like her.”
I flipped him off.
He laughed, but it fell away as he studied me for a moment. “Something happen between you two?”
A scowl twisted my lips. “I’m not playing Gossip Girl with you.”
“Hey,” Booker clipped. “That show is a master class in dramatic excellence.”
“I’m well aware of your love for it. You made me watch the entirety of season one.”
“Apparently you learned something from it because you’re acting out your own angsty drama right now.”
He had a point. I muttered a curse. “We slept together, but I’m pretty sure she’s freaking out now.”
Booker let out a hoot and slapped me on the back. “That’s my boy. Fucking finally. The dry spell has ended.”
“Lower your voice,” I hissed.
“Sorry. I forgot. You like things all private.” A look of confusion swept over Booker’s face. “Wait, did you not tell her you’ve been pining after her since basically the fourth grade?”
“No. I didn’t want her to feel any pressure.”
“Dude, respectfully? You’re an idiot.”
“Hey,” I protested.
“I call ’em like I see ’em. And if you don’t tell her how you feel, she’s never going to know. Maybe she’s right there with you.”
His words hit me like a freight train. Because he was right. I tried to find Maia in the crowd. She was at a cocktail table now, eating and talking with her friends.
“I gotta go,” I muttered.
“Finally, he listens,” Booker grumbled.
I wove my way through the crowd but came up short when I heard Violet ask, “Wait, you slept with Jackson’s brother? Holy . . . When I said get a dicking down, that wasn’t what I had in mind.”
Maia’s cheeks heated. “It wasn’t like that.
It was . . . more. I don’t know. It was like everything changed last night.
As if I’d been looking through a certain lens on a kaleidoscope all my life, and with one turn of the dial, I saw everything differently.
He’s always been there for me. Always listened and encouraged.
I just didn’t see it for what it could be. ”
Erik let out a squeal. “That is the stuff movies are made of.”
Maia’s mouth pulled down in a frown. “I’m not so sure about that. He lives across the country, and this would seriously mess with his family.”
Violet’s expression shifted to match Maia’s. “You guys didn’t talk about it?”
“No, not really. But there’s been a lot going on.”
Erik grabbed Maia’s hand. “You don’t miss out on something like this. You go for it. Even if it ends in disaster, it’s worth trying. Because, sugar? I’ve never had anyone look at me the way Decker does you.”
She tugged her lip between her teeth. “I need to find a restroom,” she mumbled, heading away from the table.
I wasn’t going to miss my chance. I darted around a guy in another tracksuit to follow her, but someone stepped into my path.
“Mr. West,” Frederick greeted me.
I tried not to bite the guy’s head off. “I’m just looking for someone.”
“Maia, perhaps?” he asked.
I stiffened. “Yes, actually.”
“I didn’t realize you two were so close.”
“We grew up together. I’ve known her for almost all my life and have loved her practically all that time. So, if you wouldn’t mind getting the hell out of my way, I need to tell her that.”