Chapter 9 #2
She pushes at my chest with all the strength of a newborn kitten. For some reason, having her fight me, as pathetic as it is, adds to the desire heating up my veins. It also infuriates me further.
“Come on, Mavie. We don’t have time for this,” Everly insists in a hushed whisper as she tries to wiggle out from beneath me. My dick grows harder in response. “We have to get out of here.”
It’s weird hearing her old nickname for me. I was always Mav, Ricky, or just Maverick before my time here. But Mavie? That was Everly’s special name for me. I never thought I’d hear it again.
I scowl before finally forcing my hands away from her neck. I don’t move off her though. Sitting up, I glower down at her.
“What’s outside my door? Orderlies waiting to grab me?” I demand.
Everly’s perfectly manicured brows pull together with confusion that looks real. “Why would orderlies be involved in this?”
“I don’t know, you tell me ! Is this to get my hopes up only to dash them?” I raise a brow. “I have to give it to you, this is definitely creative.”
Everly stares up at me, stunned. “Why would I set all of this in motion to play with your head?”
I scoff. “Because your whole fucking family is full of assholes who get off on the misery of others.”
“Alright, fair enough,” she concedes with a soft scowl of her own. It doesn’t last long. Her expression softens as she studies mine. “I’ll tell you the truth about why I’m here, but first you gotta let me up.”
Begrudgingly, I do, but only because I’m getting so fucking hard with her wiggling beneath me it’s messing with my head. If I allowed myself to sit on top of her any longer, I might just find myself tearing away at her clothes to explore the woman she’s become.
I choke back a groan at the thought of seeing her naked.
Everly scrambles to her knees the moment I’m off her. I expect her to jump to her feet and start yelling for the orderlies to come in here and beat the shit out of me. It’s more Rowan and Braum’s style, but hey, who knows? Maybe she’s not creative, just like them.
Rather than get to her feet, Everly remains on her knees and scoots closer to me until we’re chest to chest. Before I can ask what she’s doing, she tilts her head upward and leans forward. I don’t expect the light brush of her lips against mine.
The moment they touch mine, everything in me goes utterly still.
“Mavie, you don’t dream big enough. You could reach the stars if you wanted to.”
“I can’t believe you just punched Lucas like that! You’re incredible!”
“No, you don’t have to worry. Go back to sleep, I’ll sit here with your mom so when she wakes up, she has someone to talk to. I’ll take care of both of you.”
“Come on, let’s sneak you back into your house before your dad figures out you’re not in your bed. You can’t get grounded before summer break. Who else is going to keep me and Peter company?”
I can hear Everly’s voice, moments from our past welling up so fast I don’t have a chance to even attempt to squash them. Each one feels like a stake right through the fucking heart.
Her lips don’t linger against mine long. The kiss probably only lasts a fraction of a second, but I remain stock-still when she pulls away. Her eyes search my face anxiously, as if she’s waiting for something.
But what?
A fire ignites in the pit of my stomach, like a flame meeting gunpowder.
It would be so easy to let that explosion of heat and strange euphoria gather in strength to consume me.
I could easily feed into this moment and allow myself to explore the forbidden between me and Everly.
Everything I’ve craved for so fucking long yet never allowed myself to even dream about because of the family she belonged to…
That’s right. She’s a Woodrow.
The reminder kick starts time again. Blinking to dispel the shock, I allow hate and distrust to replace the warmth created in that brief moment.
Everly must see it as I come to because her shoulders sag ever so slightly as she lets out a sigh.
“Look, Mavie. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. That’s why I’m doing this. When I got Peter’s letter… He was right, I am the only person who could help you, so that’s what I’m doing. Because I love you.”
I didn’t read the letter so I’m not sure what she’s referring to, but I don’t care. I open my mouth to say so, but Everly pushes on.
“I don’t know the whole story about what transpired the night you disappeared, and I don’t know why Father brought you here or why Peter didn’t think he couldn’t tell me about what really happened, but I’m not them and not involved in any of this.
” She waves an arm around us. Tears well up in her eyes but those pretty, full lips press into a tight line and her shoulders stiffen.
“Losing you… It was like someone cleaved out my heart. If I had known what really happened and where you were, I would’ve moved heaven and hell to get you out. Just like I’m doing now.”
With that, she reaches for something on the ground. That’s when I notice the large backpack beside us. She must’ve dropped it when I tackled her. Before she can grab it, I snatch her wrist and hold it in a biting grip, ignoring her hiss of pain.
“What’s in there?” I snarl.
She tries once to pull her arm free but when that fails, Everly sighs. “I’ll show you, just let go.”
“Goddamn, Everly!” I choke back the urge to yell, though I’m not sure why.
If the orderlies or security on staff came in here, they would drag her out and I’d be done with her.
“You’re fucking lying. You had to have known this whole time about where I was and what happened!
Peter kept nothing from you! You’re a fucking liar! Now tell me what’s in the bag!”
“I didn’t know!” Everly objects with a slow shake of her head. She swallows hard before continuing. “You can hate me, you can hate my family—I don’t blame you. Just… hate us outside of Serenity Falls, ok? The stuff in the bag is for you.”
This time when she tests my resolve to hold her, I let go as if she’s burned me. Neither of us move for a second. We’re locked in a staring contest, waiting for the other to make a move or say something else.
When I don’t reply, Everly gives me a small, tentative smile then reaches for the backpack. As she does, I get to my feet slowly. Pulling the bag into her lap, she yanks the zipper around and opens it. She throws clothes at me without looking. I catch the sweater and pants automatically.
“Here, change into those. They’ll be dark enough so we won’t be seen. And I brought you boots…” her voice trails off as she pulls out one and then another.
The tags are still on them. That’s what I notice as she continues rummaging through her sack.
My brows furrow as I look down at the clothes in my hands.
There are tags on these as well. When was the last time I owned something new?
I glance down at the raggy pajama pants I’d snagged from the lost and found box.
They’re holding on by a thread, but they’re comfortable.
The rest of the clothes in the dresser are in better condition, though all hand-me-downs in some form or another.
It’s not like I had a chance to pack before being thrown in here.
A strange pang twists in my chest. An ache for something lost. My head lifts so I can stare at her.
God, I wish this was real. I can almost imagine her doing this of her own volition.
The thing is, Little Evie might have had a heart of gold, but she was always so meek.
To save me, as she claims, would require balls—or in her case ovaries—of steel. She doesn’t have it in her.
“Quickly, get changed,” she urges as she dumps dark, thick wool socks on top of the boots she brought. When she’s done, she zips up the backpack and gets to her feet. Her eyes meet mine and she sighs. “I’ll tell you the rest of the plan. But for now, I need you to trust me.”
I open my mouth, ready to ask why I should, but she beats me to the punch, answering my unspoken question.
“I know my family is horrible, and if I could go back in time, I would, Maverick. The best I can do is give you a different future. If it was as easy as signing you out of here, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but it’s not.
So that leaves me with breaking you out like it’s an old-school bank heist. It’s not ideal, but it’s the only way I see this working,” She lets out a heavy sigh.
“I’m all you got right now, so please, please , just trust me. ”
A knot forms in my chest. She wants me to trust her? Just like that? A storm of emotions flickers through my chest, causing my body to tense. I don’t let it last. Rather than suffer the barrage of conflicting thoughts and feelings, I lock it down.
This Woodrow thinks she can get one over on me?
Fine, let’s see what she’s got.