Chapter 20
Maverick
My butterflies had butterflies as I stepped out my back door with a plate of cookies just after seven p.m. Monday. Damon was laying strips of chicken out on the gas grill behind our duplex.
He looked up with a smile. “Hey, there.”
“Hey.” I continued down the porch steps and over to him. “I brought you cookies, as promised.”
Damon glanced at my plate of assorted cookies. “That’s more kinds than before.”
“Well, I didn’t want to take any chances. I got my friend Jamie over to help me.” I pointed. “These are the peanut butter blossoms I made before. These are s’more cookies. These are snickerdoodles. And last, we have double-chocolate chunk.”
“Damn, Mav.” Damon grabbed a blossom. “They all look great, but I’d eat anything you offered me now. Don’t you know that?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Anything?”
He winked. “I’ll show you later.”
My face heated, and I turned to put the plate of cookies on the outdoor picnic table in our shared backyard.
Damon had me off-kilter. Our last date had been a little like a game. He’d taken it as a dare of sorts, and I’d been waiting for some sort of prank to set the world back on its axis.
I’d expected we’d go back to annoying and harassing each other, but Damon had surprised me. He’d taken that date seriously. Appeared to be doing the same with this one.
Maybe…maybe this time, falling for a “straight” guy really could be different.
The grill sizzled behind me. I turned back in time to see Damon shove half the cookie in his mouth while he flipped the meat.
“How’s your dad?” I asked.
Damon finished chewing, then licked the crumbs from his lips. Heat spiked inside me. I wanted to kiss him again. Wanted to taste his tongue and feel his hands, rough and hard on my body.
“Dad’s good, but still cranky.” He chuckled, oblivious to my pervy thoughts. “He’s a crappy patient. Keeps trying to do more than he should.”
I nodded. “At least that means he’ll do the rehab and get better, right?”
“Yeah, true. My parents thank you for the lasagna too. They thought it was delicious.”
“They already ate it?”
Damon stirred bell peppers and onions on the right side of the grill, then grabbed the tongs to move them into a bowl.
“Yeah. I took it by this morning, then I checked in after work. They were really surprised you made it, though. My mom was all, ‘I thought you two didn’t get along. Didn’t he dump garbage in the back of your pickup once? ’”
“Hey, in my defense, you kept using my trash can!” Damon just laughed. “And I did warn you what would happen. Twice!”
“Mav, I know. I’m not mad.”
Not anymore, maybe. He’d been furious at the time. Looking back, I wasn’t too proud. Yes, he kept using my trash can, and yes, I’d warned him of the consequences, but his truck was his pride and joy.
Damon put down the tongs and came over to me. “Hey, seriously. I was asking for payback. I don’t know why I pushed you so much.”
I met his gaze. “It wasn’t because I’m…”
“What?” He drew back suddenly, catching my drift. “Because you’re gay? No way, Mav. Did you really think that?”
“No.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. You just seemed to hate me so fast…”
“Ah, Mav, I never hated you.” He cupped my face and leaned in. “I wanted you. I just didn’t know it yet.”
Our lips met in a soft kiss. My heart fluttered at the sweetness of it. There was nothing sexual about it. Damon was showing me how he felt about me, and there wasn’t an ounce of hate in it.
He drew back before the kiss could deepen into something sexier. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“I’m sorry…the food is burning.”
Damon whirled toward the grill. “Shit!” He turned off the heat and grabbed the tongs to move the smoking chicken onto a plate. “Damn it. I guess the fajitas will be served with charred chicken tonight.”
I joined him by the grill. The chicken was charred, but not so much it wouldn’t still be delicious. “Sounds good to me.”
We carried the food inside, and I discovered that Damon had laid out a whole spread of toppings on his breakfast bar.
He placed the chicken next to a bowl of guacamole.
Shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa, and flour tortillas all waited for us to dig in.
I set down the grilled peppers and onions.
Two Fiestaware plates were stacked off to the side, along with silverware.
“This looks amazing.” I frowned. “I really should have cooked for you, though. You’ve been so busy with your dad. I feel a little selfish.”
Damon took a seat at the bar and patted the stool beside him. “You’re not selfish. You made a whole lasagna for my parents. Sit down and enjoy, Mav. I wanted to do something nice for you.”
I perched on the stool next to him, and he slid a plate in front of me. Following his lead, I began to build a chicken fajita.
“You planned the last date,” I said as I spooned salsa onto my fajita filling. “Shouldn’t it be my turn?”
“Eh, I figure I owe you a couple after all my shit.” Damon smiled sheepishly. “I know I wasn’t the easiest neighbor to have. And after what you said out there…” He shook his head. “I really hate that I ever made you think I might have some kind of problem with you being gay.”
“I haven’t thought that for a long time,” I said. “Just in the beginning.”
“Still, I was an asshole to make you doubt it for a second. I’m sorry, Maverick.”
I knew what to do with snarky Damon or playful Damon. Even flirty Damon. But this sincere, sweet Damon? He unbalanced me.
“You can make it up to me later,” I said.
He slid his hand down my back, sending a shiver through my body. “Oh, I will. Anything you want.”
“Bold statement for a baby bi guy to be making,” I teased.
He leaned in, breath tickling my neck as he murmured, “I’m a big boy, Mav. You don’t have to worry about me freaking out.”
I turned my head a fraction. “No?”
He held my gaze. “Not even a little. I want this.”
Damn, his confidence was sexy. With a nervous chuckle, I took a bite of my fajita. Bright, fresh flavors burst on my tongue. I chewed and swallowed, then sighed happily.
“I never expected us to be here. I’m a little…”
“I know.” His knee nudged mine. “Me too.”
We worked our way through the delicious meal. The chicken had a mesquite flavor thanks to the charring, but it really worked with all the other ingredients.
While we ate, we kept the conversation light.
Even though I’d known Damon for a long time, I was getting to know a new side of him. It was a little nerve-racking, trying to figure out how we fit.
If we fit in this new dynamic.
I talked about the Goldenrod Days festival coming up and all the flower orders I was handling for it because work was always an easy topic for me to ramble on about.
Damon complained about his annoying sister who swanned in and got his dad’s praise while Damon got told off for taking care of him, but he said it with too much fondness to fool me. He obviously loved his family.
“So, you seem close to Wendy,” I said.
“Yeah, she’s a total brat,” he said with a grin. “I only put up with her because her husband is my best friend.”
I laughed. “Really?”
“Yep. I gave him a hard time when he started dating her, but they’re the perfect match.” He shrugged. “So who am I to get in the way of that? The worst part is that I have to see my sister way too much.”
I laughed. “You don’t hate it as much as you pretend.”
“Do I not?” he said, a teasing spark in his eye. “I guess she’s okay. She’s smart, and she doesn’t take any shit from me or anyone else. If I have to have a sister, I’m glad it’s her.”
“High praise coming from you.”
He smirked. “I know. I’ve got high standards. I guess that’s why I’m here with you.”
“Oh, good answer. You do know how to be charming when you want to be.”
“Damn right,” he said. “I hope to charm your pants off tonight.”
No charming would have been necessary, but it was nice that he cared enough to try.
Before long, we’d polished off two fajitas each, and Damon fetched a couple of beers for us to wash them down.
While he packed up leftovers, I sipped my beer, nerves jangling over what came next. We’d hooked up once, but that had been spontaneous—even if I had made him wait until we got home.
But tonight, it was intentional. He wasn’t just caught up in a moment. He wanted to be with me.
Damon put the last of the plastic containers in the fridge then turned to me with a grin. “Finally, the part of the night I’ve been looking forward to.”
“Kicking me out?”
He laughed and drew closer. “No, Mav. The part where I ask you to stay.”
My heart lurched. “Stay?”
“In my bed,” he murmured, leaning in. “Let me show you how ready I am for this.”
I didn’t decide to kiss him. There was no decision-making process.
I fell into the kiss.
One minute we were talking, and the next we were making out as if our lives depended on it. Damon slid his arms around me, pulling me to my tiptoes as his mouth moved to my neck.
“Missed you yesterday.”
“You did?” I asked, heart racing as Damon’s hard dick pressed into my stomach.
“Wanted more of this. More of you.” He gazed at me. “Come to bed with me?”
There was only answer I could give.
“Yes.”