Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Henley
Flirting on a whole new level
“I thought we could eat out here,” Maverick said as he placed the steaks on the grill.
My mind traveled to how many different meanings that statement could hold.
How he might saunter over, seize me under the arms and set me on that glass table while he had me as an appetizer.
It would only vary slightly from the images I conjured all day which involved my desk and him lifting my dress to pull my panties aside. A new shiver rippled through me.
“You cold?”
I shook my head and drowned my truth with a big sip of wine. I was in full denial and just the opposite—completely hot and aroused.
Maverick gave me a look that said he knew I was full of it. That curl of his lips spoke volumes, reading me like an open book. “I’ll start a fire as soon as I get the meat going.”
His backyard was spectacular. “When the Beeman’s lived here, they just had this huge covered patio area that ran the length of the house. I always thought there was so much more that could be done with it. If only Mrs. Beeman could see what you’ve done with it, she’d flip.”
“It’s actually what sold me on the house.”
“An empty patio sold you on the house?”
“It’s potential, yes. When I walked out here, I envisioned a stone wall right where it is now. A fireplace built into it, and the T.V. that now hangs on it. Right here, I knew I’d put an outdoor kitchen with a grill and pizza oven.”
I looked around at what had now become an outdoor kitchen and living area. “This is impressive, but I have to ask. Why the backyard before the house?”
Maverick smiled. “Fun fact number thirty-two. I hate being cooped up inside. I’m single. Single people should be out enjoying life, not sitting around inside.”
I furrowed my brows, not fully understanding what being single had to do with the outdoors. “I’m not following.”
Maverick laughed. “For me, being inside is what you do when you have a family. You sit on the sofa with your wife and snuggle her close. Enjoy some quiet time after the kids have gone to bed. But when you’re single, you should be outdoors enjoying friends, and that’s where the outdoor living area comes in. ”
I still didn’t understand why he couldn’t entertain his friends inside the house, and seeing my perplexed look had Maverick explaining further.
“I see you’re still confused. It doesn’t make sense to you, and that’s okay. But for me, what happens inside those walls is where all the love happens. Out here is where all the fun happens.”
“Fun happens indoors too.” I smiled sheepishly.
Maverick walked over to the grill, flipping the steaks over one last time before bringing them to the table. “Why do you sit on your porch every morning and every night?”
I didn’t have to think about it, I’d once asked myself the same question. “Several reasons. Mainly because it’s my chance to be thankful for what I have. I watch the sun come up, grateful I’m alive one more day, and knowing only I can determine if I want to have a good or bad day.”
Maverick smiled at me, “I get that.”
“I like watching the sun go down because I know that the day is coming to an end, and anything that didn’t go as planned gets washed away with the promise of a new day coming.”
Maverick reached out, taking my hand in his. “So, how’s today going for you?”
“I’ll let you know when the sun goes down.”
* * *
After dinner, Maverick and I sat by the fireplace outside. Me with my glass of wine, and he with his bottle of beer. Millie rested beside Maverick on the outdoor sofa. Hulk slept on my lap in the oversized chair by the fireplace.
“So, Hulk…” Maverick smiled, giving me his pearly whites and making my heart flip. “Pretty big name for such a small dog.”
“Are you making fun of him?” I attempted to cup my pet’s ears, but the plastic cone was in the way. “Don’t listen to him, Hulk. You’re the king of the neighborhood.”
Maverick chuckled; his deep throaty voice gave me shivers. I fantasized how hearing him call out my name while making love to me would sound.
“I wasn’t making fun of him.” His thin pink lips opened just enough for me to see how perfect his top teeth were. “I was just stating the obvious. If I heard you calling out his name, I’d expect a Saint Bernard or something equally as large.”
“Oh, so it’s all about the size, is it?”
“Isn’t everything about size?” Maverick grinned sheepishly.
“No, size isn’t everything. Some of the best things come in little packages. Like Hulk here.”
Maverick narrowed his eyes as he glanced over my body before nodding slightly and smirking. “Like you.”
Maverick shooshed Millie off the sofa, stood, and walked to me.
He reached down, retrieved Hulk from my lap, and placed him on the floor.
The next thing I knew, he swept me into his arms and then sat in the chair with me on his lap.
“I’m going to kiss the fuck out of you, Henley. You good with that?”
All I could do was nod.
Maverick leaned closer, his lips almost on mine and then he paused. My heart sped up, bracing for his mouth to claim mine but he didn’t.
“You sure this is what you want?”
I realized that I hadn’t answered his earlier question, I had only nodded. “Yes, Mav.” My voice but a whisper.
“Say it again, cause God I love hearing my name come out of your mouth that way.”
“Mav,” I whispered again.
Maverick crushed his mouth to mine and I mewled. How could a single kiss take my breath away, but it did. I grasped at his shirt, pulling him closer to me. I craved him more than I should have.
Breaking the kiss, Maverick placed his forehead on mine. “I like you Henley. A lot. I want to make love to you more than you can imagine, but I’m in no hurry. We’ll take this at your pace.”
I felt his arousal beneath me. I wanted him as much as he wanted me. “I want you too, Mav.”
Maverick stood. Cradled me to his chest and began kissing my neck as he made his way to his bedroom. He placed one knee on the mattress and then laid my body down. “You don’t know how many times I’ve fantasized about this.”
I looked into his heated eyes. “You’re not alone.”
His hand brushed the hair from my face as his smoldering green eyes seared into mine. “I really like this dress on you, but I’d love it laying on my floor.”
I shivered at the feel of his hand sliding up the length of my leg and under the fabric. When his palm reached my hip, he gave it a squeeze before moving his hand between my legs. “You’re so fucking wet and I’ve barely touched you.”