Our Chance (Curvy Women Wanted #33)

Chapter One

Freya Parker couldn’t believe she was doing this again, but it seemed to be the only way to grab a certain guy’s attention. At least, it had done so the last time she was here. Just thinking back to that night had been a little crazy. She’d been here with her sister Adele, who’d been celebrating her divorce from one of the worst guys Freya had ever had the displeasure of meeting, Hank. He’d been a number one asshole. He’d attempted to hide it, but she’d been the only one in her family to see through all the bullshit.

Their parents had adored the lawyer her sister brought home. They thought he was good people, but Freya hated him. She’d seen him be cruel, manipulative, and also flirt with women other than his wife. He’d been a player from the start, but had anyone believed her? No. They thought she was making it up. She’d already had her parents coming around to her place, trying to play nice, attempting to apologize, but Freya didn’t want to hear apologies.

When Hank had been around, it was already bad enough that he’d convinced her family he was a good guy. She had no choice. At her parents’ request, she’d never visited when Hank and Adele were around.

She’d been happier for it, rather than sit there and watch him gloat. At least she didn’t have to put up with that anymore. The only problem, as Adele was celebrating her freedom, Freya had finally caved and given in to her own cravings.

“What are you doing here?”

That voice. The depth of it made her ache for him.

She picked up her beer and tilted it against her lips, taking a long swallow, before she glanced toward him.

Maverick Lavin.

At one time, he’d been the town’s “bad boy.” The ultimate rebel. She was pretty sure people had been afraid of him, but then, about three years ago, it all changed. After his father died of a heart attack, Maverick had come home, and he’d been running the Lavin Mechanic shop ever since. He was the best damn car mechanic in the state, and she knew he was kept busy by people driving all the way to their small town for him to look at their car.

Also, a tiny little problem.

At one time, Maverick had been her sister’s boyfriend. This was before Hank, when she’d been going through her rebellious phase. Their parents had been out of their mind when Maverick came to pick up Adele.

Freya had been jealous. Yep, not an emotion she was used to because when it came to her sister, she was rarely jealous of anything. This time, she was. Maverick had been her secret crush for so long. When she was eighteen, Maverick and her sister were twenty-five years old.

She knew he wouldn’t even look at her then. She’d been too young. Now that she was twenty-five, and Maverick was thirty-two, that had all changed, especially three nights ago.

Celebrating with her sister, she’d not gloated, and while Adele got drunk, she and Maverick had hit it off. Freya hadn’t wanted the night to end, so when he suggested they take it to his place, she’d not argued. In fact, she’d been thrilled. Of course, she’d changed it so that they could go to her place. Maverick didn’t argue.

Actually, she’d enjoyed the whole night, apart from when he’d nearly lost it for taking her virginity.

She’d had the biggest crush on Maverick for so long that no one had been able to compare, and she could not just go ahead and sleep with random guys. She had been waiting for the right guy. He’d never come along.

Then there was Maverick, and she just couldn’t say no, and the truth was, she didn’t want to.

Looking back now, she probably should have warned him she was a virgin. Those words hadn’t been easy for her to say, so she’d kept them to herself. It had nearly ended in disaster, because when he finally entered her, he’d not been gentle about it, and yeah, that had hurt. She’d screamed, and it kind of freaked Maverick out. He hadn’t been happy. Also, she had a feeling he wasn’t happy that she’d been a virgin.

There was no point in avoiding him.

Putting the bottle back onto the counter, she turned toward him. “I’m enjoying a drink, do you have a problem with that?”

Damn, he still looked good. Her memory wasn’t playing tricks on her. Maverick was a good-looking guy, even when he had this pissed-off expression on his face.

She tilted her head to the side and watched him. “Care to join me?”

“You shouldn’t be at the bar.”

She sighed. “Why not?”

“Because, you should be home … resting.” He leaned in and whispered that last part.

Freya rolled her eyes. What more could she do? After the sex, Maverick had been so sweet. He’d insisted on her soaking in a bath with salts, and playing the part of the perfect boyfriend and gentleman, but come morning, when she woke up, he was gone. It was like it hadn’t happened.

“We had sex,” she said, not even attempting to lower her voice.

“Yeah, but you were a virgin, Freya. You should be resting.”

She glared at him. “I’m pretty sure husbands of the past were quite happy to keep it in their pants, and, you know, to allow their newly wedded wives to rest. Please, we had sex and I am fine.” She’d been sore the day after, but it had faded as the day wore on, and now she was more than fine.

If anything, she was a little pissed that he’d not called. He’d not even checked up on her, which is why she was back at the bar, having a drink. Attempting to gain his attention back.

****

Staying away from Freya Parker was turning into one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

He didn’t know how hard it could be to stop thinking about a woman. Never, in all his years, had he struggled to let a woman go. Freya wasn’t just any woman. Ever since she turned eighteen, it was like she magically registered on his radar.

The brunette beauty always plagued his thoughts, which is why it had been a long time since he’d been with any other woman. He’d gone to have a drink, to get his mind off Freya, only to find her at the bar in town, celebrating her sister’s freedom. He had to be the unluckiest son of a bitch around. The one woman he wanted to stop thinking about was the one woman there. It was just typical. He’d intended to keep his distance, but while Adele loved being the star of the show, Freya always liked to keep to her little corner. He never liked that.

So, he’d made a big mistake and gone over to talk to her. To offer her some company. One drink had led to two, and then he’d asked her back to his place. They ended up at her place, and, well, he’d then learned a thing or two about a woman. He’d never been with a virgin before.

Hearing Freya’s scream of pain, well, that would stay with him forever. He never wanted to cause her pain. She’d begged him not to stop, so he hadn’t, but afterward, he’d done everything he could to care for her. Leaving her had been hard to do, but he’d seen no other alternative. He’d never been the kind of guy to stay for anyone or anything.

Also, she was Adele’s little sister.

When Kyle, one of his buddies, had called to let him know Freya was at the bar, he’d been pissed.

“We’re not in medieval times, Freya,” he said.

He’d noticed other men eyeing her, and there was no way in hell he was letting anyone else have this woman.

Pete, the owner of the bar, moved closer.

“A beer,” he said.

He didn’t drink a lot, and he certainly didn’t do anything wild and crazy. No, that was all in the past. Unless he counted having sex with his ex-girlfriend’s little sister and taking her virginity. Then he was still acting like a wild case.

Pete gave him a beer, and took off to deal with other customers.

“You know, you don’t have to sit with me. I’m pretty sure you can find a lot of willing women around,” Freya said. “It is Friday night.”

He knew what he could find, but he was only interested in one woman.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you clearly don’t want to be with me, and there are plenty of women around.”

He frowned and shook his head. “Why were you a virgin?” he asked, and then he saw the blush stain her cheeks.

She rolled her eyes. “No reason.”

“Come on, I know there have been plenty of guys who’ve asked you out. You’ve dated, and yet, you haven’t been with any of them.”

“Did you sleep with every single woman you go on a date with?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” she said.

He hated how that sounded. “Look, I lost my V-card a long time ago, and trust me, I’ve never been with one myself, not until you.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure I’m liking this conversation. Wait, not even my sister?”

“Adele liked to party as much as anyone back then, okay, and I’m not talking about her.” He didn’t spill anyone’s secrets. He wasn’t interested in creating gossip or rumor. “You’re my first one.” His only virgin.

She tilted her head to the side. “Was I awful?”

He shook his head. “No, you weren’t awful.”

“Then why did you run away in the morning?”

Maverick took a sip of his beer. “I didn’t run away.”

“Then why weren’t you there?”

“I don’t do the ‘morning after,’” he said.

Freya chuckled. “Nice to know.”

“Damn it, Freya, why are you here?” he asked.

“Simple, enjoying a beer, and oh, I might be tempted by some other jackass that wants to take me home.”

He glared at her, but he saw the twinkle in her eyes and knew she was teasing him. “That’s not funny.”

“What’s the matter, Maverick? Can’t take a joke?” Freya asked. She got to her feet. “It’s Friday night, and … I just wanted a drink. It has been a long day at work, and now I want to head home.”

She licked her lips as she looked him up and down. He knew that look. He knew what was going on inside her head.

“Bye, Maverick.”

She’d already paid for her beer, and she waved at Pete before heading out of the bar. Freya was infuriating. He knew she was well-liked in town, being one of the few women who worked at her father’s DIY store. He’d seen her every time he went in, and she’d also helped him over the years with certain contacts.

At one point, Freya was a tomboy, always in jeans and dirt. She used to help her dad fix his car. She’d even tried to teach him a thing or two, when someone had broken down on the side of the road, and she was passing by.

She was impossible to forget.

Maverick glanced across the bar and stared at his reflection. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d wrapped his fingers around his dick and worked his cock, thinking about her. Now, he finally got the chance to be with her, and he was sitting at the bar. Slamming his money down on the counter, not caring about the size of the tip, he left the bar.

Freya was at her truck. She wore a white skirt to her knees with a pair of boots. Fuck, she looked sexy to him. He closed the distance between them, spun her around, and took the kiss he’d been wanting to take for the past couple of days.