Chapter 8
Fuck. I spoke way too soon and probably scared her off. A few minutes passed, the song changed, and Maverick hadn’t uttered a single word.
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “Feels like I apologized too many times, and we haven’t even made it to our destination.
” I chuckled to hopefully lighten the mood.
“I just couldn’t help myself. Not with just the kiss at your house, but saying what I just said, even though I meant it.
It’s just a different experience for me, and I had to let it be known that I’m not here to waste either of our time.
” I kept my eyes on the road because I was low-key nervous to look at Maverick.
“I can take you back home if you want me to.”
I didn’t want to, but I wasn’t going to force her to continue with the date if she didn’t feel comfortable.
After a minute or so had passed, Maverick grabbed my hand that rested on the middle console.
“Onyx, I don’t want to go back home. I want to continue on the date and get to know you.
What you said may have been a little crazy, but I feel the same.
I hadn’t stopped thinking about you since you walked out of my hospital room.
I’m not going to lie; I was nervous about the date, but just because it’s been a minute, but I’m good. ”
I released the breath I held, and my heart rate returned to its normal pace.
“Glad to know it, especially because we are here,” I told her as I pulled into a parking spot.
She looked out the front window, then back at me. “An arcade?”
“Yes. You like games, I like games. I’m sure you’ve had a rough couple of weeks, and I wanted to do something fun and not too much pressure. Are you cool with that?”
I didn’t shut the truck off in case she wanted to go somewhere else, but I did turn a little to face her.
She looked at me with a cute little smirk playing on her lips. “I thought you wanted to have dinner?”
“We can have dinner here, or wherever you want to go.”
Maverick giggled as her eyes sparkled. “This is perfect. I hope you know I’m competitive.”
I turned the truck off and took the keys out of the ignition. Relief filled me since she agreed on the location.
“And so am I. We can make a few wagers if you want.” I raised an eyebrow and opened the door.
“What do you have in mind?”
I got out of the truck and walked around to her side.
“I’m not sure yet,” I told her as I helped her out of the truck.
“I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”
I closed the door, then grabbed her hand. I wasn’t a hold-hands type of guy, especially on the first date, but the shit felt natural with Maverick.
We walked inside the building, and I paid the fee to play all the games we wanted to.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a baby face?” I asked as we walked over to the first game.
“I get that all of the time, but I am a full-grown adult.” She looked up at me with a bright smile.
She looked every bit of a grown woman in the jeans that fit her perfectly, with a sweater and boots.
“Do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
We arrived at the first game, which was Mortal Kombat, and Maverick’s eyes lit up. She rubbed her hands together as she stepped forward.
“I’m thirty-four, and my birthday is October first. How old are you?”
She looked a lot younger than she was. I would have pegged her to be in her late twenties.
I got into position to play and pressed the button to start the game.
“Thirty-six, and February twenty-seventh.” I glanced over at her because as soon as the game started, she was on my ass. I couldn’t even focus on playing because I was too busy watching her as she stared at the screen, biting the corner of her lip.
She was so into it that I almost regretted it.
“Did you even try to play?” Maverick asked after she won the first round.
“I ain’t gonna hold you, I didn’t. You were so engrossed in it that I couldn’t do anything but watch you.”
Her cheeks rose as the second round started.
“Pay attention, Onyx, or I’m going to kick your ass again.”
I snapped out of the hold she had me in and focused on the game. We went a few rounds with her beating me most of the time.
Over the next couple of hours, we played multiple games and got to know each other.
It was basic shit like her favorite foods and favorite colors.
She told me her favorite video game. For some reason, it was wild to me that she liked to play video games.
I’d never met a woman who was into gaming like she was.
After we took turns winning against each other, we went to the food court to get something to eat.
Once we ordered our food, we found an empty table to sit at.
“How’s Miss Turquoise doing?” Maverick asked once she was seated.
“She’s doing okay so far. I did notice that the medication helped.”
It was hard not being able to figure out what she could and couldn’t eat. Some days she ate certain things and it wouldn’t bother her, but then other days, it would.
“That’s good. I’m sure we will have a proper diagnosis soon.”
“Do you know how long it takes for the results?”
“Yes.” She went on to explain the process and how long everything should take. I didn’t want to take too much time talking about it since she wasn’t in doctor mode.
“How have you been since the fire?”
Maverick glanced down at the floor, then back at me for a brief second. She folded her hands in her lap as her shoulders dropped.
“It’s been an adjustment. I’m used to being on my own, and having to live with someone else is not easy.
Granted, Kayla doesn’t bother me, but still.
I liked to walk around the house in next to nothing most of the time.
Now I have to wear clothes just to get a bottle of water from the kitchen.
” She giggled and pushed a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. She’d finally given me her eyes again.
When I picked her up, she had her hair down around her face. Once we started playing games, she put it into a ponytail. She even shed her sweater and just wore a T-shirt.
The thought of walking around the house in barely any clothes had my dick pressing against my pants. I would have loved to see it for myself.
“I can understand that. Do you know when you’ll be able to go back home?” I couldn’t imagine not being able to be in my own home.
“Probably another week or so. It wasn’t much damage, so they said it wouldn’t take long.”
Someone delivered our food to the table, so we paused our conversation.
I ordered the smokehouse BBQ ribs, while Maverick ordered boneless BBQ wings and fries.
For drinks, Maverick had a blueberry lemonade with vodka, and I had a Long Island iced tea.
I had a one-drink maximum since I was the driver.
“That’s not too bad, but I feel you. It’s a good thing that there wasn’t more damage.”
“That’s true. I wanted to thank you again for saving my life. I’m not even sure how you found me, or how long I was out of it.”
She ate one of her wings, then took a sip of her water. All around us were other people eating, and we could hear children screaming and running around, but it felt like we were the only two people in the room.
“It was a feeling I had. Over the years I learned how to follow my gut. I also pay attention to cars in driveways. Usually, if there is a car in the driveway, there’s someone in the house. It was hard to see, but my foot hit you.”
“So you kicked me,” she teased. “No, seriously. I’m glad you went with your gut.” She shivered and closed her eyes. “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if you didn’t.”
“It was more like a nudge. And you don’t have to think about what would have happened, because you are here now, and good.” I winked.
Once we finished eating, we left the arcade so I could take her back home.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked as we drove toward Maverick’s temporary housing.
“I did. It was for sure fun kicking your ass in all the games.” Maverick looked at me and laughed.
I glanced over at her as she cracked up. “You ain’t gonna let me forget it, are you?” She shook her head. “How do you know I didn’t let you win?”
Maverick sucked her teeth as we came up to a stoplight. I looked over at her and licked my lips. I wanted so badly to kiss her. From the look in her eyes, she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
I leaned over the console, and she met me halfway. It didn’t matter if the light turned or not; I was not going to pull off until I felt her lips.
Her eyes roamed over my face, stopping at my lips. I let my tongue slowly trail my bottom lip.
“Do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you, Maverick?”
I was sure the light turned green, then red again, but I didn’t care. Nobody was behind me, so I wasn’t in a rush to move.
“I do,” she whispered.
I smiled at her, then cupped the back of her neck and pulled her close. I softly kissed her lips, then slowly inched my tongue into her mouth. Her tongue was sweet, tangy, and fruity from the BBQ sauce and the drink she had. We got lost in the kiss until a horn beeped behind us.
Reluctantly, I pulled back, then took off.
“You don’t know how long I’d been wanting to do that.”
“Me too.”
When we arrived at her temporary home, I parked the car and walked her to the door. Her dog barked from the other side.
“Spencer must have heard us,” I said as we stood on the porch.
“Yeah, he’s a very alert dog.”
“I can tell.” I stepped closer to her. “Do you mind if I kiss you again?”
Maverick put her arms around the back of my neck and stared into my eyes.
“No, I don’t mind at all.”
With her permission, I wasted no time in kissing her, and much more intimate than I did in the car. Maverick moaned as I let my hand roam down to her ass and cuffed it. It was soft as hell and made my dick hard.
It took a lot of strength to pull back, but I did.
“If I could, I would kiss you all night long.” I kept my hands resting on her ass.
“Maybe some other time.” Her arms were still wrapped around my neck.
“I can’t wait,” I told her, then kissed her lips again. “Can I call you when I get home?”
Maverick in my arms felt like she should have been there all along. She closed her eyes when I brushed a finger down the side of her face. She was so damn cute.
“Yes, you can.”
We shared another kiss, and I waited until she was on the other side of the door before I walked back to my truck and headed home.
The night turned out well, and I couldn’t wait until I got to spend more time with her.