CHAPTER TWELVE
MAVERICK
We talked for a little longer in the office before I got paged to come help with some equipment.
Juliet came with me, and we went back around the gym so I could finish introducing her to everyone.
After that, we watched a few rounds of sparring before we called it a day and went upstairs to my place.
Juliet insisted on cooking dinner, so I agreed if she’d let me wash dishes afterwards.
That was the plan, but since she didn’t know where a lot of things were, we ended up cooking together and even washing dishes together at the sink side by side.
Something about being with her and doing the mundane things as a team made it all feel really special and important.
Normally I eat out or order in, and it’s generally just because I have to.
But cooking with Juliet felt like a chance to learn new parts of her.
The longer I’m with her, the more I crave to know every little detail.
We’re in the living room with the television on, but neither one of us is watching it.
I offered to put on a movie, and she picked something at random, but two seconds in and we were talking over it.
It’s like there’s so much we both want to say, and every time she tells me something, it opens a new conversation.
I’m sitting next to her on the couch with my arm draped over the back. She’s subtly gotten closer as the night has gone on and the room has gotten darker. It’s late, but I have no idea what time it is, nor do I care.
If I’m honest, there’s a tiny part of me that feels guilty because I didn’t tell her about the fight on Saturday.
I could pretend like I don’t know why, but it’s because I let Brock get under my skin.
He baited me into a challenge he knew I wouldn’t turn down.
How could anyone turn down a chance at winning Juliet?
“Are you tired?” I say after a stretch of silence.
Juliet turns her head to look up at me, and when she does, she presses her body into mine. “Not really.”
The way she bites her lip when she’s shy makes my cock ache. “You sure? You got up pretty early.” The gym opens at five in the morning, but she was up when I got out of the shower.
“I’m not ready for the day to end.”
She’s warm and soft as she gets closer, and I’m trying to stay still so I don’t startle her. She really is like a little mouse that’s timid and scared, but I don’t want to hurt her. I want to be the one that keeps her safe.
Slowly, I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. When I do, I let my fingers trace the shell of it. Her body responds with a shiver of desire, and I linger there on the delicate skin of her neck.
“I’m not ready for the day to end either,” I say as my eyes lock with hers.
This is a pivotal moment where we can stop and I can put distance between us. After all she’s been through, she might think that she can’t say no or face me kicking her out. From everything she’s told me, her life has been transactional, and I’m not going to have her thinking that now.
“But,” I say as I trace my finger along her chin, “I need you to tell me what you want, little mouse. Exactly what you want. Not what you think I want or what you think I need. You have to say the words so I know you’re with me.”
She looks in my eyes, and I see some hesitation before she moves in a bit closer. “Will you kiss me?”
“Where do you want me to kiss you?” I can see the flush of her cheeks turning bright pink before my thumb grazes along her bottom lip. “Why don’t we start here?”
“Yes,” she says quickly as I bend down.
“Close your eyes,” I whisper. She squeezes them shut, and I brush my lips over hers in the barest of kisses.
I’m braced for how soft and delicate she feels against me, but what I’m not prepared for is the heat.
Something like an electric current sparks between our mouths, and then I feel her hands in my hair, gripping me tightly.
The next thing I know, she’s pulling me closer and parting her lips.
Suddenly, my tongue is against hers, and I’ve got my hands on her hips, dragging her onto my lap.
Half a second before was calm and careful, and now we are two starving animals hungry for more than food. All I can do is follow my instincts to spread her legs and let her straddle me while I taste her sweetness.
Juliet moans in my mouth as I grip her hips tightly and grind her on my aching cock. This is all happening so fast, and I know I should stop and check in with her, but I’m too busy feasting on her deliciousness to control myself.
“Maverick,” she moans when my mouth moves down her neck and I lick her there.
“Do you want me to stop?” I somehow manage to say even as I grip her tighter.
“No,” she practically shrieks as she wraps her arms around me. “Don’t stop.”
“Good,” I say, reaching for her shirt. “Because I don’t think I can.”