Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Maverick
The silence in the car was thick, almost suffocating, but I made no effort to break it.
My body was still wired too tight, my mind still processing what the hell had just happened back at the gala.
The taste of Solenn was still on my lips, an unshakable ghost of a kiss that I should have never allowed.
She sat beside me, legs crossed, one hand casually tracing patterns on the leather seat as if she hadn’t just sent the entire room into a frenzy by grabbing my tie and kissing me in front of every major power player in New York.
As if she hadn’t just taken complete control of the moment, of me, and walked away without looking back.
I clenched my jaw, my fingers tapping against my thigh. I should have stopped her. Should have taken a step back, should have reminded her that she was my assistant, that this was crossing a line neither of us had any business toeing.
And yet, I had done the exact opposite.
I had let her kiss me.
And worse—I had kissed her back.
Heat curled low in my stomach, the memory of her lips pressing firmly into mine, the way she had tugged me without hesitation, without fear, without doubt. Solenn had never been the kind of woman to wait for permission. She took what she wanted and dared people to challenge her.
And for the first time in years, someone had challenged me.
I exhaled sharply, forcing my thoughts into order as the car pulled smoothly into the streets. The city lights flickered past the windows, but the tension inside the car was heavier than ever.
Solenn let the silence stretch between us, which only made me more irritated. She wasn’t squirming or avoiding eye contact like she should have been. Instead, she sat there, perfectly composed, a small, knowing smirk playing at the edges of her lips.
Finally, she sighed dramatically, stretching her arms above her head before tilting her head toward me. “You look like you just had a near-death experience,” she mused.
I didn’t look at her. “I’m fine.”
She made a soft humming sound. “Are you sure? Because you looked kind of pale back there. Almost like you—” She tapped her chin, her voice teasing. “—forgot how to breathe.”
I exhaled slowly, keeping my expression completely unreadable. “You think that was funny?”
She shrugged. “I think Nadia’s reaction was funny. You? You looked like your entire system crashed and rebooted.”
I finally turned my head toward her, gaze sharp. “You caused a scene.”
She grinned unapologetically. “Oh, I know.”
I narrowed my eyes, but she was already looking out the window, completely unfazed. She didn’t regret it. Not even a little. And that fact alone should have pissed me off more than it did.
Instead, I felt something else. Something more dangerous.
I dragged a hand through my hair, forcing the heat down, the image of her lips still burned into my thoughts. “You’re reckless.”
She laughed softly. “You like that about me.”
I didn’t respond. Because I wasn’t sure if she was wrong.
The car slipped into another heavy silence, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was charged. Like we were both waiting for something neither of us wanted to name.
After a few moments, she exhaled and leaned back against the seat, her voice softer now. “I didn’t mean to… disrupt things for you. That wasn’t the plan.”
I studied her for a long moment, taking in the way her confidence had dimmed just slightly, the way her fingers tightened around the hem of her ruined dress.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t want her second-guessing herself.
I tilted my head. “Do you regret it?”
She looked at me then, something unreadable flickering in her gaze before she smirked. “Not even a little.”
Damn her.
The way she said it—calm, firm, unwavering—sent a sharp pulse of heat through me, and I hated how easily she got under my skin.
The car took a turn, and I realized we were getting closer to her neighborhood.
This was it.
This was the moment I was supposed to let her go, pretend that nothing had happened, pretend that the entire night hadn’t completely unraveled something inside me.
Instead, I decided before I could stop myself.
“Change of plans.”
The driver glanced at me in the mirror. “Sir?”
“Take us to my place instead.”
Beside me, Solenn blinked, turning toward me slowly. “What?”
I kept my expression unreadable. “Your place is too far.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, assessing me, trying to figure out my angle.
“Let me guess,” she said after a pause. “You don’t like long car rides?”
I exhaled. “You need to change. My condo is closer.”
She hesitated, watching me for a beat longer before she finally leaned back against the seat, a smirk playing on her lips. “I guess it’s only fair since you’re responsible for my dress being ruined.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t recall being the one holding the wine glass.”
She grinned. “Still your fault.”
I shook my head, but the tension in my chest eased slightly.
The driver smoothly changed course, and I felt Solenn watching me again as if she were waiting for me to say something else.
I didn’t.
Because the truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure why I had done this.
I could tell myself it was just convenience. I was just trying to solve a logistical problem.
But we both knew that wasn’t true.
Bringing her to my place wasn’t about convenience.
It was about control.
It was about keeping her in my orbit just a little longer—long enough to figure out what the hell I was going to do about her.
Because letting her walk away tonight wasn’t an option.
Not yet.