Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
Maverick
The engagement party had been perfect. The laughter, the teasing, the stolen touches—all of it. But even with a room full of people celebrating us, all I could think about was getting her alone.
Which was exactly why I had one last surprise for her.
The car ride back was quiet but charged. Solenn sat beside me, her fingers idly tracing patterns on my thigh, her touch lazy, teasing—unknowingly torturous. I gripped the wheel tighter, fighting the urge to pull over and ruin her right there in the back seat. But not yet.
She had no idea what was waiting for her.
When we arrived, she frowned, realizing where we were. “The office?” she questioned, turning to look at me. “Maverick, if you’re about to tell me you dragged me here to check emails?—”
I smirked. “Trust me. Work is the last thing on my mind.”
I stepped out and walked around to open her door.
The moment she slid out, I laced our fingers together and led her toward the private entrance.
Her steps slowed as we reached my office.
The hallway was dimly lit, but through the glass panels, the glow of something softer, warmer, more intimate seeped through.
Her breath hitched.
I pushed open the door.
The office had been transformed.
Soft candlelight flickered from every corner, casting a golden glow against the walls.
The desk, once the center of business and control, was now lined with scattered white rose petals, the faint scent of vanilla and amber curling through the air.
Champagne sat in a silver bucket beside the seating area, the glasses already waiting.
Solenn stepped inside slowly, eyes wide. “You did this?”
I leaned against the doorframe, watching her take it all in. “I wanted our first night as an engaged couple to be memorable.”
She turned to face me, lips curling into a smirk. “So you brought me to work?”
I chuckled. “I brought you somewhere I could have you completely to myself.”
Her smile faltered just slightly, her pupils dilating.
That was all it took.
I crossed the space between us in three long strides, gripping her waist and pulling her against me. She gasped softly, her hands flying to my chest as I tilted her chin up.
"You're stunning," I murmured. "But you looked entirely too good tonight, and I spent the whole damn evening wanting to do this."
I kissed her.
And just like that, the tension snapped.
She melted into me, fingers twisting into my shirt as I lifted her onto the desk, her legs instinctively wrapping around my waist. The kiss deepened and turned into something more. More than teasing, more than playful banter—it was raw, desperate, and consuming.
Her fingers dragged through my hair, her breath hitching as I trailed kisses down her neck, my hands gripping her hips, pulling her closer, needing more of her, all of her.
She gasped when I bit the delicate skin just below her ear, her nails digging into my shoulders. “Maverick,” she whispered, her voice breathless, wrecked.
That sound? It did something dangerous to me.
I grabbed the edge of her dress and pulled. She lifted her arms, letting me rid her of the fabric, leaving her bare under the golden glow of the candlelight. I took a slow step back, letting my gaze trail over her, drinking her in.
"You're perfect," I muttered, half in awe, half in agony.
She smirked. "I know."
I laughed.
She ruined me.
She grabbed my tie, yanking me back to her, kissing me like she couldn’t stand the distance between us. I understood the feeling. My hands skimmed her thighs, fingers digging into soft skin as I lifted her from the desk, carrying her toward the couch.
I set her down, my lips never leaving hers, and I followed her down, covering her completely.
Every touch, every kiss, every movement was a silent promise.
That she was mine. That I was hers. That this—**us—**was everything.
Time blurred, reality slipping into something else entirely.
She whispered my name.
I groaned hers.
And when she pulled me closer, guiding me exactly where she wanted me, where I needed to be?—
Everything else disappeared.
There was only her.
Only us.
And it was absolute perfection.
Later, when the world settled when the only sound in the office was the soft hum of our breathing, I pulled her against me, pressing lazy kisses against her temple. Her fingers traced absent patterns against my chest, her body still tangled with mine.
She sighed contentedly. “I’m never looking at this desk the same way again.”
I smirked, brushing a hand through her messy hair. “Good. That was the point.”
She laughed, then tilted her head up, her expression softening as she searched my face.
"What?" I murmured.
She traced the line of my jaw, something unreadable in her gaze.
"I love you," she whispered.
Something tightened in my chest.
I rolled us over, hovering above her, brushing my lips slowly against hers. "I love you too," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her nose.
She smiled.
And just like that—I was home.