Chapter 10 Call Me Honey #3
“I wasn’t really calling you honey,” she rushed to explain, trying to calm the big, intimidating man standing over her. “Ivan came to my office and wouldn't leave me alone. He was bothering me, and then you called. I thought talking to you that way would be the easiest way to get rid of him.”
Maverick's expression changed immediately.
His brows drew together.
“Ivan came to see you?”
Concern flashed through his eyes, followed quickly by something darker.
His hand closed around her arm as he pulled her closer.
“Did he hurt you again?”
Before she could answer, his other hand came up to her face. His fingers gently moved along her cheek as he examined her skin, his gaze searching for the slightest sign of redness or injury.
Rose quickly shook her head.
“He didn't.”
Some of the tension left his shoulders, but his expression remained hard.
“So that sweet voice...” His thumb brushed lightly over her cheek. “And calling me honey.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You did all of that for him?”
Rose stiffened.
“No. I mean... kind of. But not really.”
She hurried to explain.
“He showed up out of nowhere and kept bothering me. He wouldn't leave me alone. Then you called, and I thought it would be the perfect way to get rid of him.”
“Get rid of him by making him jealous?”
Maverick stepped closer.
Rose instinctively tried to move back, but there was nowhere left to go.
“I wasn't trying to make him jealous.”
“He was your boyfriend until a few days ago.” Maverick's gaze drilled into hers. “And now you're telling me you weren't at least a little pleased to see him chasing after you?”
Rose swallowed.
“You'd better not let me find out you're thinking about forgiving him.”
“I’m not forgiving him. No.”
The answer came immediately.
“It was only to get rid of him. That's all.”
She hesitated before adding quietly, “And I'm married to you now. I know I can't just walk away from my marriage.”
The hardness in Maverick’s eyes softened slightly, and Rose caught the subtle change in his expression.
Without warning, he reached for her hand and pulled her toward the bedroom.
Rose followed reluctantly, her stomach tightening. She couldn't shake the worry that he was about to scold her—or worse, lose his temper with her.
“Do you still not believe me?” she asked, her voice a little unsteady.
“Stay right here.”
His voice was as cold and commanding as ever.
Rose stopped obediently while Maverick walked toward his suitcase. He crouched beside it and began rummaging through it.
Rose watched him nervously.
‘Is he going to hit me with a belt?’
She took the tiniest step backward.
‘Zoe told me he once beat up his cousin when he did something Maverick didn't like. Is it my turn now?’
Her imagination immediately ran wild. She pictured herself crying dramatically and collapsing at his feet like some helpless damsel in a drama, with absolutely nowhere to run.
Rose bit her lip, growing more nervous by the second.
Then Maverick turned around.
Rose stiffened.
“I should leave now. You need to rest, right?” she blurted, already turning toward the door.
She barely made it a step before Maverick reached out and caught her arm.
Rose froze.
He pulled her back toward him, one arm wrapping around her to keep her close. Then he held something out between them.
“Here.”
Rose looked down.
Her eyes widened.
There was no belt.
Instead, he was holding out a box of chocolates.
Her mouth fell open slightly.
“Oh. I love chocolate.”
She immediately opened the box, picked one up, and took a bite.
“I know,” Maverick replied without hesitation.
Rose's gaze flicked up to him.
He knew?
The realization felt strangely intimate. She still couldn't understand how he knew something so simple about her when they had barely known each other.
Unsure what else to say, she held out the box.
“Here. Do you want some?”
“Yes,” he replied, his voice low and steady.
She immediately lifted the box he had given her, extending it toward him with a hopeful smile. Instead of accepting it, he seized her hand, pulling her closer with an intensity that quickened her heartbeat.
In one fluid motion, he bent down, capturing her lower lip between his teeth and licking her mouth with a fervor that sent sparks through her. Within moments, he had claimed complete control over their connection.
He towered over her, his presence both intimidating and thrilling, and in that instant, she felt the weight of his dominance.
His arm encircled her waist, drawing her tighter against him, while his mouth consumed hers with an unquenchable hunger.
The other hand found its way to the back of her neck, anchoring her to him as their lips collided with a fierce urgency.
Rose had never known a kiss so enveloping, where surrender felt not just possible but inevitable. Even as she kissed him, it was clear he dictated the rhythm, guiding her lips against his in a way that satisfied his primal desire.
Maverick’s mouth enveloped her lower lip, sucking on it with a ravenous need before releasing it with teasing abandon, only for her upper lip to experience the same fiery devotion.
His tongue slipped inside, tangling with hers, sending electric shivers coursing through her body as the heat radiating from him merged seamlessly with her own.