Chapter 16 Ivan’s Accident #2
Rose immediately looked at him, her eyes lighting up.
“They’re in jail?”
Maverick nodded.
A satisfied smile spread across her face. “Good. I hope they rot in there for a very, very long time. May the rats bite their toes, chew on their ears, and keep them awake all night. I want them to spend the rest of their lives counting the cracks in their cell walls and wishing for death.”
Maverick chuckled at her response before leaning closer and pressing a quick kiss to her lips.
“I like it when you get dark,” he murmured.
***
It was early morning when the sharp ringing of Rose’s phone broke through her sleep.
She stirred beneath the sheets, barely conscious of the sound at first, until the phone continued ringing from the nightstand beside the bed. Still groggy, she shifted away from Maverick, only to shiver when the cool air touched her bare skin.
Maverick immediately reacted.
His arm tightened around her waist, pulling her back against him as he murmured sleepily, “Don’t move.”
“Someone’s calling me,” Rose whispered, trying to free herself from his hold. “Give me a minute.”
He opened his eyes, clearly displeased at being disturbed, but the persistent ringing seemed to have finally dragged him out of his sleep as well. After a moment, he reluctantly loosened his arm and let her move.
Rose pushed herself upright and blinked toward the windows. Sunlight was already streaming through the curtains, much brighter than she had expected. She glanced at the clock and frowned when she realized it was already well into the afternoon.
‘How did I sleep this long?’
Her phone was still ringing.
She reached for it and froze when she saw Maria’s name flashing across the screen.
For a few seconds, Rose simply stared at it. She didn't know why Maria was calling, but an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. Finally, she drew in a breath and answered.
“Hello?”
“Oh, Rose, thank God you finally picked up.” Maria sounded exhausted and frightened. “Ivan was in an accident last night. He’s at City Hospital.”
Rose’s expression changed instantly.
“What?”
She sat up straighter, and the movement caught Maverick’s attention. His arm slipped around her waist again as he watched her face, immediately sensing that something was wrong.
Rose glanced at him before putting the call on speaker.
“Mrs. Carrington, is he all right? What happened? Do you need help?”
“He’s stable. The doctors treated the wound on his forehead and moved him to a private room, but…
” Maria hesitated, her voice becoming strained.
“He hasn’t eaten or drunk anything properly for the past two days.
The doctors keep telling him that he needs food and medicine if he wants to recover, but he refuses everything. ”
Rose frowned.
“Why would he do that?”
“He keeps asking for you.” Maria sounded close to tears. “He won't listen to anyone else. He keeps saying that he wants to see you. Rose, please. Can you come here and talk to him? Maybe if you ask him to eat, he'll listen.”
Maverick's expression hardened immediately.
His hand reached behind her head and gently tilted her face toward him. The look in his eyes immediately made her anxious. There was a possessiveness burning in his gaze that made her swallow hard.
Her lips had gone dry, and she instinctively ran her tongue over them before answering Maria.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Carrington. I cannot,” she said, clearing her throat before forcing herself to speak in a steadier voice.
Meanwhile, Maverick lowered the hand resting behind her head, only for his other hand to settle against her waist as he leaned closer. His mouth found her neck, his kisses slow and wet.
Rose shifted uneasily, trying to move away from his kisses, but Maverick wouldn't let her escape. His arm tightened around her as his lips continued to move along her neck.
She cleared her throat again, desperately trying to focus on the conversation.
“Mrs. Carrington, I cannot come over there. Please take care of him. I’m glad to hear that he’s fine, but as I said, we have already broken up.”
Maverick suddenly caught the edge of her neckline between his teeth, making her head jerk back. She shot him an irritated glare.
He only met her glare with an amused look before leaning in again and pressing another series of kisses along her neck.
Rose’s breath caught as his mouth traveled along her throat, making her shiver despite herself. She shifted beneath him, trying to create enough distance to keep speaking, but Maverick only tightened his hold on her and continued devouring her neck.
“Please, Rose. I’m really asking you this for the last time,” Maria pleaded through the phone. “I wouldn’t bother you if it weren’t urgent, but he’s refusing to eat anything. He won’t listen to anyone.”
Rose closed her eyes briefly, trying to concentrate on Maria’s words while Maverick’s lips continued moving against her skin.
“Please come and talk to him. Maybe he’ll listen to you. I promise I won’t keep you there long.”
Rose exhaled slowly.
Maria clearly wasn't going to give up.
“All right, Mrs. Carrington. Give me some time,” she finally said. “Please send me the hospital’s name and his room number.”
“Oh, thank you.” Relief immediately softened Maria’s voice. “I’ll text you everything right now.”
The call ended.
A moment later, Rose’s phone chimed with a message containing the hospital address and room number.
She had barely glanced at the screen when Maverick reached over and took the phone from her hand.
“Maverick—”
He tossed it onto the other side of the bed.
Rose stared at him.
He was already leaning over her, his jaw tight and his expression dark. One arm came down beside her, effectively trapping her beneath him as he looked into her eyes.
“You’re really going?”
His voice was quiet, but the displeasure in it was impossible to miss.
Rose raised an eyebrow.
“To see him?”
Maverick’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m not letting you spend the day running around after that bastard.”
He shifted closer, his gaze fixed on hers.
“You’re staying here with me today.”
Rose stared at him for a moment before a slow, mocking smile curved across her lips.
“Are you jealous?”
Maverick’s jaw tightened.
“Take a guess, Mrs. Bishop.”
A small, knowing smile tugged at her lips as she pressed them together to keep from laughing.
“I’m not going,” she promised.
The tension in his face eased slightly, though he still looked suspicious.
“But you just promised his mother.”
Rose lifted an eyebrow. “I never said I was going.”
Maverick narrowed his eyes at her, clearly unconvinced.
Rose couldn't help smiling. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned closer, brushing a soft kiss against his lips.
“Give me my phone.”
He shifted onto one arm before reaching over with his free hand and picking up the phone. He handed it to her without taking his eyes off her.
Rose quickly tapped the screen a few times before turning it toward him.
Maverick glanced at the screen, confusion briefly crossing his face.
Then his eyes narrowed.
“You sent those details to Jessica?”
Rose nodded innocently.
“Of course. Why would I go? He wanted Jessica, didn’t he? She can take care of him now.” She gave him a pointed look. “What am I, some kind of caretaker for dogs? If he needs someone to hold his hand and take care of him, he already has the woman he always wanted by his side.”
Maverick stared at her for a moment.
Then a satisfied smile spread across his face.
Rose barely had time to react before he leaned down and kissed her again.
She laughed against his lips as he took the phone from her hand and set it aside, clearly pleased with her solution. His kisses moved from her lips to her cheek and then along her neck, making her squirm beneath him.
“Maverick,” she protested between laughs.
He only tightened his arms around her, completely delighted by her decision.
Rose continued giggling as he showered her with affectionate kisses, her earlier frustration disappearing completely beneath his playful mood.
***
Terrence stormed into the private hospital room at City Hospital, his expression hard with anger as he marched straight toward the bed.
Ivan lay beneath the white sheets, his body covered in bruises and a bandage wrapped around his forehead. He looked exhausted, but there was hardly any emotion on his face as he stared up at the ceiling.
Terrence stopped beside the bed and glared down at him.
“How can you drive so recklessly?” he demanded. “I’ve been telling you for days to stop driving like a madman. Ever since Rose left you, you’ve been acting completely out of control—breaking things, throwing things, and now you’ve gotten yourself into an accident and nearly killed yourself.”
Ivan didn't respond.
Terrence's anger only grew.
“Do you even understand what could have happened? If the airbags hadn't deployed in time, you could have died.”
“I’m fine,” Ivan muttered.
His voice was low and emotionless, as though none of it mattered.
Terrence's jaw tightened.