Chapter 16
MAVERICK
As the GPS in my car directs me to Sadie’s apartment, I can feel my frown growing deeper.
What the actual fuck is she doing living in this part of town?
Graffiti adorns most of the buildings and there’s a steady sound of the nearby trains mixed with constant sirens.
The people walking down the sidewalk this late in the evening are not exactly family-friendly.
Yeah, I’m no snob; hell, I’ve lived in shittier places, but this is not the kind of place a single woman should be staying.
When I pull up to the front of her building, my anger and confusion only grows. “Specs, what the fuck are we doing here.”
But instead of answering me, Sadie unbuckles and climbs out of the SUV so fast, I’m scrambling to turn off the car and follow her.
“Thanks for the ride, Maverick,” she calls out as she moves to the front door, sidestepping a pile of garbage.
“Stop,” I say, and I guess she can tell from my tone, I’m not fucking around. “Sadie. What the hell.”
She turns slowly, defiance sparking in her eyes. But I can see the tremble, the embarrassment hiding underneath. I’m familiar with that feeling. Shame over where you live, or how, or what things you own, or don’t. I grew up in that world. I recognize those emotions even as she tries to hide them.
“It’s fine, Maverick. Good night.” She turns to walk away and I reach out and grab her arm.
“Fuck that, I’m walking you up to your apartment.”
Pressing the button to lock my vehicle with one hand, I keep the other firmly on her elbow, not missing a step as we walk into her building.
The musty smell of damp carpets and lingering cigarette smoke permeates the air.
A guy wearing a stained white tank top and shorts comes shuffling down the hall, bringing with him a waft of stale alcohol.
He leers at Sadie and given the fact that she’s all dressed up from dinner, I know exactly what kind of shit he’s thinking.
I glare at him, the promise of pain in my gaze if he doesn’t back off.
He sees me and stumbles, rightfully reading the rage I’m pushing at him.
He gives us a wide berth as he walks out the front door, but I notice how he turns back to look at us.
He notices me watching him and darts away.
Sadie bypasses the elevator for the stairs, and we make our way up to the third floor. The stairwell stinks like a dirty locker room if the players all smoked and pissed in the corners.
When we reach what I assume is her apartment, she stops and turns to me. “There. You walked me up. Now will you leave?”
I simply arch my brow. She lets out a little huff, and if I wasn’t so unamused, I’d probably smile. But she doesn’t force me to go, turning back to unlock her door.
“Just so you know, the Vancouver rental market is awful right now. It was either this or staying with my parents for another month, and I could only take so much of their badly concealed pity. They loved Dirk, and even though they know what he did is unforgivable, they’ve got it in their heads that my life is now ruined because I’m not with him. ”
I’m not touching that statement with a ten-foot pole. But as soon as we walk into her apartment, I start shaking my head.
“No. What the hell, Sadie. You can’t live here.”
I turn slowly, taking in the water damage on the ceiling and the loud hum of a refrigerator that is probably about to die.
There’s a rickety table and two chairs, a nasty-looking couch, and that’s it for furniture.
A glance at the door shows me it doesn’t even have a security chain, just a deadbolt.
How the fuck does a woman with a successful career end up in a place like this? Jesus fucking Christ.
“Pack a bag, Specs. Whatever you need for a couple of days. We’ll get the rest of your shit later.”
“Excuse me?”
I turn at her incredulous tone to see her standing with her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed at me.
“What part of that wasn’t clear?”
I’m being a demanding, controlling ass, but I don’t fucking care. The sooner she packs, the sooner we can get out of this shithole.
“The bit where you decided you have the right to dictate where I live. That was not part of the agreement.”
I fold my arms across my chest and stare back at her. “You’re telling me you like living here?”
It takes a few seconds before I see her resignation.
“No. I hate it. But I’m not joking when I say it was the best I could find in my budget.
I needed something fully furnished because when I moved in with Dirk, he convinced me to sell almost everything I owned.
And furnished apartments in the city are hard to come by. ”
Fuck. She sounds broken, and I hate the thought that at least some of it might be from me being too heavy-handed.
Lowering my arms, I move closer, cautiously, as if she’s a feral animal and not a woman I’m starting to care for a little too much.
Lifting one hand, I move painfully slow, giving her time to step back.
But she doesn’t, her eyes now showing more of that vulnerability and less defiance.
I tuck a strand of red hair behind her ear and drift my hand down until it reaches hers.
Picking it up, I hold it softly. “Come on. Let’s pack some shit up and get out of here. ”
Her tongue swipes across her lips as she considers my words, and as I wait for her to accept or reject my offer, my heart pounds loudly in my ears. If she says no, I’ll have to stay here. I’ll camp out on her couch or in the hallway. I’m not leaving her here alone.
“Okay.”
She says it quietly, but I can hear the relief in that one word, and I know she’s grateful for me getting her out of here.
Without dropping my hand, she turns, and I let her lead me into the bedroom.
I keep my eyes turned away from her bed where a pair of panties is sitting on the sheets.
When I hear her muffled curse, my lips quirk up, knowing she’s spotted them.
Barely five minutes later, she’s standing in front of me with a suitcase and a duffle bag. “Alright, I’m ready.” I take the suitcase and let her lead me to the front door.
On the way out, she grabs a pair of runners from the closet, but other than that, Sadie doesn’t hesitate in leaving her slum of an apartment behind.
When her hand slips in mine after locking the door, I don’t react.
At least, not outwardly. But inside, something in me cracks open at the trust she’s placed in me, at the way she’s seeking and accepting comfort and security from me.
We’re silent the entire drive across the city to my building.
I don’t live in a fancy high-rise like some of my teammates, but my place is nice.
When I bought it in my first season with the Tridents, all I cared about was having somewhere safe and comfortable to lay my head at night.
I didn’t give a shit about amenities or the view.
But compared to the shithole Sadie was living in, my place feels like a fucking palace.
When I hold open the door for her, letting her walk in first, I watch to see her reaction, but all I detect is barely-concealed curiosity.
“So, there’s only one bedroom. And before you even try to say anything about that, let me tell you, I’ve slept on my couch many times and it’s perfectly comfortable.
” I walk past her, heading toward the bedroom to grab a pillow for myself.
“The sheets are clean as of this morning, my housekeeper was here.”
“If the couch is so comfortable, then it’ll be fine for me.” Sadie arches a brow at me. But I’m not doing this shit again. And there’s no goddamn chance I’m gonna be able to sleep in my bed with her. And her defiance is ruined when she can’t completely hide her yawn.
“Go to bed, Sadie. You’re falling asleep on your fucking feet. We can discuss sleeping arrangements tomorrow.”
The standoff is broken by the sound of Cat chirping and meowing as he prowls out from the bedroom.
“Well, who is this?” Sadie asks, her voice sounding happy for the first time all evening as she drops down into a crouch to pet the damn animal. “What a gorgeous kitty. Hello there, what’s your name?”
Cat just purrs, arching into her touch.
“That’s Cat. He used to hang out in the bushes out front, then one day snuck in with me. I can’t get rid of him,” I say gruffly.
The beaming smile Sadie turns on me almost makes me stumble back. It’s such a sudden change from the emotionally spent woman who walked in here a few minutes ago.
“Are you serious? Are you a secret softie when it comes to animals?” She turns back to the goddamn cat and starts cooing at him.
“I think he is, don’t you? Big bad Maverick King is actually a total marshmallow.
Can’t help but rescue damsels in distress.
” She giggles, and the sound is pure fucking sunshine.
“Well, I guess you’re not a damsel, are you? No, you’re not, you big handsome boy.”
She stands up, scooping Cat into her arms. He drapes himself over her shoulder and I can hear the purring from here.
Looking over at me, Sadie blushes, I’m guessing because she realizes what she just said about me rescuing her.
Little does she know, my chest fucking puffed with pride when she said that, making me almost blush right along with her.
I clear my throat and look away. “Right. So. Bathroom is there.” I gesture down the hall. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I’ll just grab some stuff from my room, then it’s all yours.”
Moving swiftly to put some distance between me and the far-too-fucking-tempting redhead cuddling my damn cat, I reach my bedroom. Placing my hands on the dresser, I let my head hang forward and take in a few deep breaths. What the fuck am I doing?
No one has been in my apartment except for Colin, my housekeeper, Ralph, and Eli on a couple of occasions.
I don’t have guests over. I sure as fuck don’t have women over.
Yet standing in my living room is a woman who has managed to get under my skin and made her way into a part of me I didn’t think existed.
I care about Sadie LeDuc.
And I don’t usually let myself get close enough to anyone to care about them.
Fucking hell, I’m in trouble.
As if to drive home that point, my phone vibrates. I pull it out of my pocket and immediately wish I hadn’t as guilt mixed with anger washes over me.
ELI: Bro. Where you at? I msgd you like weeks ago. I need cash, man. Hit me back.
I lock my phone and slide it back into my pocket without answering. But the damage is done. I’ve been reminded that my feelings for Sadie aren’t exactly the only trouble in my life right now.