Chapter 22
MAVERICK
I didn’t mean to go that far tonight. Not this early on, at least. But somewhere between seeing Sadie in that dress and then putting her ex firmly in his place, I lost any self-control.
I had to let her know my intentions. And judging by her reaction, I’m not the only one counting down the minutes until we’re home.
It’s no small relief to see her desire mirroring my own when she looks at me with that small smile, or when she tucks herself into my arms. I might not have the first clue what to do with a normal relationship, but at least I know I’m not alone in my attraction, in my feelings.
When we finally get to escape the event, we find ourselves in the town car, riding back to my apartment. I lift her hand to mine, kissing her knuckles. “You were incredible tonight. That was one hell of an event.” I turn her hand over and kiss her wrist. “You look stunning.” Another kiss.
“Maverick,” she murmurs, and I lower her arm to look at her. Lust is mixing with hesitation in her eyes, and I cup her cheek with my free hand.
“What are we doing?”
I give her a wry smirk. “Hopefully, admitting there’s more to this than just an act for the media. Beyond that, it’s up to you, but I have ideas.”
Her sharp intake of breath is coupled with all the hesitation being replaced with wonder. “You…really?”
Staring straight into her deep green eyes, I reply, “Yeah. You’re doing something to me, Specs. Changing everything. Making me want more. Only from you.”
She doesn’t say anything right away, but I’ll wait her out. The car pulls up outside my building, and I kiss her hand one more time before sliding out and walking around to open her door.
I take her hand and start to move toward my apartment, only for Sadie to pull me to a stop.
“You say you want more, but does that mean only tonight, or…”
Ah. Now I see where the hesitation came from. She’s right to ask, I just hope I can answer in a way that won’t end this before it has a chance to start.
“I told you I’ve never been in a relationship. I don’t know how to do that. But with you, I find myself wanting to try.”
It’s as real an answer as I can give, and inside, I squirm at the vulnerability I’ve shown. Sadie still holds the power to hurt me, to hurt my career. Giving in to these feelings could still come back to bite me in the ass. But I can’t seem to stop this runaway train now that it’s picking up steam.
“I want to show you how you deserve to be treated by the man you’re with.
” My voice drops lower as I take in her full lips, slightly parted, and her blown pupils.
“I know this is crossing a line. I know this is more than we agreed to. But I want you. I want you to let me have you tonight. But if you don’t want that, then just say the word, and I’ll walk away.
I’ll go and stay with Colin tonight, and every night, for as long as you need to stay here. ”
It’s nearly impossible, but I force myself to take a step back. To let some space come between us. And when I see her suck in a gasp, I know it’s the right call. I’ve overwhelmed her, thrown a curveball straight at her, and now she needs to decide whether she’s going to swing at it or not.
But waiting for her decision is torture.
When she turns and takes a step toward my building, my shoulders sag in disappointment. Until she looks over her shoulder, a coy expression on her face, and reaches a hand back. “You have me, Maverick.”
I take her hand and everything she’s offering me. This time, our kiss is even deeper than the ones at the event. I don’t give a fuck if anyone sees me devour her lips. Let them. Let them see this perfect woman come undone for me.
But when a car honks, Sadie pulls back, her hair mussed from my hands raking through it. Just like I imagined that very first time I saw her in the hospital stairwell. She licks her lips, her cheeks pink. “Let’s go inside,” she murmurs, drawing her fingers down my chest.
The elevator ride up to my floor is interminably slow. But the doors eventually slide open and I drag her down the hall to my apartment. My usually steady hands are shaking as I turn the key and open the door. The second it closes behind us, something comes over Sadie.
I watch her hips sway as she walks over to the couch, stopping to stroke Cat’s back before balancing on one leg and lifting the other.
“Let me,” I say hoarsely, coming to her side.
Heat is simmering in her eyes as she nods.
I drop to the floor, taking her foot in my hand, drawing my fingers up the soft skin of her ankle.
Undoing the strap of her heel, I slowly slide it off before lifting her foot slightly to press a kiss where it meets her shin.
“Maverick,” she whines quietly, and I just smirk against her skin.
Then I move to the other one and do the same. Lifting it reverently, removing her shoe, then kissing the silky-smooth skin.
I’m on my knees in front of her, this goddess deserving my worship.
Tilting my head to look up at her, my hands start to roam up her legs, under the hem of the dress that’s been driving me wild all evening.
When I reach her thighs, I feel her quiver.
Now the wrap hem of her dress comes in handy as I part it slightly to press featherlight kisses to the tops of her knees.
“Oh my God.”
Hands land on my head, fingers gripping my hair. I continue to rain soft kisses all over her legs. Those luscious thighs I’ve spent far too long picturing wrapped around my head, shaking under my touch.
My hands snake farther underneath her dress, dragging up her outer thighs until I meet the curve of her hips. But instead of finding what I’m looking for, I’m met with bare skin.
“Specs,” I rumble low, staring up at her. “Were you bare this whole time?”
She tugs her lower lip in between her teeth and nods, and that is my undoing.
I surge up, capturing her trapped lip with my own teeth and tugging it free before bruising her lips with my kiss. The very idea that she was walking around the event, holding my hand, allowing me to touch her, all with nothing on underneath has my mind going fuzzy with pure lust.
My hands find the zipper on the side of her dress and I start to slide it down, incrementally slow. She whines against my lips. Good. Let her be as crazed for me as I am for her.
When it finally hits the end, I slide my fingers under the thin straps that are all that stand between me and seeing my girl naked. That’s when her hands come up to cover mine, stopping me.
“You first.”
I lean back slightly and realize the nerves are back. “Whatever you say, Specs.” I dart back in to press a swift kiss to her lips before removing my hands from her body and making quick work of shucking off my jacket and unbuttoning my shirt. I’m already toeing off my shoes when Sadie giggles.
“There’s no rush, Maverick. We have all night.”
Her fingers go to my belt and she slides it out of the loops. I shrug off my shirt and she freezes, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
“Like what you see?” I ask with a heated smirk.
“Oh yeah,” comes her breathy reply. I take over undoing my pants, pushing them down over my dick that’s already hard and straining to be free.
Then my socks come off and I stand there, nothing but my boxer briefs covering me.
And the raw appreciation in Sadie’s expression, the desire emanating from her, is hotter than anything I’ve ever experienced.
“Specs,” I growl, drawing her gaze up to mine. “Let me see you.”
This time she doesn’t stop me when I move to pull the straps down her shoulders.
The fabric slides over her generous tits, revealing a black strapless bra that’s cupping them the way I want my hands to as soon as fucking possible.
I push the dress down her hips, somehow not letting myself look down at what I’m guessing is a fucking gorgeous, glistening pussy, keeping my eyes trained on her face.
It doesn’t take an idiot to recognize she’s still a little nervous.
But I’ll do whatever it takes to get her to believe her soft curves, every fucking inch of them, make her the most stunning woman in the goddamn world to me.
I let her reach around to unclasp her bra, knowing that removing the last barrier is powerful for her. But when it falls to the floor, and those tits are revealed to me, there’s no holding back my groan.
“Jesus fucking Christ. You…you’re… fuck, Sadie. Specs. You’re gorgeous.” I stumble over my words, my brain completely fried by this woman.
“Touch me?” she asks, and those two words are all I need.
My hands cover her tits, squeezing the flesh before thumbing her nipples into stiff peaks. I dip my head down and cover one with my mouth, teasing it with my tongue as she grips my shoulders.
“Oh God, yes!”
I move to the other one, lavishing it the same way. Her hands start to roam across my back, over my shoulders, and down my arms. And everywhere she touches, heat follows.
“I need to taste you,” I mumble, kissing my way down the soft slope of her stomach. I crouch down again, bringing me perfectly in line with her glistening sex. It’s all I can do not to dive right in, but I make myself look up at her, checking in. There’s no trace of hesitation, just need.
Using my thumbs, I part her folds, then lean in and swipe my tongue up her slit, groaning as the taste of her explodes on my tongue, sweet and musky.
“Fuck,” I moan, licking her again and again, my fingers slipping and sliding around her sex as I feast on her like a starving man given his first meal.
I suck her clit into my mouth, letting my teeth graze the hood just lightly, but enough to make her shriek and grip my hair tight enough to hurt.
I lean into her, shoving my entire fucking face into her pussy, letting her cover me in her juices.
I could die here a happy man. Her hips start to grind against me, and it’s a damn good thing the couch is behind her because I can feel her shaking as I lick and suck.
“Oh God, I’m gonna… Oh God!”
That’s all the warning I get before her body trembles into her orgasm. My only regret is that a part of me wasn’t inside of her to feel it.
“I want another, Specs. I want you to come all over me again and fucking again.”
“Maverick, I can’t,” she gasps, her hands grabbing at me. I lift myself up to stand and grip her chin.
“Yeah. You can. And you will.”
Not giving a fuck about the fact that my face is covered in her, I kiss her and swallow down her moan. Then I’m back on my knees, this time lifting one leg over my shoulder before dragging my fingers through her dripping sex.
“You’re gonna squeeze me so goddamn tight, Specs. We’re not stopping until I’ve felt you come on my fingers and my cock.”
I slide one digit in, then draw it out and put it in my mouth, sucking deeply, my eyes trained on hers.
“Holy crap,” she breathes, and I give her a wicked grin.
The next time it’s two fingers, and I slide them in and out a few times, twisting one way, then the other, watching her reactions to figure out what she likes. When I stroke against the walls of her pussy, her back arches, those lush tits pushing out, begging for my touch. But my hands are busy.
“Cup your tits, Specs. Squeeze those nipples for me.”
She complies instantly, her head thrown back as her hands tease and pluck at her breasts. “That’s a good fucking girl.”
I time my words for exactly when I plunge my fingers back in, curling them over to stroke that spot I’ve found and covering her clit with my mouth at the same damn time.
And that’s all it takes.
Her cries echo around the room as she lets go of her tits to grip the back of the couch, her entire body trembling as I pull every last bit of her orgasm out of her, licking up every drop of her release.
Pressing one final kiss to her clit, I slowly withdraw my fingers. I straighten to standing, my knees protesting how long I was down there, but it was fucking worth it.
There’s a dreamy expression on Sadie’s face as she leans against the couch, a soft sheen of sweat covering her skin.
“You’re beautiful,” I say, gripping the back of her neck and pulling her face to mine. “Fucking beautiful. And you’ll be even more beautiful bent over this couch. Wait here, Specs.”