Page 11 of Maverick

“How dare she,” I deadpanned.

He smiled. “I know I sound like an asshole, but it was abrupt and without any notice. It takes nine months to have a baby and she didn’t say shit until a week before she left, and it was fine,” he insisted, and looked away.

“Until it wasn’t?”

His brows perked up. “Exactly.”

“Tell me about her.” A man who loved his grandma couldn’t be all bad, could he?

He smiled and holy shit was he handsome. “She’s great, a spitfire who never fails to put me in my place. Regularly threatens to wash my mouth out with soap. We’re a team. She took me in when my folks couldn’t take care of me and kept me, making sure I finished high school and made it to the Marine Corps.”

He was a biker and a veteran, which seemed odd to me, but I’d spent most of the past ten years locked inside a single-family home. “Okay.”

“Okay? It would be a live-in position with a cash stipend. You’d have to monitor her meds, make sure she makes it to doctor’s appointments, and keep her safe as much as possible.”

This sounded good, like really, really good. Almost too good to be true, but also too good to pass up.

“There’s something else you should know, Maverick. In the spirit of full disclosure.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not just me. I have a six-year-old daughter. Would she be welcome too?”

“Of course. The house is big enough for you each to have your own rooms, but I have to warn you. Mabel is desperate for great-grandchildren to spoil, and your little girl will be her main target.”

His words tugged a laugh out of me. “Duly noted.”

His blue gaze slammed into mine and the force and weight of his stare was palpable, almost like a full body caress. “And she hasn’t lost one step when it comes to baked goods.”

“She sounds wonderful.” My grandparents had all died before I was born, and I lost my own parents before Sophie came along. That thirst for family and for a connection was probably why I’d been susceptible to Trent as a younger woman. I saw it clearly now, how he’d honed in on me and gave me exactly what I needed, before he ripped it all away.

“She’s great,” he assured me with another affectionate smile.

This sounded like the perfect job for me right now. A place to live without putting my name on a lease or utilities. It would make it virtually impossible for Trent to track us. “Is she all right with a caregiver and a set of roommates?”

“She will be,” he said with confidence. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow when I go back to visit before she’s discharged.”

“So this isn’t a done deal? You don’t know anything about me, she might not even like me.”

“It is, and she will. I’m a good judge of character. She’s in the hospital now, and trust me, she’d rather stay in her home than go somewhere with around the clock care.” He shook his head, a worried smile on his face. “I promised her I would figure this out, and you’ve just landed in my lap, figuratively of course.”

“Of course,” I echoed with a shaky smile. I believed him, but what if this was just some ruse to get me into a vulnerable position where he’d hold me hostage just as much as Trent had? “This sounds too good to be true,” I told him honestly.

Maverick nodded. “I agree. I came here because I was overwhelmed with what I had to do and there you were. I’m not sure if this will work out for either of us, but we need each other right now, Ruby, don’t you think?”

“It seems so,” I tentatively agreed. “But I can’t afford to trust a strange man with a job offer that sounds too good to be true.” My heart raced as I said the words. Too many years with Trent made it difficult to stand up for myself without fear, but now was as good a time as any to learn.

“What do you propose we do?”

Good question. I thought about it for a long moment and sighed. “Talk to your grandmother tomorrow about this arrangement, and if she’s up for it, I’ll come by to meet her.” That sounded reasonable. I hoped.

“And if all goes well?”

I sighed, feeling a flutter deep in my belly and electricity skittering over my skin. It could be attraction, but I told myself it was just excitement about leaving The Den for good. No more taking off my clothes for money. No more objectifying myself just to survive.

“If it all goes well, then I’ll quit and take the job. Full time.” Feeling brave, possibly even bold, I extended my hand to seal the tentative deal. “Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” he said with a grin as he shook my hand. It was a great smile, the contagious kind that made you want to smile back as if you both shared some kind of secret. It was dangerous to think like that. He was, or would be, my employer. “I look forward to it.”

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