Page 12 of Maverick

So did I. “Until tomorrow, Maverick.” I stood up and smoothed a nervous hand over the sparkly bikini that left very little to the imagination. “Have a good evening.”

“You too.” His lips tugged up into a lopsided grin that had warmth shooting throughout my body as I walked away. “Ruby?”

I stopped and turned. “Yeah?”

“I need your number so I can call you after I talk to my grandma.”

It felt like a trap, but I knew we needed to be able to communicate, so I nodded, returned to the table, and scribbled my number on a napkin. “Get home safely, Maverick.”

Something like surprise flashed in his eyes and his smile softened. “I will. You do the same, Ruby.”

The interaction with Maverick left me off-kilter for the rest of the evening. I couldn’t focus during my last three sets, my mind wondering who he really was. A biker, sure. A veteran and a man who loved his grandmother too, but there was more to him than that.

I knew it. I could feel it.

But did I really want to know? I wasn’t sure.

The one thing I was sure about? The details of Maverick’s life were none of my business, and I’d do well to remember that if anything ever came of this too good to be true job offer.

Chapter 5

Maverick

How I woke up before eight the next morning, I had no fucking clue other than sheer willpower. I was up and dressed early enough that I arrived at the hospital five minutes before visiting hours officially began.

She laughed when I walked into her room at eight on the dot. “Can’t remember the last time I saw you awake this early in the morning.”

“Been an early riser since basic training,” I reminded her with an annoyed grunt. “If you’d rather wait until later in the afternoon, I can come back.”

“No, no,” she insisted. “I’m happy to see you, just shocked is all. Did you meet any women last night?” The teasing twinkle in her eyes put a smile on my face because it meant she was okay, just getting older.

“What makes you think I went anywhere last night?”

She laughed again. “Because I know you, and because you still smell like perfume. Did you even shower?”

“I did,” I insisted self-consciously. “And there was no woman, at least not how you think.” The woman was determined to pester me about a woman and kids until one of us was dead.

“Just one of those one-night affairs?” She wiggled her eyebrows, her smile growing even bigger at my clear discomfort.

“Grandma,” I groaned. “No. Not that either, and if you say anything like that ever again, I’ll never have kids. Ouch.”

She pinched the back of my arm and laughed. “Don’t be a grouch. Tell me about your night.”

“Not much happened,” I lied. “But I did find someone to help take care of you.” I let the words sit there for a long, pregnant pause, giving her plenty of time to reject the idea outright.

“At midnight? Tell me more.”

I ignored the jab about the timing and told her what I could about Ruby. “She’s a single mother in need of a job. She seems qualified and kind, and I think this job will help all of us out.”

Mabel snorted. “She must be beautiful if you decided that so quickly.”

Ruby was more than beautiful, but that was irrelevant. “She’s competent and I think you two will get along. That’s all.”

“Sure, if you say so. Where is she?”

I smiled. “Refused to accept the job until you knew what was going on and gave your approval.”

Mable laughed. “I like her already.”

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