Page 42 of Maverick

“Good.”

“Great,” I shot back for no reason other than to stop the surge of arousal that shot through my body.

“Grace.” His lips descended, but it wasn’t quick, it was a slow move meant, I guessed, to give me time to pull away. To reject him.

As if that was even possible. I tilted my head back and waited for the spark to ignite between us the moment our lips touched, and Maverick did not disappoint. The instant his lips met mine, it wasn’t just a spark, it was a lightning storm of feelings and sensations. The kiss wasn’t sweet or tender or any of that nice shit that women like me were told kisses should be.

When Maverick kissed me, he devoured my mouth with an intensity that had me vibrating. His lips were velvety yet firm as they controlled the speed and the rhythm of the kiss. His tongue swept back and forth along the seam of my mouth until breathlessness forced me to open. He slipped between my lips. One arm hooked around me and pulled me close enough to feel just how hard and how big he was.

I let out a long, low moan and my knees gave way when our tongues touched. He tasted like dinner, like beer and man, and something I suspected was uniquely Maverick. I pushed in closer to him, pressing my chest against his and wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders. This kiss was unlike any I had ever experienced in my whole damn life. It was hot enough to blister my skin, so intense that tears pricked the spaces behind my eyes.

It was too much.

It wasn’t enough.

It was everything.

No man had ever kissed me this way, like I was his moon and his stars and everything in between. Not Trent. Not the high school boys before him. Not one damn person. But this big, sexy biker slid one hand up my back before it tangled in my hair and the other slid down until his big hand gripped my ass.

He groaned and leaned over, tilting me back so he had total control of me and the kiss. A small part of me thought that maybe I should be scared or worried that he had me in such a vulnerable position, but my hard nipples and my libido told that small part to shut the hell up. The kiss was so hot and so delicious that I never wanted it to end, I just wanted to stay like this with my lips locked against his until the end of time.

I groaned again and, feeling bold, let my fingertips dance in his soft, thick hair. Our bodies pressed so tight together that not even a breath of air could pass between us, and the answering tug between my thighs told me everything I really and truly needed to know about this man. He’s going to be my undoing.

Shit. I pulled back with wide eyes and stared up into dark blue eyes because I needed to see what the devil looked like. “I’m sorry,” I stammered out. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” I put my fingertips to my tingling lips and my body shook with a shiver.

I turned away because I felt foolish. What was I doing kissing a man like him? It didn’t mean anything, and it couldn’t go anywhere.

I was a fool.

Chapter 21

Maverick

I stared at Grace’s back, my body still a raging fucking inferno even as annoyance rose up within me. I was frustrated at the situation and pissed off at myself. What the fuck was I thinking making a move on a vulnerable single mom, one who had complicated issues where men were concerned?

Easy answer? I wasn’t thinking, not when our lips touched and my hands were free to roam her curves, and definitely not when she moaned into my mouth like I was all three of her favorite desserts rolled into one rich, sweet dish. Fuck, what a mess.

I needed to get myself under control and I needed to do it fast. “Okay.” The word left my mouth like a roll of thunder, and I swallowed around the angry lump. “You didn’t want that kiss to happen?” It was the most important question, because if Grace felt like I’d pressured her to do anything, I would find another arrangement for her and Sophie.

Her shoulders stiffened and her head fell forward, but she kept her back to me. “I didn’t say that. I just didn’t mean for it to happen.” Eventually, Grace found her courage and she turned to face me, allowing me to see the conflict in her eyes. “I didn’t kiss you because of gratitude.”

I frowned and folded my arms as I stared at her. “I didn’t think you did.”

“Or because I’m trying to weasel my way into your life and force you into something you don’t want.”

Is that what she thought? My arms fell to my sides, and I laughed. “Grace, I thought you let me kiss you because you wanted me to. That’s all I wanted, all I needed, was to taste those plump lips that have been torturing me since the day we met.”

She blinked, her lighter brows that didn’t match her red hair dipping into a frown. “Seriously?”

I nodded again and bit back a smile. “Yeah, Grace, really.” The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to kick the shit out of her husband. “Is that so hard to believe?” She was beautiful and sweet, sexy as fuck, and she cooked like a pro. There were more things that made her kissable, than made her off-limits.

She shrugged and looked away. “It didn’t occur to me.”

I ignored the donkey kick to the chest at the look in her eyes, the uncertainty that swam in her green depths. Fuck, she was strong, but she still saw herself as broken. “Look at me, Grace.”

Her head lifted and our gazes collided.

I couldn’t help it, I cupped the side of her face and let my thumb slide along the line of her jaw. “I kissed you and you kissed me back.”

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