Page 60 of Maverick

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She pressed a kiss to my chest, snuggled in close, and minutes later her breathing was soft and even.

Meanwhile, my mind raced because that wasn’t just hot, it unleashed something unexpected. I knew I felt something for Grace, but this was different. The hot sex, the way she asked for what she wanted, the way she smiled up at me when she admitted she’d slept perfectly after the first time I fucked her.

I needed to find Trent.

Immediately.

Chapter 30

Grace

Two weeks went by without a Trent sighting or any more ill-timed notes, and I slowly let myself relax. I started to live my life and I tried to forget about Trent, but I couldn’t. Not really, because I knew he was there.

Watching.

Waiting.

But it was in the background of a life that had started to take form. A good life for Sophie and me, and one that heavily featured Maverick. He was everywhere I turned, which was a ridiculous thing to say when I lived in his home and slept in his bed. But even when he wasn’t around, he was there, in my mind making me smile. In my memories making me believe things could be different the second time around.

If I was looking for a second time around.

Which I wasn’t.

I was looking to rebuild my life, to find a job, and get Sophie enrolled in school and programs where she could spend time with kids her age. That was my priority because I couldn’t let my little girl live half a life because Trent was making things difficult.

“You ready, Soph?” I stared at my reflection in the mirror and smiled at the familiar face staring back at me. The red had faded enough that I decided to go back to my natural blond coloring since there was no point in hiding in plain sight anymore. Trent knew where I was.

“I’m ready, Mommy!” Sophie appeared in the bathroom and gasped. “Mommy you’re back.” She beamed a smile so wide and so bright it brought tears to my eyes.

“I am. Do you like it?”

She nodded in an exaggerated way, her smile wide. “We look the same again.”

“That’s right.” The old me was back, but better than ever. I looked the same, but the woman I used to be—meek and timid and afraid of her own fucking shadow—was gone, replaced by a woman with a backbone, who knew her strength. A woman resolved to be the star in her own damn life.

Sure, I spent most days cooking and cleaning and taking Sophie to the park or visiting Mable. But I felt different.

No, that wasn’t right. I didn’t just feel different, I was different.

And instead of worrying about covering up bruises, I took a second look at my daughter, and I smiled. “You look very pretty today, Sophie.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you, Mommy. Mr. Maverick bought me this skirt.” She twirled in a circle so that I could admire the denim skirt with ruffles—and pockets—she wore with leggings underneath. “I like Mr. Maverick a whole lot.”

Me too, honey. “He’s a good man.”

She leaned in close and whispered loudly. “I wish he was my daddy.”

And those six words steeled my determination like nothing else could have. She didn’t need Trent in her life because Maverick and his brothers had shown her what it meant to be a real man.

“Girls? You ready?”

Sophie’s eyes went wide at the sound of Maverick’s voice and a second later she took off towards the living room. “I’m ready!”

I ran a hand through my new hair and sighed. Ready or not, this was happening. Maverick wanted us to spend more time at the clubhouse so that he and his brothers could keep an eye on us. He promised we’d be safer there among the other women. The other women, as if I was his woman.

You want to be, my subconscious taunted. Maybe I did, but it wasn’t the right time. I was still married and traumatized, and definitely not in the market for another relationship. Not that he’d mentioned anything about wanting a relationship with me, or anything other than nightly orgasms that shook me to my core. “Ready,” I called out, and joined Sophie and Maverick in the living room.

---