Page 32 of Maverick

“Did you come here to nap?” she asked teasingly.

“I could,” he replied with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

“Didn’t you get any sleep last night?”

Maverick lifted his hat and looked at her, his piercing gaze causing her heart to flutter.

“Sweetheart, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since meeting you.”

A blush crept up Parker’s cheeks at his bold statement. “You’re kidding, right?”

He sat up, shaking his head. “No.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? Making me hard all night?” he said with a chuckle.

Parker gasped, swatting him playfully. “Maverick!”

“What? It’s the truth.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips before she could protest further. “You make my—”

She quickly covered his mouth with her hand, making him laugh. “Do not say it.”

“You are way too easy to tease,” he teased back, laying back and placing his hat over his face once again.

Parker couldn’t help but think about how different Maverick was from any man she had ever met before.

“I’ve never met a man like you,” she said quietly.

“Is that bad or good?”

“Probably both,” she admitted with a small smile.

“Fair enough.” He shrugged. “I say what I think, Parker. It’s something you’ll have to get used to if we’re going to continue to see each other.”

“If?” Her heart skipped a beat at the uncertainty in his tone.

He removed his hat and sat up again, fixing her with an intense gaze. “It’s entirely up to you.”

“I do want to continue to see you,” she reassured him, nervously tugging at the grass beside her. “I’m just not sure what to expect.”

“I just told you. I am not one to beat around the bush. I don’t mince words.” He put his finger under her chin and turned her face to meet his. “In or out of bed.”

Their eyes locked in a heated stare, before he gave her a quick kiss and settled back onto the grass.

Suddenly, Parker felt a tug on her fishing line and exclaimed in excitement as she stood up to reel it in. Maverick got up as well, grabbing the fishing net and standing by the bank. With his help, she pulled in a big, large-mouth bass that had taken the bait.

“Damn, nice fish,” Maverick commented approvingly as he held out the net for her to remove the fish.

She gingerly took hold of the fish by its mouth and removed the hook before releasing it back into the water.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, feeling proud of herself for catching such a big fish. “You know what this means, right? I need another worm.”

“And I get another kiss,” Maverick replied. “Maybe we should have played strip fishing; each time I attach a worm, you remove a piece of clothing,” he suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows and chuckled but stopped when she shot him a glare. “I’m kidding.”

“Who’s easy to tease now?” she taunted, enjoying seeing him flustered for once.

Maverick set his pole down, stood, and started toward her with purposeful strides. She backed up, holding her hands out in front of her playfully and laughing. She turned to run, but he caught her easily, lifting her in his arms and holding her over the water. Blue bounced around them, barking.

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