Page 54 of August 20

Instead, he relied on gestures and touch. She listened to the way he touched her, and that shut her up.

He kissed his way down her neck. She stared up at the ceiling. While he couldn't express himself with words, she could.

"I hate the way you make me feel," she whispered. "I hate how I care about your feelings more than I care about myself."

He put his hand between her legs and stroked the crotch of her shorts. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she swallowed hard. Along with not talking, he wasn't listening to her.

The silence in the room pounded in her ears until his hand relaxed and stopped moving. Then, he lifted his mouth off her and hovered above her, looking into her eyes.

His lips parted. Then, he lowered his brows and sighed, softening his gaze. All of that happened, leaving her dizzy. He was no longer the scary man who held her hostage.

He was real.

He suffered alone.

He shared his joy surrounding Skye with her.

His personality intrigued her. She wanted to know what made him strong enough to survive the accusations thrown at him. The prison sentence he served. The anger at having his daughter taken from him.

No wonder he'd blamed her for taking Skye. In his place, she would've done the same thing.

Skye was family. Her only family.

Maverick was Skye's father. And despite how she'd learned that and the extreme way Maverick had gone about getting his daughter back, he was now a part of her family, too.

It had nothing to do with the fake marriage.

"I hate that I can't let you go," he said, his voice gritty, taking her by surprise.

For the first time, she believed him. Maybe the situation had become too much for both of them. She hadn't expected to grow close to him.

Her insides quivered. She wanted to tell him it was okay. She understood. But that was a lie. She was more confused than ever.

She wanted him and knew she shouldn't. He'd done bad things to get her here. He'd stripped her of a job, a house, and a new location.

But she still wanted him.

She found his hand and placed it back between her legs. Then, she pulled his face down and captured his lips. The only one she was responsible for was Skye. If she was making the wrong decision, the only one who would get hurt was herself.

Maverick would still be Skye's father tomorrow.

She arched against his hand.

His lips softened and pulled back. She sucked in a breath, lightheaded. She'd made the first move. It'd taken everything out of her.

She'd handed him her life. He could end it. He could end her.

But his gaze possessed her, and then he lowered his head and kissed her, taking back control. She lay flat, unable to move.

They'd lived together for almost three months. In all that time, they'd watched each other. She'd lived in the same house, knowing he desired her. He'd watched her struggle with her attraction toward him, knowing she had to be insane to be attracted to the person who held her hostage.

But something in her brain refused to see Maverick as the bad man because he was Skye's father.

Now, all she could feel was how much she wanted him. She needed to experience being with him. Just one time.

The warmth of his mouth settled her nerves. His lips, stronger, firmer, wider than hers, controlled the next move. She closed her eyes.

The whiskers from his beard and mustache brushed her chin, cheeks, and neck. The coarse caress tickled and yet aroused her. Maverick never relied on words to comfort her. He never lied, never begged, never yelled.

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