Page 25 of Best Part of Me

He steps out of the Jeep, all long legs inside black jeans and Doc Martens boots. His black leather jacket and dark sunglasses complete his biker-hipster look perfectly. Only today, he’s in the Jeep. It makes sense for a road trip where he’s bringing camping gear along with his camera and laptop for work. Though I can’t help but be a bit disappointed. Being on the back of his motorcycle, feeling the rumble between my thighs, was the most thrilling experience I’d had in quite a while.

Until the intimate moment I shared with Maverick, that is.

“Hey,” he growls, the corner of his mouth tips up, and I practically melt on the sidewalk.

Later. There’s time for that later.

“Hey, yourself.”

His smile builds, and my knees weaken tenfold. He removes his sunglasses, granting me a glimpse into those dark and seductive eyes. The same ones that nearly undid me the night before. I almost fight him for the handle of my suitcase as I’m completely transfixed until he chuckles and breaks the spell. I relent, allowing him to take it. He tosses it into the back before turning around to face me.

With his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his black jeans, he says, “You sure about this?”

I nod. If Maverick had asked me to go with him anywhere, I’d probably go, no questions asked. Rosie reminded me of this during our earlier texting conversation.Your dream is becoming a reality, she’d said.

Rosie is the only person I told about this ten-day getaway. On the note to Dad, I kept it simple. Telling him I needed time to figure out my next step and was taking advantage of my time off work. I said I was taking a trip and I had enough money and my phone.

I open the door to the passenger side of the Jeep and climb in, tossing my backpack into the backseat. I glance at Maverick, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. If I didn’t know him better, I’d think he was nervous. But I’ve never seen Maverick nervous a day in my life.

He glimpses at me, a sexy grin on his perfect lips, and heat unfurls in my chest. “Ready?”

A calmness washes over me. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I might be making the best decision of my life. Screw Jones and his opinion on my choices. This ismylife, and it’s about damn time I start living it.

I reach for the seatbelt and click it in place before I look back at Maverick. “I made a road-trip playlist.”

He chuckles, and it rumbles in my chest gloriously. I want to undo my seatbelt and straddle him right this very second. But I don’t.Ten days. That’s a lot of days to not only straddle him but to do so many other things we didn’t have time for last night.

“Why does it not surprise me you had time to make a playlist?”

He shakes his head, but it’s not out of dismissal, and my heart warms.

“Priorities,” I say with a smile stretching so wide my cheeks hurt.

He veers the Jeep into traffic. “I think this work trip will be my most exciting one yet.”

“You have no idea.” I don’t intend to sound sexy, but it comes out sounding exactly like that, and when he reacts with dark, hooded eyes glancing in my direction, I don’t regret it. Maverick makes me feel courageous. Like I can say or do anything.

“If I’m gonna get work done, I have to actually make it to my destinations. And when you talk and look at me like that, it’s too fucking tempting to pull this Jeep over.”

My heart beats fast, little punches against my ribcage. “Like what?” I tease.

“Cammie,” he says sternly.

And it’s hot. The stern voice. The reprimand with my name.

I break our eye contact and snort a laugh.

“It’s so unfair,” he whines gruffly.

I pick up my phone and connect it to the Jeep stereo. “Don’t worry, there’s so many other fun things we can do. Like you can listen to me sing every song on this playlist.”

“Listening to your voice is my favorite thing,” he mumbles.

I peek at him and find his attention on the road in front of us, until he glances over his shoulder and says, “Okay, maybe my second favorite thing.”

And I dissolve. Time of death, 10:46. Maverick Mendes the Offender.

He is the reason why none of my past relationships worked out. He is the real reason why I ended things with Chris. Maverick Mendes is the owner of my heart. How could I give it to someone else?

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