Page 57 of Shot to the Hart

“I could try and move her again.” I give her my best Flynn Rider smolder which earns me the smile that makes me feel like the world has stopped spinning in its tracks.

“Remember what we were supposed to talk about this morning? I think this may be one of those things. Plus, if you try to move her, she might wake up and she needs rest.” Grabbing my hands and pulling me closer to her. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to sleep alone, but I think I need to. For tonight, at least.”

“Fine. You’re right, but I’m not happy about it,” I grumble crowding her space until her back is against the wall by her room. Letting go of one hand, I run it up her side, taking my time, watching her pulse escalate until my hand is on the back of her neck. Pulling her slowly into me and kissing her gently for as long as she’ll let me. When she does finally pull away, my heart is pounding and the affection I feel for her is on the tip of my tongue.

“One more question before I leave you,” I whisper, worrying my bottom lip.

“One more answer.”

“Can I take you on a date? A proper one where we can finish our talk and I can court you.”

“Court me, Mav? This isn’t the eighteen-hundreds.” She chuckles. “But yes, I’d love to go on a proper date with you.”

“Brat,” I respond with a grin on my face.

“Goodnight, Mav. Get some sleep. We had a long day.” Kodi plants one last kiss on my lips before she pulls away, heading into her room.

“Goodnight, baby.” When I make it back into my room, Bella is still sound asleep in the middle of the bed. Rearranging some of the pillows and moving her small body over a little, I slide into bed, feeling the weight of the day on my body and mind. Justas I’m about to fall asleep, Bella begins moving, and next thing I know there’s a tiny foot in my ribcage. I move her foot away, but it ends up right back on my side and I kiss my night of sleep goodbye.

32

KODI

MORE THAN AN INCH OR TWO

Me

Why did I just get a package that I didn’t order, Maverick Hart?

Imagine my surprise when I went out to check the mail today after getting Bella down for her nap and discovered a package that I definitely didn’t order for myself. He isn’t answering quick enough so I text again, fidgeting with my hair tie.

Me

I’m waiting.

He should be finished with practice, and honestly, I miss his voice, so I click the FaceTime button on my phone. His face transforms from straightlaced to a giant grin that has my heart stopping in its tracks when he answers. I give him my own smile in return. There’s chaos in the background of what seems like alocker room. Before Mav can speak, Collins’ red eyebrow comes into view wiggling up and down before he’s shoved away.

“Hey, Darlin’. I miss you.” Someone makes a gagging noise in the background, and Mav grabs what looks like a kneepad and chucks it at someone behind the camera. A small thud and groan tells me he hit his intended target.

“Let me guess, Dom?” I laugh.

“That would be correct. You’re so pretty.” He finally gets up and exits the locker room, walking with me in his hand before sliding down a gray wall and sitting on the floor. The hall is much quieter than the room he was previously in.

“Now, stop sweet-talking me and tell me what’s in here.” I shake the package to emphasize my point. “I miss you too.”

“Why don’t you just open it?” He chuckles, eliciting an exaggerated eye roll from me. I tear the package open and hear the distinct crinkle of a package echo in his phone before I pull out an assortment of rings?

“Mav, what is this?”

“Well, I thought you might like these so you don’t keep snapping your hair ties. You did it the day you interviewed for the job and have done it regularly since. So, I did some research and discovered fidget rings. But I wasn’t sure which one you would want, so uh. . .” He grips the back of his neck looking down. “I bought her whole stock so you could decide which one to wear each day.”

I’m in disbelief that he noticed something so small about me. I didn’t think that it was a noticeable habit, but the fact that he has given me specific examples means one of two things: either everyone notices, or he pays that much attention to me and the tiny details. History and recent events makes me think it’s the latter.

I think I’ve died from a hot, sweet man overload. Darcy is going to have to put on my headstone: “Death by the most thoughtful man alive. Looking at you, Maverick Hart.”

He finally looks back up from his phone screen where I am most definitely smiling like a lovesick puppy dog before I squeal, “You bought her whole stock?”

“That would be correct.”

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