Page 27 of The Cupcake Cottage

“Noted or already known.”

“So how was speaking to Violet? Did she squeal all over you?” She smirked as he rolled his eyes, settling deeper into his chair.

“She was a little excited. You told her?”

“About us? Yeah.” She took a sip of her drink to mask her smile. Violet had almost hit the roof with her enthusiasm when Daisy-Mae had told her they were dating. And naturally, being her best friend, Violet had noted the hesitation in some of her answers relating to how and when she’d been asked out. So now Vi knew the full story from crush to fake-real dating.

“Nice to know your friends approve.”

“How about yours?” She was curious what his friends thought.

“Men don’t really interfere in that kind of stuff.”

“It’s not interfering!”

“Okay, take that sort of interest.”

“Much better.”

Maverick frowned as he took in her office. He gestured at the hockey posters hanging to his right. “Didn’t peg this as your style.” He turned, looking at the wall behind him, and grinned at the poster of himself. He swiveled back to her, aiming a thumb over his shoulder. “Except for that. Want me to sign it?” He leaned forward as though searching for a marker on her desk.

“If it helps your ego. But I should tell you I plan to use it for practicing darts later.”

“You kill me.”

“Your eyes could serve as bullseye. Or…maybe something lower.”

“You’d think I’d wronged you,” he said in a playful, wounded tone. “Was our first date that bad?”

She moved to the chair beside him, tagging his shoulder with a gentle flick of her fingers, her gaze lingering on his biceps. My goodness. He was wearing a T-shirt today, and the sleeves stretched mighty tight across the bulge of muscles.

“Is the PR team satisfied we went out?”

“They may have mentioned the lack of attention we garnered.”

“So they’re still trying to marry you off?” she asked, sipping her drink. “Because I really can’t see you getting married while you’re in hockey.”

“I’m only getting married if you say yes,” he said with serious casualness, their eyes meeting over the white lids of their cups.

She lowered her cup and stared at him hard. He was joking, she reminded her fluttering heart. Joking.

He tipped back his head, breaking eye contact as he took a long sip of coffee. “I’m too busy for a major commitment like that. Women want their men to be around for stuff like marriage. And proper relationships.” His eyes darted her way.

“Yeah.”

He was staring at her and she felt a stab of self-consciousness. “What?”

He shook his head, his voice soft. “Nothing. It’s just…you understand me in a way most people don’t.”

“I’ve known you forever. That’s all.”

“It’s something more than that.”

She studied her cup, trying to hide the thrill that he felt it too—that connection that was beyond plain old familiarity that made them click. It was something deeper and stronger. Something you couldn’t create. It was just there. Always had been.

Maverick reached across the space between them and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. “You’ll always be my sunshine as long as I’m gazing into your gorgeous blue eyes. You could tell me I’m on death’s door, and I’d still see nothing but sunshine.”

He was so sincere, so bare and honest she wasn’t sure what to do about the power of his words. It felt like more than a line. More than something a fake boyfriend would say to his fake girlfriend.

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