Page 112 of Pit Stop

“Of course I want it. I want you. I just don’t want you to regret it, regret me.”

“I could never,” he says, burrowing his face in my hair and inhaling. “I won’t. I love you. I want to be near you. Always. And if that means I work at a friend’s shop for a while, I will. My work isn’t much anyway. I can get hired anywhere.”

I stare up at him and shake my head. “No. Don’t say that. Don’t talk about yourself like that. You’re more. You do things that people need. You provide a service. You’re talented. You’ve always said I’m smart, that I’m going places, but you are too. I don’t think you realize it, but you are. In your own way, you’re fucking genius, Mav. You’re enough.”

I clutch him to me harder.

“I love you,” I say. “I love who you are. Inside and out.”

He stares at me, his eyes blinking wildly.

“You shouldn’t say such nice things about me. I have a past. A mom who is shit, a brother in jail, a dad who’s dead…”

“I don’t care. You’re not them. You’re Maverick. Mine. You’re fucking mine, and I loveyou.”

He breathes deeply, a loud sigh. “Does this mean you’ll let me move near you?”

I peer up at him, those dark, assessing eyes. “How about you moveinwith me? I don’t think I’d like you just near. I want you next to me. Every day.”

His lips twitch and he smiles. “Yeah, I was hoping for that, but didn’t want to press my luck.”

“It’s settled then. You’ll move in with me. We’ll live near school while it’s in session and come home during breaks.”

“Yeah.”

“And we’ll be happy.”

“Yeah, we will.”

I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his.

Fuck yes. This. Right here.

We may not be mates. Yet. But we will be, in time. It will all work out.

EPILOGUE

SKYE

Three months later…

Maverick packed up his stuff that very night, and the next morning, he followed Rob and me back to our apartment, his two suitcases in the back of his car. I was worried about him not having his motorcycle, but he assured me it was being delivered along with a few other things.

Things he needed while living here with me.

He wasn’t worried about it, so I told myself not to be as well. I was just happy he’d be in my bed every night and would be there after classes were over for the day.

And he was. He was in my bed every night. Through every heat.

He was mine in every way.

I make my way through campus, my heart racing in excitement. It’s the weekend, and Maverick and I are both off. I have some homework to do, but fuck, it’s just gonna be us. Rob is off with friends, leaving us alone in the apartment.

We’ve been trying so hard to be good while he’s around. We’re even fucking quietly. As hard as that is.

Rob’s been endlessly supportive, even if he does grump about how happy we both are. We still haven’t found our own place, but we promised to get one after winter break.

At the moment, neither of us can really afford much.

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