Page 52 of Connected By Stars
“Good for you two,” Sophia says, rolling their eyes at them and making them laugh. “You guys have been together forever, and Maverick obviously knows what he’s doing with the girls lining up for him every weekend. Meanwhile, Bell and I are out there dating, and we know how hard it is to find the total package. There’s always something lacking. They’re either really good in bed and have no personality or a great personality and lack in passion or like Maverick and have both but can’t commit,” she says with a laugh.
“Thanks sis,” Maverick gives her a frown. “I can commit. Maybe I just haven’t been with the right person yet that makes me want more than just one night.”
Sophia studies him before sighing, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I guess I just assumed it was because you were afraid of commitment.”
“It’s okay. If I’m being totally honest, part of me is deathly afraid of letting someone in and being vulnerable that way. It’s hard to let go and give someone else control over your heart.”
“I think if you’re with the right person, they would do everything in their control to protect your heart,” I say softly. He meets my eyes briefly, and I see the conflicting emotions in them. He gives me a small smile before looking away.
Cole clears his throat, and I look over at him. “I agree with Bell. When you’re with the right person, it clicks on all levels. And yeah, being vulnerable and letting someone in is scary, but it also brings you closer and opens up a new level of intimacyyou can’t get with a casual one-night stand. Sex is so much better when you both let each other in.”
“To mind-blowing sex!” Skye holds up her wine glass for a toast.
“To mind-blowing sex!” We all cheer and laugh.
“I don’t know if we needed a toast, but thanks, guys,” Noah says, walking back out with Emma.
Maverick looks at his watch. “Only twenty minutes? Have I not taught you anything over the years?”
“Oh, I could go all night, trust me, but when you’re as good as I am, you can hit all the right places and be deeply satisfied in a short amount of time, too,” he says, grinning at Maverick.
“Very true. You were listening.” Maverick grins back at him. “And judging by the look on Emma’s face, I would say she is deeply satisfied right now.”
“Oh my God.” Emma covers her face with her hands to hide the redness that appears on her cheeks. “I will be so glad when I’m not the topic of sex anymore.”
“But it’s so fun. I never knew there were so many shades of red,” Maverick tells her, and we all bust out laughing.
“I think we need to let the girls head to their sleepover before Emma is a permanent shade of red tomorrow for our wedding,” Noah teases, pulling her in for a hug and saying goodbye.
Cole and Skye stand up and kiss goodbye while Sophia goes inside to get our bags by the door. I stand awkwardly by Maverick while the couples talk softly. He looks at me, giving me a small smile. We haven’t had any alone time today with all the people around, and it’s really hard to be this close to him and not be able to touch him like I want to.
He must be feeling the same because I hear him say, “We better hug Bell. I know you’re going to miss me. It’s going to be afull night away from each other,” he teases the other couples as they laugh.
“A full night? However, will we manage?” I grin as he pulls me in for a hug. It feels so good to be in his arms. I resist the urge to sigh and bury my face in his neck.
“Keep your phone by you,” he whispers in my ear before pulling away. I nod slightly and take my bag from Sophia that she just brought out.
“You girls sure you don’t want me to drive you over there?” Noah asks Emma.
“No, we want to walk the beach. It’s beautiful outside tonight,” she says, giving him one more kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be the one in white.”
“I’ll be there,” he smiles before letting her go.
I give Noah a hug before leaving. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t wait to see you get married. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he smiles. “Thank you for everything and for making Emma already feel like she has a sister. It really means a lot to me.”
“Of course. She’s felt like my sister since the moment we met.” I give him one last hug and join the girls on our walk to the beach.
I takeanother chocolate strawberry off our charcuterie board and take a bite. “There is nothing better than girl time, sipping Prosecco and eating chocolate strawberries,” I sigh. This is just what I need to relax due to all this bent-up sexual frustration I’ve been dealing with for the past month.
“So why haven’t you and Cole gotten married yet? You’ve been together since high school and live together. You’re practically married anyway.” Sophia asks Skye. We’re all curled up in our PJs on Emma’s couch, enjoying our girl talk.
“We’ve talked about marriage, and we both know we want to get married to each other one day. We wanted to finish college first and get settled into our careers. Now that we have an apartment together, we’re just enjoying ourselves. I know it’s our next step, and I do see us marrying in the next couple of years. I guess we’re just not in any rush.”
“It will be your wedding we’re at next,” Emma says, grinning at her. “I predict Cole will have a ring on that finger by the end of the year.”
“Do you know something I don’t?” Skye asks her, laughing.
