Page 44 of Maverick
I offered him nothing more than a raised brow and an inconspicuous, “Hm?”
“So mean…”
Laughing, I took our drinks and guided him out to the patio. “Did you and Reese have a good time last night?” he asked, taking the seat directly across from me.
“We did. I hadn’t intended to, but we kissed at the end of the night.”
Maverick’s brows hit his hairline. “You did?”
“Mm-hmm. I didn’t take it any further though. I didn’t want to until we had this time together. I wanted to know how you felt about us doing things on our own and needed to know that you’re comfortable with how things are.”
Smiling, Maverick hid behind a sip of his drink before he answered me. “I am—more than I thought, actually. I’m glad I didn’t chicken out that night at the club.”
“Was there a chance of that?” I chuckled.
“Oh, yeah. I never do anything like that.”
“What changed?”
My boy turned his gaze to his lap, where he fidgeted with his fingers. “It’s hard to find guys that… share my interests. Most of them take one look at me and assumeI’mgoing to be the Daddy, or that they’re going to be the one wearing the—” He dropped his voice down. “—lace and skirts. I figured that if you didn’t see me first, you were less likely to back out.”
Oh, my heart. “Those men didn’t and never will deserve you.” Maverick’s grin relaxed into an easy smile, but he didn’t speak so Icontinued. “Are you sure that me being your captain doesn’t make you uncomfortable?”
“Positive. You’ve never made me feel like you’re using your position of power against me—or against Reese for that matter. I like that we’re good both on and off the field.”
Speaking of the other boy waiting on us in my bedroom, I sent a text to him then stretched my arm across the table, palm up. “Me too.”
Just like Reese the night before, Maverick accepted the invitation, slipping his hand into mine.
“How did Stetson take it when you told him about us?”
“With you? He was surprised, but he wanted to know more details than anything, the nosy little bastard.” He paused to laugh, leg jiggling beneath the table. “With Reese, it got a bit tough, but I know that it’s only because he cares about me. I know he’ll adjust to Reese being a part of my life again.”
“See? I told you—he loves you, and he only wants what’s best for you. I can only imagine howyou’dreact if the tables were turned.”
With a deep, shaky breath, he fixed his eyes on where his thumb stroked the back of my hand. “The entire conversation made me realize something that I need to say to you, but it’s a bit scary.”
“Okay…”
Maverick shifted in his seat, picked up his drink and then set it back down again. He blew out a breath then groaned, scrubbing his hand over his face.
I squeezed his fingers, lowering my voice to avoid any listening ears. “Just say it, princess.”
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he blurted. When I didn’t respond right away, he rambled on nervously. “I mean… I don’tthinkso. I love you. I know it’s fast, but I’ve never felt like this about anyone. You and Reese are the first people I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last ones I think about atnight. And you don’t have to say it back, at least not right away, but?—”
“Hey…” I sandwiched his hands between my own, rubbing to cease the anxious rambling. “Breathe for me.”
Maverick closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, holding it for a few beats before he exhaled. When he opened them again, the sun had shifted, shining right into those sparkling green irises that I’d grown to…
Love.
Damn, that word slammed into me like a freight train. Up until recently—very recently—I never saw myself settling down, but Maverick was right: When we weren’t on the field, he was all I thought about. And after last night, I could easily picture getting to that point with Reese as well. I hadn’t known that I needed to hear Maverick say it first.
“I love you too,” I admitted.
The tension visibly melted from Maverick’s body. “You do?”
“I do, and I think life is way too short to spend it questioning feelings like that. But while we’re admitting things, I have a confession to make of my own."
