IFELTMAVERICK SLIPPINGaway from me. He wouldn’t open up and tell me how he really felt. Instead, he tried to please me by taking the pressure off of my shoulders by telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. What was worse was that I let him. Why? Because it was easier for me? He was losing faith in us and I knew I had to get a handle on things before it was too late. I was allowing everyone to come before him in my life and it had to stop.
Justin returned earlier than expected and it was the break I needed. He took one look at my miserable face when he arrived to work and sent me home to pack. His appointments had already been rescheduled and he volunteered to meet with my scheduled patients. By that time, our patients had become accustomed to meeting with either one of us. I didn’t stick around to second guess his offer. I picked up Madge from doggie daycare, drove home to pack my bag, and we headed home. To Maverick.
Like the first trip, I blared Madonna from the speakers and sang along to help pass the time. I only stopped for bathroom breaks for both of us and made one trip through a fast food drive-thru around lunch time to fuel the last few hours of driving. I hungered for something more substantial than food – I hungered for Maverick.
By the time I passed theWelcome to Beaufortsign, I was amped up with need to see him. I had no clue where he was working so I decided to stop by his office to see if Roxie could help me out. I turned off the car and let Madge sniff out a spot in the grass to pee before we headed inside the office. I hadn’t met Roxie yet, but I had heard so much about her and her wife Betty Jean that I felt like I knew them. Even though Maverick had described her as a redheaded bombshell, I was still floored by her 60s Hollywood pinup appearance.How old did Maverick say she was?
“Oh my God! You do exist,” she exclaimed before I could introduce myself. “You have to be the one who has my boy all worked up.” She narrowed her eyes and shrewdly looked me over. Her gaze locked on mine and she said, “Have a seat and tell me what your intentions are for my boy.” I loved the way she referred to Maverick as hers and I was grateful that he had someone like her in his life.
I couldn’t keep the grin off of my face. “Shouldn’t I be telling Maverick about my intentions?”
“Listen, fella, I’ll make you disappear if you hurt my boy. I might look as if I don’t get my hands dirty, but for him… I will. He was so happy when you returned to town and now… Well, I don’t like seeing those dark shadows beneath his eyes as if he’s not sleeping. He’s moving around on autopilot and I hate it.” Her words struck me as hard as if she had hit me. Roxie must’ve seen how badly her words hurt me in my expression, because she softened her tone and added, “But, you’re here now and that counts for a lot.”
I appreciated her attempt to try and make me feel better, but seeing Maverick and making things right between us was the only thing that would help. “Can you tell me where he is right now so I can surprise him?”
“They finished up a job early today and he let the boys go on home instead of starting a new job. You’ll either find him tinkering around beneath Lola’s hood or in his studio.” She reached across the desk and patted my cheek. “He’ll be glad to see you.”
I let her words bolster my courage during the short ride to her house. Maverick had avoided Skype these past few weeks and said it was because he was having problems with his “ancient” laptop. After Roxie’s comment about the shadows under his eyes, I figured he wasn’t telling me the truth. He was trying to keep me from learning just how badly he was affected by my absence.
The garage door was open when I pulled around back and parked next to his truck. Lola’s cover was off and her hood was up, so I figured the garage was a good place to start. I followed the sounds of the wailing guitars and heavy drum beats from the classic rock that Maverick loved so much. As I got closer to the garage, I could hear the occasional clank of a tool hitting the concrete. It wasn’t gently laid down; it was tossed carelessly aside. It sounded like Maverick wasn’t in a good mood and that didn’t bode well for me. For the first time since I got in my car seven hours ago, I wondered if I had made a smart decision.
Maverick was nowhere in sight when I walked into the garage, but I could hear a few salty swear words being muttered from underneath Lola. The radio was plugged into an outlet in the corner of the garage next to the door where I walked in. I reached over, shut it off, and plunged the garage into silence. Well, for a few short seconds.
“What the?” I heard his cart roll out from beneath Lola. He couldn’t see me where I stood at the back of the car because of the open hood. Instead he leaned and peered around the side of the car. His expression went from irritated to disbelief in seconds. He started walking toward me, a brilliant smile on his grease-smeared face. He had never looked more beautiful to me.
“Hi.” I gave him a cutesy finger wave as I began walking toward him. “I was in the neighborhood and…” that was all I got out before I was wrapped in an embrace so tight I could hardly breathe. My body lit up like a piece of paper touched to a flame from his nearness. “I missed you so fucking much, Mav. I came as soon as I could.” He said nothing, just continued to hold me.
Finally, he pulled back enough that I could get my first good look at him. I saw the shadows that Roxie mentioned at the office. I raised my hand slowly and gently touched his face. “You haven’t been sleeping very well, Mav.” His face looked thinner as if he hadn’t been eating very well either. The part of me that adored him more than life wanted nothing more than to take care of him – feed him and hold him while he slept. I was also afraid he would see my gesture as thinking that he was weak, which was the farthest thing in my mind. Everyone, regardless of how tough and strong, needed some TLC occasionally.
“How long do I get to keep you?” Was there more to his words or was he just talking about that particular visit?
“I am hoping for forever, but for now I’m offering two weeks.” There, I covered all the bases. “If you’ll have me, that is.” The smile of relief on his face told me everything I needed to know.
Maverick placed his hands firmly against my neck and caressed my jaw with his thumbs. “I’ll have you, Noah.” His seductive smile gave way to humor as he dropped his hands from my neck and face. “Maybe you want me to clean up first though.”
I could feel the smears of grease where his fingers had been on my neck and my jaw. His happiness was all I cared about and if he wanted to roll me around on the garage floor I would’ve let him right then. I also knew Maverick needed more from me than sex. We clearly had the physical part of our relationship firing on all cylinders. What he needed was affirmation that my heart and soul were invested, not just my dick. Up to that point, all I had done was talk about the things I wanted to do to make it possible for me to move to Beaufort. Talk, no action. Sure, I talked to some psychiatrists at the veteran facilities in the area and it did seem like my services were needed, but it was time to do more than just talk.
“I’m going to head home, unpack, take a shower, and then do some grocery shopping so I can cook us dinner.”
Maverick moved until his lips hovered near mine. “Yeah?”
“Uh huh.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his mesmerizing stare. He looked like a completely different person from the one I saw when I arrived. “How do you feel about barbecue ribs, herb roasted potatoes, and corn on the cob?” I saw lust in his eyes for more than just my body.
“Dessert?”
My baking skills were next to nil. “Um, I’ll come up with something.”
“I don’t need dessert. Hell, I don’t need food; just this.” Maverick kissed me then – slow, soft, and seductive. He pulled back after several long minutes. My body begged for me to throw myself against Lola and demand that he take me right there, but I ignored it. I was a grown man who could control his urges; well, at least for a few more hours. “I have a surprise for you,” Maverick whispered in my ear.
“You do? What?” I loved surprises.
Maverick chuckled at my rapid fire questions and the excitement he heard in my voice. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it?” To that, I pouted. He put his greasy-ass hands on my shoulder, turned me around, and swatted me hard on the ass. “Get going so I can finish changing Lola’s oil and get cleaned up for tonight.”
“Be sure to wash all of my favorite places,” I tossed over my shoulder. “I don’t want any surprises when I suck your balls into my mouth.” I laughed at the groan that came out of him until I stepped out of the garage and nearly plowed into a woman who I suspected might be Betty Jean.
She laughed at the wide-eyed expression of horror I wore on my face. “Relax, kiddo. I knew he was all about the cock. You must be Noah.” She extended her hand and I shook it. She was as attractive as Roxie, but in an earthy, natural way.
“You must be Betty Jean,” I replied, somehow finding my ability to speak again. “I met your wife before I came over.”
