Nina felt heavy, languid pleasure unfurl low in her belly. If they had been anywhere else just then, instead of surrounded by people who knew both of them, Nina would have risen from her chair and gone to him. Despite her inexperience and shyness, shewantedto be close to him.
Instead, she smiled.
Maverick winked before turning to pick up the two glasses of wine. He carried them back and this time, he didn’t reclaim his empty chair but sat down on the love seat next to Nina.
He bumped her knee with his. It was just a quick touch, a lightly flirtatious gesture, but that didn’t stop Nina’s heart from tapping excitedly in her chest. Heat flooded her.
He was giving her the space to make the next move – she knew that – but because she didn’t want to be overt in front of Poppy, Nina reached forward and picked her drink up off the low table in front of her, but this time, when she sat back again, she deliberately shifted closer, placing her thigh directly against his much larger, firmer one.
Only that small contact was enough to have her body pulling tight with anticipation. The flush of awareness running through her intensified, searing the blood in her veins until she knew her cheeks must be bright red with it.
Maverick didn’t overtly react, instead he asked Markus, ‘How was the drive up today?’ and pressed his thigh more firmly against hers.
‘Fine. It’s one of those drives that’s just long enough to be inconvenient.’
As they talked, the band started playing. They didn’t waste time either, but jumped straight into a song even Nina, with her slight knowledge of country music, knew: ‘Highwayman’.
Nina could barely focus on the music over the feeling of Maverick’s leg against hers. Strangely, it reminded her of when she had been an extra in a movie in her early twenties. The screenplay’s action had read,In the seat next to Joe, a pretty teenage girl, giddy with the first flush of love, holds her boyfriend’s hand.
It might have been one of the smallest roles Nina had ever played. She hadn’t even had a line. But she still remembered it as one of the most difficult she’d ever had to act for one reason: she’d had no personal reference for ‘giddy with the first flush of love’.
But now, she thought she might understand what the writer had been trying to convey. She felt warm and flustered and weirdly shy even as her heart tapped with excitement.
She didn’t fight it either. Nina tried to hold on to it, tried to sear the memory – the exact pressure of his leg against hers, the heat between them, the excited thrum of her own pulse – into her mind and heart, knowing that while this was a first for her, it might very well be a last too. Because once she left Hunt Ranch there was no guarantee that she’d ever meet someone like Maverick again, no guarantee that she’d ever feel this dizzying excitement and anticipation over something as small as a man placing his thigh against hers.
Slowly, as the band moved on to ‘Last Night’ by Morgan Wallen, Nina relaxed. She swayed gently to the music and when Poppy looked across at her, she did a small eyebrow wiggle and lip-synced the lyrics, making the five-year-old laugh.
Nina didn’t pause to think that, right then, she wasn’t fixating on the past or the future. She wasn’t worrying about her career or the fact that it was probably over. She was present. And for the first time in weeks, that woman who had loved life peeked through the grief and the pain.
As the night progressed, people filtered onto the dance floor, taking advantage of the good music and free-flowing liquor. The sound of laughter was constant. The air tasted sweet with happiness. Children, dressed in their western gear, ran around, laughing and playing in a way she’d always associated with pre-television days but that seemed to be normal out here, in the middle of thousands of acres.
Markus dragged Sierra and Poppy onto the dance floor; she knew to give her and Maverick a moment alone.
Nina didn’t waste it. ‘This is really special, Mav,’ she said, the sudden emotion in her voice making it impossible to meet his eyes.
‘It is,’ he replied. He sat back in the seat, pulling Nina back with him so that she was nestled against him, his arm over her shoulders.
She relaxed against him, absorbing his strength and the sense of complete safety he provided. And when he placed his lips on the side of her head for one long moment, she sank into the sweet gesture.
‘If we weren’t in front of your staff right now, I’d kiss you back,’ she whispered.
Maverick’s thumb brushed her upper arm. ‘It’s not them,’ he said. ‘It’s Poppy.’
Nina turned to face the dance floor again, and saw that Poppy was completely distracted, dancing between Markus and Sierra.
‘I want you, Nina. I couldn’t hide it, even if I tried to.’ His voice was low, and despite the heavy topic of conversation, he never stopped that gentle, soothing touch. ‘But I can’t let her get used to you being in our lives.’
‘I understand.’ She really did. After what Maverick had been through with Shannon, Nina was glaringly aware of the fact that she would have to be careful. Honest. Open. Because it wasn’t just him. It was Poppy too, and she would cut off her own arm before hurting a child, especially Poppy, who was so sweet and loving and innocent. ‘But I need you to know: I can’t promise more than casual.’ Summoning her courage, she met those gentle blue eyes. ‘I want you to know that before we …’ She trailed off, embarrassed.
‘Have sex,’ he offered gently.
Nina flushed brilliantly. She couldn’t quite reply through the sudden block in her throat, but she nodded.
‘I know.’ He smiled slightly. ‘I’ve thought about it – and not lightly either. But every time I run through it, I arrive at the same conclusion.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yeah.’ He grinned outright. ‘I figure we’re not compatible. I know you need to go back and pick up your life and the career. But the only thing I’m certain of is that if I don’t take what I can of you while you’re here, I’ll always regret it.’ Raising his hand to her face, he brushed his fingertips down her cheek, sending rivulets of need through her. ‘I have plenty of regrets already, Nina. You’re not going to be one of them.’
