He smirks. “You jealous?”
“Not at all,” I say. I don’t even believe my own lie; there’s no way he’s going to.
He glosses over it, though, and fixes his intense dark eyes on me. “You never answered my question.”
I fiddle with the thick laminated menu in my hands. “Outside of my college roommate, I don’t have a lot of people in my corner right now. Once I started dating Craig, his friends became my friends. And they’ll stay his friends.”
“So you mean they’re shitty people,” Maverick summarizes.
“Well, they’re loyal to him, not me.” I raise my head to meet his steady gaze. “Craig slept with my maid of honor right before our wedding.”
“Christ,” Maverick mutters. “That must have felt like a double betrayal.”
“That’s exactly what it felt like.”
We go silent as our waitress bounces over. She’s a platinum-blonde with green eyes that focus solely on Maverick. She doesn’t spare me a glance as she beams at him.
“Hi, there. Do I know you?” She keeps staring at him as she fills our waters, barely missing my lap as she pours.
A smile plays around Maverick’s lips. “I doubt it.”
“Why’s that?” She cocks her hip and leans closer to him. “I know lots of celebrities.”
“I’m sure you do,” he says politely. “But I’m not a celebrity.”
The waitress shrugs. “You’re sexy. And I’m available. Are you free tonight?”
Holy crap.
Talk about not having to work for a date. All he did was sit down and pick up a menu.
But like he’s done since I met him, Maverick catches me by surprise. He glances over at me and winks.
“I’ve already got a date for tonight. We’re here to eat, so if you could please take our orders.”
The waitress turns and glares at me. “Oh.” She straightens up. “Of course.”
I order a chicken taco, and Maverick asks for a burrito. We decide to share a basket of tortilla chips and a side of guacamole.
After the server leaves, I raise my eyebrows at him playfully. “Do you always snag dates with that little effort? And people think you’re a Hollywood star?”
“Sometimes,” he says honestly.
“I didn’t have that experience,” I say. “Maybe when a man looks like this—” I wave my hand in his general direction. “You think it’s normal. But it’s really not.”
“And when a woman looks like this…” He playfully waves his hand in my direction as I had just done toward him. “You could easily be mistaken for a model or actress. Whether you want to admit that fact or not.”
I feel my face flush with heat. “I appreciate the compliment, Maverick, but…”
“You think I’m just trying to placate you?” His dark stare grows so intense I turn away. “Hannah. Look at me.”
I drag my gaze back to him. “Bossy as ever,” I murmur.
Maverick raises his eyebrows. “I think you like it when I’m bossy.”
I don’t want to admit to him how right he is. Something about his confident swagger turns me on.
He studies my face. “Hannah, I’m bossy when I know I’m right. And the truth is—you’re stunningly gorgeous.”
