Oh, shit.
That’s thought number one on the morning of my twenty-third birthday as last night’s events come flooding back to me.
God, Maverick’s bare chest is warm against meis thought number two.
And thought number three?
I need to get out of this bed before he wakes up.
My eyes feel like two paperweights are on them. I roll away from Maverick quietly. Just as I’ve got one leg dangling off the mattress, a strong arm bands across my waist and drags me backward. My back makes contact with Maverick’s chest.
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Good morning,” I say softly into the air.
“Happy birthday, Hannah.”
“Thank you.” Before I can apologize for last night, and possibly ask him to forget he ever heard my humiliating proposition, he adds quietly, “We need to talk.”
Oh, God. Here’s where he’s going to reject me. He’ll try to be kind and let me down easy.
But it will still sting.
Because I like Maverick. And I want to move past Craig. Ineedto move past Craig. My relationship with Maverick is the opposite of Craig. It’s simple and uncomplicated, and I like that. Sex with him would be perfect as a rebound. And we could say goodbye without angst.
“Can it wait?” I slip out from under his arm. “I have to shower.”
Once I’m safely locked inside the bathroom, I look into the mirror.
I’m wearing his clothes again.
Not complicated, my ass.
This trip has gone from a getaway ride to something undefined.
Undefined has always scared me. Life without rules is dangerous. Like the driver who fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the line, killing my parents, we all need firm lines in our life.
And yet, with Maverick, I just told him last night I was willing to throw away the rules.
I stare into the mirror at my pale, hungover reflection.
Am I?
* * *
Maverick goes to work out at the hotel gym while I take my time getting ready for the day.
I pair green shorts with a pink, white-laced tank top that has a built-in bra. With this heat, I want to wear as little as possible. I brush my dark hair until it’s smooth and has lost some of that tangled feel from being on the road. Grabbing an elastic, I pull half of my hair up into a knot and fasten it with the elastic.
Maverick returns to the room just as I’m stepping into my sandals. He’s all sweaty and breathing hard.
“Hey.”
I stare back at him in silence, mesmerized by how drop-dead gorgeous this man is.
“The gym was really nice,” he says, not seeming to notice my mouth hanging open.
I slam my jaw shut and nod.
“Do you work out?” he asks me as he tugs at his shirt by the neck.
