“Do you need more rest?”
He shakes his head no. “I’m not missing out on any more time with Lydia. You got her all to yourself last night. How was it by the way?”
We didn’t get a chance to talk before he passed out in bed.
“Fucking life changing,” I say crossing my arms over my chest.
Maverick’s eyebrows raise at my declaration. It’s one thing to know something ahead of time. To be told that it might happen. To prepare and hope and plan. But when it’s happening and you actually get to experience it and feel how fucking great it could be? I blow out a sharp breath.
“You think we have a chance to make her stay?” I can’t stand hearing the hope in his question. I don’t even want to feel myself get hopeful, let alone have to deal with the possibility of his disappointment on top of it too.
“I don’t fucking know, Mav.”
His face falls and it guts me.
“Sorry, I just— I don’t want us to pin all our hopes and dreams on her just to have her leave at the end of this week.”
He gives me a sharp nod.
“Well, then we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t want to leave us.”
We stalk off into the night intent on getting our girl to stay. Whatever it takes.
We findher alone at the cabin. Her friends nowhere to be seen while she’s curled up in her bed with a book propped up on her lap. She’s wearing some sort of device on her head that illuminates the pages for her as she reads. It’s so fucking cute it hurts.
Maverick knocks on the cabin door with three sharp taps. We wait outside on the porch in the warm night air while she shuts her book and shuffles to answer. I can hear every step she takes and that inhale of breath once she sees who’s waiting at her door.
“Hey,” she says, sounding surprised to see us.
“Hey yourself,” Maverick says, leaning against the doorframe. “Want to come out and see something?” He asks.
Lydia looks between the two of us as she chews on her bottom lip. She’s wearing sleep shorts and a crop top. Her hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun with those two blue highlights framing her face. “I shouldn’t. I told my friends I needed a night off.”
That’s when I see it. The mark on her wrist.
“What happened?” I ask, grabbing at her arm and pulling her wrist up to get a better look.
“It’s nothing,” she says, yanking her hand away. But her distant attitude tells me otherwise. Something happened. Something left that mark on her.
“Bull. Tell me what happened.” I can feel my anger rising at whatever dared to hurt her.
She frowns at me. “Just because you fucked me, doesn’t mean I owe you anything, Hendricks,” she says, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
The way she says my name like a curse lets me know she cares way more than she’s trying to portray.
“What’s the matter, little screamer? Catch some feelings for your one-night stand that you weren’t expecting?” I bite back.
Her mouth pops open.
“Come on, Lydia. You’ll like it, I promise,” Maverick says with a smile trying to break the obvious tension with his charm.
I can see her contemplating it in her mind. Weighing the options.
“Where is it?” She asks.
“It’s a surprise.”
She looks up in annoyance and then lets out a sigh. “Give me a minute. I need to get dressed.” She slams the door in our faces, but that fire in her attitude gives me a sliver of hope.
