“Telling John he needs to talk to Maverick before they get in too deep,” Jack informed him.
“John? Maverick?” Theron looked at me and then toward the stairs. “Huh. Wouldn’t have expected that, but it fits.” He turned to me, his brow furrowed slightly. “Be careful with him. I know you have a reputation for being a growly hard ass, but that’s not what he needs. He needs the teddy bear you try to hide from everyone.”
“I’m not a damn stuffed toy,” I growled.
Jack grabbed four rocks glasses and set them on the bar. I grimaced when he pulled out a bottle of Irish whiskey. I wouldn’t turn it down, because I knew how expensive that shit was, but it wasn’t my favorite. What I needed right now was another shot—or six—of Jack Daniels to settle my nerves and quiet the turmoil in my head. “You are, but you’ve done such a good job hiding anything you think might make you seem weak, that you don’t even realize what a good heart you have.”
“And that’s what Maverick needs,” Theron added. “I don’t know the full story, but he moved out here because he liked how he felt when he came out to visit. He needs someone who’s going to encourage him to bust out of his cocoon so his butterfly can fly.”
“Damn man, you’ve been hanging out with the English teacher too damn long,” William teased him. “That was fucking poetry right there. Notgoodpoetry, but you get points for the attempt.”
“Fuck off. I’m just saying, from the bits I’ve gathered, there is a lot about his personality and identity that he hasn’t been able to explore. If John wants to be with him, he needs to be willing to accept all of him,” Theron explained, his eyes never straying from mine.
“Message heard,” I reassured him, pushing back from the bar when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
I felt them watching me as I approached Maverick. It was probably the biggest mistake of my life, but I couldn’t ignore whatever this was between us any longer. Even if we went down in flames, I needed to explore this attraction so I could bury the what-ifs.
“Warmer now, sweetheart?” I’d never been much of one for cutesy names, but I couldn’t help it with him. Maverick sounded like a road name one of the guys from the club would pick because they thought it made them seem badass. I didn’t doubt his strength for a moment, but he was sweet and pretty, and deserved something fitting of the beauty I’d seen the first time I met him.
Maverick nodded, carefully avoiding looking up at me. He pouted and huffed before saying, “Yeah, you were right.”
“It’s not about wanting to be right,” I told him, brushing the bangs out of his face before caressing his cheek. “I want you to be comfortable.”
“Why does it matter?” He bristled, taking the slightest step backwards, as if he didn’treallywant to put space between us but thought he should. “After earlier—”
“I already told you, earlier was a misunderstanding,” I reminded him. I slid my hand to the small of his back, guiding him toward the rest of the boys. “I’m hoping that you’ll let me explain later.”
“Why?”
God, was he always this skeptical or had I trained him to not trust me?
“Because we got off on the wrong foot and I’d like the chance to explain some things.” I slipped my hand into his. He stopped and turned to look at me. “My reactions so far have nothing to do with you, princess.”
He tensed, backing away from me as if he’d been burned. “Don’t call me that?”
“Hey, what happened there?” Fuck. I hadn’t meant anything bad by it. The endearment had slipped out but, until he’d reacted poorly, I hadn’t meant it as a slight. “Sweetheart, talk to me.”
Following my instincts, the way Jack had told me to, I moved to the oversized chair and tugged on his hand. Reluctantly, he sat down next to me, squirming around so he was wedged in next to me instead of on my lap where I wanted him.
“I don’t like people mocking me,” he said firmly. “I’m not a girl. I might like makeup and pretty clothes, but that doesn’t mean I wish I was a girl. I just want to be me.”
“Okay, thank you for telling me that,” I praised him. “But know I didn’t call you princess as an insult. Ever since the first time you walked into The Lodge, I’ve thought you were one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen. It confused me because, other than the first glimpse, when I wasn’t sure of your gender, all that mattered was that I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”
“My gender shouldn’t matter,” he grumbled. “People are so fucking hung up on that. Isn’t it enough for me to be who and how I want to be?”
“It absolutely is.” I grazed my thumb over the side of his hand. “And the fact you’re willing to stand up to me about that shows me how damn strong you are. I’d like to get to know more, and I still want to explain a bit about the shitty way I’ve acted, but not now.”
I glanced over my shoulder and noticed everyone trying their damndest tonotwatch the two of us. Maverick’s gaze followed mine and he buried his face in my neck. The press of his lips to my skin was so light, I wondered if I’d imagined it.
“Can we talk after dinner?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
“And after play time,” I told him. “Sam was excited for you to get to know the rest of his friends. There will be time for us after that.”
“Okay.” He shoved one hand between my back and the cushion of the chair and wrapped the other around my waist, hugging me tightly. “Thank you for talking to me a little. I feel better now. I thought you were mad when you saw me.”
“The exact opposite,” I admitted. “I was scared shitless, but that’s for later.”
Maverick stood between my legs. He bent down and kissed my cheek. “It might be okay for you to call me princess. I think I like it when you say it.”
