I absolutely fucking die.
“Cut! Someone get some powder on her please… I’ve got shiny foreheads ruining my shot!”
“Maverick, let me work!” I admonish before bitching loudly about the near perfect weather, trying to lay the blame on the sun and not Maverick feeding my filthy mind.
Once make-up and hair deal with me, it’s all systems go.
Usually, the first few frames when you restart are all about getting the lighting and the models right, but the director waves his hand around, urging us to keep doing what we’re doing.
Maverick drops his arm over my shoulder and wraps a hand around the side of my face, resting his head on mine. It feels intimate because it is. Having said that without looking, you already know it’s going to be the million-dollar shot.
“See how good we are together?” He purrs into my ear. “Please tell me we’re swapping numbers. God, think of the things we could do together. And I definitely want to hear your breathing hitch when you see the clips of me online.”
“Hussy,” I tease through a tight smile before we both get busy and pose. I lean my head to his, taking a deep and slow inhale of his blackberry scent and it’s so freaking good. I don’t know how I manage not to shiver, though I can’t do a thing about the goosebumps that race to dot my arms and legs.
He chuckles quietly, rubbing them away. All in the name of a photo of course.
“You’re going to have to work harder than throwing videos at me if you’re still suggesting we go out.” I smile up at him and the both of us pause to hold the pose again.
“One more, then we can wrap it up,” the director shouts out before either of us can say another word.
Turning slightly, I look off into the distance and Maverick follows my lead. When the set goes quiet and the only thing youhear is the automatic shutter of the photographer’s camera, you get a sense of how good we look together.
The shoot wraps up quickly. It always does since we get paid by the hour. No one stands around chatting unless there’s a chance for more work.
Maverick gets stopped on his way to the trailer by the photographer which is probably good because he’s clearly got things he wants to say and I’m not sure if I want to listen.
Nabbing my bag and forgoing the time it takes to change, I’m sneaking out the rear doors within minutes. Tonka and Big Tom are already in their car waiting to follow me home, and like clockwork my phone rings. Without answering, I know it’s King, I flick the call straight over to handsfree and prop it on my dashboard.
“Did they tell you what I’m wearing too?” I tease, jumping in and starting my car and opening the windows. I need fresh air as opposed to the captivating blackberry air I’ve been inhaling for the past few hours.
My Bluetooth is slow to connect, making King’s voice sound far away as his voice comes at me like he’s down the end of a tunnel. “They said you were getting harassed, killer, do I need to come sort some pretty boy out?” King answers, and I can hear the smile in his voice as he teases me.
“I sorted him out myself,” I mumble, twisting around to double check my blind spot. Turning back to face the front I scream, coming face to face with Maverick and I have no choice but to inhale his sweetness again.
And there’s no denying I’m a sucker for his scent. It robs me of my morals, steals the logic right out of my mind. If he asked me for my soul, I’m pretty sure I’d give it to him in a heartbeat.
“You doing a runner on me before we can swap numbers? Or are you watching my fights already?” Maverick purrs as he leans inside my car so close those flipping lips of his are begging to be tasted.
He doesn’t shift out of my space; at the same time, I don’t ask him too either. Being so close again I get distracted by the colours in his eyes, they’re so vibrant and evoke a feeling of utter warmth like he is the blazing fire himself. And he might well be because a rush of warmth slowly flows through my body. I lean closer, of course I do, and the twinkle in his autumn-coloured eyes confirms he doesn’t miss it either.
“Tristan, pay attention,” he coos at me when I keep staring and not talking. Although I’ve got no real measure for the way he’s acting because I read everything he does as heated and lusty and aimed right at me.
“Like I said before, Maverick, I’m busy.” I shrug while trying to maintain the facade of cool and calm.
He searches my face for something before he loses a little of his charm and gains a seriousness to his eyes. “If you’re going to ignore our obvious connection, Tristan, just let me know.” He talks quietly, drawing me closer. “I won’t push something if it’s not what you want. I’m not like that. But at the same time, I need you to know, I think you’re my scent match.”
He literally drops a bomb in my lap while smiling at me sweetly. Maverick is so at ease with what he dropped on me too. I knew he was cocky, but this isn’t cocky, it’s self-assurance and that is vastly different. His deep-seated confidence has chased away his showy ego from before and this side of him is way more attractive.
I have to put a bit of space between us because there is a crap tonne to unpack in his honesty.
“Call me. Or better yet come watch me fight and we can stay in after,” he offers again when it’s obvious I’m still at a loss as to how to answer because I don’t miss his innuendo at staying in and getting down and dirty. We move at the same time, though he also makes our hands touch. I go to pull away, but he holds my hand loosely in his. “We can go fast or slow, it really is up to you. Everything we do is up to you, and always will be.”
Without another word, he turns and walks away, and I’m left with a racing pulse and a wave of confusion threatening to derail my happiness. I drop my head to the steering wheel, wondering what the hell is going on.
“Killer, you good?” King’s voice is both soothing and soul destroying because I know he just heard what happened.
Since the moment we met, he’s had this ability to reach through to me on an intimate level. I swear even through our phone calls I can physically feel him next to me, even somehow breathing in his bourbon scent when I need to.
