Recognition crossed his face, his eyes darkening, and he got to his feet. His mouth crashed into mine. I devoured the taste of sweat and cum on his tongue, greedily kissing him harder until we were both breathless all over again. His forehead tipped against mine as we both worked to calm down.
“Huh,” he began.
“What?” I asked.
“Turns out… you are a little kinky, princess,” Maverick replied. I choked on my laughter at the old memory as I tried to hold the sound back. His hand covered my mouth while he shushed me, but his quiet laughter joined mine.
It took minutes for the rush of endorphins and adrenaline to fade. We both fixed our clothes in the quiet as the weight of the moment settled over us. I ran my fingers through my hair andstraightened my shirt while Maverick watched. No matter how professional I could make my outfit look, the flush in my cheeks wouldn’t diminish, but there wasn’t a single thing I could do about that. I’d just have to make some shit up if anyone asked.Maybe pretending to have food poisoning would be a good excuse.
That’d scare them all away, too.Hopefully.And I could sneak out all over again to see him because I wasn’t ready to be done with him.
“Meet me down by the dock,” I whispered. “It might be a while, but… I don’t want this to be it for tonight. I want to see you.”
His smile widened, and he leaned in, kissing me softly.
“I’ll wait for you, princess.”
My chest tightened with an inexplicable swirl of emotions as I left him in the bathroom.
CHAPTER 34
harley
Dinner never took so long to get through. I sat quietly as my mother dictated the conversation and answered questions directed at me. I was never good at this sort of socializing—the faking and the logistics. My family’s business ran so much deeper than the financial side everyone knew about. There were deals and partnerships, corners cut and special exceptions made. The longer I sat in these conversations, the more frustrated I became at having to bethiskind of person.
It made me sick to my stomach. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t who I wanted to be. By the time everyone finally left, I was ready to crawl out of my skin.I was also ready to find Maverick.
“I’m going for a walk,” I said as I paused in the living room, where my mother sat with her book. That look crossed my mother’s face—the one that told me she was gearing up to ream me a new one. “I’m just going down to the beach for a little while. I won’t be gone long.”
“Take your shoes off outside before you come back in. We don’t need sand everywhere,” she clipped. I was already planning on doing just that.
“Okay,” I replied. As I started to leave, she called me back.
“You did well tonight,” she told me. “Your father’s business associates are happy with your integration, even if you are a little quiet.”
“Thank you.”I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, considering who they were.I didn’t want to be the kind of man they liked or approved of.
“Vivienne will be here tomorrow morning for brunch,” she continued. My stomach dropped, and my heart lodged in my throat.Why the hell was she visiting?“I expect you to be there. She’s going to spend a few days with us.”
“Why?” I frowned. The idea of having to co-exist with that woman made my anxiety run wild.
“Because,” my mother set down her book to stare hard at me, “she has to learn the family business as well.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I said quickly. “I understand what you’re trying to do, but I don’t… I don’t like her.”
“Sometimes, we must favor smart decisions over thethingswe like.” The disdain in her voice told me she was speaking indirectly about Maverick. “Our world comes with expectations that we must embrace and make sacrifices for.”
“I don’t—”
“I’ll accept no arguments on this, Harley,” she cut me off. She picked up her book, effectively dismissing me and anything else I was trying to work up the nerve to say. That familiar clawing in my chest made me stall for just a moment. This wasn’t one of those conversations where no arguments felt like an acceptable way to end it. After letting me struggle for several minutes, she snapped, “Go for your walk, Harley, or go to your room. I’m done for the night.”
Lips pressed together tightly, I nodded and made my exit through the back door. The slight chill in the night air was welcome as I forced myself to breathe in deep. Each breath scraped against my lungs while I did my best to swallow the anxiety threatening to make me spiral.
It took work—work I wasn’t good at—to get my body under control again. I made Maverick the forefront of my mind. His presence was a lighthouse, cutting through all the dark things stirring in my mind. The calm that washed over me eased the tension in my muscles and loosened the air in my lungs. It was a feeling I wanted to cling to forever.
But the heavy pit in my stomach told me otherwise. It told me this was dated. I had obligations. Things I had to do.And Maverick didn’t fit into those things.
I shut my eyes against the familiar burn of tears and pushed out an unsteady breath. Why was it so hard to run away? To leave it all behind? I’d thought about it for years. Living with my grandfather had been a horrible experience designed to strip away all the things that made me… well, me. I was supposed to talk, dress, act, and think like him. I wasn’t enough like this.
