Maverick turns to face me, the corner or his lip pulling up in a slow, confident smirk. “It’s the measure of the law, Chloe baby. Not the spirit.”
Out of my periphery, I catch Gabe nodding his head in agreement, and someone snorts a laugh, but I barely register it. When Maverick drapes his arm over my shoulder, everything else falls to a blur. His body presses against my side, and his eyes lock on mine so intensely I wonder if he’s going to kiss me again.
Nathan might not be here, but I can’t shake the thought that it’s exactly why he's doing it. My fingernails dig into my palms when he leans in closer. I tell myself I’m ready this time—or at least, I know how my body reacts to him. He leans forward another inch, his nose brushing mine, and my eyes flutter to the beat of my racing heart. His lips graze the tip of my nose, before he pulls back, settling in beside me like that was all he planned on doing. I blink, caught somewhere between disbelief and the lingering warmth beneath my skin.
“Alright, who’s in charge of the tents?” Parker asks, completely unaware of what just happened.
Like it’s a reflex, Maverick, Silas, Noah, and Gabe all put a finger to their nose. Parker and I look around the room, but once again, I’m left out of whatever weird thing is happening, because immediately, Parker gets it, and he sighs, dropping his head.
Gabe’s laugh dies when he sits up straight, looking around. “Wait, there aren’t any bears there, right?”
“If there are, we'll just sick Maverick on them,” Parker says, reaching for a mug. Maverick is the only one to crack a smile, and I can’t tell if it’s because he doesn’t want Parker tofeel bad for saying something stupid, or if he’s playing up some part that he believes people see him as.
After another half hour of camping talk, Savannah and Noah wander off under the guise of making more hot chocolate. The boys debate over fishing spots, but their voices begin to drown out over the crackling from the fireplace. Maverick shifts beside me, setting his mug down on the coffee table, and I shiver at the loss of his warmth. Without a word, he pulls off his beanie, followed by his sweatshirt and hands it to me. I blink at the shirt and then at him. There’s something quiet in his expression. Something I can’t place but can’t ignore either.
I take the sweatshirt, my fingers curling around the fabric that’s still warm from his body. My eyes flutter involuntarily as I pull it over myself, getting lost in the same scent that I woke up wrapped in only a few short weeks ago. It’s a smell that brings me instant peace. It’s like walking along the coast line and there’s nothing more than the sea breeze and sunshine on my skin. His scent is like being doused in sunlight that seeps so deep into my bones, I can’t help but feel like everything is right. Even if only for a moment.
With lips more swollen than when she left, Savannah brings out another round of hot chocolate. Maverick hands me a mug and then notices Gabe reaching for the whipped cream. He swats his hand away with a laugh before picking up another mug and handing it to Silas.
I watch him hovering casually at the end of the couch, laughing at something Noah said. Despite being fully involved in the conversation, I notice when his gaze flicks back to me, and I briefly wonder what he’s told them about us. I believed him when he said he didn’t tell them this was fake, but there’s no way in hell these guys would just accept him showing up with a girlfriend one day. This is a man who avoids commitment and is known for having a different girl in his lap every night.
They are guys, though, so maybe they just never asked.
“But she can sit with you girls.”
I blink, and the room comes back into focus. Both Gabe and Savannah are staring at me, and I have no idea why. Something might be wrong with me. I’m pretty sure it’s not normal to space out the way I have been lately only to come back to the present to have someone staring at me like I’m on another planet.
“Yeah.” Savannah smiles. “Of course, your new ‘girl—pause—friend’ can sit with us at the game tomorrow night,” she repeats his question for me, smiling through her words.
I’m grateful for the save but distracted once again when Maverick brings me under his arm and begins twisting a lock of my hair around his finger. I don’t look at him, but I can feel his gaze burning into me.
“I–I actually don’t think I’ll be able to make the game tomorrow night,” I manage to say.
Maverick’s hand stops, and it falls to my shoulder.
“Not coming to your man’s game? That’s cold, dog.” Gabe laughs.
I chance a peek over at him, and for the briefest second, I swear his expression morphs into something like disappointment.
“Well, it's just that I booked a new student for tutoring, and I have two scheduled back to back,” I hurry to add. “And then I have to get my own studying done. This past week has been a bit hectic, and I’ve fallen a little behind.” Not a total lie. For the first time in my academic career, Ihavefallen behind. But the rush to assure him that I have a good reason for not coming, spilled out so naturally. I shouldn’t feel guilty for not showing up to my fake boyfriend’s game, but that flash of hurt across his face felt so real. I’m about to assure him—and everyone else—that I’ll be at the next one, but when I open my mouth, that curve of his lip is already back.
“Apologize,” he says. His eyes stay on mine, and I don’tmove, even when he begins to tilt his head almost like a predator. He waits all of three seconds before turning fully to face Gabe. All the quiet chatter in the room has stopped, and I look from Gabe then back to Maverick whose smile hasn’t moved but somehow looks different.
“You made my girl uncomfortable, G. Apologize.”
Gabe places his hands in a prayer position at his heart and bows his head. “My sincerest apologies, Chloe.”
Silas lets out a breath, cupping Gabe’s shoulder. “In case it wasn’t clear, that was a warning shot.”
The boys share a laugh, brushing off the moment of tension, but I can’t pull my eyes off Maverick.
20
maverick
“Blink twiceif you’ve eaten anything other than stress.”
Chloe looks up from where her head was buried in her textbook, and a flicker of surprise passes her green eyes when they find me.
