He winked at her, gently tugging on her ponytail. “I love this red hair. It’s like a flame, always drawing me to you.”
She giggled, even though she was moved by his words.
He’d asked her out on a date the second day he’d walked her to her classes. That was when she’d been forced to tell him about her dad’s no-dating rule. She had truly expected that to be the end of things, certain he’d move on to another girl, one whose dad wasn’t so strict.
Maverick hadn’t.
Just like he hadn’t when she’d confessed to not having a phone or a driver’s license, and to not being able to attend school sporting events or dances.
He’d also stuck around when she admitted she’d never had a boyfriend…or a first kiss.
Ella couldn’t understand why Maverick would continue to hang out with her, knowing this relationship could only occur during school hours. While she hadn’t come right out and said so, he also seemed to have figured out that she was trying to keep things between them a secret. Ella didn’t have a clue how angry her dad would be if he found out a boy had been holding her hand and walking her to class, but she’d been on the receiving end of his belt enough times that she wasn’t in a hurry to find out.
“Ella…Firefly,” he repeated, his gaze locked on her lips, reminding her of his request.
Ella glanced around, aware there was no one else near them. She licked her lips nervously. “Okay,” she whispered.
Maverick’s smile was brighter than the sun. “You’re so beautiful.”
Her heart literally took flight at his sweet words—then it practically burst out of her chest when he cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly.
She’d expected it to be a quick buss, but Maverick clearly had other plans. He used his grip to tilt her head slightly, his tongue and lips working together to encourage her to open her mouth. When she did, his tongue slipped in and the kiss catapulted to the next level, so hot and hungry and passionate and WOW.
When he released her, it took a moment for her to catch her breath and open her eyes. When she did, he was looking at her like she’d hung the moon.
“Maverick. That was…” she whispered, though she didn’t have a clue what to say next. Fortunately, she didn’t need to think too hard, because he pressed his forehead against hers.
“I know,” he murmured.
If it had been up to Ella, she would have gone in for seconds and thirds and four-thousandths on the kissing, but Maverick was better at concentrating on their surroundings. He stepped away from her, pushing the cart a few feet down the aisle, just as Mrs. Crites turned the corner with the stack of books she’d catalogued.
“More for your cart,” she said, oblivious to what had just happened.
Maverick took the books from her, his response smooth as silk when he gave her a flirty salute. “We’re on it.”
Mrs. Crites chuckled, then moved on, none the wiser.
Meanwhile, Ella struggled to move, too overwhelmed by the momentous occasion. She’d just gotten her first kiss, and it had been a hell of a lot better than she’d ever imagined.
Maverick crooked his finger when she failed to move, still rooted to the spot. She managed to take the half dozen steps required to reach him, shivering slightly when he ran the back of his fingers over her cheek.
“Keep blushing like that and Mrs. Crites will know what we were up to.”
“Sorry,” she said.
Maverick shook his head. “Don’t be sorry for that. God, Ella. That kiss was…”
“I know,” she said, filling in the blanks for him, the same way he had for her, and they both laughed.
He took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. “I’m going to kiss you right here, just like that, every single day.”
“Okay.”
“Because you’re mine.”
Ella was a big reader, books providing her a way to escape from her loneliness and her frustrations with her home life. So, she’d probably read at least a million words in her lifetime.
But no three words had ever packed a more powerful punch than those.
