“Jeff,” she grumbled, making it clear she didn’t care for that suggestion. Roni turned enough to frown briefly at her ex trying to pick up Ella, before rolling her eyes. “He’s not free. He’s with Ella Decker.”
Maverick’s irritation flared at the way Roni said Ella’s name like it was something distasteful.
“Not for long,” he growled, stepping around her.
He didn’t stop when Roni called his name, then said, “Ella Decker? You can’tseriouslywant Ella,” with way too big a toneof surprise. Obviously, Roni still viewed herself as the most desirable woman in town, which was a fucking joke.
Glancing over his shoulder, Maverick replied, “I’vealwayswanted Ella—and I always will.”
So maybe he wasn’t going to manage subtle after all.
Maverick didn’t even bother to watch Roni’s reaction to that bomb dropping because he was nearly where he wanted to be, his prey within reach.
“Jeff,” Maverick said.
“Hey, Mav. I was just telling Ella that she and I?—”
“You were just telling Ella goodbye,” he interjected, grasping her hand. The fact she accepted the grip without a word told him just how much she wanted to be saved from the conversation.
“I, um—what?” Jeff spluttered. His reaction would have been comical if Maverick weren’t a man on a mission, especially when he basically repeated what Roni said. “Wait. You and Ella?”
“Yep,” Maverick replied, dragging Ella away from the dumbass as quickly as he could. They’d made it halfway across the tasting room before he realized she wasn’t even fighting him.
Good.
However, Maverick probably should have given some thought to where he was headed before whisking her away, because the winery was busting at the seams today. They’d had a nice, steady flow of visitors during the week, but because it was Saturday and sunny, people had arrived in droves. And not just locals but tourists and people from D.C. looking for a break from the city, as well.
Maverick diverted, walking away from the entrance where there was a large group of locals gathered, looking at him and Ella like they were ready to absorb them into their conversation. Instead, he led her to the kitchen.
Mila glanced up from where she was decorating pizzas for Theo, who was outside manning the brick oven they’d built acouple of years back. They only fired it up on the super-busy weekends and for special events like this. Theo dubbed himself Grill Master years ago, and since no one else wanted to stand next to hot coals all damn day, they let him claim the title.
“Oh, hey, Mav, Ella. Did you guys need something?” Mila asked.
Maverick shook his head, spotting a quiet spot. “Nope,” he replied, continuing to tug a surprisingly unresistant Ella right into the pantry, where he closed the door behind them.
The last thing he saw before the door shut was Mila’s shocked expression.
He was three for three so far on surprising the hell out of people.
Might as well go for four.
“Maver—”
That was all Ella managed before he pulled her close, resuming that kiss they’d started in the wine cellar. The one that had been cut painfully short.
Now, like then, Ella was all in right from the start.
Her arms looped around his shoulders, her fingers diving back into his hair as he slid his hands from her waist to her hips, then around, gripping her tight ass.
Her pale green sundress revealed the perfect amount of cleavage, the hem falling to just above her knees. Maverick tried not to think about how easy it would be to lift the skirt, tug her panties to one side, and bury himself inside her gorgeous body.
Ella must have been thinking the same thing, because she parted her legs after he pushed her three steps backward and she hit the shelves. She lifted one leg, wrapping it around his thigh, so that he could shift even closer, his crotch pressed to her pussy.
She whimpered into his mouth at the first brush of his thick cock against her.
Then it was Maverick’s turn to groan as she pushed herself against him even harder. She’d always responded to him like this, always met him thrust for thrust.
Their kiss continued for several minutes as they devoured each other, coming together like ravenous beasts, which Maverick figured they were. They’d suffered through well over a decade of starvation.
