“But the wait could be months. So yesterday…” Maverick pauses, clearing his throat. “Yesterday I dropped him off at a private facility in the valley. He’ll be there for two months. Colin and I are covering the cost.” He slowly reaches over, glancing up at me first. Then, when he sees my smile, takes my hand and laces our fingers together. And that simple touch, the feel of his hand in mine, settles the ache in my chest. “He came to the apartment to thank you. You helped him in a way I never could. And I should have been falling at your feet in gratitude, not pushing you away in fear.” His eyes close again, and he lifts our hands to his lips, kissing my knuckles lightly before opening his eyes and looking at me. “Can you find a way to forgive me?”
I lean in to rest my forehead against his, feeling his exhale against my skin. “Only if you can forgive yourself.”
A choked sound close to a sob comes out of the big beautiful man sitting in front of me, and then he sags against me. His arms wrap around me like a vice, lifting me up to settle on his lap. We’re pressed as close together as possible, and it’s still not enough. I cup his scruff-covered jaw in my hands and press my lips to his, finally feeling his kiss fill my soul once again.
He pulls back, keeping it soft and short, and his eyes are still glistening with tears. “Sadie, I love you. I’ve been falling in love with you for weeks. Hell, probably for as long as I’ve known you. Everything about you is all I could possibly need. I never knew someone like you existed, much less could be with a guy like me. But I swear to you, I’ll never let another day go by without telling you just how much I love you.”
I’m speechless.
I’m staring at him through watery eyes, my mouth open in shock. Of all the things I imagined he would say if we saw each other again, those three words were never on the list. Even in my wildest dreams, where I imagined him coming back and apologizing, I didn’t dare let myself picture him telling me he loved me.
I scramble to recover, knowing I need to say something before he starts to wonder if those feelings are reciprocated.
“I’ve wanted to tell you I was falling in love with you since the night of your first game. But it started long before that. You’re not the only one who was scared. I was, too. So scared that I wouldn’t be enough for you. We were both wrong, Maverick. We’re more than enough for each other.”
He leans in and kisses me again, his tongue darting out to trace the seam of my mouth. I open eagerly with a small moan.
This time when we break apart, the tears are gone and we’re both breathing heavily. Maverick’s head turns, and he zeros in on the boxes. “I’m glad you’re getting out of this shithole, Specs.” He looks back at me, tenderly tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “But if you’re gonna sleep somewhere other than here, it better be in my bed, where you belong.”
“Mav,” I murmur, running my fingers through the curls at the base of his neck. His eyes widen as he leans back slightly.
“What did you say?”
My brows draw together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Mav. You’ve never called me that, it’s always Maverick.”
It takes me a second to realize he’s right. And another to realize why. “I think that was my weird way of not letting myselfget too close. In my head, only people close to you called you Mav.”
He’s shaking his head, his smile so full of love. “Oh, Specs, you couldn’t be more wrong. Everyone calls me Mav. Only the most important person in my world calls me Maverick.” He kisses me again, deeper this time. And the world around us grinds to a halt. The only thing I’m aware of is the feel of his lips on mine and his arms holding me tightly, exactly where I want to be.
Suddenly, he stands up, making me squeak as he lifts me with him. “Maverick! What are you doing?”
He doesn’t answer, just carries me into my bedroom. But my bed is covered in clothes and suitcases. Letting out a growl, he sets me down.
“We need to finish packing and get back to our apartment so I can show you how much I love you with my tongue and my cock.”
“Ourapartment?” I ask softly, and he looks down at me with such a tender smile.
“Yeah.” His smile grows deliciously wicked. “If you think I’m gonna let you live anywhere other than with me, you’re very wrong, Specs.”
I wind my arms around his neck and go up on my toes to kiss his jaw, then his cheek, and then, finally, his lips. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Chapter thirty-eight
Maverick
Unlocking the door to my apartment and holding it open for Sadie to walk through is right up there with hitting a home run in terms of how good it feels. She drops her bag on the table and immediately crouches down to pick up Cat, who nuzzles into her shoulder, his purr already audible.
“He’s been grumpy ever since you left. Haven’t heard him purr and he kept snubbing me.” I reach out and scratch him behind the ears. “Guess I wasn’t the only one miserable without you.”
She turns slightly so I can kiss her upturned lips. Cat protests being squished between us and scratches to be let down, forcing us apart. That’s fine because he’d just be in the way when I get to do what I want to her.
Taking her hands in mine, I start to walk backward in the direction of the bedroom. “We missed you. I’m pretty sure you should never leave again.”
Her smile lights up everything around us. “Sounds good to me. But you have to be the one to tell Ali she needs a new roommate.”
I don’t bother responding to that, just pick her up and toss her on the bed. She props up on her elbows and watches me, unabashedly, as I pull my shirt off over my head and toss it to the floor. Shoes come off next, then my pants, until I’m down to nothing but my underwear, my dick already straining against the fabric. I step between her legs and she sits up, her hands immediately lifting to run up and down my stomach. I gather her hair in my hand and tug gently, forcing her head to tip back. My other hand circles her throat, and I hold her right there, feeling her fingers dig into me as I lean down and kiss her softly.
