Page 46 of You Saw the Best In Me

I can feel the heat flooding my body; this is the closest anybody has been to my heart in so long, and in a second, I come to the conclusion that I never want to let him go. It’s beautiful, and overwhelming at the same time.

I pull away, deciding that I’ve had enough, at least for now, and when I look into his eyes, I see how our kiss affected him, too.

He’s breathing heavily and still has his hands glued to my body.

“That was incredible,” he breathes, pulling me down on the bed.

I adjust to face him and rake my fingers through his dusky blonde hair, admiring the fragile man before me.

“Electric,” I say, shutting my eyes in an attempt to feel this moment forever.

We don’t say anything for a while, just lying here and embracing the silence.

“You could be the thing that breaks me completely or brings my heart back to life,” I say softly, offering another vulnerable piece of myself to Maverick.

He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he leans in and kisses my lips again.

Slow, a quick peck that makes my heart rate speed up.

“I need to shower. Are you going to be alright out here?” he asks, and I nod.

“I’m going to make your bed my personal kingdom,” I say, sprawling out and making myself comfortable.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, kitten,” he bites his bottom lip, instantly shooting me a look of seduction that lights me on fire.

“God, I love when you call me that,” I tease, crawling under the covers and turning away from him.

The sexual tension between us hangs thick in the air, and if the day weren’t already fucked with everything going on, I’d invite that pretty mouth in between my legs and ride his face until the sun came up.

Instead, that fantasy will have to wait for another day.

Right now, I’m pouring myself a drink and enjoying the comfort of Maverick’s bed.

His sheets are soft, and they smell incredible. A man with good hygiene who cleans his bedspread regularly is a major turn-on.

I can’t help but lean into the magic that’s happening. Maverick doesn’t see me as a damsel in distress or a dumbass for getting involved with an abusive man. He sees beyond that, further into me as a person.

We may have started out hating each other, our hearts and minds closed off to anything more, but each day that passes is another chance for us to open our souls to each other.

MAVERICK

The shower water has turned cold, but I can’t pull myself out of the confines of these four walls. Today has been so mindbendingly fucked, and it’s barely dinner time.

Talking about my mom with Karina was like experiencing the pain and grief all over again, considering I’ve never spoken about her last moments alive with anyone else.

For ten years, I’ve kept the details of that day to myself — until today.

Something about Karina makes me want to open all my wounds and let her see the shit I hide from the world.

I can feel how much she cares when she looks at me or listens to my stories. We’ve both been through things that would scare other people away, but somehow, it’s only strengthened our connection.

When she asked me to kiss her, all the breath was stolen from my lungs, and the thoughts in my brain were wiped away. All I could think about at the moment was how this could change everything between us forever.

It was a big deal for her, and I did my best to be gentle. It wasn’t about me; it wasn’t about lust or desire. It was a kiss that had to be enough to change her mind about everything she’s believed for years.

Laying beside her in my bed was overwhelming, but calming, in a strange mix of emotions. Everything has changed in twenty-four hours, and I’m trying to wrap my head around it all.

I finally get out of the shower, my bones frozen from how cold the water turned. I wrap the towel around myself and realize I didn’t bring a fresh change of clothes.