Lo

Slipping into the kitchen, I clicked the door shut behind me. It was quiet with only the rhythmic tick tock of the wall clock and the soft hum of the refrigerator making a sound. I glanced back at Maverick as he lingered by the pool house. The familiar sensations in my stomach tugged sharply but it wasn’t only desire I felt. After our intense conversation, waves of dread rippled through me too, swirling with my lust. Tainting the amazing night we’d spent together.

I’d pushed him too far, demanded answers he couldn’t give me. But I wanted to know all of him. Even the parts I might not like.

Tiptoeing across the kitchen, I reached the stairs, taking two steps at a time until I was safely inside the guest room. The door clicked shut behind me, and my eyes landed on the bed with its crisp fresh sheets and fluffy pillows. It looked so inviting, but the house would come alive within the hour and I'd have to play my part. Again. Have to pretend that Maverick was nothing to me… again. I peeled off my clothes and slipped into the white, silky-soft robe hanging on the back of the door, smiling to myself at Rebecca’s preparedness, and headed for the bathroom.

“Sleep well?” Kyle grinned cockily as he came out of the bathroom and I rolled my eyes choosing silence as my only reply. His laughter followed me all the way down the hallway. 

When I was showered and changed, I made my way downstairs. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen. Dad, Stella and Beth sat huddled at one end of the island, talking and laughing over their breakfast plates.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he said as I helped myself to a glass of juice. 

“Morning,” I replied, unable to meet his gaze, worried that if he saw my flushed skin and undisguisable smile, he might see the truth on my face.

“There's toast, pancakes, bacon, and cereal,” Uncle Gentry added. “Help yourself, Lo.

“Thanks.” I picked a stool away from Dad and Stella, and loaded my plate with pancakes despite my hunger disappearing the second I laid eyes on them.

It was weird being back and yet, in some ways, I felt more at home here, in amongst the secrets and lies than I did in my own house.

“It really was a lovely day, yesterday.” The sound of Stella's voice sent my spine rigid. “Thank you for inviting us.”

I risked a sideways glance at her, the woman my father loved. All day yesterday, she'd been polite. Laughing and chatting with Gentry and Rebecca as if they were old friends. Mum never wanted this life—had fought Dad on it—but Stella fit in so easily. As if she was supposed to be here.

As if she belonged here all along.

I swallowed over the lump of pancake stuck in my throat as my eyes burned with unshed tears. But then I felt Maverick behind me. His fingers grazed the small of my back so lightly I might have missed it. But I didn't. I felt that single touch all the way down to my crushed soul. Maverick got it. He understood. 

“Something smells good,” Kyle bounded into the room, freshly showered, and the spell was broken. Maverick went to him and some unspoken message passed between them. And then my cousin's gaze settled on me, “Laurie wants to know if you're coming to hang with us later?” 

“Kyle,” Rebecca sighed. “I wanted us to spend the day together.”

“No can do, Momma P. We have plans.” He waggled his eyebrows and stuffed a piece of bacon in his mouth.

“It's fine, darling. We can take Robert and Stella out on Dad’s boat? Someone might as well get some use out of it since Mom and Dad are off on their travels again.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Stella crooned, the sound vibrating in my skull. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Bethany?”

The little girl smiled showing the rest of us a mouthful of half-chewed cereal.

“Beth,” her mother blushed, covering her daughter’s mouth and whispering something about table manners.

“Be ready by ten,” Kyle said to me and I nodded. I was ready to get out of here.

So ready.

~

“Laurie snuck out unnoticed then?” I said to Kyle as he backed his Jeep out and did a U-turn before setting off down the winding drive.

“It seems the two of you are pretty stealthy that way.” He flashed me a sideways grin. “He's taking care of you, right?”

“Seriously, Kyle?”

“What? I'm just looking out for you. Rick is...” He blew out a long breath. “Look, I'm pleased the two of you finally got your shit together, maybe you can rein him in, but it doesn't mean I don't worry.” His voice trailed off and I curled my fingers into the soft leather. “Alec Prince is... well, he's a ruthless bastard. I don’t know what’s going on between him and Maverick but it’s nothing good, Cous. Things could get very messy when he finds out.”

“I know,” I whispered.

I wasn't stupid. And I hadn't missed the pure rage that flowed out of Maverick whenever talk of his future or father came up. 

“He won't talk to me about it.” I admitted. 

“Give him time. This, you, it's new for him. Rick doesn't let people get close, Cous.”

Another thing he didn't need to tell me, but then he added, “You're the exception. I don't know what happened that night last summer, but it stayed with him. When I realized it was you, I couldn't tell him. You were back in England. Unlikely to ever show up here again.”

He held my gaze, keeping his hands tight on the wheel as we sped toward wherever we were going. “But then Dad told us you were moving here. I didn't know what to do. After everything you'd been through... the stuff I heard my dad tell Rebecca,” he gulped. “You sounded as broken as him.”

Silence filled the space between us. Thick and heavy with the ghosts of my past and I struggled to breathe.

“I'm sorry,” was all he said, and I wasn't sure which part he was apologising for. But it didn't matter. The emotion in Kyle's voice, the way he'd taken me under his wing and protected me from the start, it was all I needed to know. 

“Thank you,” slipped from my lips and Kyle chuckled low in his throat.

“You're family, Cous.”

We rode the rest of the way in comfortable silence. Until I realised we were going in the opposite direction to Laurie’s house. “Hmm, Kyle where are we going?” I said, and then I saw it. “Luke Taffia's house?” It was the last place I expected.

“Change of plans,” he said as he turned into the sloping driveway. When he cut the engine, he added, “Come on, the Prince awaits.”

Maverick was here?

Of course he was. It was his best friend's house, but he hadn't said a single word about this when I managed to covertly ask him what his plans were for today. I climbed out and smoothed down my hair suddenly feeling unsure.

“Hey, its fine. It's nothing crazy. Rick and the team hang out here over the holidays. Luke’s parents vacation for the New Year in Cabo.”

I gave him a tight nod and followed him up the path. Maverick's car was tucked between two cars I didn't recognise. When I didn’t follow him inside, Kyle glanced back over his shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

“Last time we were here…” I dropped my eyes. We’d been drunk, and Maverick had given us a ride home—with the girl he’d come downstairs with.

“They didn’t sleep together.”

“What?” My head shot up, eyes wide, and I hated how insecure I sounded.

Kyle turned to face me, dragging a hand down his face. “You didn’t ask him about it, did you?”

Lips mashed together, I shook my head. I hadn’t asked. We weren’t together then. Maverick was a free agent. Despite how much it hurt to see them, so intimate and close, I hadn’t asked.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re as bad as each other.”

“Kyle.” I gritted my teeth, aware that we were standing on the threshold of Maverick’s best friend’s house and that he was probably in there.

“Maverick didn’t sleep with Selina. I asked him,” he hesitated. “He wouldn’t tell me the whole story, but I believed him. You should ask him about it.”

More secrets.

I had a feeling if I was going to be with Maverick, I needed to get used to them.

Reluctantly, I followed Kyle inside, closing the door behind me. Laughter floated down the hallway. The house reminded me of the Stone-Prince’s place. Posh. Big. It was beautiful. But unlike my family’s house back in England, it lacked the personal touches I was used to. No photographs or family portraits hung on the wall. It was all very perfect. And all very cold.

We entered a room toward the back of the house. A typical boy cave with huge sofas; bean bags; the biggest TV I’d ever seen, mounted on the wall; and a crowd of boys cheering at the screen.

“Stone, get in here.” Trey, the guy from that night at the party, said with a grin. But when his eyes roved to me they narrowed, and he tipped his chin. “Hey.”

I opened my mouth, a sarcastic reply on the tip of my tongue, but Maverick’s voice cut through the room. “Trey, back off.”

“Hey, man,” the boy’s hands shot up. “I’m just messing. Sorry, Lo.”

“Learn some manners, dude. She’s family.” Kyle threw me look I didn’t quite understand as he wedged himself between Trey and another guy I vaguely recognised from school and the basketball team.

My eyes moved from person to person, trying to place them. But I quickly realised, these were Maverick’s inner circle. The boys he hung out with at school, his teammates.

So why the hell was I here?

“Can I get you something to drink, Lo?” Luke said from his leather gaming chair.

“I’d take a water,” I said. But it wasn’t him who got up.

Maverick stalked toward me, his eyes holding mine. “Come on.” He took my hand and led me out of the room and across the hallway to the kitchen. All I could do was follow, my mind swimming at the strangeness of the situation.

Maverick had Kyle bring me here. To his friend’s house… to hang out with them?

“I can hear your thoughts from here.” He released my hand and went to a cabinet, retrieving a glass.

“No, you can’t,” I shot back.

Maverick slid the drink across the counter and then stalked around the island to me. “Yes, I can.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re thinking what the hell am I doing?”

He was close. His breath fanning my cheek as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “You’re not my dirty little secret, Lo. I want you here, with me.”

“Maverick.” My hands slid to his chest as I pulled away to look up at him. “It’s okay. This thing with your dad. College. It’s okay. You’ll let me in when you’re ready.”

Understanding danced in his eyes, but I saw the flecks of surprise. Confusion. Had he done this, brought me here, to reassure me?

Or himself?

“Prince, bring supplies,” someone yelled, breaking our connection. Maverick mumbled under his breath before capturing my lips in a quick peck.

“You okay with this?”

Was I?

I nodded.

When we returned to the game room, no one batted an eyelid as Maverick moved to one of the empty chairs and pulled me down on his lap. They noticed. I felt their intrigue. Their discreet glances in our direction. But no one said a word. Maverick was the Prince and them his Court. Luke was the only one who dared meet my gaze. He smiled broadly and gave me a nod of approval. And I don’t know why, but it meant something.

It meant a lot.

~

If I’d been confused by the whole situation, Laurie’s face blew my expression out of the water. Her eyes had widened to saucers when Kyle led her into the room and introduced her to everyone. Of course, she already knew everyone, but this was different. We were in their world now. It was a sight to behold—Laurie Davison speechless. Kyle laughed, tucking her into his side, as the rest of the boys continued with their game. Maverick chatted and took his turn, leaning around me to control his character, and day soon turned into late afternoon. Luke ordered in pizza and someone disappeared, returning with beer and more snacks. It was nothing like the parties I’d attended before with Laurie and Kyle.

The doorbell chimed and one of the guys, Aaron, leapt up.

“About fucking time, I’m starving.” As if on cue Kyle's stomach grumbled and me and Laurie stifled a laugh.

“I’ll get plates.” Luke rose from his chair and looked to us. “You guys eating?”

We shared a look and Laurie grinned. “Hmm, hells yeah. But I need to pee first.”

“Babe, too much information,” Kyle scolded but she wasn’t fazed as she followed Luke out of the room.

“Scoot over, I’ll go and help Luke.” Maverick lifted me to the side, so he could slide out from under me and I nestled back in the soft chair.

“So, Lo, you and Rick, huh?” Trey’s eyes were guarded. Not hostile but not particularly welcome either, but there was something in his voice and I couldn’t get a read on him.

“Trey, come on, man.” Kyle went straight to my defense, but I shook my head slightly at him.

“That’s between me and Maverick.” I lifted my chin a little and looked him dead in the eyes. He was concerned for his friend. I got it. I did. I’d swept onto the scene and Maverick, for all they knew, had hated me. Had wanted nothing to do with me. And now… well, I could see how it might be confusing.

“Yeah, but how did it even happen? I mean, one minute he’s gunning for your blood and then the next he’s all up in your—”

“Everything okay here?”

Our heads whipped around to the door. Maverick stood there, jaw clenched and his hard gaze set firmly on his teammate.