Lo

My hands trembled as I slipped inside the room. At first, no one noticed me. But then a couple of girls saw me, their eyes widening with recognition, brows pinched with curiosity as they began whispering to one another. 

Then another group noticed. 

And another.

Until the rumble of whispers crept over the music. But I ignored them, searching the room until my eyes found him. Everything slowed down except for the pitter patter of my heart as our gazes collided. Surprise widened his eyes, and we stood there, drinking one another in, until we were breathless and moving. Slowly at first, and then quicker.

Like attracting magnets.

The entire senior class watched Maverick as he closed the distance between us. He strode with certainty where I walked with hesitation. He commanded people’s attention where I drew their judgement. He was the star of this show and people couldn’t help but watch him.

I couldn’t help but watch him.

But it didn’t matter because the second we reached one another there was only him and me.

Me.

And him. 

The heated stares and suggestive comments all melted into oblivion.

“What are you…” he stuttered, rubbing his face as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“I came,” I said holding his eyes, trying to say everything I should have already said. “For you.”

“But Caitlin?”

“Doesn’t matter anymore. You’re mine, Maverick. As much as I’m yours. I refuse to pretend anymore.”

“You’re fucking amazing, do you know that?” He smirked, sweeping his arm around me, but it quickly morphed into a broad smile. God, it looked good on him. He always stole my breath, but tonight, in the fitted charcoal tux that hugged his body like a second skin and with his hair styled to perfection, he looked like sin.

“She’s going to flip her shit,” he whispered as his lips connected with the sensitive skin just beneath my ear and a shiver rolled up my spine spreading out into every nerve ending and setting my body alight.

“She can bring it,” I said pushing any thoughts of her out of my mind.

There wasn’t time to back out. This was happening.

Consequences be damned.

Maverick took my hand, squeezing gently just as a shrill voice yelled, “What the hell is this?”

He was there in an instant, pushing me behind his body, shielding me from Caitlin. But I wasn’t here to hide, I was here for him.

With him.

I placed my hand on his arm and moved to Maverick’s side. “Caitlin,” I said. “You look really pretty.” A smile curved my lips. It wasn’t fake or smug. If anything, it was a little sad because I realised now, things never needed to get to this point. If I’d made this stand from the beginning, if I’d fought for Maverick the way I should have, we wouldn’t be here.

Her face paled with fury. “Wh- I don’t understand,” she choked out, trying to school her panic. But she knew. It was right there in her wide unforgiving gaze. 

“It’s over, Caitlin. The games, the lies.” Maverick's fingers dug into my hip as the words flowed out of me. And before I could stop him, he’d spun me into his arms and was kissing me. Tongues and teeth. Until our chests heaved, and my body sang. I almost missed her gasp.

Almost.

Peeking out from the comfort of his chest, I smiled again, and her whole face transformed, anger radiated from every pore. “You played me? This was all for show, wasn’t it?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Actions spoke louder than words and we’d just given her all the proof she needed.

“Wait until my father hears, you won’t get away with this.” She seethed, hands fisted by her sides. “I’ll make sure you both—”

“Cat, enough.” JB stepped up beside her and she swung her head around to meet him.

“Are you fucking kidding me, JB? You saw what they did. What he did. Are you just going to stand there and let him get away with it? They made me look like a total—”

“I said, enough.”

Caitlin shoulders sagged, realisation and defeat heavy on her face. “Fine. You won’t do anything about it? I will!” She stormed toward the door and out of the room, and Maverick slipped his arm around my shoulder, tucking me into his side.

“Some show, Little Stone,” JB smirked at me and I shrugged. 

“She had it coming.”

“Yeah.” He ran a hand over his face. “Yeah, she did. We good here, Prince?”

Everyone was still watching, wondering what could possibly be happening that Maverick and JB were in the same room, breathing the same air, and not trying to kill each other. But they didn’t know the whole story—they never would. Not even Maverick knew the whole story yet, but he would soon enough.

When he didn’t reply, I nudged his ribs, and he choked out, “Yeah, we’re good.”

None of us moved. JB’s hand flinched as if he might try to shake Maverick’s. But he didn’t. And that was okay. Some fractures were simply too deep to repair.

When I’d gone to him and revealed the truth, as much as I could without compromising Maverick’s darkest secrets, he didn’t want to believe the story of a man who cared more about business than his own son’s future. And despite knowing his sister’s reputation for being a grade A bitch, he didn’t want to accept Caitlin was a willing participant in Alec’s game. But the truth was a powerful motivator, and deep down I think he knew. JB knew something didn’t add up. I suspected it’s why he warned me about her, he just hadn’t fully understood all the players and pieces then. Caitlin wanted Maverick and he knew that put me in the firing line. And maybe, in the beginning, part of him did want to use me to get back at Maverick for hurting her. But somewhere along the line, I was right—JB had a soft spot for me, and despite his strange way of showing it, when it counted, he’d come through. For me.

For us.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Little Stone. My sister is something else. She won’t forget this. I can rein her in while I’m around but come fall, you’re on your own.”

“I know.”

Maverick tensed beside me, but he didn’t need to worry, I could handle Caitlin and whatever she threw at me.

JB shook his head, a flash of amusement in his eyes. “I guess I’ll see you around.” His eyes levelled to mine and for a second I saw regret there but then he was gone. Back to his date and friends.

Show over, the crowd went back to dancing. To drinking and laughing and enjoying their final moments of being high school seniors. 

My stomach danced, and my pulse thumped in my chest as I turned to Maverick and said, “What now, Prince?”

“Now.” He lowered his mouth over mine. “Now, we give them a real show.”

~

“Come on, Rick, you have to come, it’s our last official party as seniors.” A sloppy grin tugged at the corners of Luke’s mouth as he clung onto his date.

Maverick hugged me closer as we walked out of The Coastal. It was only just after midnight, but a lot of kids had already moved onto the various after-parties. We’d stayed until the bitter end, dancing until the lights came up and the cleaners moved in.

I’d never seen Maverick so carefree and happy. It touched somewhere deep inside me, and I knew tonight was the night.

“We can go, if you want,” I whispered to Maverick, but it wasn’t low enough and our small group cheered while the quiet boy beside me groaned. 

“The only place I want to be right now, is in you.” His lips ghosted over my skin and my eyes fluttered with the weight of his words.

“Maverick.” I pinched his sides and a deep rumble of laughter built in his chest.

“Too much information, dude,” a very glassy-eyed Trey said. He was toasted. So were Luke and Aaron. I’d tasted alcohol on Maverick’s lips when we kissed after watching Caitlin flee the dance, but he was sober now. And like a drunk thirsting for their next sip, hunger radiated from him.

“Sorry, I tried.” I said to his friends, and they booed as Maverick steered me away from them and back into the hotel.

“Hmm, Maverick, home is that way.” I glanced back at the door.

“We’re not going home.” He tugged me to a row of elevators. One pinged open, and he nudged me inside, stalking behind.

“What did you do?”

“You’re not the only who’s been keeping secrets,” was all he said as he hit the button and we started moving.

We rode to the top floor in silence. A slither of air between our bodies. Our hands and waists. The fine hair on my arms and his jacket. Electricity danced between us, and when the door pinged open again, I sucked in a sharp breath. “What is this?” My eyes scanned the room.

“This is the penthouse suite.”

“But… what…”

He wrapped me into his arms, tugging me against his firm chest. “This is ours for the whole night.”

“But…”

Warm lips brushed my neck. “Stop. Talking.”

I couldn’t have said anything if I tried. My words had died. Stolen away by the sheer beauty of this place. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. A huge glass window looked out over the Bay. The sea glistened under the moon, a blanket of stars twinkling like tiny diamonds.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.” His voice cracked, and I wanted to know what he was thinking. What he felt when he saw me standing there. But questions could wait, this was our time, and I didn’t want to ruin a single second.

Maverick’s hand slid down over my shoulder and down the sweetheart neckline of my dress. “I’ve waited all night to do this.” His lips chased a warm path over my skin, sending shivers rippling through me. 

“I love you,” the words tumbled out, and he stilled. One hand poised on my waist the other on my stomach. 

“What did you say?”

“I said,”—I turned in his arms, staring up at him—“I love you, Maverick.”

“Fuck, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear that.” Relief flashed in his eyes quickly followed by awe.

But I did know. And a part of me hated myself for not saying it sooner. “I’m sorry I made you wait.” It was a whisper.  

His eyes darkened capturing me in their intensity. “You were worth the wait, Lo. Worth every damn second.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “And what you did tonight… no one has ever… Do you want a drink or anything?”

“A drink?” I raised an eyebrow. And then it hit me, he was nervous. 

Maverick Prince was out of his depth. 

“Help me,” I said, turning and brushing my loose curls off my neck. He wasted no time, his fingers making easy work of the zipper. The dress slid down my body like warm butter until I was standing in nothing but my new lacy underwear. From the sharp intake of breath Maverick took, I made a mental note to thank Laurie for forcing a last-minute shopping trip on me. 

When I turned back around, Maverick’s hungry gaze swept down my body. Everything had built to this. Five months of secrets and sneaking around. Of heartache and insanity. Of feeling, more than once, like I was drowning. 

He closed the distance between us, shedding his tux jacket and dropping it to the floor. My fingers went to his shirt buttons, yanking and popping. Next went his trousers. A blur of clothes and kisses, breaths and touches. Until he lifted me up and carried me to the bed. Nothing between us.

No secrets.

No Caitlin.

Nothing but skin on skin. Love on love. 

And it was enough. 

More than enough, it was everything. 

~

“Can we stay here forever?” I sighed, tracing lazy circles over Maverick’s abs. He tightened his arm around me, answering with a kiss. “Hmm, I want to wake up every morning like this.”

“Good because I plan to move you into the pool house for the summer,” Maverick said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if us playing house was no big deal. 

And maybe it wasn’t. But the tension in my muscles, the little voice in my head, said otherwise. 

“Relax,” he chuckled. “I’m only joking. We can alternate. But first you have some explaining to do, Little Stone.” 

Rolling onto my stomach, I leaned up on my elbows readying myself for a conversation we should have had last night. But I think we’d been too relieved to want to go there.

“After seeing you with her at Valencia, well, it almost broke me. God, I wanted to kill her. But I realised something too.”

“Oh yeah? And what did you realize?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I realised I didn’t have to just stand by and wait for our fate to be sealed so I went to JB.” The quiet boy beside me tensed at the mention of his enemy’s name. But I leaned forward, brushing my lips over his. “I love you, Maverick. I’ve loved you for a long time. I’ve already lost so much, I won’t lose you too. So I did what I needed to do. JB might be a jerk but he isn’t a bad guy, not really. He was just looking out for sister. Once he knew the truth—

“So you told him?”

“I told him what he needed to know. I mean it, Maverick. I won’t lose you. Even if your dad—”

“He won’t.”

“What?” I rocked back onto my ankles, my pulse thrumming in my chest.

“Gentry’s man came through.”

“But how? I don’t understand?”

And why the hell was I only just finding out about this?

“Gentry got the call two days ago. I should have told you, but I didn’t want him hanging over us anymore, Lo. I wanted to look you in the eyes and make promises to you knowing I could keep them. Knowing that nothing and no one will come between us again.” He leaned up pressing a tender kiss to my lips. When he pulled away, love and promise shone in his eyes. “It was my plan to bring you here last night, all along. I just needed Caitlin to believe for a little while longer. I arranged this the second Gentry told me. I wanted to celebrate with you. To spend the night with you. With all of this behind us.”

There was so much I wanted to say. To ask. What his plans for summer were? Did he plan on moving to Steinbeck before freshman orientation? Did he have to attend summer camp? But I couldn’t find the words. Not when I’d just got him back.

All of him.

For the first time, I didn’t have to share him with anything. Alec, the team, the pressure of getting into college; it was all gone. I finally had all of him even if it was only for a brief moment. 

I didn’t want to think about what happened when he left. Not here. Not today. I just wanted to enjoy it. Savour the moment.

He broke the silence first. “You have that look.”

“What look?” I gave him a coy smile. 

“The one where your mind is working overtime and you want to say something.”

“I do not.”

“Yes,” he said. “You do.”

“I love you,” I blurted out. Now I’d said it, I couldn’t stop. All night, as he loved me, I’d said the words. Over and over. But Maverick didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

“Fuck, I love it when you say that.” He leaned up and captured my lips, sweeping his tongue into my mouth but I fought him off, shrieking, “Gross, morning breath, I need to brush my—”

Maverick slipped his arms around me, pulling me down on top of him and rolling us until he had me pinned to the bed. His legs slid between mine and a soft moan slipped from my mouth as rocked into me. 

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he pulled away. “You were saying?” 

“I—”

He slid inside again, and my body ignited. I ran my hands over his shoulders as he brushed his nose across mine moving in and out slowly, setting a delicious pace. And for the rest of the morning Maverick made me forget nothing and promised me everything.