Chapter 4
That day at Maverick’s apartment, I really tried to make it look like I wasn’t affected by him. I just don’t know if he bought into it. The guy just stood there with his well-fitted jeans hanging just right on his hips, with a V showing the way to the promise land. It showed off his tan, chiseled chest and abs, where he had a star tattoo on his left hip and one more over his heart. Then, to top it all off, he was holding a sleeping Raine to that fine chest. I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me a little. I made a quick exit, or at least as quick as I could.
Well, shit, let me wipe the drool away after that visual I just gave myself. Damn it, I need to get me some. After all, women have needs too. I shake my head clear of bad thoughts about Maverick; it’s Thanksgiving Day and I can smell the aroma from the kitchen. Momma is cookin’ up a feast. Walking down the hallway on my way to help Momma in the kitchen, I overhear her talking to Dex about Maverick and Zac and how they aren’t gonna be with family for the holiday. That will not fly with Momma.
“You better go over there right now and tell them to get their asses over here. No one should spend the holidays by themselves.” Yep, that’s my momma. Not a single person should be alone on a holiday.
No one says no to Momma; plus, they would be crazy to pass up on a meal that she prepares. Fan-fuckin’-tastic; Maverick will be here for Thanksgiving dinner. Guess I will put on my best behavior, or Momma will have my ass.
Shit, who am I kiddin’? This is gonna be awful.
Everyone is enjoying their dinner, and I have been somewhat sweet. Except for the moment when I slammed Maverick’s plate down in front of him, of course.
“I knew you wanted me,” Mav says out of the blue.
“What are you talking about? I don’t even like you.” I narrow my eyes at him. All eyes in the room are looking between the two of us.
“If you don’t like me, then why are you rubbing up and down on my leg with your foot?” His smile grows.
“I’m not touching you!” I shout. The smile falls from Mav’s face and he looks thoroughly confused now.
Cayden chokes on her water and starts coughing as Callie pats her back, asking if she’s okay.
“My bad. That was me rubbing your leg,” Cayden admits between coughs. Zac lifts his head to look at Cayden with an intensity in his eyes I’ve never seen before.
“Why are you rubbing my leg?” Mav asks at the same time I voice my question. “Why are you rubbing his leg?”
“So... Cayden, did you hear Brody Masters is transferring to your college next semester?” Momma pipes up.
“No, I didn’t…” Cayden’s eyes are glued to Zac as he drops his fork on his plate and gets up from the table, going into the kitchen and opening the fridge.
“Don’t try and change the subject, Momma,” I cut Cayden off, then continue, “Answer the question, Cayden. Why were you rubbing Maverick’s leg?”
“Because I thought I was rubbing stubborn ass’s leg. Not Maverick’s,” Cayden huffs, out a breath.
“For someone who says they don’t like someone, Cydney, you seem more than a little upset with Cayden,” Callie states.
“Oh, shut your piehole, Callie.”
Callie just looks at me with her mouth open.
“Close your mouth, baby,” Dex tells her while pushing it closed with his finger beneath her chin.
That’s my cue to leave the table. “Thank you, Momma, for a wonderful meal.”
We all decided to go to The Dugout after dinner. Once we get there, we can see that there are a lot of students that didn’t go home for the holidays. The guys go to get our drinks as we take our seats at the single booth that is available.
“Cyd, why did you get all upset at dinner over the whole leg rubbing thing? It was an honest mistake,” Cayden says.
“Pfft, I didn’t get all upset. I just didn’t understand why you would be doing something like that,” I say with a deep sigh.
“Ha, I call bullshit. There is so much sexual tension between the two of you, you could cut it with a butter knife,” Callie puts in her two cents, laughing.
“Kiss my ass! The both of you.”
“I bet it has a sweet taste,” Maverick says with a smirk.
“You will never know,” I respond with a smile.
“Never say never, Firecracker,” he teases as he hands me my beer.
“You didn’t spit in my beer, did you?” I question as I take my beer from Maverick, looking in through the top of the bottle.
“That’s disgusting. No, I didn’t. I’d be more concerned with you doing that to me than the other way around.” Mav takes a seat across the table from me.
“Well, you’re kind of an asshole.” I give him a half-smile.
Callie fake gasps and covers her mouth. “Was that a smile you gave him?” We all laugh, but Mav has to open his mouth.
“And you’re a bitch.”
“Did you just call me… I know you did not just call me a bitch!” I stand from the table, lean over with my hands flat on the wooden tabletop, and stare him down.
He mimics my stance. “I did, and what are you gonna do about it, little girl? I like the smile, though.” Mav blows me a kiss, smiles, then sits back down.
“I can’t fucking stand you!” I yell over the music that just started blaring out of the speakers, then sit back down as well.
I sit here and listen to the others talk while I bring my temper back down. Maverick is a pain in my ass. Dex is telling Maverick and Zac that he will be moving out now that he has Raine. The looks on their faces are priceless, but in the end they understand why.
“Hey, I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Callie says as she is exiting the booth.
“You want me to go with you?” Dex asks.
“Nah, I’ll be fine,” Callie responds. Once she has left the booth, it goes quiet.
“Are you guys ready to get final exams done?” Cayden questions, breaking the silence. We all give our “yes” answers and then it goes quiet again.
However, I know that Zac has something on his mind, based on the curiosity that is showing on his face. I bet it has something to do with Brody. That tidbit of information that Momma unloaded did not go over well at all.
“You gonna tell me who the fuck Brody is?” Finally, Zac asks the question he’s been stewing on.
“Why should I? It’s not like you’re interested,” Cayden stubbornly replies.
“Who is he?” Zac demands.
“A friend from high school, okay?” They stare each other down. It’s gonna be interesting watching these two as time goes by.
It’s been a little while since Callie went to the bathroom, and Dex is looking a little uneasy. “I’ll be back; I’m going to go check on Callie,” Dex announces as he gets up from his seat.
Next thing I know, Callie is coming at us as fast as she can. When she arrives, she states, “Let’s go!” We can tell that tears are about to flow.
“What happened?” Cayden and I ask in unison, jumping up. Cayden grabs Callie’s hand and we are bolting for the front door. I hop into the front seat of the Jeep while Cayden puts Callie in the back before buckling herself up in the passenger seat.
On the drive back to the condo, Callie explains that Dex is the one that saved her the night she was nearly raped, the Fourth of July. We get Callie settled into bed and head back out to the living room.
Looking over at Cayden, I let her know that I am going to head out for some air. “Cayden, I’ll be back. I need to get out of here for a moment. Maybe some fresh air will relax me a bit.”
“Alright, Cyd. You need me or you got this?” she asks with concern in her eyes.
“I got this,” I reply, shutting the door behind me.
So much has happened today; my mind is a jumbled mess of emotions. I’ve never been jealous over a man, but today I was when I thought Cayden was rubbing Maverick’s leg. I might be going crazy, considering I don’t even like him, but the thought of another woman touching him pisses me off.
I laugh to myself because of the absurdity of the whole conundrum; I haven’t even touched him. And this is a good damn reason why I need to stay the hell away from him.
I look over at the building next to mine; he’s in there somewhere in his apartment, probably getting ready for bed. My face flushes at the reminder of what his torso looks like without a shirt on. All those colorful tattoos and muscles.
“Hey,” I hear from behind me; goosebumps cover my flesh and a shiver runs through me just hearing his voice.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” I don’t turn around; I stay facing away from the college, leaning against my building. Frankly, I’m fearful of what may happen if I turn around; whenever this man is in my presence, my body betrays me.
“I needed to get away for a few minutes.”
To keep my defenses up, I turn on him, anger in my eyes and my bitch mode in play. “Did you know?” I accuse. “Of course, you knew! Why wouldn’t he tell his best friends about the poor girl he had to save? Typical fucking man!” I spew, lashing out at Mav. It’s not his fault. But seeing my sister hurt because of Dex pisses me off and makes it easy to push my anger on Maverick.
Why couldn’t she just stick with our plan? No relationships, no feelings!
“Shut up! For once, just the shut the fuck up!” He huffs out a breath, and before I realize what’s happening, he’s pressed against my backside and my face is pressed against the building. Then, he leans in close to my ear and whispers, “No, I didn’t fucking know about it, but I’m sure Dex has his fucking reasons for keeping quiet.” His nose runs along the side of my neck. “I do know you need to stop fighting whatever the hell this is.” His hard erection digs into my back.
Taking a deep breath, I spout off, “There’s nothing to fight because there’s nothing between us.” My nipples harden against my bra as I speak the lies. I know the sexual tension between us is thick; we want each other, but I’m not gonna be another notch on his bedposts. “Go find someone else to give you another number in your long list of fucks.”
He spins me around until my back hits the brick wall, and my arms are above my head in his tight hold as he grips my wrists. “I’m tired of this shit!” he seethes and adds, “You think you got me all figured out, but you don’t know shit, little girl.” Our mouths are so close, yet not touching. His eyes search mine, and whatever he sees gives him the approval he seems to need, which surprises me. His mouth crashes against mine.
His tongue runs along the seam of my lips. I don’t fight. There’s no point; we both know I want it, and my body needs this. I open for his intrusion and let out a quiet moan.
Grabbing hold of his shirt, I pull him closer. I think, Fuck it, let’s do this, my brain no longer caring about being a conquest because the pounding throb between my thighs needs his touch more than anything right now.
In a rush, I kick my flip-flops off. He works in a hurry, pulling my jeans and panties down and over my feet. Before long, I’m lifted up in his muscular arms. Holding on to his shoulders with my hands, I wrap my legs around his waist like a fucking vice grip. With one arm around my waist, he glides his other hand down between us. The stroke of his finger against my soaking pussy makes me cry out like the wanton hussy I am.
“So fucking wet,” he praises against my lips in a husky, lust-filled tone. His hard erection rests against my stomach, and in my horny daze I never realized his jeans and boxer briefs were missing. His tongue slides back into my mouth, our tongues tangling in a desperation I’ve never felt before.
I hesitantly pull away. “Condom?” I ask, breathing heavily.
He reaches into his pocket, pulls it out, and holds it up to my mouth. Tearing the wrapper open with my teeth, I’m rewarded with a deep growl. Sheathing him in the latex, I take the opportunity to feel his erection, which reaches up to above his belly-button. My eyes widen in shock as my fist tries to fit all the way around him, but it’s impossible so I definitely have to use both hands to get the condom on properly.
“I don’t know about this, Maverick. You’re huge!” I start second-guessing this whole situation, not caring if I feed into his ego. He could rip me apart.
“Shh, Cydney. Don’t ruin this moment. I swear I’ll make it feel good,” he whispers as his lips graze across my neck and collarbone.
His hand moves under my shirt and bra; he holds my heavy breast in his hand, kneading my flesh and pulling at my nipple. It lights a fire within my body and I whimper at the sensation. I line him up to my entrance, bracing myself for him to implode me, but he slides in slowly, inch by glorious inch.
He gives me a moment to adjust to his size; we both moan at the sensation of him filling me completely. Maverick holds us up against the wall and keeps himself still for a few moments. “Fuck, Cydney! I need to move.”
“I’m ready,” I reply.
He starts moving, stroking in and out slowly at first before picking up his pace in deep, magnificent thrusts. Maverick’s thumb touches my clit and sparks ignite deep in my core; my head lolls back in ecstasy. My nails dig into his skin through his shirt.
“Maverick,” I mewl when he pulls almost all of the way out. “No, don’t stop.”
He chuckles. “No fucking way am I stopping. You feel too fucking good.” His forehead hits my shoulder and in a hard, deliberate thrust he pushes himself back in all the way to the hilt.
I cry out as tears sting the backs of my eyes, not because of pain, but because of such intense pleasure. I’ve never felt anything as amazing, euphoric, or blissful as Maverick’s cock and his thumb applying just the right amount of pressure on my clit with little circular movements, drawing me closer and closer to an earthshattering orgasm.
His lips touch my neck delicately and he whispers, “You’re close to coming.” He’s right. The explosion starts in my toes and works its way up my legs all the way to my belly.
“Harder,” I yell, not even caring where we are or who can see us. He pounds into me relentlessly; his thumb increases the pressure on my clit, and my nails dig in deeper as I take the raw, hard fucking he is delivering.
I bite down on his shoulder, fireworks dancing in my vision as my release bursts forth, unlike anything I have ever felt before. I scream, my mouth full of his shirt.
“Fuck!” He groans out and his movements become jerky and less controlled as he comes undone right along with me.
We cling to each other, still up against the wall, trying to get our breathing under control. Maverick moves first, raising his head; he gazes at me with a half-grin and tired eyes. “Shit! That was explosive.”
Searching his features, I start to come back to reality and my senses. “Put me down,” I demand.
For once, he doesn’t try arguing. When my feet hit the ground I start putting my panties, jeans, and flip-flops back on, and then adjust my hair and shirt. I look back up and he’s fixed his own appearance. “Don’t you dare tell a soul what happened here.” I narrow my eyes at his cocky smile.
The smile slowly fades. “What the fuck, Cydney?”
“Look, it happened. We relieved the sexual tension and that’s it. It was a great fuck, so thanks for that.” I tap him on the chest and begin to walk away.
“You’re still a bitch!” he says angrily.
Looking over my shoulder with an evil smile, I reply, “And you’re still an asshole. Fuckin’ me ain’t gonna change the way we are with each other.”
I gotta keep my shit together. I can’t let him know I would do it again in a heartbeat. It wouldn’t take but a second for him to have me right where he wants me, and that’s too dangerous. “Thanks, Sparky, see ya’ around.” With my final words, I round the corner of my building.
“Son of a bitch! I will tan your hide, Cydney!” he roars like a man possessed.
“Promises, promises. Keep dreaming, Sparky,” I say to myself. I laugh as I open the door to my building. Maverick Taylor has no idea what he got himself into with me.