He pulls me closer. “I wish I could’ve been there when you went into labor to hold your hand.”
I give him a watery smile. “Thanks. I would’ve loved that.” I want to say “maybe next time,” but that’s crazy. We just got together.
Mav threads our fingers together. “I thought I’d come back to Wild Heart and miss my life in New York, but I don’t. In fact, I’m realizing how much I hated living there. Nothing against New Yorkers, but it ain’t Texas, you know?”
“Let me guess.” I run my finger over the bridge of his nose. “You missed my sweet tea.”
Leaning closer, he kisses me, just a graze of his lips against mine. “And all your sweet sass.”
“Mm.” I brush a strand of hair out of his face. “You call it sweet sass, but my sister calls it my bitch mode.”
“Well, I like a little bite in my women.”
Dragging my finger over his bottom lip, I chuckle. “You should talk. I think you’re the biter.”
He nips my finger, and I gasp. “I’ll admit that if your ass is in front of me, I’m gonna bite it.” He holds up his hand to pretend it’s grabbing my butt. “It’s just, grrr. Bitable.”
“Did you just growl?”
He slides me on top of him. “Maybe.” We kiss until I’m panting and aching everywhere. “Should we make the bed?”
I nod. Because hell yes, I want to roll around with Maverick.
Oh my God. We’re going to have sex. Like, full-on, p-in-v, sex.Don’t freak out.
Once we get the sheets and blanket on, I take a good long look at him as he stands on the opposite side of the bed. My heart thrums wildly in my chest as I pull off my shirt, which leaves me in a bra and jammy bottoms. I lift a brow.
He chuckles and strips off his t-shirt. Sweet baby Jesus, he’s handsome.
This next part takes a bit of courage. I try not to think about my mommy body and instead focus on how Mav’s looking at me right now. Taking a deep breath, I wiggle out of my pajama bottoms.
His eyes darken as he takes me in, but he follows suit, unsnapping his jeans and sliding them off.
Keeping my eyes on him, I slip under the covers where he joins me. I thread my fingers through his hair. “Do you have a condom? I’m not on birth control since I’m breastfeeding. And you… well, I wasn’t expecting you.”
He brushes his nose against mine. “I know the feeling. One sec.” He slides out and returns a minute later with a gold foil.
Holy crap. We’re really doing this.
“You okay?” he asks as he pulls me into his arms.
Looking into his eyes, I confess the truth. “Just freaking out a little because you’re you, and this is us.”
Stroking my hair, he frowns. “I have no expectations, Bay. If you need to stop, say the word. I know this is a lot to handle. You just had Leo a few months ago, so if you’re not ready, I understand.”
Gah! This man. “I’m ready.”I’ve been ready for you forever.
He smiles, and it makes my heart drum harder. “I promise we’ll be worth the wait.” Grazing my lips, he pulls me closer, until I’m pressed to his hard chest. We kiss until I’m out of breath and needy.
“Baby, take this off.” He tugs on my bra, and I reach behind me to snap it off. We both kick off our underwear, and then he rolls us over until he’s nestled between my thighs. I moan at how good he feels on top of me.
“You’re really wet,” he grunts.
“You’re really hard.”
Laughing, we smile at each other, and my heart flutters.
I want to tell him I love him so badly. I want to shout it from the rooftops. But I can’t lie—I’m scared to put myself out there again with Maverick. He’s been nothing but supportive and sweet and endearing, but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re not meant to be. And if that “kiss your best friend” challenge in high school taught me anything, it’s that losing him a second time will crush me.
