The declaration hung in the air, a vow wrapped in steel and tenderness. And for a moment, as dawn crept through the curtains, I believed in the possibility of a future where lovewasn’t just a casualty of war, but the very thing worth fighting for.
We fell into each other, our kisses starting off soft and slow, as though we were trying to express everything we couldn’t put into words, before it took a heady turn. Maverick turned me over, and while our sex was typically wild and passionate and rough, I could only describe what we did next as making love. Drinking from each other’s lips, intimate eye contact, soft breathing and quiet moans, roaming hands and bare skin in the golden glow of the sunrise.
We didn’t need words as we came together, our bodies seamlessly aligning in a dance as old as time. There was a reverence in his touch, a tenderness in the way he moved within me that whispered of emotions too deep to articulate. The world shrank until it was just us, the ebb and flow of our connection blurring the lines between fierce want and tender love.
Love.
A word I hadn’t allowed myself to truly feel in eons. An emotion so vulnerable and terrifying only because I knew what it was like to love someone and lose them forever, to hold them as they lost their life.
Afterward, lying entwined in the rumpled sheets, the morning light filtered through the curtains and cast lazy stripes across Maverick’s bare chest. I watched them rise and fall as his breathing evened, my head resting on his shoulder.
I let myself consider the possibility of a life with him—a life where lifestyle differences and rival families could be balanced by quiet moments like this. Leave Newark and all its bullshit behind. Could I really take back the empire and cleanse it of its past sins? With Maverick at my side, it felt possible… tempting, even.
“Hey,” he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “You’re frowning. What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
“Change,” I answered honestly, still grappling with the enormity of it all. “Thinking about the future—and what I want it to be.”
“Whatever you decide,” he assured me, pressing a kiss to my forehead, “I’m with you. All in.” It was as if he knew the battle I was facing inside. Maybe he was feeling it, too.
After several minutes of silence, he said, “Today I have to oversee the final touches on the new addition on the top floor. It won’t take long.”
“Sounds like you’ll be busy.”
“Only for a few hours,” he murmured, his hand sliding down the curve of my hip. “Then I’m all yours.”
“Promise?” I teased, but the flutter in my chest was real—as real as the fear that crept into my thoughts when considering the future.
“Always.” His eyes locked onto mine. And in that look, I saw something more than lust; I saw a depth of feeling that mirrored my own.
Before he left to attend to his business, he set a sleek black credit card beside my empty coffee mug.
“Make sure you eat something, Soph,” he reminded me.
“Will do,” I lied through my fucking teeth, because the thought of food turned my stomach. He’d be gone, and I was having an existential crisis, so why did it matter anyway?
“Enjoy yourself while I’m gone. Shop, relax—just remember to have fun. It’s Vegas, baby.”
“Fun,” I echoed, watching him grab his wallet and phone, preparing to step back into the role of a man with responsibilities that reached far beyond the bedroom.
“Exactly.” He leaned down to give me one last searing kiss. “Don’t worry about the cost—just indulge.”
“Indulge,” I mused aloud after he’d gone, my gaze drifting to the credit card. A sense of freedom mixed with discomfort took hold as I contemplated spending his money. This wasn’t who I was, but it would be a nice distraction while he was busy, so why not at least see what was in those glittering stores downstairs?
I sighed, willing myself to the shower.
***
I’m not a gold digger,I reminded myself as I pushed through the doors of the onsite luxury shops, surrounded by the opulence of high-end brands.Indulge,he’d said, and so I found myself caught up in the fantasy of it all. I was on vacation, with a limitless credit card from a man who was everything a woman could ask for. Hehadtold me to go shopping last night, so here I was.
I perused the stores, which were draped in silks and adorned with the finest accessories, and embraced the rush—the excitement of choosing whatever my heart desired. Something I’d never had the luxury of doing. Sure, my dad had left behind a sizable fortune, but that only floated us until my sisters and I were on our own. It wasn’t for mindless use. And now my mom worked to make ends meet, and I was on a cop’s salary. And yeah, my overtime made for nice paychecks, but I lived in a big city in the northeast, and it wasn’t exactly cheap.
My arms slowly filled up with bags. A silk top from one store, a nice pantsuit from another, some hand-selected lingerie. My inner girly girl freaked out every time I swiped his card.
I paused outside of a jewelry store, captivated by the glittering diamonds and gemstones. I’d never been in a jewelry store, but I’d always wondered…
My feet carried me in before I could stop myself. The two saleswomen sized up the bags in my arms, their eyes growing hungry with the hope of a sizable commission.
“Looking for anything in particular?” one woman asked, her dark red hair twisted into a sleek chignon.