Maverick (The Family Simon 3)

“Got it.” Maverick paused, suddenly serious. “So when am I going to see you again?”

Her eyes slid from his and she leaned her forehead onto the door. “I’m not sure that we should.”

“That’s unacceptable.” Maverick inched forward and grasped her chin, pulling her toward him so that she had to look into his eyes. “Look, that was a stupid move on my part, about the dance. I’m sorry that you think I blew you off because that wasn’t my intention. I’ll admit that at first I thought it might be a mistake to get involved with someone when I’m only here for a short period of time but now…”

“Now?”

“I’d like to get to know you.” Surprised at his admission, Maverick faltered. “I want to see you again.”

Something flickered in the depths of her eyes. Something that made him wonder. She extricated herself from his grasp and opened the door.

“I’ll think about it.”

“You’ll think about it,” Maverick repeated, watching her practically run down the steps toward her beat up Chevy. Red and orange light lit up the black horizon and he shivered from the cold. Charlie navigated her way through the high snowdrifts that had made their way across the driveway the night before and paused at her truck.

Shit was she just going to leave?

She looked at him, a small smile touching the corners of her mouth. “Yes Rick whoever-the-hell-you-are. I’ll think about it and maybe if you’re lucky—“

Relief rolled over him. “You mean extremely lucky.”

She snorted at that. “Maybe if you’re extremely lucky, I might offer up another round of complimentary sex.” She opened the driver’s side door and the hinges creaked. “Maybe.”

“I’ll be waiting,” he replied, unable to keep the grin off his face as she slid inside her truck and cranked the engine. He stood there, shivering in the cold, watching until the truck disappeared down the laneway that led from the estate to the main road. When he finally closed the door and leaned back against it, Maverick wasn’t sure what to think of this turn of events.

Had he just been blown off? Or was there the promise of a lot more of what he’d had the night before. And if there was (and let’s be real, he was all-in for more of Charlie Samuels), he was going to have to buck up and come clean about who he was and what that meant.

Was he willing to possibly blow Cooper’s cover? If word got out, was he willing to give up the peace he’d found out here? Would the press hound him? He scowled, thinking back to their relentless pursuit after the whole Elle thing.

He supposed the real question was, was Charlie Samuels worth that risk?

Chapter Ten

Charlie made it back to her house ten minutes before Davis was supposed to bring Connor home. Eight o’clock was when her brother’s favorite cartoon started and he usually spent a lazy Sunday morning in his plush blue chair with a bowl of dried Cheerios and a glass of orange juice. She’d cut it way too close.

Charlie rushed upstairs, stripped down to her—damn, must have left her panties at Rick’s—and pulled on her old, flannel pajamas. Her hair was a disaster so she clipped it into a loose knot on top of her head and shoved her feet into her slippers. Tossing her clothes into the laundry hamper just inside her closet, she eyed the bathroom.

She really needed to brush her teeth and was more than a little afraid to see what she looked like. She took one step toward the bathroom but then heard a truck in her driveway. Crap. She literally flew down the stairs and was lucky she didn’t fall and break her neck. Though she stumbled over the last one, lost her slipper, and stubbed her toe on the edge of the last step. When Davis opened the door, she was rubbing her big toe and swearing like a trucker.

“Hey now,” Davis said, following Connor inside. “Let’s keep it clean. It is Sunday after all and I don’t think the big guy upstairs would appreciate that kind of language.”

Charlie ignored Davis and smiled at her brother. “Shark Man is on in like two minutes, buddy. Let’s get off your coat and boots.”

Connor held out his hands and she quickly peeled away his winter coat, hat and boots and she pointed to the living room. “I’ll grab your cereal.” With a glance at Davis, she continued, “Can you help him find Shark Man? Pretty sure it’s on channel 265.”

Without waiting, she hurried toward the kitchen, grabbed Connor’s favorite bowl and filled it with Cheerios. Next she rinsed out his Shark Man plastic cup from the dishwasher—she’d forgotten to run the damn thing the day before—and filled it up with OJ. Once she had Connor’s stuff together, she returned to the family room where her brother was already engrossed in the next adventure of Shark Man. She set his bowl and cup on the small table beside him and then took a step back.

He was still wearing his Spiderman pajamas and his hair looked as if it hadn’t been brushed. She smiled, her heart softening, and bent forward to ruffle the top of his head. Connor jerked at her touch, shaking his head, eyes still on the TV, and

with a sigh, Charlie backed away.

“You want coffee?” she asked Davis. She wasn’t really in the mood for company because, holy hell, everything she’d done the night before was coming back to her in vivid detail. Everything. Sweet Jesus, the things she’d let Rick do to her.

The things she’d done to him.

Complimentary blowjob? Who the hell said that? Especially to a guy she barely knew on what was pretty much a non-date, first date. Ugh.

Cheeks burning, she sailed past Davis, not waiting for an answer and headed straight for the coffee machine. Once she’d scooped out enough coffee grinds for a full pot and filled the reservoir with water, she grabbed two mugs and set them onto the table.