And it made him realize he’d do anything not to break his word.
The conversation with Dare came back to him. Yeah, Maverick would be smart. He wouldn’t be the one to start shit. But if Slater came after her again, he sure as hell would be the one to finish it.
CHAPTER 28
Despite being woken up over and over again, Alexa opened her eyes to the early morning sunlight and felt . . . better. Stronger. Freer. For the horrible things Grant had tried to do to her, he was now in jail. And the more she thought about what’d happened yesterday, the more she realized that she’d been stronger and braver than she had in a long, long time. She hadn’t caved in to him. She hadn’t cowered and fallen apart. She’d schemed. She’d run. She’d fought. And she’d recounted every bit of it to the authorities.
That was more than she ever would’ve done before.
“Hey. You awake?” Maverick’s voice was low, gravelly, sexy.
She shifted to see him better. Dirty blond hair that he’d clearly been running his hands through. Scruff covering his jaw. A face full of hard angles. God, he was beautiful to her. “Yeah. You must be exhausted, though.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine. How you feeling?”
Alexa still had some achiness, and she couldn’t deny the small throb in the side of her head. But all of that would go away. And she’d still be free of Grant—and that made her freaking ecstatic. “Actually, I feel pretty decent. Nothing some ibuprofen can’t fix.”
He arched a brow, his gaze running over her face like he was analyzing her words. “Really? I was thinking you could rest here and I could take care of moving your mom. You’d be safe. Dare offered to come hang.” He gestured to his cell sitting on the nightstand next to his gun.
She pushed up on an elbow. For a long moment, she just soaked him in. The thoughtfulness of his words shot right to her heart. The raw emotion in his dark blue eyes wrapped around her and made her feel so cared for and safe. And his scruff made her want to feel it against her thighs.
She cupped his face in her hand, settling for feeling the beginnings of his beard against her palm. For now. “That’s not necessary, but thank you. I feel a lot better. And honestly? I’m done feeling bad over Grant Slater. Today is all about new beginnings, starting with moving Mom. And I want to be there for her.”
His eyes searched hers. After a moment, he nodded and pressed a kiss to her palm. “In case it needs to be said, you handled yesterday like a champ. It about fucking killed me to see—” He shook his head. “But you called us and you ran and you were fighting. When we got there, we saw you. I was terrified but proud of you, too. And I know you’re hurting right now but you survived, Alexa. You survived that and you survived him and even if there’s other bullshit to deal with, you’re out the other side.”
His fierceness built her up and bolstered her resolve. “You make me stronger, Maverick.”
“You’re strong on your own.” He kissed her palm again. “Don’t forget it.”
She swallowed hard, love and need for this man shooting through her fast and urgent. Alexa shifted her naked body on top of his, her knees settling on either side of his hips. “I won’t. And you can remind me if I do.”
“Better believe I will.” As he peered up at her, his eyes flashed hot. His hands landed on the outsides of her thighs. “You sure?”
She ground against the bulge of his cock. “Of this? Of you? Always.” Bracing her hands on his pillow, she leaned down and kissed him.
The groan he unleashed seemed connected to her clit, because desire suddenly had her aching there. Aching with need and lust and longing. She sucked on his tongue, and his hands went to her hips and ground her down harder against his erection. The rough denim rubbed maddeningly against her clit, making her gasp into the kiss.
“Want you,” she whispered into his mouth. “Want you so much.”
“Fuck, baby. Lay on your stomach.” He helped her push the pillows and covers out of the way, and then she stretched out in the center of the bed. He climbed off and tore his shirt over his head. She watched as he undid his jeans and shoved them down his lean hips, his cock jutting out hard and thick. Looking at her like he wanted to make a meal of her, he wrapped his hand around the base and stroked, once, twice, three times. “Christ, you’re beautiful.”
“I need you inside of me,” she said, licking her lips at the sight of him. Inked and rough and hard. For her.