I Dare You (The Hook Up 1)

Maverick’s chest heaves, his face oddly still as he moves his gaze around the room, taking in the clothes strewn about on the floor, the shoes I kicked off as soon as I came in, and the boxes of wine. He swallows, his throat bobbing as his eyes finally land on me. His fists are clenched at his sides, a barely contained force about to blow.

“Alex? Seriously? Goddammit, Delaney. You really had me fooled.”

I die at his words. The world stops.

I want to rewind everything and make sure Skye doesn’t beg Alex to walk us to our room. I wish I’d never even spoken to Alex at the beach today.

He brushes past me and I grab his arm, making him come up short. Anger works his face, and another girl might worry that he’d lash out, but it’s Maverick and I know underneath all that muscle is a heart that would never hurt a girl, not even Muffin.

“It’s not what you think. Skye and I went clubbing with him then he came up here and promptly passed out. That’s it.”

His teeth snap together, his shoulders stiff and defensive as he glares at me. I see pain there, hurt. “You tell me you love me one minute and the next you’re at the beach with your ex—what am I supposed to think?”

How on earth do I explain to him that Alex doesn’t even register on my radar anymore? Not after falling for Maverick.

“You’re supposed to believe me because nothing compares to you,” I say, letting his arm go. “Because my heart is yours and always will be.”

He’s made it to the door but turns back toward me. Maybe it’s my words that stopped him. He scrubs his face and pulls the hair off his forehead, holding on to it as he stares at me. “You’re killing me, Delaney. I can’t think straight without you.”

We hear Skye then, flushing the toilet then singing “Let It Go” from the Frozen soundtrack over the rush of the sink as she washes her hands.

I walk over to him, eliminating the distance between us. “You came all this way, Maverick. Stay and talk to me. Alex…he and Skye…I think there’s something there between them—that’s why I agreed to go out with them tonight. He’s not a rebound guy. I think they like each other. You…you’re all I want.”

He stares at me for a long time, even after Skye pops out of the bathroom and weaves over to me. She throws her arms around me and once she sees Maverick, she takes a step back, nearly falling. “Whoa. Is there a hot guy that looks like Maverick in our room?” She squints. “Is he a stripper? Please tell me it’s a stripper.”

“No,” I tell her firmly. “It’s Maverick.”

She blinks. “How did he get here? Is he magic?”

“I drove,” he says tightly.

He must be exhausted.

“Well, howdy do, Maverick. I’m glad you’re here because this girl has been crying her eyes out.” She shakes her finger at me and giggles.

I exhale. “That’s enough. You need to go to bed.”

“Fine.” She burps and pulls her dress over her head like she’s getting ready for bed. I try to stop her but she’s already got it around her neck, and at this point, I just help her get it off. Tomorrow she’ll be mortified that she took her dress off in front of Maverick.

She looks around the room and finds Alex. Her eyes light up then she gets on the bed and lies next to him, her body curling around his. At least she’s got a camisole and undies on.

She gives us a little wave. “Peace out, y’all. I got what I need.”

Skye says exactly what she thinks when she’s been drinking.

“See,” I say, looking at Maverick.

There’s a tightness around his eyes. “Come here,” he says, motioning for me to come closer.

I do, and he curls his arm around me, staring deep into my eyes. “I believe you.” He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his hand warm as I lean into it. “But if you think for one minute I’m letting you stay in this room with them, you’re crazy.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Get your shit. You’re coming with me.”

“Lead the way,” I say after grabbing my purse. I don’t need anything else, only him.

We make it to the elevator and I don’t even ask where we’re going. I don’t care. As long as I’m with him, everything else will work itself out.

We exit and he leads me to another hotel room, where he slides the key card in the slot and ushers me inside.

Neither one of us speak as we face each other. I’m scared. He looks so serious, the chiseled lines of his face etched with an unnamed emotion.

“Talk to me.”

He closes his eyes then opens them again. “I love you, Delaney. I love you so damn much, and watching you walk away from me and not being able to do the right thing for you…I never want to go through that again.”

I bite my lip, holding in the swell of feeling that washes over me. “Never again,” I whisper.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you how I feel after the game. I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. My life is probably ruined, but right now, I don’t even care because all I can think about is you. I can’t lose you.”

I run to him, he catches me, and we kiss. His lips are everything, hot and needy, tasting of a passion that only comes once in a lifetime. Our tongues tangle, greedy for the other, anxious to get our fill.

In a blink, his hands have expertly unzipped my dress and I’ve removed his shirt. In between long breathy kisses, we hold each other, rushing and touching and taking everything.

It feels like it’s been months since I’ve seen him and I want to relearn his skin, but right now all I focus on is how much I want him inside me.

“Fast now. Slow later,” he says as he tugs down my underwear to my heels. He looks up at me from where he’s kneeling on the floor and I bite my lip. He’s perfect. He’s gorgeous with those steel eyes looking right at me.

His lips and tongue kiss my calf, my kneecap, and the inside of my thigh while his hands cup my ass, pulling me closer.

I huff out a laugh. “I thought you said fast.”

“I lied,” he says breathlessly as his thumbs slide to the front to part me, his tongue lapping. He inhales my scent, his fingers dancing across my body, strumming me and making me undulate against him.

I tug him up. “Maverick…please.”

He stands and removes his jeans and shoes, his gaze never wavering from mine. “I didn’t bring a condom. I wasn’t thinking. I just needed to get to you. I’m clean.”

“I’m protected,” I tell him, and before I even finish, he’s kissing me.

It’s perfect.

It reminds me of the night we met at the bonfire when he brushed his lips across mine and became the one I’d never forget. Two stars in the sky, two souls destined to be together.

He picks me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. He likes me like this, and it makes me smile to know the power I have over him.

Holding me around the waist, making it seem almost effortless with his strength, he slides into me slowly, giving me what I need. I gasp each time he takes me, my head leaning against the wall. Our breathing is loud, the sex louder, and I come fast, my legs locking on his hips as I clench around him. We kiss and he breaks with me, our love the perfect storm, a tsunami that washes over us.

Later, we’re in bed under the covers, our bodies sated. His fingers trace loops and intricate swirls on my back as he hugs me from behind.