Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
After chugging half the bottle of water, I get to work on making their drinks. Once I have them ready, Skye still isn’t out of the bathroom, and I make a mental note to check on her.
I walk over to Alex and nudge him with my hand after setting his drink on the nightstand. “Dude, wake up.”
I get nothing but a soft snore.
Dammit.
I decide he’s Skye’s problem and once she comes out of the bathroom, she can decide what to do with him. He’s on her bed, so she should be the one to deal with him.
There’s an abrupt knock at the door, and I figure it’s the pizza guy from the place across the street. Skye called in an order right as we left the club, and even though it’s late, my stomach grumbles.
I fling open the door with cash in my hand and freeze.
Maverick is standing there in the hallway, his head bent as he stares at the floor. There’s a slump to his shoulders that breaks my heart.
His head flies up and his eyes are haunted.
“Delaney.” My name on his lips is like a benediction to my ears. I’ve missed him so much, and it’s only been a few days. I want to run to him, cup his cheeks, and take that anguish off his face.
A heavy exhalation comes from his mouth as he straightens. “God, thank fuck. I had to bribe the desk clerk and sign three autographs to get your room number, and I still wasn’t sure he told me the truth.”
“Are you okay? Is anything wrong?”
His eyes cloud over. “Everything’s wrong. I came here to—”
His voice abruptly cuts off as he looks over my shoulder into the room where he has a clear view of a set of feet on Skye’s bed.
He walks in, brushing past me. “Who the fuck is in your room?” He halts mid-stride, his face paling as he sees Alex. I send up a prayer that he’s still out and doesn’t have a clue that a hulking man is glaring at him like he wants to yank him up by his ankles and toss him over the balcony.
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.”