by L A Cotton
“Maverick doesn’t date.” She shot me a terse glare. “He hasn’t even looked at anyone since Caitlin, and we all know how that ended. And you’re trying to tell me this is any different? He’ll screw her over, if she doesn’t screw him over fi—”
“We get it, Mace. You don’t like Lo and you don’t like that I lied to you.” I held her unforgiving gaze. “Look, I get it. I screwed up and I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry, okay? But Lo isn’t going anywhere.”
Mom let out a strained sigh, watching our exchange with trepidation. We’d always been a united front. It had always been Macey and me against the world. But not now. Not since the day I walked into the kitchen and saw Lo standing there. And part of me hated the distance between us, but my sister needed to know if she wanted to draw a line, I’d be on Lo’s side every damn time.
“Okay, okay.” Mom finally broke the stifling silence. “I have to get to work. I have an early meeting. Can I trust you all enough not to kill each other before breakfast?”
“Who’s killing who?” Summer breezed into the room. Sixteen looked good on her. Although, something told me her new found confidence had more to do with Nick than her recent birthday.
“No one is killing anyone. Summer, since your older siblings can’t agree to disagree, you’re in charge. Okay?” My baby sister stared at Mom like she’d grown a second head. “It’ll be fine. I’ll see you later.”
“She’s joking, right?” Summer said as soon as Mom disappeared, and Kyle hopped down off the stool and ruffled her hair.
“What do you think?” he glanced between me and Macey and she scowled. “For as much as I want to stick around and watch this, I have shit to do. You need a ride?” he said to Summer and she shook her head.
“Nick’s picking me up.” Her eyes slid to mine, and I saw the hesitation there. She expected me to speak up—to have a reason as to why she couldn’t ride with him. But I swallowed it down. He was a good guy. He loved her and even though I hated it—hated the very idea that she was involved with anyone—Lo was right, I had to learn to ease up where she was concerned.
“Macey?” Kyle arched his brow at her.
“Come on, Mace,” I said. “You can still ride with me.”
“Are you riding with Lo?”
I didn’t answer. She knew.
“Give me ten minutes,” she said to Kyle before storming out of the kitchen.
“Well, that went well.” He came to stand beside me. “Want me to talk to her?”
“Nah.” I rubbed my jaw. “She’ll come around.”
I hoped.
I had enough to deal with without the girls in my life fighting. But Macey had taken an instant dislike to Lo. My sister hated change. Wary of strangers, of their motives and hidden agendas, she trusted people less than I did. Or maybe she saw the way I watched Lo. The way I acted around her. Whatever it was, I’d have to deal with it eventually. But today was not that day.
Kyle clapped me on the back and barked a laugh. “Good luck with that one, Prince. I’ll see you at school. You’re good to drive?” He cast me a sideways glance and I nodded.
“Only one way to find out.”
“Crazy sonofabitch,” he murmured as he left the kitchen.
I loaded a plate with some fruit and a bagel and sat at the island. Summer joined me. “I’m sorry I missed your birthday.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“It isn’t,” I said. “I messed up.”
Summer met my eyes and gave me a sad smile. “Yeah, you did. I’ve never seen Mom like that, Rick. She was…” her voice trailed off, but the pain in her voice twisted my gut in a way I hadn’t expected. “I heard Kyle say he and Lo dragged you out of there. Is it true?”
Lump in my throat, I nodded.
“I can’t imagine…”
“Sum, come on, I’m fine. And it won’t happen again.” No matter how much the darkness ate away at my soul, I wouldn’t step back in that ring. It was a promise I’d made not only to Lo but to myself.
“I love you, Maverick.” Summer lifted her head, sitting tall. She might have been two and a half years younger than me, but in that moment, I felt small. “But if you hurt Lo, God help me I will never forgive you.”
My mouth hung open as I tried to form words, but I had nothing.
I didn’t ever want to hurt Lo. She was the one good thing in my life. I needed her the way I needed air. But Summer knew. She knew my MO. I pushed people away. When shit got too hard or things didn’t go my way, I put up walls so high no one could break through.
And for as much as I wanted to tell her she was wrong—that she had nothing to worry about—I was Maverick Prince. It was a title that came with expectations. I was son to Alec Prince and a pawn in his game. So, while I wanted nothing more than Steinbeck and basketball and a future with Lo, I wanted to protect her more.
Even if I ended up hurting her in the process.
Lo
“You’re quiet?” Maverick flicked his gaze to me and I dropped my eyes to the floor.
“I’m just…” How did I even begin to explain this?
“What?” he snapped, and my head whipped up to his.
“Maverick,” I ground out. “It’s not like that. I’m just... We haven’t done this yet. Not out in public.”
“You don’t want everyone to know?” Hurt lingered in his voice, wrapped up in anger.
“You’re being ridiculous,” I sighed.
“Am I? I thought this was what you wanted? Us, out in the open? No more secrets?”
“Seriously, you’re acting like a complete arsehole. You know that’s not how it is. I just…” The school came into view and my words died on my tongue. After my big speech in his bedroom last night, how could I explain that I was scared? That when we climbed out of his car, together, everything would change again? Imaginary lines would become very real. Us on one side. All of Maverick’s enemies on the other.
He didn’t answer as he steered the car into a free parking bay and cut the engine. This was always going to be an issue between us. Out here, in public, Maverick was someone else. He wasn’t the fiercely loyal, protective, vulnerable boy, I’d spent the last ten days nursing back to full strength. The boy he let only me see.
Maverick’s hand gripped the wheel as silence hung heavy between us. I waited. Letting my words sink in.
“I’m sorry.” It was barely a whisper. But it was a start.
“It’s okay.” I twisted round to him. “This is new, for both of us. But the second we step out there, everything changes, Maverick. It’s what I want, no more hiding, no more sneaking around, but it puts us both in the firing line. That’s all it is. I’m scared. I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t.”
His face lifted to mine, his eyes saying everything he couldn’t.
He understood.
He wished things were different.
He loved me.
I still hadn’t told him. I couldn’t. Not yet. But I felt it. Felt it all the way down to my soul. Maverick had the power to make me soar, but he also had the power to wreck me in the worst kind of way. The kind of way I didn’t know if I’d come back from. That’s why I didn’t say the words he needed to hear. Because those words were the last line of my defense, and I needed to cling onto them for a little while longer.
“We don’t have to do thi—” he started but I reached out for him, pressing my finger to his lips.
“Yeah, we do.”
We met halfway, our lips colliding in a desperate kiss. Maverick’s hand buried deep in my hair as his tongue explored my mouth and heat flashed in my stomach as memories from the night before flooded my brain.
I pressed a hand to his chest and breathed out, “Okay, we need to stop.”
He dropped his head to mine, trying to catch his own breath. “Tonight?”
“Tonight.” My lips curved up.
“How many hours?”
“About ten?”
“I won’t survive,” he said.
/> “Sure, you will. There’s a saying, you know. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“It’ll make something grow, that’s for sure.” Maverick gave me a smile that sent my pulse racing, and he broke away from our intimate position. “Come on, before they send Principal DeLauder out to get us.”
We got out of his car and my worst fears were confirmed. The whole parking lot ground to a halt and I froze, rooted to the spot.
“Lo,” Maverick said, irritation in his voice. When I still didn’t move he barked, “Start walking, London.” Once upon a time, his bossy growl would have pissed me off, but right now, it grounded me, and my legs started moving. When I reached him, he took my hand, outwardly unaffected by the way everyone watched us. But I felt the tension pouring from him.
“Okay?” He searched my eyes and I nodded still too overwhelmed to speak.
“Prince, over here,” Luke yelled from where he was huddled with the rest of the guys. A couple of them looked surprised to see us together but Luke and Aaron seemed unfazed, wearing easy smiles.
“Hey, man. Good to see you up and about.” Luke’s eyes flashed to mine, a silent apology there. “It’s nice to see you survived his cranky ass, Lo.”
I smiled, but my mind was elsewhere. On the eyes burning into my back. The whispers floating on the gentle breeze.
Look at them.
He’s too good for her.
Can you believe he wants her?
“Coach will shit a brick when he sees you,” Aaron added.
“I think Coach is the least of his problems.” Trey let out a low whistle as he flicked his head to the main building where crowds of kids gawked in our direction.
“Let them stare,” was Maverick’s only reply, and he and Luke went back to discussing the team and what had happened in his absence. His hand remained firmly around mine as if he never intended on letting go. But he would. In a minute, we’d have to walk through those doors and go to our separate classes.
And I didn’t know if I was ready for that.
~
“I can’t believe it’s true. Maverick Prince doesn’t date, like ever.”
“But you saw what happened at Winter Formal; he came for her. I knew there was more to it. I mean, they’re practically family, it’s weird.”
“It’s not weird, it’s gross.” She fake gagged and my fingers tightened around the pen until the blood drained away. “I mean, she lived there for like three months.”
The rap of my pen against the desk grew louder. But it did little to deter them. They knew I was sitting two rows in front. I was right there. Yet, they carried on their conversation as if I wasn’t.
“Hey, Claire,” Kyle’s voice rose amongst the idle chatter. The girls stopped talking. Everyone did. Even the teacher sat a little straighter waiting to hear what Kyle Stone had to say. I wanted to disappear. For the ground to open up and swallow me whole. It was only second period. I had another four classes to survive and forever after today.
“Yes, Kyle?” the girl said with a saccharine lilt.
“Didn’t you hook up with Brody Peters over the weekend?”
“Yeah, so?”
“I wonder what his girlfriend thinks about that.”
Her quiet gasps filled the room and I couldn’t help but glance back. Her face was pale, her friend’s eyes wide with shock as she tried to console the crushed girl beside her.
“Mr. Stone. That’s quite enough, thank you. Class, back to it.”
Kyle shot me a wide grin and I rolled my eyes. While I appreciated the save, he couldn’t jump in every time someone said something he didn’t like. I’d either have to find a way to deal with the whispers and stares or learn to ignore them.
When the bell rang, and we filed out of the classroom, Kyle caught up with me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sick, Kyle,” I groaned, hugging my books close to my chest.
“I know that, but what they were saying… they’re just jealous, Cous.”
“I know.” I narrowed my eyes at a couple of girls staring in our direction. “It’s just intense, is all. I’m not used to being in the spotlight.”
It had been bad enough being the new girl. A Stone-Prince by association. But this was a whole other league. I wasn’t only one of them now. I was dating one of them.
He slung his arm around my shoulder with a throaty chuckle. “Well, you picked the wrong guy then, because Rick is the spotlight.”
We rounded the corner and I saw it. Maverick. His friends. The way everyone gravitated around them. He was laughing with Luke and Aaron. From the wounded look on Trey’s face, it was a joke at his expense. But when his eyes snapped to mine, everything melted away. He didn’t move. Waiting to see what I’d do.
Kyle leaned in close. “Everyone knows, Cous. May as well give them a show.” I knew what he was saying—he’d said something similar before—but could I do it?
Could I be the girl Maverick needed me to be?
I inhaled a deep breath and started walking. One foot in front of the other until I arrived in front of him. “Hey,” he said running a brisk hand over his head. “Are you okay?”
Without thinking about it, I curled my fist into his jersey and tugged him down, finding his lips. Some snarky comment spewed from Trey’s mouth, but Luke and Aaron shut him down, and I was vaguely aware of them moving away, giving us space. But with the pound of my heart against my chest, and the tremble of my body with each brush of Maverick’s tongue against mine, it was hard to concentrate. He fuelled me. Gave me strength. Made me stand taller.
“What was that for?” Maverick stared down at me as I broke away, wonder shining in his eyes.
I shrugged, ducking my head to hide the colour staining my cheeks. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I wasn't so sure. “Everyone's looking, aren't they?” I said in a hushed voice and the corner of Maverick's mouth lifted in a smug smile.
“Wasn't that the point?” He lowered his head and tried to steal another kiss, but I leaned back staring into his intense eyes.
“Yeah.” I swallowed. “I guess.”
“You guess?” He raised his eyebrows. “I could always put my jersey on you.”
“Your jersey?”
“Yeah, my number. Then everyone would know exactly who you belong to.” His eyes flashed with something dark, dangerous, making my tummy clench violently.
“And how would everyone know who you belong to?”
“I think it's pretty obvious.” Maverick looped his arm around my waist, drawing me closer. “You own me, Lo.” His voice a husky rasp in my ear and a deep shiver rippled up my spine. “Now get to class before I drag you to the nearest empty room and show you exactly just what you do to me.”
Part of me wanted to push him to make good on his word but we’d sparked enough rumours for the day. I pressed one more kiss to his lips, said goodbye, and wound through the streams of bodies with my head held high. When I reached my next class, I breathed a sigh of relief. Until a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“So, it’s true then?”
I turned around, steeling myself to meet JB’s scrutiny. He tilted his head to the side, stepping into my space. The hallway had emptied leaving me at his mercy.
“Shame, really. We could have had some fun.”
“I think we both know that was never going to happen.”
He stepped forward and I backtracked, keeping some distance between us. “Scared, Little Stone?” There was a warning in his voice, and the same ripple of unease I felt whenever he was around passed through me.
“This isn’t about me, is it? It’s about Maverick, about hurting Maverick.” Surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly schooled his features, and I continued, “What happened between Caitlin and Maverick is between them. Let it go, JB.”
Maybe I was overstepping the mark—poking my nose where it didn’t need to be—but he’d made it his business to taunt me at every available opportunity. And I was done.
His
nostrils flared as he regarded me. “I like you, Little Stone, more than I should, so a word of warning. Watch your back.”
In a flash, he was gone but I was too stunned to move. Watch your back. It sounded a lot like a threat but as I entered the classroom, something niggled me. Something about his voice, the hesitant inflection I thought I’d heard. But I had to be wrong. JB hated Maverick. I’d witnessed their animosity with my own eyes. He wanted to hurt him the way Maverick had hurt Caitlin. And now I was with him it made me the perfect victim. Maverick would lose his shit if JB so much as looked at me. So it made no sense that he’d try to warn me. And from who?
His sister?
Or something else entirely?
Maverick
“You good?” Luke asked when he reached our locker bank.
“Yeah, why?”
His eyes darted around the hallway. “Because I have it on good authority Holloway was talking to Lo earlier.”
“What?” My voice was cold, the complete opposite of the heat running through my veins at the mention of his name.
“Yeah, apparently, he collared her before she headed into class, you know after she publicly kissed the shit out of you.” He grinned, but it was lost on me. JB had approached Lo? If he so much as touched her…
“Do you know what he wanted?” I ground out, unable to disguise the tremor in my voice.
Luke’s shoulder shrugged as he leaned back against the lockers. “I can take a stab in the dark, though.”
“Yeah.” Dragging a hand over my face, I released a long breath. This was the last thing I needed. Not now. Not when so much was hanging in the balance.
“So, what are we going to do about it?”
“We?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah. You know he’s been waiting for the right ammunition. And you just handed him Lo, on a silver platter.”
This was one of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to go public. To avoid her falling into the hands of my enemies. Namely JB Holloway.
“He won’t do anything.”
“You sure about that?”
“He doesn’t want war. Not with graduation right around the corner.” Even JB wasn’t that foolish. He had plans. A football scholarship at San Diego State. He wouldn’t risk it.