by L A Cotton
“Lo, come on,” he lowered his voice, leaning forward. “You can trust me.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about.”
“One night. I thought we agreed one night before the shit hits the fan?”
“I’m fine.”
“You sound fine,” he shot back, his brows pinched together.
“I want you to promise me something. If she tries anything, you’ll tell me. No secrets, Maverick. You don’t need to protect me from the truth. I can handle it.”
His hand slid across the Formica table and encased mine. “I love you. You, Lo. This doesn’t change anything. It’s a means to an end. A game we have to play.”
I felt his words. The conviction in his voice. But when I parted my lips to tell him, the words died. Again. When I did say them, I didn’t want them to feel like goodbye. I wanted them to feel like forever.
Head tilted to one side, I forced a smile. “I suppose there’ll be rules we have to stick to?”
Maverick dragged his hand over his face. “Do we really have to do this now? I can think of better things to be doing.” Hunger flashed in his inky depths, a direct line to my stomach.
“There you are,” a voice said, and we both looked over at the door. I sighed, the connection between us broken, for now. Frustration vibrated from Maverick as Kyle and Laurie made their way over to us.
“Do I even want to know how you found us?”
Kyle tried to look offended, but his lips tugged up in a smile. “I have my ways.”
“I told him you probably didn’t want to be interrupted,” Laurie added as she slid in beside me.
“Is everything okay?” Kyle arched his eyebrow at me as he sat down, and I pressed my lips into a flat line, giving him a small shake of my head. He twisted around to Maverick and silently questioned him.
“Okay, why do I feel like I’m the only one not a part of this conversation?” Laurie let out a strained laugh.
“It’s nothing.” I bumped her with my shoulder. “We already ate but we can hang out for a while.”
“I need food, I’m starving because someone,”—she grabbed a menu and thrust it in Kyle’s direction—“kept me waiting, to watch the hockey game.”
“Babe, it was an important game.”
“Whatever,” she grumbled, dropping her eyes to the menu. “Like it isn’t enough I already have to compete with football. Ooh, the chicken burger sounds so good.”
Kyle and Maverick continued their silent conversation while Laurie scanned the menu. In some ways, their arrival was a welcomed distraction. But it was only delaying the inevitable, the moment Maverick laid down new rules for our relationship. Alec Prince had inserted himself between us. Just as Maverick said he would. And he’d brought Caitlin Holloway along for the ride.
“Lo?”
“Huh.” I blinked at Laurie who stared at me with a strange expression on her face.
“Seriously, I was talking to you for like two minutes. Are you sure you’re okay?
“Fine, I’m—”
“Tell them.”
Our heads snapped up to Maverick’s. “Wh-what?” I choked out, unsure if I heard him right.
“They should know. It’s okay.” He nodded. “Tell them.”
“I—”
“Will someone please tell us what the hell is going on?”
I looked at Maverick, a million thoughts running through my mind. He was usually so closed off. So untouchable.
“I saw my father today.” Silence descended over our booth and I glanced around, relieved we’d chosen one tucked away at the back of the diner. There was no one else close by. No ears wagging in our direction. When I looked at Maverick again, his eyes were fixed on me. He was about to tell Kyle and Laurie one thing, but he was telling me another.
He loved me.
He hated this.
And he wanted to make sure I was okay.
~
“Hey, how are you holding up?” Laurie dropped into the chair beside me. After Maverick filled her and Kyle in on his conversation with his father, we’d headed back to her house.
“Okay, I guess.”
“I can’t…” she hesitated. “I mean, I knew he was a piece of work, but this is… wow. I’m speechless.”
“You must never tell anyone, Laurie.”
Maverick had skirted over the things she didn’t need to know—things no one needed to know about his toxic relationship with his father—but it made things easier if she knew just enough for me to not have to keep evading her questions.
“I wouldn’t, I swear.”
With a nod, I tipped my head back and stared up at the blanket of stars. Her garden was peaceful. The twinkle of the fairy lights and moonlight shimmering on the water cast the whole place in a soft silver hue. The boys were somewhere in the house, drinking beer, doing boy things. I’d wanted some air. Some time to stop and catch a breath.
“He would never hurt you, Lo. You know that, right?”
“I know.” And I did. But it didn’t mean I wouldn’t get hurt.
“He’s completely in love with you. I mean, I didn’t really see it before. He’s usually so closed off. But something’s changed. I saw it that night we played Monopoly in the pool house. The way he watched you.” There was a sadness to her voice I didn’t understand.
“Laurie?” I met her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I’m fine. Besides, we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you.”
Silence settled between us. I watched the stars. Laurie was lost in her own thoughts. After a few minutes, she shuffled. “What will you do, Lo?”
“Whatever he needs me to.”
“You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
“Told him what?” I followed her line of sight to where Maverick and Kyle were, in the kitchen.
“That you love him too.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liar.” She laughed quietly as we watched them—our boyfriends. They were so different. Light and dark. Fun and serious. But they were also similar. Loyal. Protective. Infuriating at times.
“Do you think about what will happen after Maverick graduates?”
“Not really.” We’d barely survived the last few weeks. Summer seemed like a lifetime away. “Why, do you?”
“Do I think about what will happen when Maverick graduates? Not really.” She smiled around her words and I leaned over and batted her arm.
“Laurie.”
“Kyle wants to play football, obviously. And he will. He’ll get a scholarship and go off to college and do amazing things with his life.”
“And what about you Laurie Davison? What’s in your future?”
She groaned, kicking long legs out in front of her. “Honestly? I haven’t got a clue.”
“Well, that’s okay, isn’t it?” I didn’t know either. Between the accident, the move, and Maverick, there wasn’t much time for thinking about the future. About what I wanted to do with my life.
“Yeah, but don’t you ever worry you’ll get left behind?”
I sat forward and twisted to face her. “Where is this all coming from? Did something happen betwe—”
“No, no.” Panic flooded her face. “I just, oh, I don’t know. Ignore me. It’s nothing. I’m just feeling the pressure, that’s all.”
“Kyle loves you, Laurie. Whatever his future looks like, you’re in it.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips just as Kyle and Maverick joined us. He tugged her up and slid onto the seat, pulling her down with him and nuzzling her neck. If Laurie had doubts, they were wrong. Kyle loved her.
“Hey.” Maverick loomed over me and offered me his hand. “Ready to leave?”
Nodding, I let him pull me up. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” The word stuck in my throat as he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned down to capture my lips.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
I wanted to fre
eze time. To stay in this moment forever. Because I knew when tomorrow rolled around, things would change.
Again.
~
“Kyle’s here,” Dad’s voice filtered down the hallway as I dragged a hairbrush through my hair ignoring the sting of hurt in my stomach.
‘Kyle’s here’, he’d said, not ‘Maverick’s here’.
I knew he wouldn’t be. What Alec Prince demanded, Alec Prince got. And he wanted Maverick to ‘cool things’ with me so he could sweeten up Gavin Holloway. I should have seen it coming after Caitlin collared me at school. She was too smug not to know something was about to go down. But I was too focused on how to help Maverick, I didn’t even stop to consider this.
“Lo, he’s waiting.”
“Coming, Dad. I’m coming.” I grabbed my bag, hoisted it over my shoulder and headed out. Dad was in the kitchen, sipping his coffee, poring over a stack of papers. Did he know? About Alec’s ties to the company? His easy smile suggested he didn’t. But before moving to Wicked Bay, I’d never once saw the hint of another woman in his eyes either. And, although the thought bothered me, I realised my father was also a master at keeping secrets.
“Everything okay?”
“Sure, Dad.”
“Breakfast on the go.” He flicked his head to the banana and carton of juice and I smiled.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll be—”
“Late. Got it,” I called as I reached the front door. “I won’t wait up.”
Outside, Kyle’s Jeep taunted me, but I stuffed it down. I’d promised Maverick. Promised myself, I could do this.
“Hey.” I climbed inside and buckled up.
“This is bullshit, you know that, right?”
“Kyle.” A heavy sigh slipped from my lips. “What choice does he have?”
“I don’t know, but this is bullshit.” He slammed his hand down on the wheel, the crack of skin against rubber reverberating around us. “I can’t believe Rebecca and my dad are okay with this.”
“It’s a mess.”
“It’s bullshit.”
“You already said that.”
“No jokes, Cous. Not right now.”
He’d played it cool in front of Laurie last night. We both had. It made life easier for Kyle and me now she knew the basics, but we’d still have to keep some things from her.
We rode to school in heavy silence. I didn’t like seeing Kyle so uptight and brooding. It didn’t suit him. Usually a ray of sunshine, today he was all storm clouds and thunder. But when the Jeep turned into the school parking lot and my gaze landed on Maverick with his friends, my mood darkened too.
“Hey.” Kyle cut the engine and turned to me. “Remember, this is just a game, Cous. It isn’t real. The two of you, that’s real. What goes on out there,”—he flicked his head to the window—“doesn’t matter. Okay?”
I gulped, dragging my eyes from Maverick to my cousin. “Just don’t let me do something stupid, like kill her in cold blood.”
“Deal.” His frown morphed into an amused smile.
We climbed out and made our way toward school as kids watched. Their stares and whispers chased me, nipping at my heels, but I kept my head held high. Only today I wasn’t envied, I was pitied. Because I just became the girl cast aside by Maverick Prince.
His eyes followed me. But I didn’t look. Caitlin stared at me across the lawn, victory glittering in her eyes, but I didn’t take the bait. Instead, I carried on walking. Talking to Kyle as if nothing was different. As if everything was exactly the same. Because he was right.
I knew the truth.
And that’s all that mattered.
Maverick
“Fuck, I missed you.” I pulled Lo closer, tracing my tongue down her neck, sucking and biting, feeling my dick stir to life.
“Maverick, we’re supposed to be studying.” She pressed her hand into my chest shoving hard.
“Spoilsport.” I slipped my arm around her waist and hugged Lo closer, breathing her in, refusing to let her go.
Two weeks of stolen glances and sneaking around sucked. Watching the guys at school watch her, working up the courage to ask her out. I’d lasted a couple of days before I shut it down. Just because they thought I wasn’t with her anymore, didn’t mean she wasn’t still mine.
And no one touched what belonged to a Prince.
Maybe it was a jerk move—getting the guys to spread the word she was off limits—but if it meant I wouldn’t get arrested for beating the shit out of my classmates every time they so much as looked in Lo’s direction, it was worth it.
“Come on, the SAT is in two weeks.” Lo slipped out of my grasp and made a beeline for the desk. I flopped down on my bed, plotting ways to get her over here. But when her eyes met mine, bright with determination, I sat up, grumbling under my breath.
True to her word, Lo had stuck by me. Playing by the rules. In public, at school and games and parties, we were back to being step-cousins. Family. But behind closed doors, nothing had changed. Well, nothing except Lo’s insistence I study for the SAT.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Let’s study. But you know I work so much better with positive reinforcement.”
“You do, huh?” Her lips curved in amusement and I pouted, letting my eyes run down the length of her body. A body I knew almost as well as my own.
“Maverick,” she snapped. “Eyes up here, buddy.”
“Buddy?” My brows shot up, and she chuckled. Smooth and easy, her laugh was one of my favorite sounds lately.
“Okay.” Lo leaned forward. “How about for every ten questions you answer, you get a kiss?”
“Just a kiss?” I tilted my head, swiping my thumb across my bottom lip, a move I knew drove Lo crazy. A move I knew would have her begging for me.
“Maverick.” Her voice was breathy, the skin along her neck blushed. I inched closer until my lips were hovering close to hers.
“You were saying?” It came out low, husky, and Lo swallowed, her eyes glazed with desire.
“I… hmm…”
My lips barely touched hers before I tore away and threw myself back on the bed, unable to stop the rumble of laughter in my chest. Lo sighed, throwing me a stern glare. “Not funny, Prince.”
“I thought it was pretty funny.”
“Ten questions. Now.”
“Yes, boss.”
We worked in easy silence, used to the routine now. Lo knew short sessions were better for me before the words blurred together and the letters became muddled. My girl had slaved away familiarizing herself with the SAT and the types of questions they asked. She’d even asked Miss Tamson for some old papers. Lo went above and beyond. But she didn’t need to. Just her being here, believing in me, was all I needed. Between the two of them and Coach Callahan’s regular words of encouragement, even I began to believe I could do it.
Forty-minutes later, I was done. “That’s it.” I threw the pen down and shoved the stack of papers away from me rubbing my temples trying to ease the dull ache. “I can’t do anymore. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does,” Lo’s voice was soft. We’d been here before, more than once. “You’re just tired. You need a break.”
“No, I need you.”
“Maverick.”
“Come on, Lo. We’ve been at this every day for the last two weeks. You know I can’t work at your pace.”
“No.” She placed down her textbook and strode over to the bed. Then she was climbing over me, straddling my legs. I slid my hands up her thighs but Lo snagged my hands, holding them in place. “You can do this. If you need a break, take a break. If you need some help, ask. But don’t quit, Maverick. You’re a Prince, and Princes' don’t quit.”
“You sound like him.”
She flashed me a harsh glare, and I used her irritation to my advantage, slipping out of her hold and running my hands up the curves of her waist.
“Okay, we take a break. Just a quick one.” Lo leaned down, ghosting her lips over mine and I groane
d. Fuck, she tasted good. Like vanilla and strawberries. I moved to deepen the kiss, but she hovered out of reach, smiling down at me.
“My dad and Stella are going out of town at the weekend, I thought you could stay over. If you wanted?
I went rigid at Lo's words. I'd been trying to find a way to tell her, but things were good between us. I didn’t want to rock the boat. And I was a coward. Worried about what this would do to her.
To us.
“Maverick?” She searched my eyes. “What is it?”
“I, hmm, shit this isn't how I wanted to do this.”
“Do what?” Her body recoiled, the small action burning through me.
“My father called a couple of days ago. There's this thing this weekend...” I swallowed, forcing myself to maintain eye contact despite the words almost choking me.
“Thing? What thing?”
“A business thing. With Gavin Holloway...”
Lo went still, her eyes boring into mine. We were close, our bodies touching, but I felt the distance grow between us. “When were you going to tell me?”
“Lo, it's not li—” She was gone. Off the bed and out of the room. I heard the bathroom door slam, the sound vibrating deep inside my chest. My head sank back into the pillows.
Fuck.
I hated this. Hated that the one person I wanted to break free from still held so much power over me. Over my relationship with Lo. ‘A means to an end’, I'd called it, but part of me wondered if it would be the end of us. Because if our roles were reversed, I would have lost my shit at the very idea of Lo rocking up to some business dinner with another guy. I wouldn't have been able to stand it: the jealousy, the soul crushing pain at the idea of someone else even breathing the same air as her. Yet, here I was, asking her to do the one thing I knew would push me over the edge if it were me in her shoes.
I was a selfish bastard.
The worst kind.
Lo deserved more. She deserved better than me. Better than my father’s games.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I let out a frustrated groan before pushing off the bed and going to the bathroom. Greeted with the door, I tested the handle. It clicked open, and I slipped inside. Lo met my eyes in the mirror but she didn't speak. She didn't need to. Anger rolled off her in ferocious waves. But I was willing to brave the storm if it meant touching her. Soaking up her comfort. Reassuring her that she was the only person I wanted. Now. Tomorrow. And all the days after that.