by Eliza Park
I let my eyes wander to Mav in the kitchen, straightening the blue fabric around Logan’s neck. Maverick shot Brody a withering stare, a small glass of amber liquid in his long-fingered hand. Brody chuckled, bending his head to say into my hear, “He’s been touchy as fuck the last few weeks.” His hand found my shoulder, “Hoping you can pull him out of it.”
“That’s okay,” I said sweetly, lowering my voice, “I like it when he’s touchy.”
Logan hollered out a laugh as I clipped the pieces of his tie together and released him, deciding to join my touchy boyfriend in the kitchen.
He was leaning against the counter, swirling the glass in his hand, the muscles flexing in his jaw. He looked pissed, that tightly wound coil I’d known in high school.
“You alright?” I asked quietly, sliding between his hip and the arm propped on the counter.
He nodded curtly, setting the glass down.
“Really? Because you kind of look like you want to punch someone in the face.”
He chuckled, some of the tension easing from his shoulders, “Remember the last time we were at a dance together?”
I swallowed, “Yeah.”
“You looked stunning then too, Celeste. But this time, you won’t be dancing with anyone else.” His voice was a low growl, sending shivers down my spine and straight into my core. I wanted to know how many drinks he’d had to make him talk like this, how many it took to bring out the grumbly, overprotective Mav in front of me, but I didn’t want to seem too controlling or imposing.
“Aw, come on,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, “Not even Brody?”
His reaction was a flash of anger in those stormy blues, “Especially not Brody.”
I touched the silky black tie hanging down his chest, my bright red nails a stark contrast to the light absorbing fabric.
Maverick’s hand roamed down my back and he lifted my coat to cup my ass, pulling me sharply against him. His eyebrows knit together as he looked down at me, his mouth hovering over mine, “You’re not wearing underwear?”
I could feel the brewing sexual tension between us, rising out of the air to electrify the moment and I shrugged, “I kind of am.”
An icy gaze studied the red dress hiding beneath the coat, “What the fuck does that mean?”
I choked on a laugh, wanting to bite my lip before remembering the lipstick I’d reapplied on the drive, “You’ll have to find out, won’t you?” I asked quietly.
He turned fully to me, his other hand coming to cup my ass, pressing his groin into my abdomen, “We’ve got a little time before the other girls get here, why don’t we find out right now?” His look was dangerous and challenging, brimming with lust.
I grabbed his wrists in my manicured hands, removing them from their groping position. “No way, it took way too much time and a whole other person to get me into this.”
“A whole other person?” He asked darkly.
“Yes,” I whispered, “A boy.”
Maverick tilted his head to the side, blue eyes flashing, “Now I need to get you out of that dress,” He said lowly, stepping towards me. I was cornered, I realized as I backed into the counter. He took the collar of my coat between his fingers, his feet between mine on the tiled floor. He lifted the heavy fabric off of one shoulder, eyes examining the thin red strap that was really only there for decoration thanks to Gage’s impeccable sewing skills. His dirty blonde head bent to kiss the skin of my neck and I closed my eyes, hoping Brody and Logan weren’t watching this spectacle from their seats on the couch. “In case I haven’t made myself completely clear,” Maverick said into my ear, sounding more lion than human, “No other man is allowed to lay his hands on you.”
He was way more possessive than normal, full of tightly controlled rage. It was exciting, and surprisingly not scary. Maverick was the most controlled person I knew. He was able to use that rage he felt in other ways, through football and school, and hopefully fucking me. I had never been afraid of him. But the seriousness in his voice, coupled with the alcohol on his breath, was making me a little uneasy.
“In case I haven’t made myself completely clear,” I responded, “Gage designed this dress for a school project and was kind enough to gift it to me for the occasion. I thought I told you about it?”
Maverick’s full lips paused along my jaw, blue eyes lifting to mine, “Am I right in assuming Gage—?”
“Has zero interest in women? Yes.”
His hands remained on my coat as he considered this, “I would still very much like to get you out of that dress. If we don’t go to my room in the next thirty seconds I’m going to need to take a walk or a very cold shower.”
I tugged my coat back into place, raising an eyebrow, “I don’t mind walking.”
Jaw clenched, eyebrows hooded, he scanned my heeled feet, “You sure?”
“I had to learn to walk in heels before most girls learned to read, I’ll be fine.”
Leaning forward, his arm on one side of the counter, he brushed his lips against my cheek, adjusting the front part of his pants with a groan. I covered my mouth to hide a giggle and received a weak glare. “Just you wait, Ace. When we get back here, I’m going to release all of this pent-up sexual frustration from the last three weeks all over your pretty dress.”
“How crude of you,” I smiled.
“You like it, and you know it,” He said, eyes on my mouth. The air was familiarly charged between us, clouding my mind with thoughts of his hands and mouth and body.
I tugged on his tie, pulling his lips closer to mine, “I like this dress, Mav. You ruin it and I’ll fuck up your precious uniform.”
Half-moon circles appeared in his cheeks and he laughed, blue eyes sparkling, “I love it when you threaten me,” he whispered, breath mingling with mine.
I nearly caved then, wanting to feel that mouth everywhere, but he straightened before I could, letting out a slow breath and taking my hand. He led me to the front door, grabbing his coat off of the hook, “Change of plans,” he said to Brody and Logan, “We’re walking, you guys can take the car.”
They glanced at each other and I grinned like a goofy idiot, letting Maverick practically drag me out the door and down the stairs. I held my coat together in the cold New Haven wind, shivering. After a few moments of him walking down the sidewalk like a madman, I started to laugh, tugging on his arm to get him to slow down, “My legs aren’t as long as yours!”
He relinquished, slowing his pace but keeping his eyes down in front of us. He was right back to that tightly coiled spring and I would have rolled my eyes if it wasn’t so curiously frustrating. Another long silence went by before I gave up, exasperated, “Maverick, what is your deal?”
I watched the annoyed expression cross his features, jaw ticking, but he didn’t answer.
“Do you not want to go? Do you fail an exam or something? What?”
“It’s nothing, just leave it.”
I shook my hand from his and stopped walking, my heels firmly planted on the frozen sidewalk. He looked up at the darkened sky in frustration before turning to me, extreme irritation radiating off his skin.
“No.” I challenged.
His jaw worked from side to side, sky blue eyes icy with contempt, “I don’t want to argue, and I really don’t want to talk about it. Can we just go?”
“Nope,” I stuck my hands in the pockets of my coat, flexing my fingers.
Maverick’s eyes closed, his head falling to his chest for a moment before he looked back at me. “When did you become so stubborn?”
I raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong?”
He was keeping something from me that truly bothered him and I was no longer the type of girl to simply ignore and hope it would go away. I needed answers and I needed honesty.
A long-fingered hand ran through those dirty blonde locks, pushing them into a delicious wave around his temple. He let out a foggy cloud of breath in the dim light under the streetlamps. “I’m just angry, alright?” I coul
d almost hear the click of his jaw and I tried not to admire the sharp curve of it under his ear, or the hard line of bone running down to his chin.
“Why?”
He dug his leather toe into the sidewalk, “I don’t know,” he admitted.
A lie.
“Sure you do.”
The glance he offered me was far from adoration. He rolled his neck in a half circle, eyes closed against the night sky. “You’re the most impossible woman.” He said gruffly.
I waited.
He groaned, walking over to where I stood, his cold hand holding me at the back of the neck, and kissed me, his tongue slipping into my mouth. It was freezing outside, but when his body met mine, I felt impossibly warm. His arm wrapped around my back, lips demanding and searching in the freezing air. “Stay with me,” he murmured.
Without giving me a chance to respond, his lips were on mine again, the softness of his skin contrasting with the rough onslaught.
I pushed him away to take a breath, “You’ll have to be more specific.” I breathed.
He was holding me so tightly, eyes closed as he found my mouth, apparently unable to disconnect, “Don’t leave me again.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I managed.
His mouth moved to my neck and he shook his head, “Do you promise?”
I bit my lip, no longer concerned about the lipstick as he licked a spot under my ear, “That’s it? That’s the whole of your emotional volatility? You’re worried I’m going to break up with you?”
He didn’t answer and I gasped as he bit the skin on my shoulder, “You’re so weird recently.”
“Is that a no?” Maverick’s deep voice rumbled straight to the spot between my legs.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I groaned, shoving against him. He stood away from me for a moment and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, effectively removing the smear of red he’d acquired. He looked at me ravenously, but his eyes were shattering with emotion. “Jesus, what is going on with you?” I asked, straightening my coat. “Brody said you’ve been pissed for a few weeks, you’ve barely spoken to me since we..” I glanced around, “Fucked, and now you’re worried I’m going to dump you? What the fuck?”
His fingers straightened his hair and his mouth twitched with irritation, “Brody should mind his own fucking business,” he muttered.
“Doesn’t answer my question.”
“Can you just trust me, Celeste? Just this once? Trust me when I say I’ll tell you, but I don’t want to talk about it right fucking now. I want to go to this dance, I want to take you home, and I want to be inside of you for two straight fucking weeks. Okay?”
I lifted a shoulder, my mouth falling open, “Mav I’ve always trusted you. I’m just confused.”
He stepped towards me, cerulean gaze softening, and took my hands in his, “I know, I promise I’ll explain. Just not tonight.” He let out a long breath, “Just let me have tonight.” My knuckles grazed his lips, and his eyes flashed with amusement, “And maybe two extra weeks.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Will you?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I knew what he was asking. Throw my curiosity to the curve for a little bit, deal with his shitty mood, and stay at some cold, marbled house over break. I sighed, melting under those blue eyes, “Okay.”
It felt like a giant concession to agree, but I did, wanting to keep that hopeful gleam in his expression as we walked the rest of the way to the giant hall hosting the dance. His gait seemed smoother since he’d gotten me to agree, and he was willing to make conversation the rest of the way, but his face remained contorted with irritation. We made our way through the front doors to the dance hall and Maverick stood behind me to remove my coat and hand it to the tired looking underclassman in charge of the coat check. As the heavy fabric lifted from my shoulders, I spun, realization shooting across my brain. “I forgot my wallet!” I exclaimed, feeling like a complete idiot.
Maverick held the coat loosely in his hands, frozen like a marble statue as he surveyed my entire ensemble. He ogled me unabashedly, his mouth in a hard line while his eyes raked down my body. I’d seen the finished product before I’d put on my coat and left the apartment. Gage was truly a master at his craft. The dress was sheer and utter perfection. Made of gorgeous red silk, it started with two thin straps over my shoulders that crossed across an otherwise open back, meeting in a deep curve below my waist. The front was almost as revealing with two points of gathered fabric that dipped almost to my ribcage in a swoop. It was tight across the stomach and ass but flowed out into a river of scarlet to almost cover my heeled feet. There was a bit of a train I could hold up with my right hand, but I let it go, allowing the dress to be seen in its full glory.
“Damn,” said the underclassman. Maverick threw our coats at him with a sharp look, his eyes wandering back to the low, low neckline. My hair was pulled up into a low chignon with a few tendrils curling loosely around my shoulders and my makeup was dark, darker than I’d ever worn it.
Mav held his arm out to me, his jaw clenched, and I wondered briefly if he’d even heard me mention the wallet. “Mav,” I started, letting him guide me through the double doors of the dance hall.
“I’m real fucking glad you kept that coat on, Ace,” his gaze drifted down my body again and his mouth set in a hard line, “Or I would have torn it from your fucking body.”
I shivered, enjoying that image just a little too much. I assumed we’d head straight for the table of football players and their girlfriends. Brody, Logan, and their dates were already sitting at one with drinks on the cloth in front of them. I recognized Ashley, but couldn’t place the girl sitting next to Brody. She looked smitten, but he appeared disinterested, his body angled towards the dance floor.
Instead of guiding us to his friends, Maverick pulled me directly onto the empty dance floor, spinning me under his arm and holding my body flush against his. His hand rested on my lower back, his fingers cold from our walk, while the other gently held mine in an almost perfectly proper waltzing stance. The song was slow, easy, mostly piano, and the ceiling was lit with warm twinkling lights. Maverick moved gracefully, as he always did and I felt breathless against him, my mind reeling with all of the slow dances we’d had before. I tore my eyes from his handsome face to avoid an emotional meltdown.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked into my ear, keeping perfect time with the music.
I cleared my throat, “The last dance we had together.”
Maverick’s gaze wandered across the floor before settling on me with steady nonchalance, “Oh?”
“Lot of things to regret about that time,” I joked, holding onto his shoulder a little more tightly.
“There’s a lot I regret about that year too, but tonight isn’t the time to focus on regrets.” He twirled me away and under his arm before bringing my body back against his. I let out a breath, the air completely escaping my lungs when my body connected to his. “We should focus on the future, our future.” His eyes raked across the neckline of my dress, “particularly the future of this evening. Are you ready to go home yet?” He smiled at me wolfishly.
“We just got here!”
He groaned, tilting his chin to the twinkling lights. The song ended then and he stepped back, holding my hand in his. “Would you like to dance again?”
I glanced around warily, “We’re the only ones on the floor still, maybe we should go sit down.”
His eyes narrowed, and the music picked back up again, another slow song. Tugging me back to him, he whirled me into the center of the floor under a giant, glimmering chandelier, “Since when have you ever volunteered to sit out a dance?”
My mouth fell open. I’d forgotten how much I loved dances, ballrooms, the whole nine yards. Now they reminded me of pills, angry parents, crowds, and all the memories I’d misplaced. “We haven’t even greeted your friends yet,” I said, making excuses.
“Hmm, I remember on one particular occasion you fo
rced me to dance for three hours straight in new shoes.”
“What?” I leaned back in his embrace, studying his face, “I don’t remember that.”
He nodded, a small smile across his lips, “We were nine I think. Governor’s Holiday Ball or some shit. Your dress was red then too and I had blisters for days.”
I covered my mouth with my hand, “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I did that to you.”
Maverick’s smile turned into a grin, those half-moon circles creasing even further, “Every damn time, Ace. You made me dance with you like that every damn time. I just remember that ball in particular, you know, because my feet never fully recovered.”
I laughed, “You could have said no!”
“I could never say no to you, Ace. You know that.” His mouth hovered over mine, lips just barely touching. “Still can’t, actually,” he murmured.
Calloused fingers brushed along my bare skin, causing goosebumps to ripple down my shoulders and arms. I sucked in a sharp breath, mesmerized by the sky-blue eyes gazing lovingly down at me. The moment felt intense, momentous, and that familiar tension crackled between the spaces of our pressed bodies. “I promise not to make you dance for three whole hours,” I said quietly.
One corner of his mouth ticked up in amusement, “I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
For the remainder of the song, he simply held me, moving us gracefully around the dance floor in perfect form. I didn’t have a chance to wonder how it looked for the quarterback of the Yale Bulldogs to be waltzing with an unknown girl. I was enchanted, gliding dreamily in the arms of my permanent knight in shining armor. I wanted the moment to last forever and I savored every second, my eyes never leaving his.
I felt our mutual disappointment when the song ended, and the tempo changed to something more upbeat. Wordlessly, he led me away from the floor and over to the table where his friends sat. I took the empty chair next to Brody’s short date and Mav sat next to me, his arm draped over the back of my chair.
“That was quite the display you put on out there,” Brody said to Mav, leaning over the table.
“Yeah,” Logan agreed, sipping on his drink, “You’re a regular fucking Michael Bublé.”