14. Maya

14

MAYA

I wake up, and it feels like I'm lying against a furnace.

I don't dare move. I went to the bathroom last night, and Legend woke up, calling my name. As soon as I got into bed, he took me again.

Any time I made a move, he would wake up, so I lie here stiffly wondering what the new day is going to bring.

I need to go to my house and see how bad the damage is. I need to grab my computer, find a new place to live, and probably call my agent to ask for another small extension. But I don't dare move. All of that can wait. I'm not sure how long I'll have the right to lie in Legend's arms, so I'm going to take full advantage.

There's a phone ringing, and it takes me a second to realize it's my brother's ringtone. Legend groans next to me and points to the corner of the room. "It's in the bag."

I disentangle myself from him and then jump out of bed naked and run to answer it. I unzip the bag and am surprised to find my laptop in there too. Ignoring it for now, I grab the phone. "Hello. Maverick, is that you?"

"Maya, are you okay? I just heard. I'm coming home—"

I walk back to the bed and sit down on the edge of it. "I'm fine, bub. I promise, I'm okay. You don't have to come home." Why do I feel so guilty? I would love to see him, but the first thought I had is that he'll come home and Legend will leave, and I don't want this to end.

The bed shifts, and Legend leans up behind me, kissing my shoulder. I jerk and look at him in surprise. Is he really kissing me while I'm talking to my brother? He just smiles at me. "Let me talk to Maverick."

My mouth falls open, but I manage to stutter out, "Uh, Legend wants to talk to you."

He takes the phone from me and kisses me soundly on the lips. "Hey, Maverick."

I pull the sheet up to cover my body, and Legend frowns at me. I point at the phone, and he pulls me against him.

"Yeah, she's fine. The bomb took out the front of the house, but I put up boards last night. I'll have contractors out this week to fix it."

More silence. "Yeah, we're going to stay at one of Walker's cabins until her house is fixed."

I sit up a little taller. Did he just say "we"?

"Yeah, about that, Mav. Hear me out." He pauses and sucks in a breath. "I'm going to date your sister."

I can hear Maverick yelling into the phone, but Legend just listens to him. He stands up, fully naked, and my eyes travel down his body. I swear his dick twitches as I stare at it. He paces across the room, and my stomach is tied up in knots. What if Maverick tells him he doesn't want him to date me? Will that stop him?

When Maverick stops yelling, Legend stops pacing and looks at me. "Now, Mav, when I first say I love her, I need to say it to her, not tell her brother."

I can hear my brother yelling into the phone, but I ignore him, completely focusing on Legend. "Wait… are you saying…"

I slam my mouth shut because I can't believe it. Last night felt like we were making love, but how is that even possible? We haven't known each other long.

He's still looking at me, searching my face for a reaction, but he keeps talking to my brother. "Yes, I love her. I'm staying in Whiskey Run. I'm going to date your sister and devote every day to convincing her that she loves me too."

I dive toward him, getting twisted up in the sheets, and when I get free from them, I'm smiling ear to ear as he opens his arms to me.

Just as he catches me, I wrap a hand around his neck and pull him down to kiss me. He pulls back just long enough to say into the phone, "Brother, I'm going to have to call you back. I got your sister. She's fine. If you want to come home, we'll be glad to see you."

He hangs up the phone, tosses it to the chair, and then picks me up in his arms. Our lips meet, and he just holds on to me like he never wants to let me go.

He walks us to the bed and lays us both down. He's holding the brunt of his weight on his arms, and he searches my eyes. "You okay with this?"

I know what he means, but I want to hear him say it. "What is this?"

He smiles because he's on to me, but he humors me anyway. "I want it all, Maya. I want date nights, holding hands, waking up next to you in the mornings, and down the road, when you're ready, you're going to wear my ring. I want you to be my wife and have our kids. I want everything with you."

Emotions well inside me. "Yeah, Legend, I'm okay with all that."

"I know it's sudden, and I know you've been through some trauma. You need time, and I'll give you that. I'll give you all the time you need."

I pull him down because I want to feel his weight on me. "I dunno, because last night felt like making love to me. We may have to test it out again."

He leans to the side, putting his hand to my belly. "We didn't use anything. You could be pregnant, Maya."

I shrug. "You said you wanted everything. Would that be so bad?"

His voice is thick. "No, it wouldn't be bad at all. It would be perfect."

I cup his jaw in my hand and look him in the eye. "I love you, Legend."

He gets choked up. "Oh baby, I love you too."

And then he shows me exactly how much he loves me.