Chapter 38

Rose

I wake up the next morning and realize it happened again. I must have fallen asleep during the movie, and Mav let me sleep. I look over at the other side of the bed. It doesn't look like it was slept in. I grimace and sit up, feeling bad for chasing Maverick out of his own bedroom and bed. Again. I hate that he can't even stay in the same room as me, but it is what it is. I slip out into the hallway and into my bedroom before I see anybody. After a shower and a cup of tea, I feel more human and ready to face the day. A knock on the door startles me, and I head that way quickly in case somebody needs me for healing. I'm surprised to see Maverick on the other side of the door. "Is everything okay?" I ask quickly. He gives me an odd look.

"Yeah, why?"

I pause. "I just thought somebody needed healing or something."

"Nope. Do you have a swimsuit?"

His question catches me by complete surprise. "What?"

"Do you have a swimsuit?" he asks, slower this time. I nod, because that's all I can do. "Have you been to the pool yet?"

My eyes widen. "No. Is that what we're doing?"

"Yeah. You need to take a break. Do something fun."

"And you're Mr. Fun now?" I ask, attempting to hold back my smile.

He crosses his arms over his chest. "Do you want to go or not?"

I bite back another smile. "Yes! Let me throw on my suit under my clothes. Give me five minutes." I attempt to close the door, but he catches it.

"Can I wait for you in here?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yes. Sure." I step over to my dresser drawers and grab what I need before heading to the bathroom. Five minutes later, I'm ready to go. My hair is braided and I'm wearing my swimsuit under my shorts and t-shirt. "I just need to grab sunscreen," I say more to myself than him.

"I already have it." I glance at him and realize for the first time he has a large bag.

"I need to grab a water bottle."

"I already packed one for you," he says.

"What else do you have packed in that magical bag?" I ask with a grin.

"Snacks, towels, aloe for when you get burned, bug spray, sunglasses," he pauses. "I think that's about it."

"Wow. I'm impressed. You're really prepared."

"I'm always prepared," he mutters. "Now, can we get going?"

"I just need to check in with Amber to see if anybody needs healing," I start.

"Already done. You're free for the day. Nobody's allowed to bother you. Now, let's go." He walks over to the door, and I follow.

"Should I check with Ava?"

"Already did. Blondie doesn't want to go. Shocker."

I smack his arm as I walk past. "Be nice."

"I'm not a nice person, Healer. You should know that by now."

I turn back to appraise him as we walk down the hallway. "Oh, I don't know. I think you can be nice when you want to."

"I don't usually want to," he adds, making me laugh.

"Oh, I know. Therein lies the problem." We step outside, and I smile up at the sun. "So where is this pool?"

He leads me around to the back of the pack house and to a worn path. We walk on the path for a good five minutes before it opens up. I step into the clearing and stare at the huge entertaining area that I was told about when I first got here but haven't experienced yet. There are two huge swimming pools, a huge bright yellow water slide, a lazy river, a splash pad for the littles, and a playground. Beach chairs sit all around the pools, and tiki torches and lights hang from the long pergola. "This is..." My words falter when I see all the people. I don't realize I've taken a step backwards until I bump into Mav.

"Rose!" I look over to see Sara and Sabrina running towards me.

"We haven't seen you in so long," Sara says as they get close. I notice instantly that they both look like models in their two-piece swimsuits. I swallow and don't look back to see if Mav has noticed. Of course he's noticed. He's a male.

They pull me in for a hug, and I try to stay relaxed and comfortable. "It's been forever. We need to catch up!" Sabrina says, linking her arm through mine.

"She's with me, and we're not staying," Mav says from right behind me.

I turn to look at him, but he has sunglasses on now and I can't get a read on him. "Um, it was good to see you both."

"Ugh. Mates," Sabrina says, shaking her head. Then she grins. "Let's catch up soon." They both turn and walk away, and I turn back to Maverick. He's already walking back the way we came, so I hurry to catch up.

"I thought we were going swimming," I tell him.

"We are."

After a moment, I point over my shoulder. "The pool's back that way."

"And you didn't want to be around that many people, so we're going somewhere else."

I process his words and don't know whether to be offended or appreciative. I follow him over to his car. He throws the bag in the backseat. "Hop in."

I hesitate at the door. "Uh, where are we going?"

He opens the front door and stands behind it. "Do you trust me?" I glance at him, but he's not smiling, and I can't see his eyes behind his glasses. I hesitate a moment. Can I trust him? "It wasn't meant to be a deep question," he says, sounding irritated.

"Yes." I say, staring up at him. "I trust you." He doesn't say anything for a second.

Then he simply says, "Good. Get in." He closes the door after I'm settled, and I wait for him to come around to the driver's side. He pulls out on the main road but doesn't drive towards the exit; he drives the other way instead.

"I haven't gone this way before," I say absently. We drive for a little while in silence. Just when I wonder where in the world he's taking me, he finally turns onto a gravel road. We drive for a little while before he parks in a grassy area. I climb out of the car, wondering what in the world we're doing. He grabs the bag out of the backseat.

"Come on," he calls out and I follow him.

"Is this where you take me out into the woods and kill me?" I ask with a nervous laugh. I look around the area, trying not to be nervous in the new surroundings.

"Healer, you're safe with me. No one can hurt you with me nearby." My heart gives a tug, and I nod, accepting his words. I'm silent as I walk next to him. I have to admit, the quiet is nice. It's peaceful in a way I haven't been able to enjoy in weeks. I tilt my face up to the sun and wonder when it was that summer hit. We walk for a little ways, and then the path turns. When we get to the end of the path, we turn again, and I suck in a breath.

"Ever been to the ocean before?" he asks quietly.

Unable to form any coherent words, I shake my head no. I stare at the nearly white sand all around us and watch as turquoise water laps against the sand. I walk over to the water and then bend down and pick up a handful of sand and let it sift through my hands. "Can I go in the water?" I ask Maverick.

"Hang on. Let's get you sun screened first." He hands me a bottle of sunscreen, and I do what I can to the front of me.

"Do you mind doing my back?" I ask him, holding the bottle out. He stares at me a moment before motioning for me to turn around. I pull my straps down, so he can get my full back. When nothing happens, I turn slightly. "You good?"

He grunts and begins to rub lotion into my back. I manage to hold back a groan because it feels really good. When he finishes, I turn to him. "Your turn." He stares down at me. "Turn around," I say, motioning with my finger. "I'll do your back." It takes me less than a second to realize what a bad idea this is. There is so much bronzed, marked skin underneath my fingertips right now, not to mention muscles. I swallow hard and finish rubbing in the sunscreen.

"I'm done," I manage to say breathlessly.

"Come on. Let's go catch some waves," he says quickly, pulling away from me.

I don't need any further encouragement. I tug off my flip flops and shirt and shorts and toss them in the sand and walk right into the water. The water feels amazing and cools me down. Now that I know what it feels like, I don't want to waste another minute. The water splashes all around me, and I can't help the delighted laugh that escapes me. I whirl around to find Maverick. "Aren't you coming in? This is amazing!" When he doesn't say anything, I start toward him. "Mav?"

"I'm coming." His voice is gruff.

I turn around and head right back into the water before a thought hits me. "Hey, I don't have to worry about sharks or anything here, right?"

"You mean like that one over there?" he asks.

I shriek and run through the water back to the shallow area where Mav is standing. Maverick makes a sound, and I turn to him and stop. "Are you laughing at me?"

He grins widely and puts his sunglasses on top his head. With eyes dancing, he says, "I've never seen you move so fast, Healer." I'm still dealing with how heartbreakingly handsome he is when he smiles to be able to come up with a reply. "I didn't even know you could move that fast."

That does it. I run after him and shove him backwards, trying to push him down into the deeper water. Well, I try; but he has lightning quick reflexes. He catches me and turns and catapults me into the water instead. The water surrounds me as momentum drags me under, and I resurface a moment later. "I can't believe you just did that," I say as I push my hair out of my face.

"Sure, you can," he says with a smirk. I stand all the way up, and I swear his gaze runs the length of me for a moment before his eyes snap to mine. Before he can move, I grab his arm. "Wait. Were you serious about the sharks?"

"I don't know, Healer. Was I?"

"Maverick," I implore.

He smiles gently. "There's no sharks here. I was just teasing you. Come on. Let me show you how to body surf." He starts forward. When I don't follow immediately, he turns back. "Coming?" It's my turn to be silent a moment. He makes quite a picture, standing in the water with the sun behind him. "Keep staring at me like that, and we're not going to get out to those waves," he says in a low voice. I jerk my gaze to his and nearly melt at the heat in his eyes. A moment later, he goes underwater, and I lose sight of him. He surfaces soon after, and I follow him out to the waves. I try to get out to where he is, but it's too deep. I can't keep my head above the water. He comes towards me. "I forgot how short you are." But his voice is almost tender. I shake my head; I must be water-logged because Maverick is not tender. "Okay, here's what to do."

We spend the next few hours in the waves until I absolutely can't swim anymore. I lay a towel on the sand before collapsing on it. "My legs feel like jelly." He drops down next to me, getting sand on me. "Watch it," I say without much energy, mostly because I have none left.