Chapter 21

Ava

I'm hiding in my bathroom. This would be a lot easier if I was at his house. Then I could just grab my clothes and run. But how do I get him out of my house? I could lay heavily on our time together, make it like we're married now. Maybe that would scare him off. Or, I could be nonchalant, act the playgirl, and we'd fall into sync, and he could just leave.

I'm afraid to do either one because I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to be disappointed if he's already out the door, and I don't want to be afraid if he's sitting at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee.

But sharing a cup of coffee with Maverick after one of the hottest nights I've ever had in my life sounds like a really good idea.

I dress in running gear. Maybe if he sees I'm trying to get out for a run, he'll leave. Glancing at the bed that has blankets strewn everywhere, I notice his T-shirt laying on the corner of it. I fight with myself over whether to ignore that it's there so I can keep it or give it back to erase all memories of last night. In the end, I snatch it from the bed and slowly walk the hall and enter the kitchen to see him leaning against the counter blowing on a cup of coffee. He has his jeans on, zipped but not buttoned, legs crossed, and one arm propped on the counter. The sight makes my heart skip a beat. How did I have this man in my bed last night?

"Leaving so soon, princess? I was hoping to see you in my T-shirt."

"I should have known that was a strategic move."

He eyes me over his cup of coffee, taking another sip before nodding to the table where another cup sits. I avoid it, instead opening the fridge for juice. I turn with the jug in hand, waiting for him to move. "Excuse me."

He takes another sip. "Yes?"

"I need to get a glass from the cabinet."

"Don't let me stop you."

I'm trying not to let him affect me, but everything he does makes me want to jump him again. Stilling my face, I step next to him, reaching to the cabinet beside his head and brushing his side as I quickly grab a glass and step back. He chuckles, and it makes me mad.

"After last night, I know you're not shy, Ava. Talk to me."

I stare at the glass in my hand, running my finger around the rim and quickly say, "I don't think this was a good idea." The words fall from my mouth without thought, and I see the hurt in his eyes when I look up. "I need to get to work, and I need to check in with Dick and Alistair."

"Oh yes, the boyfriends. What's on the agenda for the next class? Is it how to order take out and make her think you cooked it? Or maybe something a bit deeper, like what's the next step after a one-night stand?"

I rear back as if I was punched. Hearing him say those words cuts me deep because, for a minute there, I allowed myself to think this could actually be something. I thought Maverick reached a turning point last night and showed me he has a mature side. That he's able to care and spend time getting to know someone. What's worse, he actually made me think for a minute about the possibility of falling in love.

"You can go now," I snipe out.

He watches me, and I try to remain passive but I'm shocked at what I'm seeing. So many emotions dance around his face, I can't name them. I'm sure he's never been kicked from a bed before. He turns and dumps his remaining coffee down the sink before grabbing his T-shirt that I left lying on the chair.

"I'll go. But you need to know, I think last night was a really fucking good idea." He pulls his shirt over his head then kisses me on the forehead before brushing past me. I hear the keys jingle as he takes them from the entry table and the slamming of the door makes me jump in my spot.

Even after I just cut him to the core, he was a decent guy to me. He was playful this morning, and respectful when I needed a minute.

I struggle to leave my house. I need to run. It's the only way to clear my head of this confusion. It was the hottest night I've ever had and one of the most romantic too. I won't ever tell him one of my fantasies was to dance in the rain. Or to just have a man talk me through sex. It was fun, it was exciting.

It was new.

And I have to remember it was like this with Zach at one time too.

No it wasn't, and you know it.

This is just another layer to Maverick that I didn't know he had. But this morning brought about that immature humor again. I don't want to look after another man. Last night left me thinking he could be the one to look after me. And if this morning was just deflective words, well, that's even worse.