AllFreeNovel
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“You have a vivid imagination. Interpret it however you want.”
I don’t add the rest—it’s too dangerous.
Fineis the furthest thing in the dictionary to describe Maven Wood.
Hot as sin would be more accurate.
A distraction.
Very fucking pretty, with muscular legs and big, blue eyes that sparkle when she’s teasing me. A smile that notches itself in the center of my chest whenever she looks my way, and I’ve found myself staring at the spot on her neck, just above her throat, frequently and often. That obnoxious sliver of skin taunts me whenever she’s wearing a ponytail or playing with her necklace.
There’s nothingfineabout her.
“Alright. Two can play that game, asshole. I’ll find her on social media and judge for myself.”
“How the hell are you going to do that?”
“Don’t underestimate me, Lansfield. The FBI should hire me for my detective skills.” Maverick swipes his phone off the arm of the couch and taps the screen. “You told us her name is Maven. She’s Shawn’s goddaughter, which means he definitely follows her, and if I scroll through his list of—bingo. There she is. Maven Wood.”
“Are you thirty or thirteen?” I ask, alarmed.
“The devil works hard, but Maverick Miller searching for a woman works harder.” Reid laughs. “He’s faster on the apps than me.”
“Fuck, Dal. She’s hot.”
I know what her social media pages look like. I did a deep dive into them myself, clicking on every picture I could find so I could try and learn her whole story. There are ones of her on the soccer field in a white jersey. A few of her with friends on the beach, the ocean behind them and the sun making her skin glow. I found one of her and Shawn’s wife, Lacey, at some charity event. She’s holding a glass of wine and looking stunning in a black dress with a plunging neckline and the tiniest smirk on her lips.
I had to turn my phone off after that.
“Let me see.” Reid jumps out of his chair and hurries behind the couch. He leans over Maverick’s shoulder and whistles. “Oh, yeah. She’s pretty. Click on that photo of her and the dogs. No, the other one.”
“She plays sports too? Goddamn.Athletic women are my kryptonite,” Maverick whines.
“You should message her, Mav, and introduce yourself. No one shoots you down,” Reid says.
I know they’re fucking with me. Joking around to try and make a point, but I’m still irritated for some reason. I take the phone from Maverick and bury it between the cushions next to stale Goldfish crackers. “Will you two quit it? Stop gawking at her.”
“Uh oh.” Maverick crosses his arms over his chest. “I think Dallas is jealous. He doesn’t like that we’re giving his girl attention.”
“She’s not my girl,” I say, exasperated. “She’s my friend and my employee. I like spending time with her. That’s it.”
Maven has been with us for three weeks, and we’ve settled into a routine that works so well, I find myself finally relaxing.
She’s at the apartment by nine in the morning, and she doesn’t leave until I get home from the stadium in the late afternoon. Sometimes she stays for dinner, handing over control at the stove after she burns the vegetables or sets a paper towel on fire. Her determination in the kitchen despite being an absolutely horrible cook is cute.
I give her shit and she throws it right back. The two of us work around each other to keep things moving as efficiently as possible for my daughter.
This past week, she’s stayed at the apartment well past June’s bedtime. We’ll sit on the couch and talk until she starts to yawn and my eyes start to close. I feel bad for keeping her so late, but she never makes it seem like she’s bored or looking for an excuse to leave.
I think she likes the company too.
“Can I ask her out?” Maverick asks, and something behind my ribs burns hot with his question.
“I will punch your teeth in if you try. You’d find a way to fuck this up for me, and June loves her. Maven adores June, too, and my therapist keeps telling me about the psychological benefits to JB consistently having a woman in her life. I don’t know, y’all. There used to be this constant panic when I watched my daughter. My parents said it would fade as she got older, but it never went away. With Maven around, it’s gone. It feels like I’ve been trapped underwater for so long, but now I can take a deep breath. I’m getting to the surface. It’s been ages since things have been easy, but right now, they are.”
“Sorry for giving you a hard time, Dal. We can see how much happier you are.” Reid sits back in his chair and shoves his glasses up his nose. “You’re lighter, too. Like a weight has lifted off your shoulder.”
“It has. I know Maven’s not June’s mom, but she loves my kid already. She’s giving her stability and the constant attention she deserves. Things aregood. And it lets me see you guys more, too.”
