“Princess, please listen to me.” Uncle Nick pleads.
I stop mid way up the stairs and take a deep breath. “Do you think you could stop calling me Princess? It feels kind of baby-ish, don’t you think?”
My heart breaks as I see hurt flash across his face. It doesn’t bother me at all that he calls me that, but I don’t want to give Preston another reason to try and fight with him, or hurt me.
“Is that whatyouwant?” He asks me. Clearly seeing through my sorry excuse. I have to make him believe me or he’ll never let this go.
I look down at my feet, bite the inside of my cheek then nod slightly. My attempt to keep my head held high is dashed when I see just how hurt he really is. His eyes are glossed over and he swallows roughly.
“I just feel like maybe, I’m too old to be called any cute nicknames.” I state.
“Oh. Uhm, alright.” His voice cracks, then he clears his throat. “I’ll let you get to bed. Goodnight, Lizzy.” With that, he turns and walks toward his study on the first floor, his head down. In all my life, I’ve never seen Nick Rossi with his head down.
Once in my room I let the tears flow.
Chapter seventeen
Within a half anhour we reach the base of the mountain range, and Maverick pulls into a parking lot near a hiking trail. He extends his hand to help me off the back of the bike and I take it. He played music on the ride here, which I was thankful for because all I could focus on was how close we were. I had no choice but to press myself into his back and keep my arms wrapped tightly around his waist. I’ll admit, I was anxious at first about getting on the bike at all, but Maverick handled the road like he’s been riding all his life. After a few minutes, I relaxed and was able to enjoy the ride.
I still can’t wrap my head around how it is that I feel so safe with him. It takes me a long time to warm up to people. After everything I’ve experienced, I don’t trust easily, or at all for that matter. I trusted Hazel so quickly only because of her connection with Uncle Nick, and it took me about six months of Ashlynn’s constant pushing for me to finally trust her. So what is it about this massive tattooed stranger that has me so comfortable this quickly?
He could have brought me out here to kill me and no one would knowwhere to look.
I shake my head at the thought. I just have this gut feeling that isn’t the case, and I really hope that it isn't. Because he was right, I’m drawn to him in ways that I don’t understand.
Once my feet are planted on the ground, Maverick sets out his kickstand and puts on the lock on the handle bars. He swings his leg off the bike and stands to his full height next to me. He helps me once again with the straps of the helmet, then I remove it. Placing it on the back seat, I undo the braid in my hair and fluff it back to life. Maverick stands and shamelessly watches my every move, helmet still on, with his head cocked slightly to the side. I feel the blush rise from my chest to my cheeks and I look down at my shoes, kicking a pebble to try to tame the flames that are rising inside my chest, but I feel a finger under my chin. He lifts my chin and my eyes come to his. He’s lifted the visor on his helmet, his sage green eyes popping against the contrast of the black helmet. I try to swallow the lump that has suddenly formed in my throat, and I watch as his eyes follow the movement. He reaches out a gloved hand and lightly wraps it around my neck. The motion causes me to hold my breath as I continue staring at him. He reaches his free hand and traces his fingers across the blush on my cheeks, eyes never leaving mine. My thighs clench together–I’m still a little worked up from him teasing me with my gun earlier–and I feel my heart begin to race. He releases me and removes the gloves from his hands before taking off his helmet and placing it next to mine. He then shrugs off his jacket and drapes it across his seat.
“I’ve never been out here. This is beautiful.” I say to cut the silence.
“It is. I figured we could walk around the base for a while. There’s a trail not too many people go down that runs along the river.” Maverick states. I nod my head and slide my jacket down my arms as well. He takes it from my hands then lays it with his. It’s a nice day out, and the leather jacket wasperfect for the bike, but it will get too warm if we’re going to be walking around.
Maverick leads the way through the opening of the trail and we begin walking in comfortable silence. Just like he said, there’s no one else on the trail. We walk for about ten minutes before he takes a right hand turn off the path and down an embankment. I stop mid stride and my heart sinks.
Okay, so maybe he did take me here to kill me.
Just as I start to think about turning around and running, he emerges from the trees and laughs.
“I’m not going to kill you Parker, come on.” His smile is heart stopping and his eyes glitter under the sunlight that filters through the trees. Taking his outstretched hand, he yanks me to him and I trip over a stump, but his massive arms keep me from falling flat on my face. I stare up at him for a moment before I feel my thighs squeeze again and I slowly pull myself away from him.
Damnit. Breathe, Parker.
“We’re almost there, just a few more feet.” Maverick turns to continue walking and I stay close behind him. He pulls some branches back and gestures for me to go in front of him. I move through the clearing he’s made, and my feet come to a halt. My jaw drops as I take in the view around me.
The river in front of me is stunning; so clear I can see the bottom of it from where I stand. Massive douglas-fir trees line the river banks, their branches still a rich emerald green. I look to the left, and off in the distance a mountain is in clear view. I can see the snow that covers the top, down to where it meets the ground. It looks like a painting.
“I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. I’ve been missing out.” I say breathlessly.
“I’m surprised you haven’t. I don't think I’ve met anyone that hasn’t come at least once to hike around here.” Maverick says from behind me. “Have you lived around here your whole life?” He asks.
I flinch at his question. He said he got my address from the employee files at work and if I had to guess, he’s looked at more than that. He’s without a doubt the type to get all of the information he can on someone. Thankfully if he had, he would have found the iron clad background my uncle had fabricated for me. I’ve studied my background extensively, I can now tell it as if I had actually lived it. As if it’s really who I am. It doesn’t make lying about who Ireallyam any easier though. Truth is, I don't feel like Elizabeth anymore. But having to hide her isn’t always easy, which is why I haven’t gotten close with anyone besides Ashlynn. I’ve been too afraid to let my guard down and accidentally slip and get a fact wrong, or let something real slip out.
Shit.
“Not my whole life. I moved out here two years ago from The Dalles after my parents decided to move to Florida. And I’m at Doc’s so much I just haven’t had time to explore.” I say with confidence. He watches me for a few seconds then nods.
“Are you close with them?” He asks and my heart splinters.
“I was. With them being so far away, it’s hard to stay close like we used to be.” My voice comes out in a whisper and Maverick steps toward me and brushes his fingertips along my shoulder.
