Page 17 of King of Ruin

The room grew quiet.

Xavier's eyes narrowed.

"No."

A smirk spread across Maverick's face.

"I'm curious to see if she'll immediately deny being your girlfriend once she's cornered. Aren't you?"

His gaze never left Xavier.

"You keep insisting this is nothing more than an arrangement. So don't you want to find out if your arrangement falls apart on its own? If she ends it herself?"

The smirk on his face widened.

"Isn't that what you want anyway? I'm just helping you."

Before Xavier could respond, Maverick suddenly leaned forward.

His hand reached across the marble table.

The iPhone lying beside Xavier's whiskey glass disappeared into his palm in one smooth movement.

Xavier reacted immediately. His hand shot out across the table, but Maverick had already stepped back, effortlessly moving the phone out of reach.

"Maverick."

Xavier's voice dropped several degrees.

"Put it back."

Instead of answering, Maverick casually lifted the phone between them.

The screen illuminated almost instantly as Face ID recognized Xavier's face from across the table.

A slow grin spread across Cassian's face.

Xavier didn't even spare him a glance.

His eyes never left Maverick.

"I'll ask you one more time."

His tone remained quiet.

"Put."

"My."

"Phone."

"Back."

The deathly quiet warning hung in the air.

Had it been anyone else, they would've returned the phone without another word.

Maverick simply smiled.