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I push his hair back from his forehead, watching the thick, dark curl spring back into place. “We don’t have to. It’s really whatever you’re comfortable with. It’s a different kind of connection.”
He nods once. “It’s deeper, literally and figuratively.” He rolls his eyes at himself. “Leave it to me to ruin epic sex with stupid jokes.” His expression turns serious. “I’ve never felt this connected to anyone before. It feels like you live not only in my heart, but in my soul as well.”
We kiss again, unhurried, just like before. I want to stay like this, wrapped in the comfort of each other. But as the heat settles and the sweat dries on our skin, he finally pulls out. I excuse myself to the bathroom to clean up, and by the time I come back to bed, Maverick’s blinks have slowed considerably.
I tuck myself into his side, and he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close. He turns his head and kisses my temple. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For knowing what I need when I need it.”
“That’s what partners do.” I kiss his chest and listen as his breathing regulates, along with his heart rate. I match my breaths to his, but my mind takes longer to settle. Just like Maverick, I have no idea what contract talks are going to bring our way.
Thirty-Four
One Step Closer to the Unknown
Maverick
Istep out of my bedroom, which I haven’t slept in much lately, and nearly collide with Kody. Right behind him is Lavender.
“I’ll see you when you get home,” she says. “Hey, Mav, it’s nice to see your face. I’d ask where you’ve been for the past two weeks, but I don’t have time to wait for you to concoct a lie. Good luck on your last exam today.” She kisses Kody on the cheek and rushes down the hall.
“Slow down, babe. I’d like you to be in one piece when we leave for New York!” he calls after her.
She flips him the bird but grabs the railing as she rushes down the steps. From theoof, I’m guessing she missed one.
“Why is she rushing? She gonna be late or something?” I ask.
“Nah.” He rubs the back of his neck. “She wants to get to campus with lots of time to spare in case some random, unforeseen thing happens that could possibly make her late. Also, she anxiety pees like three times before every final, so she hangs out near the bathroom for about fifteen minutes because she doesn’t want to have to go in the middle of the test.”
“Huh. That’s . . . weird.”
He shrugs. “Seems to run in your family. You ready for your final exam? You really haven’t been around much lately.”
I follow him down the stairs to the kitchen. The front door slams shut, indicating that Lavender is gone, and it’s just the two of us.
“I saw you yesterday at hockey practice,” I tell him. The season is over, but it doesn’t mean we don’t make the most of ice time when it’s available. There were some rumblings about what happened in the parking lot after the game when Gabriel showed up, but I dispelled the rumors, saying some drunk dude was getting out of hand. No one pushed it or questioned it, so I let it be.
“I mean outside of hockey.” Kody grabs a box of cereal from the cupboard and the jug of milk from the fridge, setting them both on the table. “For the past couple of weeks, every time I knock on your bedroom door, no one answers. I was kinda hoping we’d get to hang out a bit more since Lavender and I are basically jumping on a plane right after convocation.” He opens another cabinet and retrieves two bowls, passing me one.
I grab two spoons, and we take a seat across from each other. “I’m sorry, man. It hasn’t been intentional. I’ve been juggling a lot with classes, the gym, and hockey. Why don’t we hang out after our exams today?”
I grab the box of Harvest Crunch, and Kody goes for Life. Clover has to work all day, and she’s clearing out her office—not that she’s accumulated all that much since she’s only been here a year. Since that last showdown with Gabriel, I’ve been off the grid, and Kody and I haven’t had much time together outside of hockey. He’s leaving for the summer tomorrow, and then who the hell knows how often we’ll see each other after that. Unless one of us has our rights traded so we end up on the same team—I still like to fantasize about that sometimes, even though the odds are slim.
His eyes flare, like he’s shocked I would suggest we hang out. “Yeah. That would be great. Wanna grab lunch at the campus bar? I should be wrapped up by eleven thirty. What time is your last exam?”
“Starts at nine thirty, so I should be done around the same time.”
“All right, cool.” Kody shovels in a mouthful of cereal.
“Cool,” I echo, and do the same. We both nod a bunch of times while chewing. “Why does this feel like we’re awkwardly making a date again?”
“Uh, I don’t know, but it does.” I can see he’s working up the nerve to say something. “I feel like there’s this divide I don’t know how to cross with you, and it keeps getting wider.”
I sigh, realizing we need to have this conversation and it probably should have happened long before now. “I’m not mad at you for dating Lavender. I knew it was going to happen. All of us have known it was coming.”
“But there’ssomething, Mav. If it’s not me and Lav, what is it?”
