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“Good. We’ll get into the box somehow.” Even if I had to convince the owner of the bank the hard way. “There’s nothing we can do in the middle of the night. Tomorrow is an entirely different story. We’ll find the bank and trust and see if I’m right. We’ll also grab your camera. Then we’re going to have a long conversation with the sheriff. Finally, we’ll make plans to destroy your father after getting the answers you need.” At least she wasn’t arguing with me.
“You trust the sheriff that much?”
“Implicitly. Gage is a friend first and has been there through some rocky times.”
“Okay.” A slight look of relief crossed her face. Yet she was searching for my approval or at minimum my words of wisdom regarding the sperm donor who turned out to be her father. What I had to say wouldn’t provide her with the comfort she needed.
So I did something else entirely.
I beckoned her with a single finger.
When she acted as if she wasn’t going to obey me, I cocked my head. “Come here.”
“What if I don’t?”
I leaned forward, folding my hands together. “You’re already going to get a spanking for scaring the life out of me. If you don’t come here, I assure you that your punishment is going to be much worse.”
* * *
Amelie
Love.
I’d heard him say the word and nothing could have shocked me more. But his eyes reflected more emotions than I thought he was capable of.
Anger. If either one of the men were standing in this room, he’d easily kill them with his bare hands.
Anxiety. I sensed his continued concern as well as his determination to protect me.
Frustration. There was no doubt he was fit to be tied with my behavior, uncertain how to discipline me.
And ultimately love. He was as stunned as I was that he’d admitted something so personal. I wanted so much to ask him what he’d endured in his past that had kept him from falling hard for anyone. Someday I would. Now wasn’t the time.
It was crazy, but instead of feeling raw terror, warmth and intense need encapsulated my body. He had a way of pacifying even the worst aspects of life, although he’d never admit he was anything but a brooding, unromantic man. Little did he know I was rubbing off on him.
The real girl was the one with insecurities and chutzpa, not the woman I’d almost turned into because of my father.
With truth came a sense of freedom.
And relief.
Being able to use my real name gave me a feeling of power, as if I could take on the world and easily win. When I was around Maverick, all the anxiety managed to fade away, if only for a little while. The gruff man had a way of making me feel safe, as if nothing and no one would ever be able to hurt me. I don’t know what I’d expected when admitting the ugliness of my truths, but he’d kept his gorgeous blue eyes on me, accepting every word I said without admonishment or disbelief.
For that alone I’d be eternally grateful.
I was lucky to be alive, running away and wrecking my truck one of the more ridiculous things I’d done in a long time. How many times would he need to save my life before I realized and accepted that he cared about me?
As I got off the couch, Sam whined in frustration. Even with the few bumps and bruises I’d gotten in the wreck, I couldn’t care less about the discomfort or the weight of what the next few days or weeks would bring.
I needed Maverick the same way he hungered for me.
Teasing him, I dragged my tongue across my lips, barely inching closer. By the way his nostrils flared, I sensed he wasn’t going to tolerate my mischievous actions but for so long.
He placed his elbows on his knees, folding his hands, studying me without blinking. But as I’d seen several times before, there was only one thing on his mind.
My surrender.
As I inched closer, I tossed my head back and forth, my long strands of hair slapping him in the face.
