Chapter Thirteen

Maverick snatches my phone from my grasp and frowns. I drop my hands and pout as he discards the device on the kitchen counter.

"Were you listening to anything I was saying?" His browns knit together and guilt seeps into my stomach.

I was so preoccupied with Emalyn, I forgot to keep listening to him.

"Um." I nibble on my lower lip. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"Can you help me with the bed frame?"

"Sure." I nod.

The phone pings and we look at each other. His brows crease together and his eyes squint in a disapproving glance.

"Calm down, I'm not going to check it."

I follow Maverick into the bedroom which has boxes and bags of new things for the apartment. He directs me to the bed frame and tells me how to hold the side panel so he can connect it to the headboard.

Maverick bolts the frame together and we add the slats and the mattress to it.

"The side tables should be in one of these boxes somewhere."

"Hm." I look around and find the box tucked under some shopping bags. "I'm impressed you bought this amount of things," I say.

"I want you to see I'm serious about us, and these purchases are well overdue."

"Everyone deserves a space that feels like home, Mav."

"I purchased a dresser and there's enough space for you."

"Thanks, but let's take things slow."

"I could leave one draw empty for you?" He raises an eyebrow and I sigh with a smile.

"Maybe one draw would be okay."

"The drawers come on Wednesday," he comments.

"What about side tables?"

"I purchased some. There should be two boxes behind you." He nods.

I move some bags aside and find the boxes hidden under the other shopping. I slide one box to Maverick and take the second one. I open the box and upend the wood and bolts to assemble it.

Where's the instructions? I hope this is easy to build. If I make it incorrectly, it's on his side of the bed.

His side of the bed? I could mentally slap myself. We don't even share a bed.

The phone starts ringing and I look in the direction of it, then back to Maverick, silently asking for permission.

He sighs, his shoulders sagging forward.

"I never thought I would say this, but we need to get Emalyn a boyfriend or some friends so she's occupied by someone other than you," he grumbles.

I look at Maverick and he raises his eyebrows. He stops mucking around with the side table and places his hands on his hips.

"What? She calls you all the time and you go running to her."

"She needs me."

"I need you."

"You need me to what? Make your bed? You're more than capable of doing this yourself." I look around at the bags pilled up and the pile of wood and bolts to a side table I have no clue how to build.

"Because I want to spend time with you. You're not easy to track down these days."

"I'm sorry." I sigh.

"I hate keeping our relationship a secret," he says.

"Relationship? You're not even my boyfriend. We're just, um, friends."

Maverick rolls his eyes.

"Can we even call this a friendship? You hardly come running when I need your help."

"Mav." I sigh.

"I'm sorry, forget about it. If Emalyn needs your help, you should help her. She's probably plotting something stupid which will either get her hurt or in serious trouble."

"Exactly." I sigh. "She has your patience and temper."

Maverick returns to building the side table, while I attend to my phone. There's a string of messages and a missed call from Emalyn.

"There's an angel and devil's themed party tonight," I say. "She's shopping for costumes, I'm slightly terrified."

"You should be," he chuckles.

"Perhaps I can find her a boyfriend there?"

"Please."

"I've told her we can go to the party and I'll be back later, but I'm busy at the moment." I turn my phone on silent and slide it onto the kitchen counter.

Placing my phone on silent is terrifying, especially because she's purchasing our costumes. I doubt you can call lingerie a costume.

Mav helps me with the side table once he's finished making his one. We place them beside the bed, then add the mattress. I go through the shopping bags and toss the pillows and duvet covers.

His sheet colour range is dark colours in geometric patterns. Certainly an upgrade from what he had before.

Once the bed is made, I leap onto it and snuggle into a pillow. It's like falling onto a cloud. Perhaps I was wrong about moving here? I could live in this bed.

Maverick joins me and wraps his arm around my waist and snuggles his face into the crook of my neck. I roll onto my side and weave my fingers through his hair; swirling and tugging on the roots.

"Mm." He sighs.

"Do you have to go? I don't want you to leave." His grip tightens on my waist. My heart sinks because I didn't realise keeping this a secret would be so hard. Albet, Emalyn had a boyfriend and she was preoccupied.

I slide my fingers out of his hair and trace the curve of his jawline, then hook my finger under his jaw to lift his gaze to mine. I capture his lips with mine but let him control the kiss.

His kisses are sweet and gentle until his fingers slide under the hem of my t-shirt, then they become urgent and feverish. Mav's hands slide over the curve of my side and his lips trail over my cheek and down to the soft, sensitive spots of my neck.

If he knew how much power he had over me, it would be game over.

"I can stay for five more minutes, then I really have to go."

"We can do a lot in five minutes." He chuckles.

I pull his lips back to mine and indulge in this feeling. I love being wrapped in his arms, consumed by his warmth, and dazed by his kisses. It's hard to decipher if there's butterflies in my stomach or bees.

One wrong decision would blow up my entire life.

I pry myself from his grip and straighten my clothing. Maverick's hair is very messy from our makeout session.

"Will I see you at all this weekend?"

"It's parents weekend. Emalyn has the entire weekend planned out."

"I'll rephrase that, will I have time to spend with you?"

"Of course." I smile.

Maverick tousles his hair, before rolling onto his feet and adjusting his clothing. Nothing he can do will hide the bulge in his pants.

His arms wrap around my waist and he squishes me against his chest.

"Can I drive you back?"

"I'd rather walk."

"Can I walk with you?"

"I'd rather you didn't, besides, there's still lots to do around here."

Maverick rolls his eyes and nods.

"Text me."

"It's only four in the afternoon. I'm not walking through a war zone." I sigh.

Mav shrugs and kisses my forehead.

"I'm always a phone call away," he comments.

"I know, thank you."

He walks me downstairs and before he can distract me with any more kisses, I leave. 

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