it becomes. She’s going through an even worse breakup than I imagined, and yet my attraction to her hasn’t diminished.
Focus on what she needs, you dick.
Hannah needs a friend, not a lover.
Not a lover, I repeat to myself.
She had one of those, and look how it turned out for her.
And I’m most certainly not boyfriend material. Maybe one day, when I’ve paid off my dad’s medical bills and have established myself professionally. Maybe then, I could commit to a woman and make her happy. But right now, I’m not in that place. So I need to make sure I keep Hannah in the friend zone. Ignore my dick and use my brain. Shouldn’t be that hard.
Chapter Seventeen
Hannah
“Choose whichever you prefer.” Maverick gestures to the two beds from where he’s standing way back at the door.
It’s almost like he’s uncomfortable being in here with me. And I’m right there with him.
Because I can’t stop thinking about having sex with him.
Trying to appear unaffected, I walk over to the beds and toss my bag of new clothes onto the one closest to the window overlooking the city. “This one’s perfect.”
Our hotel room is larger than our one in the motel last night. The floor-to-ceiling window takes up nearly the entire wall on one side, and the flat-screen TV is positioned across from both beds. The décor is a desert theme with a painting of cacti and red rocks.
“This is pretty.” I spin in a circle and take in the room.
Maverick barely glances around him as he drops his bag on the bed closest to the bathroom. “I’m glad you like it.”
His stomach growls, and I laugh. “I forgot you’re a big athlete. You must be starved. It’s way past lunchtime.”
He flashes a beautiful smile I’ve never seen out of him. “You should see me in season. My dad used to say his entire salary could be spent on groceries for his oldest son.”
That’s the first time he’s mentioned his family. “Are you close to your father?” I ask him.
He nods. “He’s my biggest supporter.”
“That’s nice. Does he go to all your games?”
His eyes flash with emotion. “He used to. But he was in a car accident a few years ago. So he can’t travel very easily.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must be hard on both of you.”
He closes down his expression. “It is what it is. I try to help with my three younger brothers as much as I can. Right now, getting financial security is the greatest gift I could give all of them.”
“You have three brothers?” I smile. “Four Court boys. That must have been a challenge raising all of you.”
“Yeah. My dad’s been a single parent for a while now, and sometimes I don’t know how he did it.”
The opening is there for me to ask about his mom. Part of me wants to know. And part of me doesn’t want to pry.
I choose not to pry.
“I’m going to freshen up before we go eat.” I grab my bag and go lock myself in the bathroom.
Outside of my wedding day, I rarely wear makeup. But, we’re in Vegas, baby. So I put on some lipstick from the light red tube I purchased at the mall this morning, and I add a dab of mascara. I brush my hair up into a high ponytail and fasten it with a hot pink elastic.
And then, I take a look at my clothes.
I don’t have many options. But I do want to feel good tonight. Sexy. Seeing Craig again for the first time since the courthouse sucked. So, I’m going to dress up.
Maverick
Holy hell. When Hannah steps out of the bathroom, I shove my hands into my pants pockets so I won’t reach for her.
She’s wearing a pale yellow sundress with strappy sandals that show off her tanned, toned legs. Her breasts fill out the fabric of the dress to perfection with just enough of a hint of cleavage to make me want to see more.
“Are you a gambler?” she asks me immediately.
I drag my gaze up from her chest to find her glaring at me.
“What?” I say innocently.
“You were staring at my chest.” She crosses her arms purposefully. “Quite liberally. Like you were willing to risk being told off.”
“It was unplanned,” I say.
“Haven’t you seen a woman’s cleavage before?”
I break into a chuckle. “Is this a trick question?”
Hannah furrows her brow. “No. It’s a serious question. Sort of.”
“Sort of?” I tease her.
“Yes. Sort of. Because I’ll be honest, Maverick—part of me likes that