takes my hands back in his, but only so he can step back from me.
His eyes are filled with heat, and he squeezes them shut for a few seconds. When he reopens them, the heat is gone. Like it was never there at all.
I blink in confusion. “You don’t want casual sex? I’m making this very easy for you, Maverick. One night only. Just to get me over my broken wedding. Then, we continue the rest of the trip platonically.”
“Platonically?” Maverick’s voice hitches on the last syllable.
“Yes. Unless…” I clap my hands as my plan begins to crystallize. Being under the influence of alcohol is definitely giving me a confidence I don’t normally possess around men. At work, I’m comfortable with anyone, but when it comes to men, in a romantic sense, I’ve always been hopeless. But right now, I feel emboldened. “Unless we decide we want more.”
“More.” Maverick shoves his hands into his jeans pockets and takes another step back from me. “More…sex?”
“Yes.” I smile at him, sure he’ll see what a brilliant plan this is. “If we both enjoy the sex, then we can keep having it for the rest of our road trip. You can teach me stuff. Craig wasn’t very adventurous. I bet you would be.”
“Christ.” His hands fly out of his pockets only for him to jam them into his hair. “Hannah, can we table this conversa…”
“And then…” I continue as the beauty of my spontaneous plan fully unfolds in my brain. “We’ll part as friends once we hit Chicago. You’ll go off and become a big football star, and I’ll go get my Ph.D. Easy.”
“Easy,” he repeats.
“See?” I smile at him. “I knew you’d agree. So let’s get started.” I reach for the right strap of my sundress and drag it off my shoulder.
Maverick advances toward me so fast he’s a blur. He fixes the strap back over my shoulder, holding it in place. “Stay dressed, Hannah.” He sounds breathless. “Please.”
“How come?”
“You want to have this conversation tomorrow?” he asks me. “Fine. We’ll do that. I promise. But not tonight when you’ve been drinking. And I won’t kiss you for the first time when you’re drunk, either. That’s non-negotiable.”
I sigh. “God, you really are bossy, aren’t you? Are you like this on the football field?”
“Yep. I’m always yelling for the ball.” He flashes me a grin. “Because I know throwing to me gives my team the best chance to win.”
Well, he’s hot when he’s bossy off the field. I bet he’s twice as hot being the boss in a game.
“So, tonight…”
“Tonight we sleep.” He shifts me toward my bed. “Let’s go.”
He must be a damn saint because he turns around while I take off my sundress and slip into his clothes for the second night in a row.
“All set.” I climb under the covers, and Maverick pulls them over my shoulders.
“Will you sleep with me?” I ask him. “I swear not to jump you.”
“Hannah…” He sounds like he’s in pain.
“What?”
His tense expression relaxes, and he brushes the back of his hand gently across my cheek. “Nothing. Of course I’ll sleep with you. Be right back.”
Ten minutes later, I’m already half-asleep when Maverick slides in behind me in the queen-sized bed. His strong arm covers my body, and he pulls me back against him.
His lips brush the shell of my ear. “Goodnight, Hannah.”
“Goodnight, Mav.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Maverick
I keep my arm wrapped around Hannah as her breathing evens out. My dick is hard as nails right now, and I’m trying like hell to keep my lower body separated from hers.
As she sighs in her sleep, she presses her ass against my groin.
I barely suppress a groan as I slowly withdraw my arm from her warm, soft body and shift onto my back.
Fuck, I’m hot. I strip off my t-shirt, leaving me in just my boxers.
I take deep, calming breaths, willing my dick to get under control.
Hannah’s request for sex didn’t come as a surprise, exactly. I’m used to women asking for a night of mutual pleasure. But I’m not used to a woman like Hannah.
She was…different in her approach. More real. And the thing about it is…I want her. I’ve wanted her from the moment I saw her even though she was off-limits.
If I’m completely honest with myself, I want her for more than just one night.
But I can’t go there. Not once, not twice, and not endless times like I crave.
Because despite what she said, I already know that letting Hannah Walsh go at the end of