more than once. Maverick smiles at her in that way only he knows how and she practically falls over. As we move away to our seats, I ask, “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” he asks, looking sincerely confused.
I quirk a brow. “You do this smile thing and I’m certain it’s not flirting because you’re the most taken man I’ve ever met, so I’m just wondering why you do it,” I say.
Maverick runs a hand through his hair. “Must be my smile. Don’t know what to tell you,” he says, smiling again. I shake my head at him. “You never said why you won’t call her,” he prompts.
I sigh. “I’ll call her. Buy some more furniture or something.”
He laughs. The waitress comes and brings the food we ordered. She sets it down in front of us without taking her gaze off of Maverick’s laughing face. I tell her we’ll let her know if we need anything and she disappears to the back to tell her coworkers about the smile.
Maverick takes a bite of his salad that has everything on it. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count as a salad. “Not furniture. Tell her you want to fuck her brains out and love her until death do you part. That should mean something because death already did you part once,” he says, his mouth full of food. He has jokes. Jokes that make sense, at least. He pulls out his cell phone from his pocket and the ring box from the other. He texts Windsor a photo of the box.
I nod. “That will go over well. She’s liable to slap me or shoot me,” I say, but Mav interrupts.
“Or fuck you,” he says matter-of-factly, snapping a photo of the box from a different angle. He texts some more and then resumes eating.
“Yeah, I guess that is in the realm of possibility if she’s as celibate as you tell me she is.” I take a bite of my own food and ponder what he’s said. I want to get laid so bad. I need it. Regular sex is something that far too many people take for granted. Being able to roll over in the middle of the night and fuck their wife or girlfriend. God, what a luxury. I get to roll over and fuck my hand. Not something to be proud of.
He nods. “Go ahead. Call her now. I’ll know you followed through,” he replies.
“Fuck you, dude! I’m not calling her now in this loud ass restaurant and especially not in front of you,” I say. “I’ll call her when we get home.”
Maverick shakes his head furiously. “Now. Or I make a scene.”
“You make a scene wherever you go whether you want to or not,” I deadpan. I humor him, assuming she won’t pick up anyways. I have a new phone with a new phone number. It will pop up on her screen as ‘unknown’. She’ll wrinkle her fucking cute nose and then hit decline. I know it.
I dial the number I know by heart, hit send, and stare Maverick straight in the goddamned eyes. She answers on the first ring, “Hello.” Her voice. That voice. It sends chills down my spine and my cock comes out of hibernation. Shit. I wasn’t prepared for her to answer and I choke on my own breath. Maverick chuckles under his breath.
“Hey, it’s me. I, uh, wanted to talk to you about…decorating,” I say, my words spilling out awkwardly. Lainey will see right through me.
“Cody, is that you?” she asks. I must really sound like a real asshole if she can’t recognize my voice.
“Yeah, hey, Fast Lane, what are you up to?” I try a new approach. A didn’t work, let’s go with B.
I hear noise in the background and horns blaring. “I’m actually in the city this weekend for a décor show. It’s been a while, Cody,” she says.
I swallow down the heaps of emotion I feel because of what I hear in her voice. “It has. That’s why I’m calling,” I say, looking at Maverick and shaking my head. Here goes nothing. “Want to get together while you’re in town? I understand if you don’t. I figured you’re probably still doing your own thing, living life, decorating lives, but I miss you and wanted you to know that.”
She’s breathing deeply on her end of the phone. “That’s nice,” she says.
I raise my brows. What the fuck is this? “It is nice, isn’t it?”
The café door chimes, signaling someone has entered. “Yeah, it’s