it at the door behind us to indicate that it was time for him to fuck off now.
Billy cut Maverick an apologetic glance then took his opportunity to run while I twisted the gun between my fingers thoughtfully.
It seemed kinda dumb to lose hold of my only weapon, but I wasn't going to shoot him whatever happened. So I flicked the safety on and pushed the pistol into the back of my shorts. Please, Lord, don't let me shoot my ass cheek off by accident.
Maverick didn't say anything else, stalking towards me slowly while I remained rooted to the spot, drinking in the changes in him and trying to figure out what was going on behind those dark eyes of his.
"You never did know what was good for you, did you, beautiful?" he growled, stopping before me, so close that I could smell the scent of wood and leather on his skin with the underlying roughness of man.
"It's been a long time since anything was good for me," I tossed back and he arched a brow.
"What do you want?" he asked, no sign that he was pleased to see me, no flicker of anything but this cold, detachment that had my bravado cracking at the seams.
I opened my mouth to reply but he took another step towards me suddenly, making me back up and bump against the heavy wooden door at my back. His hands grasped my waist and I sucked in a sharp breath as he ran them up the smooth fabric of my white swimsuit, his grip tight and unyielding as he felt down over my hips, dipping his fingers into my pockets and tugging my cellphone free, dropping it into his own, followed by the gun. His hands explored every inch of my shorts, even pushing between my thighs for a moment that stole my breath from my lungs.
Then he continued, feeling up the length of my spine over my shoulders, even pushing his fingers into my hair, all while I just stared at him and let him do it. The sensation of his hands on my skin had me frozen and I felt like I was caught in a snare, unable to break free and not wanting to for some reason either.
I wasn't sure what he was looking for, because the gun and cellphone clearly hadn't been it as he continued his exploration of my body and I just took the time to study his.
His tanned skin was heavily decorated with tattoos which seemed to each tell a story I was desperate to hear. I looked between the tattoos, unable to stop myself from drinking in the curves of his powerful body too as he stood there fresh from his workout.
My heart was thundering with a mixture of fear and exhilaration as he touched me, dragging his hands back down my neck and making me suck in a sharp breath as he ran his hands over my breasts without any warning.
"What are you-"
His finger dipped between my breasts and he tugged the key I always wore up to hang between us, giving me an unreadable look before moving to tug it over my head.
I snatched his wrist before he could, glaring up at him as I stopped him from taking it.
"You have one of your own, Rick," I growled. "You don't need mine."
A cruel smirk which was all new to this version of Maverick curled up his lips and he leaned in close without releasing my key.
"You come into my house, threaten my men and stroll in here with something this valuable and you really believe I'm going to let you keep it?" he asked, tugging on the key so that I was forced to step forward as the leather necklace it hung from dug into my neck.
"You don't even know why I'm here," I growled.
"I know why you're here. Question is, do you?" His eyes were so dark and full of a void I was aching to dive into. I felt like I could see so much hidden within them, hurt and pain and suffering that he'd endured since we'd lost each other all those years ago. It was a mirror image of the endless emptiness in me and I craved it in a way that I knew could be my undoing.
"Rick," I breathed, but that seemed like the wrong thing to have done because he tugged the leather necklace securing the key around my neck and yanked it over my head before dropping it