It was time to call it a night. She'd sat forward, but her body was cold where she'd been leaning on him, and it felt unnerving, like she should simply lie back and resume her position. She knew, though, that she needed to give it some thought without Maverick being around.
She answered his question, finally. "I don't know. I'm not saying no. I just need to think about it," she told him.
"I can respect that," he said, shocking her. He didn't usually take no for an answer, and uncertainty on her part would be considered a no for Mav.
Standing, she tried sneaking away while he put out the fire. But she should have known it wouldn't be that easy. With a very tired Princess at her heels, she didn't even get ten feet away before Mav was magically at her side.
"You're calling it a night early," he said, the dim lighting along the path to the guest cottage far too intimate after what the two of them had just shared.
"It's not early," she told him with a smile.
"It's only . . ." He looked down at his watch. "Oh, I didn't realize it was nearly midnight. Thank you for staying with me. Thank you for letting me share. I liked it."
"Thank you, Mav. I know that must not have been easy for you to do."
"It was easier than I thought," he told her. There was something in his tone she didn't recognize and it scared her.
But wasn't this fear so much better than the terror she'd suffered for so long? Even though letting a man into your heart without knowing where it would lead was dangerous, it was a risk she should be willing to take. The consequences weren't life or death. Still, she hesitated.
"I don't need to be escorted back to the cottage."
"I can't let a beautiful woman go home alone," he told her before reaching for her hand. She didn't even bother tugging against his hold this time. He was back to his usual self, his voice full of confidence. The meeker Mav hadn't lasted long. She realized she enjoyed both sides of this man.
They were silent the rest of the way to her place, which didn't take long at all. She stood in front of the door, feeling that first-date sort of awkwardness she'd hoped to never feel again. Of course, she reminded herself, it wasn't a date.
This was simply her returning home after eating with her friends. Not that Mav was her friend . . . not exactly. But it almost felt like a date, especially the part where he'd held her so tenderly by the fire and shared so much of himself.
"I have a meeting tomorrow with some big clients for the fund-raiser. Will you come with me?"
"Mav . . ." She sighed. He'd promised to give her time.
"I'm not asking you to commit. I'm just showing you some of what we do and that will help you make an informed decision," he said, sounding far too innocent.
She sighed again. The man was infuriating.
"I don't think it's a good idea to go with you," she said with a frown before she smiled. "Last time we went out together, I ended up with a dog," she pointed out. "If we go somewhere again, I might find myself with a monkey."
That made him laugh, and the rich sound of his natural joy was enough to warm her to the bones and shake off the rest of her melancholy.
"I promise not to get you attached to any monkeys," he said as he crossed his fingers over his heart.
"Where would we be going then?" she asked.
"I can't tell you. That would ruin the surprise," he said as he took a step nearer to her. She leaned back against the door. It wasn't locked. All she had to do was turn the knob and step inside. But the command wasn't connecting with her hand.
"I'm not big on surprises," she pointed out.
"That's because you haven't been surprised by me enough," he said with a waggle of his brows.
"Hmm." The buzzing sound on her lips made them tingle as she found her eyes straying up to his. Dang, she wouldn't mind a kiss good-night. That thought annoyed her. She didn't want to want his kisses.
Princess whined at her feet, which snapped Lindsey out of her reverie. She really did need to go inside. Just looking at her sweet new pet made her realize that Mav wasn't completely off in the things he was doing for her.
"Even though you strong-armed me, I have to thank you for Princess. I sort of already love her."
"She chose you," he said, leaning just a bit closer. Now he was less than six inches away and she could feel the heat pouring off him. This man's body temperature only ran on hot.
"Just don't be giving me anything else," she warned.
"I can't promise that. I think I like seeing your face light up when you get a gift," he countered.
"Well . . . refrain," she squeaked. If only she sounded more convincing.
He didn't say anything else, just closed the remaining distance between them so his body was brushing hers. She couldn't breathe as she looked into his dark eyes and waited to see what he was going to do.
Slowly and without pause, he leaned down until his lips were whispering against hers. He brushed them across once . . . twice . . . three times, a light contact of his lips on hers, just enough to make her want to cry out in frustration.
Then he leaned in closer, his hard chest now pressing lightly against hers as his hand came up and cupped the back of her neck. She should be screaming and running, but she was feeling anything but fear. This man . . . oh, what this man did to her.
She finally stopped thinking when he pressed his lips firmly against hers and embraced her, his tongue running along the seam of her mouth. She gasped and that was all he needed to slip inside and claim her.
The heat was almost too much to bear. She couldn't help her pleasurable moan from escaping, which made him press even harder against her.
His hand was in her hair as he explored her mouth. She couldn't get enough of his taste. She was ready to lose herself in this man she professed to not even like most of the time.
Just as his hand traveled down the side of her body, a sharp bark broke her out of the spell she was under. Mav pulled back, fire burning in his eyes.
"Sorry about that, sug. I was only going to give you a little good-night kiss. You make me lose control," he said. He was trying to joke, but for once, his voice was as breathless as hers.
"Um . . . well, I gotta go," she stuttered as she reached behind her and found the doorknob. She twisted it and then almost fell backward into the cottage.
Mav's hand shot out and steadied her. That small touch almost sent her over the edge into the abyss.
"I've got it. Thanks," she told him as Princess wound her way between them and darted into the house. The dog was making sure Lindsey didn't leave her again.
His eyes burned and it looked as if he wanted to say something more, but he stopped and turned, took a few steps, then turned back around.
"Tomorrow. Six. Wear something comfortable-pants, tennis shoes."
With that, he turned and began jogging back up the path to his brother's house. Feeling almost like she was in a dream, Lindsey shut the door, then found Princess looking up at her with those sad eyes.
"Yeah, Princess, we both have problems, don't we?" Lindsey said.
When she walked into the kitchen, she found the dog bowls with water and food all set up. That must have been what Mav was doing when he disappeared for a little bit earlier in the evening. She couldn't help but be touched.
When she climbed into bed a bit later, though, Princess barked at her from the floor. Lindsey smiled. The dog wanted nothing to do with the beautiful purple bed set up in the corner of the room.
To tell the truth, Lindsey wanted her with her as well. She picked up the dog, who insisted on getting beneath the covers. Even though she was confused about Maverick, she fell asleep without worries for the first time since the attack. There was definite comfort in having Princess with her, snuggled up at her side.
That night she didn't have nightmares for the first time in a year.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Maverick was a few minutes early, and Stormy was by his side at the door, insisting on babysitting Princess. She'd been at the house most of that day and Princess liked Stormy and little Aaron. Princess had snuggled up next to the baby and the two of them had napped together. The only thing keeping Lindsey's jealousy at bay was that when Princess got tired it was Lindsey's lap she came to curl up in.
With reluctance, she agreed to go with Maverick and felt guilty when Princess whimpered as the two of them walked away.
"What if she panics while I'm gone?" Lindsey asked as they climbed into his truck.
"She's in good hands. And I know Stormy has already gotten her treats for when she comes up to the main house," Mav said with a laugh.
"But what if she doesn't want to leave there with me when I come to pick her up?"
"She's already attached to you. She'll go anywhere you do," he said before turning to her. "But you know you don't have to be in a hurry to leave, right? Cooper and Stormy really do love you and want you to stay. I'll tell you that over and over again until you believe it."