Page 69 of August 20

Maybe having her father in her life brought out those changes.

She studied Maverick as the others talked to him. Afraid of losing Skye, she had never pressured Maverick to answer her question regarding when he was going to tell his daughter who he was in her life.

Right now, Skye thought Maverick was their roommate.

She hadn't questioned why her Aunt Brooke slept in the same bedroom as Maverick or seemed to touch him constantly.

That talk needed to happen sooner rather than later. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Skye's tender heart when she'd already lived through so much trauma.

Chapter Thirty Three

Maverick stripped off his jeans and walked naked to her. She gazed into his powerful eyes and patted the mattress, welcoming him to bed.

Dinner with Skye had lasted longer than either of them had planned. Just sitting across from him, knowing he wanted her, made her anxious to put Skye to bed so they could enjoy each other.

He stretched out beside her, curling her body toward him. She trembled with the need to connect with him again. For Skye's sake, they kept their distance not to upset her life.

But they couldn't keep going on, pretending they weren't having a relationship. Their marriage had turned more real than fake.

She was falling in love with Maverick despite their beginning.

"We need to talk to Skye," she whispered, stroking his chest. "She needs to know you're her father and...and that we're a family now."

She wasn't going to say the word love. Not yet.

"Later." He lowered his head and took her nipple in his mouth.

She stroked his hair away from his forehead and gazed at his closed eyes. Her lower stomach quivered. He had high cheekbones. Cheekbones that Skye only hinted at having, but as she got older, she would love that part of her face she got from her father.

If someone asked her when she was locked inside the house, scared for her and Skye's life, if there was any redeemable quality about Maverick, she would've answered with a firm hell no.

But somewhere along the way, she started understanding why Maverick fought so hard for his daughter. He was a man who'd lost everything, and when he was at his bottom, he was punished with a crime that he was innocent of doing.

He'd lost his soul and his heart.

In his condition, he viewed Brooke as the one who'd wronged him because she gained custody of Skye. All she was doing was caring for her niece, loving her, and raising her. That's what family was supposed to do for one another.

Maverick never talked about what he went through or how he felt now that they were living as a family. Still, he assured her that he had Skye's best interest at heart. How could she doubt his unspoken feelings toward her when he was taking care of her?

He slipped his hand between her legs. She bent her neck and kissed his head, inhaling the sandalwood scent from his shampoo. An aroma she'd never smelled before and had almost a vanilla musky aroma that was both comforting and highly sexual. She found herself intoxicated by the scent.

He licked her hardened nipple. She moaned, threading her fingers in his hair. His beard caressed her stomach, adding to the friction.

She put her leg over his naked hip, giving him more room between her legs. Panting, she arched against him.

He moved on top of her, never letting go of her breast or stopping the slow glide of his finger through the wetness of her folds. She stretched, trailing her hands over his broad shoulders and his arms.

Maverick lifted his head from her sensitive nipple and opened his eyes. Those dark, tormented eyes pierced her soul. She sucked in her breath and thrust her pelvis off the bed.

She hugged his neck, gasping as her orgasm spiraled higher and higher.

"I want you," she whispered. "Inside me."

He raised his head and looked into her eyes. She moaned, losing control. It was like that with him. One touch. One look. She quivered, riding the pleasure flowing through her.

His brows lowered, and his body tensed. A low growl came from him as he pushed off the bed and searched the nightstand.

She exhaled a shaky breath, willing her body to calm down to pull him back.