Page 51 of The Final Rose
I can’t start going through Maverick’s attempts to keep his husband on his toes, so I’m silent for a bit.
The horses go around the property in a rehearsed fashion, and while I only suggested the ride to be away from wandering ears, I’m happy we got out.
My favorite childhood memories happened on these grounds. Whether my mother and father were with us or not, I always spent the entire duration of the summer holidays in this house. I loved it so much, my father gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday. At first, I thought it was a silly present. The house was in the family, anyway. There was no reason to attach my name to it. But now, with my forced removal from the Riggs, I’m glad the only thing I loved about that life is intact.
“How is she ignoring you?”
I come back to myself with Maverick’s voice. “Not ignoring. Avoiding. She left London to come here, but now I have no idea where she is.”
“Do you think she’s back in the States?”
I turn to him quickly, a frown on my forehead. “I didn’t even consider that.”
Maverick whistles. “That’s what I would do if my job was hanging by a thread.”
Another blow I didn’t see coming. “Her job isn’t hanging by a thread,” I say firmly.
“Sebastian.” The way he says my name irritates me to no end.
The good thing about old friends is that they know you. The bad thing about old friends is thatthey fucking know you.
“This has nothing to do with her job,” I try again.
“Ok, sure, let’s be delusional for a hot second here.” He says theatrically. “What exactly are you planning to say to her?”
“When I see her?”
He only makes a gesture with his hand so I can go ahead.
Trying not to look in his direction, I start. “I’m going to ask her what she thought about the kiss.”
“Sure, a survey is always important.”
“Maverick…” I start.
“Sorry, go on.”
“And then I will let my feelings known.”
“Your feelings?”
“That I’m thrilled about the kiss.”
“A lovely lukewarm feeling.”
I throw my hands in the air. “What exactly do you want from me? We only kissed once!”
“Hey, I’m not trying to attack you here. But it’s a kiss that shouldn’t have ever happened. It’s a kiss that can jeopardize her work–”
I open my mouth to disagree, but he’s ahead of me, raising a palm before I even let a word out. “You can look at this at any angle, Sebastian, but it comes back to her work. You signed a contract to finish this season. She’s one of the people who is here to make sure you fall in love with another woman.”
I stop my horse, facing him with an edge to my jaw. “Are you saying it’s doomed?”
“Not even I am that dramatic.” He arches an eyebrow. “But maybe it’s good she isn’t here. You need to cool off and think about the consequences. I’m the first to say fuck the consequences, mate, but don’t go off on a lukewarm feeling, huh?”
Maverick’s words eat me up.
They follow me as I bring the horses back to the stables, as I take a shower and get ready for bed. This is our only day off between segments. The girls arrived, tucked in another side of the house. While many crew sleep here, many more are in the hotel close to our address.