Page 38 of Maverick

I laugh, shaking my head at his dramatics. "I'm not going to bury you. I think you'll survive. It's just a bruised ego."

"Among other things," he mutters. He shifts, pushing himself up to his elbows with a groan. "I'm never going to live this down."

"Probably not," I agree cheerfully. "But if it makes you feel any better, I don't think you're the first person to make an ass of yourself in this place, and you definitely won't be the last."

His eyes slit open, and he frowns at me. "Are you supposed to talk to your boss like that?"

Shrugging, I rock back on my heels. "Probably not. But I figure after watching you face plant in John's junk, we're on a different level now."

He groans and flops back dramatically. "Don't remind me." He lays there for a moment, then rolls his head to the side, facing me. A slow, crooked, flirty smile curves his lips. "You know, if you want to get on a different level with me, I can think of much better ways."

My cheeks flush hot, and I let my eyes roam over his exposed skin. He's gorgeous, and oh so tempting. But I'm not stupid. "I don't think that's a good idea," I say softly, trying not to draw the attention of the others. "You're my boss, remember?"

He huffs and rolls his eyes. "I'm not always your boss. Sometimes I'm just a man. A man who thinks you're funny and smart and so, so pretty. A man who would really like to take you out sometime. On a date. With nobody else." He wiggles on the stage humming to himself, then starts making snow angels, hand hitting my hip on the way down. And of course that hand squeezes my hip, getting a nice handful. He whistles, looking up at the ceiling, grinning.

Stinker.

I bite my lip, trying to hold back my smile. He's ridiculous. And charming. And so very, very tempting. But I can't. Not like this. Not with an audience. "Nice try honey. Hands off," I say, pushing to my feet. I hold out my hand to him. "Come on, let's get you dressed and out of here before you do something else you'll regret in the morning."

He sighs, takes my hand and lets me pull him up, swaying slightly on his feet. "Nah. I'm luckier than that. I'm not going to remember a damned thing about tonight," he says, throwing his arm over my shoulder. "It's a gift and a curse."

I wrap my arm around his waist to steady him, and together we limp down the steps off the stage.

Maverick's arm is heavy over my shoulders as I help him to a quiet corner of the club. His brothers are still laughing and carrying on, but no one seems to be paying much attention to us. I settle him into a chair, then hurry to gather his clothes. His shirt is wrinkled and his pants are inside out. It feels intimate to slide my arm inside to turn them right side out. As I carry them back to him, I can't stop thinking about what he said. Would he really not remember any of this tomorrow?

I drop the clothes in his lap and crouch down in front of him. "Are you sure?" I ask softly. "You won't remember anything?"

He gives me a lopsided, goofy grin. "Yep. Once I'm this drunk, it's all a blur. Probably for the best, considering all….that." He waves a hand at the stage, then lets it flop back into his lap.

I glance over my shoulder at the rest of the group. They're slowly gathering their things, still laughing and joking. No one is looking our way.

I turn back to Maverick, my heart pounding. No one's looking. And he won't remember it. Am I awful for even thinking about it?

This is such a bad idea. I know it is. But I can't help myself.

I lean in, my lips brushing against his. I only mean for it to be a quick kiss, just a stolen moment, but Maverick has other ideas. His hand comes up to cup the back of my head, pulling me closer. His lips are soft and warm, and he tastes like whiskey and something uniquely him.

For a moment, I forget where we are. I forget that he's my boss and I'm just a waitress. I forget that we have an audience. All I can think about is the feel of his skin under my hands and the way he's kissing me like he's drowning and I'm air.

But reality comes crashing back in with a loud crack of laughter behind me and I pull away, my cheeks flushed and my breathing ragged. I glance over my shoulder, but luckily no one seems to have noticed our little moment. That was such a bad idea, but holy crap, I don't regret it. It's my own damn fault. My curiosity got the better of me. And that had to have been the biggest mistake of my life. Because now I can't tell myself there's nothing there. That we don't have any chemistry.

Because oh my god, we do. So much. Like, all the chemistry.

"Why did you do that?" Maverick asks, his voice husky. He's leaning toward me, hand raised as if he's about to cup my cheek. I wobble, then lean back, forcing myself away from the temptation of him.

I shrug, laughing dryly. "Because just for a minute, I wanted to pretend."

I know this can never happen again. It's not smart. It's not right. But just for a second, I wanted to pretend that we could have something. That we could be something.

Just for a second.

12

CADENCE

Afew days later, I'm wiping down a table with more aggression than I normally do when Trixie, the manager, comes up to me, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Cady, you okay?" she asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.