Chapter 30.


    The smell of pancakes hit me in the face immediately I step into the house.


    "April? Is that you?" I hear Maverick''s worried voice from the kitchen as I shrug off my jacket and fling it


    in a corner.


    "Yeah, I stepped out for a little bit."


    "Did I do anything wrong? You just up and left-" He pauses, frustratedly running a hand through his


    morning hair while I just stand there, oblivious to what''s going on. "I thought you left, I thought I pushed


    you too far and you were scared so you left. I''ve been worried sick and called you twenty-four times."


    "You did?" I frown and bring out my phone from my jean pockets to see 24 missed calls, 10 text


    messages, and 5 voicemails. "Wow. That''s a lot, and I''m not going anywhere soon. Last night was fun."


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    Smiling, I wrap my arms around his torso and press my head to his chest.


    "Tell me about it. You''re intoxicating," He cups my face and looks straight down at me with all


    seriousness, staring into my soul. "But seriously, are you alright?"


    "I told you, I''m fine. Why so worked up?"


    "Nothing, it''s just..." He looks absolutely baffled like it seemed ridiculous to be getting worried over this.


    "Never mind. I''m making breakfast... HOLY SHIT I''M MAKING BREAKFAST."


    I watch him dash to the kitchen to turn off the cooker but I can tell everything''s burnt already by the look


    on his face.


    "So how would you like your pancakes, half-burnt or full?"


    "Is it that bad?" I walk over to have a look at the burnt offering on the pan. "Oh, it is bad."


    "I ruined everything again," Maverick hangs his head low in frustration. "I just wanted to make you


    happy now I burnt breakfast. Let me make it up to you."


    "It''s fine. It''s just breakfast..."


    "I insist," He pushes further. "I''m taking the month off work to spend time with you."


    I gape at him. "A month?! You''re crazy."


    "For you, I am." My cheeks turn a deep color at his words. "A generous patient of mine gifted me two


    ne tickets to have a cruise at her Vi in France. She ims I work too much and insists on a


    vacation."


    "She?" I sneer at the word.


    "Yeah, the olddy was hoping I''d go with her daughter as she''s trying to y matchmaker."


    "So you were leaving the country with some chick? Without letting me know?" I can''t help but feel a


    stab of betrayal and hurt.


    "I wasn''t going to ept it but she was right, I needed some time off and then I thought of you and how


    much you told me you loved France and couldn''t let the opportunity slip past my fingers. I wasn''t going


    to take her daughter, I swear... well I would''ve beforest night..." I shoot him a re. "...When you


    showed up in that dressst night looking like you just came out of a magazine."


    "Well, you never even talked about my new hairdo, let alone talk about my dress."


    "Words couldn''t exin how gorgeous you looked. I always knew you made me have this tingly feeling


    at the pit of my belly but when I saw youst night, I figured I was already in deep."


    Speechless. He renders me speechless. I didn''t even think he noticed my hairdo. My previous


    usations and slight tantrum dissolve as he nts a kiss on my forehead and buries his face in my


    hair.


    "Now I just want both of us to have a good time on this trip while we work on a bucket list to do while


    away," Maverick says and I snicker.


    "Bucket list? What are we, Fifteen?"


    "Yeah, the list I wrote down is not what Sixteen-year-olds would think of doing. Although, kids


    nowadays have gone wild. Can you imagine me attending to a Sixteen-year-old, inbor, fully


    pregnant? Like, how did her boyfriend even know where to stick in his John Thomas?"


    "You tell me," I fold my arms across my chest with an amused look. "How''d you know where to stick in


    yoursst night?"


    "We are not having this conversation," I don''t think I''ve ever seen him so flustered. "Here''s what I have


    in mind. What''d you think?"


    He hands me a notebook containing the list, I suppose, and I divert my gaze from his slightly pink face


    to read what''s in it. I find myself smiling at the cheesy stuff he has nned for the trip. There are fifteen


    activities on the list and all seemed fine until my eyesnded on number ten. "You want to have sex


    outside?"


    "I''ve heard a lot of stories concerning good car sex and thought there was no harm in trying one


    myself."


    I shake my head and continue with the list:


    Dance on the beach at sunset.


    Do a movie marathon.


    Sleep under the stars.


    Watch the sunset and sunrise in one day.


    My heart skips a beat when I see what''s written on thest number and look at him to confirm if he was


    serious about it.


    "You can''t joke with things like this," I say, still bewildered on what''s on the paper.


    "I''m not joking." He states wryly. "I know this is all new but I have strong faith in what we''re doing. I''m


    going to be a clingy boyfriend, we''re going to have ups and downs and we''re going to get through them


    all, ride or die. I''m not with you because of the prospect of just being with you. I''m with you for a


    reason."


    "Do you always have the right things to say?" I stroke his cheeks and notice a stubble growing there.


    "Only when I''m with you." Maverick cups my face and brushes his thumbs over my own cheeks. I lean


    in to kiss him, my lips yearning to meet his. He sighs against my lips, his hands running along the


    curves of my body, sending a wave of shivers. I snake my hands around his neck to bring him closer to


    me, then close my eyes and moans when he drags his lips down my jaw all the way to my neck.


    He picks me up and sets me on the kitchen''s counter, pressing a lingering kiss on the hickey on my


    cor bone then bringing his lips lower and lower until he''s at the curve of my breasts. My hands dig


    into his hair, wanting him to go further down but before he could oblige, the front door bursts open


    causing us to flinch apart.


    "Sorry to interrupt your make-out session but I could really use a room right now," The person I


    recognize as Callum, Maverick''s half brother, staggers into the house looking like shit.


    "Have youpletely lost your mind?"


    "Look, I''ll argue with youter when I''m in my right mind. Mom wouldn''t let me in the house looking like


    this because if you haven''t noticed yet, I reek of alcohol," He shuffles into the kitchen and helps himself


    with a ss of water, pouring the whole thing down his throat in one gulp. "I also may have used one of


    your credit cards to take a 90 dor cab down here."


    "90 dors?" Maverick''s eyes widen in shock and anger. "What did you do? Take a tour?"


    "It''s the new year, transportation rates go high and my wallet got stolen."


    "You mean the same way you stole my credit card."


    "I''ll exinter. I really need a bed right now, I stayed up all night and oh... you got a new girl," Callum


    sends me a wink and heads for the stairs up to Maverick''s room as we both share a look.


    "Should we tell him?" I ask.


    "Nope. He''s about to find out in 5...4...3...2..."


    As if on cue, Callum yells out a:


    "Yo! What happened to the bed!"