His deep voice sounded like a distant drum. “Come in.”
I stepped inside and saw him sitting up in bed. Shirtless and in just his sweatpants on top of the sheets, his white gauze was visible around his shoulder. He was scrolling through his phone, probably assuming I was Abigail who’d come to clean.
I shut the door behind me. “You look better today.”
When he heard my voice, he looked up from his phone and abandoned whatever he was doing. He was calmer than he was yesterday, and the shadow along his jawline was thicker because he’d skipped the shave that morning. His eyes were the same color as his coffee on the nightstand, dark brown. “Yes?” Like we hadn’t had sex just a few days ago, he was cold and hostile.
I sat at the edge of the bed. “Wanted to see if there was something I could do for you.”
“No.” He looked at his phone again.
This man couldn’t accept compliments. He couldn’t accept help either. He couldn’t accept anything. “I can help at the factory if you need anything. Or if you just want some company, I can help with that too.”
“I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m not much of a talker.”
“Yeah…I picked up on that.”
He lowered his phone again. “Then go.”
I noticed he had no problem being sympathetic if I was in pain. Whatever it was, he was there for me. Not once did he make fun of me. He always turned into the crutch that supported my grief. But for whatever reason, he wouldn’t let me do the same for him. He kept everything bottled up inside, refusing to acknowledge whatever was bothering him. “You don’t trust anyone, do you?”
His eyes slowly turned to me, narrowing slightly like those words hit a sensitive nerve. “No. But you don’t trust anyone either.”
“That’s not true…I trust you.”
He set his phone on the bed beside him, still looking strong despite the injury he suffered. His chest was still as strong as ever, powerful muscles constantly throbbing under his tight skin. “You shouldn’t.”
“Why not? You promised you would never hurt me, and you kept that promise. You’re there for me in my darkest times. You’ve never put me down when I already felt terrible. You always pick me up. I trust you more than I trust anyone else in this world.”
“You said you didn’t like me.”
“I don’t always have to like you to trust you. You can be an asshole sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you’re a liar. You’re there when it matters, and that’s what counts.”
He shifted his gaze away.
“You told me we were allies. If you’re my ally, that means I’m yours.”
He turned back to look at me. “What’s your point?”
“That you can trust me. I know you well enough to see when something is weighing you down, when you have a boulder on each shoulder. I know you well enough to see the irritation in your eyes…and know it has nothing to do with me. You obviously don’t have anyone to talk to, but you can talk to me.” I stared at him and hoped he would open up to me, tell me what happened last night.
But he was still cold.
“Maverick…”
“Why do you want me to talk to you so badly?”
“Because I care about you. I was happy when you returned, but devastated when I saw you’d been shot. I’m glad you’re okay… I mean that.” The only time he flinched was when something heartfelt came from my mouth. His eyes blinked and he tensed slightly, like my words hurt him rather than helped him. When I knew he wouldn’t respond in any way, I finally gave up. I didn’t understand this man, and if never let me in, I would never understand him. I turned away and looked at his bedroom wall.
Silence stretched for a long time, as if Maverick didn’t have a single thing to say to me. He was closed like a steel gate. Nothing could get through—not even a key. Eventually, his deep voice broke through the silence. “My father is the reason I got shot.”
My eyes stayed on the wall, but my heart started to clench in pain and rage. I slowly turned back to him, flabbergasted by what I’d just heard.
He leaned his head against the headboard and looked away, like eye contact was too much for him. “I was supposed to go after Ramon, but I could tell my father was in trouble by listening to the comms. I went after my father instead…didn’t think twice about it. When I got there, I shot one of the men. But another was about to take out my father. I pushed him out of the way and took the bullet myself…”
He risked his life to save his father…even though he was an asshole. If that wasn’t loyalty, I didn’t know what was.