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“Jesus,” I whisper, grabbing everything and bagging it up. “Would it kill you to eat a vegetable once in a while?”

“It might,” she says with a grin. “Better not chance it.”

“Don’t come crying to me when you get a stomach ache.”

Tess sticks out her tongue, tossing me my favorite candy bar. “Got you this. Have a good night, Thane. I’ll talk to you tomorrow and I expect every juicy detail,” she says, winking at me.

“Details about what?”

Just then, the next customer walks into the line. My breath is stolen from my lungs. There’s Maverick, putting his groceries on the belt, giving me a small smile when our eyes meet. He’s wearing his scrubs, looking a bit more tired than he did this morning when we parted yet somehow, no less handsome.

I can hear Tess cackling all the way out the door. Oh, I am going to rip her a new one tomorrow. She’s dead to me.

“Thane,” Maverick says softly once all his things are on the belt.

My stomach erupts with butterflies at the soft way he says my name. I open my mouth to say hello but suddenly, my entire body locks up. All at once, I remember what happened last night.

Oh my fucking gods.

I remember stumbling into Maverick while drunk. I remember the tender way he cared for me. I remember asking him for a kiss. I remember the way he told me to ask him when I was sober. Fuck! Why didn’t I remember this morning? Why didn’t he say anything?

I can feel my face heat up and it must be bright purple with how hot my blush is. I sputter out a sound before focusing on Maverick’s groceries, tucking them carefully into bags before placing them into his cart.

When everything is loaded up, Maverick steps towards me, leaning in closely. “Your blush is very pretty,” he whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear. “I’m really hoping that blush means you finally remembered what happened last night?”

I swallow around the lump in my throat. I look down at him, meeting his icy gray eyes. “Yes,” I manage to get out through my dry throat, nodding my head.

Maverick watches me, taking me in. Without having to say anything, I feel like he sees right through me, understands everything that’s going on inside my head.

“Is there something you’d like to ask me, Thane?”

My heart is hammering inside my chest so rapidly it wouldn’t surprise me if Maverick’s human ears could pick up on it. This is it. This is the moment that Tess was talking about earlier. I could so easily shut this down. I could shake my head and without a doubt, I know that Maverick would back off. I could explain that I’m only here for school and I need to put all my focus on that.

I could say so many things, give Maverick so many excuses as to why this can’t happen, but I realize with startling clarity that’s not what I want.

I want this. I want to jump in with both feet. For the first time in my life, I want to take a chance and leap into the unknown.

“Yes,” I say firmly, staring into Maverick’s eyes. Sparks jolt down my spine at my bold declaration.

Maverick gives me a soft look, his lips curling into a little smile. He reaches out but stops himself from touching me, his fist clenching at his side instead.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he says, putting his hands back on his cart. “Come over after work and we’ll talk.”

Before I have time to answer, Maverick turns and leaves.

What the fuck did I just get myself into?

Chapter Nine

Maverick

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

I put together a salad, topping it with croutons and dressing before heading to the couch and sitting down heavily. I’m so tired from my earlier shift but taking a hot shower, putting myself into my comfy clothes, and forcing myself to eat something is helping. My mind is a whirlwind as I think about what tonight will bring.

I have no idea what came over me but seeing Thane blush like that set a fire inside my chest. I wanted him so desperately it was practically a tangible thing I could grab and hold onto. I couldn’t stop myself from offering myself to him in the only way I knew how to. For some reason, Thane saw the offering for what it was and accepted it.

Gods, am I really about to do this? Am I really about to take things further than friendship? Am I really about to cross that line?