He laughed that beautiful sound she enjoyed so much. “The government tends to frown upon its soldiers using special ops equipment for personal business.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” she said, a bit embarrassed.

“It’s okay, I have done that actually, and my guys have helped me from time to time,” he admitted.

“Will you get into trouble?” She leaned back, her legs curled beneath her as she enjoyed the sound of his voice while she sipped coffee on the front porch.

“Family is worth getting into trouble over. I’d do anything if it meant bringing Ace home,” he said.

“Now I have to call my mom. Here I have all this family wanting nothing more than to spend a few hours with me and I’ve been avoiding them, and you are out doing all you can to find a lost brother.”

“I think spending the day with your family sounds like an excellent idea. But make sure you think of me no matter what you do. I’ll miss you today.”

Oh, the sound of him saying that sent shivers down her spine.

“It’s going to hurt your reputation of being a maverick if you’re too sweet,” she said with a laugh.

He was quiet for a moment. Only the sound of his breathing could be heard through the phone line. She wondered if she’d offended him with her little joke.

“We all have to grow up some time,” he told her. She couldn’t tell from his voice what he was thinking or feeling.

“I used to always want to grow up, and then I hit twenty-one and I was afraid of getting too old. Now, I would do anything just to feel, I don’t know, normal,” she told him.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of feeling good or bad, happy or sad, young or old. I think it’s about living in the moment. It’s too incomprehensible for any of us to think what might be ten years down the road. Time is fleeting. If we live in fear or always do what the world expects of us instead of what we expect of ourselves, then one day we will wake up completely unhappy and alone, no matter how many people are around us.”

His words struck something deep within her that she didn’t want to focus on too much. He was right, though. If she even attempted to look too long into the future, her head would spin, and thinking about the past was unacceptable right now. She was far happier living in the moment—especially when Maverick lived with her in the now.

“Thanks for calling me, Mav,” she said, feeling a little mushy.

“Always a pleasure, sug,” he sighed, making her belly quiver.

As she hung up the phone she knew she was in pretty dang deep. But she’d been living in fear for a while now, and she refused to continue to do so. For now, at least, she felt happier being with Maverick.

If it all ended up crashing around her, then she would deal with that later. For now, she had something to do that was far scarier than unpredictable men—she had to call her mother.

Deciding she needed another cup of coffee first, she got nice and comfortable before dialing her up. This was going to be a long conversation.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Fund-raising events weren’t easy. Not easy at all. It really didn’t help trying to organize something when Lindsey was doing it with a man she couldn’t stop thinking about in all the wrong ways.

Well, she wouldn’t necessarily say the wrong ways, but in inappropriate ways when they were trying to put on an event to help people. How could she go from being afraid of people touching her to not wanting to keep her hands off one certain man?

Confusion. She was filled with utter confusion.

And now she was with Maverick—finally alone again and she couldn’t get her mind out of the gutter. She wanted more of what they’d done a few nights ago. It had been only three days since he’d made her come undone.

And now, being in his truck with him was absolute torture. Lindsey had always noticed his scent before. It was musky and raw and all man. It made her stomach do strange little flips. But after their night together, all her senses seemed to be heightened. She wanted him morning, noon, and night, and the feeling wasn’t going away any time soon.

She hadn’t been feeling sorry for herself the last few days. Yes, she was still sleeping with a light on, and yes, she was still making sure her door and windows were locked before going to sleep. But she wasn’t afraid all the time. She’d even gone to lunch with Stormy the day before. And she wasn’t flinching when she needed to shake someone’s hand. She was realizing that she was in control of her emotions. She was realizing that what had happened to her was a freak thing. The world wasn’t out to get her.

Maybe it truly was just being with Maverick that made her feel safer. If that was the case, she was going to be in for a world of trouble when he was no longer around. That was something she couldn’t think about right now.

“We’re here.”

She looked through the window at the crowded parking lot. She’d been so lost in thought, she hadn’t even realized the truck had stopped.

“Where’s here?” she asked.

“Evergreen Speedway.”

“I haven’t been here before.”

“Then this will truly be a pleasure. We’re going to watch a race. Nothing will get your heart pounding like a good car race,” he assured her.

“Sounds interesting.”

She waited for him to come and open her door, and then they walked into the stands. “That’s why we met with your friend Bob today?” she questioned.