Page 73 of Reckless Hearts

Fuck, this is gonna hurt.

A wall shoves in front of me. Maverick grunts, stomach caving in and shoulders hunching over as he takes the full force of the impact. He clutches his side and winces from the strain.

“Be careful,” he snaps, more like an accusation than a warning.

I glare at him, a smart retort on the tip of my tongue. My pride wants to keep its footing, wants to snap back with venom, but damn if it’s not hard to stay angry at the guy who just saved my hide.

I swallow a sharp breath and mutter, “Give me a break, man.”

“Oh my God. I am so sorry,” Jimmy says, running his hands through his hair, his shoulders dropped low.

Maverick doesn’t even look at him, still focused on me. “If you were paying attention, it wouldn’t happen.”

“Whatever,” I murmur under my breath, having no idea what to say to the guy.

Jimmy’s face is an open book, confusion scribbled all over it. He runs a hand through his hair, the wild red tangle falling back into place as if used to the abuse.

“Oh my God,” he blurts, eyes jumping between me and Maverick. “I am so sorry. Wait…what the hell is happening here? Are you guys getting along? I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Just because I’m not yelling at this asshole doesn’t mean I don’t still hate him. We’re coexisting. That’s it.”

I ignore the way my voice is a little too defensive, a whisper at the back of my head saying maybe we’re doing a little more than coexisting. There’s been a shift between us, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Maverick ignores him, not bothering to waste words on what should be obvious.

Jimmy throws up his hands, backing away with the same helpless gesture he uses in poker games right before he folds.

“Fine, fine,” he says, palms out like he’s holding off a stampede. “I’m not getting in the middle of this. Again.”

Several moments of heavy silence pass after Jimmy’s gone before Maverick cuts in.

“What? No thank you?” His words are sharp, cutting.

It’s all the reminder I need to snap me back to reality.

“You can fuck off,” I spit out, still not sure what just happened but happy to go back to ignoring each other.

Curtis approaches, three beers in his hand, condensation sweating down the bottles.

I swallow hard, my throat dry just looking at them.

“That’s it. All loaded up. Thanks for helping out.”

Gratefully taking the beer he’s holding out to me, I don’t waste time popping the top and chugging the first half.

The shock of earlier hits me again: Maverick putting himself in danger to haul me out of it.

Why? Why would he risk himself like that, for me? After everything?

Confusion trickles in, weaving its way through the new cracks that have been gradually forming since Callie’s arrival.

Maverick’s already walking away by the time I lower the bottle from my lips, leaving me stranded in the thick of my own confusion.

“Hey,” I yell after him, my voice raw and insistent. “It’s fucking hot out here. Just get over yourself and hang out for a minute!”

He doesn’t turn around, just keeps going, each step deliberate and infuriating.

I toss back more beer, a desperate attempt to cool down the fire inside me.

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