Page 37 of Rogue Royal
Maverick
Mav tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, staring through his windscreen, his whole body trembling. Whether it was fear or excitement, he wasn’t sure. Douglas had told him to use the underground parking and had given him a key to the lift that took him straight to the penthouse. Apart from the cameras in the car park, no one would see him, and no one would think anything of him visiting Douglas anyway—at least, he hoped they wouldn’t.
He needed to get out of the car; otherwise, the security team would likely see him as suspicious. Problem was, he couldn’t move.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and blew it out fast, repeating the action a few times before opening his car door and climbing out. He grabbed a bag from the passenger seat and locked his car, heading for the lift. There was no music in it as he expected there to be—it was one of the most prestigious apartment buildings in London, after all.
When the doors opened, Mav stepped off, then stopped and stared. The entrance hall was about the size of his apartment and extremely white. Concerned he would track dirt into the pristine area, he toed off his shoes and placed them to the side. On socked feet, he trailed to where he could hear humming, gripping his bag tighter with every step.
“I won’t bite, you know.”
The words were loud in the silence, and they startled Mav. He paused, then carried on, rounding a corner until he stopped and raised his eyebrows. Douglas stood on one side of a kitchen counter, chopping vegetables—a sight Mav never expected to see, which was stereotypical of him.
Douglas’s mouth twitched. “Don’t be too shocked. I know how to cook, although I don’t do it often. And besides, my chef made the main course. I was allowed to make the accompanying vegetables.” He grinned and put a piece of carrot in his mouth and chomped down on it, the crunch loud.
Mav’s body settled the longer Douglas spoke, and he was grateful for the normality. “I’m surprised he allowed you to hold a knife.” He rested his bag on the floor by the wall, shuffling over to the counter on the opposite side and stealing a carrot piece.
“It took some persuading, I’ll tell you. His ego allowed me to convince him he could add private cooking lessons for royalty on his resume.” Douglas added the vegetables to a pan.
Mav chuckled. “I can’t imagine him arguing with you about it.”
Douglas held up a finger. “They purposefully gave Chef Matthieu to me because of his nature. Mother believed my attitude wouldn’t sway him. After several years of head-butting, we’ve come to an agreement that works for us both.” Douglas grinned again.
Mav’s blood heated the more he watched Douglas’s sure movements, the play of the muscles in his arms and back visible in his white T-shirt. He cleared his throat, resting his elbows on the counter. “I wasn’t expecting dinner.”
“I know. I thought we could use the energy.” Douglas winked and pivoted to the oven to check on the vegetables.
Mav breathed through his nose, trying to cool his body, but he ached to kiss Douglas, to feel their tongues tangling, to taste him.
As if Douglas had the same thought, he cursed, rounded the counter and took Mav’s face into his hands before slamming their mouths together. Mav could do nothing except grip Douglas’s wrists to stop himself from falling off the stool and take everything. His eyelids fluttered closed, and he sank into the kiss. Douglas’s tongue licked along Mav’s bottom lip and dived in when Mav opened his mouth. Douglas moved his head to the side for a deeper kiss, and Mav lost himself in the heat.
After several minutes—or days, Mav wasn’t sure—Douglas pulled back, leaning their foreheads together while holding his face. Their breaths mingled, and Mav opened his eyes, wanting to see Douglas’s face, though going cross-eyed with how close he was. Douglas’s lips were red, puffy and wet, and Mav wanted to take them again, but Douglas pulled back.
“I need to check on the food.” He pressed a chaste kiss to Mav’s mouth and stepped away, Mav’s hands sliding from his wrists.
He couldn’t think after and watched Douglas move around the kitchen before placing a steaming plate of lasagne in front of him. Mav’s stomach growled, and Douglas threw his head back and laughed.
Mav’s cheeks heated. “I was too nervous to eat before I came.”
Douglas slid onto the stool next to him and cupped his nape, squeezing lightly. “I didn’t think you would, hence the food. Enjoy.” He released Mav and grabbed his cutlery, slicing into the wedge of cooked meat and pasta.
Mav continued to watch for several minutes before Douglas reminded him to eat. He groaned at the taste and vowed to poach the chef, to which Douglas chuckled and agreed he could. Once the plates were empty, Douglas took them to the sink and rinsed them off, waving away Mav’s offer of help.
As Douglas stacked them in the dishwasher, Mav’s heart pounded. He knew they would try something new tonight, and he had no sense of what it might be. Douglas had told him the not knowing would be an additional level to tonight. Despite his nervousness, he couldn’t take his eyes off Douglas and knew when he stepped closer with intent in his expression.
“Time for bed.” The words were low and quiet, but Mav felt every one of them deep inside.
Mav didn’t move. Douglas came closer, holding his hands and pulling him to standing.
“Do you remember your safe words?”
Mav nodded and, when Douglas raised an eyebrow, whispered, “Yes, sir. Red for stop, yellow for slow down and green for keep going.”
Douglas smiled, entwining their fingers and walking backwards, dragging Mav with him. Mav was unaware of their surroundings, entranced by the heat swirling in Douglas’s eyes until they entered the bedroom. Once he crossed the threshold, he studied his surroundings. The black and white theme from the main area disappeared, and in its place was an ocean blue and white landscape. Front and centre stood a beech wood, four-poster bed with white voile curtains tied at the corners.
A squeeze of his hands returned his attention to Douglas, who had a small smile on his face. “Do you like it?”
Mav nodded. “It’s amazing. Makes me feel like I’m by the ocean.”
