Page 63 of Never Started
"You have art everywhere in your house. Some of them were your paintings. You’re really talented.”
My eyes widen. No one has ever noticed that before. “But, you’ve only been to my house once, for like two minutes. I only let you in because I was running late.”
“It was easy to see,” he says, tucking my hair behind my ear.“You’reeasy to see, Izzy."
A knot forms in my throat at his words.You’re easy to see, Izzy.Maverick sees me? Men never truly see me… I don’t let them. Not sincehim.Not since I fell in love with—
"Excuse me, your table is ready. Right this way," the hostess calls out from behind Maverick, looking me over like I'm a psycho. Okay, maybe she has a good reason. I did just storm past her to stare at a wall.
Ah,fuck it. It was worth it.
After we’re seated at our table, I'm still looking around in awe. It's then that the music I heard previously becomes clearer—jazzmusic. True, authentic New Orleans Jazz. I look over to my right to see that the middle of the room has cleared, and there are couples dancing.
I've been to a lot of beautiful, neat places in the city. None are like this.
Before I can speak, Maverick orders our drinks and stands, reaching out for my hand.
He leans in closer, whispering directly into my ear, "If my memory serves me well, and I believe it does, you're quite the dancer. I'd like to see those moves again, Beautiful."
"Oh, I bet you would, Hotshot," I sass back, reaching for his hand, quite literally rising to the challenge.
Standing, I release his hand and head toward the dance floor. I love to dance and never turn down the opportunity. Once I reach the dance floor, I turn to see Maverick slowly walking up to me. Not wasting a second, I begin to sway to the beat. If he thinks I need him to dance, he's sadly mistaken.
Looking over, the couples around me glance my way with smiles of approval on their faces. My ego has now been fed. Officially feeling myself, I begin to dance all on my own. Of course, I'm making a show of it. Maverick stands at the edge of the dance floor, mouth agape, watching on with his eyebrows raised and a smile plastered across his face, fascinated.
The song changes, and the crowd claps; I clap along with them as the laughter pours out of me.I feel free.
Feel.I’m feeling. It’s a stark contrast to the numbness I’ve grown accustomed to. The question is…why?What’s different?Is Maverick helping me to heal the parts of myself I’ve always deemed as broken, or am I finally healing those parts on my own?
It’s always been hard for me to trust men, yet with him… I shake my head, clearing the thought.
Just as I begin to dance again, a hand wraps around my waist, spinning me around.
Maverick stands before me. All sense of playfulness is gone from his face, stopping my movements instantly. Before I can ask if something is wrong, he leans in, taking my mouth with his in a feverish kiss that sends goose bumps spreading across my skin.
Instead of retreating, like my brain is screaming at me to do, I sink into him.
His arm around my waist grips me tighter to him, and a gasp escapes my lips.
I pull back, meeting Maverick's blue eyes. "Hi," I whisper, breathy.
"Do you have any idea how stunning you are?" he asks, a full smile spread across his beautiful features again.
"Of course I do." I flip my hair playfully. "After all, it is very hard work."
He chuckles softly as he begins to lead, and we dance together.
A few dances later, I'm convinced he did this merely to show off. The man knows his way around a dance floor, and it's honestly fucking impressive.
"I have so many questions," I say as we return to our table.
"Ask away."
"First, how do you know how to dance like that?"
"It is very hard work." He throws my previous statement back at me with a chuckle.
"Touche. Second question: How do you know about this place? It seems like such a hidden gem."
