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Maverick worries the card in his hand while the voice on the other end of the phone continues yelling at Aspen until she puts the phone on mute and addresses Mav once again.

“I’ll be back to collect my debt. That is how this works, yes?”

Maverick sighs, no doubt rethinking his deal with Aspen and whoever this Jameson guy is. “Yes, that’s how it works.”

Aspen smiles at me, her phone still on mute. I wonder if she’s in any trouble. Why is this guy so mad at her? “It’s nice meeting you, Ainsley. ”

“It’s nice to meet you—” Stomping sounds behind Aspen and she grins, never looking back at the massive body filling the stairwell with a scowl that would scare off armies. His phone is clutched in his hand as if any minute he will shatter it to pieces with one squeeze.

“I told you I was right here, Bennett. Geeze.”

A man the size of an MMA fighter doesn’t move, he only has eyes for Maverick. “Lexington,” he drawls, eyeing Aspen and the three or so feet between her and Maverick.

Maverick clips out a gruff, “Jameson,” and a chin tip that seems respectful.

He doesn’t seem scared of this Jameson guy, just like maybe getting involved with Aspen is a headache he doesn’t need right now. Which, after everything these past few months, is true. The less stress the better for him and his heart.

Jameson, as Maverick calls him, returns his chin tip like some kind of brotherly handshake, and then he turns his glare to Aspen. “Let’s go.”

It’s not a suggestion.

Still, Aspen doesn’t turn to leave. Instead, she smiles down at Maverick’s fingers, reaching for me. “Be careful, Mav. You’re showing your hand.”

I know she doesn’t mean literally. It’s a poker reference. She means that Maverick is showing that I’m valuable to him, and his whole I-don’t-care-about-anything-but-a-deal persona is failing him.

I’m giving him a tell and I don’t know if that makes me happy or guilty that I might be messing up his scary reputation that he’s worked so hard to build.

When Maverick doesn’t respond, Aspen laughs, pocketing her phone. “Nice doing business with you, Lexington.”

Jameson takes a step forward, looking like he’s ready to toss this girl over his shoulder and throw her into his car. Finally, though, she does as he wishes and walks toward him. “You know, Bennett, you don’t follow directions for shit.”

The hulk of a guy doesn’t look amused at her comment, but when she’s close enough, she stands on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek, and that seems to settle him down, or at least erase the harsh scowl on his face to something more like a frown.

“Fenn and Drew are out front waiting,” he says, pulling her to him and tucking her into his side as if he were her human shield.

She catches me still watching and winks, giving me a little wave as her grumpy man tugs her down the stairs behind him.

I turn to Mav. “So . . . uh . . . he’s intense.”

Maverick pulls me inside and shuts the door, locking the deadbolt. “He’s a nightmare is what he is. Him and his brother.”

He pulls us back to our spot on the couch, snagging the blanket off the armrest. I snuggle into the crook of his arm and pull the blanket over us.

“Do you not like him?”

I feel his shoulder shrug underneath my head. “He’s fine. The problem is Aspen.”

I’m confused. “What’s wrong with her? She seemed nice to me.”

He laughs, the rumbling of his chest tickling my cheek. “You’re right. She is nice. She’s just . . .”

I wait as he processes his thoughts and exhales. “Aspen Von Bremen is like a rare unicorn. She’s never seen alone. Not without the Jameson brothers or her brother, Fenn.”

A memory stirs. “The Jameson brothers? Is that . . .” I had never seen them, but I’ve heard about the Jameson twins before.

“The one and only Bennett Jameson. Destined for the NFL and madly territorial about his childhood love, Aspen Von Bremen.”

“That’s not what I heard,” I tell him. “I heard both the Jameson twins were single, or at least that’s what the rumors were a couple years ago.”

Maverick scoffs. “Drew might be single, but Bennett has never been single.”

“But I’ve never heard that Bennett was in love with Aspen.

Why would that be such a secret?” At a university known for its rumors, you would think word would have spread if they were together.

Aspen is beautiful and I’ve heard girls talk about trying to nail the Jameson twins.

If they knew Aspen had him on lockdown, they would go after her or at least attempt to be friends with her to get closer to the twins, right?

Maverick makes a noise low in his throat.

“Aspen Von Bremen is a well-guarded asset. I took a risk asking her for a favor, but I was desperate. Aspen’s father and uncle are baseball scouts.

Since Coop’s high school is not known for their baseball athletics, I needed to get eyes on him.

If I don’t, he’ll never get into a college and on a good team.

His hope to ever play for a major league team will be over.

I needed Aspen’s help. I needed her father to give Coop a chance to prove himself.

Dealing with Bennett and Drew, and her brother, Fenn, is a risk I had to take. ”

“Why do they make you nervous?”

Shifting, Maverick moves so my ass is against his dick.

“They don’t make me nervous. They give me a headache.

I don’t want Bennett thinking Aspen owes me a favor or that she’s indebted to me in any way.

The Von Bremen and Jameson families have a lot of pull at this university.

The last thing I want to do is end up on their bad side. ”

I nod. I get it. “So you want to keep them as an ally,” I supply.

“Yes. I need them as allies. But Bennett isn’t the friendliest person and even less so when you deal with Aspen. I used to think his tight hold on her was excessive. But now”—he squeezes me, nudging his hard length into my backside—“now I understand.”

Does that mean he loves me? Or does that mean he understands why Bennett loves Aspen?

“I won’t let anyone come between us,” he murmurs, moving the hair off my neck and placing a soft kiss against my heated skin. “It’s not about staking a claim, but about protecting a future.”

I’m beginning to like where this is going.

“Bennett might not be able to be with Aspen yet, but he sure as fuck can make sure he protects a possible future with her for when the day finally comes. ”

It sounds complicated and a little heartbreaking. She seems really nice and well, Bennett seems a lot grumpy. Maybe that’s because he’s frustrated by not getting what he wants. I’m not sure what the story between Aspen and Bennett is, but I hope it works out for both of them.

And I hope all these subtle words and sentences mean that Maverick is not a rebound but loves me just as much as I love him.