CHAPTER SIX: SMALL TALK

MAVERICK

It didn't take long for me to find out what Mia’s actual name was. In only a matter of days, I’d found out her name, where she worked, and I’d also found out that she had been married to my brother.

And that the night we slept together was the night of their divorce.

I never forgot how broken she was that night. How undesirable Sebastian had made her feel that she didn't mind running into the arms of a stranger. And she was beautiful. So fucking beautiful.

I assumed she didn't want to be found, so I’d given her that respect and kept my distance, and even though I felt tempted to check in sometimes, I resisted the urge.

However, she never left my mind.

And now, she was here with me, anxious about flying with a stranger and perplexed that I knew her real name.

I let her settle across from me, and although I could feel her gaze burning into me, I ignored her, replying to my work emails instead.

Done with replying to emails, I pocketed my phone, finally deciding to give her the attention she required.

Iris crossed one jean-clad thigh over the other. I didn't fail to notice how snugly those jeans fitted her.

“So, how do you know my name?” she asked, drawing my attention back to her face.

I countered her question with one of my own. “What brought you to the Netherlands?”

She scoffed at me, rolling her eyes. Those big blue eyes were what sealed the deal that night. The way she had looked up at me when she spoke, so raw and full of emotion. Even if I’d wanted to say no, it would have been impossible to.

This woman was undeniably sexy.

I expected her to avoid the question, but she replied, “Work.”

I nodded, expecting her to continue, but she only frowned at me. “What’s your name?”

Celia, the flight attendant, approached us, asking if we needed anything and also to fasten our seatbelts, but Iris ignored her and kept looking at me.

I felt a smile tug at my lips. She was persistent. I liked that.

“Do you need anything to drink, Iris?” I asked. “Are you hungry?”

Iris finally looked at Celia. “Um-sorry, no, water’s fine. Thank you.”

As Celia walked away, Iris had a strange expression on her face as she watched her go, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“Maverick,” I said.

She blinked, eyes locking onto mine “What?”

“My name is Maverick.” I left out my surname on purpose. The last thing I needed was to give Iris another valid reason to stay away from me. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure Iris would be able to connect the dots, because I was fairly certain that Sebastian had never mentioned the fact that he had a brother.

“Maverick,” she repeated, and I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest.

Fuck. The way she said my name—soft, uncertain—I could listen to her say it all day.

Celia returned with the water that we both requested, and as she turned around and headed back, Iris cleared her throat.

“So, do you come here often for work?”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Iris, if small talk isn’t your thing, that’s fine. No need to torture yourself over it.”

Iris let out a small huff, shifting in her seat. “I don’t mind small talk,” she muttered, her fingers drumming against her thigh. “I just don’t like talking to people who act like they know more about me than I do about them.”

Clever. I smirked. She was trying to bait me into revealing how I knew her name. I wasn’t going to make it easy for her.

Leaning back against me seat, I let my gaze settle on her, deliberately slow. “Then I guess you’ll just have to get to know me, won’t you?”

Her face began to redden and her jaw tensed. “You’re infuriating.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Celia returned briefly to check if we needed anything else, but the moment she walked away, Iris was back to staring at me, her blue eyes narrowed.

“So you’re not going to tell me how you know my name?”

“No,” I said simply.

Her lips parted and closed a couple of times, and then she pressed them together. “Alright, fine. If you want to be cryptic, I can play that game too.”

I chuckled. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that.”

She let out a frustrated breath, looking away. And for the first time since I saw her at the airport, I noticed how genuinely exhausted she was. I wondered what kind of work she was doing in Amsterdam. I knew she was a nurse, but what would make her move to Amsterdam temporarily? Because from the looks of her luggage, she was there for longer than a while.

I studied her, taking in the smallest of details. The subtle way she bit the inside of her cheek. The way her fingers curled into her palm before she released them again. The way she occasionally tucked her dark hair behind her ears.

She was nervous, restless. Maybe even a little bit lost.

Sebastian had no idea the gem that he had lost. Although I didn't know Iris on a personal level, I did know my brother. And I know he was shackled up with his assistant even before he had divorced his wife.

He had no idea what he’d lost. No idea.

And that’s when it hit me.

I could use this. I could use her.

Sebastian had ruined her. Chewed her up and spit her out like she was nothing. And then he moved on to the next pretty thing and even got her pregnant. He never thought or cared about the damage he left in his wake.

But if there was one thing Sebastian would care about, it was me taking something that had once been his—the company.

And Iris.

I tilted my head, my voice casual when I said, “Marry me.”