Aria had never been so intimidated and enamored at the same time. Maverick Nightshade was beautiful in a way that almost hurt to look at. Ethereal was the only word she could think of, because anything less didn’t seem enough. There was something so otherworldly about him that some ridiculous part of her almost wanted to drop to her knees and worship at his feet.
It was as though Maverick had lowered an invisible barrier along with whatever magic concealed his Fae features, because for the first time, she could actually feel the power inside him. It reminded her of standing beneath a high-voltage power line and feeling that strange electrical hum in the air, except there was nothing threatening about this. The energy surrounding Maverick didn’t warn her to stay away. If anything, it seemed to lure her in.
Every hair on Aria’s body stood on end as the invisible current reached her. The first contact made her tense, but then the sensation changed, brushing over her skin with the softness of a lover’s caress. It traveled from her arms to the back of her neck and down her spine before disappearing as quickly as it had come, leaving her breathless and painfully aware of how fast her heart was beating.
"What was that?" she asked, baffled yet curious.
"My magic is trying to recognize you," Maverick answered.
"Is that normal?" Aria asked curiously.
Because you’re my mate, Maverick was tempted to answer, but even he knew that wasn’t the kind of revelation he could simply drop on her without warning. Not when those few words carried a responsibility she didn’t understand yet.
Instead, he said, "It’s identifying whether you’re friend or foe."
"That’s cool." Aria muttered, feeling oddly proud of herself. "So your powers trust me? Is that why you can touch me?"
"Kind of," Maverick offered, his attention fixed on her as though her fascination with this side of him was equally fascinating to him.
"Kind of?" Aria lifted a brow. "So that’s not the entire truth?"
"Why?" Maverick asked, a hint of excitement entering his voice. "Do you want the entire truth, Aria?"
Aria gulped. She was tempted to say yes. Very tempted. But some instinct warned her that whatever truth Maverick was holding back wasn’t something small, and allowing him to share something that personal would only deepen whatever was already happening between them.
She said instead, "I think we should get back to the reason you called me here in the first place."
And just like that, some of the light in Maverick’s luminous eyes dimmed. It was ridiculous, but Aria felt a sudden ache in her chest at the sight of it.
Shit, why was she feeling guilty?
She hadn’t done anything wrong. All she’d done was draw a necessary boundary between them. She was his student, he was her professor, and on top of everything else, he was a shifter.
So why did she suddenly have the ridiculous urge to close the distance between them, wrap her arms around him, and maybe run her fingers over one of those strange but beautiful pointed ears—
Fuck. What was she thinking now?
Maverick recovered quickly, whatever disappointment he’d felt disappearing behind his usual composure.
"Fine. But we should eat first. I’m sure you haven’t had dinner yet."
At the mention of dinner, a very vivid image from her dream of Maverick bare-chested and wearing an apron flashed through Aria’s mind. Just like that, her throat went painfully dry.
Flustered, she blurted, "So you’re going to cook and all with an apron tied around your waist?"
Maverick looked genuinely confused. "Urm... yes? You don’t like aprons?"
"No, it’s not that. It’s just..." Aria didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh, cry, or find the nearest window and throw herself through it.
"It’s nothing. You can cook with an apron or not. I don’t care." She was so done at this point. Those dreams were determined to ruin her life, and to think they were beginning to manifest in real life was scarier.
Maverick studied her with obvious concern, having absolutely no idea why the prospect of him wearing an apron had caused her so much distress.
"You look stressed, but all I can promise is that after one bite, you’ll forget all your sorrows."
"Oh, you’ve cooked already." The realization hit Aria with enough force to make her want to slap a hand over her face.
She had been panicking over nothing?! Great. Now Maverick was probably going to think she was a weirdo.
"This way." Maverick gestured toward an adjoining doorway leading.
Aria followed the direction he indicated while Maverick fell into step behind her. His kitchen wasn’t as enormous as the living room, but it was still spacious enough to make her envious.
The design continued the ice-blue and purple theme in a subtler way, with pale cabinetry, dark countertops, and soft lighting beneath the cupboards. A large island occupied the center with several stools tucked neatly beneath it, while one wall held a refrigerator, oven, and other appliances fitted seamlessly into the cabinetry.
The cooking utensils surprised Aria the most. There were actual pots and pans of different sizes, knives arranged according to its type, wooden spoons, spatulas, mixing bowls, chopping boards, measuring cups, and enough equipment to convince her none of it was there for decoration. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a man own this much kitchen equipment, much less have everything arranged with such ridiculous precision.
"Wow," she muttered, looking around with renewed interest. "I didn’t know you loved cooking."
"My father Griffin loves cooking," Maverick explained. "He gave up his position in the pack to his sister so he could take care of us. We had maids for most of the housework, but the kitchen was completely off-limits to them. Papa Griffin cooked everything we ate himself." A fondness entered his voice that Aria hadn’t heard before. "I spent enough time following him around the kitchen that it was inevitable I’d pick up his love for it."
"That is quite sweet," Aria said softly, finding herself increasingly fascinated by these little pieces of Maverick’s life that had nothing to do with being an Alpha, a prince, or her professor.
Then her eyes fell on the island, and she became speechless.
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