Leyah couldn't sit still.

Maverick and her dad have been gone for some time and she could only imagine how that conversation is going. She knew her dad wasn't keen on the idea of her and Mav. She could tell when he was a little blasé about it in Vault 112. He acted the same way toward Wally when she started dating him.

Back then, it was because Wally ran around with the Tunnel Snakes.

Now…she knew what the problem was. The age gap was an issue, not to mention the fact that people could easily accuse Maverick of using her. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she straightened up her kitchen for the fifth time.

That was the thing though, Maverick never treated her like she was a kid. He treated her as an equal. She kept thinking about how he held her after she got out of Tranquility Lane and her heart skipped a beat. Surely her dad saw something to convince him that Maverick wouldn't hurt her?

If not, she was going to be hell bent on making sure he did.

The sound of the door opening had her hurrying around the corner to see Maverick sitting down on the couch and her dad starting toward the stairs. "Did you drink?" she asked her dad, frowning at the slight wobble in his step.

"No."

She looked at Maverick. "Did he drink?"

"Yes."

She glared up at her dad. James let out a laugh, looking toward Maverick. "You weren't lying, were you?"

"You're a grown man. I shouldn't have to cover your ass," Maverick said, reaching for his shot gun. His cleaning kit was sitting on the coffee table.

Dad laughed again before finally walking up the rest of the stairs.

Leyah shook her head in exasperation. She plopped down next to Maverick on the couch, resting her head against his shoulder. "Well?" she asked softly.

"Well what?"

She gave him a look.

"It went fine, Ley. He just had some questions."

Her heart fluttered at the nickname. Other people have called her that before, but it sounded different coming from him.

"Do you have another bed here?" he suddenly asked.

She shook her head.

"Shit, you can have the couch. I'll—"

"No, you're staying on here too. I know those floors in the vault hurt your back."

He gave her an exasperated look. "I barely got on your dad's good side. I don't want to get my ass tossed back to the bad right away."

Leyah was trying her hardest to keep from laughing. "Not if I can help it. Besides," she nuzzled against his shoulder, "I like sleeping with you. You're warm."

Maverick stared at her for a few moments before huffing out a laugh. "That's all I'm good for? Being a damn bed warmer?"

"Yep. Sad but true."

He couldn't hold back an amused grin.

He finished cleaning his gun before slumping against the back of the couch, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Well, I guess I should do my job."

Soon, Maverick was lying on the couch and Leyah was on top of him. She couldn't stop giggling at how Maverick's feet hung off the end.

"Vaultie, if you don't stop laughing I'm going to tape your mouth shut so I can sleep."

Feeling mischievous, Leyah moved so she could trail her lips along his jaw. She finally hovered over his mouth. "Then how am I supposed to kiss you?"

"You'll figure something out."

She rolled her eyes and pressed her lips to his, savoring the taste of vodka, cigarettes, and him. She shivered as his hands trailed along her back.

His lips moved to where her pulse thrummed and he nibbled at it, causing her to quickly suck in a breath. She buried her fingers in his hair, tilting her head so he had better access. His lips didn't stop there. He trailed them along the column of her throat and he stopped to place suckling kisses along her collarbone.

She pressed her own kisses to the side of his face, just savoring the fact they were both there and things were going right for once. She loved that she wasn't as nervous as she thought she would be with this part of her and Maverick's relationship.

Her skin started to heat up as she pulled him back up for another searing kiss. She moved her legs so they were straddling his thighs and she sighed against his lips. She started to drag her hips across his, swallowing his soft groan.

His strong hands suddenly fell to her hips and he pulled his head back.

"As much as I love all of this attention, I'm not going any further with your dad right up the stairs," he whispered.

Leyah's cheeks warmed and she bit her lip.

Shit, she completely forgot her dad was in her room.

"Whoops," she whispered back.

She felt Maverick's chuckle before she heard it she was pressed against him so closely.

"Go to sleep, Ley."

She moved so she was lying on him again, resting her head against his chest.

His steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep.