Hold Me Close (Ryker Falls #5) - Wendy Vella Page 0,22
You’re not confident now, you don’t laugh constantly. There is no teasing or groping—”
“I don’t grope!”
His smile was slow. “I enjoyed the groping.”
“I do not grope people!”
“No. You were sweet, sexy as hell, and only touched the guys who were your friends, and purely in a non-sexual fun way. FYI, I loved your hands on me.”
She absolutely did not feel a flush of heat from those words.
“Well, maybe I’ve just grown up. It’s not like I didn’t need to.” Yes, that could work. She’d say she’d been making personal changes since she left. “I’ve been discovering myself, as I didn’t much like who I was. I needed to change, grow up. I did that while I was in London.”
“Like a self-discovery journey?”
“Exactly.”
“Bullshit.”
“Whatever, and I don’t have time for this.” Maggs lifted the cuffs of her jacket and sweater to check her watch.
“What the hell is that?” He grabbed her hand and forced the sleeve up, further exposing the long scar.
“Nothing.”
“That,” he ran a finger along the angry red line, “is not nothing.”
“Look, Fin. I need you to drop me somewhere. Can you do that or not?”
“I can. But I want the truth before I do. What happened to make you panic, and how long have you had that on your arm, because I know you didn’t have it before leaving Ryker.”
Crap.
“Spill, Maggs, or I’ll tell the others what happened, today and in the bank when you begged me to save you from being shot.” His hand held her before him.
She tried to think of something to explain what happened. Should she just tell him? But then he would tell the others, and they’d be upset. If Bailey and Pip found out, there would be hell to pay because she’d kept something so big from them.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Try again.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“Is it to do with what happened in that restaurant? The shooting?”
Her body twitched. Just the mention of that day had the breath whooshing from her.
“I don’t want to talk about that. It’s over and done with, and I left it behind in London. I need you to respect that, Fin.” Maggs held her breath as he studied her. She knew those blue eyes were focused and intent behind those lenses.
“No, I can’t.”
“What? Why not? You have no right to pry into my life.” She felt the wonderful heat of anger.
“Friends have every right to pry into each other’s lives. In the bank, you begged me not to let anyone shoot you. Today you clung to me after that loud noise. I want to know why.”
“It’s no big deal, all right! Just drop it, Fin.”
“Maggie, I’m your friend. Talk to me.”
“I have nothing to say. Now can we go, please.”
“Have you spoken to anyone about it? Got help?”
She’d had help, lots of it, and time was supposedly the healer of everything. Well, that wasn’t working, clearly.
“I need to go, Fin, or I’ll be late.”
Maggs walked to her car and took out the keys. She then locked it and shut the hood. When she returned, she walked by Fin to where his large beast of a bike stood. She let out a squeak as hands grabbed her, turning her to face him.
“Something has scared you, Maggie Winter, and I plan on finding out what.”
He’d taken off his glasses, and those blue eyes had small flecks of gray in them, the iris ringed in a darker shade. She’d not noticed that before.
“I want to be there for you, Maggs, as the others would. I’m happy you had me both times, but you need to deal with this, and to do that you have to tell me what’s going on.”
Words came and went until all she had left to say was “They’re my demons, ranger boy, and I don’t share.”
Chapter Ten
She made herself lean in and plant a loud smacking kiss on his cold lips, then stepped back. He stopped her, his arms pulling her into his body. His hand raised her chin.
Taking his time, Fin kissed her thoroughly. The hell of it was that she reacted, and part of her reveled in that. Reveled in the fact that she could still feel when inside she was numb. There were dark, ugly places in there now that hadn’t been there before. Places that dropped her to her knees when she wasn’t expecting it. But this, well this made her feel alive.
“Damn, Maggs,” he whispered against her lips. “Come to bed with me.”