Taken by Storm (Give & Take) - By Kelli Maine Page 0,34
didn’t want to get into this conversation right now. Enzo was a poison that he wouldn’t let ruin this moment. “So, Turtle Tear,” he said, steering them in a new direction, “how long have you had it?”
Merrick’s hand tightened around Rachael’s and he smiled down at her. “It’s Rachael’s. She’s had it for a few months now. She brought it back to life from ruins.”
“We both did,” Rachael said, gazing up at Merrick.
Their relationship couldn’t be that old. They were still too into each other.
Maddie nudged his foot with hers and smiled her smile that had held a million promises in the past. How could he trust that smile? Did he even want to?
Who was he kidding? Hell yes he wanted to. He wanted to get inside her and never leave. Physically and mentally. He wanted to know what came between them and why she let it. He needed answers and he’d have them.
Maybe it was his turn to run away and see if she followed.
MJ had been quiet all the way back to the big house. Maddie had the distinct impression that something had happened or been said between him and Merrick on their walk that he was keeping from her.
“How’d it go?” she asked. “On your walk? What did you two talk about?”
He plopped down into a wicker chair on the flagstone patio. “She liked those flowers you like. The white ones. Queen Anne’s Lace.”
At first, his words threw her, then she realized who he meant. “Your mom?”
He nodded. “It went fine.”
Maddie wanted to pry more words out from between his lips, but didn’t know if it was her place anymore. She’d taken a big risk two summers ago and crossed the line—leaped over the line—of friendship and they couldn’t turn back again.
“He said he was sorry.” MJ mindlessly flicked a bug off the arm of the chair. “Asked me if I hated him.”
“You never hated him,” Maddie said, leaning toward him over the arm of her chair. She needed to touch him, to make sure he was really okay, but she held herself back.
“No,” he said, leaning back in the chair with his hands linked behind his head. His soft T-shirt hugged his chest. “I never hated him. I wanted to sometimes.”
“I know.”
He slouched down farther in the chair. “Of course you know.”
She used to know his every thought. Now it was like their link had been severed. She’d taken a knife to it and slashed it in half. Maddie could only ever guess what he was thinking. What he was feeling. It drove her crazy not knowing what was inside his head and heart. “Do you hate me?” she asked.
MJ lifted his head and gripped the arms of the chair. “I’ve never hated you. I wanted to sometimes.” His dark eyes were heavy with remorse. “I should.”
The words were meant to hurt her, and they did. She was immediately sick to her stomach. She was desperate for his forgiveness and he knew it. He played on her emotions to wound her like she’d wounded him.
And it worked. The pain inside her was so distressing, her heart had to be bleeding.
This is what MJ does to you, she told herself.
This is not love.
This is a sickness.
It was good that they weren’t together anymore. Just like his grandfather, MJ was playing a game Maddie couldn’t win.
“I’ve made my decision,” she said, and instantly knew that she had. It was the one that had been the only choice all along. “I need the ring back. I’m not marrying Talan. I have to take it back to him.”
MJ’s eyes narrowed in skepticism. “You’re going back to Michigan to give him his ring back?”
She took a deep, steadying breath and nodded. “Yes. In the morning.”
He rubbed his finger under his lips, which were pressed together tight. For whatever reason, he wasn’t finding her news believable. “I’ll give it to you then. In the morning. Before you leave.”
Maddie mirrored his shrewd gaze right back at him. “Why not now? What’s the point in keeping it?”
“You might change your mind overnight.”
“I won’t.”
They stared at each other, neither of them giving an inch. After a few minutes, MJ stood and stretched. “See you in the morning, Mads.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well.”
Times like these, she wanted to smack his face, then kiss him senseless, then smack him again. With her tangle of emotions, it was best that she left in the morning. She’d tell Talan she loved him, but couldn’t