When the Heart Lies - By Christina North Page 0,15
last statement in unison with the hammering of his index finger against the table.
“You don’t know anything about Nick. He doesn’t even have my number.”
“I know more than you think. Besides, you told me.”
“I didn’t tell you anything. You and your vague insinuations. Why don’t you just tell me what you think you know? You can’t because you don’t know anything.” The fact was she didn’t know anything about Nick either. The way she left New York, she couldn’t blame him if he never took her back, and if it weren’t for Max, she wouldn’t care. Max began bouncing on her leg at a furious pace. Not wanting to upset him, she stopped her nervous leg from moving and focused on the little cars that were on the table. They played for a bit until he bolted from her and went to get the little backpack with his toys inside. He grabbed his coloring book.
“Mommy, I colored a picture for you.” He smiled. She kissed his head, and he sat beside her.
Wayde continued, bringing her back to reality. “That’s what you might assume. You think what I want you to think.”
“What?” Restless from the conversation, she’d forgotten what they were talking about.
“You said I don’t know anything. Well, I know enough.”
“Yeah, okay. You know everything. How did I end up here? This is an expensive place.”
“It’s where they brought ya. Who cares?”
Maybe she could avoid going back to him at all. “I’ll be getting out of here tomorrow or the next day. I should take some money out of the account and get a place with Max until I decide what to do.”
His ass rose from the chair, and he knocked hard on the table as he loomed over her. “That’s my account, and you’re staying with me. That’s where you belong now.”
“It’s my money, and the last place I belong is with you.” When she realized their conversation wasn’t only getting intense, but loud, she glanced around the room. A few of the staff members were watching them; she lowered her voice to a near whisper. “I shouldn’t have let you gain so much control, putting my money with yours was a bad idea. I should’ve known better. Now you think you can control me.” Her small book advance had been paying the rent since she’d arrived. Once he had hold of her money, he took control. It was most likely gone by now.
His head pulled back and his brow wrinkled. “Control you?”
She bugged her eyes as wide as she could, mocking him as she shook her head. “Yeah, that’s right, control me. You monitor my every move, and you’re trying to convince me to feel something I don’t. I’ve made a mistake with you. My whole life is slipping away.” The desire to rake the skin from his face became far too vivid, and she turned from him.
“You and your drama. The queen of drama. Don’t worry, darlin’. I ain’t gonna let you slip nowhere.” He ended his sentence with a high note and a grin.
“I’m sure you won’t.” He should’ve just said what he meant—I’m not letting you go. Now, she’d have to start lying to him as much as she’d been lying to herself all along. It would be the only way to get away from him. She’d go back to his house for a few days, and then she’d find a way out. Before he realized it, she’d be gone. “I’ll be leaving here tomorrow or the next day. I ought to come back to your house. Maybe it’s the best thing for me. Possibly, you’re right.” She swallowed, attempting to quell her desire to puke from the taste of her words. “I’m sorry, Wayde. I just wish things would change a little.”—Swallow.
“Now that’s better. I know you don’t like some things, and I’ll talk to Savannah. Maybe I’ll let you get your own checking account for spending money. Not that I think you need it. We’re together. Seems silly to me, but if it makes you less paranoid, I guess I could let you do that.”
Paranoid? How couldn’t I be paranoid? He dished up paranoia for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “It’d make me happy if I had my own account. I want to have choices.”
“You have choices. You chose to move to Florida and be with me, didn’t you?”
That choice was one of the major blunders she’d made in her life. The guilt from bringing Max there was rotting her insides. She leaned toward