Tell Me a Secret (10 page)

 
~~*~~
 

Jace lay awake, sore and aching from the beating he’d taken at the game. As much as he loved the sport, he’d grown tired of the constant abuse his body suffered. He rolled over, adjusted the ice pack on his ribs and grabbed a bottle of pain reliever from the bedside table. On the last play, he’d seconded guessed his route. That hesitation cost him. He downed a couple of pills, and chased them with water. He thought back to earlier.
Damn Jessica
. The one time he forgot to lock his phone. Lesson learned. He wouldn’t let that happen again. Why did she answer it? He knew why. Women were like that. The minute she saw it was another woman, she couldn’t wait to talk to her.

He wanted to go back to Maggie’s and explain, but his damn curfew prevented that. Well, what’s done is done. The question now, how to fix it? Why should he worry? Maggie said if he wanted to hook up with Jessica, go for it. Hell, he didn’t owe either of them anything. Then why did he feel like he’d been caught with his dick in the cookie jar?

He slung his feet to the floor and swallowed another drink of water. Even though it wasn’t intentional, it turned out he’d lied to her after all. If she’d only let him go in with her, he wouldn’t have ended up in Jessica’s bed.

Since meeting his tutor, every time he slept with somebody, guilt settled in the pit of his stomach and because of that, it wasn’t fun anymore. Not like it used to be.

He screwed the lid on the water bottle, lay back down, stared into the darkness and thought of the belly dance. The way Maggie moved, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The fantasy of her moving the same way against him caused blood to pool in his groin.

Rolling onto his side, he winced with pain. He didn’t know what hurt more, his ribs or his back. Hell, everything hurt. He punched his pillow. He needed to stop thinking about her and get his head straight.
Both of them
. He rubbed between his legs to ease the ache, then went back to his thoughts. He’d apologize and things would go back to the way they were. They’d finish the semester and move on with their lives.

 
~~*~~
 

By the time Maggie pulled into the drive at her mother’s house, it was just past two in the morning. After attending the football game and recital, not to mention the anger, soul searching, and three hour drive in bad weather, she was exhausted. Once inside the house, she changed into pajamas, got Aphrodite settled, and collapsed onto the bed. Within minutes, she fell asleep.

At first, she thought it was a dream. The knocking fit right into the song playing in her head. But when the chorus moved from
we will rock you
to the next verse, the beat continued. She opened her eyes and realized someone was at the door. She glanced at the clock.
Eleven? I meant to be up hours ago.

She slung her feet to the floor, then tramped downstairs. She didn’t remove the safety chain, but opened it as far as she could. “What are you doing here?”

Jace shivered in the cold. “Let me in. We need to talk.”

 
~~*~~
 

The sudden blast of cold air caused Maggie’s nipples to stand at attention and the result didn’t go unnoticed by Jace. The wind plastered her red flannel pajama bottoms and long sleeve shirt against her body. Her hair stood in every direction. She was a sexy mess. A slow ache began to build. He stuck his hands in his pockets, hoping to ease the reaction.

“Can I come in?”

She didn’t answer and offered an icy stare.

“Maggie?” he repeated, hoping to snap her from her trance.

“I’m thinking.”

That’s all she said, but stepped aside to let him pass. Once inside, he turned to face her. “Okay, I know you’re mad, but in my defense, I didn’t plan to be with Jessica. When I drove you home, and asked if I could come inside and you refused…”

She held up her hand. “You’re putting this on me? Unbelievable. Do you ever take responsibility for any of your bad behavior?”

Shouldn’t she be screaming? That’s what normal women did when they got angry. Instead, she crossed arms over her chest and remained calm.
 

“I didn’t plan it and I didn’t do it to make you jealous.”

“Oh my God. Can you get over yourself for a single minute? I’m not jealous. Sleep with every girl on campus for all I care. Get matching tattoos. It’s none of my business.” She broke into a laugh.

He scrunched his face. “Why are you laughing?”

“I got a flash of how you’d look if you did get matching tats with all your sexual partners. God, you’d be inked from head to toe. An entry in Guinness, no doubt.”

“Okay, so maybe jealous wasn’t the right word, but Jessica upset you.”

“She didn’t upset me.
You
upset me.
You
insulted me.
You
lied to me.”

“I didn’t. I mean, when I told you I didn’t want to go with her, I meant it. I decided to see her after you kicked me out.”

She pushed past him and stood on the stairway. Her nipples no longer stood at attention, but her breasts rose and fell with each breath.
 

He tried to focus on her face. “You want to slap me? Go ahead. Let some of that pent up frustration out.”

Her expression changed and he braced for impact.
Finally
, here it comes, the wrath of Maggie. But instead, she continued in the same tone, but this time with more agitation.

“You think I’m frustrated? Is that one more thing you need to fix for me? I should have never told you about my past. Ever since I did, you’ve felt a misplaced responsibility. You want to make sure I get home okay. You want to help me find my father. Well, I’m not your charity case. You don’t need to solve any of my problems. I’m fine. I’ve always been fine. So you can go.”

He rocked back on his heels and a lump formed in his throat. This wasn’t going the way he planned. He felt scolded by his mother. “No, I can’t. Have you looked outside? The streets are solid ice. It took me an hour to travel the last ten miles just to get here. They’ve closed the interstate. You may not like it, but you’re stuck with me.”

Her face strained with obvious tension. “Fine. I’m going upstairs and getting dressed. You may as well make yourself useful. There are boxes in the garage. You pack the kitchen and I’ll work in my mom’s bedroom.” She pirouetted, headed for the stairs, and spoke over her shoulder. “As soon as the weather clears, I want you to leave. Until then, stay out of my way.”

Boys fall in love with what they see, girls fall in love with what they hear, that’s why girls wear make-up and boys lie.

~Unknown

Maggie stomped upstairs to her room and closed the door, thankful to be away from the most confusing man she’d ever met.
He insists on taking me home from the recital, sleeps with another woman, and then travels three hours in the worst weather of the season to say he’s sorry?
She regretted confiding in him. Because of it, he’d appointed himself as her savior.

Aphrodite rubbed against Maggie’s arm. “Why does he always have to look so damn good?” she said to the cat. “The beard stubble. The perfectly starched jeans. The tee shirt clinging to his body just right. God, why can’t I hate him?”

She sat up, grabbed her phone and checked the weather again. “This time tomorrow, the roads should be clear enough for travel.” She picked the cat up and dangled her until they were face to face. “Twenty-four hours. I only have to make it twenty-four hours. I can do that.”

She put the cat on the floor, then went to her suitcase and removed yoga pants and a hoodie. Thank goodness this time she’d brought only Tech shirts and nothing with Jace’s name or number. Once dressed, she sat on the bed, stuck her feet into fuzzy socks and reminded herself what a playboy he was.

When she got back downstairs, he was sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by boxes. “Where do you want me to start?”
 

She ignored the question and began to rummage through the pantry. “I’m hungry. I’m going to eat first.”

“What about me? Can I eat, too?”

She didn’t answer, so he said, “Maggie?”

“Fine. There’s enough stuff here for soup.” She grabbed several cans of vegetables, a carton of chicken broth, and a small container of evaporated milk. Next she removed a pot from the cabinet, poured the ingredients in and turned on the burner.

He searched cupboards and drawers until he found bowls, glasses, and spoons, and set them on the table. “What to drink?”

“I can make tea or there’s bottled water in the fridge.”

“I’m fine with water.”

She frowned because he was being so agreeable. She wasn’t ready to make nice with him.
Man whore. Man whore. Man whore
. She just needed to keep reminding herself of that.

She measured flour and added it to the soup, stirred until it thickened, then carried the pot to the table and spooned it into the bowls. He got water from the fridge, crackers from the pantry, and salt and pepper from the counter.

Silence filled the room until he said, “This is good. Thanks for making it.”

She glared, determined to keep her bad attitude. “I checked the forecast. The weather should be clear by noon tomorrow.”
 

“I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

Once done eating, she gathered the dishes and gave instructions. “There’s paper in a trash bag on the back porch. If you’ll bring that in, you can start packing everything in the cabinets. There’s no need to label anything since it’s all going to Goodwill. I’ll work in Mom’s bedroom.”

She realized he didn’t understand her mood. She didn’t understand it. Was she mad because of Jessica or because she wanted Jace and couldn’t have him? Or because after saving herself for so long, she’d fallen for an unworthy man?

She jerked clothes from the closet, and threw hangers and all into a box. Her dreams were the same as every other girl. She wanted true love. A man who wanted her and no one else. Someone who would choose to live alone if he couldn’t have her.
What a stupid dream
. Her mother spent a lifetime going from one man to the next searching for her Prince Charming and never found him. Why did Maggie think her future held a lasting commitment?

She grabbed more garments and tossed them on top of the others. Her mother’s favorite red party dress caught her eye. She remembered how beautiful her mom looked in it. Maggie’s breath hitched and her eyes stung from waiting tears.
Why am I so emotional? Even though I grew up in this house, I barely knew my mother.
She ran her hand over the satin fabric, fingered a rhinestone button and blinked tears away. She shook her head to clear it, and threw the dress on the pile.

By early evening the bedroom was packed. The cabinets and drawers in the kitchen were empty and he moved the boxes out to the garage. He’d left the contents of the pantry and fridge and Maggie searched them for something else to eat. She called out. “There’s frozen pizza. Want that?”

He stepped to the doorway. “Sure. I left out a couple of plates, glasses and some forks, knives, and spoons.”

“Good thinking.”

He moved to the end of the counter and leaned against it, his chiseled body a sharp contrast against the soft yellow walls. “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me since I got here.”

She twisted around to face him. What a mistake. God, he looked so good, her mouth went dry. She couldn’t get a word out, so she smiled.

He took a step closer. “Can we talk without you getting upset?”

She swallowed hard and her throat constricted. He pulled a chair away from the table, spun it around and straddled it. Her legs went limp, so she slid into the seat across from him.

“Okay, you could be right. Maybe unconsciously, I’ve been trying to take care of you. I know it isn’t my business. Even though I don’t understand why you don’t want to find out who your father is, that’s your decision. I won’t bring it up again.”

When he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table, her heart slammed against her ribs as if a prisoner attempting a jailbreak.

“My intentions were good, but I’ve learned my lesson. I promise, I’ll do better, and I’m telling you the truth about Jessica. I didn’t arrange to meet her at the recital. She came on her own, and I didn’t plan to hook up with her either. But because I did, I guess I lied to you after the fact and I apologize.”

The softness in his voice and the way he spoke made her want to kiss him. Dizzy with desire, she tried to speak, but her teeth stuck to her lips.

“Are you all right? You don’t look so good.”

She closed a fist against her chest. The timer dinged. She went to the oven and removed the pizza. Grabbing a bottle of water, she took a big gulp, then turned back to him. “I’m okay. I don’t think the soup stayed with me. I’m hungry, that’s all.”

Go over there. Kiss him. Tell him you can’t sleep at night for thinking about him. Tell him you want to rip Jessica’s heart out and stomp it.
“I saw some beer in the fridge, do you want one?”

“That’d be great. Since I’m missing practice, I may as well live it up.”

She delivered the beer and pizza to the table. “Well, you should be back in plenty time for tomorrow’s workout.”