Chapter Nine
M ax found me ten minutes later on the stairs outside the front of the house.
I hadn’t been able to go back to the party. I couldn’t stomach the thought of dancing with Kingston in front of everyone. I hadn’t even been able to face the unknown pledge guarding the coat check.
It was not my proudest moment.
But it was done.
Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I looked up as Max took a seat on the step beside me. His onyx eyes narrowed on my cheeks, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat as he caught sight of my tear-stricken face.
“I’ll share mine, if you share yours?”
I choked out a sob, burying my head in my hands and shaking it to say hell no.
He touched my back, his large palm patting softly as I cried the last of my tears. “There, there. You’re alright, Princess.”
I sniffled loudly and cocked my head to stare at him, giving zero shits over the mess my face had to be.
“There, there?”
He shrugged. “Never said I was any good at this.”
“What? Sympathy? Human interaction? I’ll need you to be more specific.”
“Yeah, sure. Go with one of those.” He offered me his sleeve.
I balked at the thought of wiping my face on his ridiculously overpriced suit and swatted his arm away.
Running his thumb under my eyes, he slipped my mask off my head and rested it on his lap with his.
We sat quietly for a minute, until I released a heavy breath. “Boys are stupid.”
He huffed a laugh. “Amen, sister.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Is it time to go home yet?”
“Not even close. Still two challenges to go.” His brow furrowed at my raised one. “Unless you’re planning to call it quits early…”
“Early? I’m locked in for this shit show, remember?”
“True, but there are ways around that.”
I nodded. I had one sitting right in front of me, too.
“Maybe you’re right. If I had the opportunity to get the money and leave after this challenge, maybe that would be the right thing to do.” But even as I said it, walking away in the middle of all this felt wrong.
“Hm.”
“Hm? What’s hm about that?”
Max shrugged. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. You walked in the other day all scorched earth and being a badass and shit. Guess I thought you’d decided to win the whole thing. Prove them wrong or whatever.”
“I had, but…”
On one hand, getting the hell out of here did seem like the smartest plan. Even if it meant walking away with nothing. No complicated guys. No money. And no answers.
On the other hand, that prize money would give me the freedom to do whatever I wanted with my life. Exactly what I wanted. I could survive on my own.
Plus, getting to see the look on Vivian’s face when I won, I had to admit that held a certain appeal.
Not to mention the hope of getting to the truth.
No matter how many times I told myself otherwise, leaving with nothing…
I wanted more than that.
Sighing, I met Max’s gaze. “If I stay, doesn’t that hurt your plans to get rid of me?”
“Damn.” He snapped, swinging his arm across his body. “You’re right. What ever will I do with you instead?”
I swallowed.
Max chuckled, pushing up to his feet and holding out a hand to me. “Time to go, Princess. Before you get any ideas.”
“Before I get any ideas?” I took his hand and let him pull me up. “You must have the two of us confused.”
His next words, and the way he stared at me, stifled the laugh in my throat.
When he tugged my hand to bring my body closer, looping his other arm around the small of my back, my breath caught. Max stared down at me, his dark eyes locked on mine as he said softly, “Maybe we’re both open to new ideas.”
I cleared my throat.
My emotions had gone through the wringer tonight, and I officially hated these parties. But I had to wonder how the night would’ve gone if he hadn’t stormed off. Until, unfortunately, that thought had me retreating from any new ideas.
Max Dread and me…
That was a fantasy. A what if.
A road decidedly not travelled. By him .
Because I’d come here for the King, whether I’d known it at the time or not. A truth I’d learned the hard way. I’d fallen for his most loyal Knight. Only to find out that he couldn’t— would never —choose me.
And the Dark Knight with a soft side?
The one I’d felt inexplicably drawn to when we first met?
He didn’t exist. Not in the real world.
Maybe not at all.
Despite his arguments to the contrary, Max Dread was ruled by Camelot Court as much as Kingston and Landon were.
He had secrets of his own. Ties here that could hurt me. Rules he had to follow in a game he claimed to hate but couldn’t quit.
That wouldn’t end when The Quest was over.
Even if it did, our complicated histories with his sworn enemies remained. No matter how hard I pushed the memories—the truth —away.
Instead of voicing all that, I deflected. “It’s too bad I still don’t fuck assholes.”
“Yeah,” he exhaled, loosening his hold as he searched my face. His voice was tinged with remorse and a promise, “But I’m working on that for us.”
For us.
My chest constricted.
Flattening my palms between us, I eased my body away. I couldn’t meet his eyes as I stepped back. I couldn’t think past those two words and the turmoil in my head. Or my heart.
And as I withdrew, Max released a heavy sigh that felt like resignation. “Let’s go, Princess.”
We spent the drive home caged by our silence.
* * *
I slept through most of the morning on the third day, waking up in short bursts to scrounge for food or go to the bathroom.
Wishing I had my phone so I could call Gia, I compiled a mental checklist of everything I’d need to fill her in on when the six days were up.
Kingston’s vague but hopeful note? Check.
Landon finger-banging me at a party? Check.
Max’s hot-and-cold behavior giving me whiplash? Still a big, fat check.
He gave me space most of the morning, probably off working out or flexing in front of a mirror somewhere.
And after everything that had happened last night, I wanted to spend most of the day in bed, avoiding him. Avoiding what I’d done.
But he didn’t let me off that easily.
He wrangled me out of the bed and ordered me to get dressed, then treated me to another long day of hiking. We explored the entrance to one of the hidden caves, Max barely speaking while I marveled at what the caverns held.
A blue-green pool of water lay below the entrance, past a ledge we could jump down to if we’d wanted.
Or if Max had been in a less surly mood.
The stones on the walls and ground were grown over with green moss. It hung from the ceiling, and light reflected down and through the tangled vines, drawing patterns on the surface of the water. Circles and whorls that created an ache in my chest.
“Can we go down there?” I pointed at where the upper ledge sloped down to get to the water.
It looked safe enough, but Max grunted a quick no and trudged off. A jerk of his arm told me he wanted me to come with him.
I ignored it.
But I didn’t go inside the cavern alone. I was stubborn, but I wasn’t an idiot. And the last thing I needed was to get stuck down there and have Max jump in like some sort of action hero to save me.
As I stared down at the cavern, my eyes caught on the stones, trying to decipher the symbols. I couldn’t place where I’d seen them before, but Max cut off my chance to think about it. He called out from well within the trees, and I scrambled after him so I didn’t get lost.
Afterward, we sat in the cab of the truck for a while, quietly listening to music and staring out over the cliffs.
We played a little game of who could go the longest saying as little as possible and didn’t broach any deep topics.
I answered most of his questions with another question.
He responded mostly with grunts.
But I was unable to outlast him. I wanted to know more about him. At the very least, to get to the root of his moody behavior and squash it.
“Does Brutus live with your family while you’re at school?”
He arched a brow, the quizzical look on his face making it seem like I’d asked him the question in Spanish.
“Brutus? Your dog? He chased me up a tree?”
“Brutus isn’t my dog.”
“Oh.” I waited for him to say more, but apparently, that explained everything. “Whose dog is he? Why was he at Camelot Court? Where has he been?”
Max blinked at me. “You got a thing for the beast that wanted to eat you alive?”
I swallowed, the unintentionally loaded question dawning on me before it hit him.
“You know what I meant.” He laughed, pushing to his feet. “Come on, there’s a diner I want to hit for lunch.”
I huffed, not surprised he retreated from even a simple question, but I followed him to the car.
“You know, despite what you might think, I’m not fluent in grunts, Max. If you give me nothing more than that—Oh, and the occasional random quip filled with sexual innuendo—I don’t actually know what you mean.” I dropped my voice, muttering, “Or who you are.”
Brow dipping, he clenched his jaw.
I climbed into the car and buckled my seat belt, refusing to look at him or say anything else. He could say whatever he wanted about trying not to be an asshole.
It didn’t change that I didn’t know him.
Or that he refused to show me anything real .
Without a word, Max started the car and led us to our next destination.
Eventually, he pointed out an old diner on the side of the road, with spots to park surrounding it. We slowed down as we approached and pulled into one of the spots on the right side.
The wood building had a green roof, a wrap-around porch, and an old-timey feel. Rocking chairs were set every few paces around the porch, some in pairs, and others left alone for solitude. No matter where someone sat, the view of the mountains was gorgeous.
Max shut off the car, climbing out before turning to me. “Come on. This place has the best food in Mosaic Falls.”
My eyebrows rose, and I hopped out to join him. We walked up the porch steps side by side, and Max opened the door for me. The quaint interior had wooden floors, booths, and walls. It looked like it had been built by hand, each of the tables set with flowers in mismatched vases, a small glass filled with crayons, and silver napkin dispensers.
The bar inside was solid wood, as well, set in front of the kitchen, and with a sleek, shiny surface and spinning barstools. A few people sat spread apart at the bar, and one family occupied a table to the left.
An older woman with kind brown eyes and graying dark hair greeted us from the counter by the front door.
Or, rather, she greeted Max.
“Oh, Max!” Her warm, genuine smile lit up her face when she saw him, and she came around the counter to meet us. “I thought you weren’t going to make it this week.”
“Change of plans,” he said gruffly, but he bent down when the woman came over to kiss his cheek, accepting it with a smile. “Diane, this is Quinn.”
Her eyes widened, jumping between me and Max before she schooled her features. “Hi, Quinn. Max never has guests with him when he visits! It’s so nice to meet you, sweetheart.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Here. You two come on in and pick a table. Anywhere you like. I’ll go grab Bill.”
Max snagged two menus off the counter and guided me to a booth in the back. He sat facing the restaurant, and I slid in across from him, puzzling out this new piece of information. Clearly, he came here enough to warrant hello kisses and a visit from Bill.
Whoever that was.
He also seemed relaxed. Almost happy.
Until my prolonged staring changed that, and he flipped open my menu in front of me. “Study this, not me.”
Pursing my lips, I contained my snarky retort, asking instead, “You come here a lot? This is…your place?”
He shrugged. “They have good milkshakes.”
I bit back a smile. “Noted.” I glanced at the menu, settling on a sandwich and a chocolate strawberry milkshake before probing again. “I’ll share mine, if you share yours.”
His eyebrows lifted.
And for a second, I wasn’t sure if he’d take me up on the offer. Instead, withdrawing the way I had been. Continuing our dance of wanting to know more about each other while also wanting to safeguard our secrets.
But he surprised me.
“I stumbled on this place during my sophomore year at Camelot Academy. High school. Bill and Diane have owned it for thirty years. They lost their daughter a long time ago, and…Well, they were always nice to me when I came here. Let me sit in the back booth and do my homework, whenever I wanted to get away from campus or whatever.” He shrugged again. “It’s no big deal.”
“It’s special to you?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then, it is a big deal.”
He shifted in his seat, and I tried not to enjoy watching him squirm as he revealed something so personal and…sweet.
“Your turn.”
I sighed and looked down at my hands. “In my old town, there was a tiny bookshop that my dad and I used to go to. This sweet little older lady owned it, but her daughter, Tasha, kept it running most of the time. She’d always let me sit in one of the comfy chairs and read for hours. Do my homework. Get away from things or whatever.” I shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Right.” He huffed at that, his eyes on mine. “No big deal.”
“She took me in right after my dad—” My head shot down, eyes back on the menu. “Anyway, it was my place.”
“Maybe one day you can show it to me.”
I lifted my head.
“It’s only fair since…” He gestured around the diner. “I showed you mine.”
Caught off guard by the suggestion, but strangely open to the idea, I nodded. Then, I quickly remembered myself and who I was dealing with, pointing a stern finger at Max’s face. “That rule doesn’t apply for everything, though.”
He smirked and refocused on his menu. “We’ll see.”
Rolling my eyes, I fought another smile. But Diane returned with Bill in tow and saved me from responding. The lean older man had gray hair and eyes sparkling with mischief, their shade a little lighter than Diane’s warm brown.
He walked straight over to Max, who I hadn’t seen stand up, and pulled him into a hug. “Hey, my boy. How are you holding up out there?”
“Living the dream, old man.”
Bill’s eyes darted to me. “I can see that.” He cuffed Max on the back of his neck. “Why didn’t you tell us you were bringing such a fine young lady over? Nan came into the back in a tizzy, talking about how her silverware might be too smudged for your fancy friend.”
I snorted and laughed. “Oh, Diane, don’t worry about me. I’m the charity case in Max’s world. Most of my silverware is from the dollar store and is definitely not polished like his other girl’s silver.”
“Other girl?” Diane shifted her gaze. “What’s this, Max?”
He grumbled. “She just means the girl assigned to me for the fraternity thing. The game I told you about. It’s no one.”
My eyebrows raised at his description of Vivian, but Diane gave a quick ah of understanding before turning back to me. She looked me over and smiled at Max. “Good. I like this one.”
Max grunted. “She’s alright.”
“Boy, have you learned nothing from watching me all these years?” Bill cuffed him again, then took my hands. “Quinn, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry I failed to impart all my wisdom to the stubborn fool. But please, try and give him a chance.”
I laughed and returned his squeeze on my hands. “I’ll try, I guess. But only because you’re vouching for him. Oh, and it’s great to meet you, too.”
Max rolled his eyes at our teasing, but a smile quirked his lips, and he stared at Bill and Diane with so much warmth and affection that it surprised me.
Under all that blazing heat and his rough edges, maybe Max Dread did have a warm and soft side.
“What can we get for you both?”
At Max’s nod, I rattled off my order first and waited while he ordered a sandwich and a Rocky Road milkshake.
While Diane put the order in and made our shakes, Bill chatted with us about upcoming projects he had in mind for the diner. When Diane returned, Bill disappeared into the back to make our sandwiches. She set two old-fashioned milkshake glasses in front of us.
As we sipped on them quietly, every now and then, our eyes would meet.
Each time I looked away, I reminded myself this was nothing more than an act. I’d said I didn’t know him, so Max changed that. Sure, he’d mentioned the diner before I called him out, but I still questioned his motives. It could’ve been a tactic he cooked up to lure me in.
My suspicions ran wild.
I nearly convinced myself Bill and Diane were paid actors that he’d planted here to sell me a story.
But deep down, it felt like I was seeing a side of Max Dread he didn’t share with the world.
For whatever reason, he’d shared it with me.
And I couldn’t quiet the tiny part of my brain that believed it was real.