CHAPTER ELEVEN
JULIET
Leaving would probably be best for everyone. Maverick has been so good to me, and I don’t want to drag him into my problems. I don’t think he would agree with me that leaving is the answer because he’s a good person. I know he’ll try and convince me to stay. That means I’ll have to do it in secret.
A ball of dread fills my stomach, but the decision has been made.
I go over to the computer on his desk and check the bus schedule and scribble it down on a piece of paper before I check my emails.
There’s a response about a room available to rent, so I email them back asking for more details on when I can come see it.
The office door opens as soon as I hit send, so I close the tabs and try to act normal. As I stand from the desk, I grab the piece of paper where I’d scribbled down the bus schedule and shove it into my back pocket.
Maverick’s expression gives nothing away as he steps inside and closes the door behind him.
“Is everything okay?” I ask when he glances at the computer.
“I handled it.” The smile he gives me doesn’t meet his eyes, and although I don’t want to call him out on it, I really want to know exactly how he handled it.
“Are you sure?” I shift on my feet, wishing I was better at reading people.
“I’m handling it,” he clarifies, and I guess that means it’s still happening. “How are you holding up?”
I shrug in reply. He’s trying to avoid the topic, which only worries me more. “What did Brock tell you, Maverick?”
His lips press into a firm line, and I can’t tell if his frustration is with me or Brock. “He’s under the impression you belong to him.”
“I don’t understand why they’re doing this,” I say, and my shoulders sag. A sense of defeat floods me, and I worry this is never going to be over. I stare down at my feet, still embarrassed that I’ve gotten in this situation.
“I can see why it would be hard to let you go,” Maverick says softly, and my head snaps up.
Warmth floods me and washes away some of the defeat. “Really?”
“Are you kidding? You’re sweet and beautiful, little mouse.
” I’m stunned silent as a low chuckle leaves him.
“And you don’t even know it. That only adds to the sweetness.
” My cheeks are warm from his compliments, and if I wasn’t blushing before, I surely am now.
“Do you want to tell me more of what’s going on with the two of you? ”
As much as I don’t want to, I owe it to Maverick. Even if I plan to leave, he should know what he’s gotten mixed up in.
“It’s weird,” I admit. I might be sheltered, but I know you’re not supposed to marry your stepbrother.
“Let’s sit down,” he says and nods toward the couch in his office before he grabs a couple of waters out of the fridge. He removes the lid from one of the bottles and hands it to me. “Tell me all of it.”
“He’s my stepbrother,” I say, and Maverick’s bottle freezes almost to his mouth.
“I mean, kind of. I don’t know.” I let out a long sigh.
“A few years after my father died, my stepmother remarried, and it’s her husband’s son.
I don’t know what that makes him or if my stepmother is still my stepmother now that my father is dead and she’s remarried. ”
He sets the water bottle down. “And you two started dating?”
“No!” I rush to answer while shaking my head adamantly. Maverick relaxes a fraction, and I wonder if the idea of me being with Brock bothered him.
“Good, he’s a fucking dick,” Maverick says, and a burst of laughter leaves me. I cover my mouth with my hand, and he shrugs. “He is. And he’s under the impression you two are getting married.”
“I don’t understand why he said that. I mean, there have been a few offhand comments about him and me getting married one day.
” The sound of crushing plastic is loud in the room before Maverick releases the destroyed water bottle and places it on the table.
“I assumed it was an offhand remark. I didn’t think he really meant it, but I guess I was wrong. ”
Maverick listens while I keep going and tell him everything.
The more I share about how things escalated, the more I see his features harden.
He tries to mask his anger, but I can’t miss it.
When I tell him about how my stepmother told the police I stole from her when they were really items that once belonged to my birth mother, he gets deadly silent.
Once it’s all out, I look in his eyes and wonder what he’s thinking. Could he be trying to find a way out of this mess now that he’s heard it all? I don’t think I could blame him for wanting no part of it.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“Sorry,” he barks, making me jump. “Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m pissed, but not at you.” He moves his hand to rest on my knee, and I exhale with a sense of relief. “I’m pissed at what they’ve put you through.”
“I don’t understand why they can’t let me go.”
“Precisely.”
“Precisely?”
“There has to be a reason. You say she hates you, so why not let you leave? Isn’t that what she wants? Instead, she kept you locked in your room while making comments about you marrying Brock. Based on what you told me, they’re most likely in a relationship, so it doesn’t add up.”
Of course I know all about sex, but it’s not something I’ve ever spoken about with another person. “Do you think they are…” I let my sentence trail off.
“Fucking? Yeah, I do.”
I’d wondered the same, so it’s nice to know I’m not the only one. “See, it’s weird.”
“Oh, it’s weird, but they’re after something, and it’s more than Brock wanting you. I’m sure that added fuel to the fire of resentment your stepmother has for you.”
“I don’t have anything she wants,” I point out. Besides that, my stepmother is beautiful.
“You might think that, but that doesn’t make it true.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter.
“It does, and I’m going to find out what they’re up to.” Maverick is serious in his conviction, and it’s refreshing that someone wants to take a stand for me. The part that makes me feel guilty is that it shouldn’t have to be him.
“You don’t need to worry about that. You’ve done enough. I’ve already pulled you into this mess with Brock shouting across your gym. I’m sorry.”
I go to stand up, but Maverick takes my hand and tugs me back down beside him on the couch. This time our bodies are touching, and I can feel every single point of contact. It’s like being burned but in the best way possible. When I open my mouth to say something, he shakes his head.
“No, Juliet. No more apologies.” His hand squeezes mine as he leans closer. “I’m in this with you, and you’re not going through this alone.”
“Why? I’m nobody,” I hurry to say, and Maverick’s jaw flexes.
“That cunt has gotten inside your head and filled it with her poison.”
Hearing him call her that name makes me let out a small laugh. “She is a...you know.”
“Cunt,” he says again and smirks. “Come on, you can say it.”
“She’s a”—I pause and lick my lips—”a cunt.”
“There you go.” He sounds proud of me, which is only going to make this all the harder when I leave.